Post by Shrikeswind on Jan 24, 2020 18:09:40 GMT -5
Okay, so I’m pretty sure that I’ve made my point on what I think of Byleth in Smash by this point, but for those who’ve missed it, I am of the opinion that Fire Emblem is overrepresented in Smash and that Byleth is a symptom of this problem. This opinion has not changed. But I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary - not here so much as in general - that leads me to want to defend not just Byleth but a lot of the content that gets included in Smash. Or in some cases, excluded - so yes, I am going to be talking about Mai Shiranui and Waluigi as well.
So about Byleth. On the one hand, in a point I’ve made already, Fire Emblem undersells a number of franchises that have a lower number of characters and in some cases even just straight up content. This is a concern worth discussion, as is the over abundance in that number of Lords, and especially Lords using similar moves to one another. But that’s not the problem that plagues Byleth. Her problem is that she was added when the franchise was already represented 7 times over. Notably, however, one game specifically holds 3 of those spots, Fire Emblem Awakening. While having sold (as of 2015) 9 times the figure it needed for the franchise to survive (250,000 was the quota to meet or Fire Emblem would have ended as a franchise, a goal almost met in the first week of release and absolutely met in the second,) this results only in a measure of success that rivals the first F-Zero game. Though Awakening is Fire Emblem’s third best-selling title (Fates and Houses outpace it), much of its story focuses on a coming end to a world with a vast history which we got to see (depending on game and market). Awakening was as much a glorification of the series’ past as it is an endeavor to keep it alive - okay who’s the jerk who let this fairy in? She keeps screaming “HEY SHRIKES LISTEN LITERARY PARALLELS” in my ear. I get it.
Jokes aside, the big issue with emphasizing one game which was created to glorify the entire franchise is that we end up in exactly this position. We should have been given one character for Awakening, not three, such that Byleth’s introduction would have been tiring, perhaps, but not something to earn the sort of toxic energy that it has. The problem is that Fire Emblem doesn’t need Lucina and Chrom and Robin, it needs Lucina or Chrom or Robin. And if it’s me, I’m leaving Lucina, but not as an echo of Marth - though my take on echos is irrelevant here.
So Byleth may deserve a spot and the big problem is that the position is crowded by one game. What about other characters who deserve spots that aren’t getting one? Didn’t I say I’d talk about Waluigi and Mai?
Something perhaps more annoying about Sakurai’s approach to characters than his emphasis on one franchise - one game, even - is his inconsistent reasoning for certain characters being included as opposed to others. People weren’t being sincere about Waluigi in Smash...but they were about Sans, a secondary character in an indie game? Or Mai is too sexual for Smash because her clothes are too revealing, while Bayonetta, who a) is canonically wearing nothing but guns, glasses, and Godiva hair and b) in Smash Bros. taunts by dancing around like a horny stripper and making vaguely erotic comments, is somehow not? And I’m hardly a prude, and I certainly see where the impression that Waluigi For Smash isn’t sincere might come from...but you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say one thing isn’t valid then turn around and say “But this more extreme one is acceptable.” Which is a bigger problem than simple bizarre choices.
All told, it feels like there’s a great deal to consider when looking at Smash representation, and when these controversies arise, we need to do better as a greater community to look at why something is a problem. And even if we think it shouldn’t be a problem, we should definitely consider where the source of frustration originates, because it’s rarely something that comes ex nihilo.
But let’s hear it from you guys. Anything you want to correct or add? Any choices from the Smash team you think were a mistake, or great ideas that got screwed by controversy? Let’s get this discussion rolling.
So about Byleth. On the one hand, in a point I’ve made already, Fire Emblem undersells a number of franchises that have a lower number of characters and in some cases even just straight up content. This is a concern worth discussion, as is the over abundance in that number of Lords, and especially Lords using similar moves to one another. But that’s not the problem that plagues Byleth. Her problem is that she was added when the franchise was already represented 7 times over. Notably, however, one game specifically holds 3 of those spots, Fire Emblem Awakening. While having sold (as of 2015) 9 times the figure it needed for the franchise to survive (250,000 was the quota to meet or Fire Emblem would have ended as a franchise, a goal almost met in the first week of release and absolutely met in the second,) this results only in a measure of success that rivals the first F-Zero game. Though Awakening is Fire Emblem’s third best-selling title (Fates and Houses outpace it), much of its story focuses on a coming end to a world with a vast history which we got to see (depending on game and market). Awakening was as much a glorification of the series’ past as it is an endeavor to keep it alive - okay who’s the jerk who let this fairy in? She keeps screaming “HEY SHRIKES LISTEN LITERARY PARALLELS” in my ear. I get it.
Jokes aside, the big issue with emphasizing one game which was created to glorify the entire franchise is that we end up in exactly this position. We should have been given one character for Awakening, not three, such that Byleth’s introduction would have been tiring, perhaps, but not something to earn the sort of toxic energy that it has. The problem is that Fire Emblem doesn’t need Lucina and Chrom and Robin, it needs Lucina or Chrom or Robin. And if it’s me, I’m leaving Lucina, but not as an echo of Marth - though my take on echos is irrelevant here.
So Byleth may deserve a spot and the big problem is that the position is crowded by one game. What about other characters who deserve spots that aren’t getting one? Didn’t I say I’d talk about Waluigi and Mai?
Something perhaps more annoying about Sakurai’s approach to characters than his emphasis on one franchise - one game, even - is his inconsistent reasoning for certain characters being included as opposed to others. People weren’t being sincere about Waluigi in Smash...but they were about Sans, a secondary character in an indie game? Or Mai is too sexual for Smash because her clothes are too revealing, while Bayonetta, who a) is canonically wearing nothing but guns, glasses, and Godiva hair and b) in Smash Bros. taunts by dancing around like a horny stripper and making vaguely erotic comments, is somehow not? And I’m hardly a prude, and I certainly see where the impression that Waluigi For Smash isn’t sincere might come from...but you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say one thing isn’t valid then turn around and say “But this more extreme one is acceptable.” Which is a bigger problem than simple bizarre choices.
All told, it feels like there’s a great deal to consider when looking at Smash representation, and when these controversies arise, we need to do better as a greater community to look at why something is a problem. And even if we think it shouldn’t be a problem, we should definitely consider where the source of frustration originates, because it’s rarely something that comes ex nihilo.
But let’s hear it from you guys. Anything you want to correct or add? Any choices from the Smash team you think were a mistake, or great ideas that got screwed by controversy? Let’s get this discussion rolling.
