Board 8 > I rank 155 characters by visual design [ranking] [part 3] [the top 28!]

(+) Yeah! (+)

20. Chun-Li (Street Fighter II)
Bitto

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/8355fae8.jpg

As I said in Guiles writeup, basically any Street Fighter II character does well in this ranking, and Chun-Li is probably near the top of the list from that game. As the Street Fighter Wiki helpfully offers up, Chun-Li wears a type of Chinese dress called a qipao, but hers is modified for combat purposes. This is a wonderful fusion of her cultural heritage and her warriors spirit. Shes also got white boxing boots and brown pantyhose that accentuates her legs. Her hair is in an ox horn style. Her spiked bracelets are designed for intimidation and strength training, because shes often the only woman in these fighting tournaments. Her muscular thighs seem to stem from a kink of her designer, Akira Akiman Yasuda; regardless of origin, theyve become an identifying part of her design.

The Wikipedia article for qipao is absurdly long and I didnt read the whole thing, but it clearly has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture. It therefore makes sense that Chun-Li would pay tribute to it but also put her own unique spin on it, as shes a trailblazer for both her country and for women worldwide.

You can put this outfit on any other character and it will be clear youre referencing Chun-Li, the strongest woman in the world, as Jackie Chan demonstrates here (timestamped but the whole thing is worth a watch):

https://youtu.be/g3ZrNZVYywg?feature=shared&t=123

Even if you dont know the cultural context, Chun-Li is still an icon of the highest degree. Every part of her design works in terms of fusion of culture/history with pride at being a fighter/trailblazer for women. Shes awesome!

Thick thighs save lives

I've somehow never seen that City Hunter clip and I'm blown away by how pitch perfect a SF2 homage it is

Right? It was very clearly made with a lot of love for the source material.

rwlh posted...

Even if you dont know the cultural context, Chun-Li is still an icon of the highest degree. Every part of her design works in terms of fusion of culture/history with pride at being a fighter/trailblazer for women. Shes awesome!

Everything about this paragraph screams Rosie must be next.

19. Pomni (The Amazing Digital Circus)
Pirateking2000

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/7f090ec6.jpg

Pomni is a cartoonish humanoid jester. She wears standard jester clothes of red and blue, with yellow buttons and fringe, a floppy jesters cap, and mismatched boots of red and blue. Pretty straightforward stuff.

The biggest selling point in Pomnis design, however, is her incredibly expressive face. Behold this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkXhKu80CWU

Pomnis asymmetrical eyelashes and flexible eyebrows go a long way toward conveying the fundamental emotion of the character: anxiety. Shes trapped in a horrifying state of being with seemingly no way out, and she reacts in a very relatable way. Her pupils can also change from her standard pinwheel design to a scribble when shes especially anxious. The inherent whimsy of the jester archetype is subverted by the fundamental anxiety underpinning her personality. I do wonder if there are clown/jester designs that actually try to go for the non-subverted approach of this person is actually funny in a goofy way and not this person is a serial killer or a gross eldritch monstrosity or, in Pomnis case, simply not whimsical in the intended way.

Pomni was originally much lower, like around the 50s or 60s, but I kept returning to her design. If you just see the still image, you might not be as impressed, but watch some clips and you may be just as charmed by her as I am.

Damn, you weren't supposed to upload another one yet...
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/62afa700.jpg

Pancham putting the "champ" part of its name to work.

Okay, well, I guess we're doing this...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/94431f6d.jpg

while that digital circus clip helped me realize how unhinged it is (in a good way) i still am on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to pomnis design

i hereby declare this list reversed - congratulations edea kramer, we knew you could do it

Pomni is one of those I just don't "get"

rwlh posted...

I do wonder if there are clown/jester designs that actually try to go for the non-subverted approach of this person is actually funny in a goofy way

My first thought is Sylvando

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/82863654.jpg

Nice broke into the top 20!

18. Eurydice (Hades)
Bane_Of_Despair

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/66599ef8.jpg

Holy colors, Batman!

