#amane nishiki

[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.

[bianat]

[smellpelt]

I'm listening...

[wistfulwhistley]

[pandorastower]

Art by 藤町智

[maoistired]

Amane!!!

He’s really cool

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

[strawberrymolks-blog]

Blazblue tier list but it’s based on what role they are in bed

Warnings: Obvious NSFW content

I literally used all the tags for this please like this

[flamerunn3r]

[unusualindigo]

There is something very funny to consider with Aman and Bang hooking up at some point before. Bang isn't awkward and weirded out in chronophantasma as much by the heteronormative gender stuff that's just his ex and he's really trying to not make it obvious and hopes that Amane won't recognize him after however many years

I totally agree! I think Bang hooked up with an either pre-transition Amane who he considered his “dream girl” and is baffled and uncomfortable with the resemblance to this handsome stranger, or perhaps it was an already transitioned Amane before the Ikaruga war kicked up and Bang couldn’t find him.

Bang hopes he’s not recognized for fear that Amane either hates him for leaving for home after the distressing news, or that Amane is disgusted with Bang like so many others, and that’s why he didn’t wait as he said he would.

Meanwhile, Amane is trying to keep his calm because fuck, that’s the father of his child. Fuck, that’s the man who left for war and was never the same from afar. Fuck, he’s still in love and it hurts and why did he have to be here, why is he so close to danger, to suffering? Can’t his beloved get a fucking break?

Bang reacts the way he does so that if Amane hates him or is disgusted by him, then he can match the energy and not trouble the love he left behind any more than he already has.

Amane responds with his own mean comments, thinking Bang doesn’t recognize him and is just subconsciously caught up in the anger of their parting and the trauma of the time.

Things then proceed as normal.

Then, after CF is over, the two come clean once they meet on the road by chance, and neither can hold back their pain, regret, and lingering affections anymore.

[ejeffers1239]

New header is art my Girlfriend did of me dressed as Amane Nishiki from Blazblue. That is all.

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

By Card7Card on Pixiv

If you like what you see here, please follow the link to the artist's original post for several more pieces!

This artist can also be found on Twitter, Booth, and Skeb. They are seeking requests! Always be sure to check an artist's availability and rules before sending a request.

[broken-clover]

That recent Baiken thing made me think of Bang coming across Valkenhayn pinning his hand above Amane's shoulder on a wall, snarling as the dancer smirks up at him and just about collapsing because oh my god he's being replaced by one of the Six Heroes!

He can't fight Valkenhayn! He's not as refined or classy or handsome in all the classical ways that he assumes Amane likes!

Cue Valkenhayn glancing at the sound of dying gasps of heartbreak and just clocking what's going on with a pained groan because dear lord no, he outgrew this sort of romantic drama when he dumped Relius, thank you very much.

Pfft oh god and if there's anyone who's dealt with enough of that it's Valkenhayn, he's had enough weird homoerotic drama for one lifetime.

Although, if anything, I suppose it might come together nicely in the end. Even if he's tired of these youngsters and their nonsense once he notices the obvious he sits them down out of spite more than anything, gets Bang to realize how down bad he is in about half a paragraph, and leaves them to whatever comes next because he is a grown man with a job who has other stuff to do today

(If Bang thinks he has the ability to 'replace' him, does that mean that he finds him attractive as well? Valkenhayn isn't sure how to interpret that, but it's been a while since he's had a compliment, so he'll take it, circumstances be damned)

[smellpelt]

a bunch of requests

[lavenderrosu]

My husband