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blossomwithsunshine · 6 months ago

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Why Tsubaki Yayoi is the Best and Most Interesting Character in Blazblue and Everyone is Wrong About Her

Alternate Title: Tsubaki is a Good, Interesting, Tragic, and Misunderstood Character so You're Wrong, Actually

I have noticed during my time in the fandom that this girl is demonized and gets A LOT of hate from the BB community, mainly calling her a "bitch", "stupid", "annoying''', "incestous simp," etc. At best, she's a very divisive character who does have some fans who correctly say she's overhated, but besides either of those, she'll be largely ignored despite her being a pretty major character. (I guess because she's not a "waifu" or "fanservicey" like most of the other girls. I side-eye anyone who doesn't like her outfit.) Literally the only thing not divisive or hated about her is her theme song.

I quite frankly think the hate is for misogynistic and crappy reasons from people who don't pay attention and has gone on for long enough, so here's my big defense post about Tsubaki Yayoi that I've been wanting to write for a while now where I explain why her character works in the story as best as I can. Strap in, folks. This is gonna take a while.

(Warnings: Mentions of incest, inbreeding, and grooming. Spoilers for Blazblue in general, mainly the parts revolving around Tsubaki. Also long af.)

Let's start with her beginnings because where else is a better place to start off? Talking about her backstory is VERY important when discussing Tsubaki since she has went through plenty of trauma. The Yayoi family is a family that places a lot of importance on their lineage and bloodline. However, they placed so much importance on their own bloodline that in trying to birth strong children, they resorted to incest and inbreeding, meaning that Tsubaki is a product of incest. All the children that were born, expect for one, would end up dying. The one child that survived was Tsubaki. Thus, she ended up being the heiress to the Yayoi family.

Her family is pretty much a cult, especially since the Imperator is basically a God. The family basically raised Tsubaki to serve and have full faith in the Imperator, no matter what. In gameplay, she mentions God in a few of her attacks so even in that, the cult-like philosophy she grew to have is showcased.

Does all this sound insane and messed up? That's because it is. Keep in mind of all of this since it gives plenty more context into her character. It's worth noting that this is the first big thing we learn about her in her arcade mode in Continuum Shift, the game she's first playable in.

So from the get go, it's already clear Tsubaki had a rough childhood, having a family resorting to incest, being the only child to survive, and she's essentially raised in a cult. This is when she meets Jin Kisaragi, a boy who is similar in age to her (probably just around a month older if I had to guess). Tsubaki is happy at the prospect of meeting someone who is similar in age to her, befriending him, and even calls him her brother as a result. Keep in mind, all of her siblings died, and she only knew her parents, teachers & relatives. She basically has a sheltered life and hasn't spoken to any other children her age, besides maybe her relatives (if they were close in age to her). Is it any wonder that she's overjoyed at the prospect at finally meeting another child. And yes, while it does seem weird she calls him "Jin nii-sama", I find it hard to blame her since not only was she calling him that since she was a child and thus that's what she's used to, it's also that incest has been so normalized in her family

I'll talk about her relationship with Jin later, so for now, I'll talk about how she's like at NOL Academy. It is here that she becomes roommates with Noel Vermillion and Makoto Nanaya, but they weren't exactly friends at first sight. In fact, Makoto distrusted the two at first due to her being bullied for being a beastkin. Later, a few students start to bully Makoto for being exactly that and Noel for her status and family. Thankfully, Tsubaki stops the bullying and sets the mean girls straight.

Tsubaki: I can't even stand the sight of your deformed mouths from all the foul language and your sunken eyes from looking down at others... I truly feel sorry for your so-called "family name."

And yet, people call Tsubaki a bitch. SMH. Of course, Tsubaki becomes best friends with Noel and Makoto after this and she's very kind to the two, helping them whenever they need it and only chastising them when they're being silly, like any other 'straight man' in a comedy.

It's after this that she becomes part of the NOL so that brings me to my next talking point, her arc in Continuum Shift.

In Continuum Shift, she is tasked by Hazama to kill Jin and Noel for deflecting from the NOL. Tsubaki's entire life has been based around NOL propaganda and she's basically been indoctrinated to be the perfect soldier for the NOL so she has grown to be very dependent on them. Is it really a surprise that she's not going to act logically? In her point of view, she's making the most rational choices of what's been given to her. Even smart people like Tsubaki can get indoctrinated and groomed.

