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If the current Tau looks like the FW ones, im sure they'll be way more attractive to the customers.

All GW would have to do is use one of Cirillo's concepts and I'd buy a suit or two every week. The only reason I don't buy them now is I hate how they look, fething terrible. And FW suits aren't enough of an improvement to justify the extra cost.

You, sir, are and genius.

If you say so...I mean really, you wear that on your head?

Well, that fire warrior's head up there does look kinda shriveled up doesn't it...

Anyway, I never read where exactly the design team said they were definitely anime-influenced like others say, but it's pretty damn obvious so there's no point in arguing about it. But what I want to know is why is that a bad thing? Is it really going to ruin the game if there's one fething race that isn't painted black and covered in skulls? I swear it feels like high school sometimes...eh, except instead of being the one in black and skulls that annoys and pisses off everyone else who just wants to have fun, it's the opposite.

I can kinda see where you're coming from, but really? In a universe spanning millions of worlds full of countless alien lifeforms, demons, etc., why the hell not? Just STFU and let me roll dice god damn it.

I remember seeing a picture of a Tau battlesuit when they were originally released, but not knowing at the time it was a GW model, and I thought "Oh cool, someone is releasing an Appleseed minature game".

Also think they look like the mechs from Patlabour.

Following anime for quite a while now..

Tau are based on western mech designs, which had some influence from the Japanese designs.

But truly, Eldar are closer in aesthetic to Japanese designs and the Death Korps of Krieg look like they're straight out of Jin-Roh (though they're both based on historical forces anyway...).

ShumaGorath wrote:

Vertrucio wrote:And frankly, it was a good move on their part. It really capitolized on a market that their game currently didn't appeal to.

It still doesn't really appeal to the japanese markets.

I don't think it was ever intended to, personally. I think it was intended to appeal to those in the US, UK, etc. who were tempted by the high-quality plastic Gundam kits and similar.

Then they would buy high quality Gundam kits and ignore the Tau stuff

Are we just now figuring this out? Welcome to Earth.

<---- When we get kits that can "assemble" and "form" a giant robot with "lion" heads and a fancy sword of death, I think GW will have jumped the shark.

Call me crazy, but I don't see the Tau as being Japanese Anime at all.

I see them entirely as Communist Chinese.

In fact, so much so that if I played Tau, they'd all be painted red and gold.
I would then consistently shout "For da peopres repubric of'a TAU!"

C'mon, really, "The Greater Good." That's not communist at -all-.

Lemme get the Tau te Ching- I mean Tau Codex.


....I'm just saying my Ethereal would be short and named Mao, that's all...

.....Maybe have my mini's be lead also- OK I'm done, seriously.

I feel that various aspects of the designs were inspired by anime (particualarly mech anime. But lots of things about the army simply are not. Firewarriors, Kroot, devilfish/hammerhead don't look like anything in anime that I've ever seen, and I've seen a ton of it.

LunaHound wrote:
Copied from the other thread ( which some people think it doesnt look alike for some reason )


Tau does resemble Samurais , and the Tau Ceremonial Knife, you are right they arnt Katanas.
But they are indeed Tan To Kanji = ( Gut Knife aka seppuku knife )

I voted Yes!

Luna, I love your post in this thread. Hard to deny with those side by side images.

Also, just sweet!

It's like nearly everything else in 40k. GW picks an 'arch-type' and builds around it. Ultramarines are Romans and classical in nature. Space Wolves are Vikings. Necrons are somewhere between Terminator and undead. They pick an arch-type because it gives a 'hook' to get the player drawn into the army. And it works. People find something that appeals to them visually, and they want to build a list based around it.

dietrich wrote:It's like nearly everything else in 40k. GW picks an 'arch-type' and builds around it. Ultramarines are Romans and classical in nature. Space Wolves are Vikings. Necrons are somewhere between Terminator and undead. They pick an arch-type because it gives a 'hook' to get the player drawn into the army. And it works. People find something that appeals to them visually, and they want to build a list based around it.

I see what ya mean. Would that make Dark Angels kind of Gothic Germany and Blood Angels basically vampires?

I would think DA fall more into the 'monastic' theme with all the robes and incense. Not sure about BA, they don't seem to have a distinct visual style, with them, I think it's more about the fluff.

I think so yes.

Uriels_Flame wrote:<---- When we get kits that can "assemble" and "form" a giant robot with "lion" heads and a fancy sword of death, I think GW will have jumped the shark.

Too late. PP beat them to it. Voltron comes to Monsterpocalypse.
http://monsterpocalypse.com/from-days-of-long-ago

Influenced - yes, but everything GW has done has been 'influenced' by other sources.

