From Japan

[JuzamDjinn]

Why are do many japanese developed games star clearly caucasian characters? Are there alot of white people in japan?

I don't have anything against white people, I've just wondered why.

[loaf]

My only answer is...


Because they can.

I don't know, my guess is because they want to appeal to the Western folk.

[Andromeda]

I believe Kotaku had an article about the reason that they always have white skinned characters in their game. If you note their manga/anime also have white characters as well, but it is implied that they are all Japanese. Even in multi-national series there is rarely many physical features to make someone clearly Japanese or American, aside from the stereotype that all Japanese have black hair and all Americans have blonde hair.

Typically, even if they are white skinned you'll probably note a lot of them are also black or brown haired, which is a common hair color for Japanese. Even though they appear as being European, in reality they are actually Japanese and not European. It is just that we attribute white skin to being European, a trait that the Japanese do not. For them that is Japanese. For us Japanese is all about the eyes, because if you end remove the unique eye structure they have they would end up looking almost identical to us.

It also comes down to how we identify between individuals. If I remember right Japanese identify one person from another differently than we do. So that ends up playing into it, if I'm remembering correctly. In video game terms, most characters usually have two traits that you end up using to know that they are different from someone else. That tends to be the wardrobe and the hair (hair style and hair color). Something that I've noticed frequently in anime and video games, is that out of the main cast of characters everyone will have a different hair color and never the same hair color (as though they are using it as a identifier to the viewer).

I think for us a lot of the differences end up coming down to the face. It is less about hair or cloths, but more about the face. We remember faces and the differences about them to remember people. So that ends up being what we use, which helps when facial structure in a people are pretty varied. Otherwise you have to rely on other factors.

If I can find the Kotaku article I'll provide it, it was quite an interesting read.

[Pete]

I'd say it's because they know blacks and hispanics just don't play RPGs, and so they can get away with whites and japs playing RPGs and assuming that all of the characters can appeal to both. It's pretty simple to me.

[Merlin]

If you note their manga/anime also have white characters as well, but it is implied that they are all Japanese.

I've watched quite a lot of anime and read my share of manga and I never got the impression that the characters were Caucasian. If anything I'd say the majority of them are race neutral. Of course, I don't pay much attention to race in media as much as other people seem to.

I find it kind of offensive how much effort people put into pointing out racial issues in places that are completely irrelevant. So what if all the characters in their games appear to be Caucasian? Do you only play games that have an African American in them? Is the game not as enthralling because the lead character isn't Spanish? I don't know about other countries, but in the US, too much time and energy is wasted on pointing out people's race. People should stop letting their personal prejudices get in the way of having fun in a game. [/soapbox]

[Calvan]

This was gone over on another forum I go on.
If i can find the video...

YouTube - Are anime characters caucasian or japanese

[death]

This was gone over on another forum I go on.
If i can find the video...

YouTube - Are anime characters caucasian or japanese

That video is very good and has a good point.

[JuzamDjinn]

I find it kind of offensive how much effort people put into pointing out racial issues in places that are completely irrelevant.

Someone always has to be the holier than thou person who is supposedly oblivious to the fact that people of different races look different.

I didn't say it was racism, I said that I noticed that a country where people have yellowish skin, slim eyes and a flat facial structure produce countless games starring peach skinned, wide eyed pointed nosed characters.

People being aware that difference races have unique physical characteristics is not a problem, it only becomes a problem when people become offended for no reason.



to Andromedia: I see what you mean about how we look at different features, considering this, I notice that many of the japense heros have an endomorphic physical build (slim top to bottom) as opposed to the common american hero having a mesomorphic structure (thick shoulders, slim med/lowe body, medium hight).

[Victoria]

I can tell you right now that that was not Merlin's point at all.

The point is to have fun with the game, not nitpick it to death with prejudice (ex: Why is the main character ___ instead of ___ etc etc etc)

AKA: Who cares? It's just a game.

(I have a feeling you didn't even read the whole post. Just saw that line and quoted it instantly. >.>)

[Merlin]

Exactly. Nobody called you a racist, Juzam. I said that I find pointing out race to be unnecessary and that it causes more problems than it solves. I'm tired of hearing about it in media every day. There are times where pointing out race is important... to me, this is not one of them. That's just my opinion. Some people can't get past the fact that Sazh is a black man, or that many Squeenix characters dress like metrosexuals. I am able to have fun playing a game regardless of what skin color the characters are or what their sexual orientation might be. It doesn't affect how I interpret the game. To each their own.

I will say that your original question was loaded:

Why are do many japanese developed games star clearly caucasian characters?

This is not a statement of fact, but an opinion written as fact. You claim something to be true than ask why it is so. One could come to the conclusion that your viewpoint is inherently lacking in factual backing. The truth of the matter is that only a small percentage of the games produced in Japan even make it to the US shores, let alone other countries. It goes without saying that games that they do push to a national audience would target said audience.

