The only character with any melanin seems to be Super Mario (get it? because he's Italian? eh, probably not even from Southern Italy).

Having watched the recent Pokemon Presents, it seems that the next Smash Bros. game is just going to be white, white, and more white. But more than that, does Nintendo have any major BIPOC representation aside from Ganondorf? That chap seems to be the only Black and/or Arab guy around. And he's the villain so that's going to irk even more people.

Idk. Quite a pity that at best you're getting Asian representation, not that that isn't important or anything. Only the Pokemon games have any sort-of BIPOC representation.

top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 16 points 3 years ago (2 children)

Legend of Zelda has a bunch, obvious you mentioned Ganondorf but all the Gerudo have brown skin! They're not all enemies or villains in Breath of the Wild, they're just regular people.

There's the guy that trains you in Punch Out (besides Mike Tyson lol).

I'm sure there's some non Asian POC representation in street fighter or whatever, but I didn't play a lot of fighters.

There definitely isn't a lot though and even when you could customize your main character (like in Animal Crossing) they didn't do the best in representation either until, like, this decade.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Idk enough of LoZ lore but I read somewhere that the Gerudo are a tribe of thieves? I'm playing TotK and there was a line about how the Gerudo are extra dedicated to redeem themselves for following Ganandorf in the past

    Same vibes as Lord of the Rings easterlings being the ontologically brown and evil races

    But beyond that, yeah they are just yet another people in Hyrule. I don't get why they're all women though

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 14 points 3 years ago
    [–] 13 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (1 child)

    It really is just white and Japanese for almost every property. You can consider Splatoon an exception, but well, Splatoon's aesthetic of awkwardly appropriated black culture doesn't make that feel like a point in Ninty's favor.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] [S] 11 points 3 years ago (3 children)
  • [+] 11 points 3 years ago* (last edited 3 years ago) (5 children)
    load more comments (5 replies)
    [–] 9 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Legend of Zelda has the Gerudo, which are portrayed in varying degrees from problematic to quaint depending on the title.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 9 points 3 years ago (10 children)

    The one, the only, the GOAT, Mike Tyson in "Mike Tyson's Punch Out"

    Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! Around the time the Gold Version was released for a NES Open Tournament Golf competition,[19] Nintendo of America's founder and former president Minoru Arakawa attended a boxing match during the Heavyweight unification series that featured its future champion Mike Tyson. Arakawa became so astonished with the athlete's "power and skill" that he was inspired to use his likeness and the tournament itself in the upcoming game.[20] Tyson was rumored to have been paid $50,000 for a three-year period for his likeness. This transaction was something of a risk for Nintendo, as it occurred before Tyson won the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship from Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986, which greatly increased the profit for the game.[21] Nintendo re-released Punch-Out!! in Japan.

  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [–] [S] 5 points 3 years ago (6 children)

    But Mike Tyson... like, exists and stuff.

    So they don't count.

    deng-smile

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    hrm then I'm pressed then, can't think of any other representation off the top of my head.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] [S] 6 points 3 years ago* (2 children)

    Right?!

    ...Actually... Little Mac seems to be Latino.

    Edit: No wait, I think it was said once that he's supposed to be Italian.

    Ugh...

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 8 points 3 years ago (6 children)
  • load more comments (5 replies)
    [–] 7 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    Everyone is forgetting about Pikmin smh

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago* (1 child)

    Xenoblade's decent about this. The games have Taion, Sena, Elma, and Vandham all as playable characters, even not delving into NPCs.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 6 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Ensemble style games sometimes do, like ARMS or F-Zero. But if you want racial diversity, Nintendo is only going to let you down.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 6 points 3 years ago (3 children)
    load more comments (3 replies)
    [+] 4 points 3 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)
  • [+] 4 points 3 years ago (6 children)
    load more comments (6 replies)
    [–] 3 points 3 years ago (1 child)
    load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 3 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Little mac from a 15 year old gane at most recent i think?

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Fire Emblem has a POC character or two every game. It's a coinflip as to whether the character in question is a racist caricature however.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago (6 children)

    In SSBU, Inkling and Villager have non-white alt costumes. And I think those are options in their original games as well.

    Fire Emblem: Three Houses has Dedue and Claude, who look to have a little melanin.

    You mentioned the Gerudo, but yeah I think that's probably it.

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • load more comments (6 replies)
    load more comments
    view more: next ›