Is Street Fighter Sexist/Racist?

[Therumancer]

As a black man, Capcom has done some stuff to piss me off. IE. Resident Evil 5. But I don't think that they come from a place of hate. To quote Yahtzee, "They're just idiots!". I love them, but damn it, they can be really fucking stupid sometimes. Recently my library just got Street Fighter 4, so I played it with my little sister, this is my first Street Fighter experience, AND I have never heard of any other characters besides Ryu. So I pick the black guy in every fighter I get to and I get to Dhalsim. And he looks fucking crazy... I eventually figured out he was Indian not black, but he still looks like a huge stereotype.

Then we get to Cammy...

And fucking hell, right then and there I just figured out my sister is going to be a feminist...
Cammy's main attribute (besides me kicking ass with her character every time) is her as-athletic abilities. And also that booty don't lie!

But seriously, I Cammy also looks crazy as shit too. I have no problem with women being sexy in games as long as they can also be fleshed out, fully realized, 3 dimensional characters, but this is FUCKING Capcom. I didn't play the story, and maybe she's the best female character since Jade from Beyond Good and Evil, but something makes me doubt that.

Don't get me wrong here, with the hour I spent playing Street Fighter, I had a fucking blast. It was badass. I loved playing it. But I also felt dirty for enjoying it. I don't know guys, What is your opinion? I'd love to hear it.

Stereotypes exist because they are true at least in a sociological sense. What Capcom did, very successfully I might add, was create a stable of characters based on easily recognizable stereotypes that also weren't exactly insulting either. Someone like Dhalsim for example matches the whole Indian Mystic thing pretty well, which is what he's
supposed to be.

As far as Cammy goes, she's ironically one of the least stereotypical characters in the game, but that's also because she was added in later on in the game's series. It's important to note that these games have been around for a LONG time. Cammy came out alongside a male Chinese fighter named Fei Long who is based on Bruce Lee (including being a movie star), A large native American called Thunderhawk (whose specials largely involve him jumping in the air and swooping down), and a Jamaican fighter named Dee Jay who fights with kickboxing. Cammy's big thing was that she was from Europe (Britan) instead of the USA.

While Cammy's back story is not exactly deep, her basic schtick was that she was a good guy who was investigating M. Bison's organization for the British government as part of a special forces team. Prior to the game originally she had already been defeated and was brainwashed. Her victory ending as I remember was her breaking free of control and being rescued. That mark on her face is also not a tattoo, it's supposed to be a scar, it's been a while but part of her motivation in later games was to avenge it, I think (but could be wrong) that it was Vega who was supposed to have defeated and scarred her, creating a sort of ironic rivalry given that he's the fighter who wears a mask to protect his beautiful face.

Since you appear to be fairly new to Street Fighter I'd say that the "Black Fighter" is actually a guy named Balrog. The thing about Balrog is that he was based on Mike Tyson at his peak, who was hugely popular in Japan in part for being willing to fight there when almost nobody else would. One of the odd little facts about Street fighter was that in the Japanese release his name was "M. Bison" with the last name changed to avoid offense/legal issues. However in the American release they were still worried about it so they swapped his name with Balrog, who was the character we in
the US know as "M. Bison".

At any rate the way Street Fighter used stereotypes (all of which are tough guy stereotypes when you get down to it) actually increased it's popularity because pretty much everyone could almost instantly recognize "their" fighter, and those stereotypes were part of what made it cool, especially seeing as pretty much any character could win and be the champion. Albeit originally (and still true to some extent) Ryu and Ken are a bit unbalanced, given that they are the series main characters, having been Player 1 and Player 2 respectively in the original Street Fighter before they stamped a "2" on it, their white and red outfits being a throwback/nod to the ancient "Karate Champ" as well. While it got downgraded a bit after a while, both of those characters used to have a borderline cheat in the form of move priority, the whole "Dragon Punch" thing still has a reputation for being obnoxious simply because it got move
priority over almost everything even when it was blatently unfair.

It should also be noted that once it had it's basic roster established, the series did become a bit less reliant on the stereotypes since pretty much everyone had "their" specific fighter (sometimes more than one, depending on sales, and creator's whim). The series got into creating some truly bug nuts characters, especially some of the ones that were "one offs" only appearing to pad out the roster of a specific game. Capcom has also had some truly spectacular failures in creating characters as well, though usually it has nothing to do with stereotypes (which most fans find amusing, especially the ones from the area the character hails from), they just outright suck. Check out how much fans love this dude called "Skullmaniac" (yes, your reading that name right) for example.

