#Amane Nishiki

[cloudyspider]

Something amusing about these two were collaborating together in their goals almost entirely offscreen.

[meragoround]

amane nishiki my beloved

[wistfulwhistley]

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

By 兵六 on Pixiv

This artist can also be found on Twitter and Skeb!

[broken-clover]

I can't help but find Amane compelling. For a lot of reasons, really, but his use of gender as a character motif gives him a surprising amount of texture the more you look at him (Especially for a series that admittedly veers into gender stereotypes a lot, but that's neither here nor there).

Which I guess seems obvious at first glance. I've often seen him lumped in with a lot of other 'trap' (ugh) characters, but in a way it's sort of funny, because it couldn't be more wrong as a takeaway. At a glance, yes, Amane is an androgynous man who wears dresses and makeup. Thing is, though, the point of it isn't to trick anyone- Amane is entirely comfortable in his gender and how he presents, and his choice of wearing 'feminine' things is entirely out of passion.

His visual appearance might offer confusion, but his personality doesn't offer the same sort. For someone that presents himself so gracefully and beautifully, Amane is outright described as

speak(ing) in a rather crude tone at times, and has a manly personality

While I don't know about 'crude' in particular, he has a tendency to speak very directly, and takes pride in his masculinity. His moveset is filled with references to super sentai series, which are often associated with young boys and filled with stereotypically 'boyish' motifs, like martial arts and giant robots. He makes no effort to obscure his gender identity, he perceives himself as a man, and corrects people who mistake him for a woman. But, clearly, being mistaken for one doesn't bother him, as he still happily partakes in his art form and makes no attempt to dress more 'masculine' for sake of having people perceive him as such.

(Even in terms of his non-dance hobbies, Amane leans toward 'feminine' things. He makes candies and is seemingly the only parental figure toward his numerous adoptive children, whom he loves and cares for in the sort of nurturing way that one might more typically associate with motherhood than with fatherhood.)

Amane's use of dance as a motif also leans heavily into this concept. Art forms like dancing often get written off as 'girly' with the unspoken implication that something with that descriptor is less important or even easier in comparison to stereotypically male-oriented hobbies. But dancing, especially in the professional world, takes an unbelievable amount of physical and mental training in order to do well and create a visually captivating performance. Amane's design being based on an onnagata kabuki actor, or a man who plays female roles, also ties into this. Though it sounds simple on paper, onnagata techniques can take years to master, and include learning a wide range of techniques, from makeup styling to posture to vocal training. The fact that Amane is a seasoned professional dancer means that he would be fully aware of all this. While he may employ those techniques on stage, he does not use them in casual interaction. In Amane's perception, he is a man, and having a ladylike appearance does not do anything to the contrary. He is merely himself, perfectly comfortable with both identity and presentation.

Likewise, it feels like these themes are deliberately contrasted with a more stereotypically masculine character in Bang Shishigami. Blazblue has multiple 'hypermasculine' characters such as Azrael and Kagura, but Bang seems to be the one the narrative most frequently draws a parallel to, as they encounter one another multiple times- And, fittingly, both are themed around very stereotypically Japanese motifs, kabuki and ninjutsu. While both seem to embody very traditional themes visually, Bang is a character that adheres more to those traditionalist traits in terms of personality, styling himself as a manly, physically impressive hero who tries to win a woman's heart through acts of valor. When Amane encounters him, as the first dialogue in the first game he debuts in, Bang confronts him not because he has any real business with the man or has mistaken him for a troublemaker, but because Bang finds him 'strange.'

"What kind of attire is that for a man to wear around...!? It screams 'frail' and 'weak'! I can hardly believe my eyes..."

Amane, just as a concept, confuses him and contradicts his idea of what a 'proper' man should be. It's something that Amane even calls him out for later

"Never you mind! It is a crime for a man to look so...so...so beautifully feminine! I shall smack some guts and conviction back into you as a representative of Ikarugan masculinity!" "Whoa whoa, don't you think you're being just a little prejudiced?"

Obviously, Amane sees nothing wrong with how he presents. He sees nothing wrong with a man being beautiful the same way that Bang does.

Though the gag reels are non-canonical, the 'Contest of Manliness' from Chronophantasma seems almost designed to highlight the concept. Amane enlists in the contest to display his sense of endurance, making it to the finals to the surprise and shock of Bang, who views him as a 'gentle-mannered pretty boy,' at one point bringing up a similar point from their encounter in the arcade route

"Despite your appearance, you are actually quite tough..."

Even in combat, he displays this sense of duality. He battles using fans, his scarf, and a parasol, all more stereotypically ladylike implements compared to something like a sword or firearms. He can hit has hard as any other male character, but his movements are graceful and agile, with a sense of elegant poise. It isn't that he is powerful *despite* his feminine presentation. His power is his own. It is simply a matter of what medium he uses to comfortably express that power, regardless if some might view it as weird.

Amane is not a man trying to 'trick' anyone into thinking he's a woman. Amane is Amane. He is a very pretty man who likes to dance, and he is very manly while doing so, and is also very pretty while kicking ass, thank you very much.

[smirkingcat]

Amane Nishiki

[maoistired]

Amane!!!

He’s really cool

Currently waiting for BBCF to go on sale so I can finally play

[unusualindigo]

Broke: Gwyndolin, Amane, and Griffith are all transwomen in the closet (half-joking but the way people treat those who don't share these headcanons (particularly for Gwyndolin) is very unsettling and kinda reinforcing that feminine traits means the character must identify as a woman).

Woke: Gwyndolin, Amane, and Griffith are transmen who refuse to fall into your pretty little masc and femme = men and women boxes.

Bespoke: Mohg, Carl, and Shen Jiu were so goddamn close and the universe itself plots to keep them sealed in that closet until judgement day.

[bianat]

[trashcantasch]

[rakkiinoko]

amane doodle from earlier this year

[chowmoon2]

I love the Tvtropes WMG pages because, alongside ones that end up being true, the theories there are the most batshit insane ones that I can’t believe anyone on Earth would’ve come up with it but hey, they can lead to some cool AU ideas

Here is some I found in the Blazblue pages that can be cool AU ideas (or just plain funny to see) note that some of these probably date WAY back

[pikabysss]

Furry AU Amane Nishiki when he's not full-on a Sylveon.

He's still almost one. Hehe. But I was aiming to give him bunny vibes too. (Someone cut his tail)

He's a bit weird species and anatomy wise, but he's meant to be a bit mystical, so I took some liberties.

(I might need to modify his design again... I'm not fully pleased by this one, but, hey, maybe it's fine like that too. You tell me.)

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

By Toshimichi Mori

[arundolyn]

his taunt is good

[ejeffers1239]

Have a WIP, not sure if I'm coloring this or not yet