WOW is this design colorful. Virtually every color of the rainbow is represented in striking ways. This character has gold in her hair; a yellow-green-purple shawl; acorn-shaped containers of varying colors; multiple tattoos; and several additional accessories.

Thats not even the biggest aspect of her design! The big takeaway is that Eurydice is an oak nymph, so her design is full of tree imagery: leaf earrings, those acorn containers, and most prominent, her hair, which is shaped like a tree but is also shaped like an afro. The effect is simply stunning. Her tattooed skin also has the look of tree bark. They really went all in!

We even get a sense of Eurydices personality. A very firm attitude of carefreeness emerges shes barefoot and kind of hippie-ish but also a world-weariness, a sense of being wise to the worldboth of which can be characteristics of trees.

In a lesser design this all would give off the impression of being overdesigned, overpopulated with too many details. Yet Eurydice brings it all together in one complete package. It helps that its all centered around one specific theme. Compare to some of the earlier drops with a bunch of details thrown in all willy-nilly. With Eurydice, everything feels purposeful, and on top of it all, its gorgeous to look at. Very impressive!

Eurydice's design is so much better without Orpheus in the picture.

Farewell....to all the earthly remains...
No burdens...no further debts to be paid...
Atlas can rest his weary bones
The weight of the world, all falls away in time

Hades is a game of many amazing character designs.

Eurydice is not one of them.

Between the chest wrap and the branch-pipe-thing, Eurydice reads as extremely Japanese to me. I have no idea if that's intentional, but it is really cool. I also love the acorn pouches.

Nightcrawler... I don't love that face. I usually associate him with a much softer expression, which feels more him (and also plays in nicely with the contrasts you pointed out).

The Jackie Chan video of Chun Li, as perfect as it is, reminds me how weird her celebration animation is. It's so very girly, whereas the rest of her design is trying to be masculine and muscular. I wish either we got that girliness in other aspects, or that she does a little happy hop and then tries to hide it behind a more aggressive veneer, or just something else entirely. I dunno. I'm nitpicking the character I absolutely always picked in SF2 so >_>

I have no memory of non-imp Midna and perhaps this is for the best!

I enjoy Eurydice's design, and I'm apparently in the minority here because I really love Pomni's design.

Love Eurydice's design. I wonder if there's any concept art of her in other seasons.

Chaeix posted...

i hereby declare this list reversed - congratulations edea kramer, we knew you could do it

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c8da2407.jpg

17. Klonoa (Klonoa 2)
sergiocornaga

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/ccf8bc5f.jpg

Some of you all tried to give me some Pancham-adjacent characters: cute furry/anthros with big personalities. Some of you werent as successful as others.

But I cant say no to Klonoa.

Klonoa is a company mascot primarily utilized in platformers. He has the big head/short body dynamic common to characters of his type. He rocks a lot of primary colors: yellow gloves, red shoes, blue shirt/shorts/hat (with of course a yellow Pac-Man design). His fur is black with a white muzzle, and he has yellow, slitted cat-like eyes (Klonoa being of the cabbit species of cat-rabbit family). Like many cute animal characters in the ranking, he has one little fang that pokes out.

This one is so important that it gets its own paragraph: I believe Klonoa is the highest ranked design with an impractical zipper. Well done, kid! (Seriously, this one is even more egregious because its not even connected to anything.)

The Klonoa 2 design was nominated. This works out well for him, as his original design wouldnt fare too well:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/ecbc5f88.jpg

I don't understand the fashion choice of wearing a belt for a shirt, particularly when you already have a perfectly good belt around your waist. A wise choice indeed to nominate the sequel design.

Klonoas design was intended to give off a childlike and energetic quality and I would say they succeeded admirably. Hes so buoyant in this art, just bouncing off the walls; both childhood and energy are well conveyed.

The only thing Im not as into for Klonoa? Ive never been in a big fan of the ears. This reflects my general dislike of the twintail style, which has played out in other nominations. But everything else is so strong that it doesnt bother me too much. Hes fun and conveys his personality so strongly, its hard not to get swept up.

