We all want to become the anime protagonist of our own story, but it can be hard to achieve that when you're lazy, you lack discipline, and you're addicted to your phone. But what if I told you that there is a powerful Japanese rule that all of your favorite anime characters follow?
Even if you're the sweatiest anime nerd known to man, by just following this philosophy and its core principles, you'll not only get the physique of your dreams, but you'll become more confident, improve your life drastically, and become unrecognizable.
So what is this Japanese rule? This mindset is defined by one key idea: continuous improvement of the self. This is known as Kaizen. 💪
Now, some of you might have heard of Kaizen already, but a lot of you don't know how to implement it into your own life. Which is why in this article, I'm going to take it step by step, starting with the first principle.
🗑️ Principle 1: Eliminate the Filler
When starting your self-improvement journey, one of the most important things you need to do first is eliminate filler.
I'm sure most of you would have loved to eliminate most of the filler in a lot of your favorite animes (I'm looking at you, One Piece). And similarly, we need to do that with our own lives.
Every Hero Makes Sacrifices
You see, every great anime protagonist has something to sacrifice:
- Itadori eliminates the hope of a normal death to become a good jujutsu sorcerer
- Sung Jin-Woo sacrifices a bit of his humanity in order to level up and surpass his limits
So, how do you identify the filler in your life? Luckily, Kaizen can help us with that.
The Filler Test
Most filler arcs in anime are considered filler because they don't add to the main plot—in the end, they serve no real purpose and are mostly a waste of time. So just simply ask yourself this question:
"Is what I'm doing right now bringing me closer to my goal? Or is this just wasting time?"
I'm sure most of us can think of one or two habits that count as filler:
- Doom scrolling on your phone
- Playing video games for hours
- Watching anime (dare I say it)
- Eating junk food or Skittles every day
- Drinking alcohol three times a week
The Sneaky Filler You Don't Notice
The trickiest part is sometimes we think something isn't filler when it actually is. Take me, for example. At the beginning of my journey, I listened to a lot of podcasts—mainly based on productivity and self-help. I would listen to hours of these guys talking about how to be more productive during the day.
I thought listening to these guys meant I was being productive. But in reality? I was just entertaining myself with these conversations. The problem was I wasn't actually learning because the ideas I was absorbing, I wasn't actually using.
So always think to yourself: Is this bringing me closer to my goal? And if it isn't, eliminate it because it's just filler—or find a way to make it useful.
But I know what most of you are thinking: "How could I possibly eliminate all my filler in one day?" I know it seems impossible. But the second principle can help us with that problem.
Sarah watches 3 hours of "productivity" videos daily but never applies anything. After asking "Is this helping my goals?" she realizes it's just entertainment. She cuts it to 20 minutes and uses the rest to actually work out.{alertSuccess}
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📈 Principle 2: The 1% Rule
Have you noticed just how insanely powerful these anime protagonists get at the end of the series? Like, they start off as these weak nerds and then they become Gigachad MC status at the end.
But while none of them go from zero to 100 in like two episodes, every single episode they each become a little bit better than last time. Whether that's Sung Jin-Woo slowly leveling up or Deku using One For All at a higher percentage.
Think XP Bar, Not To-Do List
The goals that you set for yourself may seem daunting to achieve, especially if it's about eliminating all distractions from your life. But that's not what Kaizen is about.
See, the point of Kaizen is not to become the person you want to be as quickly as possible, but to slowly evolve and morph into the person you want to be. So instead of thinking of your goals like a to-do list, think of it more as an XP bar that goes up by 1% every day. 🎮
Start Ridiculously Small
For example, trying to achieve an anime physique. You could simply say that the goal is to work out 5 times a week, stop drinking alcohol, and lose 10 lbs. But if you're a complete noob, this might seem like too much.
Instead, think 1% and start with the smallest possible thing you can do:
- This week: Do one set of one exercise every day
- Next week: Only drink once per week (instead of three times)
These may seem small, but that's the whole point of Kaizen. Implementing these small changes and improving little by little every day. It's so much easier to climb that ladder when the rungs are closer together.
Maybe in one month, you'll be doing six sets of exercises every day and quitting alcohol altogether. That's why you don't need to eliminate all of your bad habits in one day. Take it one step at a time.
