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{{trope}}
{{Useful Notes}}
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[[File:fox_blue_green_eyes_1128.jpg|link=Star Fox Assault|frame|[[Star Fox (series)|Fox McCloud]]'s [[Art Shift|eyes]] are [[Technicolor Eyes|magical]], and not because they're [[What Beautiful Eyes!|so pretty]].<ref>This is a slightly [[Off-Model]] promotional artwork where Fox's normally green eyes are inconsistently both green and blue.</ref>]]
{{quote box|[[File:fox_blue_green_eyes_1128.jpg|link=Star Fox Assault (Video Game)|right]]}}
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[[File:tsheng_blue_green_8975.png|frame]]
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[[caption-width-right:160:[[Star Fox (Video Game)|Fox McCloud]]'s [[Art Shift|eyes]] are [[Technicolor Eyes|magical]], and not because they're [[What Beautiful Eyes|so pretty]].<ref>This is a slightly [[Off Model]] promotional artwork where Fox's normally green eyes are inconsistently both green and blue.</ref>]]
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{{quote box|[[File:tsheng_blue_green_8975.png|frame]]}}


In English, there are eleven [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_term#Basic_color_terms basic color terms] -- [[Tropes in Black|black]], [[Blue Tropes|blue]], [[This Index Is Brown|brown]], [[Gray Tropes|gray]], [[Green Tropes|green]], [[An Index Orange|orange]], [[Pink Is for Tropes|pink]], [[Purple Is the New Trope|purple]], [[Paint the Index Red|red]], [[Tropes in White|white]] and [[The Yellow Index|yellow]]. These colors are fairly consistent, each with culturally canonical hues, by which similar hues are usually associated -- for instance, scarlet is considered a type of {{color|red|r}}, gold is considered a type of {{color|yellow|y}}, etc.
In English, there are eleven [[wikipedia:Color term#Basic color terms|basic color terms]] -- [[Tropes in Black|black]], [[Blue Tropes|blue]], [[This Index Is Brown|brown]], [[Gray Tropes|gray]], [[Green Tropes|green]], [[An Index Orange|orange]], [[Pink Is for Tropes|pink]], [[Purple Is the New Trope|purple]], [[Paint the Index Red|red]], [[Tropes in White|white]] and [[The Yellow Index|yellow]]. These colors are fairly consistent, each with culturally canonical hues, by which similar hues are usually associated -- for instance, scarlet is considered a type of {{color|red|red}}, gold is considered a type of '''{{color|#aaaa00|yellow}}''', etc.


In the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinosphere Sinosphere] -- the regions that either speak one of the Chinese languages (such as China, Singapore, Taiwan, etc.), or have languages that incorporate massive amounts of Chinese-derived extended vocabulary and have historically made widespread use of Chinese written characters (such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam), these regions traditionally have [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguishing_blue_from_green_in_language the same word for both blue and green], indicated with the Chinese character 靑 (or its alternate glyph 青).<ref>This character is read as reconstructed Middle Chinese ''tsheng'', Mandarin ''qīng'', Vietnamese ''thanh'' (poetic) or ''xanh'' (daily usage), Korean 청 ''cheong'', indigenous Japanese あお ''ao'', さお ''sao'' and しい ''shii'', and Sino-Japanese せい ''sei'' and しょう ''shō''.</ref> Most natural and traditional uses of both {{color|blue|b}} and {{color|green|g}} are represented by this word, including the color of the sea, the color of forests, etc. In more recent centuries, there has arisen a greater need to distinguish the concepts that English-speakers would understand as {{color|blue|b}} and {{color|green|g}}. The newer compound Chinese character 綠 came to use in Chinese, Japanese and Korean to specifically mean {{color|green|g}} as opposed to {{color|blue|b}}.<ref> This character is as reconstructed Middle Chinese ''ljowk'', Mandarin ''jī'', ''jí'', ''lǜ'' and ''qī'', Vietnamese ''lục'', Korean 록 ''rok'' and 녹 ''nok'', indigenous Japanese みどり ''midori'', and Sino-Japanese りょく ''ryoku'' and ろく ''roku''.</ref>
In the [[wikipedia:Sinosphere|Sinosphere]] -- the regions that either speak one of the Chinese languages (such as China, Singapore, Taiwan, etc.), or have languages that incorporate massive amounts of Chinese-derived extended vocabulary and have historically made widespread use of Chinese written characters (such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam), these regions traditionally have [[wikipedia:Distinguishing blue from green in language|the same word for both blue and green]], indicated with the Chinese character 靑 (or its alternate glyph 青).<ref>This character is read as reconstructed Middle Chinese ''tsheng'', Mandarin ''qīng'', Vietnamese ''thanh'' (poetic) or ''xanh'' (daily usage), Korean 청 ''cheong'', indigenous Japanese あお ''ao'', さお ''sao'' and しい ''shii'', and Sino-Japanese せい ''sei'' and しょう ''shō''.</ref> Most natural and traditional uses of both {{color|blue|blue}} and {{color|green|green}} are represented by this word, including the color of the sea, the color of forests, etc. In more recent centuries, there has arisen a greater need to distinguish the concepts that English-speakers would understand as {{color|blue|blue}} and {{color|green|green}}. The newer compound Chinese character 綠 came to use in Chinese, Japanese and Korean to specifically mean {{color|green|green}} as opposed to {{color|blue|blue}}.<ref> This character is as reconstructed Middle Chinese ''ljowk'', Mandarin ''jī'', ''jí'', ''lǜ'' and ''qī'', Vietnamese ''lục'', Korean 록 ''rok'' and 녹 ''nok'', indigenous Japanese みどり ''midori'', and Sino-Japanese りょく ''ryoku'' and ろく ''roku''.</ref>


