Number 13

[thundrakkon]

The number 13 seems to be a very popular number when ever I watch Anime. Is there a reason why? I don't like the number myself, being a bit superstitious. It seems like series tend to be 13 episodes, and the number 13 is used more often than any other number I notice when it comes to mentioning a number in Anime.

[oceen246]

I see more often 26 episodes than 13

[010577]

true... 26....

i think gungrave is 26, so is rod...
cowboy bebop

[complich8]

52 weeks in a year.
26 weeks in half a year.
13 weeks in a fourth of a year.

Seeing a trend? i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif

[Munsu]

To further on what complich8 said...

usually what people call a season is 26 episodes... 13 is called half a season...

Many of the modern anime are either one season or half a season with a few exceptions...

At least this is my understanding of it...

[thundrakkon]

Thanks for the reply. It makes sense as far as number of episodes go. I also was wondering why in Anime themselves they use the number 13. For instance, if they show a calendar date in any one episode, it tends to be 13, like June 13. Or if a random number pops up in any one scene, it tends to be 13. Any significance to that? If needed, I could list examples of them.

[Poiple Weezard]

13 is often associated with an OVA series. Mind you, most range between 1-4 episodes, but the longer ones are usually about 13. Record of Lodoss War OVA and Black Heaven come to mind quickly.

[ExTREm-San]

23 and 26 is the most anime series that I've watched.

[bitwar]

Typically, as has been said, you see mostly 26 episode series for TV, some 13 for TV and longer anime, and a few 52s here and there (Gundam anyone?). And also as was pointed out, it goes along with the number of weeks in a year, not neccessarily because they particularly like the numbers. For OAVs I guess, they decide that it's half as long as a tv series, since they're releases tend to be measured in months. Every once in a while, they'll put out a 49 episode series (Gundam Wing I think did this) or a 24 episode series (X-TV, if I remember correctly). OAVs, also see 6 episodes (BASTARD!, Iria). Actually, OAVs are kind of unpredictable as far as number of episodes go. Also, the "endless" series length seems to be making a comeback after an apparent absence for a while. At least in terms of the number of long running series. Or maybe I'm just imagining that because they seem so popular. . . Whatever.

[Death BOO Z]

in chirtianity, 13 is a number of bad luck, so i guess the jappanease use it to set off the mood, like how kenshin left to Kyoto at the 13th (i think it was the 13th, could be 14th)... robert jordan did the same at his wheel of time books, they use the number 13 a shitload of times...

[complich8]

13 is unlucky in christian-rooted stories for one reason and only one reason: the last supper had 13 attendees. However, that's kinda bogus, because if judas hadn't betrayed jesus the stuff that happened afterwards wouldn't have happened, and what would the point of that all be?

13 superstition can also be tied back to the number 12 for those cultures which incorporated the idea of the zodiac. Chinese and Egyptian mythology both hold 13 in high esteem. 13 is the number of lunar cycles in a year too, so cultures using a lunar calendar had the same associations with 13 that zodiac-based (and 12 month calendar based) cultures had/have with 12: namely none at all.

It's just a damned number. Some people get hung up on one meaning or another but really, there is no universal cultural idea that a particular number means anything in particular. Don't project your own culture onto others expecting things to fit, or expecting to find things that are meant to piss off yours -- the producers of anime are just trying to fit stuff into a calendar year.

A lot of the odd-numbered series you'll see floating around (that are like 11 or 12 episodes, or 24 or 25) are contracted to be produced that way by the tv stations that air them. That way they fit into a tv season and have room for one holiday type broadcast (or two). If I remember correctly (which I might not) New Years and a part of July are kind of set aside in sort of the way Christmas and New Years are in countries with Christian roots. Remember how in naruto for example there have been like 2 times now where the episode didn't air a specific week because of some Japanese holiday or another? Same deal.

Some lengths are dictated by the producers and directors, or even by the mangaka, too. Sometimes there's not enough material to comfortably draw out into another episode or two. Sometimes there's so much that you have to overflow. All of that stuff has to be negotiated with the tv station airing the stuff too.