POC representation

[NessaWyvern]

Yes and no. They will draw characters with what we interpret as "white features" but it's not necessarily intended that way. (And weather the origins, at this point it's just how it works.)

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Mukokuseki

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/...-white/340084/


On a similar vein, a while back I attended a talk by a picture-book illustrator and she talked about how one of her books had gone well internationally because people would look at the simply-drawn girl and assume it was "someone like them" - she didn't look like any race in particular, but people assumed their own.

So, according to the articles you referenced, it's either 1. To make characters look distinct, or 2. Japanese animators are appropriating "exotic" features from other races. And I still think it's weird, because the Mukokuseki article, states that they deliberately give Japanese people the "white" features, because they think it looks more desirable, whilst giving Korean and Chinese characters "Yellow skin and smaller eyes".

And you can't really blame people for interpreting the features as "white" for characters who have eye colours that is Blue/green/grey and hair that is blonde/red/brown whilst also having pale skin, as this is typically seen in people of European descent, and not often seen elsewhere.

I grew up watching Inu Yasha, where most characters did have Black hair and dark eyes (minus the demons), and you could tell the characters apart, so it can be done, but for some reason most anime don't do it.

Anyway, back to the OP's statement, the characters are like that due to cultural stuff in Japan, and since Final Fantasy games are primarily targeted at Japanese audiences, that's why you don't see many features from other races, besides Japanese and "white". It is what it is.