How To Design A Character the Square Enix Way
| Ever wonder how Square Enix approaches character design? Check out this revealing tutorial after the jump. |
-Jenni Chasteen
Tags: art, character design, featured, Game Design, parody, Square-Enix
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December 4th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Unfortunately, the Japanese idea of male beauty isn’t much different than female beauty. To them, beauty is conveyed by “innocence”. A male with long and flowing hair is considered more attractive than the western version of short hair and enhanced masculinity (sturdy jaw, short hair, muscles, a little gritty, can rip your arms off, etc.)
Square Enix has made some “westernization” of their pretty boys by giving them slightly larger muscles and some exposure of a “six pack”. However, the facial features remain just as feminine, especially the super long hair blowing in the wind look.
Since the style of Anime is purely Asian, good luck on having a western style. Frankly, if you want a western style of animation, then look to the likes of Disney, Warner Brothers, and Amblin.
Frankly, I’d love games with the Don Bluth (Disney-esque) style of animation set to an epic story like in a Square Enix game. Instead of the usual Japanese mythology centered stories of demons and bus-sized super swords, the more western styles of mythology are always relegated to the likes of WOW and Oblivion style games, which is a shame.
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Rinz reply on December 7th, 2008 7:03 pm:
Something you have completely overlooked, SuperSparky, is that originally, anime was directly influenced by western styles, such as Betty Boop and Walt Disney cartoons.
So the “style of Anime,” as you call it, isn’t purely Asian. At all.
(protip, know what you’re talking about next time you open your mouth.)
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Paul reply on December 8th, 2008 3:32 am:
“(protip, know what you’re talking about next time you open your mouth.)”
If you’ve an opposing point of view, why not give try to get it across in a slightly more grown-up fashion?
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Motion Graphics Dragon reply on December 9th, 2008 9:09 am:
Aside from the smarmy side comment, he’s right in a lot of ways. But the “Style” itself is very much based on Japanese ideals. Even if they idea of it came from older American ‘toons.
You can tell when an Anime is reflecting “American”, as they make their Characters bigger, taller, more bulky, and less “refined”. *chuckles*
Also another example of American influence is the Lodos Wars style of Enix/Square characters.
hehe. That was specificly based on a DnD game that the creators were exposed to on a trip to the US. So like all good gamers, they had to tell all about “their characters”. heh
But then some purely American animation has adopted the anime style because of its popularity. Look at Teen Titans for example. Talk about a girly physique on Robin.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
You do realize that anime was based off of Disney styled animation right?
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anon reply on December 4th, 2008 1:47 pm:
still doesn’t change the fact that it sucks.
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correction reply on December 4th, 2008 10:01 pm:
while anime was certainly influenced by disney animation (as im sure you got that from wikipedia). Charles Schulz’s Peanut cartoon in the 50s and 60s was probably a bigger influence. The cartoon was extremely popular in Japan and many artists in japan emulated and modified the style.
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shirokiryuu reply on December 7th, 2008 7:04 pm:
That’s possible, but the “modern” anime style was influenced by Osamu Tezuka, who was influenced by Disney. (i.e. the large eye style etc.). Tezuka didn’t “invent” manga, but his style was very influential. (Tezuka also published works in the 40’s-50’s as well)
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December 4th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
The bodybuilder type, like Stallone or Schwarzenegger, is a gay stereotype in Japan. For an example of this, just look at Jean Armstrong in the third Phoenix Wright game. This tends to be how they see ALL big muscular guys, not just the ones who wear pink.
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Leandro Correia reply on December 4th, 2008 2:32 pm:
Even better, search for a game called Cho Aniki (Youtube has videos about it).
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Covarr reply on December 4th, 2008 4:10 pm:
I’ve played Cho Aniki, but it doesn’t seem to be quite as mainstream as Phoenix Wright, thus my example.
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anon2 reply on December 8th, 2008 1:13 am:
even better, buy it on the wii shop. =O
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December 4th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Lol. I love Final Fantasy games, but this is so true.
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December 4th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
The Final Fantasy games are fun, but this tutorial is pretty true. I agree with Super Sparky though, an epic tale of Dragon’s Lairian proportions would be pretty bad ass. I Stumbled this by the way.
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December 4th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Thoze old disney flicks are all photoshopped anyways
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Benji reply on December 5th, 2008 8:04 pm:
Its true, I can tell by looking at the pixels.
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December 4th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
penis is always optional
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December 5th, 2008 at 1:55 am
How come you can spell asymmetrical but not midriff?
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Jenni Chasteen reply on December 5th, 2008 5:39 pm:
Because I’m an ignorant gamer. Seriously, thanks for the catch.
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December 5th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
you forgot about the horrible, horrible, horrible, voice acting
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TetraGenesis reply on December 7th, 2008 8:46 pm:
That’s usually true, but the voice acting for XII was phenomenal. Especially the voice actor for Balthier. I remember thinking multiple times, “Wow. That’s great voice acting.” I would literally stop and be actively impressed. Balthier’s character also didn’t fit the usual SquareEnix mold. He wasn’t the feminine archetype like Vaan, yet he wasn’t the “hardened” archetype like Basch, he fit a new kind of category for those games in all honesty. He was sly and charming, but definitely not feminine.