However, even today, these two terms are not universally distinguished as would be understood in English. For example, forests are still 靑 ({{color|blue|b}}). {{color|green|G}} eyes are also confusingly 靑 -- they were known to traditional Chinese civilization because there were ethnic groups on the periphery of their civilization (such as the Tocharian and Turkic peoples) who often had {{color|green|g}} eyes. And even {{color|green|g}} traffic lights are 靑. But not all "natural" {{color|green|g}} things are 靑 and not all "modern" {{color|green|g}} things are 綠 -- for instance, gemstones such as jade and emeralds are 綠 ({{color|green|g}}). Perhaps most confusingly, even though forests and grass are 靑 ({{color|blue|b}}), verdant flora is 綠 ({{color|green|g}}).
However, even today, these two terms are not universally distinguished as would be understood in English. For example, forests are still 靑 ({{color|blue|blue}}). {{color|green|Green}} eyes are also confusingly 靑 -- they were known to traditional Chinese civilization because there were ethnic groups on the periphery of their civilization (such as the Tocharian and Turkic peoples) who often had {{color|green|green}} eyes. And even {{color|green|green}} traffic lights are 靑. But not all "natural" {{color|green|green}} things are 靑 and not all "modern" {{color|green|green}} things are 綠 -- for instance, gemstones such as jade and emeralds are 綠 ({{color|green|green}}). Perhaps most confusingly, even though forests and grass are 靑 ({{color|blue|blue}}), verdant flora is 綠 ({{color|green|green}}).


And now where this ambiguity becomes a ''[[Trope]]''. It is most easily noticed in Japanese entertainment that is in full color (such as [[Anime]] and [[Video Games]]), particularly with character eyes. (This is mostly irrelevant in [[Manga]], which is usually in black and white.) A character's canonical physical appearance may have 靑 eyes, but may be inconsistently portrayed as having {{color|blue|b}} or {{color|green|g}} eyes within the same series, or sometimes within the same ''work''. Since the vast majority of Japanese people have {{color|brown|b}} eyes, this mostly affects Caucasian characters, or characters that are [[Kemono]] ([[Petting Zoo People]]) -- {{color|brown|b}} eyes in Japan are a predominantly ''human'' trait, and non-human animals in and near Japan commonly have other eye colors including {{color|blue|b}}. Understandably, many viewers even in the West may not even notice this {{color|blue|b}}/{{color|green|g}} inconsistency, as it is common to overlook other people's eye color.
And now where the '''Green Is Blue''' ambiguity becomes a ''[[Trope]]''. It is most easily noticed in Japanese entertainment that is in full color (such as [[Anime]] and [[Video Games]]), particularly with character eyes. (This is mostly irrelevant in [[Manga]], which is usually in black and white.) A character's canonical physical appearance may have 靑 eyes, but may be inconsistently portrayed as having {{color|blue|blue}} or {{color|green|green}} eyes within the same series, or sometimes within the same ''work''. Since the vast majority of Japanese people have {{color|#663300|brown}} eyes, this mostly affects Caucasian characters, or characters that are [[Kemono]] ([[Petting Zoo People]]) -- {{color|#663300|brown}} eyes in Japan are a predominantly ''human'' trait, and non-human animals in and near Japan commonly have other eye colors including {{color|blue|blue}}. Understandably, many viewers even in the West may not even notice this {{color|blue|blue}}/{{color|green|green}} inconsistency, as it is common to overlook other people's eye color.