The reason I even put the term "groomed" is because while yes, being groomed sexually is the most common way to be groomed, grooming can happen in other ways, even when you're an adult. In Tsubaki's case, she was groomed from a religious standpoint.

I think another thing that gets ignored is that Tsubaki is not completely for the idea. She even thinks that Jin and Noel have reasons for turning their backs on the NOL and just wanted to talk to them at first. However, since she's been groomed to never doubt the NOL, she has to go through with it anyway. It's plain to see in her arcade mode that she has plenty of concerns about it. In fact, when she sees Jin, she doesn't want to fight him and just tries to tell him to go back to the NOL. It's only when Jin refuses and takes out his sword that Tsubaki fights back.

Even after she beats him, she doesn't take the opportunity to execute him like she was tasked to do and again, just tells him to return to the NOL. She didn't even think she would beat him! She also would've probably done the same thing if she fought Noel and if Hazama hadn't come to manipulate her again.

Oh yeah, speaking of Hazama, Tsubaki is hated for letting Hazama manipulating her and she's called a stupid bitch as a result, but let's bring up a scene in his route, showing how he manipulates her, shall we?

When he talks to her, he does so at first, by giving her praises, as manipulators are prone to do, and it really feels that this is what Tsubaki wanted to hear for quite some time now, even with her confusion at first. He says she's kind, graceful, intelligent, beautiful, etc., even calling her the heroine, basically smooth-talking her. He even points out how it's rather unfair that someone like Tsubaki could be put in a low-ranking position like the Wings of Justice, even calling it the garbage disposal like how some of the other characters call it.

Of course, he doesn't genuinely feel that way. It's all so he can make Tsubaki more comfortable around him more and that she'll believe anything he tells her.

After this, he basically tells her there's another timeline where Noel doesn't exist and Tsubaki is Jin's secretary instead. The sad thing is that Hazama isn't even entirely wrong when he says this.

There actually is a timeline where Tsubaki is Jin's secretary, and this is explored in a drama CD called The Wheel of Fortune. However, Hazama leaves out one important detail...Tsubaki ends up getting killed in that timeline, which he is more than aware of. However, this is not something Tsubaki herself would have any way of knowing. The only time she technically does find out is through Izayoi's arcade mode in Central Fiction, which is a few games ahead.

Tsubaki did see this vision of her working alongside Jin when first wielding the Izayoi. She does try to hide that she saw this vision from Hazama, but he reads her like a book and calls her out for lying, even saying before that he can't stand liars. Again, not much reason for Tsubaki to think he’s the one lying. He's an important figure of the NOL, so why should she doubt him?

Also, if she's told there's a world where she can be with the man she loves, why wouldn't she want that and be angry she can't now? And especially when Hazama leaves out the fact that would end with her DEAD?? Would she be mad at Noel if she knew that part? I highly doubt it.

Tsubaki finally shows the jealousy, hate, and anger that she's been bottling up for a while since she basically got robbed. Hazama tells her it's not wrong for her to feel that way and that none of this is her fault, basically motivating her to kill Noel.

One of the main reasons Tsubaki gets hate is for her hating Noel and trying to kill her since she "took her place" as Jin's secretary in the NOL. This’ll explain more of her contempt.

One important thing to realize is that Tsubaki was basically raised to be an "ideal woman." (Or Yamato Nadeshiko for those who know what that is). She's calm and level-headed, she's a heiress to an important family, she's a Straight A student, and she's the closest to Jin out of anyone. It seems like the role would be given to her on a silver platter (and it WAS in the first timeline, actually!) But then comes Noel, who seemingly is not as talented, her family is not of high status, she's not close to Jin at all, and is basically not seen as deserving of it as Tsubaki is.

Tsubaki is instead put in a lower position than Noel, the Wings of Justice, something that is infamous and basically hated from everyone who has heard of it since they're basically the military police. Which, I know "Lol she's a cop"...she's not the only character that's a cop, 'K? Let's move on.

Another noteworthy detail to note is that Tsubaki just hid her resentment about this for a long time and didn't blow up at Noel until she is told she could've HAD that opportunity if Noel didn't exist. Tsubaki didn’t want to feel that way since she knew it was wrong for her to do so, but now you have Hazama telling her it’s not wrong for her to feel that way.

The 3rd important thing is that during their fight, Tsubaki....can't bring herself to kill Noel. Even when she's angry, hates Noel for taking her place, and has the advantage over her, she STILL cannot find it in herself to kill Noel. Even through this, she values their friendship too much for that to happen. Then Hazama comes and fucks it all up, because he's Hazama.