If you look at the larger quantity of games that never make it out of Japan, you would notice that they are quite a bit different because they target their home country, rather than an international audience. Genres such as Bishōjo, bishōnen, otome, dating sim, eroge, raiser sim, and visual novel are uniquely Japanese and have characters that appeal to a Japanese audience. The characters are typically based off of the Anime and Manga style, which is racially ambiguous. These characters may have a wide array of hair colors but they do not look Caucasian. If anything they look more like northern Asians.

[JuzamDjinn]

Merlin, I can see how it was loaded.
I see your point about the games that don't make it to america.

Also, I'm sorry if my reaction seemed hostile, it's just that so many people on the the internets many message boards are so proud of their 'openmindedness' that they will take any oppourtunity to jump on anyone who acknowleges something that "we should be past".

AKA: Who cares? It's just a game.

If that's the case, why does this board exist? after all Final Fantasy is just a game, who cares right?

[Victoria]

....Way to be a smartass about what I said, turning it around to something that has nothing to do with this topic.

You know what I meant when I said that. >_>; At least I hope so. If not; I meant "who cares about who is what "race" in the game.. it's just a game."

[Rydia Lover]

youd be suprised at how many of them arent really caucasian, atleast not completely.

i was suprised when i found out that snake and all of his clones from mgs were part japanese.

[Rowan]

Why are do many japanese developed games star clearly caucasian characters? Are there alot of white people in japan?

This is the question that was asked.

Why go off topic and start talking about "who cares about other cultures blah blah" and then accusing the original thread creator of not understanding what you're talking about. Since it doesnt even answer his question, who could blame him.

Noone asked for your feelings on racial issues. I dont think JuzamDjinn's question is irrelevant at all.

[che]

It's entirely relevant.

And I always thought they were Japanese or at least asian. o.o And just because someone has blonde/red hair doesn't mean they aren't asian!

[GypsyElder]

I've always looked at all game and anime characters as ethnicity friendly.

I didn't know a person with pink hair and fair skin is automatically Caucasian.

The way we identify Japanese is probably completely different from the way they do. Even if all Japanese made games DID feature mainly Caucasian characters how would you identify that? blond hair? I can understand why you would ask and be curious but it's not like they're obligated to use only Japanese characters just because they're from Japan.

I think, I can think of almost any game and pin point a number of characters that have a questionable race or that can pass as a few.

[che]

JuzamDjinn, would you mind giving a few references to games where you think the characters are clearly caucasian? And also perhaps a few pictures of your examples?

[Rowan]

Ill give some.

Persona 3 and 4




cloud, barret, tifa, aeris etc anyone from final fantasy.

everyone is being incredibly annoying about this.

[Victoria]

Uhm.. Persona all look asian to me. ..Considering it takes place in Japan.
As far as Cloud/Tifa etc go, the graphics are all blocky, so how can you even tell what they are? And yeah, Barret's a black dude, but so what?

And if we're going off of AC, ...Tifa, Cloud, and Aeris are asian.

But that's just my opinion.

See? They're not 'clearly' caucasian, are they? If they look asian to someone else, then 'clearly' they are not.

[Rowan]

It doesn't matter where they are from, the question is why do they look Caucasian if they are in Japan and the games are developed in Japan.
so what if he said 'clearly"
noones asking for anyones opinion.

[Unknown Entity]

This is the question that was asked.

Why go off topic and start talking about "who cares about other cultures blah blah" and then accusing the original thread creator of not understanding what you're talking about. Since it doesnt even answer his question, who could blame him.

Noone asked for your feelings on racial issues. I dont think JuzamDjinn's question is irrelevant at all.

So why didn't you answer it? ^^;

I don't see the big deal and I don't really see how it matters. I think the western market has a small impact on it I suppose, but then I don't understand why using asian characters would turn people away. I guess it's just a unique art style that's native to Japan and the surrounding countries; people still make the connection to Japan either way.

[Rowan]

So why didn't you answer it? ^^;

I honestly dont know the answer.
I've always wondered myself why they look Caucasian, so i was interested in this thread. But I will not post anymore because im getting annoyed at some people posting stupid comments.

[Unknown Entity]

I honestly dont know the answer.
I've always wondered myself why they look Caucasian, so i was interested in this thread. But I will not post anymore because im getting annoyed at some people posting stupid comments.

I don't see stupid comments. I see opinions.

[Rowan]

The point is to have fun with the game, not nitpick it to death with prejudice

i didnt wanna do this, but I must be heard.

Maybe not a stupid comment, but perhaps an unrelated opinion to the original topic of the thread would suffice?

Basically, what the above 'opinion' states is that juzam's question is pointless and should not have been asked. I think its arrogant attitude to disregard someones question like that and also accuse someone of prejudice.

[Victoria]

Thanks. Yes. They're opinions.

