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Inkling Boy & Girl are the first black non-Mii characters in Mario Kart
- Thread starter Garrett Hawke
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Isabelle.
Gotdatmoney
Member
As in. I dont say this inkling is definitely white, hispanic, black etc. The tones are meant to let people identify with the characters.
Monolith is nintendeo
Prototype Viktor
Member
They'll probably make a Samoan and still have em +2 pale
Lovely Salsa
Banned
Dunno if serious or not on the first part :S
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
Do people still not seriously know that monolithsoft is apart of nintendo
Ganon's more brown and frankly I'd still rather have him than no rep at all.
Part of Nintendo's problem is that they mostly create non-human characters and generally refuse to budge from the classic characters. I feel they should have kept Daisy's darker skin tone from the 64 era to make her more unique and forgot she ever had a Nes era design.
What's most embarrassing is how oblivious they are to it even though it happens to EVERY thread that touches on race.
Ganon is green...
Italy is made up of different regions where people range from being comparable to the palest of Europeans to a darkish tan complexion. That also goes for Spaniards and Portuguese.
From my perspective the OP's original phrasing is a little restrictive, because I see the Inkling kids as universally brown... it's more inclusive to kids and players around the world. I could see a kid whose Latino Caribbean, West Indian (also Caribbean), South East Asian or Pacific Islander, etc, as excited to play as a dark complected Inkling as much as an African American person.
Do the darker inklings count? Or the dark skinned protag options in Pokemon Sun and Moon?
Monolith is Nintendo.
Jaded Alyx
Member
As has been said, Monolith is Nintendo.
Besides, someone asked if we would see a PoC lead character from Nintendo. You basically said not as long as NCL is in charge. Here are two, in Nintendo published games. That's all I'm saying.
What The Forest Taught Me
Member
While I understand they're a Nintendo first party developer, and can technically be considered "Nintendo," let's not pretend Monolith's not a separate company with their own philosophies and design sensibilities, or that they weren't around for quite some time before being acquired by Nintendo, or that they don't have a history of including non-white characters in their games that predates their being acquired by NCL.
Elma's also:
1) Part of an ensemble cast, and only viewed by some as the de facto "lead" character/main protagonist
2) Actually quite light-complexioned in her true form
3) Nothing remotely close to being a highly visible, headliner character/IP mascot that will appear on game box cover art for numerous titles in the future spanning years of game releases in the way a Mario or Link have. Her face isn't even visible on the cover for X.
Come back to me when NCL proper releases a new AAA IP with the backing and exposure of a Mario, Zelda, or ARMS/Splatoon that features a non-white IP mascot/series headliner character appearing on all game covers and promotional material, and then goes on to make that series a core legacy IP on the level of a Mario/Zelda/Pokemon that sees highly marketed major releases with every new hardware cycle. I won't hold my breath.
What The Forest Taught Me
Member
Please see my post a bit further up.
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
I swear Gaf's favorite word right before they goal post is....... drum roll please...
PROPER
balladofwindfishes
Member
Monolithe is a first party developer for Nintendo. There is nothing more "proper" Nintendo than Monolithe. They are basically JRPG EAD.
What The Forest Taught Me
Member
I'm not sure where you're coming from with the goal post moving accusation, because here are the facts:
1) Even if you choose to ignore everything else I've written, Monolith Soft themselves has officially stated the lead/protagonist of X to be Cross---the player-created, customizable character---not Elma.
2) Grezzo is a third-party developer, and decidedly not Nintendo.
What The Forest Taught Me
Member
Again, come back to me when Nintendo does the following:
1) Creates and releases a new IP with the backing and exposure of a Mario, Zelda, or ARMS/Splatoon that features a non-white IP mascot/series headliner character appearing on all game covers and promotional material
2) Goes on to make that series a core legacy IP on the level of a Mario/Zelda/Pokemon that sees highly marketed major releases with every new hardware cycle
I suppose I'll be waiting a long time.
Black people are too 'real' now? What?
Video games. When keeping it real goes wrong.
What The Forest Taught Me
Member
A little about me in relation to this topic:
I'm a Caucasian American. I grew up in Suitland, MD, which was over 90% African American, and around 1 to 2% Caucasian when I lived there (it may have changed some since then.) I remember watching TV as an elementary schooler and being somewhat confused early on, because just about everyone I happened to see whenever I was watching TV was Caucasian. It didn't match my surroundings at all, didn't make sense to me, and I wondered why there were so few non-white people on TV. I can only imagine what it must have been like to grow up as an African American, Hispanic/Latino American, Asian American, Native American, Indian American, etc., see so few people/characters in media who look like you, and then later learn the reasons for that.
I'm a Caucasian American. I grew up in Suitland, MD, which was over 90% African American, and around 1 to 2% Caucasian when I lived there (it may have changed some since then.) I remember watching TV as an elementary schooler and being somewhat confused early on, because just about everyone I happened to see whenever I was watching TV was Caucasian. It didn't match my surroundings at all, didn't make sense to me, and I wondered why there were so few non-white people on TV. I can only imagine what it must have been like to grow up as an African American, Hispanic/Latino American, Asian American, Native American, Indian American, etc., see so few people/characters in media who look like you, and then later learn the reasons for that.
Wet Bloodfart
Banned
Jesus Christ you know that's not at all what I meant
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
Yo whole post read like you goal posting. Just a bunch of "requirements"
I honestly don't.
I don't mean a black mario (100%) specificaly ... but not insanely pale (0%) would be nice.
My idea of the general italians is more of a 20 or 30%
The problem is he being the only black character in most game he is in.
