Xenoblade 2 and the hypersexualization of female characters

 As I was browsing one of my favorite subreddits today (r/JRPG) I stumbled upon a thread discussing sexualization in JRPG's and how off-putting the content can be to some gamers, particularly female gamers as well as gamers who aren't attracted to women. Let's be completely honest; very many JRPG's are designed with a teenage male audience in mind, which means we're gonna be seeing a LOT of female characters in rather skimpy and impractical outfits that show off highly idealized figures. Is this a good or a bad thing?

Samus Aran's Alleged Transsexualism.

If you've been keeping up with gaming news lately, then you'd know our old pal Literally Wu, also known as Briana Wu, has come up with a wild idea: Samus Aran, one of the most famous and most important female characters in gaming, is not a woman from birth, but rather, a Male to Female Transsexual. On a recent article written on The Mary Sue, a website that caters to feminist geek interests, Wu, alongside fellow writer Ellen McGrody, made the argument that Samus Aran is a trans gender woman. Well, it wasn't so much an "argument" as it was an assertion, as an argument offers tangible proof, but I digress. Briana Wu and Ellen McGrody made the claim that Samus was trans, and they are treating this as fact. But, is it a fact?

Damsel in Distress (Done Right)- Lunar Silver Star Story

Last entry, I talked about how the Damsel in Distress can be used wrong in gaming by showing how Joe and Mack used the trope as their back story. I argued that they used the trope wrong because they turned their female characters into precisely what feminists claim is wrong with the trope: objects to move the story along, trophies to be collected. This is wrong because the Damsel in Distress is part of a Heroic Narrative, of the hero risking life and limb for someone else. But as I said before, the trope is a tool for story telling, and just as it can be used wrong, it can also be used right. Today, we look at a game that made great use of the Damsel in Distress trope: Lunar.

The third of five different versions, and in the eyes of many, the best.

Damsel in Distress (Done Wrong)- Joe and Mack

If you've been paying attention to Feminist Frequency, or if you've at least been visiting websites that have any focus at all on video games, you'd know that Anita S. has released a trilogy of videos which can be summed up in two sentences: Damsels in Distress are common in games. And that's bad. Now, am I here to argue against Anita? Nope, I fully acknowledge that the Damsel in Distress is an all too common trope used in video games. Am I here to agree with her and turn this blog into yet another echo chamber for her thesis? Not at all. Although today's blog entry COULD be seen as me agreeing with her, it is just the first of a duo that aims to show that the Damsel in Distress trope is exactly that: a tool for story telling, that can be done wrong, and be done right. Today I explore a video game that shows just how badly this trope can be used: Joe and Mack.

Dinosaurs were HUGE back in the early 90's.

Character design and characters

As some of you may know by now, I consider myself a skeptic when it comes to character designs, especially "sexy" character designs. You guys know the ones: chicks with huge breasts (DD cup and up), long legs, peach shaped rear ends, the works. Guys with toned, slender bodies, natural tans, feathery hair, that kind of thing. Now, I'd like to take this opportunity to clarify something here: I am by no means pulling any third wave feminist mumbo jumbo here, this blog entry is by no means a critique of the industry's tendency to design and market these kinds of character designs. Instead, I just want to ask a simple question: What is the line between a justified 'sexy' character design, and when the design is just gratuitous?

Because I KNOW that the three or four ladies who are reading this blog are gonna be having a fit over the large amounts of sexism that's bound to be found on this entry, I provide for them the beefcake.

Princess Peach versus feminism- is the Princess as bad as they claim?

Feminists hate her. She's the quintessential damsel in distress. She's weak, can't fight very well, extremely girly, blonde, and wears a lot of pink. She's Princess Peach. 

And upon seeing this, the feminists reading my blog have just puked in their mouths.

We've all heard the criticisms. "Peach is anti feminist because she has no character", "Peach is the ultimate example of a weak woman." To be sure, no one can ever claim that Peach is a feminist icon. When you get down to it, Peach is a distressed damsel, someone that needs to be rescued (constantly). You can make the claim that this is harmful to women in gaming, and honestly, that's not entirely wrong. A character that is constantly getting kidnapped does seem weak, and to have her be not just a female, but also the major female character in a series that otherwise lacks them, it doesn't look good. But! We also need to take a step back and look at things from a wider perspective.

