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As is often the case, many shonen anime characters' existence is inspired by other sources. Much like how Star Wars owes its existence to George Lucas' love of Akira Kurosawa's films, many mangakas say that real people inspired them to create their own characters and stories.
While some characters are fitting, just as Goku being based on Bruce Lee, others are horrifically realistic, such as Gen Nakaoka being based off the mangaka's experiences as a Hiroshima survivor. Suffice to say, there are plenty of examples to choose from, and some might even prove to be a surprise for the fans. As such, this list will show 10 shonen anime characters that were inspired by real people.
Disclaimer: These will all contain spoilers for the shonen manga discussed therein. It's also subject to the author's, and mangaka's, opinions.
Zoro, Sasuke, and 8 other shonen anime characters that were based on real people
1) Dragon Ball's Goku is based on Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan
This entry fits all too well, considering how much martial arts fighting is depicted in the Dragon Ball franchise. Goku has had numerous influences, including Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. While the entire series is based on Journey to the West, mangaka Akira Toriyama specifically cited a younger Jackie Chan to play a live-action Goku.
As for Bruce Lee's influence? The manga author stated that Goku's piercing eyes were based on Lee's famous paralyzing glare. The anime character designer Tadayoushi Yamamuro also said that the slanting pose and scowling look when Goku first turned Super Saiyan were based on Lee's poses and glares.
2) Naruto's Sasuke is based on Sarutobi Sasuke and Kishimoto's brother
Is it any wonder a real-life ninja would inspire ninja shonen anime Naruto's deuteragonist Sasuke Uchiha? Considering that Sarutobi Sasuke is considered more of a folklore hero supposedly based on real people and his exploits causing a superhero ninja boom in Japan's pop culture, it's oddly fitting.
Moreover, the frosty relationship that Naruto and Sasuke had was based on mangaka Masashi Kishimoto's own relationship with his twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto. Though the Kishimotos didn't quite have an odd relationship, Naruto and Sasuke did. However, the gap of hatred and competition in the brother's relationship was inspired more by the idealized accounts of the various mangas the two had read.
3) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Jotaro Kujo is based on Clint Eastwood
Jotaro Kujo is considered the most iconic character among the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure cast. The influence of his design and mannerisms is likewise iconic for Westerners. According to mangaka Hirohiko Araki, the primary influence for Jotaro's mannerisms, poses, and catchphrases stem from American actor Clint Eastwood.
This influence lets him stand apart from other Shonen Jump protagonists by giving him something of a loner vibe. The signature finger gun pointing pose Jotaro does comes from Eastwood's poses with a .44 Magnum. Moreover, the "yare yare daze" or "Good Grief" catchphrase is an imitation of Eastwood's lines from many of his movies.
4) Attack on Titan's Titan forms and fighting styles being based off martial arts and wrestling
A recent secret revealed was the influence of the action-horror shonen anime Attack on Titan's Titan Shifter forms. Specifically, both Eren Yeager and Reiner Braun owe their Titan forms and fighting styles to martial arts and professional wrestling. For instance, Eren's is based on Japanese martial artist Yūshin Okami's physique with Takanori Gomi's southpaw fighting style.
For a similar choice, Annie Leonheart's Titan fighting style is more Muay Thai focused. According to mangaka Hajime Isayama, Reiner Braun's Titan form is heavily based on the professional wrestler and former MMA champion Brock Lesnar's fighting style. Given how bulky the Armored Titan and Lesnar are, this fits far too well.
5) Barefoot Gen's Gen Nakaoka based on mangaka's experience as an atomic bomb survivor
While the entirety of the surprisingly shonen anime/manga Barefoot Gen is a monument to the aftermath of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, the experiences of Gen Nakaoka and his family are reminiscent of the late mangaka Keiji Nakazawa's experiences. For starters, many died of radiation sickness more than six months after the bombing.
According to personal interviews, the other thing that bears similarity is the sentiment against the Japanese wartime government, as many didn't agree with the war in general. There are many sensationalized touches, but the general story of survival and the story of how the family died and the infant sister was killed due to radiation poisoning were true.
6) Welcome to the NHK based on mangaka's NEET experiences
For those unversed, a NEET typically refers to young men that are Not in Education, Employment, or Training. Tatsuhiko Takimoto's shonen anime Welcome to the NHK focuses on such experiences of hikkomori's (or the socially reclusive). Much like Barefoot Gen, the experiences of the shonen anime's lead character, Tatsuhiro Satō, mirror Takimoto's.
Essentially, Takimoto was a recovering NEET during the initial release period of the manga. He struggled with this for some time, as he admitted in 2005 that it became harder to continue and threatened to relapse. Sato's journey also involves having friends help him out of the funk of four years of unemployment.
7) Gintoki Sakata is based on Kintoki Sakata
When people think of the parody shonen anime Gintama, they usually don't think of serious samurai drama. Gintoki himself isn't all that serious most of the time. So, it's a surprise to learn about his inspiration. According to mangaka Hideaki Sorachi, Gintoki is based on folk hero Kintaro aka Kintoki Sakata.
According to the folk tale, Kintaro became friends with animals that lived on the mountain he called home. He became a samurai and eventually took the name Sakata Kintoki. Interestingly, this was based on the supposed actual Sakata Kintoki, who served as a retainer for the samurai Minamoto no Yorimitsu.
8) Roronoa Zoro derived from François L’Olonnais
Many stories about or revolving around piracy usually have some basis in facts or references to actual pirates. It's no surprise then that creator of the pirate-focused shonen anime One Piece, Eiichiro Oda, revealed that the tri-sword wielding pirate Roronoa Zoro's name is based on a 17th Century French Caribbean pirate named François L’Olonnais.
However, Zoro is the only one in the Straw Hat crew to be based after an actual pirate. Considering the real pirate was named "The Bane of Spain" due to his ferocity, Zoro having been called "the King of Hell" makes sense. Additionally, both are known as fierce swordsmen who have been able to win despite being outnumbered.
9) Bakuman's mains are based on Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Obha's experiences
Shonen anime and manga about the struggles of making shonen anime and manga sound farfetched. That's what Bakuman is as it shows the struggles of artist Moritaka Mashiro and aspiring writer Akito Takagi mirroring the real-life mangaka Tsuhumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata.
The plot is a dramatized true story of how the two got into the manga industry and all the struggles with Death Note. It also has many homages to another semi-autobiographical manga series, such as Manga Michi by Fujiko A. Fujio. The authors and editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Jump have stated it's a work of fiction, yet it shows a stark resemblance to plenty real-life details.
10) Kenshin Himura is based on Kawakami Gensai
According to mangaka Nobuhiro Watsuki, Kenshin Himura's tale in the shonen anime Rurouni Kenshin is loosely based on the story of Kawakami Gensai. Like the titular Kenshin, Gensai was a hitokiri (manslayer or assassin) that was executed by the Meijii Government. He was so fast he could kill targets in broad daylight, much like Kenshin.
According to Watsuki, Kenshin's character became whole after understanding Gensai's ideal of maintaining a duty to his dead comrades. The latter was executed after harboring the same ideals as his old comrades, a sense of honor that was upheld by Kenshin as well before he gave up his assassin lifestyle.
