A female fan of Dynasty Warriors posed a question on a 5ch message board: why are the series’ female characters, without exception, always beautiful young women in their teens to early twenties, as if stamped out of a mold?
The thread saw a flood of pushback along the lines of “these are commercial products — if there’s no demand, they won’t get made,” while others pointed to counterexamples like Elden Ring’s withered old-woman NPCs, God of War, and Horizon’s Aloy, and still others argued the characters are modeled on real historical beauties, so it’s only natural.
Why are the female characters in Japanese games always beautiful young girls???
I love the Dynasty Warriors series, but honestly I can't stand how the female characters in it are handled…
They're always, without exception, slim young women in their teens to early twenties.
I love the Dynasty Warriors series, but honestly I can't stand how the female characters in it are handled…
They're always, without exception, slim young women in their teens to early twenties.
Come on. Why would you put an ugly character into something you're selling as a product?
Show me one snack company that deliberately throws a nasty-tasting piece of candy into an assortment pack.
Show me one snack company that deliberately throws a nasty-tasting piece of candy into an assortment pack.
Re: #9
The way my taste buds see it, "young" and "beautiful girl" ARE the nasty-tasting candy.
The way my taste buds see it, "young" and "beautiful girl" ARE the nasty-tasting candy.
Korean games are all curvy, not slim, so I guess they're exempt then?
Nobody buys a game because they're into old ladies.
Forget men — even female players won't pay money for a hag over a beautiful girl.
Forget men — even female players won't pay money for a hag over a beautiful girl.
Just look at how poorly Bayonetta-type games sell — there's no demand for a middle-aged BBA character (Japanese slang for "old hag").
Aren't the male characters in otome games mostly young pretty boys too? Same thing.
It's simply because there's no demand. If there were demand, they'd be making host-fantasy games too. That's just how it is.
Nobody wants to play a game where the heroine is a wrinkled old BBA.
Did "Hagturnal" sell well? Did "Geezerturnal" sell well? That's your answer. (A jab at the game Returnal, whose old-woman character is Selene.)
Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao are historically recorded beauties, so that's a bad example — try Yue Ying, who's said to have been plain-looking, instead.
Re: #24
The "Yue Ying was actually Indian" theory.
The "Yue Ying was actually Indian" theory.
I honestly can't even remember what "Hagturnal" was actually supposed to be called anymore.
Re: #26
In Returnal, the old woman's name is Selene (´･ω･`)
Though honestly, I think people would get sick of controlling that character no matter who the protagonist was (´･ω･`)
In Returnal, the old woman's name is Selene (´･ω･`)
Though honestly, I think people would get sick of controlling that character no matter who the protagonist was (´･ω･`)
For guys like this, just chant "Grand Blue" three times. (A nod to the raunchy comedy manga/anime Grand Blue.)
There are a few people here forgetting that games are a business.
Re: #1
Does the person who made the original post really, truly believe from the bottom of their heart that video games should be packed full of ugly women and old hags? Not as some troll bait, but for real?
Does the person who made the original post really, truly believe from the bottom of their heart that video games should be packed full of ugly women and old hags? Not as some troll bait, but for real?
Re: #1
What about Aloy from Horizon?
What about the old woman from God of War?
What about Aloy from Horizon?
What about the old woman from God of War?
The crowd that calls anime-style girls "vulgar" and the crowd that screams "political correctness" the second something isn't to their taste — how do we get these two to make peace?
They're not ordinary women though — they're princesses, mistresses, or wives, so it kind of makes sense they'd be beautiful, well-proportioned, and youthful.
Even the very first game, back when it was just a fighting game, had Diaochan, one of the Four Great Beauties, in it.
Go play Elden Ring. The one who actually looks out for you the most is a shriveled-up old granny.
Re: #41
In the early version you could summon her anytime, and she'd hold your hand while you leveled up… some self-proclaimed "heroine."
In the early version you could summon her anytime, and she'd hold your hand while you leveled up… some self-proclaimed "heroine."
Re: #38
That guy's taste is probably just off — that "flavor" is exactly what appeals to the general public.
That guy's taste is probably just off — that "flavor" is exactly what appeals to the general public.
Given the time period these games are set in, basically nobody's overweight, so slim is the norm. And most of the beauties are based on actual historical beauties or the wives of great men, so it checks out. It's not like they made some grubby farmer's wife a playable character.
Maybe she's a "youthful witch" (a woman who looks far younger than her real age). It's rude to ask a woman her age, after all. Ii Naotora looks like a minor, but going by how she talks about worrying over "Naomasa," she's apparently actually in her 30s.
If we're talking Dynasty Warriors, aren't all the male characters handsome too?
There's a ton of "mature woman" content in adult videos too… it's simply a matter of demand.
Re: #68
Even a niche market can turn a profit.
Even a niche market can turn a profit.
You're imagining things. If anything, Chinese and Korean games are drowning in beautiful young girls.
Re: #73
So basically, it's an Asia-wide thing.
So basically, it's an Asia-wide thing.
Nobody would buy a game with a grubby middle-aged man as the main character.
Re: #75
Apparently Western audiences hated Tingle (from Zelda) with a passion — it's just that everyone's specific hangups point in different directions.
Apparently Western audiences hated Tingle (from Zelda) with a passion — it's just that everyone's specific hangups point in different directions.
Go ahead and buy all the games packed with political correctness then. But you didn't, did you? That's the whole story.
Games are basically the one place you get to control a young, good-looking avatar, right? Dragging in weird "realism" doesn't make it more fun. Imagine a light-novel protagonist with superhuman powers, except instead he's got a totally average body, no special abilities, no brilliant intellect to escape danger, isn't some reincarnated hero saving the world every other chapter — just a poop-producing machine who commutes to the office, has zero romantic encounters, works all day, comes home, eats, and sleeps. Who's reading that novel? Who's playing that game?
Re: #95
There are plenty of popular dramas and manga about some middle-aged guy just eating a meal, so depending on how it's written, that could actually work.
There are plenty of popular dramas and manga about some middle-aged guy just eating a meal, so depending on how it's written, that could actually work.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “[Fair Point] Woman Asks: “Why Are Japanese Game Female Characters Always Beautiful Young Girls?”“