In Japan, this may occasionally be a [[People Sit in Chairs]] for obvious reasons stated above, where the difference between {{color|blue|b}} and {{color|green|g}} is not always considered significant -- in the more distant past, this would have almost certainly been true. But this becomes far more noticeable to foreign consumers of Japanese entertainment, particularly to those people who are detail-oriented. Where this becomes more blatantly obvious, it can be considered a [[Language Tropes|Language Trope]]. And, as mentioned earlier, the difference between {{color|green|g}} and {{color|blue|b}} is now well-known in Japanese culture, but it is the indigenous terminology that can be ambiguous.
In Japan, this may occasionally be a case of [[People Sit in Chairs|People Sitting in Chairs]] for obvious reasons stated above, where the difference between {{color|blue|blue}} and {{color|green|green}} is not always considered significant -- in the more distant past, this would have almost certainly been true. But this becomes far more noticeable to foreign consumers of Japanese entertainment, particularly to those people who are detail-oriented. Where this becomes more blatantly obvious, it can be considered a [[Language Tropes|Language Trope]]. And, as mentioned earlier, the difference between {{color|green|green}} and {{color|blue|blue}} is now well-known in Japanese culture, but it is the indigenous terminology that can be ambiguous.


Note also that, the world being a diverse place, the Sinosphere is not the only place where languages often muddle the distinction between {{color|green|g}} and {{color|blue|b}}. This has also been observed in the modern Celtic languages ([[Useful Notes/Ireland|Irish]], [[Useful Notes/Land of My Fathers and Their Sheep|Welsh]], etc.), where there is not only some muddling between {{color|green|g}} and {{color|blue|b}}, but also between {{color|green|g}} and ''{{color|gray|g}}''. Similarly, older [[Useful Notes/Italy|Italians]] lump {{color|orange|o}} in with {{color|red|r}}. Before about 1500, orange ''in English'' was lumped in with yellow and gold.
Note also that, the world being a diverse place, the Sinosphere is not the only place where languages often muddle the distinction between {{color|green|green}} and {{color|blue|blue}}. This has also been observed in the modern Celtic languages ([[Ireland|Irish]], [[Land of My Fathers and Their Sheep|Welsh]], etc.), where there is not only some muddling between {{color|green|green}} and {{color|blue|blue}}, but also between {{color|green|green}} and ''{{color|gray|gray}}''. Similarly, older [[Italy|Italians]] lump {{color|#cc7700|orange}} in with {{color|red|red}}. And prior to 1500 C.E., {{color|#cc7700|orange}} in English was lumped in with '''{{color|#aaaa00|yellow}}''' and {{color|#888800|gold}}.


Not to be confused with the (rather confusing) [[Dub Name Change|Dub Name Changes]] for the characters named Green and Blue in various ''Pokémon'' media.
Not to be confused with the (rather confusing) [[Dub Name Change|Dub Name Changes]] for the characters named Green and Blue in various ''[[Pokémon]]'' media.


