<p>I exclude the laziness hypothesis. This is a deliberate omission of a relevant information by the narrator. This is the case of an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreliable_narrator" rel="nofollow noreferrer">unreliable narrator</a> that was keeping to herself a key fact for narration purposes. These lines about Agatha Christie's novels from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Unreliable_narrator&amp;oldid=1002151305" rel="nofollow noreferrer">cited</a> Wikipedia article can apply to this type of trope too:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the narrator hides essential truths in the text (mainly through evasion, omission, and obfuscation) without ever overtly lying [...] even a first-person narrator might hide essential information and deliberately mislead the reader in order to preserve the surprise ending.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The first image you've cited from <em>Fullmetal Alchemist</em> actually doesn't hide all faces. The mother, dead too, is clearly visible in the photo, only the father's face is obfuscated. So the criteria to hide a particular face is not related to the fact that a person is dead, but to the role the obfuscated character has in the story.</p>
<p>In <em>Bakuman</em>, the face of Mashiro's uncle is clearly visible at the funeral, because the narrator has interest to inform the reader about why Mashiro is reluctant about being a mangaka and, later, to motivate him in front of the reader. In <em>Another</em>, on the contrary, a certain character's face at the funeral is not shown until the author discloses who is dead.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-02T15:20:56.407Z
I guess I can see that for Hohenheim, but what about the other picture?
kuwaly
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-03T09:22:35.500Z
In the other picture, the narrator is hiding an essential truth to the reader. Watching Pretear you'll discover what role havethe obfuscated character, or if this is simply a misleading omission.
chirale
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-03T14:22:01.963Z
There isn't any sort of obfuscation involved. The picture is shown while she is describing her father.
kuwaly
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-03T14:38:50.030Z
I mean obfuscation = character face is not visible due to a reflection covering his face.
chirale
CC BY-SA 4.0
2013-06-01T11:07:23.817Z
2024-09-24T07:07:50.470Z
2024-09-24T07:07:50.470Z
chirale
<p>I've noticed that, in a number of different anime, photographs of people who have died appear with the face whited out, generally by reflections of light. Is there a tradition behind this? Is there a cultural reason for this, or is it just laziness to keep from having to animate a character who would only be drawn once?</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/wm3ur.png" alt="Hohenheim"></p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lZaRim.png" alt="Pretear"></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-01T02:35:55.847Z
Which episode of *FMA* or *Brotherhood* is the first one from?
Cattua
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-01T02:38:25.847Z
It's from the opening speech that Al did every time in the beginning of FMA. The second picture (in case anyone was wondering) is from episode 9 of Pretear.
kuwaly
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-01T13:37:36.280Z
@kuwaly: Well, Hoenheim wasn't exactly dead at the time.
Madara's Ghost
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-06-01T17:27:07.057Z
@MadaraUchiha True. Wasn't he assumed to be by Ed and Al (and the viewer), though? I can find a different picture if you want.
kuwaly
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-22T12:53:14.793Z
I believe the idea is borrowed from [kuro-mesen](https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2020/06/kuro-mesen.html) and intends to convey the tragic events that happened to the characters who have their faces whited out, but said characters do not necessarily have to be all dead as the anime 86 - Eighty Six demonstrated in episode 11: Lena sees the photo of the Spearhead Squadron members for the first time.
Gao
<tropes><culture>
Why are the faces of dead people whited-out in photographs?
# Why are the faces of dead people whited-out in photographs?
Posted by: username_0 on 2013-06-01
I've noticed that, in a number of different anime, photographs of people who have died appear with the face whited out, generally by reflections of light. Is there a tradition behind this? Is there a cultural reason for this, or is it just laziness to keep from having to animate a character who would only be drawn once?

![Hohenheim](https://i.sstatic.net/wm3ur.png)

![Pretear](https://i.sstatic.net/lZaRim.png)
**Tags:** tropes culture
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Which episode of *FMA* or *Brotherhood* is the first one from?  
> **username_0**: It's from the opening speech that Al did every time in the beginning of FMA. The second picture (in case anyone was wondering) is from episode 9 of Pretear.  
> **username_2**: @kuwaly: Well, Hoenheim wasn't exactly dead at the time.  
> **username_0**: @MadaraUchiha True. Wasn't he assumed to be by Ed and Al (and the viewer), though? I can find a different picture if you want.  
> **username_3**: I believe the idea is borrowed from [kuro-mesen](https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2020/06/kuro-mesen.html) and intends to convey the tragic events that happened to the characters who have their faces whited out, but said characters do not necessarily have to be all dead as the anime 86 - Eighty Six demonstrated in episode 11: Lena sees the photo of the Spearhead Squadron members for the first time.  
---
## 1 answers
### Answer by username_4 on 2013-06-01. Score: 16
I exclude the laziness hypothesis. This is a deliberate omission of a relevant information by the narrator. This is the case of an [unreliable narrator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreliable_narrator) that was keeping to herself a key fact for narration purposes. These lines about Agatha Christie's novels from the [cited](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Unreliable_narrator&oldid=1002151305) Wikipedia article can apply to this type of trope too:

> the narrator hides essential truths in the text (mainly through evasion, omission, and obfuscation) without ever overtly lying [...] even a first-person narrator might hide essential information and deliberately mislead the reader in order to preserve the surprise ending.

The first image you've cited from *Fullmetal Alchemist* actually doesn't hide all faces. The mother, dead too, is clearly visible in the photo, only the father's face is obfuscated. So the criteria to hide a particular face is not related to the fact that a person is dead, but to the role the obfuscated character has in the story.

In *Bakuman*, the face of Mashiro's uncle is clearly visible at the funeral, because the narrator has interest to inform the reader about why Mashiro is reluctant about being a mangaka and, later, to motivate him in front of the reader. In *Another*, on the contrary, a certain character's face at the funeral is not shown until the author discloses who is dead.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2013-06-02): I guess I can see that for Hohenheim, but what about the other picture?  
> **username_4** (2013-06-03): In the other picture, the narrator is hiding an essential truth to the reader. Watching Pretear you'll discover what role havethe obfuscated character, or if this is simply a misleading omission.  
> **username_0** (2013-06-03): There isn't any sort of obfuscation involved. The picture is shown while she is describing her father.  
> **username_4** (2013-06-03): I mean obfuscation = character face is not visible due to a reflection covering his face.  
---
