Gender locked race?

[Gwenorai]

I don't think you're considering a potential story element they could be using with that particular burning wood. Male Viera are already very rare and staunch defenders of the wood. If a significant threat were to approach the woods, it would make sense for them to gather to defend it, no? And if that so happens to gather the majority of those already rare males into one spot to defend their home? Then a sudden massive inferno would make short work of them potentially. This would be a powerful story hook that would not only give female viera a tragic element if the vast majority of their already small male population was eradicated, but would further solidify even more of an excuse to not include playable male Viera.

We know SE isn't afraid to gut punch the players with tragic stories, after all.

If that happened then Ooff, I think the females have a huge problem on their hands than isn't just the loss of the wood. They're going to end up going the way of panda - well, barring halfbreeds of course.

But even with that, it wouldn't eliminate the chance of there being a playable male. Due to the whole time bubble. The male Viera would have left the wood before the blaze and the huge destruction. I mean - come to think on it. Isn't the story of ARR to Stormblood around a year? A year is very recent and especially goes with the past tense that the dramaturge uses regarding Viera - especially with the dramaturge being Yasumi Matsuno.

And while I'm not 100 percent confident because ah, the fickleness of man, I am very much certain that the concept artists of the game as well as Yasumi Matsuno - the creator of Viera - to come up with a male image that he likes. The lion head speculation - since it was a literal lion head seems to make a lot of sense and goes with previous concept art shown.

And of course, them saying 'this is the last race' makes me wary to the idea that they'd just slap in another with zero hints of another coming. There has been zero hints of Ronso or Rev - and they're already established.

And last but not least and the big stretch question.
If Yoshida doesn't like male rabbits, why wear a Bugs bunny shirt? Why didn't he wear a Lola Bunny shirt - the female counterpart to Bugs? I mean there's bound to be shirts of her - a whole generation of young lads had a thing for Lola - space jam anyone? Heck, why didn't he wear a Tsukuyomi shirt?

xD Stupid question but you know, food for thought.