An appreciated game protagonist is usually enough to warant good sales ?
Lightning voted best character in Dengeki's otaku-driven poll
- Thread starter Ganon Dragmire
- Start date
You're not taking this far enough.
The in-game explanation should have been that she was a hardcore Final Fantasy XIII fan.
That's impossible, she even returned FF XIII because she probably didnt like it. My evidence? There's a whole game about it, it's called Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII.
Dice//
Banned
Zoe
Member
Her real name in the Japanese version is the French word for lightning, Eclair.
Not at all. Lightning is entirely capable of expressing various emotions.
But often, she's too busy doing various GRR ANGER SERIOUSFACE things.
That's only half of the story. If the numbers were reversed and Lightning was 8th and Yuna, for example, was #1, here is how the thread would be on neoGAF:
Title: Yuna voted most popular character in 2013 Dengeki Playstation Awards - Lightning #8
The thread would then be everyone saying "Japan got it right" and "lolToriyama" and "see? Lightning isn't popular after all!"
But now that Lightning was selected, the award is a throw-away 'otaku-driven poll' and Japanese audiences are now categorized as young horny men/women with worthless opinions.
I'm now imagining some really awesome character arc where Lightning idolizes Final Fantasy VII and bases her entire life around it and being like Cloud, or at least her idea of Cloud. But as the game goes on, her behavior alienates her friends and she realizes that she has to embrace her own identity rather than some other person's... Wait, I'm just describing Cloud's character arc. Shit.
EDIT
NO WAIT HTupolev's idea is even better. Lightning is a huge Lightning fan and models her behavior off Lightning, but then she realizes she can be her own person... Which is Lightning. What a twist!
chickdigger802
Banned
Lightning in FFXV confirmed
i bet lightning is the main antagonist
nah they will pull a reverse MGS2
So we start playing as Lightning and then it cuts to Noctis on a tanker after the Plant chapter?
Spot on
Lightning in FFXV confirmed
i bet lightning is the main antagonist
She might be in FFXV if Toriyama had anythign to do with FFXV, but he doesn't, so Lightning won't be in the game either. FFXV is Nomura's project, "fantasy based on reality" and some other-wordly cameo by Lightning wouldn't fit the war-ridden, realistic-ish world vibe that FFXV has going on.
MaximoffZero
Banned
I think most of the hate comes from Square treating her like Final Fantasy's mascot when even when she's nowhere near a universally-loved character.
Not to mention Lightning Returns ending.. it would be completely idiotic if she was in XV.. The end of that game represents
The end of all mythos and humanity's freedom from the gods and legends of crystals
I don't give her actual characterization much credit for this. She's a highly visible character, who has had a significant amount of time to develop a decently broad, loyal fanbase. And regardless of how polarized reaction to Lightning has been, it only requires a significant chunk of passionate fans to win polls like this one. Obama can still win most admired man polls year after year on the basis of ~16% of the population settling on him versus anyone else, but that doesn't change that the majority of Americans currently disapprove of his performance, and nor does it really say anything about his qualities as a president (not trying to make a political point at all, by the way).
In other words, Lightning being voted best character in this or that poll is an interesting data point, but it says very little about actual, general reaction to her. "Japan loves Lightning!" is not a clear takeaway from this result, at all.
In other words, Lightning being voted best character in this or that poll is an interesting data point, but it says very little about actual, general reaction to her. "Japan loves Lightning!" is not a clear takeaway from this result, at all.
DR2K
Banned
Death Penalty
Member
SE has done stupider things. What part did Toriyama play in A Realm Reborn?
MaximoffZero
Banned
So...Lightning got more votes than Obama? ...maybe I should stop speed-reading.
Yes, I mentioned it earlier about "It flashes bright, then fades away. It can't protect, it only destroys." is the only thing she says about it. Not sure what significance it has. Also, later: "I'll show you how Lightning strikes!" Wasn't the one who was asking the question, I was only giving my input
Zoe
Member
It's a direct translation of her name, and she likes what it represents. What more reason do you want?
MaverickHunterAsh
Member
Nice! Lightning gets so much more hate than she deserves it's silly. She's a great (not amazing) character. I guess this all the negative talk about her being a universally-hated character really is just loud bitching and moaning by the people who don't like her.
scion_barzahd
Member
japan loooves his waifu! as i do! raitoringu-samaaaaa!
God daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.
It was cross-promotion and FFXIV has fucktons of stuff from other FFs, so a Lightning quest isn't that out there, and Lightning Returns was still a part of their marketing machine, so they used XIV to pimp Lightning & Lightning Returns. There are no FFXIII games coming around FFXV's release anymore and LR bombed, so there's no reason to push Lightning into anything in the future (other than compilation games like Dissidia and Theatrhythm and some Kingdom Hearts like franchise that has some of the most notable characters from mostly FFs Nomura has worked on). And Toriyama will very likely be too occupied with whatever is his next game for the next 2-3 years, so he won't have time to waste adding old FF characters into projects he has nothing to do with.
Give her a i0S or DS game based on her and watch those sales soar (oh God, SE, do not listen to me). Not much market left in Japan for a $60 game.
Wyndstryker
Member
You know they're reading this thread and taken this to note.
Rogue_Ledr
Banned
Just goes to show you how out of touch the Japanese are with the West.
I read in EGM February that Kitase is aware some players are saying "Ah, I've had enough of Lightning."
I also heard from an interview that Yuji Abe said "We know some fans have called out the 13 trilogy to be the weakest in the series".
I think they know what's going on, but they probably are supposed to put on their poker face and do their jobs. Companies usually make calculated decisions. Besides, there's a lot of LR marketing over there. There's LR pocky and other confections, LR Ice-cream, etc.
I think the one who is telling half the story here is you. Rather than cooking up hypothetical situations, you could look at the top 10 list and notice the list is filled with girl characters of varying fanservice nonsense and otaku-appeal types, and then properly understand why quantifying it as an otaku-driven poll is correct. Instead you're whining about how a poll filled with waifus as winners is actually a legitimate contest of characters in Japan, and accusing the critics of being disingenuous.
That's the mod's assumption. They altered the title because salt.
TetraGenesis
Member
Yeah...but it is. Because that didn't happen. If it did happen, we would be living in an alternate reality where that wasn't the case. But it is the case. So that is the case.
Capiche?
Amazeballs
Member
"Otaku driven"
/thread
/thread
So people are not allowed to make hypothesis.. That goes against everything Science ever conceived. Why am I bringing up Science? IDK.
dakkumauji
Member
So a portion of Japan's young horny men and women have a thing for a bipolar teddie bear?
Yeah, they aren't stupid. They know what kind of reception it has gotten. XIII-2 & LR exist more from necessity, than purely because of some huge want to spread it into 3 games.
SenorArdilla
Member
So does this prove that Lightning is popular outside of Toriyama's creepy obsession with her? If so, does this mean that we'll see another game starring Lightning? Will there be more Lightning merchandise? Lightning cameos?
1st one is from Clannad
dakkumauji
Member
2nd one's from Magi's 2nd season.
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