You're stretching quite a lot to call Mai as iconic as Chun-Li. I wouldn't ever dare call her iconic at all.
Mai Shiranui's
sex appeal escalated her popularity in Japan and worldwide, while the character herself is regarded as a female icon of SNK.
[22] Play Time claimed that "already a cult" of Mai had existed in Japan by 1994, two years after her debut.
[331] According to Kotaku's Ashcraft writing in 2010, "Mai is one of the most popular and recognisable fighting game characters. Her image has been recreated in countless figurines and endless
fan art."
[332] Japanese arcade gaming magazine
Gamest named her as one of the best characters for at least five consecutive years in its annual awards, placing her second in 1994, tenth in 1995, 21st in 1996, 28th in 1997, and 25th in 1998.
[333] It was similar in the Japanese Neo Geo magazine
Neo Geo Freak, where she was for example third in 1998;
[334] Mai had been also voted the most popular female Neo Geo character by the female readers of
Neo Geo Freak in 1997.
[335] Mai was the most-illustrated character in a 2009 fan art contest held by SNK Playmore and art website
Pixiv to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the
King of Fighters series.
[336][337] Mai was declared the 11th top video game heroine from the 1990s by Japanese magazine
Famitsu in 2015,
[338] and landed fourth in their and SNK's joint poll for the most popular Neo Geo character in 2018.
[339] She was also voted the second most sexy fighting game character in history in a 2018 Japanese poll.
[340]
Like it or not, Mai Shiranui is the most popular character from
The King of Fighters. Yes,
Kyo Kusanagi and
Iori Yagami are the ostensible mainstays, and
Terry Bogard was the hero of the precursor
Fatal Fury titles, but it's Mai that everyone remembers for one reason or another. And it's Mai who gets the most merchandise, Mai whose absence from
The King of Fighters XII set off a fan chorus of "No Mai, no buy," and Mai who crosses over to other series.
[341]
— Todd Ciolek,
Anime News Network, 2016
UGO Team commented in 2008, "the over-endowed, perpetually jiggling Mai has become not only a mascot for SNK's
King of Fighters series, but also for the whole company. ... Mai is an unapologetic
sex symbol ... While some decry Mai's ubiquitousness as pandering
fan service, we're more than happy to pick up the yearly iterations of the
King of Fighters franchise just to get fresh hands on this fetching fighter.
[342] Destructoid's editor-in-chief Dale North named "Terry and Andy Bogard, and the ever-bouncy Mai Shiranui" as the most popular of all characters from the
Fatal Fury series,
[343] while China's
Xinhua News Agency called Mai the most important female role in the history of SNK.
[344] In Brazil,
Megagames retrospectively included her among the seven female characters who "dominated" the
PlayStation 1 era in 2002
[345] and
Nintendo World rated her as the best female character in the
GameCube fighting games in 2003, rating her a perfect 10/10.
[346] Kotaku's Luke Plunkett included her among the possible candidates for the title of the greatest video game character of all time in 2010,
[347] and
Pembroke Daily Observer chose her among the 32 contenders for the title of "ultimate fighting game champion" in 2012.
[348] Similarly, in 2013, Spanish magazine
Games Tribune described her as not only one of the most admired characters of SNK but also in the entire history of video games.
[349] Chilean publication
CerUno ranked Mai as the sixth-most memorable heroine in their 2008 top-ten listing,
[350] In 2010, China's
Mop.com included Mai on their list of ten strongest women in video games
[351] while Vietnamese website XãLuận.com included her among the five most famous heroines in gaming,
[352] and the Spanish edition of
IGN ranked Mai as the eight top female video game character in 2012 and further described her as "one of the biggest legends of the '90s."
[353] Engadget's Colin Torretta opined "
The King of Fighters games come heavily recommended … if only for Mai Shiranui,"
[354] and IGN Italy stated they "all love" her.
[355] SNK's own
The King of Fighters XIV premium artbook described her as "particularly popular with people overseas".
Mai Shiranui has drawn comparisons to the fighting-game genre's other early female icon,
Street Fighter's Chun-Li,
[316][356][357] with whom she shared the "Top Girls" entry in a 1994 ranking of fighting games by a Spanish magazine
Hobby Consolas.
