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Unwritten Anime Rule #5: Nosebleeds = Attraction
Why This Rule?
If you’re a newcomer or a veteran of anime, you’ve seen the nosebleeds that happen. Men and women alike leak or even squirt blood from their nose when they see someone beautiful. Master Roshi from the Dragon Ball series is one of the most famous characters that has this trait. Putting his perverted techniques to use in order to get closer to the ladies, he’s the old man that basically lives with a keen eye and bloody nose for the opposite sex, but this trait is not age or specific to any character. From children to full-grown adults, it seems like everyone in anime is a little sensitive to nosebleeds. Which begs the question...why and what is this symbolizing?
Every time it happens, someone is finding another person, or image, attractive and it’s blushing on steroids. This is most likely related to the fact that blood pressure, heart rate, and blood vessels are key during arousal. In other words - when someone attractive is around, your body reacts with increased blood flow to reproductive zones. Breaking it down even further...that character’s nose is bleeding because they’re turned on. We all knew what Master Roshi was getting at anyways. The amount of blood is another point. Springing a leak is much different from spraying a nose jetpack into the sky because it can be related to how “attracted” or physically excited they are - ranging from flipping the switch to a full-on finish, if you catch my drift. However, it should be noted that the nosebleed trope is more commonly seen in gag anime and older series, from about 2002 and before. One thing’s for sure - that nose isn’t bleeding because the air is dry.
Examples & Exceptions
As I mentioned before, many shows that have a comedic side will have this characteristic show up somewhere. Shows like Gintama, Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Hajime no Ippo and many more. Master Roshi and Sanji definitely take the cake for being my favorite womanizing perverts, though.
Plot-based nosebleeds are different. If you just saw someone get punched in the face, chances are they’re excited in a fight-or-flight type of way. However, for the sake of comedy and attraction, nosebleeds are only there to display the magnetic pull.
Origins
I’m not going to sugarcoat it...most anime aren’t going to allow full-blown erections. The audience is too great, so nosebleeds are friendlier for all ages. So even with the arousal, why would the nose be the indicator in anime and where did the idea come from? From forums and discussions online, I’ve found a common story. The story says that in feudal Japan, men and women often had to live separately, sometimes even having to walk on other sides of the street than each other, so men would focus to force a nosebleed in order to physically show that they were interested in a woman without exchanging words! I couldn’t find anything to back it up, but this folklore equates nosebleeds and arousal. But do not fret, it is highly unlikely that you’re going to get excited and leak life-juice from your nose like in the eastern cartoons. Brian Ashcraft in a similar article from Kotaku, referenced when a discussion on the site Netallica asked an otolaryngologist - and the expert said that there is no scientific connection between arousal and nosebleeds (1). The same article says that it is believed that Yasuji Tanioka created this trope in his manga Yasuji no Mettameta Gaki Dou Kouza (1). Even if the idea was made popular through manga - there is no physical or scientific evidence that supports nosebleeds and sexual attraction, even if blood flow increases to certain zones.
Overall Judgement
Just because nosebleeds are not supported by science, doesn’t make them any less real in the 2D world. From a leak to a fountain, the blood shooting from a character’s nose means that they’re interested. Gag anime and comedies are kingpins of this trope, and again, unless they took a shot to the face, that blood means something else entirely.
Likelihood that the blood isn’t just rushing to the nose:
100%
Ashcraft, Brian. "Anime's Bloody Nose Trope Isn't Backed By Science." Kotaku. 19 Oct 2012. Web. 18 Sep 2018. <https://kotaku.com/sexual-arousal-doesnt-cause-bloody-noses-says-medical-5953124>.