IrishNinja
Member
welp, i'm convinced
since there's no room for nuance, i motion to have all video game bosses look like Sho Nuff, for equality & praise-worthy diversity
'Stop Giving Evil Characters Brown Skin'
- Thread starter Shaanyboi
- Start date
welp, i'm convinced
since there's no room for nuance, i motion to have all video game bosses look like Sho Nuff, for equality & praise-worthy diversity
You know Nintendo could have made this painting make look like anything they want, right? Like this wasn't something that was out out their control.My best guess is the King made her look like his daughter, the princess Zelda before the great flood.
Also the King intentionally bleached her skin? That doesn't sound fucked up too?
FutureLarking
Member
It's not an example of a villian, but Tetra's transformation into Zelda is another example of skin color having an ingrained association of social class.
I mean, it was more about a pirate who lives on the open seas having a tan but whatever
KonradLaw
Member
It's not an example of a villian, but Tetra's transformation into Zelda is another example of skin color having an ingrained association of social class.
Well..duh..associating darker skin with lower class is pretty natural in fantasy setting. Tan = peaseants who work in fields.
What wonderful and noble stereotypes that Nintendo continued to feed.
It's from the same company that argued that Link couldn't be a girl because the story of the Legend of Zelda has it that Link is a hero. In their mind, a hero had to be male. Yet people here want to overlook that Nintendo has some backwards views on gender and race at times.
FutureLarking
Member
By tan, I meant sun tan.
ScientificPizza
Banned
A tan that vanishes as soon as she puts on a dress?
I never knew pirate lore ran that deep
KonradLaw
Member
Is it even a stereotype if it's true? That would be like saying "stop feeding the stereotype that natives from Africa are black!" I mean..sure, there are those who aren't, but most are. Word stereotype has pretty negative associeation
It does sound effed up. I do understand where everyone is going but in the end I feel it becomes moot with the sequels. She became tanned again at the end of the first game. She hates being called Zelda in the direct sequel and she founded new Hyrule in the backstory of the 3rd game which essentially would make her a queen doing so, and she was still tanned. Out with the old establishment and in with he new is the theme.
You have a character who has lived her whole life out at sea and developed a dark tan from it. She returns to her rightful role as a princess and suddenly she has to be creamy white? Why? Because that is how a princess is "supposed" to look like? Why? This princess spent her life out in sea. Let her be tanned as she is.
It's been a while, but isn't there some magic involved when she transforms from Tetra to Zelda? It's not too surprising that some magic that can change someone's clothes can also change how tanned they are.
Unfortunately her granddaughter Zelda in Spirit Tracks has non-tanned skin, and we haven't been shown a depiction of tanned Queen Tetra. It's Nintendo's decision to uphold their two main characters as classical European fairy tale stereotypes, which is disappointing and isn't likely to change anytime soon.
I'm thankful they added much more diversity and variety in Breath of the Wild with the Gerudo and the darkskinned Hylians, and I hope they make strides along that path.
^^^ We have somebody here completely sidestepping the issue of changing a character from dark to light to symbolize their return to royalty because they are pretty sure some magic shit can change skin tone.
WrenchNinja
Member
Jesus
Bioshocker
Member
Not this crap again.
RavageDark
Member
I think you need to step back from the free throw line.
IrishNinja
Member
Did you quote the wrong person? I was just responding to that guy about why some people could justify Tetra's tan being gone. If a tan can fade in a week, why would people be in disbelief about magic changing it?
I don't know about you guys, but I think it would have been much better if at the end of Django Unchained, that Django became a white man or at least a very fair skinned black man. I mean, clearly he built that dark skin by being a field slave for many years. But at the end of the movie, he fights and gets his freedom and saves his wife. To better symbolize his freedom of no longer being a slave, they should make him lighter skin. I don't think the audience will properly recognize that he is a free man if they see him still with dark skin. They'll be like "wait, how is he not a slave anymore if he is so dark????"
That is true. And the one time we do see Tetra in Spirit tracks it's her younger self when she discovered the land in a stained glass window in the throne room of Hyrule Castle.
I'd like them to dive deeper into that side of the series. More exploration across the sea. And a tanned Zelda.
staticneuron
Member
This thread and it's responses are the most fascinating thing I have read in a long time. Thank you gaf, got never being boring.
ScientificPizza
Banned
Ugh, right? Why can't we just go back to the good old days when marginalised people didn't speak up for themselves
PHOENIXZERO
Member
Salty Rice
Member
Yeah realism in a video game...
She would look weird if she still has the tan in the dress.
Also where came the dress from? Exactly nobody gives a shit.
Hes not wrong. You look at most Asian farmers vs white collar Asian works and the skin tone is the major visual difference.
Glitter and Gold
Banned
Why though?
ScientificPizza
Banned
Why would she look weird? You think brown people look weird in dresses?
Don't ask me, I didn't make the game.
I guarantee you that person was not genuinely arguing that it is logistically impossible for a tan to immediately disappear and that is why Nintendo shouldn't have bleached her skin.
Why would a dark-skinned person look weird in a royal dress?
Glitter and Gold
Banned
We're getting closer
Salty Rice
Member
No but Zelda would since we know she is white.
Glitter and Gold
Banned
Sure...
Then I don't understand their snark.
Zelda isn't fucking real.
ScientificPizza
Banned
So you think Tetra looks weird because she's brown?
Zelda's character traits are "young, pretty, wise", maybe with a British accent. With the numerous incarnations of the character, there is nothing restricting her from being non-light skinned, or even white. (or even old, depending on the story)
Her Link to the Past sprite, though incongruent with the official artwork, is not light skinned. But it's obvious she's Zelda because... that's what everyone calls her in the game.
Nor would a tanned Zelda in a royal outfit be unrecognizable:
What did he mean by this? So commenting on why someone might not have a problem with something means that I know what the devs were thinking? Sorry man, I don't really know why they did it, especially when everyone loved Tetra more in her pirate form in the game.
Guess I'll have to start saying unrelated things to my points from now on.
Glitter and Gold
Banned
Tetra is Zelda
yanipheonu
Member
I always read it as her wearing heavy make up. She even has heavy eyeshadow and blush on. I'd presume her face was powdered too.
Holy shit.
spazchicken
Member
Step away from the keyboard
Dude was the most sane of the group but he's 40 among a group of 20-somethings, he's the comic relief and his hair is a bird's nest. That's pretty insulting, imo. Nobody else had any stupid crap like that going on.
Hey at least he isn't 7 feet tall and 400 pounds of muscle. Progress.
Are you saying Tetra is a ganguro? Oh Nintendo...
Glitter and Gold
Banned
Her collar and arms too??
Salty Rice
Member
Should have known that Gaf turns "Looks weird if she is still tanned if her identity is revealed" into "Yeah he hates brown people".
Too lazy to pull thisisneogaf gif up.
Too lazy to pull thisisneogaf gif up.
Why do people keep mentioning these when it's in the fucking thread title that this is specifically about brown skin
Literally nobody said you hate brown people. Sounds like you just don't know how to handle your own words.
We ignoring that my man was one of the best examples of a devoted father in this day and age where most JRPG dad's are killed off due to having a severe case of "I'm related to the protagonist who must have a tragic backstory" syndrome? Can't ignore his good qualities.