I love bunnies so the big floppy bunny like ears are a big bonus in my eyes

Ahhhhh well I'll take a top 20 appearance, glad you loved Eurydice's design! I also love it clearly, and I definitely wanted Hades representation for this topic series since the artstyle and characters for the game are so goddamn strong. The afro being a tree is what initially made me fall in love, and then everything else comes together so nicely like you described!

PrinceKaro posted...

Hades is a game of many amazing character designs.

Eurydice is not one of them.

Imagine outing yourself with something like this holy wow

I don't get Karo's opinion, but I don't really get yours, either.

Ok then you don't get things I guess, cool?

Yeah uh, what's the problem with her design exactly? I can see people finding a bit too busy and colourful I guess, but that's it.

Obviously Eurydice's design could only be improved by the addition of several belts and zippers.

/j

Was secretly hoping Klonoa would make it further. Great game and character

skulltrumpets posted...

Yeah uh, what's the problem with her design exactly? I can see people finding a bit too busy and colourful I guess, but that's it.

garish and clashing colors, looks like she got dressed with her eyes closed, wearing broccoli dipped in cheez whiz as a hat

PrinceKaro posted...

wearing broccoli dipped in cheez whiz as a hat

LMAO, I CANT UNSEE IT!

kl'boa

16. Rauru (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)
Paratroopa1

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d6e1c429.jpg

And now we have a cool lookin goat dude. Rauru uses a muted color pallet to great effect: lots of grays and blacks and golds. He wears an upper garment that shows off his shoulders and belly, and a lower garment with some sort of loincloth. He has a ton of ear piercings and a magic, glowing arm and a third fuckin eye on his forehead and an absolutely massive mane of hair that flows to his bare feet.

Hes a lot.

Rauru is a unique design for this topic. I compare him most heavily to Eurydice in the supernatural entities with lots of cool shit going on, but Raurus aesthetic is all his own. Hes a Zonai, a unique creature I dont recognize from Zelda lore. Zonai were said to be descendants of the gods, with long ears like Hylians (so they could hear the gods) but also fur. The designs on his clothing are old Zonai runes or something.

The thing that makes Rauru stand out the most to me yes, even more than everything else I just mentioned is the overall vibe. Its the vibe of unknowable cosmic being. But unlike other cosmic beings like, say, Aku or even Saya, Rauru doesnt have an element of horror embedded. His unknowability is cause for worship, not terror. He commands majesty and respect in a profound way. It helps that the art shows him levitating, but even without that, he gives off the impression that hes somebody who can be of great help to you though woe to you if you cross him. Relatedly, he also comes off as wise (see the third eye), but not necessarily as somebody youd turn to for compassion. He reminds me of an Old Testament angel, and its neat to see an established series like Zelda portray a being like him.

As someone who hasn't played a Zelda since Majora, that is a cool looking dude.

Behind on discussion! My sister who knows nothing about fighting games knows Chun-Li. That design is evergreen.

That is one green goat dude.

We're in the top 15 now and I think at this point, I can't see any other scenario where Sonic and Scourge don't drop back to back.

MysteriousStan posted...

We're in the top 15 now and I think at this point, I can't see any other scenario where Sonic and Scourge don't drop back to back.

I've been wondering which one will end up placing ahead of the other.

Bane_Of_Despair posted...

Ok then you don't get things I guess, cool?

More like I think it's a dick move to call Karo out like that, as though something he said was shameful. I like Eurydice, but broccoli topped in cheese whiz is not an inaccurate assessment of her headpiece. It's a very busy design and even if I don't agree, I certainly see where they're coming from.

And I didn't think I needed to spell all that out, but then you decided to take a stab at me, too.

And yea you really didn't because you didn't need to take my post so seriously, like saying "outting yourself" and "holy wow" lol, was actually trying to be playful with it. Obviously it's not going to be a home run for everyone, literal no design can be even if 99.9% might love it.

So good job being the one to be a dick in the end my dude

ANYWAY with those shenanigans out of the way

I haven't played Tears of the Kingdom yet but Rauru has my attention

Also Klonoa is peak cute mascot character

Context on the internet. It doesn't come across.