Read Guy Deutscher’s ''Through the Language Glass'' for an in-depth explanation of this trope and its equivalents in other countries.
Read Guy Deutscher’s ''Through the Language Glass'' for an in-depth explanation of this trope and its equivalents in other countries.
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{{examples|Examples}}



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* In [[Dragonball]], the Super Saiyans eye color is usually greenish in the anime, but from time to time they appear blue in some Toriyama illustrations, as well as in some promotional media and certain isolated anime episodes.
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{{examples}}
* In ''[[Tokkei Winspector]]'', the heroes are meant to reflect the traffic lights. With that said, Walter was {{color|blue|b}} than {{color|green|g}}.
== Anime and Manga ==
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** Yuno's drunken rant in ''[[Hidamari Sketch]]'', currently [[Non Indicative Name]]'s page quote, is also about {{color|green|g}} traffic lights.
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* In ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', the Super Saiyans' eye color is usually greenish in the anime, but from time to time they appear blue in some Toriyama illustrations, as well as in some promotional media and certain isolated anime episodes.
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* Similar to Winspector, ''[[Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger]]''/''[[Power Rangers SPD]]'' has the finishing move of the main robot using traffic lights... with the colors being {{color|red|r}}, {{color|yellow|y}} and {{color|blue|b}} {{color|green|g}}.
** "{{color|green|G}}" lights ''[[Justified Trope|are]]'' tinted {{color|blue|b}}, so that red-green colorblind people can distinguish between a {{color|green|g}} light and a {{color|red|r}} light.
* In ''[[Tokkei Winspector]]'', the heroes are meant to reflect the traffic lights. With that said, Walter was {{color|blue|bluish}} than {{color|green|greenish}}.
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* Yuno's drunken rant in ''[[Hidamari Sketch]]'', currently [[Non-Indicative Name]]'s page quote, is also about {{color|green|green}} traffic lights.
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* In the early days of ''[[Super Mario Bros]]'', the color of Luigi's clothes was inconsistently portrayed as {{color|blue|b}} or {{color|green|g}}. It took a little while before the vivid {{color|green|g}} color became firmly established.
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* Similar to Winspector, ''[[Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger]]''/''[[Power Rangers SPD]]'' has the finishing move of the main robot using traffic lights... with the colors being {{color|red|red}}, {{color|yellow|yellow}} and {{color|blue|bluish}} {{color|green|green}}.
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* Fox McCloud from ''[[Star Fox (Video Game)|Star Fox]]'' is one of the better documented examples of this [[Trope]]. In the 1993 comic, his eyes were {{color|green|g}} in the early pages, then {{color|blue|b}} through the rest of the comic. They remained {{color|blue|b}} in ''[[Star Fox 2 (Video Game)|Star Fox 2]]''. ''[[Star Fox 64 (Video Game)|Star Fox 64]]'' had a particular [[Art Shift]] that did not show eye color at all, but ''Farewell, Beloved Falco'' and ''[[Star Fox Adventures (Video Game)|Star Fox Adventures]]'' firmly established him with emerald {{color|green|g}} eyes. But this began to slip again in ''[[Star Fox Assault (Video Game)|Star Fox Assault]]'', where most of the official art showed him with {{color|green|g}} eyes, but at least one picture not only showed him with {{color|blue|b}} eyes, but the {{color|blue|b}} faded to {{color|green|g}} within the same irises. They're {{color|green|g}} again in [[Super Smash Bros|Super Smash Bros. Brawl.]]
* Torahiko Ōshima from ''[[Morenatsu]]'' is usually drawn with {{color|blue|b}} eyes, but some of the artwork shows him with {{color|green|g}} eyes.
** "{{color|green|Green}}" lights ''[[Justified Trope|are]]'' tinted {{color|blue|blue}}, so that red-green colorblind people can distinguish between a {{color|green|green}} light and a {{color|red|red}} light.
* In ''[http://www.co2comics.com/pages/co2_ginger_fox_graphic_novel.html The World of Ginger Fox]'', Ginger's eyes are sometimes {{color|blue|b}} and sometimes {{color|green|g}}. The cover art shows her with an eye color partway between {{color|green|g}} and {{color|blue|b}}.
