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6th Gen Is Game Freak starting to diversify its characters?

shengar

♥ Mikan Enthusiast ♥
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One must remember that the Pokemon game befire BW are taking place in Japan. So the inclusion of Lenora in BW is just natural to be there. It would so strange to not happened since BW setting is based on New York. So I never thought Lenora is the big deal. N is the big deal since he is one of the few NPC with quite complicated back story, while many other hardly have background whatsoever.

And to that fat guy, I would not saying tat Gamefreak use less-than perfect character. That line feels so wrong in my tongue. I prefer said that Gamefreak, or/and Sugimori Ken tried to make the characters even more different than ever before. Well, it is a good thing, but design for me would useless if the writers are still too lazy to write anything down about the characters.
 

Mr. X

It's... kinda effective?
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I wouldn't consider Wattson or Scott to be thin, and they were introduced in Gen III.

Edit - I suppose Chuck too, and he was Gen II.
 
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Hikers weren't thin, Chuck was fairly fat in his own right. Its not something new, just something that seems to be overlooked.

They have had a few larger people in the anime at various points. Stephan being one of them of merit. He didn't look fit, but they gave him a bit of muscle to match his Sawk and for comical shenanigans.
 
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Ohh, by reading the title I thought you meant character design. I don't really like the look of them - they look so plain, just t-shirt and shorts. I wish they were a bit more fashionable. He is the first fat rival character though, but I still don't like the design. He's too round, he needs more definition - otherwise he's too cartoony.
 

.:batto:.

Pokébreeder
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In what sense is Anglo Saxons, Or skinny people perfect characters?
Like iceman said, Everyone is perfect in their own way.
But i think this is a good thing. Its like how the media is always complaining about how models are too skinny and there not being good role models for younger people, Its the same here. Not everyone is white, And not everyone is skinny. So making 'Less then perfect characters' is showing younger players that it is okay to be of colour, Fat, ect.
 
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shengar

♥ Mikan Enthusiast ♥
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Both Chuck and Crasher Wake are fat, but they also have the amount of muscles to balance them out, so I wouldn't take them as example of fat characters. But a good call on Wattson, though his old cheery guy persona really math his physical appearance. Hikers couldn't be one since they are just generic trainers.
 

OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire

10000 year Emperor of Hoenn
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In what sense is Anglo Saxons, Or skinny people perfect characters?
Like iceman said, Everyone is perfect in their own way.
But i think this is a good thing. Its like how the media is always complaining about how models are too skinny and there being good role models for younger people, Its the same here. Not everyone is white, And not everyone is skinny. So making 'Less then perfect characters' is showing younger players that it is okay to be of colour, Fat, ect.

I agree, it helps make feel like someone who represents them is in the game. This generation's customization having the choice of skin color and hair color really helps.
I also found the title offensive as a man of color...should be changed...
 

Miss Anne Thrope

Disgusted
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Congradulations, they included one black person last generation and this generation there's a significant character that's fat. Classic token-characters, in my opinion. There are a few fat people and black people in Japan. In New York, there's way more black people than Lenora. In all of the world, there's way more body diversity than what Pokemon presents. I think it's always going to be on a thin-white-young bias, but at least they're progressing some amount.

However, there's no doubt in my mind that this new fat character is going to be caught behaving in a sterotypical "fatty" manner. Running out of breath constantly, eating all the time, being lazy. I'll be very pleasantly surprised if they don't.
 
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It's not the first time gamefreak has added rotund characters, just the first time a rotund character has such a prominent role in the game.

I don't think this new rival will act like a fatty really, I mean they haven't displayed rivals eating habits in the past why would they start now? At most it'll probably only be very vaguely implied. I bet he'll be more nerdy and laid back than anything else.
 

SnowpointQuincy

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Variety in model design is a good thing. ALL of the most memorable cartoon characters can be ID by their outline alone.

Having a fat kid just adds to the variety of the world. We have 700 pokemon, but not so many human characters.

BOY GOT ICE CREAM ON HIS SHIRT. Somebody is going to LOVE him.
 

blue

gucci
21,057
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I think they're going for the more diverse approach as more fans are joining the franchise, it's expanding the variety of characters to relate to all different players around the world I'd say rather than just having your stereotypical rival.
 

shengar

♥ Mikan Enthusiast ♥
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Variety in model design is a good thing. ALL of the most memorable cartoon characters can be ID by their outline alone.

Having a fat kid just adds to the variety of the world. We have 700 pokemon, but not so many human characters.

BOY GOT ICE CREAM ON HIS SHIRT. Somebody is going to LOVE him.

There are many characters, if you include the gym leaders. All of them have good designs, kudos to Sugimori Ken. But even their design is terrific, their "character" isn't. Most of them are bland, and only served as badge holder until you defeat them. Only few of them hardly have any background, so we hardly cared about them. The only "well" written character I can think of is N, and come quite far behind him is Cyrus. The only thing that makes me care more about the human character in Pokemon is because I read Pokemon Special where interaction between human characters have more emphasis.
 

Treecko

the princess without voice
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It's different for rivals. I'm sure Tieruno is indeed one of the rivals so this is the first time we've had a fatter, bigger character as a rival. We've have bigger characters before like Chuck and Wake (though their fat is more muscle than anything.) and Wattson but they've never had as prominent roles as a rival does. So I definitely say props to GameFreak for adding more diversity to their characters.
 

Tetrakeet

Lilligant's Caretaker
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Game Freak is expanding on their character designs? Sounds good to me. :) Overweight, small, big, tall, different races, ridiculously long hair tails with unrealistic hair colors etc.? The more unique the better! xD (This is important, especially when it comes to video games!)

Oh my, maybe this time the parent will be "Dad" instead of "Mom"?! Or we may even be able to see BOTH parents? Well, probably not. Game Freak must not be ready to introduce the Protagonist's dad yet. :( He's such a mystery!

Response to MarquisPhantom: Ah, I have not played Gen3. :( So a Father is actually revealed? That's good! ^ ^
 
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TreeKangaroo

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Why does he remind me of Manpuku from Okamiden? Anyways, how about snorlax? It may not be a human but it still counts as a character, right? Anyways, I like fat characters, they can be really funny. xD
 
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Oh my, maybe this time the parent will be "Dad" instead of "Mom"?! Or we may even be able to see BOTH parents? Well, probably not. Game Freak must not be ready to introduce the Protagonist's dad yet. :( He's such a mystery!

How about Norman in Gen 3? Anyway, direction GF is headed in is pretty good.
 
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Hikers and those others that have been named have all been adult men and it's more acceptable for them to be fat/overweight/etc. This is a young person, which is different. If he's not given all the stereotypes that Miss Anne Thrope mentioned it will be quite a nice addition, but if not then it's pretty problematic. It'll be like "Hey, we have a fat kid. LOOK HOW MUCH HE LOVES ICE CREAM!" I mean, it's great if they're trying to include different kinds of characters, but not great if they're token stereotypes.

And of the record, we also got a black E4 member with Marshall, and there are a few other trainers who looked black (dancers and hoopsters, I think - oh, there's that problematic thing) and then there's Iris who looks, if not black, at least non-white or non-east Asian.
 

SnowpointQuincy

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Characters in Pokemon are little more than their appearance. Thus the need for more variety in the looks.

It would be nice if Pokemon was good at writing Character and Plot, but that has never been a Primary goal of the game. The 2013 roundtable had a chart, "Collect, Trade, Battle" This is the 3 Primary goals of Game Freaks design. Story telling doesn't make the list.

Pokemon need to appear on clothes more often. Like the Gyrados on the Biker's Jacket. Those details are important part of making the world feel real.
 
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