Asian Characters That Represented My Childhood
Submitted by William Chen
Growing up as an Asian American, there was not much representation in popular media. Each time a character that slightly resembled me popped up on my TV screen, I would get so excited with a bright smile. I felt like I could relate to these characters and believed that a piece of my background was appreciated in American culture. Thankfully, as more time has passed, Asian representation in movies and TV Shows has become more prevalent. However, this does not mean that I have forgotten the Asian characters that I grew up with. With a deep connection to each one of them, I would like to share the Asian characters that represented my inner childhood.
Russel from Up:
“The wilderness must be explored!” This tagline is an excellent portrayal of my curious personality. Russell’s ambitions to explore the unknown and adventure around the world resonated deeply with me, as one of my ambitions in life is to travel. My childhood self loved Up as not only was it a great movie, but also because of how I saw a bit of myself in the adventure-loving Russell.
Hiro Hamada from Big Hero 6:
Big Hero 6 was an unexpectedly sad movie. However, Hiro was a character that I absolutely loved seeing on the big screen as it showed his heroic cleverness on display. Seeing him fight in a superhero-like fashion in addition to his intellectual thinking displayed throughout the film has made Big Hero 6 one of my favorite animated movies of all time.
Mulan from Mulan:
Mulan is a timeless animated classic that was not only popular amongst the Asian community, but also America as a whole. Mulan’s dedication and perseverance throughout the movie was inspiring to everyone. Her character emphasized that no matter the obstacle, with hard work and resolve, one can achieve anything they want. Mulan is a role model that I look up to as I set out to achieve the goals in my life.
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