* Torahiko Ōshima from ''[[Morenatsu]]'' is usually drawn with {{color|blue|blue}} eyes, but some of the artwork shows him with {{color|green|green}} eyes.
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* In Japan, "go" traffic lights are {{color|green|green}}, but art of traffic lights is {{color|green|green}}. This shows up in an early episode of ''[[Transformers Cybertron]],'' where we see an actual traffic light (well, it's a robot in disguise, but still), and a slideshow presentation of a traffic light, and they're different colors.
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* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 3'', Big Boss' eyes are described as {{color|blue|b}} in dialogue, but they appear {{color|green|g}}. Snake's eyes were also dark {{color|green|g}} in ''Metal Gear Solid 2'', but described in his bio in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 4'' as {{color|blue|b}} and appear clearly {{color|blue|b}} in that game.
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* Pokemon Green became Pokemon Blue when released in the U.S.
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* Several [[Pokémon]] are listed as "{{color|green|g}}" in the Pokedex, when most Westerners would consider them {{color|blue|b}}: specifically, {{color|teal|B}}, {{color|teal|B}}, {{color|teal|G}}, and {{color|teal|G}} are all listed as "{{color|green|g}}".
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** There are several {{color|orange|o}} pokemon as well. But the pokedex ends up listing them as either {{color|red|r}} or {{color|brown|b}}.
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* Qīng Lóng/Seiryuu of [[The Four Gods]] is called the "Azure Dragon", despite his element being wood, [[Fridge Logic|so one would think it would be colored green]].
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** Somewhat justified in that [[Green Thumb|wood]] is associated with [[Blow You Away|air]] in Wu Xing (contrary to the japanese "translations" listing Seiryuu as earth and Byakko as air), so you can eithe go along with [[Wind Is Green]] or simply see the Azure Dragon as a manifestation of the sky.
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* In Japan, "go" traffic lights are {{color|green|g}}, but art of traffic lights is {{color|blue|b}}. This shows up in an early episode of ''[[Transformers Cybertron]],'' where we see an actual traffic light (well, it's a robot in disguise, but still), and a slideshow presentation of a traffic light, and they're different colors.
** Related: The three forms of [[Kamen Rider Double|Kamen Rider Accel]] are supposed to be based off of the three colors in a traffic light. These forms are colored red, yellow and, you guessed it, blue.
** Related: The three forms of [[Kamen Rider Double|Kamen Rider Accel]] are supposed to be based off of the three colors in a traffic light. These forms are colored red, yellow and, you guessed it, blue.
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* [[The Odyssey]] and [[The Illiad]] never mention color blue. It might be slightly odd, given all the sea-faring in the Odyssey, but that was caused by the ancient Greek language inverting the trope - there was no word for blue, only green. Luckily for modern readers, sea is not referred to as green anywhere in the books, avoiding confusion.
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* [[Harry Potter (Literature)|Harry Potter]] is described in the books as having [[Green Eyes]] - but in [[Harry Potter (Film)|the films]] they're blue, as Daniel Radcliffe couldn't stand green lenses. (luckily, his on-screen mother - from which Harry inherited the eye color - also has them blue)
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* Amy Lee of [[Evanescence]] did an interview on Tokyo FM, and was complimented on her {{color|green|g}} eyes. This is where it gets complicated. It's been said that she has {{color|green|g}} eyes naturally, and wore {{color|blue|b}} contacts around the time of the first album. This interview was near the time of the second album, but in her childhood photos she had {{color|blue|b}} eyes. It gets really complicated, because in the Japanese translation, the DJ used the English loanword {{color|green|グ}}, or {{color|green|g}}.
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* [[Vocaloid|Miku Hatsune]]'s thematic color tends to fluctuate between any given shade of green or blue, depending on the artist.


