Anime | Manga Why do anime characters yell attack names?

[-AngelicHealing- 28]

I remember being a kid and pretending to be Sailor Moon with my friends, and I always found it really awkward to yell out the attacks. Plus, if I were fighting someone who was screaming out their attacks, especially if it were a really long yell that took like 15 seconds, I'd probably think of exactly how to deflect it.

 

I can imagine it now: "Suuuupeeeeerrrrr- *gets punched in the face*"

[Kirie 3,489]

i guess it makes it dramatic

[Weedanort 8,786]

Probably yelling the name of the attack makes the attack more powerfull

 

If Gohan didn't yell Kamehameha, he wouldn't defeat Cell

[SoraKH 793]

Well that what they feel shouting!

 

 

But seriously.. Good question

[Captain Arrowguns 466]

I don't really watch anime, but I have seen this in some video games, especially in the Street Fighter Games. And you know what? After hearing Ryu shout "Hadoken!" about 10 times in a single match, it starts to get really annoying.

[Isamu Kuno 2,512]

Because if they don't they'll forget how to perform it.

Edited April 1, 2013 by Sora_Kuno

[Reyn 1,755]

Its a Japanese rule. Plus yelling makes it stronger too.

[Ruran 481]

It's less of an anime thing and more of a manga thing. 

 

The majority of the anime mentioned here (if not all) started out as a manga first before being adapted. It's in their designated manga where the characters are yelling their attacks, the anime just follows suit because the source material has it that way. As for why characters yell out their attack, it's simple: so the readers know what's going on better. Manga is done in panel format and the vast majority of them are black and white so it's harder to tell when characters are performing a certain attack because it lacks things like colors and fluidity. Like let's say that one character shoots magic laser beams and each one does something different. One might be blue and another red but the reader can't tell because the manga is most likely in black and white. The solution is to just give the lassers names and call them out when ever used.  

[FireRubies1 1,325]

I like the attack names

In some situations like in Code Lyoko (it's not an anime but whatever) the names seem really unnecessary, but in anime like DBZ I think it sounds a lot better

Imagine the character firing their attack with the only sound being background music

I dunno I would just find that weird  

[Saber Lily 1,543]

Everyone is secretly a Pokemon and thus must yell out their attack because they have no trainer to yell it out for them.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Oathkeeper136

[Henne 150]

That remembers me of this: