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Will we ever see more darker skin characters in Smash?

Dragean

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Yeah thanks for pointing it out. Some people truly have no clue. Or did racism get smart on us all of a sudden ?
 

Megadoomer

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You have this

This


And also, the DK rap.
DK is the black character of Smash.
This seems... way too close to racism for comfort. Possibly unintentionally, but still not a direction that I'd want to see a conversation going in.

To answer the original question, Elma from Xenoblade Chronicles X comes to mind. While she's not the main player character (the main player character being a nearly mute customizable avatar named Cross), she's the one that the main story seems to focus on heavily (I say "seems" because I'm only on the second area of the game, but by my understanding, that focus continues throughout the main story).

Plus, she represented that game in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and since XC2 came out too late to get a playable character in Smash, then Elma could work for a new Xenoblade character.
 
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Dragean

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I would add that Dark Pit and female Pokemon Trainer have alts with darker skins which are my favorites for those chars. They look good.

Aside from that Nintendo has few (if any) black
characters in their « roster » so it seems unlikely unless we get a guest from another editor. But then again even in western games I fail to think of any notable ones.
 

UserKev

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This seems... way too close to racism for comfort. Possibly unintentionally, but still not a direction that I'd want to see a conversation going in.
Nah, its really not. Its the users who's choosing not to ignore it and is just itching to be right more than anything. This topic is adaptable if you work with that's already have.
 

Xelrog

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Nah, its really not. Its the users who's choosing not to ignore it and is just itching to be right more than anything. This topic is adaptable if you work with that's already have.
You were making a joke, I could tell that much, but it's one that could very easily be interpreted the wrong way. Perhaps you weren't aware that there is, in fact, a history of comparing black people to monkeys in a derogatory fashion?
 

BlackInk

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Ok, this has been recently running my mind. Do you think we will ever see more characters of color/African, Indian, Middle Eastern in Smash? It seems when a character of color is relevant, the character is always passed over. It seems every character in Smash remain European, or every Smash entry finds a normal way to remain European and, it occasionally make me wonder. Honestly, DK and Diddy Kong are the only characters in Smash I have to choose if I want to get a sense of playing as African characters in Smash, Green Inkling is great.

I'm starting feel as Twintelle being a really missed opportunity. She's popular, could easily be iconic and already fit Nintendo superstardom.
Sorry, they are never going to give us Shadow. On a more serious note, not many Africans Americans really care about about race representation. In fact, a lot of them care way more about Sonic, Banjo, Daisy, Ken, Ridley, Joker, or dragon quest getting smash representation because they love the character/franchise and associate them with themselves as fans. And if you approach them about what characters they want in smash, they’re going to say stuff like “I want Leon Kennedy” or “I want Shadow” and get offended/annoyed when you bring up the race representation. Why? Because they don’t care about some rando from a rando franchise, they want their icons on the smash roster. This is why we have so much animal characters in the smash roster in the first place.

What if you force them to pick a darker skin character?

They’re going to pick Shadow.
 

UserKev

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You were making a joke, I could tell that much, but it's one that could very easily be interpreted the wrong way. Perhaps you weren't aware that there is, in fact, a history of comparing black people to monkeys in a derogatory fashion?
:facepalm: I wasn't. I just put them up for users who want to get all "Literal" Don't we all generally have 99% of monkey dna anyway? Amazing how racism is easily interpreted and could just as easily be ignored. DK and Diddy actually look badass and are generally cool, positive and likable characters. That other s** is irrelevant.
On a more serious note, not many Africans Americans really care about about race representation. In fact, a lot of them care way more about Sonic, Banjo, Daisy, Ken, Ridley, Joker, or dragon quest getting smash representation because they love the character/franchise and associate them with themselves as fans. And if you approach them about what characters they want in smash, they’re going to say stuff like “I want Leon Kennedy” or “I want Shadow” and get offended/annoyed when you bring up the race representation. Why? Because they don’t care about some rando from a rando franchise, they want their icons on the smash roster. This is why we have so much animal characters in the smash roster in the first place.

What if you force them to pick a darker skin character?

They’re going to pick Shadow.
.. On topic, but mostly misses the point of the thread. No one would care if Doc Louis or Twintelle were playable, exactly. Generally, both are iconic and legacy Nintendo characters in their own.
 
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BlackInk

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:facepalm: I wasn't. I just put them up for users who want to get all "Literal" Don't we all generally have 99% of monkey dna anyway? Amazing how racism is easily interpreted and could just as easily be ignored. DK and Diddy actually look badass and are generally cool, positive and likable characters. That other s** is irrelevant.


.. On topic, but mostly misses the point of the thread. No one would care if Doc Louis or Twintelle were playable, exactly. Generally, both are iconic and legacy Nintendo characters in their own.
Doc Brown is awesome and iconic because he is Doc Brown. The latter is just a nobody.
 

