Legitimate Reasons Why You Shouldn't Pursue The "Anime" Art Style

The invention of the internet has led to many things. While we do know that it led to bad things, it led to many great things as well. One of these good effects is that we saw more cultural exchange than any time in human history.

Japanese art caught on with young Americans in particular, and anime quickly became popular in many niche circles. As a result, many young artists want to learn how to draw "anime," to the annoyance of many art teachers.

Every young artist heard it at some point. "Don't draw anime," however they are never given good reasons behind it. I'm not a teacher myself, so I can't speak on any learning-related reasons against it. However, I can speak from two angles that I do know:

When it comes to voice and self-expression.

1. It's an oversaturated niche

Let's be real: everybody wants to draw in an anime style. It's perhaps one of the biggest art niches on the internet. Anime art is highly competitive, and many amazing voices are drowned out by sheer numbers. People in the scene have to find creative ways to stand out, and their art alone is not enough to carry their voice.

2. There is no single "anime" style

Something that is important to point out that the "anime style" does not exist. Japanese artists don't draw in a single, homogenized style, and it is not fair to them to talk about their art like it is. In the English language, anime is an umbrella style that refers to any animated show coming from Japan, while in Japan itself, the definition is even more broad and covers every single animated work to ever exist.

While they do share similar traits, it is much in the same way that every Western cartoon shares similar traits. They share the same core DNA. The culture we grow up in and the media we're exposed to influences how we create. The broad trends of how every culture draws can be traced back to an artist.

For America, those two artists are the Fleischer brothers. For Japan, those artists are Osamu Tezuka and Machiko Hasegawa, although manga as a medium is a little older than that. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_manga)

3. AI models are heavily trained on anime styles

It's not just other humans you're fighting with. You're going to have a big uphill battle to fight, as machines also love copying anime. Your humanity will be questioned every step of the way, and you may find your art unable to grow unless you can definitively prove your humanity every step of the way.

Generative AI is competent with anime these days, and it can be difficult to impossible to tell whether or not a piece was made by a human. Obviously, no artist should have to verify themselves as legitimate every step of the way, and it sucks that anime artists are hit the hardest. However, that is the reality of it at the moment.

4. Your natural voice will likely have anime influences anyways

As stated before, how someone draws is informed by their culture and what they grew up with, and the internet has led to a golden age of cultural exchange. Modern Western artists can't draw without an anime flavor to it, same as modern Japanese artists can't draw without a Western flavor to it. 

The two cultures are woven together in a unique way that is leading to influence on each other. It doesn't mean the cultures are merging or one culture is "dying," "getting corrupted," or some other negative way people like to spin it. Cultural exchange is something that has always existed. Ever since humans gained a sense of different communities, those communities were trading their traditions. It is a part of humanity: we love sharing.

5. Uniqueness and authenticity shine brighter and are more beautiful than trying to copy a culture you're not a part of.

You're not an anime artist. Chances are, you're not Japanese. You will never be Japanese, and forcing yourself to be what you're not is only going to hurt you more than it will ever help.

People value when someone is unapologetically themselves. When the way they create reflects who they are and it lies their soul bare. People can smell someone forcing something from a mile away, and it reflects poorly on them as artists. 

Conclusion

At the end of the day, there is nothing wrong with wanting to draw in a style that resonates with you. I can give you reasons against drawing in a particular way, in any way, if anime speaks to your passions and the look of it is something you want to pursue? Then you can start here:

Which anime art style do you want to draw?

If you would like to read more, I have a post all about finding an art style. You can read about it here: https://dextiveblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/dear-beginner-artist-on-finding-art.html

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