The next thing I'll mention is the Izayoi. The Izayoi is basically the biggest indicator of Tsubaki's character, as it's heavily showcased in her lore and gameplay. The Izayoi is a weapon that has the ability to steal light so that its user can utilize it in someway, mostly in battle. However, its biggest downside is that it can also steal light from its user, and if used too much, can blind and even kill them (which happens to Tsubaki in her bad ending). The Izayoi causes physical and mental harm to Tsubaki throughout the game, blinding her and causing her mental torment in who and what she should fight for to achieve true justice. The term "blind justice" is in full effect here.

It's through this game that we see Tsubaki as a woman who is full of doubts of who she is, what her place is in the world, who she should fight for, why should she fight, and is struggling with her ideas of what true justice is. She becomes so isolated that the only person she has on her side is a manipulative coworker who subjects her to further conditioning. The main question in her mind throughout is this: Should she follow the organization she's been groomed to follow her whole life or should she follow her friends, the two people she's been closest to her whole life? By the time she figures out the truth about Hazama, it's already too late and she is subjected to further brainwashing, leading her to "choose" the latter. This leads us into Chronophantasma.

There's not much to talk about with that game in comparison but it'll be more straightforward because of one important detail: She gets hate for her Chronophantasma depiction because she's a villain and is trying to kill Jin, Noel, and Makoto, but this completely ignores that Tsubaki....isn't herself for the majority of the game??? The Imperator is fucking up her head and Tsubaki at that point is completely brainwashed by the Mind Eater. PSST, I think the black outfit and red eyes she has should be a sign that she's brainwashed. Also, the "Mind Eater" name should give it away too.

Jin, Noel, and Makoto work together to save Tsubaki from the Mind Eater, but this is when Izanami has completely taken over her mind and is talking through her. It's pretty clear during the fight that Tsubaki is struggling and trying to break free from the Imperator's control, which, thanks to the three's help, does happen!

One aspect I love and that I feel is not talked about is a small scene where Tsubaki is in the inner depths in her mind, and coming to terms that she has darkness in her heart. From there, she wants to atone for every bad thing she did to Jin, Noel, and Makoto, and wants to return how they feel towards her. From there, she breaks free of the Imperator's curse and now wants to fight for the people she loves, since that's how she can achieve true justice.

Real talk, her fight against these three, awakening as Izayoi, and breaking out of the Imperator's control is one of the best moments in the entire franchise. Don't @ me.

Now, let's talk about her relationship with Jin. There's plenty of claims about their relationship being a toxic mess that would never work out and while I can't deny it's not entirely healthy, I don't think it's as much of a mess as people say it is. People say she has no reason to love him since he's just an asshole which, while fair, is not how I personally see it. I actually think it's rather reasonable why she would love him, so I'll explain why from her point of view.

I heard stuff like how Jin doesn't care about Tsubaki, which is...not even true?? Jin is the only person besides her family and teachers that Tsubaki knew her whole life and he's been quite decent to her. Yes, Jin is a huge jerk...but the person he's nicest to is Tsubaki. Back at the Academy, Jin, while still rather aloof, is pretty kind and attentive towards Tsubaki. He checks up on her and her friends regularly, gives her advice on what she can do, and they're able to hold a conversation with without her getting insulted. Also, in the present, there's a sword that's screwing with his head and basically has a shoulder devil AND angel telling him to kill Ragna, so there's that too.

In Chronophantasma, Jin does his best to put his fight against Ragna to the wayside since to him, Tsubaki comes first. He even works alongside Noel, someone who he deeply hates, to save Tsubaki. During their fight, he wholeheartedly believes that her will to fight through is stronger than the Imperator's curse. Now, it's debatable whether he feels the exact same way towards Tsubaki, but you can't deny his soft spot is usually only reserved for her. It's the regular "jerk/villain having that one special person they care about" trope.

One misconception is that she has nothing but blind love towards him, but I personally think if she did have blind love towards him, she would think he has done nothing wrong, which isn't the case as I'll explain in two instances.