UserKev

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Doc Brown is awesome and iconic because he is Doc Brown. The latter is just a nobody.
I just Google said character and didn't know who was, his description does mention him being iconic. It comes down to demographic. The average movie fan will know who said character is while the average gamer will know who Doc Louis is by design and Smash gave him a bigger presence.
 

BlackInk

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I just Google said character and didn't know who was, his description does mention him being iconic. It comes down to demographic. The average movie fan will know who said character is while the average gamer will know who Doc Louis is by design and Smash gave him a bigger presence.
When he said Doc Brown, I thought he was talking about Doc Louis. Their names are ridiculously too similar.
 
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UserKev

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When he said Doc Brown, I thought he was talking about Doc Louis. Their names are ridiculously too similar.
Doc and Brown are incredibly common initials, I'm even now just knowing there's a rapper named Doc Brown. :chuckle:
 

Crystanium

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I would add that Dark Pit and female Pokemon Trainer have alts with darker skins which are my favorites for those chars. They look good.
The only darker skin I see is Dark Pit's third color palette, and that could be seen as a Spaniard. (The same is with Pokémon Trainer.) SmashWiki says Dark Pit's Japanese name is "Black Pit", but that's likely referring to Dark Pit's character, not his skin color.

Aside from that Nintendo has few (if any) black
characters in their « roster » so it seems unlikely unless we get a guest from another editor. But then again even in western games I fail to think of any notable ones.
I'd be all for Anthony Higgs' inclusion.
 
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BlackInk

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The only darker skin I see is Dark Pit's third color palette, and that could be seen as a Spaniard. (The same is with Pokémon Trainer.)
The way you describe the darkness of the skin, reminds me of LEGO Batman and his obsession with the color black. Especially that line where he says, “i use a really, really, really dark grey.” This is pretty ridiculous.
 

Coolboy

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i don't understand why this has to be a thing like at all..it should be about the characters not about what skin colors they have.
just as long as it's a cool character then it would be interesting to have them get added in! :D skin colors shouldn't be the main focus of why a character should be picked.

do you actually have good reasons about why you want them? skin color is not a good reason why a character should be in smash...
i find this a risky thread tbh..it so easy for drama and misunderstandings to happen here.
 

MarioMeteor

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No. You’re going to take Sword Character #17 and you’re going to like it.

Honestly, though, I would enjoy Doc Louis as a character. He could be a slower, slightly weaker, but less exploitable semi-clone of Little Mac.
 

KatKit

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Short answer: yes. I would've loved growing up with characters like Twintelle, Marina, and Shantae (she's 3rd-party, but I mostly associate her with Nintendo). Nintendo is diversifying their characters like the rest of the industry.

Obviously, these two characters aren't 1st-party or the faces of their respective franchises, but that isn't the point. The fact that during this year's Evo alone, we got TWO black men revealed for two mainstream fighting game franchises is awesome. And they're just... really cool. Hopefully, Nintendo will follow suit. I'm all for variety. Speaking of which, Smash is lacking women in general (especially villainesses), let alone women of color. Three other avatar characters with selectable gender and/or skin tones are a Style Savvy rep, Daemon X Machina rep, and the Astral Chain twins. All solid choices (from great games) for a hypothetical season 2 pass (I still have my fingers crossed for Elma for season 1).
 
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UserKev

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i don't understand why this has to be a thing like at all..it should be about the characters not about what skin colors they have.
just as long as it's a cool character then it would be interesting to have them get added in! :D skin colors shouldn't be the main focus of why a character should be picked.
*Sign* Because we want complete nobodies over characters with actual personality. :facepalm:

do you actually have good reasons about why you want them? skin color is not a good reason why a character should be in smash...
i find this a risky thread tbh..it so easy for drama and misunderstandings to happen here.
Have you seen my support for Doc Louis?!

https://smashboards.com/threads/ex-heavyweight-boxing-champion-doc-louis-for-smash-switch.453704/
 

Oddball

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I don't think Michael Chain or Kate Alen are anybody's choices for a second F-Zero rep, but I think they could both be interesting to play as.



 

Lenidem

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They're not uninteresting, but A LOT of F-Zero racers are much more important and/or interesting than those two.
 
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Oddball

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They're not uninteresting, but A LOT of F-Zero racers are much more important and/or interesting than those two.
I'll agree with that as well.

Another decent choice would be John Henry from Codename STEAM. Still, if he does get included it would most likely be as a echo or Henry Flemming and what are the chance we'd ever get TWO Codename STEAM characters?
 

Crystanium

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The way you describe the darkness of the skin, reminds me of LEGO Batman and his obsession with the color black. Especially that line where he says, “i use a really, really, really dark grey.” This is pretty ridiculous.
Okay. I don't see the problem, though. Dark skin isn't equivalent to black people.
 

PhantomShab

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How about a character get's in on their own merits instead?

Also our inevitable ARMS character will be Springman. Never played the game myself, but it's not rocket science to see the only reason why Twintelle is so popular lol.
 