 

[scorptatious]

The weird thing is, she actually does have more to her character. It just doesn't at all come out in the straight-up fighting that she's actually a female clone of M. Bison who rebels against Shadoloo. Whereas even Dhalsim gets an ending that shows he's not only a (relatively) ascetic Hindu yogi who follows Agni, but also a loving family man with a wife and child.

I bet the sex between those two must be fantastic.

OT: I haven't played much Street Fighter, but from what I've seen of the characters, it definitely seems like they were made to be stereotypical.

I don't mind too much myself, although I'm a white guy from 'Merica, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

[DaViller]

One cannot conclude that from the evidence given. Simply accusing something of being a mod doesn't make the point that it's "manservice." As I've already mentioned, this is the "comic books sexualise men more than women!" argument. Can you demonstrate any real points of titillation?

Even Yuuki wasn't conceding they were sexualised.

Well I'm fairly certain that, if one where to put an sf version with a normal cover next to an sf version showing of speedo fei long next to leafskirt dan, most dudes would go with the normal cover. Also what would be concrete proof that speedo fei long is manservice? If your asking me for a developer interview or something then I got nothing.

Also I'm not sure what a concrete point of titilation is honestly, aside from that obvious cammy ass shot I can't see any conrete points of titilation on her as well. Put cammy next to speedo fei in theyr normal battle stances and we have a goog looking woman in a swimsuit fighting a good looking guy in a speedo. Feis or dans example also isn't something I would consider a power fantasy. That is reasonable with someone like zangief who looks like someone found him frozen in a glacier, his muscles aren't attractive to most women, they are there to show of his power so he wears as little clothing as possible to present them. Fei and dan on the other hand are fairly normal in street fighter terms ( fei is actually kinda skinny), they dont have that showoff factor zangief has to justify those costumes.

Someone pointed out earlier that these costumes aren't used very often (I personally have never seen anyone use that fei long alt), considering most sf players are dudes I'm not surprised. Im fairly certain that at least the fei long costume wasn't made to appeal to male players and reality seems to point in that direction as well.
So if these are costumes that aren't made to appeal to dudes who are they for?

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Yeah, you shouldn?t expect deep characterisation in a fighting game, especially one where part of its main appeal is the fact that it?s based around an international fighting tournament (where, apparently, the fighters have infinite amounts of cash to legally brawl on the street in multiple countries around the world). Most of the characters in Street Fighter and its ilk mainly have one or two distinguishing characteristics, and that?s it.

Even the Japanese and male characters are stereotypes, while Chun-Li (who, behind Ryu, has appeared in the most Street Fighter games and has practically become the series? No. 2 icon) was originally only a big deal because she was the first female fighting game character (even one of her win quotes in SFII was ?I?m the strongest woman in the world!?). You shouldn?t feel ?dirty? for enjoying a game where the objective is to pick a character you like (whether for appearance, technique, and/or skill) and try to beat the other player. Racial or sexual politics doesn?t come into it.

And Cammy does have character ? arguably moreso than Dhalsim ? if you play her story modes throughout the games. She?s sexualised, sure, but look at the muscular, hairy, hinted-to-be-homosexual-in-supplementary-material Russian wrestler Zangief and tell me that doesn?t appear in more than one gay man?s sexual fantasy. At the very least, he?d fit right in between the pages of a bara doujinshi.

To be honest, the only character that slightly offended me in terms of stereotypes was Dee Jay, and that?s because he just sounds and acts annoyingly idiotic. And as for potentially sexist stereotypes goes, you could do a lot worse than Cammy (e.g. Sakura ?panty shot every 5 seconds? Kasugano).

P. S. Dudley might be a hilariously bad British stereotype, because he?s fucking awesome. I?ve always preferred to play him than Balrog. And at least all the characters are equally represented (although we have yet to see a second African SF character, other than the Kenyan Elena in SFIII).

Personally, in relation to personality and character, I think the Female characters of the Street Fighter cast are alright, though I would like if they didn't make their costumes so Stripperiffic, Juri Han, C. Viper and R. Mika come to mind.
Then again, this could be seem more as a general thing rather then Capcom.

Juri Han's costume isn't "stripperific"; it's based off of Jolyne Kujo's outfit in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and she's often touted by manga fans as a shining example of a strong and independent black woman, I mean, strong and independent fictional heroine whose sex appeal is just the right amount to not take away from her character.