One is regarding Jin's hatred towards Noel. Tsubaki doesn't really like how cold he is towards her. Back at the Academy, she did notice this, and she told him to be nicer towards Noel. According to Jin, Tsubaki has told him this several times. As Tsubaki says here, they've been close since they were children, but Noel has been a great friend too. All she wants is her two dearest friends to get along. It's a classic case of a person's close friends fighting with each other and that person being stuck in the middle. I've been in this situation a few times cough- Hell, I think she's one of the only characters who says to Jin to be nicer to Noel. Though since Tsubaki mainly appears in flashback scenes and isn't playable in Calamity Trigger, I can see how that gets lost.

To me, the biggest instance where this is showcased is her arcade mode in Central Fiction. In that, Tsubaki is given the opportunity to mold the world into what she wants (be by Jin's side) and Jin is targeting Noel for...reasons. So, like a yandere, she'll take Jin's side and target Noel too, right? No. Tsubaki actually protects Noel from Jin and fights him, even putting her life in the line for Noel.

That, to me, showcases how she doesn't see EVERYTHING Jin does is okay & just and won't side with him on everything, especially if he's trying to harm her other friends. It also shows she has put her jealousy and resentment for Noel aside, treasuring her as one of her best friends and it shows she has developed beyond that point since Continuum Shift.

Now, the last big reason she gets hate...her hatred towards Ragna. Now, I can see why that's annoying since for all her development, she never really gets past that point. BUT, I feel like this is mainly blamed with how we follow Ragna the most out of anyone, since well, he's the protagonist. Therefore, we have a much better idea on what happened from his point of view and we, as the players, know that Ragna is not a bad guy. We don't look at Tsubaki's point of view that much in comparison. So, I'll try to explain it from her perspective.

From how Tsubaki sees it, Ragna hasn't done much to get on her good side. She, at first, already doesn't like him because not only is he seen as a criminal to the world, but Noel and Jin, two of the people she cares the most about, also deflected from the NOL, an organization she has devoted her entire life to, due to his arrival. He hurts Jin, the guy she loves, to the point he has to stay in a bed to heal from his injuries, and Noel, her best friend (both also just broke her out of her brainwashing), at the end of Chronophantasma. Another essential thing to know is that Ragna is basically her antithesis. Tsubaki is calm, reserved, polite, and follows authority to a T, while Ragna is brash, foul-mouthed, hot-tempered and doesn't listen to authority. Is this petty and short-sighted? Yes, but it's not like she exactly hates him for no reason. Plus, her grudge against him is hilarious, especially when she thinks of the idea of him as her brother-in-law at one scene in Central Fiction. Sorry not sorry.

At the beginning of Central Fiction, Jin tells Tsubaki his backstory with Ragna and Saya and why he and Ragna have such a huge rivalry now. Tsubaki is actually shocked that Jin would almost kill Ragna, his own brother, like that. In fact, she finds it sad that brothers have to fight with each other like that. Maybe it could just be because Tsubaki places plenty of importance in family relations because of how her own family is like, but I felt this also was her realizing the conflict between Jin and Ragna isn't so black & white as she thought it was. Of course, not long after this, the timeline resets so it can't really be explored more. Blazblue timelines are such a mess, lol

I do think more could'e been done with Ragna & Tsubaki's relationship and it would've been nice to see her at least get a better understanding of him and see he's not as bad as she painted him to be, but it is what it is, sadly.

PHEW, this was long af. I unfortunately think the hate is not just rooted in misogyny, but also that she's a lore-heavy character, and Blazblue lore is infamously really difficult to follow. Not to mention, BB is a fighting game and plenty of people are just in it for the fighting. So if the lore is hard to understand, that would mean Tsubaki is not easy to get by extension. I think how long this essay was is proof enough there was plenty to unpack with Tsubaki, and I didn’t even talk about everything she’s involved with. She's not the easiest character to love at first glance, unfortunately.

BUT even with that, Tsubaki is another sad case of a female character getting demonized for far less than what a male character would do; just needlessly giving her higher standards. "We want morally grey female characters!" Bitch, a lot of ya'll couldn't even handle Tsubaki Yayoi. I have noticed the BB fandom, for the most part, is not welcoming towards female characters unless if they're sexually consumable enough for them, and Tsubaki, of course, is the most modest of all of them. With that being said, enen Noel and Celica of ALL characters get hate, for heaven's sake. There's really no winning with the girls in this series.

There's probably more I could've talked about, but this essay is long enough as it is. Hopefully, I made a good case study on Tsubaki's character and that there'll be a better understanding of her for now on, at the very least. Tsubaki Yayoi deserves more love than she gets, both from the game and fandom.