I know character designs are very serious business and all, but let's try to keep things civil in here, okay friends?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/b78f0a19.jpg

15. Lap Sap Chung (Keep Hong Kong Clean)
handsomeboy2012

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/0e8066bf.jpg

Among the characters unknown to me prior to the ranking, Lap Sap Chung has one of the most fascinating histories. This monsters name translates into Rubbish Lizard or, perhaps more literally, Litter Bug. He was rolled out in Hong Kong in 1972 as part of a government campaign to curtail littering. The character would function as a kind of deterrent, like you dont want to be like Lap Sap Chung, you need to throw your trash away! His scraggly design, off-putting color scheme, pointy tail, and robbers mask all make him seem like one unsavory goober.

But something curious happened over time. It turned out that Hong Kong couldnt hate Lap Sap Chung. He was too lovable to be seen as a public menace. So he was rebranded as a cleanup creature! In that sense, maybe you could argue that he failed at his intended design. He might even belong in last place then! What other character is so against their original purposes that they need to be retooled to meet new social expectations?

I dont think thats accurate though. On some level, Lap Sap Chung was very effective: he got people talking about trash in a way they hadnt before. Its possible to have alternate character interpretations that still fit characters designs. This guy was too cute and lovable to be a bad guy, so he and the rest of society adapted. Characterization marches on, and sometimes so too must design.

I read quite a few articles about Lap Sap Chung. Hes really a fascinating part of a culture I have no experience with. Theres a lot of intersection with British colonialism the character was designed by British cartoonist Arthur Hacker, and unlike other campaigns toward Hong Kong citizens, Hacker chose not to portray residents as inherently dirty or unclean. Instead the focus was on the collective duty of everyone to clean up. Despite being a gross, unpleasant character on paper (he would spit and smoke in advertisements), Lap Sap Chung became especially popular with children, who seemed to spearhead his rehabilitation.

This is a large part of why I love ranking topics: these weird, rabbit-hole diversions. I genuinely feel like I learned something big about another culture in another time period, and I got a great design out of the package. Really stellar, creative nomination; happy to see this one do so well.

I think he works just fine for his original purpose of being off-putting and an "unsavory goober."

While trying to find a picture for my nomination I came across this rather sad scene.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a1741345.jpg

I think the original purpose works well too - there were TV commercials of people beating it up to stop it throwing trash around. But adjust the design a little and you can also promote a cuter version that kids like.

Rauru's design is absolute peak. It's nice to see a goat-like character with an aura of light and divine wisdom for once.

Lap Sap Chung is such a qt pie I'll never litter again so I don't disappoint him

Sheep007 posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/b78f0a19.jpg

link is looking in a different directly than Green Goat Guy in the upper right panel.

this bothers me immensely and now it will bother you too!!!

14. Bowser (Bowsers Fury)
@MonstaDash

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/286a484b.jpg

One of the things I most gravitated toward in the ranking was characters who had a lot of presence. Characters who, if they walked into a room, you would notice. Of course, youd notice if Fury Bowser walked into a room because hed knock the whole building over, but you know what I mean.

Bowsers Fury is a video game where the threat of Bowser is omnipresent. He is always lurking in the background, waiting to go off on a timer where hell cause massive destruction. He is an absolute force of nature, reminiscent of a kaiju. All traces of humanity are gone from Bowser in this form: he is all black with spikes, his trademark red mane of hair, and no pupils. He is walking death incarnate. He will fuck you up and ruin your day, and the design makes that very clear.

Fury Bowser reminds me a lot of the final boss of Yoshis Island, which gives off similar vibes of giant monster who just wants to destroy you. He also reminds me of Shin Akuma from Street Fighter for the same reasons. But Fury Bowser is his own beast. Notably Ive never played Bowsers Fury so I might be wrong on this, but Im pretty sure Im right you cant ever truly defeat him. You can only temporarily stop him. He always comes back. And again, the design perfectly conveys that monstrous edge.

As an aside, Bowser is the only repeat from my previous ranking, on fictional friends. He did much better here. lol