RWBY anime- autistic character?

[inkfingers]

So lately I've been binge-watching the anime series, RWBY. It may be my new special interest. Is anyone else here a RWBY fan? If so, do you think Penny is autistic? My brother said that when he was watching it, he thought that Penny is like me... but extroverted.

Anyways, I was so bummed when they killed her off, because I can relate to her so well...

 

[GrownupGirl]

If there's one thing other people on the spectrum do that really bugs me, it's assuming fictional characters of any kind are autistic when it was not the creator's intention for them to be that way. They're not real, they only act a certain way because their creator makes them. I draw cartoons myself, so it would really drive me crazy if people assumed my characters as something they are not.

 

[Misery]

I have seen numerous genuinely autistic characters (as in, outright stated to be such) in various media, but...

It is indeed true that it's not very common for characters to be autistic. Quite rare indeed. Unless there's a plot-related reason to give a character such a condition... or unless it's intended to specifically add some sort of drama or character development... it's almost guaranteed that characters will not have such a thing, entirely regardless of their personality.

It's even more rare that a character will have any given condition WITHOUT the series stating it outright. In fact I can only think of exactly one situation where that occurred, and that was in a game, not an anime, and the only reason anyone even knew about it was that the developers explained it outside of the game.

So yeah, as a rule, dont assume a character is autistic no matter how close they may seem to acting like someone on the spectrum. Because it's almost guaranteed to not actually be the case unless directly stated within the series.

 

[inkfingers]

Oh. I was just throwing the idea out there. I'm not saying that's what the creator intended.

 

[Isadoorian]

Not to hijack the thread, but since you're speaking of RWBY and it's related in a way, it's the 4th Anniversary of Monty Oum's passing (He was one of the Lead Animators who worked on and Created RWBY along with being the voice of Ren, and was the Cinematographer for Red vs Blue at Rooster Teeth and also created the infamous "Haloid" short that involved Samus Aran of Metroid fighting a Spartan from Halo); without him, RWBY wouldn't have been made and the advancements in Red vs Blue to start using CGI and Motion Capture in the series in Season 8 which is still used in newer Seasons wouldn't be possible.

Here's the Rooster Teeth Podcast that was dedicated to him shortly after his passing, with some members (Gus Sorola, Burnie Burns, and a couple others) sharing their memories of working with him, along with a short, inspiring tribute video about him at the end; very touching and emotional.

Monty Oum - Wikipedia and his Wikipedia page if you wish to view more about him

 

[BrokenBoy]

RWBY is not anime.

 

[Autistamatic]

There are some instances of characters intentionally written or played to appear autistic, or modelled after real life autistic role models, that are never stated as being so in the script.

Sofia Helin who played detective Saga Noren in the amazing Swedish/Danish series "Bron/Broen" (The Bridge) researched Asperger's before starting the role and plays one of the most realistic portrayals of autism I have seen on TV, yet it is never once stated in the series that she may be on the spectrum, despite many discussions of the character's quirks.
Incidentally - Bron/Broen is IMO one of the finest TV series I have ever seen. The US remake is terrible in comparison. If you can get hold of it with the original soundtrack and subtitles (if you need them) you'll discover a truly thought provoking drama, a powerful crime mystery and a lead character that a large proportion of us can relate to.

How The Bridge's heroine became a role model for women with autism

 

[AGXStarseed]

RWBY is not anime.

From what I understand, people class RWBY as an 'American Anime'. I've got a whole thread about it here: Does Anime Have to Come From Japan to Be Called Anime?

Back in regards to this thread, I've never seen RWBY so I can't comment on whether or not Penny 'seems' Autistic. I'm currently going through a few anime series that have been recommended to me so I'll get to RWBY at some point.

 

[Misery]

From what I understand, people class RWBY as an 'American Anime'. I've got a whole thread about it here: Does Anime Have to Come From Japan to Be Called Anime?

Back in regards to this thread, I've never seen RWBY so I can't comment on whether or not Penny 'seems' Autistic. I'm currently going through a few anime series that have been recommended to me so I'll get to RWBY at some point.

Not like it even matters if it's anime or not in the first place.

I dunno why people even bother trying to label it. Or anything else really. Why cant everyone just enjoy the stuff they like without flipping out about it? I've never understood that.