http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PillarsOfMoralCharacter

The neo-traditional Japanese moral character (at both the individual and societal level) is built upon four key elements, which can best be compared to the European Virtues: On, Gimu, Giri and Ninjō. All four of these touch upon the Japanese concept of 'honor', which combines elements of reputation, self-respect, and personal moral/ethical code.

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The Pillars:

On (恩) The best translation for this term would be "Reciprocity". On is a virtue that requires the individual to acknowledge and repay debts he owes, including debts of honor. A source of I Owe You My Life situations. Gimu (義務) Can be interpreted as "Piety". If one owes a debt (including a debt of honor) but cannot repay it, Gimu encourages the debtor to show allegiance to the debt-holder in lieu of true payment. Giri (義理) "Duty". Much more complicated than the European concept of duty, Giri requires the individual to execute and balance his obligations as the highest function of an honorable life. Ninjō (人情) Usually translated as "Compassion". Ninjō requires empathy with others, and recognizes that all people are one, beneath the surface differences that karma imposes.

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While the Pillars do have roots in earlier Japanese culture, the specific codification and formulation explained here was created during the 19th-century Meiji Restoration in reaction to a perceived moral decay and loss of national identity in the wake of the opening of Japan to western influences. It is similar to the late medieval concept of chivalry, in that the system of feudal obligations it references had already been superseded in many areas...and in that it ignores many aspects of historical feudalism that contradict its vision of what Ye Goode Olde Days were really about. Despite some re-thinking of what a military-centric 'honor' code had contributed to in her post-war years, Japan still prizes obligation-based virtues more highly than Western note Here used in the post-World War II connotation of "Europe east of the Caucasus, the Anglosphere, and the Americas". cultures do.

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Understanding the Pillars can often help clarify the motivations and drives of anime characters, and can sometimes explain significant differences in audience reaction in Japan vs. in 'The West'. In particular, Western audiences may find the emphasis on carefully tracking debts and obligations and putting societal obligations above personal fulfilment a jarring contrast to the Western love of spontaneity and cult of the individual. Dissonance can also come from the other direction: some Japanese authors, including Rumiko Takahashi, are surprised by their series' international popularity as they assumed the underlying values to be uniquely Japanese with no parallel in other societies.

It's important to remember, however, that cultural differences are rarely absolute. While the West has often decried monarchism and 'honor' since the Enlightenment, it had its own long feudal history that still impacts its ethical systems. "Debts of conscience" and difficulties in balancing competing obligations and desires certainly still exist. Were it otherwise, the trope pages for It's Personal, The Atoner, and Undying Loyalty would be much shorter.

For those that reject or live without these pillars, see The Unfettered. See also Japanese Spirit, which is the method one uses to pursue these values, and I Gave My Word, a common verbal expression of adherence to the Pillars. The (pre-modern) European equivalents are the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

Examples:

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Anime and Manga

Film

In The Yakuza (1975), the character of Tanaka Ken owes a debt of honor to Harry Kilmer for saving the lives of his family after the war: Kilmer: Giri? What is that, like, honor?

Ken: Burden. The burden that's hardest to bear. This same phrasing would be used as the title of a Transformers (original series) episode built around the notion of leadership as an obligation to one's followers as well as one received from them, which Kup describes in terms of giri.

For a long time the central conflict in many Japanese movies was giri, what a character was expected to do vs. what he wanted to do. Film makers and old people lament that modern Japanese audiences don't care as much about this as they become more modernized. Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade by Yoji Yamada both aim to bring giri to the contemporary audience in a way that humanizes the struggles of one's obligation/duty. And on the subject of giri, the aforementioned scene in The Yakuza (giri as burden) is the closest thing in English to the spirit of the meaning of the word.

Pacific Rim touches very lightly on the duty that Mako Mori has to her adopted father; he saved her life and cared for her as she grew up, and she owes him her allegiance and respect even when he goes against her wishes (something the American protagonist has trouble grasping, at first because he isn't aware of the debt).

Kurosawa's film High and Low, based on the 87th Precinct novel King's Ransom revolves around theses concepts, and what a wealthy man owes to his employees/retainers in return for their service and loyalty.

Literature

In The Wheel of Time, there's a borderlander saying which is frequently quoted by Lan: "Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain."

Professional Wrestling

Tabletop Games

In BattleTech, the Draconis Combine emphasizes the Five Pillars, especially giri and ninjo. Fitting with the entire Feudal Future and the Dracs pretending to be Feudal Japan IN SPACE. Their Culture Police are even called the Order of the Five Pillars.

In the anime-inspired game Exalted, characters regain Essence by acting on any or all of four cardinal virtues: temperance, compassion, conviction, and valor. The first two are clearly connected to Giri and Ninjo, and encourage similar acts of heroism (doing one's duty despite fear or temptation, protecting the weak, acting in accordance with noblesse oblige, uplifting mortals spiritually, etc).

Webcomics

Gimu is directly referenced in Freefall as the debt an AI feels to humanity due to it's creation.

Video Games

Visual Novels

The pillars of moral character form the backbone of Soryu Oh's characterization in Kissed by the Baddest Bidder. A member of The Triads from birth, Soryu has little use for the law, which he says is made by the wealthy and powerful to serve their own interests. However, he has an extremely strong sense of giri which has caused him to spend most of his life convinced that he has no right to pursue or expect any kind of personal happiness, as his duty to his organization completely supercedes his own desires. He also has an equally strong sense of ninjo which gives him firm opinions about things like not involving innocent bystanders in his group's activities, which puts him in conflict with less scrupulous gangsters. On and gimu are of course important elements in all of his interactions within the Ice Dragons and with other organizations, and he invokes both in his initial approach to the protagonist - unlike Eisuke, who considers the protagonist his property if he's the one who purchased her from the auction, Soryu considers the $20,000,000 he paid a debt which the protagonist now owes him, and which he expects her to repay either in currency or, failing that, in service.

Western Animation

An episode of The Transformers touched on this. The 3rd season episode "The Burden Hardest to Bear" sees Rodimus Prime grow increasingly sick of the mantle of leading the Autobots and all the responsibilities that come with it. This leads him to basically abandon his post and ditch the Matrix of Leadership so he can revert back to his youthful and carefree Hot Rod persona. Kup explained Rodimus' grief to one of the group's human allies using the concept of Giri (his translation of which becomes the episode's title) and discusses that Optimus and other prior leaders learned how to integrate the duty into their lives and their leadership. By the episode's end, Hot Rod learns a similar lesson while taking refuge at a Kendo dojo (the episode taking place in Japan) and respects the responsibility he has to the other Autobots while re-assuming his leadership position. Somewhat ironically, this episode about the perpetually anxious and self-doubting Rodimus finally embracing his position as the Autobot leader was the last episode to air before the writers resurrected Optimus Prime and thrust him back into the spotlight and Autobot Commander role, making the entire moral/character growth pretty much unnecessary.

Real Life