== Comic Books ==
* In ''[http://www.co2comics.com/pages/co2_ginger_fox_graphic_novel.html The World of Ginger Fox]'', Ginger's eyes are sometimes {{color|blue|blue}} and sometimes {{color|blue|blue}}. The cover art shows her with an eye color partway between {{color|green|green}} and {{color|green|green}}.

== Literature ==
⚫
* ''[[The Odyssey]]'' and ''[[The Iliad]]'' never mention the color blue. It might be slightly odd, given all the sea-faring in ''The Odyssey'', but that was caused by the ancient Greek language inverting the trope -- there was no word for "blue", only "green". Luckily for modern readers, sea is not referred to as green anywhere in the books, avoiding confusion.

== Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and legends ==
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* Qīng Lóng/Seiryuu of [[The Four Gods]] is called the "Azure Dragon", despite his element being wood, [[Fridge Logic|so one would think it would be colored green]].
⚫
** Somewhat justified in that [[Green Thumb|wood]] is associated with [[Blow You Away|air]] in Wu Xing (contrary to the Japanese "translations" listing Seiryuu as earth and Byakko as air), so you can either go along with [[Wind Is Green]] or simply see the Azure Dragon as a manifestation of the sky.

== Video Games ==
⚫
* In the early days of ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', the color of Luigi's clothes was inconsistently portrayed as {{color|blue|blue}} or {{color|blue|blue}}. It took a little while before the vivid {{color|green|green}} color became firmly established.
⚫
* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 3'', Big Boss' eyes are described as {{color|green|green}} in dialogue, but they appear {{color|blue|blue}}. Snake's eyes were also dark {{color|green|green}} in ''Metal Gear Solid 2'', but described in his bio in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]] 4'' as {{color|blue|blue}} and appear clearly {{color|green|green}} in that game.
⚫
* Fox McCloud from ''[[Star Fox (series)|Star FOX]]'' is one of the better documented examples of this [[Trope]]. In the 1993 comic, his eyes were {{color|green|green}} in the early pages, then {{color|blue|blue}} through the rest of the comic. They remained {{color|blue|blue}} in ''[[Star Fox 2]]''. ''[[Star Fox 64]]'' had a particular [[Art Shift]] that did not show eye color at all, but ''Farewell, Beloved Falco'' and ''[[Star Fox Adventures]]'' firmly established him with emerald {{color|green|green}} eyes. But this began to slip again in ''[[Star Fox Assault]]'', where most of the official art showed him with {{color|green|green}} eyes, but at least one picture not only showed him with {{color|blue|blue}} eyes, but the {{color|blue|blue}} faded to {{color|green|green}} within the same irises. They're {{color|blue|blue}} again in [[Super Smash Bros.|Super Smash Bros. Brawl.]]
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* Several [[Pokémon]] are listed as "{{color|teal|Bronzor}}" in the Pokédex, when most Westerners would consider them {{color|teal|Bronzong}}: specifically, {{color|teal|Golett}}, {{color|teal|Golurk}}, {{color|green|green}}, and {{color|orange|orange}} are all listed as "{{color|red|red}}".
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** There are several {{color|#663300|brown}} Pokémon as well. But the Pokédex ends up listing them as either {{color|green|green}} or {{color|blue|blue}}.
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** ''Pokemon Green'' became ''Pokémon Blue'' when released in the U.S.

== Other Media ==
⚫
* [[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]] is described in the books as having [[Green Eyes]] -- but in [[Harry Potter (film)|the films]] they're blue, as Daniel Radcliffe couldn't stand green lenses. (luckily, his on-screen mother -- from which Harry inherited the eye color -- also has them blue)
⚫
* Amy Lee of [[Evanescence]] did an interview on Tokyo FM, and was complimented on her {{color|green|green}} eyes. This is where it gets complicated. It's been said that she has {{color|green|green}} eyes naturally, and wore {{color|blue|blue}} contacts around the time of the first album. This interview was near the time of the second album, but in her childhood photos she had {{color|blue|blue}} eyes. It gets really complicated, because in the Japanese translation, the DJ used the English loanword {{color|green|グリーン}}, or {{color|green|green}}.
⚫
* [[Vocaloid]] Miku Hatsune's thematic color tends to fluctuate between any given shade of green or blue, depending on the artist.
* On [[All The Tropes|this very wiki]], assuming you use the default settings, links to Trope pages are green while links to other pages are blue. They're all links to existing pages.

----
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Useful Notes/Japanese Language]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Useful Notes]]
[[Category:Blue Tropes]]
[[Category:Green Tropes]]
[[Category:Green Tropes]]
[[Category:Useful Notes/Japan]]
[[Category:Language Tropes]]
[[Category:Language Tropes]]
[[Category:Blue Tropes]]
[[Category:Useful Notes/China]]
[[Category:Useful Notes/China]]
[[Category:Green Is Blue]]
[[Category:Useful Notes/Japan]]
[[Category:Trope]]
[[Category:Japanese Language]]

Latest revision as of 12:37, 22 July 2022


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    /wiki/Green Is Bluework
    Fox McCloud's eyes are magical, and not because they're so pretty.[1]

    In English, there are eleven basic color terms -- black, blue, brown, gray, green, orange, pink, purple, red, white and yellow. These colors are fairly consistent, each with culturally canonical hues, by which similar hues are usually associated -- for instance, scarlet is considered a type of red, gold is considered a type of yellow, etc.