BlackInk

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No it's not. Don't spout informal fallacies if you're not going to demonstrate why it's such.
Maybe it’s because YOU ARE USING IT.
Okay. I don't see the problem, though. Dark skin isn't equivalent to black people.
The only darker skin I see is Dark Pit's third color palette, and that could be seen as a Spaniard. (The same is with Pokémon Trainer.) SmashWiki says Dark Pit's Japanese name is "Black Pit", but that's likely referring to Dark Pit's character, not his skin color.
Lol. Don’t play a game you can’t win.
 

YoshiandToad

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How about a character get's in on their own merits instead?

Also our inevitable ARMS character will be Springman. Never played the game myself, but it's not rocket science to see the only reason why Twintelle is so popular lol.
It'd also be really weird to have one of the few characters who don't fight with their arms be the character to represent, well, ARMS.
 

UserKev

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How about a character get's in on their own merits instead?

Also our inevitable ARMS character will be Springman. Never played the game myself, but it's not rocket science to see the only reason why Twintelle is so popular lol.
I actually don't look at Twintelle in terms of what she may appeal to it because then I can't exactly take her seriously. She's just one of those recent successful darkskin characters you have to take or nay.

If neither, Doc Louis is all really want.
 

Crystanium

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Maybe it’s because YOU ARE USING IT.


Lol. Don’t play a game you can’t win.
So a Spaniard is a black person? What about Mexicans? Maybe Greeks? Believe it or not, just because someone has dark skin doesn't mean they're black. Black people have dark skin, but not all dark-skinned people are black. If you agree with this, then I don't see why you're taking issue. Next time you should learn what a no true Scotsman fallacy is before you try (mis)using it. I'd also recommend you recuse yourself from this thread, since it appears you're taking this personally.
 

BlackInk

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So a Spaniard is a black person? What about Mexicans? Maybe Greeks? Believe it or not, just because someone has dark skin doesn't mean they're black. Black people have dark skin, but not all dark-skinned people are black. If you agree with this, then I don't see why you're taking issue. Next time you should learn what a no true Scotsman fallacy is before you try (mis)using it. I'd also recommend you recuse yourself from this thread, since it appears you're taking this personally.
You’re the one getting trolled.
 

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Given the sensibility of this topic, it should go without saying that you should be careful before clicking the "post reply" button. Please use the "report" option to request Staff assistance.

If you wish to discuss this beyond it's relation to Smash Bros. please use the Serious Discussion board.
 

Ryu Myuutsu

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So people are now choosing characters in Smash based on their skin color? Yikes! But hey, that's progressive thinking for ya, right?

The premise of this topic is very dumb. Diversity needs not to be forced but to occur naturally. A character should be picked based on who they are rather than by the color of their skin. People talk about this as if it is a problem that Nintendo, a Japanese developer, needs to address. Japan has its own culture, so I don't know why some need to project their own ideals into Smash for a diverse cast.

Japan gives zero ****s about getting on the bad side of oversensitive people, unlike in the west. They have a different view on race, religions and other things which is why they can get away with releasing a game like Shin Megami Tensei (that game wouldn't have seen the light of day if it was released by western developers back then) in their country or having a character named Satan in a children's cartoon.
 

UserKev

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So people are now choosing characters in Smash based on their skin color? Yikes! But hey, that's progressive thinking for ya, right?

The premise of this topic is very dumb. Diversity needs not to be forced but to occur naturally. A character should be picked based on who they are rather than by the color of their skin. People talk about this as if it is a problem that Nintendo, a Japanese developer, needs to address. Japan has its own culture, so I don't know why some need to project their own ideals into Smash for a diverse cast.

Japan gives zero ****s about getting on the bad side of oversensitive people, unlike in the west. They have a different view on race, religions and other things which is why they can get away with releasing a game like Shin Megami Tensei (that game wouldn't have seen the light of day if it was released by western developers back then) in their country or having a character named Satan in a children's cartoon.
Because intelligent users just love to perceive something as dumb for their ego, huh? Thought I made it clear the thread is addressing the opposite, I guess it ended up a dump topic in the end.

If a cultural indifference is really a serious matter, why would they even create these characters and waste time? Lets have darker skin characters for this game, but they will never be in this game. What was even the point then? As cultural inaccurate they may be to Japan, some of these said characters most likely ended up having SOME! Japanese fans in some capacity.

But, lets just drop this topic because clearly, NEVER MIND.
 

Porygon2

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Ganondorf is essentially an Arabic/Middle Eastern character. But yes, the games of Smash are primarily influenced by Japanese/Western culture. I'd welcome explorations of other cultures becoming big games and, by extension, part of the Smash fold (Fire Emblem seems like a prime candidate for this), but representation based solely on skin color is little more than a kind of "bigotry of low expectations".

You can also RP/anthro the various non-human characters any way you please. I imagine Falco as a black guy thanks to Fox in Space.
 

UserKev

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I don't want to necro this topic because I know it may spark some controversy, but this is one of the more unique Smash topics.

I'm convinced real candidates with Nintendo power are Doc Louis, Elma and Rodin.
 
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