Of Swords and Parasols

In my Soul Hunter  posts, crumpeteer and I got to talking about how a lot of villains in anime and manga tend to actually be good guys, or at least, understandable, something that never really happens as much in western literature. (and she made her own post on the subject here)  Which isn't to say we don't have more than our fair share of cackling, scenery chewing, out to destroy the world villains, we have plenty of those, it's just that good and bad in manga and anime tend to be many shades of gray with a little black and white at opposite ends of the spectrum, as opposed to black and white dominating the spectrum, with a bit of grey in the middle.  There are exceptions, of course, but they're exceptions, not a common theme. 

Quick note:  While the 2 characters that prompted this post(and thus, everything outside the cut) are cases of good guys stuck working for bad guys, that's not the entire post.  Most of what's under the case is more cases of good and bad not being as black and white as western fare.

In anything that came out over here, a protagonist, such as Kougaiji in Saiyuki or Bunchu in Soul Hunter would never be allowed to stay on the wrong side through the bulk of the series.  What's more, they (and others like them) are, technically, on the wrong side by choice...they are both operating of free will, fully cognizant of their actions and the consequences of their actions. 

Kougaiji, however, is arguably the nicest guy in Saiyuki.  If he doesn't work as the chief enforcer of the villains, his mother will die, period.  In addition, the villainess is actually his father's lover, and she's the mother of his half-sister, Lirin, who she has bad plans for.  It's very clear that Kougaiji's good behavior is the only thing standing between Lirin and regular experimentation(and even that isn't a sure thing) and his two friends, Doukugaku and Yaone are, in many ways, completely dependent on him.  Only their loyalty to him and his to them keeps them from succumbing to the madness other youkai suffer(and for that matter, while she's not exactly a pushover, Yaone would be a goner without his protection)  As far as strength and power go, the only ones really on a par with Kougaiji in the series are Goku and Hakkai, both good guys, if he wanted to, he could walk, but if he did so, everyone he cared about would suffer, and with the exception of Lirin, either be driven mad and sent to kill him, or just killed off.  Because of this, he's trapped, and likely will be until the end of the series.

Like Kougaiji, Bunchu is one of the most powerful people in Soul Hunter.  However, while Kougaiji is trapped on the wrong side because of his emotional ties to those dependent on him, Bunchu is held captive by his sense of honor and duty.  He swore generations ago to always uphold and protect the Yin Dynasty.  He's well aware that the current ruler is corrupt and beyond redemption, but he is, however, the CURRENT ruler...who has two children.  The princes, therefore, ARE the Yin Dynasty to him, and his hope for the future.  Like Kougaiji, his honor and goodness is used against him and he's manipulated to be forced to wage war against Kou Hiko, the only man he's ever called friend in three hundred years.  He knows he's being manipulated, but he has no choice...Kou Hiko has become a rebel, and has to die.  Bunchu's choices are to let Dakki's people kill him or his own, and if it's his own, then he can ensure it's an honorable death, and that others won't be killed in the process, especially the princes.

In a western fantasy, in either Kougaiji or Bunchu were allowed to remain themselves and not eventually revealed to be evil or be portrayed as weak or comedic, then early in the story, Kougaiji's mother would be either killed or free, allowing him, Lirin, Yaone and Doukugaku to switch sides, and Bunchu would have chosen to turn against his corrupt ruler as opposed to try to maintain the dynasty he had served for so long early in the story. The idea of having a good guy serving the bad guy without brainwashing or direct control, or their being a weak character, for the bulk of the series, simply wouldn't happen.  The idea of "right and wrong" tends to take precedence over obligation, honor, loyalty, etc. in western literature...the good guys fight for the good guys, and the bad guys fight for the bad guys, and never the two shall meet.  Neither Kougaiji nor Bunchu-or many other characters, some of which I'll get to in a minute- would ever exist with the complexity they do, and wouldn't be nearly as interesting or appealing.  Yes, there are exceptions in western literature, but they're the exceptions, as opposed to a common theme.

On the flip side(which would be a whole other post if I really wanted to get into it, but I will a bit under the cut) just like the bad guys aren't always necessarily bad, the good guys aren't necessarily all good, and it's not uncommon for a person who starts out good to become bad, or vice versa..

Note: consider anything listed in the tags as spoiler fodder.  I'm actively trying to avoid direct spoilers, and especially for anything I know that hasn't been released yet and largely stick to motivations and roles, but some spoilers are a necessity. I think it's MOSTLY safe though, except for Wolf's Rain.

ETA: LJ is playing havok with formatting again.  *growls*
ETA 2:  Not saying either approach is superior, really, just that it makes things interesting, as long as it's done well.