Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Tsuki Character Design Controversy

About

The Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Tsuki Character Design Controversy* refers to a controversy surrounding the design of the character Tsuki (Dahlia in English) in the 2017 action role-playing game Xenoblade Chronicles 2, specifically involving her large breasts and posture.

Background

On December 1st, 2017, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was released for the Nintendo Switch. In the game, players can unlock the rare Blade character Tsuki in the Japanese version or Dahlia in the English version (shown below).

On December 2nd, Twitter user @botwzelink^[1] tweeted a screenshot of the character Tsuki along with a message criticizing her design as "ugly" and "misogynistic." Within four days, the tweet gained over 6,300 likes and 2,800 retweets.

Developments

Online Reaction

On December 3rd, Twitter user @FourScore64^[2] tweeted a video parodying the controversy by placing a Pepsi can in between her breasts. Within 72 hours, the tweet gained over 18,000 likes and 8,400 retweets.

some label this as a character with unrealistic proportions and an overall bad design, but I see a lot of untapped potential that could've been used to make something magnificent pic.twitter.com/KeuZGXf86V

— Shane (@FourScore64) December 4, 2017

On December 4th, Redditor RexVAGorgeous submitted a picture of an in-game depiction of Dahlia to /r/Xenoblade_Chronicles,^[4] referring to her as T H I C C (shown below, left). On December 5th, Twitter user @mombot^[3] posted a redesign of the character based off of actor Danny Devito (shown below, right). Within 24 hours, the tweet gained over 3,100 likes and 950 retweets. That day, the internet humor site Dorkly^[6] published a listicle highlighting humorous reactions to the character design.

Search Interest

External References