[358] UGO Networks declared Mai the "Chun-Li of the SNK universe",
[359] and Ed Laurence of
Sinclair User wrote in 1993 that she was able to "out-Chun Li Chun Li."
[360] Previewing
Capcom vs. SNK 2,
GameSpot's Justin Speer wrote about its "beautiful and powerful females such as Chun-Li and Mai,"
[361] and Rich Knight of
Complex pitted the characters against each other in his 2011 "battle of the beauties" feature, stating: "Breasts or legs? Personally, we'll take 'em both."
[362] In
ScrewAttack's "Death Battle!" series the same year, Mai, dubbed "the queen of fighters", defeated Chun-Li due to her greater nimbleness and superior ranged attack abilities.
[8] Mai Shiranui is also popular in Korea,
[363] where she received 62% of votes to Chun-Li's 19% in a 2009 South Korean online poll held on
White Day, in which fans voted for their "most wanted" female fighting-game character.
[364] According to
Crunchyroll's Nate Ming in 2016, Mai has continued to represent "SNK,
Fatal Fury, and
KoF in the same way that Chun-li [represents]
Street Fighter."
[365] That same year, Aleksander Borszowski of Polish magazine
CD-Action described Mai as the "second dame" of 2D fighting behind Chun-Li.
[366] Joystiq's Richard Mitchell stated: "There is one thing
Street Fighter will never have, and that's Mai."
[367]
Mai has additionally drawn comparisons to other mainstream female game characters such as
Lara Croft (
Tomb Raider)
[368] and
Ivy Valentine (
Soulcalibur),
[369] as well as to some others such as
Sailor Mars (
Sailor Moon).
[370] A 1997 article in
Game On! USA, highlighted Chun Li, Mai Shiranui,
Michelle Chang (
Tekken) and
Jill Valentine (
Resident Evil) as "video game characters who have marked the near absurd level of popularity of females in video games."
[371] Mexican publication
Chilango grouped "Lara Croft/Chun Li/Mai Shiranui" together at the top of their list of "the women we have dreamed of in the nineties."
[372] Sara Sundman of
ScrewAttack Magazine used Mai as an example of well-animated fan service breasts that move around realistically as she moves in games, unlike in some other cases such as that of
DOA's Kasumi,
[373] and
GamePro likened her with
Taki from
Soulcalibur as "a gravity-defying marvel of science and physicality."
[279] Kurt Katala of Hardcore Gaming 101 called the
Street Fighter's
Maki Genryusai a "sexy Mai Shiranui ripoff", despite Maki having debuted only in
Final Fight 2 in 1993.
[374] Comparisons between Mai and Maki have been made by other sources, including GameSpot,
[361] CNET,
[375] and IGN.
[376] Iroha from SNK's own
Samurai Shodown VI was described as this game's "equivalent of Mai Shiranui" by Siliconera.
[377] Márcio Pacheco Alexsandro of Brazil's
GameHall placed Mai at number one spot in his list of top female ninja characters in games, comparing her to
Mortal Kombat's
Kitana in regards of their shared use of fans as a weapon, and noting her as an equal of Chun-Li within the fighting genre.
[378] Mai has also appeared on several other lists of top ninja characters in video games, including by
CrunchGear in 2008,
[379] GamePro in 2010,
[279] and Arcade Sushi in 2013.
[380] UGO listed her among the "hot ninja girls" in all entertainment,
[27] Gelo Gonzales from the Filipino edition of
FHM included Mai among the nine "sexiest ninja babes in games",
[381] and
Complex placed her at number one in its list of "hot female killers" in video games.
[382]
In addition to her popularity with male fans, Mai has been a personal choice for some female gamers, such as Dawn Hughes of
The Lakeland Mirror, who favorited Mai due to her costumes and being "fast, agile, and sexy,"
[383] and Seraphina Brennan of Joystiq, who wrote in 2009 that "throughout all of the countless
MMOs that we've played, we've always asked ourselves one important question:
Where is Mai Shiranui and why can't I be her?"
[384] SNK Playmore's decision to feature Mai only in an unplayable cameo in 2009's
The King of Fighters XII was met with media criticism
[65][385][386] and an fan backlash
[387][388][389][390][391] sparking the meme phrase "no Mai, no buy".