Jake starts with just 5 push-ups daily. Week 2: 10 push-ups. Month 3: 50 push-ups and squats. Month 6: Gym 5x/week. Small steps = big transformation.{alertSuccess}
⚔️ Principle 3: Go to the Gemba
But that's of course easier said than done because actually sitting down and using the 1% rule is very difficult to do if you don't have the third principle. You need to go to the gemba.
But Kevin, what the hell is a gemba? I get it. I am expanding your knowledge of Japanese vocabulary with words you don't understand. You're welcome, by the way.
The Real Place Where Learning Happens
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So let me explain it in a way that you can understand. Gojo Omega Chad Satoru could not for the life of him understand the reverse curse technique. No matter how much he studied, no matter how many questions he asked his peers or teachers, he would only confuse himself more.
Only until he got stabbed by Toji (the goat Fushiguro) and his very life was on the line was he able to finally grasp the idea, use it to heal himself, and completely obliterate this gambling-addicted deadbeat.
Gemba literally means "real place." In this example, Gojo's gemba was on the battlefield with Toji. It wasn't the jujutsu school. It wasn't the classroom. It wasn't his peers or teachers. It was the actual place he needed to apply his skills.
You Only Level Up in the Real Fight
In life, you're only ever going to power up when the real fight happens, not when you're in the safe zone training for it. Meaning, if you don't go out there and actually do the thing, you will never actually use Kaizen correctly.
- Will staring at your workout plan get you an aesthetic physique? No. Get out there and go to the gym.
- Will watching pickup artists talking to girls help you get a girlfriend? No. Get out there and go talk to people.
- Will listening to soy wojak businessmen make you money? No. Get out there, work on yourself and your business, and build it from the ground up.
My Personal Gemba Story
Trust me, I've been through this. Before starting YouTube, I probably spent days contemplating before even uploading my first video. Didn't know what my niche was going to be, and I didn't know if I was going to be any good.
But worrying about that wasn't going to help me improve. So I just shut my brain off, went straight to writing, filming, editing, and then boom—look at where it got me now. And yes, I made mistakes along the way, but most of my experience came from actually doing the thing.
Do the freaking thing. 🎬
How to Find Your Gemba
Finding the gemba may seem hard, but there's actually a very simple way to find it. If you find yourself stuck in planning hell, think about where you want these skills to apply:
- If you're thinking about dumb pickup lines to ask a girl out, then your gemba is actually asking the girl out
- If you're too busy planning your next gym session, then your gemba is the gym
- If you're thinking too hard about what video you should upload to YouTube, your gemba is uploading a YouTube video
Just think about what you want your result to look like, and that's where your gemba is going to be.
Tom spends 4 months researching YouTube gear. His gemba? Recording ONE video with his phone TODAY. He learns more from that 5-minute video than 4 months of planning.{alertSuccess}
🥋 Principle 4: Develop Your Fighting Style
Now, once you find your gemba, you need to jump straight into principle number four—because if you don't, all of it's going to fall apart.
Have you ever been on a self-improvement journey, went on a hot streak of absolute improvement, confidence, and freaking Gigachad-level energy—making money, feeling cool—only to then relapse, fall into old habits, and completely regress? Now you're back to a sad little loser.
I know. I've been there many times. That's because you weren't using a fighting style, so to speak.
What Is a Fighting Style?
A fighting style is something that every anime character uses to become more powerful. On day one, Midoriya wasn't strong enough to use One For All—definitely wasn't strong enough to go against the big villains.
But after figuring out what actually worked for him (like his full cowling or his shoot style), he doubled down on that and then practiced it until eventually it became second nature.
Without your own fighting style, eliminating habits and going to the gemba is just going to feel like a losing game. But once you can find that standard at which you can act all the time, it's going to prevent you from backtracking and keep you consistent.
How to Build Your Fighting Style
Step 1: Identify What Works
If there are habits or little 1% improvements that make you feel good and bring you closer to your goal, you need to lock that in as part of your life and try to do it every day:
- If you find waking up at 6:00 a.m. makes you more productive, do that
- If you find that cutting alcohol helps you lose more weight (which it almost always will), lock that in
- If screaming affirmations in the mirror makes you more confident and hyped up, freaking do that (I will not judge you. Not that hard.)
Step 2: The Ideal Day Exercise
If you struggle to find habits that work for you, here's a very simple trick. Think about the man you want to become. Look how sexy he is. 😎
- What would his ideal day look like?
- How does he start his day?
- How does he end it?
