Lack of "black" hairstyles

[myahele]

There are some "black" hairstyles availble now:the braids, that afro/mohawk, dreadlocks (but thats for females)I'm sure there'll be more in the future

[Sho86]

This was entertaining to read, by the end of reading all the debating the "Team America" song popped up in the back of my head lol....

[QiLymePye]

Actually Welsper, if you took my whole quote, what i was saying is that its not an excuse to say that they haven't been exposed to other cultures so they don't know how to conceive that cultures look. I'm not saying that Japan has this issue with not putting black people in their game. What I'm saying is that the notion that they don't do so is because they cant "conceive" what they look like is bullshit. I brought up the afro because i like afros, but they have used them before. Hell, a lot of the hairstyles they have in this game can be classified as "comedic" not just hairstyles worn by blacks. My problem is that in this world where everyone, especially the dev teams, have access to the internet and google, you can find many pictures of many black people, famous or otherwise. That's like saying because I've never been to japan, I don't know what hairstyles the Japanese wear, so I'm not putting in anything even though i can acces pics on internet, access videos. lame excuse. Id rather hear that they just dont want to use them instead.

[Welsper59]

Actually Welsper, if you took my whole quote, what i was saying is that its not an excuse to say that they haven't been exposed to other cultures so they don't know how to conceive that cultures look. I'm not saying that Japan has this issue with not putting black people in their game. What I'm saying is that the notion that they don't do so is because they cant "conceive" what they look like is bullshit. I brought up the afro because i like afros, but they have used them before. Hell, a lot of the hairstyles they have in this game can be classified as "comedic" not just hairstyles worn by blacks. My problem is that in this world where everyone, especially the dev teams, have access to the internet and google, you can find many pictures of many black people, famous or otherwise. That's like saying because I've never been to japan, I don't know what hairstyles the Japanese wear, so I'm not putting in anything even though i can acces pics on internet, access videos. lame excuse. Id rather hear that they just dont want to use them instead.

Your last sentence was actually the point of that... though yours was a lot more bluntly stated lol. This is a game tailored for the Japanese market, first and foremost... no matter how much someone might want that to not be true, it just is. It's not that they can't conceive the idea, but that it's not seen in the same light as it would be to you or me. The most common form of exposure to the afro in Japan is, as I mentioned, a tired old comedy gimmick, one that does not have much demand among the consumer base, meaning it'd see minimal use among their priority market (not worth doing for now). Mind you, I'm not trying to say that they refuse to add it in or anything, but that it's just not as prevalent of a concern or common idea. It's just NOT something to think about as a normal concern in Japan for anyone there. What's common sense to you might not be common sense to someone in another country, and vice versa.

Simply put, the more popular fashion examples are what's most important to them visually, rather than spreading the love. This is a big reason why you don't see them taking the time to add in these things in quick fashions (among other reasons like possible graphical issues or disliked methods of blending). Also consider the fact that along with these reasons, the races are not human. There might not exactly be a "black" category of peoples. In fact, a full fledged afro could very well be genetically impossible for them lol. Kinda ridiculous to fall back on, but hey... it's a bunch of fake species/races. Still though, it'd be nice to see but as I said, it's just not something they can see as an option worth doing (due to lack of actual exposure and the cultures visually popular priorities).

I guess a reference example would be the Asian housing items being added in. Would you expect a western game to add in something like a kotatsu? Perhaps a kadomatsu to ring in the new year? Probably not. Both of those are 100% common sense items to people in Japan, there's likely no person living in Japan that hasn't learned of either of those since they were children. Not so much to people in other parts of the world though.

[Korilynn]

Simply put, the more popular fashion examples are what's most important to them visually, rather than spreading the love. This is a big reason why you don't see them taking the time to add in these things in quick fashions (among other reasons like possible graphical issues or disliked methods of blending). Also consider the fact that along with these reasons, the races are not human. There might not exactly be a "black" category of peoples. In fact, a full fledged afro could very well be genetically impossible for them lol. Kinda ridiculous to fall back on, but hey... it's a bunch of fake species/races. Still though, it'd be nice to see but as I said, it's just not something they can see as an option worth doing (due to lack of actual exposure and the cultures visually popular priorities).

It's not ridiculous to fall back on, because it's true. It's just not something those of the NA market like to hear.

[Terin]

I totally support more variety. The Leader of the Immortal Flames, for example (I forget his actual name), he has a hairstyle that could easily work for a "black" character, yet also work for a lighter-skinned one, too. Not everyone wants silky-smooth hair; a bit of gruffness, various kinds of braids, maybe even wirey textures, would all add to the sense of customization. Even if you forsaken those options, simply by existing, your character becomes more unique.

[Domira]

There are no black hairstyles or facial features, its disappointing but expected since this is a Japanese game.

[lxChrisxl]

just another thread where people can't realize their world experiences doesn't equal every ones experience. they'll never grasp that google does not show the same things for every country, they'll never grasp that countries do things different and aren't a melting pot and they'll never grasp that the same teams that do one final fantasy game is not the same team that does another final fantasy game.

[Ilitsa]

I could do with less 'little girl' hairstyles for women. Pigtails, headbands, etc. Again, I think it is the Japanese cultural influences at work here, but I like my characters to look like grown women. No one I know over the age of six wears pigtails of any length.

I wear my hair in pigtails at least once a week just about. If I decide to wear a mini skirt and leggings, I usually throw on a Band/character tshirt and a hoodie and throw my hair up in either a ponytail or pigtails (usually go for the pigtails cuz they're cuter imo, sometimes a twinbraid). I'm a perfectly grown woman, I don't see how a hairstyle has to do with anything in that regard though

[Spellbinder]

This is precisely what I've been saying. WHITE people get stopped on the street and asked to pose for pictures in many areas. We called it the "Unicorn Phenomenon."
It's almost impossible for Americans to even comprehend because our culture is so mixed. Theirs isn't.
Hell I've met some people from Asian nations (not Japan) that didn't even realize green was a natural eye color until they met me.

I'm not trying to take a side in this argument or anything, but I thought this might be interesting to share.


I'm African American and I've been living in Japan for about five years now. One thing I've found very curious, although it didn't happen often, I've been asked a question such as this by newly made aquaintances when my hair was longer:

Friend: Oh, I like your hair.
Me: Thanks.
Friend: I was wondering, how much does it cost to have it done like that?
Me: What do you mean?
Friend: Well, it's so curly.
Me: Oh, my hair is naturally like this.
Friend: Really!? Could I touch it?

Long story short, a lot of the Japanese people I meet don't realize that people of African descent have naturally curly hair, and I'm inclined to believe it's a general perception amongst many people here.

I live in a house shared with a number of Japanese people (and a great bunch of people at that). I used to keep my hair in twists, but God help me if I should take them aloose and wear an afro for a day or two. You couldn't keep them away from touching it.