Jayden63 wrote:I feel that various aspects of the designs were inspired by anime (particualarly mech anime. But lots of things about the army simply are not. Firewarriors, Kroot, devilfish/hammerhead don't look like anything in anime that I've ever seen, and I've seen a ton of it.

Firewarriors look like samurai.

Kroot are intended to be masai/zulu warriors which, considering they are cannibals, is riding reeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaly close to the line there.

Looks familar doesn't it?
Mix in some

Then you have your Tau stuff, all it takes is Macross....

Like i said many times , its the *style , the * feel , the *essence of what you get when you look at an object.

You simply cannot deny Tau 's artistic concept is directly anime related . We arnt talking about them being aliens, we arnt talking about them being communist , we are talking about what they look like. Visually.

And i'll repeat myself again , yes there will always be people that brings up Vikings dont have power armor , plasma pistols , arnt 8 fee tall etc etc thus have nothing to do with space wolves , as well as samurais arnt space aliens with hooves etc etc.

I think we just end up talking about 2 different aspects.


For example , some people will say "huh? looks like some looped metal junk" , while some people will say "oh looks like a family"
like i said, you either see it or you dont.

LunaHound wrote:
You simply cannot deny Tau 's artistic concept is directly anime related . We arnt talking about them being aliens, we arnt talking about them being communist , we are talking about what they look like. Visually.

You see, I don't think they do. I've been watching mecha anime for years, and the concept of a 'Giant Robot' seems natural to my fictional view: Tau look nothing like Gundam or the others, they're very very not-Japanese in execution; they are similar to already western designs like Battletech. Even within the Tau, Firewarriors are closer to Japanese designs than the Battlesuits.

The similarity is like calling a cream cheese roll sushi.

Space Marines are a lot closer to Japanese Mecha than Tau battlesuits, they all look like Megaman robot masters. Even the main character is blue!

Indeed, thank you for that, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks of anime when they look at Space Marines.

Doesn't help any when almost every single piece of Space Marine artwork I've seen outside of official GW publications is drawn in an anime style.

Sidstyler wrote:Indeed, thank you for that, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks of anime when they look at Space Marines.

Doesn't help any when almost every single piece of Space Marine artwork I've seen outside of official GW publications is drawn in an anime style.

That's just because on the internet everything is in anime style.

yes tau are inclined towards anime as they were released just as gw was opening there Japanese stores
co incidence ............i think not ...........hmmmmmmmmm (strokes chin)

Citation please.

n0t_u wrote:
Looks familar doesn't it?
Mix in some

Then you have your Tau stuff, all it takes is Macross....

Top one is battletech. A Rifleman mech. Second one is Macross I guess.

This Warseer post highlights a big list of pictures of Japanese and Western robot designs, and then the Eldar and Tau ones.

Daba wrote:This Warseer post highlights a big list of pictures of Japanese and Western robot designs, and then the Eldar and Tau ones.

All i can say is L-O-L

sure , out of 100s of designs of mecha , choose the least look alike and claim Tau doesnt look like anime.

Who ever posted that is really really in self denial.

LunaHound wrote:

Daba wrote:This Warseer post highlights a big list of pictures of Japanese and Western robot designs, and then the Eldar and Tau ones.

All i can say is L-O-L

sure , out of 100s of designs of mecha , choose the least look alike and claim Tau doesnt look like anime.

Who ever posted that is really really in self denial.

Gundam, Macross and Evangelion are pretty famous and he mentioned them. In fact, they're [Gundam] pretty archtypical, and probably the most similar to the blocky designs of the Tau.

If he included Mazinger Z and the 70s designs or the later, more organic designs, they would be even further away from it.

The Eldar on the other hand, look like Guyvers (at least the older concepts).

Feel free to post more designs though, if you feel there are some that look like the Tau.

He does have a point though, just because it's mecha doesn't mean it's also Japanese/anime.

Already did on other threads, Ingram for 1 , GM for2 , Hannibal for 3 . (not gundam or eva )

Oh and for the die hard fans that claims Mech Warrior / battle tech = western mech design and NOT "weabo anime" (yes cheese elemental you caledl me a weabo) , you might want to double check their history.

I know the history of Battletech. But the designers added their own twist to it, which is what Battlesuits seem to take after more.

It's more of a third party association.

I find Ingram actually reminds me of Corvus Armour rather than the Battlesuits. GM is Gundam.

There's some similarity, but Space Marines and Eldar remind me more of the Japanese designs than Tau do.

I'm not familiar with Hannibal, but it seems a lot more recent and less famous so wouldn't be an 'obvious' point of inspiration.