[341][392] Shane Bettenhausen, director of business development for game publisher
UTV Ignition Entertainment, likened the omission to Capcom leaving Chun-Li out of the original release of
Street Fighter III,
[385] while Destructoid's
Jim Sterling compared it to "releasing
Street Fighter without Ryu."
[393] GameSpot's Andrew Park noted "the conspicuous absence of SNK's iconic female ninja/geisha girl"
[394] and Siliconera opined that "SNK isn't going to make that mistake again" in omitting Mai from future releases.
[395] Adam Biessener of
Game Informer said of Mai's return: "Sometimes fan service is all a franchise needs to stay relevant—and SNK Playmore is certainly delivering that."
[396]
All of that is cited for for. Like, I get asked for sources for all my statements, and I provide them, yet you guys go out and make opposite claims with absolutely no proof at all. What evidence do you have that Mai isn't popular at all or not as iconic as Chun Li? When numerous journalism outlets have given her that label, and even game devs have acknowledged her status as Chun-Li's cultural rival:
I think arguing against Mai's status as a cultural icon in gaming is dumb, considering it's self-evident given the mountains of evidence and numerous labels she's been given, as well as her cultural prominence OUTSIDE of SNK and gaming.
Hot take.
If measures were taken to cover up FemCorrin’s thighs, Palutena’s legs, and even Mythra’s legs, I don’t see how Mai Shiranui would work.
I for one get frustrated with censorship, sure. If the original creator had a particular design, then that design should be honored. Let’s be fair though, if Mai’s design is certainly that iconic, and altering that iconic design would get in the way, then I simply don’t see it happening.
We all know it would, especially considering the precedent. If it happened with thighs and bare legs, you can’t tell me a woman with highly exposed thighs, legs, and obviously large breasts (leading to a sexualized design when combined) is getting into Smash unscathed.
Sure, Bayonetta, Zero Suit Samus and others are seen as “sexy”. But they’re covered up in Smash. Bayonetta is at some point or another nude in her own game. She is fully clothed in Smash at all times, even when the wicked weaves strip some clothing away.
It’s a pretty big difference, if you ask me. I have nothing against the character, as she may be entirely unique and interesting to play as. I also, again, may be underestimating just how big SNK and their games are, but I simply see this as a hurdle for the character in question.
See, now this is something I agree with.
Could Mai's sexuality be an obstacle given previous measures taken to censor characters in Smash? Yes.
But it's the same thing as the "gun" argument presented against characters before Joker finally got in with a fully realistic gun. Smash is constantly pushing the envelope and boundaries on previous statements. Additionally, we know for a fact that Mai's sexuality only elevates a game's rating to T in the west, and CERO (B?) in Asia. It's not something as objectionable as many people make it out to be, doubly so if we consider that Nintendo's standards regarding those sorts of things have indeed changed. Whereas games in the past would be censored, we're seeing a lot less of that now, even in the localized versions of them. Moreover, it seems a bit hypocritical to me, considering people are more than happy of that boundary being pushed in favor of Doomguy, who's extreme violence are a core identity of the character, and who would need WAY more changes to his identity to make it in, but Mai's harmless sexuality is something that is seen as "morally objectionable" by people.
I'm not pointing fingers at you btw Schol, I think so far you've made the only good rgument, and the only one I can agree with.
To counter I will say this:
We don't know. We don't know the internal policies of Nintendo regarding this, we don't know how much they'd be willing to budge, or how much they actually care. I guess it would come down to how iconic Mai is VS how objectionable her sexuality would ultimately be in regard to elevating the game's rating.
It certainly doesn't close the door on her though.
That said, it should be noted that DLC is rated separately from a game, and Joker's gun is something that would already elevate a game's rating to T in the west, yet, there he is, and the game is stil rated E. I think Mai's sexuality isn't something that would really affect the game's rating overall. Now it's true Bayonetta was changed, despite being a DLC character, but that was 4-5 years ago, Nintendo has changed in that time frame, and is under different leadership. We ultimately don't know what they might be ok with and what they wouldn't be.
But it's not somthing that dooms the charactr imo.
