
Santiago M. answered 07/01/19
Master in Computer Arts with 5+ Years of Professional Experience
This is a common question Westerners have. Japanese characters in anime, manga and video games, they say, "look" Caucasian. This is a matter of perspective.
In a post titled "Why do the Japanese Draw Themselves as White?", blogger Julian Abagond argues that the Japanese do not draw themselves as white. Rather, Westerners (Abagond specifically says "Americans") think that they do.
"The Japanese see anime characters as being Japanese. It is Americans who think they are white," he writes. "Why? Because to them white is the Default Human Being." To illustrate his point, he includes this image:
Abagond says most Americans will look at this image and see a white person, because, he argues, Americans see the white as the default.
According to Abagond, "For them to think it is a woman I have to add a dress or long hair; for Asian, I have to add slanted eyes; for black, I add kinky hair or brown skin. Etc."
The other must be marked, he contests. "If there are no stereotyped markings of otherness, then white is assumed."