Review says Atsu's plain appearance is not due to DEI but to fit narrative well. Multiple in-game NPCs show direct disdain of her look

LectureMaster

Has Man Musk
From Chinese medium Gamersky's review of GoY. Chinese folks have been quite averse to the deliberate uglification in games, so this saying might have a point.



AI Translation:

Although many players jokingly refer to the protagonist as "Hokkaido's Rain Sister," her unconventionally attractive design was a deliberate choice, and not one driven by political correctness.

The protagonist's backstory establishes that after her entire family was massacred, she left her homeland for mainland Japan. There, she participated in numerous battles of the Sengoku period, serving as a samurai for a daimyo and even fighting for the Western Army in the Battle of Sekigahara. For a woman to maintain her freedom, repeatedly achieve military glory, and ultimately survive the late 16th century in Japan, she would have needed more than just exceptional combat skills; her below-average appearance likely played a role.

In fact, the game doesn't shy away from this. Multiple characters will directly comment on the protagonist's plain looks. This is further emphasized by the inclusion of another highly skilled female warrior who is conventionally beautiful, creating a narrative foil. The stark contrast in their fates underscores the necessity of the protagonist's unique design.

What we are left with is a vengeful spirit who has lost everything and is consumed by a single purpose: revenge. She is an unstoppable force. The question then becomes: what is such a person capable of in the lawless land of Hokkaido?
 
Kudos to Sucker Punch if their actor selection was purely based on the needs of the game.

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Oh, she's not "unconventionally attractive." Just unattractive. Call it what it is. I don't think it matters either way, but Sucker Punch can't possibly be unsure of why people question their intentions.

The bigger problem is why the gameplay looks like it's on autoplay. It just looks like a bad game, full stop.
 
Very cool. But i rather lissen to devs trying to explain the character needs to be almost naked cuz it breaths from her skin.

I actually dont have anything against the way the main character looks ingame. Just looks like an average japanese woman and thats fine for this game.
 
I actually remembered now that when GoT came out, Japanese gamers commented how average Jin looked, and not how a stereotypical samurai should look.

Even the director of Yakuza, Toshihiro Nagosh, commented on it:

" The protagonist [Jin] isn't a particularly handsome lead, don't you think? At your typical [Japanese] company, if you showed concept art for a character like him, I don't think it would be approved." The marketing team, he continued, would offer all this data stating why such a lead character was a bad idea, and that would be the end of a lead like Jin. Nagoshi thought it was amazing that such a protagonist was the lead character."All this money and development time is being spent on this middle-aged dude." He applauded the resolve to entrust things in such a character. From what Nagoshi said, it doesn't seem like that would be possible in Japan. Perhaps he thinks game companies would prefer a younger protagonist, which is certainly more common in Japanese games"

 
I never understood the comments that Atsu was ugly. Plain and average looking, but certainly far from hideous.
I think western people are most exposed to Asian people in tv, film, and games and assume they all look mainstream media beautiful, rather than the fact that just like Western media, we tend to see conventionally attractive people, who are more conventionally attractive than the baseline average, on our screens because people in general like to look at good looking people.

Example, compare the average Bollywood actress to the actual Indian women. Big difference.
 
I think western people are most exposed to Asian people in tv, film, and games and assume they all look mainstream media beautiful, rather than the fact that just like Western media, we tend to see conventionally attractive people, who are more conventionally attractive than the baseline average, on our screens because people in general like to look at good looking people.

Example, compare the average Bollywood actress to the actual Indian women. Big difference.
I work with a lot of Asian people, specifically from China and Indonesia, and Atsu looks like your average office worker. You wouldn't really give them a second glance, nor would you think they are particularly ugly.
 
I work with a lot of Asian people, specifically from China and Indonesia, and Atsu looks like your average office worker. You wouldn't really give them a second glance, nor would you think they are particularly ugly.
Agreed, yeah.

The trend is easily noticeable in (western) Hollywood the past several years as well with whom they now push compared to the past for "beauty." Ring of Power stands out glaringly with some of the cast to play elves of all races (supposed to be the most beautiful and not frumpy). Plain Jane mid to lower theater kids looking like they were all grown from a gender blended test tube and stumbled on set after their Genius Bar shift at the Apple Store. So, I believe it's partly ideological trending as well.

With that said, there are far worse offenders for sure *cough* Insomniac *cough*
 
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I find her neither ugly nor beautiful. BUT! Imagine if she walks into a place you're at. Minding your own business. And she picks a fight and slaughters every hard-looking motherfucker in that place. Then she walks up to you, covered in blood, and grabs you by the collar or by the balls. Looks right into your eyes and says, "Come with me <insert racial slur here>. I'm aroused and wish to copulate". I don't know about you, but I'm not saying 'no'. I'm going to end up as that woman's breeding bitch and taking care of our kids at home while she goes on her rampage.

ron burgundy anchorman GIF
 
"Our female main character has to be unattractive, ugly even. Not a shred of conventional beauty"
"Why"
"The narrative demands it"

My brother in christ, you WROTE the narrative.
 
Oh, she's not "unconventionally attractive." Just unattractive. Call it what it is. I don't think it matters either way, but Sucker Punch can't possibly be unsure of why people question their intentions.
Blame it on whatever AI is used for translation. Original is in chinese and google translate put it at straight ugly.
 
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