There was a joke where if Poison ended up having 1000 health we'd know it was supposed to be a guy (950 so nobody knows).

Nice transphobia there.

If anyone black is left in this thread, I have an important question:

How black is Akuma in Street Fighter?

On a rating of 1 to 10?

0, because he?s meant to be Japanese, like Ryu and Gouken. Akuma means ?Devil? in Japanese.

Ken- American, same as Ryu, blank slate, these two are just P.O.V style generics as far as I can see (well, outside the plot)

Actually, while their fighting styles are very similar (on account of them being friendly rivals trained by the same master), Ken is a stereotypically fiery American (although, admittedly, he didn't have much of a personality seperate from Ryu until Alpha). This is reflected in his red gi and more explosive version of the Shoryuken. Also, he's blond and cocky, so you know he's a Yank.

However, I believe he's still a good character because, on account of being a main character alongside Ryu, he cares deeply for his wife and child, always strives to better himself before his next match with Ryu, and (unlike Ryu with Sakura) willingly mentors a young martial artist into honing his own techniques. That, and his fighting style, is what makes him my favourite SF character.

Sodom- An American guy. In Samurai armor. Because... I can't remember. Nor why he's called Sodom.

Well, I don't think there's any reason Sodom is called such (just like there's no real reason Guile is called such), but Sodom's meant to be a classic weeaboo, complete with misappropriated Japanese phrases (like "die job death car").

Gamers, in our zeal to cut down racism and sexism in gaming, have ensured that one of the most dangerous things a developer can do is embrace diversity.

So true. That's why I always get pissed off when people negatively criticise Bayonetta as "sexist". I mean, what more do they fucking want? They couldn't even stop complaining when we got an actual reboot of the Lara Croft character as a "real woman" without inventing some "rape culture" bullshit about one scene where no rape was even happening or going to happen.

Talking of which, no-one has yet told me what ?rape culture? is actually meant to mean, or if it even exists beyond their small-minded, radical feminist brains. Most people know that rape is bad, but understandably, when it comes to sex and relationships, grey areas do occur. That?s just a fact, not intended to demean the seriousness of rape. But the police not filing certain cases of rape isn?t evidence of a ?rape culture?. It could be any number of factors, like lack of evidence, the police being their usual incompetent selves, a policewoman who had a bad day and refused to file the report of a rape victim because she didn?t like her (this actually happened, although the ?bad day? and ?not liking the victim? parts are my own conjecture), etc.

You know, even if there was a game with a fat teenage girl as a protagonist, you?d probably still get people saying, ?Why is she a teenager? When are we going to get our fat woman protagonist? She?s only fat so the audience can laugh at her! ****** ***** ***** ***** ******?

I guess now we?re going to label every memorable videogame character as an offensive stereotype that should?ve never been made. That?s what it?s come down to. Mario?s an Italian stereotype. Samus isn?t a strong enough female role model because everyone thought she was a cyborg man in the original Metroid and then she took her clothes off at the end. Wario?s offensive to people with wavy moustaches. The woman from Mirror?s Edge is too skinny, or not muscular enough.

Gimme a break?

 

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

Personally, in relation to personality and character, I think the Female characters of the Street Fighter cast are alright, though I would like if they didn't make their costumes so Stripperiffic, Juri Han, C. Viper and R. Mika come to mind.
Then again, this could be seem more as a general thing rather then Capcom.

Juri Han's costume isn't "stripperific"; it's based off of Jolyne Kujo's outfit in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and she's often touted by manga fans as a shining example of a strong and independent black woman, I mean, strong and independent fictional heroine whose sex appeal is just the right amount to not take away from her character.

Really? huh, didn't know that.
Welp, the more you know, Thanks

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Personally, in relation to personality and character, I think the Female characters of the Street Fighter cast are alright, though I would like if they didn't make their costumes so Stripperiffic, Juri Han, C. Viper and R. Mika come to mind.
Then again, this could be seem more as a general thing rather then Capcom.

Juri Han's costume isn't "stripperific"; it's based off of Jolyne Kujo's outfit in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and she's often touted by manga fans as a shining example of a strong and independent black woman, I mean, strong and independent fictional heroine whose sex appeal is just the right amount to not take away from her character.

Really? huh, didn't know that.
Welp, the more you know, Thanks

You're welcome.

I will admit, however, that the innuendos Juri made at some characters, both male and female, was a novelty that soon wore thin. I, personally, never found an inch of sex appeal from her.