And this is yet another (that's been stated before) : So just because someone isn't clearly stereotypically "asian", they're automatically caucasian? What if that's just the art style? I mean, like what's been said.. Honestly, they're just people. Racially ambiguous for the most part. Unless specified otherwise, like fighting games for example where their race is in their character profile.

I mean.. does it really matter what race someone is in a video game? Where the concentration and focus is the gameplay and the plot/story development?

In my opinion.. No. No it does not matter.

But as far as the 'Questions' go...

1. This is opinion worded as fact. If I remove the 'clearly', then honestly most characters.. to me, look asian or.. neutral.

2. Yes, there are gaijins/americans living in Japan.. but what does that have to do with video games?


Edit: Holy crap, dude. Take a chill pill. Don't take every little word I say literally. I didn't accuse anyone of anything. And wow, I can't talk about anything other than the actual question? ...Then wtf are you doing? The same thing, aren't you?

But anyway.. to reword that opinion: "The point is to have fun with the game; not waste time caring about who is what race, because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter."

[Unknown Entity]

i didnt wanna do this, but I must be heard.

Maybe not a stupid comment, but perhaps an unrelated opinion to the original topic of the thread would suffice?

Basically, what the above 'opinion' states is that juzam's question is pointless and should not have been asked. I think its arrogant attitude to disregard someones question like that and also accuse someone of prejudice.

I think that's a valid opinion. Our opinion is that we don't really care, or notice etc.

And maybe, seeing as we're talking about not answering the question, you should really give your opinion too. Because I'm sure the OP can talk for himself.

[Rowan]

Then perhaps it would be better of someone to have said that they have not noticed or better yet if they dont care , to not post at all, instead of accusing people of being prejudiced.

I dont have an opinion. I was waiting to hear what others said about it. Maybe its hard to create a japanese looking person? i have seen japanese looking people in anime, and they look completely different to anyone that doesnt look japanese in anime or video games. they actually look japanese.

so what do you have to say to that?

[JuzamDjinn]

"The point is to have fun with the game; not waste time caring about who is what race, because in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter."

Why don't we go over to o0Odin0o's threads an inquire why it matters who is the best looking character, or who is the most badass villian?

The point is to have fun with the game;not waste time caring about who looks the best, or what villian is the coolest, because in the grand scheme of things, it doesnt matter.

....and if it doesn't matter why are you still posting in this thread?
I was hoping we would be able to talk about this, after all that what a forum is for.
And caucasian people are stereotypically white, with blonde,red,brown hair...it's just a sterio type though, not all caucasians are like this.
Asian people are stereotypically portayed as having flattened facial features(when compared to caucasians), "asian" eyes, and tan/yellowish skin, having coarse straight black hair, but again, these are just stereotypes and are not meant to describe the physical characteristics of all "asian" people.



@Che: Some examples of who Im talking about.... Link, Solid Snake, all the Final Fantasy leads, Samus, Mario(before someone blows up abotu how hes "italian, not caucasian" the point is, he's not asian). Im sure there are lots of asian looking characters, but these are the faces of the bigger franchises.




I'm just wondering why these people do not look like their creators, for example when we go into movies here in america, we see the kindof of people that live IN america, mostly white, few black, and a pretty level distribution of the rest. It would just seem logical that media produced by people of specific physical appearance would make games starring people that are like themselve/those they work or live with/those they see all around them.Take Bollywood films for example, They use primarily indian actors,because....

SPOILER!!:

Indian people live in India.

this is(...was?) a serious question about media production, I wasn't trying to offend anyone with the question.

[GypsyElder]

Basically, what the above 'opinion' states is that juzam's question is pointless and should not have been asked. I think its arrogant attitude to disregard someones question like that and also accuse someone of prejudice.

His question hasn't been disregarded. There's just no way to properly answer the question because the question itself is based off of opinion.

Why are do many japanese developed games star clearly caucasian characters? Are there a lot of white people in japan?

There's no way to prove they're clearly Caucasian.

Unless you can determine ethnicity through animated facial characteristics and rainbow colored hair there's no way to determine that.

And for the second part of the question, How does the amount of Caucasian people currently living in Japan have to do with anything?

[JuzamDjinn]

There's no way to prove they're clearly Caucasian.


And for the second part of the question, How does the amount of Caucasian people currently living in Japan have to do with anything?

First line:
think about the people I mentioned in the above post. they don't have any characteristics suggesting that they are asian, black, latin, ect...

Second line:
I asked because I wondered if that had something to do with a local market they were catering to.

. I think the western market has a small impact on it I suppose.

This is something I considered, but I didn't know if that market really effected it that much, I know it does now but, a game like FFVII for example, it sold millions of copies in japan before ever coming to the states, so I wouldn't expect they would produce it specifically to sell to americans. I know that in many cases they do, but games like Zelda, FF, or Mario that have just as big (bigger?) sales in japan.