Go Tokyo Your Experience
The theme of transforming into a hero has always been a popular creative subject. Whether it is the American “Superman” series or the Japanese popular “Sailor Moon” magical girl series, the protagonists in these stories frequently switch between the identities of “ordinary person” and “hero,” trying their best to prevent those around them from discovering their true identity.
But has anyone ever wondered why these heroes can avoid being recognized after transforming? Recently, Japanese netizens have been discussing the reasonableness of how transforming heroes successfully hide their identities. Next, let’s take a look at how netizens explain this phenomenon.
A netizen shared an interesting experience: “When I was a child, I always thought, ‘Sailor Moon and Usagi Tsukino are obviously the same person!’ Until one time, during a company event, a colleague dressed in cosplay greeted me, and I completely failed to recognize her. So I want to tell my younger self that it might really be possible not to recognize someone…”
A Japanese netizen with the nickname “マガイト” mentioned Usagi Tsukino from “Sailor Moon.” He expressed that when he watched the anime as a child, he always questioned why the character’s appearance and hairstyle after transforming did not change much, wondering why their true identity wouldn’t be exposed.
It’s hard to recognize acquaintances; is Sailor Moon really Usagi Tsukino???
However, it wasn’t until recently when he saw his colleague’s cosplay outfit that he realized that even if the appearance and hairstyle hadn’t changed much, it was indeed possible not to recognize someone once the clothing, environment, or the situation changed.
It made me realize that when identifying a person, it’s not just about their appearance and hairstyle, but also about considering their clothing vibe and whether they are in a familiar environment to make a judgment.
This topic sparked enthusiastic discussions among netizens, with many believing that it’s reasonable not to recognize someone just by using makeup or cosplay. Netizens stated that if someone’s appearance and clothing change, the chances of not recognizing them are indeed quite high. ‘Even in shows like Sailor Moon or Pretty Cure, characters update their outfits and apply makeup when they transform, so it’s understandable not to recognize them.’
A netizen gave an example where in one episode, Little Flame sees Sailor Moon and says, “Little Bunny…!?”
Sailor Moon responds in surprise, “How did you figure it out…!?”
At that time, it was ridiculed saying: “No matter how you look at it, it seems like the same person!”
Some people also mentioned that Superman’s actor, Henry Cavill, had once been questioned about whether it was exaggerated to hide his identity just with a pair of glasses, and he even conducted a personal experiment.
In Times Square, New York, Henry Cavill took a photo with the poster of his movie among the crowd, but no one recognized him.
This phenomenon strongly proves once again that even small changes in appearance can make people overlook familiar faces.
When someone who usually wears glasses suddenly switches to contact lenses, sometimes such a small change can be completely unrecognizable!
This discussion about the concealment of heroic identity once again makes us realize how much a person’s appearance and environment affect the recognition of an individual in the eyes of the public.