 

[C.S.Strowbridge]

-SNIP-

It is a power fantasy. Emphasis on the fantasy. The big muscles are not there to turn on women, they are there to be a power fantasy for men. Real world issues with dehydration doesn't change that.

There is no comparison between big muscles on men and big boobs on women.

You are sexist as fuck. Seriously, you have an ingrained belief that masculinity is a positive and femininity is a negative. Check your biases.

That's a cute trick you pulled trying to reverse the facts, but it failed.

Having breasts isn't a negative. Creating a characters whose breasts are so large that they would interfere with walking, let along fighting enemies, is a negative. That has nothing to do with masculine or feminine. If a woman has large muscles and small breasts, she isn't less of a woman as a result. YOU see big boobs as a feminine trait and big muscles as a masculine trait.

 

[Something Amyss]

Well I'm fairly certain that, if one where to put an sf version with a normal cover next to an sf version showing of speedo fei long next to leafskirt dan, most dudes would go with the normal cover.

I'm pretty sure if you did one that was "manly" versus one that was "Japanese," Americans would choose the "manly" one. Which would probably be more homoerotic. Does that mean it's....What's the equivalent fo gay "manservice?" Does that mean that people are buying it because it's "gay"?

This is where the argument falls apart. Women aren't being specifically marketed to and men are.

It's also why you're not going to see that Leaf Skirt/Speedo (which isn't a speedo) cover in all propability.

But at the same time, look at pro wrestling. Fei's "Speedo" isn't any more risqué than the wrestling trunks they look like. Or, for that matter, most of Zangief's attires over the years. Do you honestly think pro wrestling dresses men up like that specifically to appeal to girls? What about comics? This sort of attire dates back to a time where the wisdom was "girls don't like comic books," yet you have many men in spandex trunks. Why? Who's the market? To what end?

I addressed this, I think, in the post you quoted. Zira dodged it, but I'm hoping you won't.

I would finish this by pointing out that Capcom is no stranger to "joke" costumes. Dan looks more silly than sexy.

Nice transphobia there.

What baffles me is that you went out of your way to defend how a game isn't racist or sexist because it's a game built around....Well, racism and sexism, but you call out transphobia against a character in said system for blurring the lines in said system.

I'm even more confused,though, since you go on to attack feminism. There's no real requirement that one who calls out transphobia must also like women, but jeeez:

Talking of which, no-one has yet told me what "rape culture" is actually meant to mean, or if it even exists beyond their small-minded, radical feminist brains.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_culture

Within feminism, rape culture is a concept that links rape and sexual violence to the culture of a society,[1] and in which prevalent attitudes and practices normalize, excuse, tolerate, and even condone rape.[2]

For example, a culture that questions the legitimacy of a rape if it ends in pregnancy, or a culture where the media laments someone's career being "ruined" over rape more than the actual rape itself. It's not a particularly radical idea, either. But I doubt nobody's ever tried to explain this to you before.

You know, even if there was a game with a fat teenage girl as a protagonist, you'd probably still get people saying, "Why is she a teenager? When are we going to get our fat woman protagonist? She's only fat so the audience can laugh at her! ****** ***** ***** ***** ******"

I'm not sure why it's unreasonable to want women to be able to be fat or ugly, given men can be. Isn't that, by its nature, sexism? It seems the very definition of sexism.

But I'm not sure what that changes. You get men bitching about male characters all the time. Do you complain about that?

Lara Croft character as a "real woman" without inventing some "rape culture" bullshit about one scene where no rape was even happening or going to happen.

Ah yes. Real women. Lara Croft is frequently abused in the story elements of the game and only able to stand up for herself in the disconnected combat sequences. That defines a real woman, right? Someone you can smack around?

As far as it goes with the invented rape scene, you might want to consider the studio's part in that, unless you're trying to invent something to complain about. Wouldn't that be ironic?

People had no way of knowing what would be in the final game, but an executive showing off the scene used the word "rape." So are you really that upset that people reacted without having the precognitive abilities to know what the final scene would look like? Because that seems kind of silly.

But honestly, what I take away from your post is that it's okay to attack women, so long as it's not transwomen.

 

[C.S.Strowbridge]

I agree.

I love Ivy from Soul Calibur. The whip sword is my favorite weapon in the game. BUT... One of the first things I do in those games is give her a more appropriate outfit.

I would much rather they toned down her bust size and gave her a more appropriate outfit from the beginning.

