So common you should think twice or thrice

1. Symbolic Imagery

• Butterflies for transformation / butterfly wings
• Hearts for love
• Angel wings
• Demon horns
• Broken dolls
• Caged birds
• Lone trees on a hill (as a symbol)
• Hourglass sand running out (time slipping away)
• Shattered mirrors (identity, broken self)
• Chains (bondage, restraint, or freedom once broken)
• Rose petals falling (romance, loss)
• Blood splatter as background motif
• Stained glass as shorthand for “spiritual” or “tragic”

2. Character Design

• Big eyes and colorful hair in anime
• Villains with scars