    In the Sinosphere -- the regions that either speak one of the Chinese languages (such as China, Singapore, Taiwan, etc.), or have languages that incorporate massive amounts of Chinese-derived extended vocabulary and have historically made widespread use of Chinese written characters (such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam), these regions traditionally have the same word for both blue and green, indicated with the Chinese character 靑 (or its alternate glyph 青).[2] Most natural and traditional uses of both blue and green are represented by this word, including the color of the sea, the color of forests, etc. In more recent centuries, there has arisen a greater need to distinguish the concepts that English-speakers would understand as blue and green. The newer compound Chinese character 綠 came to use in Chinese, Japanese and Korean to specifically mean green as opposed to blue.[3]

    However, even today, these two terms are not universally distinguished as would be understood in English. For example, forests are still 靑 (blue). Green eyes are also confusingly 靑 -- they were known to traditional Chinese civilization because there were ethnic groups on the periphery of their civilization (such as the Tocharian and Turkic peoples) who often had green eyes. And even green traffic lights are 靑. But not all "natural" green things are 靑 and not all "modern" green things are 綠 -- for instance, gemstones such as jade and emeralds are 綠 (green). Perhaps most confusingly, even though forests and grass are 靑 (blue), verdant flora is 綠 (green).

    And now where the Green Is Blue ambiguity becomes a Trope. It is most easily noticed in Japanese entertainment that is in full color (such as Anime and Video Games), particularly with character eyes. (This is mostly irrelevant in Manga, which is usually in black and white.) A character's canonical physical appearance may have 靑 eyes, but may be inconsistently portrayed as having blue or green eyes within the same series, or sometimes within the same work. Since the vast majority of Japanese people have brown eyes, this mostly affects Caucasian characters, or characters that are Kemono (Petting Zoo People) -- brown eyes in Japan are a predominantly human trait, and non-human animals in and near Japan commonly have other eye colors including blue. Understandably, many viewers even in the West may not even notice this blue/green inconsistency, as it is common to overlook other people's eye color.

    In Japan, this may occasionally be a case of People Sitting in Chairs for obvious reasons stated above, where the difference between blue and green is not always considered significant -- in the more distant past, this would have almost certainly been true. But this becomes far more noticeable to foreign consumers of Japanese entertainment, particularly to those people who are detail-oriented. Where this becomes more blatantly obvious, it can be considered a Language Trope. And, as mentioned earlier, the difference between green and blue is now well-known in Japanese culture, but it is the indigenous terminology that can be ambiguous.

    Note also that, the world being a diverse place, the Sinosphere is not the only place where languages often muddle the distinction between green and blue. This has also been observed in the modern Celtic languages (Irish, Welsh, etc.), where there is not only some muddling between green and blue, but also between green and gray. Similarly, older Italians lump orange in with red. And prior to 1500 C.E., orange in English was lumped in with yellow and gold.

    Not to be confused with the (rather confusing) Dub Name Changes for the characters named Green and Blue in various Pokémon media.

    Read Guy Deutscher’s Through the Language Glass for an in-depth explanation of this trope and its equivalents in other countries.


    Examples of Green Is Blue include:

    Anime and Manga

    • In Dragon Ball, the Super Saiyans' eye color is usually greenish in the anime, but from time to time they appear blue in some Toriyama illustrations, as well as in some promotional media and certain isolated anime episodes.
    • In Tokkei Winspector, the heroes are meant to reflect the traffic lights. With that said, Walter was bluish than greenish.
    • Yuno's drunken rant in Hidamari Sketch, currently Non-Indicative Name's page quote, is also about green traffic lights.
    • Similar to Winspector, Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger/Power Rangers SPD has the finishing move of the main robot using traffic lights... with the colors being red, yellow and bluish green.
      • "Green" lights are tinted blue, so that red-green colorblind people can distinguish between a green light and a red light.
    • Torahiko Ōshima from Morenatsu is usually drawn with blue eyes, but some of the artwork shows him with green eyes.
    • In Japan, "go" traffic lights are green, but art of traffic lights is green. This shows up in an early episode of Transformers Cybertron, where we see an actual traffic light (well, it's a robot in disguise, but still), and a slideshow presentation of a traffic light, and they're different colors.
      • Related: The three forms of Kamen Rider Accel are supposed to be based off of the three colors in a traffic light. These forms are colored red, yellow and, you guessed it, blue.

