Handsome anime-style archer is sure to defeat all his foes…as long as “nice abs” are a weapon.
There’s long been a stereotype that male fans of anime and video games with anime-style artwork are just there for the eye candy. If the female character who’s placed front-and-center has the right mix of cute and sexy design elements, it really doesn’t matter what else the artist does, detractors say.
But in the modern era, female anime fans are not only often as passionate as their male counterparts, but equally likely to have sexy but unpolished fan service pitched to them. Take, for example, this illustration from Fire Emblem Heroes, a mobile game based on Nintendo’s Fire Emblem series of strategy role-playing games. The shirtless archer’s hair is styled, his abs sculpted, his calves taut, and his shorts low-slung.
But while he himself may look perfect, there’s a pretty big artwork error in the picture too.
https://twitter.com/hibi_kono/status/885063482558873601Specifically, there’s a problem with his weaponry. Well, several, if you count his bow being seemingly made out of desserts and his substitution of a Gari Gari-kun popsicle for an arrowhead. But by far the biggest tactical mistake going on here is that the arrow isn’t notched, and Mr. Shoot-an-Arrow-Straight-Into-the-Fangirls’-Heart isn’t even bothering to draw back the bowstring.
This isn’t the only trouble Fire Emblem Heroes has had depicting its archers. In the illustration shown on the right below, the archer with the pointed bangs seems to be wielding a bow with a string that’s simultaneously in front of and behind him, suggesting that either he has the string looped around the back of his neck (in which case that arrow isn’t flying anywhere when he lets it go) or that M.C. Escher had a side gig as his village bowyer.
顔に被って云々はちゃんと工夫されてたり被ってても違和感ないキャラもいますよ pic.twitter.com/Hzd9thWm0R
— このはるか (@hibi_kono) July 12, 2017
Though, to be fair, it’s not just the steamy male archers who don’t really seem to grasp how their weapons of choice work, as this female cohort of theirs seems to be unaware of the necessity of stringing her bow entirely.
https://twitter.com/neohapina/status/885100368119472129Granted, one could say the illustrations succeed at their purpose, which, as with many lavish pieces of anime and game artwork, is to be visually appealing. Still, it’s a little weird to have the artwork itself tell you that these heroes are literally doing nothing other than posing for the sake of looking cool.
Source: Hachima Kiko, Twitter/@hibi_kono
Follow Casey on Twitter, where he thinks he really should take a break and do some ab work.

Japanese government planning higher ticket prices for foreign tourists at Tokyo National Museum
Mister Donut unveils new sakura doughnuts for cherry blossom season 2026
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Visiting Japan’s one-and-only, and only-for-a-limited-time, Dragon Ball noodle restaurant[Photos]
Studio Ghibli now sells Ursula’s backpack from Kiki’s Delivery Service at its anime shop in Japan
Japanese government planning higher ticket prices for foreign tourists at Tokyo National Museum
Mister Donut unveils new sakura doughnuts for cherry blossom season 2026
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Visiting Japan’s one-and-only, and only-for-a-limited-time, Dragon Ball noodle restaurant[Photos]
Studio Ghibli now sells Ursula’s backpack from Kiki’s Delivery Service at its anime shop in Japan
7-Eleven Japan now sells bagels…cooked in bamboo steamers
Cherry blossom Totoro cake brings pink sakura sweetness to Tokyo this White Day
Here are the top ten foodie factory tours for the fall throughout Japan
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
Ultimate bachelor chow recipe: Cheeseburger-style furikake toast【SoraKitchen】
Japan’s cherry blossom season predicted to start earlier than we’d thought, especially in Tokyo
Is Tokyo Station’s startlingly expensive wagyu bento boxed lunch worth its high price?[Taste test]
One Piece creator has hidden secret of anime treasure’s identity in chest at bottom of real-world ocean
Live-action One Piece’s Luffy teaches Sesame Street’s Elmo a Japanese word for friendship[Video]
Sakura Festival in Chiyoda mixes illuminations, boats, music, and Rilakkuma in the heart of Tokyo
Silicone testicle covers banned from Japanese sauna following cups being left behind and on shelves
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
7-Eleven Japan now sells bagels…cooked in bamboo steamers
Cherry blossom Totoro cake brings pink sakura sweetness to Tokyo this White Day
Here are the top ten foodie factory tours for the fall throughout Japan
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
Ultimate bachelor chow recipe: Cheeseburger-style furikake toast【SoraKitchen】
Rent an entire folk house in Japan, surrounded by nature just outside Tokyo
Studio Ghibli releases new My Neighbor Totoro Plate for 2026
Tokyo Disneyland’s Space Mountain is now closed
Force cute anime boys to crossdress in new mobile simulation game
We try blue beer made with drift ice from Hokkaido
Sakuramochi festival sweetens things up at Tokyo’s Seibu Ikebukuro this season
We spend a morning with an expert wagashi chef creating no-bake traditional Japanese sweets!
The mystery of the phantom “sake pass card” at Japanese alcohol vending machines
7-Eleven Japan now has two tiers of salmon rice balls, but is the new, cheaper one any good?【Taste test】