#but I have FEELINGS about both the gerudo and the saiyans in recent portrayals

[risingsouls]

🔥 + The depiction of the Gerudo and/or saiyans in their respective franchises?

It's Unpopular Opinion Time || Open!

[Whoof this is going to be a big one probably so strap in.

The Gerudo. While their original portrayal was problematic with some...obvious racial stereotypes (big noses, making the "bad guys" dark skinned, etc...thanks Japan), SOMEHOW Breath of the Wild made the depiction of the Gerudo worse and adhere to MORE stereotypes. This time, overtly sexist ones. They basically made the Gerudo more concerned with finding husbands in many cases than really anything else, and there is even a fucking SCHOOL to teach them how to get husbands and a whole side quest that has you get one married off to a carpenter she doesn't even know and you help another find her "soul mate" at a heart shaped pond.

I appreciate them going more toward Amason-esque influence in at least their appearance (even if I don't really care for them being super tall, as in 8ft and taller, apparently, but ONLY because I think it's more badass to have them been closer to "normal" heights and be able to kick serious ass anyway). I definitely appreciate that they're TONED (even if since they're less focused on combat and being warriors as they were it makes less sense), but yet ANOTHER joke is poked at their appearances in which one of the women (at least) hates how tall she is (over 8ft as I mentioned apparently). Not just because SHE doesn't like it and she hits her head or some shit. No. It's because men don't like how tall she is. Instead of the million times better narrative of women that embrace their height and muscles and whatever other features deemed "too masculine" it's turned into another sob story about how it prevents her and likely others from funding their true love.

A smaller point on their appearance is their clothes from both OoT/MM and BotW, but it's like. Half and half issue for me. Obviously, they're not exactly practical for a warriors, especially when you add the heels (don't get me wrong: I love ladies that kick ass in heels but in SAND? gotta take some points there). The choices made so have some pretty male gaze-y vibes because of that and it was probably the intent to make them "sexy," consciously or not. Buuuut it does amuse me to think of them as being so badass as fighters they don't NEED what would be considered more traditional garb a fighter would wear. So this one is more of a wash but I fetllt needed mention.

Last point on the Gerudo, and it goes back to solely BotW. The face of the Gerudo in this game, Urbosa, follows a common, stereotypical personality trope often doled out to women characters: "the mother" (and it doesn't help that Mipha, the other female champion, takes on "the healer "). Like...it's fine an whatever and offers some really sweet moments with her and Zelda and even Link but...that's basically her entire personality. She's got a little bit of sass that I appreciate but otherwise? The most prominent Gerudo in that game is just mom. To me, that's super boring and uncreative, as well as stereotypical for a woman in media.

Now the Saiyans. As far as canon depictions go, my biggest beef is with the recent retcons that basically have just...reduced them to OP Earthlings. When they were first introduced, it felt like they were actually different outside of just having tails. It felt like they had their own, unique, and different culture and set of morals than we/Earthlings do, and I really appreciate that. Like it wasn’t just that Saiyans liked to fight. They were okay with killing and had no qualms with it, nor did they really attach any label of wrong to it. It was just another part of their lifestyle and it was basically a “the weak don’t deserve to live when bested by someone more powerful” sort of mindset. And this WAS presented as a SAIYAN ideal before Frieza and the Colds were brought into the plot, so I’m not willing to completely contribute that mindset fully to the Cold Empire’s influence on them. It makes them feel actually unique despite looking like humans with tails for the most part.

But in newer material--from Super to games and extra content comics--it feels like they’re just...basically giving them human morals, having them act like humans, and just outright saying that it was Frieza’s influence that “made them bad.” The gray of their morals has been turned to pretty much black and white, good and evil, and bring in these ideas of pure hearted Saiyans vs evil or tainted Saiyans, and that’s soooo boring to me. There is no moral ambiguity anymore with the Saiyans and it’s lame. They don’t have any bit of unique culture or traits any more. Even the U6 Saiyans are basically just Earthlings and it drives me nuts.  They’re ALIENS. They SHOULD be different. And yet I feel like a lot of the stuff that MADE them different has been retconned or changed (which also ruins a lot of the narrative DB originally had going but you know I guess that’s not important).

I also hate that, recent Saiyan additions and ideas basically seem to make them all food motivated, only care about fighting, and outright dumb (and plenty of OCs that show up in the RPC seem to follow that trend, unfortunately). It’s just...really obnoxious because EARLY Z proves that isn’t the case with Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz who all are pretty unique in personality and ambitions. Even GOKU is reduced more firmly to basically this formula in Super. It’s really just...disappointing. They had something really neat and interesting going with the Saiyans and then they just...over simplify it for laughs and I guess ease of watching. They basically made the Saiyans better fit the basically Disney-fied series Dragonball has become since Super came around and it’s lame.]