    Comic Books

    • In The World of Ginger Fox, Ginger's eyes are sometimes blue and sometimes blue. The cover art shows her with an eye color partway between green and green.

    Literature

    • The Odyssey and The Iliad never mention the color blue. It might be slightly odd, given all the sea-faring in The Odyssey, but that was caused by the ancient Greek language inverting the trope -- there was no word for "blue", only "green". Luckily for modern readers, sea is not referred to as green anywhere in the books, avoiding confusion.

    Oral Tradition, Folklore, Myths and legends

    • Qīng Lóng/Seiryuu of The Four Gods is called the "Azure Dragon", despite his element being wood, so one would think it would be colored green.
      • Somewhat justified in that wood is associated with air in Wu Xing (contrary to the Japanese "translations" listing Seiryuu as earth and Byakko as air), so you can either go along with Wind Is Green or simply see the Azure Dragon as a manifestation of the sky.

    Video Games

    • In the early days of Super Mario Bros., the color of Luigi's clothes was inconsistently portrayed as blue or blue. It took a little while before the vivid green color became firmly established.
    • In Metal Gear Solid 3, Big Boss' eyes are described as green in dialogue, but they appear blue. Snake's eyes were also dark green in Metal Gear Solid 2, but described in his bio in Metal Gear Solid 4 as blue and appear clearly green in that game.
    • Fox McCloud from Star FOX is one of the better documented examples of this Trope. In the 1993 comic, his eyes were green in the early pages, then blue through the rest of the comic. They remained blue in Star Fox 2. Star Fox 64 had a particular Art Shift that did not show eye color at all, but Farewell, Beloved Falco and Star Fox Adventures firmly established him with emerald green eyes. But this began to slip again in Star Fox Assault, where most of the official art showed him with green eyes, but at least one picture not only showed him with blue eyes, but the blue faded to green within the same irises. They're blue again in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
    • Several Pokémon are listed as "Bronzor" in the Pokédex, when most Westerners would consider them Bronzong: specifically, Golett, Golurk, green, and orange are all listed as "red".
      • There are several brown Pokémon as well. But the Pokédex ends up listing them as either green or blue.
      • Pokemon Green became Pokémon Blue when released in the U.S.

    Other Media

    • Harry Potter is described in the books as having Green Eyes -- but in the films they're blue, as Daniel Radcliffe couldn't stand green lenses. (luckily, his on-screen mother -- from which Harry inherited the eye color -- also has them blue)
    • Amy Lee of Evanescence did an interview on Tokyo FM, and was complimented on her green eyes. This is where it gets complicated. It's been said that she has green eyes naturally, and wore blue contacts around the time of the first album. This interview was near the time of the second album, but in her childhood photos she had blue eyes. It gets really complicated, because in the Japanese translation, the DJ used the English loanword グリーン, or green.
    • Vocaloid Miku Hatsune's thematic color tends to fluctuate between any given shade of green or blue, depending on the artist.
    • On this very wiki, assuming you use the default settings, links to Trope pages are green while links to other pages are blue. They're all links to existing pages.
    1. ↑ This is a slightly Off-Model promotional artwork where Fox's normally green eyes are inconsistently both green and blue.
    2. ↑ This character is read as reconstructed Middle Chinese tsheng, Mandarin qīng, Vietnamese thanh (poetic) or xanh (daily usage), Korean 청 cheong, indigenous Japanese あお ao, さお sao and しい shii, and Sino-Japanese せい sei and しょう shō.
    3. ↑ This character is as reconstructed Middle Chinese ljowk, Mandarin jī, jí, lǜ and qī, Vietnamese lục, Korean 록 rok and 녹 nok, indigenous Japanese みどり midori, and Sino-Japanese りょく ryoku and ろく roku.
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