Fire Emblem Fates, a game part of a series that is based in tactics and strategy, offers two characters with queer identities, but how do they fare as representation? Well, not as well as some might want, but they offer hope. We must openly examine representations of identities that are often underrepresented or misrepresented in order to gain a more critical analysis and understanding of what we consume, “Popular culture representations are socially constructed and thus open to critique” (Stack and Kelly, 2006, p. 17).
In Fire Emblem Fates, there are two characters who fill the quota of queer characters. There is the mysterious and alluring Niles, and Rhajat, a morbid spellcaster with an obsession with the player character. Both characters can be romanced by the male or female main character, however there are some limitations depending on which is chosen to romance. If the same gender option is chosen, then the player character will lose access to any children characters. Certain characters in the game can be ‘paired up’ through supporting dialogues and have children who add more development to the story. However, only a male and female character can gain children, and thus, any male character who romances Niles, or female character who romances Rhajat, loses access to those child characters. This is quite troubling as it seems to present an archaic idea that children can only exist in families with a mother and father, “The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines, are fearful of freedom” (Freire, 2000, p. 47). Many queer parents exist and adopt or gain children through other means. This presents a narrow viewpoint that brings a light to discrimination queer parents face often.
As for the characters themselves, they have some potential, but fall short. Niles is presented as a mysterious man who is quite flirty. Most of his supports involve flirting with other characters or using innuendos. This in itself it not an uncommon trope to see, but given he is the only bisexual male character in the game, it is troubling. Bisexual men and woman are often stereotyped to be hypersexual or unable to pick sides, to pick if they are gay or straight. He does have depth, as his interactions with the main character involve exploring their pasts and relating through the struggles they suffered through, “an openness to admitting that video games may represent and simulate complex, “mature” ideas like sex and sexuality” (Wysocki and Lauteria, 2015, p. 2). But Niles is also quite sadistic and falls into a more morally ambiguous position as he is considered part of the darker side, thus potentially moving into another trope of the evil, queer villain.
As for Rhajat, she unfortunately suffers from what could have been an interesting representation. She is involved in her studies and uses others as test subjects for her curses. She is cruel, cold and distant, but with the main character, she shows a kinder side. She does not fall into the same flirty habits that Niles displays, but she is obsessive over the main character, to the point that she is willing to kill anyone who dares to harm her romantic interest. She is placed in the trope of an obsessive woman, not uncommon in popular media today. It washes away her character development and reduces her to a an exact duplicate of the comedic trope, “It is not so much, in fact, the imitation which is the sign of an abdication, as its literalness” (Barthes, 1957, p. 53). These characters are used as an attempt to pave the way for more queer representation in Japanese games. It is a step, but there are many issues that need to be addressed before moving forward.