Just because the game, or individual character, has problems, it doesn't mean you have to hate it. It would make more sense to point out the problems. Pretending this issues don't exist, or are not a problem, or indeed attacking the person pointing them out, is making things worse.

On the plus side, at least you can give her a better outfit. A lot of games can't even do that.

Anyway, one of the big problems with criticism is that people take to the love/hate dynamic really fast. I think it's faster in gaming, but that could be skewed perception. But any criticism of games makes you a "hater." I mean, look at GTA fans who wanted a woman fired for giving the game what? 9/10? We have an all or nothing mentality where if you don't like something about a game, you don't like the game at all.

The users on that site gave GTA:V a lower score than she did, yet she got threats. That's another issue to deal with in another thread.

When I review someone, I usually point on the problems more than the good features, because they are easier to talk about how something could be improved. You learn more from failure than from success.

 

[Something Amyss]

Is it racist? = Yes
Is it sexist? = Yes
Is that something that took anything away from what became the most popular and played fighting franchise to date? = NO!

The prevailing attitude seems to be "if it's sexist/racist then so am I and that hurts my feelings."

People dont'like being called racist or sexist even when they are racist or sexist.

Ironically, though, a lot of people might have their conscience eased if they had actually paid attention to Anita Sarkeesian, instead of attacking her as a radical, man-hating feminazi:

This series will include critical analysis of many beloved games and characters, but remember that it is both possible (and even necessary) to simultaneously enjoy media while also being critical of it?s more problematic or pernicious aspects.

Emphasis mine.

Even the evil Anita gave us permission to enjoy Street Fighter (albeit not by name)! So where's the problem?

Well, what can I say?

That you're sorry for lying?

If you think Street Fighter 4 is sexist and/or racist, then.... ok. You're free to have this opinion, because I understand nothing I say could ever change your view.

Well, except a cogent argument, or persuasive evidence. You've done the opposite.

There was a debate just a couple of days ago that went on between creationist Ken Ham and scientist Bill Nye. When asked if there was anything that would change their minds the two said the following:

Ken Ham: nothing.
Bill Nye: evidence.

I'm with Mr. Science Guy (or is it Dr. Science Guy?).

So, well, ok. I'm sorry Street Fighter offends you: write a letter of complaint to Capcom or something. Make a group and raise signatures to protest the issue.

Well, except most of the people arguing that it's sexist/racist aren't offended. Didn't stop me from playing 1-IV.

 

[C.S.Strowbridge]

-SNIP!-

I'm not sure how I can explain this any better than I already have. One more try...

1.) Simona Halep is a tennis player who had breast reduction surgery because her large breasts got in the way of her playing tennis. Having breasts doesn't help with physical activities, it is a hindrance. That's not sexist, that's physics. Don't believe me? Ask any woman who owns a sports bra why she has one. So designing a characters with large boobs that bounce a lot, who is still expected to complete physical tasks is sexist, because it emphasizes something sexualized over basic competence.

2.) To sexualize a man, you would have to do the same. You would have to do something that emphasizes sexuality over basic competence. Taking something that would help, like muscles, and exaggerating them isn't the same. It takes something that gives the character power and turns the character into a power fantasy. It doesn't have to be pornographic, obviously, but it has to be something that would hurt that competency, like having their shirt off at inappropriate times. Those firefighter calendars that show them without their shirts on. That's how you sexualize a man.

Of course, you will find far more games were women are showing inappropriate cleavage than you will see topless men.

 

[Siege_TF]

They didn't go 'Oooga booga! Chunga wunga!' in RE5, they spoke Swahili, which is a damn sight better than what the English speaking characters got in Capcom vs SNK 2. "Rice barrel (Let's battle) ~ Guile" The spear chucking, grass skirt wearing swamp people walked the line, but they at least bothered to lampshade it in one document; an adolescent's journal, in which the author wondered why the men were wearing their ancestral garb when it wasn't a festival day. It might not be enough for some, but it's better than nothing.

 

[KingBlackToof]

I've always treated it a bit like simpsons. In that everyone is a real person times a hundred. I honestly find all the characters rather swell.

Especially Elena, which is a charicature of a native African, she is a happy bundle of love. I adore her. <3
Street Fighter is as racist as you make it to be in my opinion, a bit like Apu in the simpsons.

