23096


I've noticed a recurring design in anime, manga, and other Japanese art and
I'm wondering where it comes from. It's basically a jet-like machine or
creature with a pointed head, tufted "ears", long neck, and sharp wings
attached to a back-heavy body. Here's some examples:

The Gekko from Eureka Seven:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/droEG.png)

Latias/Latios from Pokémon:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AHDW6.png)

Chiara Toscana's weapon/vehicle from Shakugan no Shana:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/a598B.jpg)

Are these simply coincidences or is it a design trope, similar to something
like mecha? Is there more history behind this shape? If you know of any other
examples, I'd love to know about them.


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2015-07-06T19:39:18.690
23061
2015-07-07T20:13:40.877
2015-07-07T02:25:26.377
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question
anime-production tropes
What are these designs based on?


As @ʞɹɐzǝɹ and @seijitsu mentioned in the comments, these designs appear to be
based on birds. Specifically, the long neck and football-shaped body look like
a crane or goose.

![painting of Japanese goose](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KnLvlm.jpg)

![red-crowned crane](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cfq26m.jpg)

The red-crowned crane has a [significant
place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-crowned_crane#Culture) in Japanese
and Chinese culture. It figures in the fairy tale [Tsuru no
Ongaeshi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuru_no_Ongaeshi). As txteclipse
mentioned in the comments, Japan Airlines even uses the red-crowned crane as
its logo; the Wikipedia article says this symbol was chosen by an American
branding expert due to the positive image of the crane in Japanese culture and
mythology. Given that, it makes sense that Japanese artists would think of
using the crane as a basis for imaginary creatures or flying vehicles.

The crane-like design is also unusual in real world aircraft. As you can see
from the first image of the goose, the goose's and crane's wings angle
forwards; this is replicated in the OP's first image of the Gekko from Eureka
7. Real-world aircraft tend to have a more straight, cylindrical body and
wings which angle backwards:

![f15 fighter](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eBN1Gm.jpg) ![boeing
747](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Mhlgm.jpg)

These differences give aircraft based on the crane design a unique,
fantastical appearance.

I couldn't track down any species of crane or goose which has tufted "ears"
like the Gekko or Latios. Some geese do have tufted feathers, but they seem to
be always on the back of the head. However, some bird species, such as the the
great horned owl and the juvenile of the house finch, do have such tufted
"ear" feathers:

![great horned owl](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IT06bm.jpg) ![young
finch](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0cGWqm.jpg)

When it comes to designing a fictional creature or aircraft, a design based on
the crane's head is a little bit boring to look at. The tufted head feathers
also come from real-life birds, but they add visual interest to the head area,
without seeming too ridiculous or over-the-top like the head adornments of
certain bird species.


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2015-07-07T20:13:40.877
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2015-07-07T20:13:40.877
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answer