- What does he do with his free time?
Then live out that routine for just a day. If you find something that feels good and resonates with you, lock that in. If something is mid, then you don't have to do it the next day. It's that simple.
With this, you are going to be collecting and accumulating these tiny little habits, which will eventually turn into your own fighting style.
The Secret Weapon: Fear of Mediocrity
The trickier part is being consistent with it and doing these habits enough where you don't need to think about them anymore. For most people, this is the biggest roadblock in their self-improvement journey.
The solution for this is actually very simple, but it could be a little uncomfortable. What do Sung Jin-Woo, Midoriya, and Itadori all have in common?
No, it's not their drive to do good. And no, it's not the fact that they all have an anime body pillow. To me, what they have in common is that they all fear mediocrity—ending up as a loser or a nobody all their life and not doing enough.
If I told you to make a million dollars in a year, you might not be able to do it. But if I said make a million dollars in a year or your family dies—we got a different story going on here. 💀
Fear is a powerful emotion that drives a lot of us forward. If you're struggling to find discipline and consistency, think about the type of person you'll end up as if you don't improve yourself:
- You're going to be just like everybody else
- Everybody who you claim is "NPC status"
- The people who are stuck with a job they hate
- Mediocre, average, forgettable
Is that really the person you want to be? I'm telling you, consistency is powerful, and those without it are going to kill their progress and never use Kaizen.
Marcus finds his formula: 5:30 AM wake-up, cold shower, 30-min workout, healthy breakfast. He does this daily until it's automatic that's his fighting style.{alertSuccess}
♾️ Principle 5: There Is No Season Finale
In fact, this principle is probably the core idea of Kaizen, so you better listen closely.
The big truth about self-improvement that nobody tells you about is that there is no season finale. I'm sure you've seen in every anime finale, the main character beats the big bad and everything goes back to normal. The end goal is reached and there's no work left to do.
It's going to seem weird coming from me, but we're going to have to divert a little bit away from anime for this one.
The Trap of "I Made It"
Once you finally reach all of your goals—whether that's unlocking your first pull-up, losing 10 pounds, going on a first date with that cute girl at the coffee shop, or making your first $1,000—that's it, right? You've achieved your goals. You've done it all. You're Mr. Big, Mr. Hot Shot. Look at this guy. He did it.
A lot of people fall into that trap. They achieve something, they celebrate it, and then all of a sudden they become complacent—and then they stagnate or, worse, completely regress.
The Work Is Never Done
The main idea of Kaizen is that the work is never done. There's always a next step or something that can be improved. Not that you should always be grinding, grinding, grinding—or never celebrate your achievements. In fact, you should celebrate them, even the small ones.
But you can't stop moving forward. Got to keep freaking going. 🚀
And if you have to take it back to principle two, just improve 1% at a time every day. You think Goku was done when he reached Super Saiyan? No. He had to reach Super Saiyan 2 and Ultra Instinct and whatever else was in between (I don't freaking know).
Unless you achieve perfection (like Perfect Cell), there's always something that you're going to be able to improve on. I just repeat the same mantra in my head all the time: "There's still work to be done."
Lisa loses 25 pounds, celebrates, then stops tracking food and skips workouts thinking "I made it!" Six months later, she gained it all back. The work never stops.{alertsuccess}
🤝 Principle 6: Master Unity (The Power of Friendship)
But before you guys start implementing Kaizen and become the best version of yourselves, there is another principle that you must follow if you want Kaizen to work correctly, and that's mastering unity. The power of friendship. ✨
Think of an iconic trio like Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara. Each of them pretty strong on their own, but if one were to be left behind and can't keep up with the other two, their teamwork will fall apart and one of them might get their face blown up.
Balance All Your Stats
You can think of all aspects of your life as part of an anime team: your fitness, mental health, relationships, career, etc. Or better yet, think of them as your Solo Leveling stats.
Sung Jin-Woo might invest a lot into strength, but he's not going to neglect the rest of his abilities.
When you start using Kaizen and start your self-improvement journey, it can be very easy to focus on one thing over everything else. Like me, at times I only focused on:
- Fitness (neglecting relationships)
- Mental health (neglecting business)
- Relationships (neglecting fitness)
- Business (neglecting mental health)
Ultimately, that just slowed me down and I neglected other parts of my life. I was never the man I wanted to be. I was only parts of the man I wanted to be.