You are perfectly correct, and your simpson analogy actually has a name.
Flanderization
Whereby a minor characteristic is exaggerated that it becomes their sole definition.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization

 

[Requia]

Having breasts isn't a negative. Creating a characters whose breasts are so large that they would interfere with walking, let along fighting enemies, is a negative. That has nothing to do with masculine or feminine. If a woman has large muscles and small breasts, she isn't less of a woman as a result. YOU see big boobs as a feminine trait and big muscles as a masculine trait.

You've stated flat out that feminine traits which are bad for the character are bad, but masculine traits which are bad for the character aren't.

 

[C.S.Strowbridge]

Having breasts isn't a negative. Creating a characters whose breasts are so large that they would interfere with walking, let along fighting enemies, is a negative. That has nothing to do with masculine or feminine. If a woman has large muscles and small breasts, she isn't less of a woman as a result. YOU see big boobs as a feminine trait and big muscles as a masculine trait.

You've stated flat out that feminine traits which are bad for the character are bad, but masculine traits which are bad for the character aren't.

Nope. I stated flat out that having big muscles isn't a masculine trait, not is having big boobs a feminine trait. Please, don't lie about what I said.

Boobs are a sexual trait, which is different. They are a secondary sexual characteristic. And drawing a character that emphasizes sexual traits over basic competency is sexist.

 

[Yuuki]

Nope. I stated flat out that having big muscles isn't a masculine trait, not is having big boobs a feminine trait. Please, don't lie about what I said.

Boobs are a sexual trait, which is different. They are a secondary sexual characteristic. And drawing a character that emphasizes sexual traits over basic competency is sexist.

Assuming we moved away from Street Fighter a long time ago in this thread and are talking about other fighters like DoA, Soul Calibur, even Tekken (to an extent)...I don't think it's possible to argue that those games AREN'T sexist. They are not even trying to hide it, especially not DoA.

It's just straight-up pandering to the dominant male demographic...anyone attempting to say otherwise is being downright silly, like trying to hide an elephant in the living room.

However I personally have nothing against that kind of "sexism" and implore developers to continue chugging out whatever their hearts/minds want. Sure they'll have to deal with criticism when they make something that angers certain groups or minorities, but such things shouldn't really stop them...and they haven't.

Considering that the criticism for Mai Shiranui or the DoA/Soul Calibur female cast is massively drowned-out by gamers who welcome such designs, I think most fighting games are in a pretty good state right now. I personally love a balance of both "sexy" and "practical" body types (and outfits) in my fiction/fantasy games. Realism takes second priority to entertainment value and that's one of the things I personally find entertaining.

This quote mostly sums up my mentality in a rather...crude and violent way

You cannot fucking understand why Cammy exists at all? That this "sexist" depiction was made with a single purpose - to attract male audience? HOW THE FUCK IT CAN NOT BE SEXIST?! HOW?! Can't you - and everyone like you who start such threads - just fucking understand that this is a PRODUCT created with certain DEMAND in mind, and that this is how FUCKING ECONOMY WORKS!

I just don't get it. Are you all gone mad? Why every second thread created is about how something offends someone? If something offends you - don't buy it! If enough people won't buy it - it won't be produced any more or will be changed. This is how liberal capitalist society works. This is what you all seem to accept and consider the best form of social co-existence. But as soon as anything hurts your feelings - you all suddenly become flaming socialist and start hang fucking "-ism" badges everywhere!

But I feel that people should be allowed to express what offends them and what doesn't. Let the criticism come, let people continue making threads about what offends them. It really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

In the end it's the mass-market which dictates things, a market made by consumers - i.e. us. Go with the flow and let the power of consumers speak for itself

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

In terms of sexism, is it even worth it to mention Dead or Alive's boob jiggle mode?

Bah! Anyway, even in story mode you are not gonna get Shakespeare. These types of games tend to have characters that are drawn from archetypes. The side stories are going to be pretty meh. And there will be a bit of fanservice. It's not bad or good. It's just the way it is.

I'd even go so far as to suggest that if you are truly looking for well rounded characters that are not stereotypes maybe, just maybe one on one fighting games are not for you.

One question, What do you think about Persona 4 Arena and Blazblue's stories? While Blazblue's characters are archtypes like you said, its story is something other than a tournament story (though there is a large amount of side material needed to get context for the dark war). Persona's seems to get how its characters are like and does make an interesting story with a new addition

 

[Cybylt]

Racist or sexist? No. Exploitative? Yeah probably. Those particular labels imply a level of malice that simply isn't there. To put it to a question; is Shaft racist?

Fighting game characters are by and large massive caricatures to make them immediately identifiable. Every character's identity can be stated by their country of origin.