Seiji Date and Yamato Ishida
These Bishonen are probably two of the most notable in all of anime-dom. C'mon! Besides looking alike, (which is the most obvious thing) These two also act and even SOUND a bit similar! Really. Can you honestly say to yourself that Yamato Ishida didn't at all remind you just a little of Sage Date?
Let's look at some of some their most notable (and not so notable) similarities.
* Firstly, the hair. Both of them have that ultra-cool hairstyle, with a VERY similar shade, both being a tan-ish-blond color, and covering half of their faces.
* Next, let's all take notice of the color Green. In Ronin Warriors, Seiji/Sage's armor and interior armor is a pale, lime greenish color. Now, notice the first season of Digimon. Yamato/Matt is wearing that green shirt. Is this just a coincidence? Possibly. But one can never be too sure.
* Both are very mature for their age. At the start of Digimon, Yamato/Matt is only 11 yrs old. And at the start of Ronin Warriors, Seiji/Sage is said to be 14 yrs old. Now, both of these boys act at least a good 4 yrs older than they really are. And if you compare them to the other boys in their groups, they by far are the most mature. (except for maybe Rowen and Izzy.)
* Eye color. Both of their eyes are blue. Now, is anyone else starting to get suspicious? So far, we've seen a similarity in hair, the color green, and now the eyes. It couldn't possibly go any deeper, right? Wrong.
* In the Digimon 01 series, we learn that Yamato's father is a detective. But did you know that Seiji's father just happened to be part of the police force? Very interesting. I didn't even know this little piece until I came across a very informative little Seiji page.
* Music. Ok. We all know that Yamato played the harmonica, right? Well, it just so happens that Seiji didn't play the harmonica, but he did play the bamboo flute. Very close similarities none-the-less, eh?
* Personality: Both seem very calm and collected, and oft times can come off as, 'cold' or 'hard-hearted. In the series, (atleast the dubbed) Sage seemed annoyed, and mildly irritated at Yuli's childish antic's and comments. (ofcourse, that kid was intensely annoying, at least to me.) Later on, (i.e. Specifically when Yuli helped Sage defeat the Dark Warlord Cale) he began to like Yuli. Similarly, Matt, at times, seemed a bit cold and harsh to T.K, although we know how much he cared for his little brother.
* Both are prone to fits of rage or high emotion. In Yamato/Matt, this is very evident. We all remember the times Matt got angry and drove headfirst into wanna-be leader Tai. (ok, ok...maybe he was the leader...) And I know EVERYONE remembers the period Matt went "crazy" when the darkness filled him and he left the group. Most people don't know that Seiji/Sage had his own little fits of anger. When he was living with his grandfather, it was especially notable how he lost his temper.
* Both are very private people.
* Both are considered 'Rebels', and 'Cool'.
* Both of them possess powerful items which seem necessary (at first atleast) to save the world. Seiji/Sage possesses the Korin of Wisdom, (or light, depending on whether you're watching the dubbed or not.) Yamato/Matt possesses the crest of Frienship. Sure, these items differ greatly, but just the fact that both of them possess items at all is just similar within itself.
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The following is a list of people who almost made it, but didn't quite make the cut.
ALMOST MADE IT: Trowa Barton.
WHY HE ALMOST MADE IT: One word. Green. His turtle neck is green right? Just like Sage's armor is green...and just like Matt's shirt is green. Another thing? His hair. How it rests over his eye like that. Not many people can pull that off, so I'd say that's a valid reason for saying he's similar to our man Sage. And the fact that he's so quiet. He doesn't say anything unless it needs to be said. Which gives him that mystery man feel. As if he's so much more mature than the other G-pilots. Again, much like Sage and Matt. He'd rather observe silently than talk. And just looking at him reminds you slightly of Sage.
WHY HE DIDN'T MAKE IT: Well, even though this Bishie might resemble Sage slightly, and even act a bit like him at times, the similarities stop there. These two are nothing alike, even though at first glance they might seem as such. Where as Seiji/Sage comes from a very notably high class family, Trowa has no idea what sort of family he came from, or even his own name for that matter. Seiji/Sage is prone to fits of rage and/or extreme anger, while Trowa seems to be the silent, gentle type. Also, Trowa never seemed to question the decision of the other G-boys. Unlike Seiji/Sage or even Yamato/Matt, Trowa often times kept his opinions to himself, and we never see him arguably disagreeing with anyone, or on the verge of a fist fight with any of his 'team-mates'. So, in conclusion, these are the main reasons little Trowa-san didn't quite make the cut.
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Okay. There you have it. Some very important and specific highlighted reasons on why I think these two characters (Sage Date and Matt Ishida) are very much alike. In many situations, Character Likenesses go beyond just looks, and can be found in the character's personality, as well as actions.
Stay tuned for September's Character Likenesses!
Note: Most of the Seiji information I got from Theria.net's Yoroiden Temple. Visit it! It has some of the most indepth info I've seen, yet!