But once you're able to apply Kaizen to every aspect of your life, no matter how small of a step, you'll always be moving forward and you won't even recognize yourself anymore. 🔥
Mike gets shredded spending 3 hours daily at the gym, but loses his job, girlfriend leaves, and he has no friends. He maxed "Strength" but ignored all other life stats.{alertSuccess}
🎯 Your Hero's Journey Starts Now
Maybe you went through all of the principles in this article and you're still intimidated with the idea of self-improvement. Well, I have great news, my sweaty potato chip-munching, Toji-glazing, Sakura-hating friend—because you don't have to do it alone.
The key to using Kaizen effectively is:
✅ Eliminate filler – Cut out habits that don't serve your goals
✅ Use the 1% rule – Small improvements every single day
✅ Go to the gemba – Stop planning and start doing
✅ Develop your fighting style – Find what works and make it routine
✅ Remember there's no finale – Keep improving, always
✅ Master unity – Balance all areas of your life
You don't need to be perfect. You don't need to have it all figured out. You just need to start, take that first 1% step, and keep moving forward.
Choose your path, take that first step, and let's go through our training arcs together. 💪
FAQ: Your Kaizen Questions Answered
Q: How long does it take to see results with Kaizen?
Honestly, it depends on what you're working on. Some things you'll notice within a week or two (like more energy from better habits), but bigger transformations like physique changes or major life shifts take months. The key is the 1% rule—small improvements compound over time. Don't expect overnight success, but trust that in 3-6 months, you'll be shocked at your progress.
Q: What if I mess up and break my streak?
Bro, you're human. You're going to mess up. The difference between winners and losers isn't that winners never fail—it's that they get back up immediately. Miss a day at the gym? Go the next day. Relapse on a bad habit? Restart tomorrow. Don't let one bad day turn into a bad week. Kaizen is about continuous improvement, not perfection.
Q: Can I apply Kaizen to multiple areas of my life at once?
Yes, but be smart about it. Don't try to overhaul your entire life in one day—that's the opposite of Kaizen. Start with 1-2 areas (like fitness and eliminating one bad habit), master those, then add more. Remember principle 6: balance is key, but you don't need to do everything at once.
Q: What's the difference between Kaizen and just "self-improvement"?
Kaizen is specifically about small, continuous improvements over time. Most self-improvement advice tells you to make huge changes all at once (which usually fails). Kaizen says: improve 1% every day, and those tiny changes compound into massive transformations. It's less overwhelming and actually sustainable.
Q: How do I stay motivated when progress feels slow?
Remember principle 5: there's no season finale. Progress isn't supposed to be fast—it's supposed to be consistent. Track your progress (take photos, journal, measure stats) so you can see how far you've come. And use fear of mediocrity as fuel: would you rather struggle now or stay average forever?
Q: What if I don't know what my "gemba" is?
Your gemba is wherever you need to actually do the thing instead of just thinking/planning about it. If you're stuck in planning mode, ask yourself: "What action would bring me closest to my goal right now?" That's your gemba. Stop researching, stop overthinking—just go do it.
Q: Is it okay to celebrate small wins, or should I just keep pushing?
Absolutely celebrate your small wins! Kaizen isn't about being a miserable grind machine. Acknowledge your progress, feel proud, enjoy the moment—then keep moving forward. The key is to celebrate without becoming complacent. Enjoy the win, then ask: "What's next?"
Q: What if my friends or family don't support my self-improvement journey?
Not gonna lie, this is tough. Some people will make fun of you or try to pull you back down because your growth makes them uncomfortable. Remember: you're the protagonist of YOUR story, not theirs. Find people who support your goals (even if it's online communities). And don't let crabs pull you back into the bucket.
Q: How do I know if something is "filler" or actually valuable?
Ask yourself the filler test: "Is this bringing me closer to my goal?" Be brutally honest. Watching productivity YouTube for hours? Filler (unless you're applying what you learn). Working out for 30 minutes? Not filler. Scrolling TikTok? Filler. Learning a skill you'll use? Not filler. If it doesn't serve your goals, it's filler.
Q: Can I still enjoy life while using Kaizen, or is it all work?
Kaizen doesn't mean you become a robot. You can still enjoy anime, hang with friends, play games, eat good food—just make sure it's intentional and not mindless filler that eats up all your time. Balance is key. Enjoy life, but make sure you're also moving forward toward your goals.