A Rebuttal to Wanted: Leading Ladies

by Hobbes Lionheart

Original Editorial: Wanted: Leading Ladies

Before I proceed, I wanted to say that I am male, but in no way in this editorial and in real life that I am a male chaunvist or a sexist. With that said, when I describe a RPG to someone, I usually say this, "A game where you go off to save the world." That is a general idea that I give to people. Usually in saving the world, you have to save someone dear to you or worth a lot of money, and usually that will be princesses and lady characters also known as Damsels in Distress. This is a concept used since the beginning of console RPGs. Dragon Warrior consisted of two quests: Save the princess, and defeat the Dragon Lord. Final Fantasy required you to save the princess from the wretched hands of Garland. The times have changed and Final Fantasy has gone to ten installments along Dragon Warrior’s seven, but the concept has remained untouched.

The way I see it is that there are three types of genres in the RPG: Fantasy, Modern, and Science Fiction. That is pretty much like books genres. Using the comparison from books, in which genre are you more likely to see a heroine? Fantasy? I doubt it. Science Fiction? Possible. Modern? That sounds realistic. My opinion is that a female fits more in a Science Fiction RPG or a Modern RPG. Let’s take a look at a Sci-Fi RPG and a modern RPG such as Xenosaga and Parasite Eve respectively.

Xenosaga, a Science Fiction game, had not one but two leading Female characters, Shion and KOS-MOS. Shion does not need to be rescued really, and she does not exactly have the biggest boobs in the universe. She is a sincere Heroine who works to unravel the secret of the Sith, I mean, Zohars. KOS-MOS is a female android which was perfect for the story and character-wise. A female android rather than a male! Some might dispute the reasoning for having KOS-MOS female as sex appeal, but I wouldn’t consider that. Women, symbolically, are in general, creators, and although I haven’t beaten Xenosaga or know the rest of the story, I believe that to be an integral part of the story eventually. Parasite Eve was a modern game that had one female character named Aya. To me, Modern RPGs seems the best genre to have a female protagonist because Modern reflects today’s society and in the society today, women are equal and they are capable of doing anything. So, Aya fits perfectly in the game and I believe enhances the game by blending in with the story.

The reason I feel that the Fantasy genre shouldn’t have a heroine is because I would feel out of place. Woman characters don’t lead men on a quest to fight the dragon. Men do! Imagine a parallel universe where Dragon Warrior was designed a little different. You are the princess out to save Erdrick and defeat the Dragon Lord. That would be too weird for me. So a male rescuer and fighter fit the story and the theme and most Fantasy genre derive from Arthurian legends with might and magic. The legends never speak of a lady fighting.

Another reason why Females doesn’t fit in Fantasy games because they don’t have the strength (physical) to lead. I have trouble seeing a Final Fantasy where the main character is a magic user! In most Final Fantasy, every hero was strong and had a big sword, sword with a gun, two swords, or a general sword! Terra was decent, but as Temple stated, she is not the main character. In Modern and Science Fiction games, there is one answer to solve that problem: Guns! I felt that Aya was very strong, but the fact she had the one item that gives awesome power to whoever wields it regardless of gender, race, or age! Shion used an "gun" sort of to compensate for her strength although she is really a magic user. KOS-MOS was an android so she could be manipulated to surpass any male, and she also had a gun. With the exception of Terra and Celes, no female in Final Fantasy has been able to wield a sword and what fun is Final Fantasy if you can’t get the Ultimate Weapon as in a sword for the main character? That is one of the quests that most gun for including me. (Pun not intended).

If female gamers such as Temple and others want to have a heroine, they would do well to pick up Xenosaga, Parasite Eve, or any other Science Fiction and Modern games because there is no place for a female leader in a Final Fantasy game.