That can be solved by him not being the only black character or he being white and another character being black, like my fan theory of a ganon who messes with the legend trough dark magic and he ending up being born hylian and link is born a girl gerudo and now people don't believe that anyone outisde of a BOY in green can be the hero of legend
How else can that be taken when race is an inevitability of designing a human character? Why give the benefit of the doubt to Mario's whiteness (or even the white Inklings) and have no issue with them but then make up this arbitrary excuse for why the presence of dark skin in Mario Kart is "injecting race into places it doesn't belong?"
Black characters can exist free of justification just like white characters do.
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
Correction, a "Proper" Nintendo character
KillerIsJed
Member
Reminds me of this classic thread.
Wet Bloodfart
Banned
I never said it doesn't belong. Fucking hell, I even said that I appreciate the inclusion later on in the thread. I just was saying I didn't think it was entirely a big deal for Mario Kart.
Spring-Loaded
Member
You shouldn't bother. It's not about you.
Good for you that you don't think it's a big deal.
Angelus Errare
Banned
People get really angry if black gamers identity with a character and will do their best to deny them that small bit of happiness lol.
Even trotting out arguments like "they're not even human" or "It doesn't take place on earth", well neither does Witcher but look how hard people argued why black people can't exist in that game. Amazing how "White" is super exclusive in real life but in videogames and anime everyone is assumed white regardless if the story takes place on earth, if they're human or otherwise.
Even trotting out arguments like "they're not even human" or "It doesn't take place on earth", well neither does Witcher but look how hard people argued why black people can't exist in that game. Amazing how "White" is super exclusive in real life but in videogames and anime everyone is assumed white regardless if the story takes place on earth, if they're human or otherwise.
foxuzamaki
Doesn't read OPs, especially not his own
Almost all of Nintendo are smaller studios that make a greater whole and may not even be in the same building, are Intelligent systems or retro not Nintendo now?
Mihael Mello Keehl
Banned
Well shit, it is. It is for any game
They have some sort of innocent until proven guilty mindset...
White until proven otherwise, apparently.
What The Forest Taught Me
Member
Excuse me? I'm not allowed to give context regarding why I feel so strongly about underrepresentation and its connection to institutionalized racism, as well as why I can empathize with (and want to endeavor to help) those whose lives have been negatively impacted by it? I grew up in a city where around 97% of the population were minorities, so just about everyone I knew in my life growing up dealt with the underrepresentation problem. That it's not about me is a given. Why do you think I'm posting?
Wet Bloodfart
Banned
You don't need to be so hostile. I'm glad it happened.
You're wrong about Elma.
Jaded Alyx
Member
To be fair, Intelligent Systems technically isn't. I don't think they are owned by Nintendo?
Going off Wikipedia here so...
EDIT: Their website describes their relationship with Nintendo as a "partnership"
DecoReturns
Member
Jaded Alyx
Member
lol I guess so
Pancake Mix
Copied someone else's pancake recipe
I mean, most Nintendo characters (aside from in the Mario universe, Metroid, and the animal characters) are probably supposed to be persons of colour as they're generally Japanese, despite some European influence in say, something like Fire Emblem. As for the Inklings, pretty sure they're all supposed to be Japanese, so those Inklings would be a darker Japanese.
Elma is definitely not black
Don't play a Nintendo game exclusively if you want to identify racially with someone, unless you're Japanese (or in some cases like Mario or Metroid, you are White). They're not Overwatch. Nintendo focuses on cartoony characters of relatively ambiguous ethnicity, anime characters who are supposed to be Japanese even if they don't look it, and animals. You're wasting your time assuming things OP.
Elma is definitely not black
because she's an alien, and besides, she has blue eyes. She's ambiguously anime/Japanese, though she represent the US in the game so perhaps she's supposed to be white with a tan. Who knows
Don't play a Nintendo game exclusively if you want to identify racially with someone, unless you're Japanese (or in some cases like Mario or Metroid, you are White). They're not Overwatch. Nintendo focuses on cartoony characters of relatively ambiguous ethnicity, anime characters who are supposed to be Japanese even if they don't look it, and animals. You're wasting your time assuming things OP.
I smacked my head so hard I'm bleeding.
Pancake Mix
Copied someone else's pancake recipe
Nintendo characters almost never really represent a realistic existing ethnicity, when they're even human. It's a waste of your time and the time of the people around you to try to try to discern colour and implicitly feel represented in some way from a Nintendo or anime character, it really just is.
Nintendo tries to go for universal and ambiguous, whenever possible.
Spring-Loaded
Member
"Black" isn't an ethnicity. You can discern their color by looking at them.
They're black
My mistake; I'm posting on mobile and thought your post was that of another poster who had been downplaying the significance of this topic. Sorry about that.
Pancake Mix
Copied someone else's pancake recipe
I mean, they're squid, yet another animal character, and somewhat styilised like anime characters. It's absolutely a waste of time trying to identify with one, but if that's what makes someone happy, that's fine.
It's not like Overwatch where a character is literally from a specific place on this earth that actually exists. Nintendo created the option for skin colour of an inkling so more people could identify with them, and it's working as this thread shows. That's good. But it's not really something to think too hard about.
They're darker-skinned for anyone who wants them to be darker-skinned, be they of South Asian or African ancestry. Inklings are meant to be universal, but it's just a palette swap you could do in Splatoon proper. Not a huge deal.
Frozenprince
Banned
Says who?
Inclusion of skin color being diverse is either important or it isn't.
Spring-Loaded
Member
Why do you bring up characters "from a specific place on this earth" when talking about skin color? They're black
These squid kids have skin colors based on human skin tones. The true waste of time is trying to refute that there are inklings who are black in Splatoon and Mario Kart.
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