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Let's Battle it out: Japan VS Western Character Designs
- Thread starter dragonzdogma
- Start date
Sword Of Doom
Member
Fine, modified the image to appeal to the relevancy of this thread:
And just to clarify, I'm not trying to say one is superior to the other, this is just a response to the dumb assertion from this guy's post.
And it's perfect!
You did leave out Ratchet which IMO is one of the most charming character designs in games
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
I find it quite unique. A bit too clean for a post apocalypse character tho. Hair rendering tech in games is getting better but there are still very few characters with long hair that looks convincing.
At least you'd actually see the latter walking down the street. Which is the point, newer Dante is more grounded and believable than an anime character.
underaged schoolgirl confirmed.
TC McQueen
Member
Nah, it's because 90% of the settings western game devs create have guns as the primary weapon for the same reason they're the primary weapon in real life - they're pretty good at killing things.
It's pretty telling that the only non-fantasy Western IP in the last century that has people prominently use swords is Star Wars, and those swords are A) plasma beams or whatever and B) used by people with weird powers that allow them to get away with using swords when everyone else has guns.
plasmawave
Banned
Because that's what DMC needed the most?
Huh??
If I saw DmC Dante in real life he'd probably be a hobo.
Hm. I accidentally skimmed over that qualification and just went for the first character without cleavage or belts.
But yes the game takes place in a high school.
There.
Bravo.
IceDoesntHelp
Banned
both can be incredibly terrible. Both like to have big breasted 80lb woman for whatever fucking reason, and it pisses me off.
RockTurtle
Member
but that's the reason i like em doe...
akachan ningen
Member
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Because that's what Capcom asked for, a grounded more "realistic" version of Dante. And that design fits the premise of the game way more. And I see people that look similar to him all the time irl, that haircut really isn't that unique. And he's basically Tim Phillips with black hair.
Glendemonium
Member
Ahaha! I'm saving that on my pc. I don't know where you got it from, but that's just too funny to pass up.
RockTurtle
Member
Western: Gritty realistic or goofy cartoonish
Eastern: Aesthetics above all
Eastern: Aesthetics above all
kappa
Finaika
Member
What are the Western examples of this?
plasmawave
Banned
Capcom and NT are both dumb that's why. Who the hell wants an average joe looking Dante?
Besides DmC is punk rock so it's even more in line with the former choice here.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
To be fair tho, triple A devs and the indie scene in the west have both been trying to make up for and alleviate this issue while Japan has been stagnating in that regard, I mean even their good designs aren't safe, Lightning from XIII for instance.
White hair wouldn't have fit at all with that kinda plot even though it's satirical. It's a pretty good character design regardless. And like with every character design ever they went through a ton of different ideas, these are much worse.Capcom and NT are both dumb that's why. Who the hell wants an average joe looking Dante?
Besides DmC is punk rock so it's even more in line with the former choice here.
Glendemonium
Member
One thing I do miss about eastern art is the hand drawn character designs before everything went full on CG. Not saying CG is bad, but there is just a certain thing about hand drawn that's almost impossible to emulate digitally.
plasmawave
Banned
White hair wouldn't have fit at all with that kinda plot even though it's satirical. It's a pretty good character design regardless. And like with every character design ever they went through a ton of different ideas, these are much worse.
Why not? Vergil has white hair and it caused no problem in the story.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Vergil was in hiding during the entire story to the point and also wore a hat outside or a mask in videos. You're being quite disingenuous.
plasmawave
Banned
Except you could see his hair on the TV screen? That didn't have any effect in the story whatsoever.
And since nobody knows what Vergil looks like, Dante having white hair should be a non-issue.
Also if you think about it, western games are far more likely to actually show nudity than Japanese games.
This is one of my favorite discussions of the modern era. Here's my contribution:
Western character: Designed by committee.
Japanese character: Designed by one mind.
Western character: Has to please every style, taste, size; The All-Person.
Japanese character: Meant to appeal to whoever it wants to, maybe even no one; Idongivafuck-san.
Western character: Grounded in reality, based upon the laws of the game world.
Japanese character: Clashes with reality, for better or worse.
Western character: Might be an homage or a reference.
Japanese character: Might be a caricature.
Western character: Ugly.
Japanese character: Tacky.
Western character: Designed by committee.
Japanese character: Designed by one mind.
Western character: Has to please every style, taste, size; The All-Person.
Japanese character: Meant to appeal to whoever it wants to, maybe even no one; Idongivafuck-san.
Western character: Grounded in reality, based upon the laws of the game world.
Japanese character: Clashes with reality, for better or worse.
