Breaking the Fourth Wall/Anime and Manga: Difference between revisions

* The [[Non-Indicative First Episode]] of ''[[Suzumiya Haruhi|The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' doesn't even ''try'' to have a fourth wall -- there's a constant voiceover from an omniscient narrator from end to end who [[Lampshade Hanging|hangs lampshades]] on all of the [[Japanese Media Tropes]] (especially the [[Discredited Trope|discredited ones]]) that occur during their [[Show Within a Show|amateur film]].

** He even goes so far as ''yelling at the characters'' about things that bother him:

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' does this often.

** Throughout the manga, there are extra comics about the characters reactions and hopes about a popularity poll. This includes discussions about how much 'screen time' they've had in recent chapters and at one point Scar using alchemy to blow up the author when he reads that he has tied with her way low on the poll.

** And the side story where Ed and Mustang have a fight.

** In volume 14, Ed comes out of the shower naked and the girl's inside Al's armor, the guard comes in and says "Stop acting like your in a manga."

* While generally not appearing in the anime, the manga series for ''[[Tenchi Muyo!]]'' featured quite a few references to episodes of the OVA, as well as Aeka stopping a bit of it by screaming at Ryoko and Washu to, in the English translation, 'stop this Brecht crap!'; the two lackadaisically agree to return to the story.

* In episode 96 of ''[[Ranma ½|Ranma One Half]]'' after yet another dreary conclusion Ranma pointedly asks...

** The manga had one moment where Mariko uses several moves reminiscient of young Goku in ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' (extending baton, standing on a "cloud" made of pompoms). Ranma demands to know which manga she thinks she's in.

* Jessie, James, and Meowth in ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' occasionally show awareness that they're cartoon villains. In ''[[Pokémon: The Movie 2000|Pokémon 2000]]'', they even proudly and dramatically declare their presence on the big screen, to which the annoyed Ash retorts, "I'll just catch this on video!" The Slowking from the same film also breaks the fourth wall by telling Team Rocket how people have been watching their sudden switch to heroism the entire film.

** It's actually a running gag. At the start of the next filler, Ulquiorra stops his fight with Ichigo and sits down to have a sip of tea. When Ichigo asks why, Ulquiorra tells him that the studio execs will be cutting to something different for a little while. Nel then appears and asks the audience to "just bear with us here." They also ran a similar omake at the end of the filler.

** And then later in the couple of episodes focusing on the Kakura Rizer team, Ishida pops up, and offers this gem, whilst explaining about various abilities.

** During the Hueco Mundo arc, after Mayuri Kurotsuchi's victory against Szayel Aporro Granz, Captain finds his lieutenant and (sort of) daughter Nemu Kurotsuchi lying on the ground without a sign of life. He bends over and... does some unknown, yet very embarrassing actions for anyone who saw them (Renji Abarai and Uryuu Ishida, to be precise). In both manga and anime they ask "which part of those movements involved any kind of healing?!", yet only in the anime Ishida said that those actions were impossible to air on TV. Mayuri not only responded, that those actions were only as perverted as "they" saw them, but also helped in Breaking The Wall. Also during this battle, when Pesche Gautiche reveals his zanpakutou and likens it to Seele Schneider, Uryuu denies the similarities. This leads to Pesche's angered rant about how his "thingy" is "way thicker and more useful than Uryuu's thingy". This soon cuts out to a "Technical difficulties" screen featuring Dondochakka.

** When Noba zips his mask after being approached by Rangiku, Ururu turns to the audience and explains: "He's a little shy."

** During the Zanpakto unknown tales saga, in one of the episode previews, Ichigo asks why Kenpachi's zanpakto hadn't materialized. The conversation continues with:

"Bingo" }}

* ''[[The Idolmaster (anime)|THE iDOLM@STER]]'' - Subverted/Played with in a [[In-Universe]] example, with Haruka mentioning the script during the [[Show Within a Show|Are we live?]] show and with Ami and Mami commenting about the report during the Ramen segment with Takane.

* [[Keet|Shuichi]] from the ''[[Gravitation]]'' manga does it in the final volume, stating, that [[Tall, Dark and Snarky|Yuki's]] behaviour doesn't make any sense at all since there was no single hint in the previous 11 volumes.

* In an episode of ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'', Japan comments on the normally slow Italy's sudden burst of speed when he sees England:

** Prussia complains in one episode that he should be a main character, going so far as to insult the staff making the anime.

** And many more times in the [[Gag Dub|dub]]. For instance, Italy telling the viewers that they should feel Germany's firm butt.

** "It's bad enough I have jerk Britain laughing at me without suffering these little animated insert thingies!"

** Iceland breaks the fourth wall when he introduces himself at the beginning of [[The Movie]]. During the Hetaween 2011 event, he also tells the audience to stop staring at him.

** At the end of episode 11, after Ryuuka has declared that Mariel is her rival for Taro's affection, Grace turns to the audience and says "Is this going to continue?"

** ''La Verite'' (2nd season) episode 7. The group encounters a series of odd traps.

'''Ikuyo Suzuki''': It's as if the producers wanted to show us how unimaginative they are! }}

* In Episode 6 of the ''[[Durarara]]'' anime when Kadota Kyohei explains why they're rescuing Kaztano.

* An episode of the English dub of ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' altered a line of dialog where Sailor Moon was looking straight at the camera to have her ask the audience to tell her where Luna went. The original script had her worrying to herself.

* ''[[Highschool of the Dead]]'' sometimes pokes through the fourth wall, saying that what's happening now would make a great manga. Of course at one point Saya tells Takashi "We get it, you're the main character."

** Luffy breaks the fourth wall during a scene in the filler G-8 Arc. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDu-R9SriPA See it for yourself].

** Brook breaks it during his explanation of why he lacks a shadow.

Sanji: [[To Be Continued Right Now|TELL US EVERYTHING NOW!]] }}

* Happens often in ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]''. Usually by [[Camp Straight|Tamaki]] who once declares he's [[The Hero]] of the story and the rest of the host club are homosexual [[Supporting Protagonist|Supporting Protagonists]] (they are not amused). He also asks Mori if he's upset he hasn't gotten an [[Day in The Limelight|episode dedicated to him]] yet.

'''Haruhi'''(while discussing that Honey has type AB blood, the same as Kyoya, and therefore has an evil split personality): Oh, those of you watching who are type AB, don't get upset. }}

* [[Adventures of Mini-Goddess|Adventures of Mini Goddesses]] is full of these, usually via Belldandy commenting on the proceedings via placards ("[[Don't Try This At Home]]!")

** The [[Distaff Counterparts]] of the three main boys wondered why those boring boys could have their own anime.

* In one episode of Kirby: Right Back at Ya, during one point, Meta Knight breaks the fourth wall.

* In ''[[Robotech]]'', the usually formal narrator breaks the fourth wall only twice. The first time is in Wedding Bells, when he humorously comments about Max's nervousness regarding his upcoming date with Mirya: "After all, (laughs), what do you expect from a girl you only met that same morning?". In Season's greetings, he ends the episode by saying "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a safe night."

* [[Haruhi-chan|Haruhi Chan]] has this one episode in which, in the begining, Achakura tries to tell her past, but Mr. Kimidori says that "this is turning this into a flashback episode."