

Authors, illustrators, photographers, and artists alike all tend to share one thing in common; that is no matter what the original meaning or purpose of a visual text was, the consumer tends to have a different interpretation. This becomes especially true upon analyzing visual texts such as an illustrations, photographs, posters, and even comic books. In relation to the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”, all forms of visual text have many different interpretations. This is a result of the author using several tactics, such as using simplistic designs or ambiguous meanings within the artwork, to create a closer relationship with the consumer thus allowing for the consumer to make up one’s own interpretation of the piece. One visual text that does a great job of demonstrating these tactics is the Japanese manga One-Punch Man. 

Throughout the manga series, the protagonist of One-Punch Man can be viewed as a perfect example of how an author uses such tactics. Within the first chapter, the reader notices how almost every character is drawn to have specific details. Every aspect of each scene, including the background, tends to have very detailed shading. However, the main protagonist differs from the series’ typical art design. When the reader reaches the fourteenth page of the first chapter, the reader can easily conclude how the protagonist is drawn in such a way that it almost seems elementary. For example, in this scene the main character is drawn with a face with very little detail. The face is drawn without any dimension and the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth are drawn as simple shapes such as lines and circles. Instantly, it may feel jarring for the reader to see such a bland character on a page next to a very detailed villain and a very detailed city in ruins in the background. 

As one closely analyzes this scene, it becomes difficult to point out who is the intended audience. Whether it is a young child due to the main character’s elementary design, or if it is an older teenager or even an adult due to the very realistic and detailed design of the villain and background. Often times, simplistic designs are used relate to reader. Therefore, when a reader sees a character without any defined features, they tend to create a closer relationship with that character. This can be accredited to how it is much easier to relate to something that does not have a very detailed and specific design. For context, the author of the One-Punch Man series did not intend to have a specific audience as he first created the series as a hobby. Given this information, it does not rule out how anyone, whether it be a young child or and adult, can relate to the main character simply because of his basic design.

Upon further analysis, one may note the text that appears within a speech bubble on the page. The speech bubble represents what the main character is saying in response to the villain’s earlier question. The text reads, “Someone who’s a hero for fun.” The main character’s response further solidifies how the reader can create a close relationship with the protagonist. The protagonist’s response can be interpreted as having an ambiguous meaning. It can represent either that he simply finds being a hero fun, or that there is no real meaning for him being a hero. This is backed by the villain responding, “What kind of ridiculous backstory is that?!” The reader can interpret this response in various different ways, which leads to why the main character has a universal connection to the reader. 

When reading several different literary texts, scholars tend to look for hidden or even an overall larger message. However, it is difficult to define or point out a larger message within a visual text because of how ambiguous visual texts are. Using simplistic designs within visual texts, authors can create characters that can further relate to the audience. Within the manga series, One-Punch Man, the main character is an example of use of simple artwork, which leads to the reader forming a connection to the character.
