Different Strokes

Lucky Chloe is a break-dancing schoolgirl who dresses like a cat. There’s nothing especially outrageous about her design, but her reveal was met with harsh criticism. One particular gaming forum saw thousands of spiteful members use words like “annoying,” “trash,” and the ever-popular “ugh” to describe her. As angry mobs were calling her “an abomination” and writing off the entire Tekken franchise, others suggested that a series that had farting bears, boxing kangaroos, and wooden training dummies certainly had room for a plucky girl. In response to the outrage, the game’s director took to Twitter and announced that Chloe would be replaced by a “muscular and skinhead” character in the American release. The comment was made in jest, but it did suggest that cultural differences were responsible for the polarized reception.

First introduced in StarFox Adventures, Krystal acts as a love interest for Fox McCloud. The vixen’s telepathic abilities made her a natural fit for the StarFox team and allowed her to predict enemy movements and sense distress signals. Although Krystal is often relegated to supporting roles, she’s one of the most frequently requested characters for the Super Smash Bros. series. Many fans argue that the franchise is in need of more female fighters and others have suggested that her trademark staff could potentially be used in a number of creative ways. At the same time, many critics have cited Krystal as a character that they never want to see again. They argue that she isn’t an essential character in the StarFox universe and have basically written her off as a misguided attempt at sex appeal.

Waluigi made his debut in Mario Tennis as Luigi’s alter ego and Wario’s partner. He enjoys causing mischief and antagonizing others, but he hasn’t gotten nearly as much love as Wario has. Some fans think Waluigi is hilarious and have campaigned for him to have a larger role in future games. However, he has also been described as “unimportant,” “less than legitimate,” and “the worst character ever.” One critic went so far as to liken Waluigi’s creation to “plunging to the bottom of the intellectual barrel.” Ironically, the critics who label Walugi as pointless and unimportant often draw more attention to him and only serve to strengthen his legacy. Waluigi has yet to appear in a mainline Mario game, but he’s still recognized as a dastardly heel and he is not likely to be forgotten any time soon. WAAAAAAAH!

During the development of Final Fight, Poison was conceived as a female street thug. Depictions of violence against women were not en vogue in 1989, so Capcom re-imagined her as a “newhalf” to shield themselves from potential backlash. Poison has been a controversial figure ever since, and her ambiguous status as a trans woman is a topic that is fiercely debated. Hyper-sexuality admittedly plays a big role in Poison’s design, but her ass is the only thing hanging out of her cutoff shorts and it’s a safe bet that her private parts are going to remain private. What she has between her legs has no baring on her actions, her wardrobe, or her personality. There will always be people who insist that Poison is a dude, but others maintain that she’s one of the sexiest women in gaming regardless of how many X chromosomes she has.

Rainbow Mika is an aspiring pro wrestler who enjoys working the crowd. Despite her quirky personality and unique moves, she wasn’t given a lot of attention when she made her debut in Street Fighter Alpha 3. When she was revealed as a character for Street Fighter V 17 years later, all bets were off. R. Mika hadn’t changed much between 1998 and 2015, but the world certainly had. In current year, her skimpy wrestling attire was “disgusting” and “sexist.” (Zangief’s skimpy wrestling attire was perfectly acceptable, though.) Her unique fighting moves were now problematic, and people were so offended by the sight of R. Mika slapping her own ass that Capcom felt compelled to censor certain animations. Those who weren’t triggered by the sexy generally seemed to appreciate R. Mika for being playful and over-the-top.

Bayonetta is a badass with a nice ass, and her games highlight both of these aspects in spectacular fashion. Some see Bayonetta as unapologetically feminine, sexual, and confident. Others cite her as an example of sexist pandering. The fact that Bayonetta is playful, self-aware, and in complete control of her actions might suggest that her sexuality is used to empower her rather than to belittle her. At the same time the gratuitous crotch shots and blatant innuendos proved too sleazy for some critics to stomach. When Nintendo allowed fans to vote for who they wanted to see added to Super Smash Bros., Bayonetta was declared the winner. She’s one of the most powerful and charismatic women in the medium, but she’ll always be a heat magnet since she doesn’t conform to rigid opinions on how women are supposed to act.

The marketing materials and pre-release information for Metal Gear Solid 2 all suggested that Solid Snake would be featured as the main protagonist, so the controversial decision to replace him with Raiden during the game’s first act caught many fans off guard. Series creator Hideo Kojima felt that creating a new lead character would provide a unique opportunity to develop Snake from a third-person perspective, but many fans felt like they had been duped. In many ways, Raiden was everything that Snake wasn’t. While Snake was established as a battle-hardened soldier, Raiden was introduced as a rookie agent who was ashamed about his past. A lot of fans welcomed the plot twist and were intrigued by Raiden’s personality, but some critics were never able to see him as anything other than an emo pretty boy.

Tingle is an eccentric 35-year-old man with an obsession with fairies. He’s an odd individual by design, but the hatred people have for him goes beyond the fact that he’s a little weird. At one point, IGN launched a “Die, Tingle Die! Die!” campaign to express their distaste for the “nutty clown freak that spoils the lands of Hyrule like a poison.” Some of the hatred he received was rooted in homophobia, and an unfortunate number of people questioned his sexual orientation for some reason. When Nintendo of America polled users in 2004 to see if there was any interest in a Tingle game, the response was overwhelmingly negative. The criticism directed at him primarily came from Western gamers, however. Tingle has a cult following in Japan where he has starred in a number of spinoff games.

Marie Rose is 18 according to her in-game bio, but her childlike appearance and gothic lolita fashion sense were deemed problematic by critics. In a clear case of “different strokes for different folks,” she was also the top vote-getter in an elaborate popularity contest that determined the roster for Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. While ostensibly a beach volleyball game, Xtreme 3 included wardrobe malfunctions, butt battles, and pole dancing. Koei Tecmo decided not to release the game in the west due to cultural differences, but this didn’t stop outspoken critics from using words like “gross” and “disgusting” to describe Marie’s inclusion in the game. Some fans insist that she has no place in the Dead or Alive series while others argue that she’s the best part about it. She’s simultaneously the most hated and most beloved character in the franchise.

Bridget’s parents raised him as a girl to protect him from zealots who believe that male twins were a bad omen. Bridget identified as boy, however, and he was determined to prove his manliness while embracing his femininity at the same time. In this capacity, he challenged the concept of the gender binary. Bridget was viewed as femboy icon for 20 years, so many longtime fans were caught off guard when the aspiring bounty hunter started using female pronouns in Guilty Gear -Strive-. Some critics expressed concerns about grooming due Bridget’s upbringing, but others argued that it was a natural evolution. Bridget is now held up as a powerful symbol of trans representation, but others refuse to accept the changes as canon. The discourse has become so toxic that it’s now impossible to have a normal conversation about Guilty Gear.