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December 5th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I always felt this way about Square’s character designs. That’s why I hate playing their newer games because they make me feel like I’m at a gay bar (they work hard and play hard). Why do they need to make them look like that? Japanese style my hind leg. They just want them to appeal to women or metrosexuals.
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Secre reply on December 6th, 2008 12:48 pm:
Read Sparky’s comment, the first comment made. It’ll answer that question.
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December 6th, 2008 at 12:04 am
The reason that they make the characters so feminine is the same reason that they did the same thing in that fucking Twilight movie. It’s so that all the little teen ditzes go “ZOMG! He’s so cute! Awwwww!” and don’t realize that they just look and act very feminine. Guys just want to beat the game mostly. This isn’t true for everyone, but all they want is to appeal to the greatest amount of people even if they really piss off a select few enough to where they don’t wan to play.
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December 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
My mommy worked for Don Bluth Studios! If you’re ever watchin A Land Before Time, my mommy coloured in those dinosaurs! Well, not all of them obviously, but some of them! as you can imagine when I was a child this was the coolest thing in the entire world to me, especially seeing her name in the credits, so when I saw someone mention Don Bluth I thought I’d share.
Now so that this comment isn’t entirely spamalicious I’d better give my opinion on the post - funny and true, but I find the androgynous style of male beauty so much more attractive than the butch style that I hope Japanese design principles never change.
There’s a mildly interesting theory that women are becoming less and less attracted to dominant, alpha-male types in a sort of evolutionary attempt to restore the power balance to women.
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Midnightbrewer reply on December 7th, 2008 7:33 pm:
First of all, the more feminine design is very Japanese, and very teen-idolesque for Japan (look at any given boy band in Japan and you’d think they’d been designed by Square Enix). Japanese men have traditionally favored longer hair, and being muscular is not part of the traditional beauty stereotype at all. I teach at a Japanese high school, and all the cool guys have longer hair and are as skinny as a rail.
FWIW, I think the Western butch look appeals more to other men than it does to women, so perhaps the Japanese equation of muscle guys being gay isn’t so far off after all.
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Motion Graphics Dragon reply on December 9th, 2008 9:17 am:
There is also a physical basis to the cultural ideal. For generations before now the Asain peoples tended more towards thinner more athletic types. Their woman were petite like dolls. (Generalization here, mind you.)
With the introduction of many Western Food products and culture, many of the woman there in this day and age are starting to look more like Western Women. More shapely with larger breasts and hips. But the genetic basis for them is still a smaller frame, leaner muscle, more whip-cord-like build. Its changing, to be sure, but it is still there.
Thus their ideal is different from ours, culturally speaking.
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December 7th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Wow, this is actually a really helpful guide. Thanks.
I’m liking the androgyny in these designs.
Cheers
Eric from Wheels and Wood
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December 7th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Nice drawings…
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December 7th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
This definitely trended more towards the actual implementation with Nomura’s designs but Amano’s male characters are every bit as androgynous as Nomura’s are. Tween girls and gay men are also not the exclusive demographics for whom this design aesthetic appeals too. Even beyond the previously mentioned Japanese cultural ideals for attractiveness it’s still perfectly valid for North American’s too one doesn’t need to be from some kind of distinctively “other” outside group to prefer this to Capt. BurlyArms von Faccestubble.
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December 7th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
When you say the belt part, really emphasize the belt part. Like belts coming out of mouths, ears, and a penis belt.
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December 7th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
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December 8th, 2008 at 1:30 am
A witty and fun post that turned into a ‘I know more than you do because I’m obsessed’ in the comments.
Very entertaining tho
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December 8th, 2008 at 2:19 am
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December 9th, 2008 at 12:12 am
This is the coolest guide ever made. not only shows the truth, but shows how asians are fucking fags. Seriously, why not making the eyes more realistic? fuck!
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Aplopsy reply on December 9th, 2008 7:13 am:
And you my friend, show us how blatantly racist you are.
Look at yourself in the mirror and look at your own flaws before you start accusing others based on your preconceived prejudices.
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December 9th, 2008 at 3:08 am
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December 9th, 2008 at 9:23 am
This is funny to be sure. Reminds me of my room mates and they jokes they made on their own character designs.
Random belts, bits, bobs, and dangling things for mages that seem to have no purpose aside from giving the animator a brain hemorrhage! Massive guns, swords, and various other weapons of mass destruction that by physics laws would never be able to be picked up in the first place. The Elvish “massively long ears of doom” (as also seen on WoW). Monsters that have less items but some how more lines and details!
and more. heh.
Ah yes. Memories.
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December 9th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
lol wow i can’t believe gpara.com featured this.
http://www.gpara.com/kaigainews/eanda/2008120901/
i find it quite funny. :3 your tutorial is very true~
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