

I know that manga publishers such as Weekly Shonen Jump hold character
popularity contests for mangas such as Naruto and Bleach. Where did this
originate and why is it done?


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2013-03-04T20:41:58.497
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2013-03-26T03:34:44.933
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anime-production anime-history
Where did character popularity polls originate?


This is such a common marketing strategy that I doubt it has an origin, but as
for why it is done, it is to cater to the audience.

In the manga [Bakuman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakuman), a popularity
poll placed a side character named Kazuya Hiramaru in fourth place,
immediately afterwards several chapters were devoted to him, which were very
popular.

This implies that this practice is equally beneficial, and probably smiled
upon by both readers and editors alike.


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