Western character: Might be an homage or a reference.
Japanese character: Might be a caricature.
Western character: Ugly.
Japanese character: Tacky.
Japanese console/handheld games never have nudity, they even censor western games that have it when they're localized over there.
I'm not gonna compare entire contries' character designs against each other because each side alone is just too varied, but let me just get this out: I generally prefer how Japan handles "realistic" characters.
A huge proportion of western games try to take human realism as far as the technology will allow, which obviously always falls short which leads to character modes that age terribly if they don't already look like shit upon release. Even when Japanese games feature realistically proportioned and realistically lit characters they tend to not try base things 100% on realism. Metal Gear has realistically proportioned and lit characters, but they're still clearly based on Yoji Shinkawa's artistic designs and thus manage to stop short of the uncanny valley. The characters in Final Fantasy X or Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 still look aesthetically pleasing. I can't say the same for the characters in Max Payne 1 or Oblivion.
Western games do it sometimes too but not as often I feel. It's why I defend the ridiculously buff dudes of Gears of War. That game isn't supposed to look realistic, not when you have things like General RAAM walking around. Bad western example in my opinion: Injustice Gods Among Us. Having characters dressed up like DC comics characters but rendered realistically just made them look ridiculous in my eyes. The game should have tried to look much more obviously like a comic book to me, like... Marvel VS Capcom 3 actually. Or Guilty Gear Xrd which was made on the same engine.
A huge proportion of western games try to take human realism as far as the technology will allow, which obviously always falls short which leads to character modes that age terribly if they don't already look like shit upon release. Even when Japanese games feature realistically proportioned and realistically lit characters they tend to not try base things 100% on realism. Metal Gear has realistically proportioned and lit characters, but they're still clearly based on Yoji Shinkawa's artistic designs and thus manage to stop short of the uncanny valley. The characters in Final Fantasy X or Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 still look aesthetically pleasing. I can't say the same for the characters in Max Payne 1 or Oblivion.
Western games do it sometimes too but not as often I feel. It's why I defend the ridiculously buff dudes of Gears of War. That game isn't supposed to look realistic, not when you have things like General RAAM walking around. Bad western example in my opinion: Injustice Gods Among Us. Having characters dressed up like DC comics characters but rendered realistically just made them look ridiculous in my eyes. The game should have tried to look much more obviously like a comic book to me, like... Marvel VS Capcom 3 actually. Or Guilty Gear Xrd which was made on the same engine.
Artorias
This is an artist of the world. You can't label him as anything. Same with Amano. They are definitely not "typical" of where they come from.
Also if you think about it, western games are far more likely to actually show nudity than Japanese games.
Mileena will be a better example..
TheSpoonyBard
Neo Member
I personally find Western character design more interesting purely because it's so varied. It seems like Japan came up with an anime 'look' years ago and most people have been riffing off of it since.
Either way, the West gets extra points purely for Banner Saga.
Edit: Smaller pic.
Either way, the West gets extra points purely for Banner Saga.
Edit: Smaller pic.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
It's really not fair to compare anything to glorious Souls.
Well, adding to the over-generalizations in this thread sounds like fun, so:
Eastern Character design:
Everybody is a fucking runway model, male or female. Androgyni abound.
Western:
Everybody is gritty and realistic. Well, except the girls, who are normally very well-endowed and runway modelly.
Eastern Character design:
Everybody is a fucking runway model, male or female. Androgyni abound.
Western:
Everybody is gritty and realistic. Well, except the girls, who are normally very well-endowed and runway modelly.
In case my first statement didn't give it away, yes I know neither statement is fully true.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Notice how the lighting there is completely blown out. It makes sense since many assume he has very light blonde hair. Dante on the other hand, is constantly being chased and hounded and his hair turns white overtime, it makes sense for his hair to be normal since he parties and stuff, and from a character design standpoint, it helps with the contrast between the two twins more so than one just basically being a recolor with spiky hair.Except you could see his hair on the TV screen? That didn't have any effect in the story whatsoever.
And since nobody knows what Vergil looks like, Dante having white hair should be a non-issue.
Triss is no where near as ridiculous or unrealistic as those other examples you used.
Also if you think about it, western games are far more likely to actually show nudity than Japanese games.
OH YEAH
She's still got pretty huge knockers, and a lot of her outfits highlight them. Don't make me post the alt costume.
plasmawave
Banned
That's quite a stretch dude.
