I've recently had a surge of good ideas come through my mind so my entries will start coming in thick and fast for a few days so to kick off the frenzy I will start with Top 10 Author Avatars.
An author avatar is where a certain character within the story represents the author writing it, whether it be the main character or a mascot, so let us begin.
10. Akira Toriyama Robot from Dr Slump & Dragonball
In his early works Akira Toriyama recreated himself as a small robot wearing a gas mask, often with a clockwork key and an array of clothing.
9. Koshi Rikdo from Excel Saga
Rikdo who appears alongside a later entry on this list would kick start each episode of Excel Saga by agreeing to let his characters indulge in a particular genre of anime for gags, with hilarious results.
8. Eichiro "Odacchi" Oda from One Piece
During a soccer special short before one of the films, Eichiro Oda re-imagines himself as a soccer player to take a shot for the villain allstars only for it to be saved by Coby. It covers Oda's childhood passion for soccer in which his nickname was Odacchi.
7. Naoko Takeuchi from Sailor Moon
Naoko named Usagi's immediate family after her own and Usagi herself is rumored to be based on her.
6. Tatsuhiko Tokimoto from Welcome to the NHK
The show is such a grim reminder of his past life that it drives him insane whenever he thinks about it.
5. Jin Kobayashi from School Rumble
Harima Kenji is Jin Kobayashi, going to the point that Harima wants to become a Manga artist.
4. Ken Akamatsu from Love Hina
Keitaro Urashima is Ken Akamatsu, down to the nearest facial features as well, even his wife is based on Naru & Mutsumi, making Love Hina an exaggerated version of Akamatsu's own love life.
3. Mokona from CLAMP works
You see the weird rabbit thing and you think Mokona who is a member of the CLAMP team who frequently appears in many of CLAMPS stories.
2. Nabeshin from Any Work he's involved in
A rare case of a Director rather than the actual creator of the manga to insert himself into his work. As a master of gag anime, Nabeshin is usually a welcome sight in the likes of Excel Saga, Nerima Daikon Brothers & Nurse Witch Komugi to name a few. He even cosplays himself.
1. Hideaki Anno from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Shinji Ikari is Hideaki Anno or rather his personified depression. Every episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion is a different stage of Anno's depression culminating in a complete breakdown by the movies which was during a time when Gainax were facing financial difficulty; the reboot movies of the last few years show that Anno is feeling much better now, but what a series to make while depressed, I'd hate to see the origins of Madoka Magica.
One last note: Big shout out to Nimbusoak for the awesome fanart picture, as a reward you can pick the next anime to be reviewed on Retro Retrospect.