Character Analysis-Odessa Silverberg from Suikoden 1

It has been said by certain online critics whose names shall not be mentioned, that in the video game industry there is a shortage of female characters that are strong, independent, and who embody the ideals of feminism. They say that most female characters in gaming fall into a select few categories, including the much reviled Damsel in Distress. I respectfully, but strongly, disagree. I believe that for every female character that's little more than a plot device, there is another female character that is well rounded, with flaws and strengths. Today, I will look at one of these strong characters, female. Her name is Odessa Silverberg, and she hails from the game Suikoden 1.

This is not Princess Peach. 

Born into the nobility of the Scarlet Moon Empire, Odessa spent the early part of her life completely ignorant to the injustices her country were committing against the common populace. One day, she had met a young rural aristocrat named Achilles, who was a member of the Anti Imperial movement. They both fell in love and became engaged to be married. Before the wedding, the Captain of the Imperial Guard, a ruffian named Kraze Miles, arrested Achilles on accounts of treason. Sentenced to death, Achilles asked to marry Odessa, as a final request. On the day of their wedding, Odessa sneaked into Achilles' jail cell, wearing her wedding dress, stole a sword, busted Achilles out of jail and dragged him away while they were both shot by several archers. Though they had managed to escape, Achilles was far too injured. In his final moments, Achilles spoke his last words to his lady love: "Defeat the Empire!". He died in her arms shortly afterward.

Armed with a new resolve, Odessa wasted no time. She sought like minded individuals, people who also hated the Empire. She found quite a few: soldiers that were dissatisfied with their roles, angry citizens, the works. Some of the most important recruits she had found included Humphrey Mintz, former Imperial captain, who abandoned the Army after the Kalekka Incident. The Kalekka incident was where several Imperial soldiers massacred the people of the town of Kalekka and then blamed it on the invading country of Jowston, to spread a pro war sentiment among the war weary people. Another important recruit was Mose, chief of the Secret Factory, that made new, innovative weapons for Odessa's growing Army.

Pictured: Mose. Brilliant Blacksmith, devoted husband and father, and all around nice guy. His semblance to Hitler is most unfortunate.

From the get go, Odessa planned everything. Whereas most revolutionaries tend to be reactionary, Odessa was a visionary. She knew the day would come where her Liberation Army would be large enough to take on the Empire directly in battle. She knew who she'd face, so she purchased from the neutral Dwarfs of the Great Forest the plans for a brilliant weapon: a type of flamethrower called a Fire Spear. She knew the Liberation Army would need it. She was right.

With a few skirmishes here and there, the name of Odessa spread like a flame among the dissatisfied and angry populace of Scarlet Moon. She went from the being known as Leon Silverberg's niece to a few people, to the biggest dissident in the Scarlet Moon Empire. Her name became known to all, even in the highly remote village of Sarady and the bandits of Mt Tigerwolf.

One day, she met someone. He was the son of Teo McDohl, the Undefeated General of Scarlet Moon. His name was Tir, and it was he who'd eventually inherit Odessa's position. Tir, betrayed by the Empire, was taken in by Odessa, and given the choice by her to join her army. With time, Odessa helped open Tir's eyes to the true nature of the Empire: corrupt, brutal, inhuman.

One day, as Tir and Odessa returned to the Liberation Army's hideout after a mission, only to find that the Empire was attacking. Tir and Odessa enter the hideout, in an attempt to drive off the attackers. Odessa, however, saw something she did not like: a child was in danger. A few imperial soldiers surrounded the child, perhaps with the intention to kill him. With her bow and arrow in hand, she leaped into action, saving the child. However, she was outnumbered, and the soldiers proved to be more than she could handle. She was fatally injured, but the child was saved. Sadly, she was beyond saving. With her last breath, she turned leadership into Tir's hands, her final request being that he not allow the hope offered by the Liberation Army to die. Per her request, her body was thrown into the sewers, never to be discovered. As far as ANYONE was concerned, Odessa was still alive, leading from the shadows.

Odessa formed and led an army of rebels to overthrow a corrupt Empire. She was an icon of the people, a real living legend. She was a woman who walked the walk and talked the talk. She touched the lives of hundreds, and inspired thousands. Her actions helped topple an Empire rotten to the core and replace it with a new, representative Republic. And she was only 25 when she died.

Odessa Silverberg: She's awesome.