For me, its not even a contest. Here's most of Western character design in a nutshell;
Cool Everyman Hero Guy (Nathan Drake, Delsin, the GTA protagonists)
Cool Military Guy (the BF/CoD protagonists)
Cool Space Marine Guy/Gal (Master Chief, Shepard)
Cool Medieval Hero Guy/Gal (Geralt, Hawke, paladin characters)
Mysterious Rogue With A Hood (thieves and the Asscreed protagonists)
The Magician/Sorcerer/Necromancer, often with a hood
The Barbarian
The Athletic Girl Next Door (Lara Croft, Alyx, Jade, Faith)
The Furry Mascot, often some kind of dog or rodent (Crash, Sly, Conker)
Dwarves
(Space) Orcs
(Space) Elves
And I'm only half-joking. There are exceptions (off the top of my head, Rayman, Kerrigan, the Prince, Kratos, Sackboys, Adam Jensen, Aloy and a lot of indie characters), but Japanese character design is a lot more varied and memorable for the most part. They often pull off typically western archetypes better too (KoF, Resident Evil, MGS, Castlevania, Matsuno games, Souls, etc...). Which is a shame, because there's a lot of great, iconic character designs in western comics and animation that western devs could take inspiration from.
Cool Everyman Hero Guy (Nathan Drake, Delsin, the GTA protagonists)
Cool Military Guy (the BF/CoD protagonists)
Cool Space Marine Guy/Gal (Master Chief, Shepard)
Cool Medieval Hero Guy/Gal (Geralt, Hawke, paladin characters)
Mysterious Rogue With A Hood (thieves and the Asscreed protagonists)
The Magician/Sorcerer/Necromancer, often with a hood
The Barbarian
The Athletic Girl Next Door (Lara Croft, Alyx, Jade, Faith)
The Furry Mascot, often some kind of dog or rodent (Crash, Sly, Conker)
Dwarves
(Space) Orcs
(Space) Elves
And I'm only half-joking. There are exceptions (off the top of my head, Rayman, Kerrigan, the Prince, Kratos, Sackboys, Adam Jensen, Aloy and a lot of indie characters), but Japanese character design is a lot more varied and memorable for the most part. They often pull off typically western archetypes better too (KoF, Resident Evil, MGS, Castlevania, Matsuno games, Souls, etc...). Which is a shame, because there's a lot of great, iconic character designs in western comics and animation that western devs could take inspiration from.
Crossing Eden
Hello, my name is Yves Guillemot, Vivendi S.A.'s Employee of the Month!
Oh yea fuck that costume. She still doesn't look unrealistic tho, with balloon like proportions like some other characters.
The huge plothole that would be formed by giving Dante anime hair is also quite a stretch, Vergil has no bearing in the situation when you think about it. He hides himself from the world, Dante on the other hand is constantly hunted, would probably be really easy to find the one guy walking around with white anime-like hair.
let's add a bright red jacket too because character design should look as "cool" as possible instead of the aesthetic.
Uh... Triss is pretty realistically proportioned dude, especially considering that the sorceresses in the Witcher universe use magic to enhance their appearance.
MrCunningham
Member
Western devils suck at character design
Bu..bu...bu... The Evil Within was made by a Japanese Studio... and that Donkey Kong design is based on the Rareware version.
In all fairness, that is the redesigned Lara Croft. Which came from Crystal Dynamics in California. But Conker is a UK design, Angry Birds came from Finland, and Fez came from a Canadian indie developer, Minecraft came from Sweden. Also most of the art for Knack came from Japan, possibly even the character designs.
Fine, modified the image to appeal to the relevancy of this thread:
And just to clarify, I'm not trying to say one is superior to the other, this is just a response to the dumb assertion from this guy's post.
Oh well see, now this is much better.
TheSpoonyBard
Neo Member
Let's be fair here, for every 'logical' armor design in a JRPG, you have a few of these bouncing around.
NinjaBoyLao
Member
Both eastern and western design has their own share of overused trope.
But I find the Japanese monster/enemy design far more varied and inspired.
But I find the Japanese monster/enemy design far more varied and inspired.
plasmawave
Banned
Oh yea fuck that costume. She still doesn't look unrealistic tho, with balloon like proportions like some other characters.
The huge plothole that would be formed by giving Dante anime hair is also quite a stretch, Vergil has no bearing in the situation when you think about it. He hides himself from the world, Dante on the other hand is constantly hunted, would probably be really easy to find the one guy walking around with white anime-like hair.
let's add a bright red jacket too because character design should look as "cool" as possible instead of the aesthetic.
Dante doesn't hide from demons so it wouldn't matter of his hair/jacket color. They will hunt him regardless.
Sseklebeast
Member
I like the silly pictures in here. Let's keep it going
Love it !