Superman and Anime

[Robanker]

So I've often wondered what it is about the Man of Tomorrow that many fans or detractors like to compare him to anime characters. Primarily Goku, but also One Punch Man, All Might and many of their supporting cast. More than any other comic book character, I see lots of people pit Clark against them or argue he (or just now Jon) essentially take some of their attributes so as to improve the character as opposed to the influence of their direct peers or contemporaries. In lieu of Doomsday Clock, more and more I've been wondering why Superman is one character that arguably has a more defined world, characterization and status quo (unlike the regularly upended situation Diana finds herself in) but gets tampered with endlessly and anime does seem a common pull in that discussion.

Some of it must come from Superman's reputation as the biggest or strongest hero, and how some are inspired by him (Goku, All Might), but why does Superman get his foot into anime whereas other characters (Flash, Supergirl, GL, Wonder Woman) do not? What about our strange visitor from another planet seems to appeal to anime sensibilities, or at the very least, fans of anime and manga?

Furthermore, this isn't a direct response to any one conversation or thread, but a trend I've seen over the years. One I find particularly fascinating if only because, again, it really does direct towards Clark and not more (Batman, recently Flash) or less (Diana, Arthur, GL and J'onn) successful IPs. It's not something that traditionally happens for the rest, at least on these boards and Reddit, but Kal and anime seem to be age-old friends despite him not appearing in many anime or manga adaptions.

If I had to hazard a guess, it's because more than the rest, Superman exists as something of a myth; he's not only a superhero or comic character, he's folklore. He's Robin Hood. Rather than think about how we can do a straightforward take on the Emerald Bandit, we're always reinventing him and trying to mix things up. Clark being the primordial ooze of this genre we've all come to enjoy, he's the one we feel effectively IS status quo. Altering him with other sensibilities, in some respect, does change what superheroes mean for the DCU. Because he's the face of the genre, changing him feels more significant than it probably is. If you're a manga fan trying to find your footing in superhero comics, why not correct the north star, even if the tide moves toward Gotham?

Or it's because he's the strong guy and people want to see their strong man beat other strong man.

Those are my two best guesses. I'm curious what all of you think.