Ms. Male Characters

The Big Daddies from Bioshock are genetically-enhanced humans who are grafted into enormous diving suits. The primary purpose of the lumbering beings is to protect young girls called Little Sisters who were conditioned to harvest a substance that is used as a canvas for genetic modification. After the Little Sisters grow up and become increasingly unstable and confrontational, some of them are converted into Big Sisters. Much like their former protectors, Big Sisters are tasked with escorting Little Sisters and are defined by their hulking diving suits. They aren’t actually grafted into the suits, however, so they can potentially take them off. Fashion moves fast, so I guess the Big Sisters didn’t want to be defined by a single outfit. In any case, Big Sisters are even scarier than their male counterparts.

Giant Boulder of Death takes the concept of a distaff counterpart to ridiculous extremes. The game’s premise revolves around a vengeful rock that roles down mountains and flattens anything (and anyone) in its path. The reason the boulder is so angry in the first place is because his girlfriend was chiseled into a statue in honor of a General who lived in a nearby mountain town. The game is light on exposition and dialogue, but you could tell that the maltreated boulder was a girl because it was pink and wore a pretty bow on it’s head. I have seen the female boulder described as a negative reinforcement of social norms, but Giant Boulder of Death is completely aware of itself and there’s no reason to take it more seriously than it takes itself. Who gets worked up over a bow-wearing boulder?

A female send-up of CommanderVideo, CommandgirlVideo was first seen as a background character in BIT.TRIP RUNNER and a power-up in BIT.TRIP FATE before she finally broke the glass ceiling and became a playable character in Runner2 alongside other new characters like Whetfahrt Cheeseborger and Reverse Merman. CommandgirlVideo is the only female to appear in the BIT.TRIP series thus far, but she’s just as capable as any man. Some will try to underplay her accomplishments because she wears a pretty bow and a frilly dress, but she has the exact same moves as CommanderVideo and shouldn’t be reduced to the clothes she wears. If a WNBA player had the same skills as Michael Jordan, they would be universally praised for their talents.

Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII is arguably the most iconic figure in the entire series, so it’s not surprising that he would be used as the basis for other characters. Creator Motomu Toriyama conceived Lightning as a strong female protagonist who was adept at combat and less feminine than previous Final Fantasy heroines, and character designer Tetsuya Nomura was specifically instructed to create a female version of Cloud. Lightning is her own person and has been the focal point of multiple games, but her cold personality, military background, and weather-based name are clear references to Cloud. The similarities between the two characters were made even more apparent when Lightning was given Cloud’s outfit and iconic Buster Sword in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

The characters in Konami’s anime-inspired Bombergirl look like they were imported from Neptunia rather than being based on earlier Bomberman games. In contrast, Pretty Bomber was clearly created in the likeness of Bomberman and has been a recurring character in the series for decades. (Over the years, she has been known as Ms. Flashy, Cute Pink, Karaoke Bomber, and Sexy Bomber.) Pretty Bomber has been depicted as a friend and even a love interest for Bomberman, but she was originally one of his adversaries. Adorned with pink clothing and a sizable heart emblem, Pretty Bomber was a calculating opponent who used her charm (and heart-shaped bombs) to confuse her foes. Despite her competitive nature, Pretty Bomber’s generous spirit enabled her to befriend her rival.

Ms. Splosion Man was created as an homage to Ms. Pac-Man and aimed to one-up the original ‘Splosion Man in the same way that Ms. Pac-Man improved upon its predecessor. After evil researchers finally captured the aptly-named ‘Splosion Man, they accidentally created a female version when one of their experiments was contaminated by a decorative yellow bow. Ms. Splosion Man’s lipstick, eyelashes, and aforementioned bow evoked Ms. Pac-Man, and her femininity was further highlighted by her love of shoes and the color pink. (She also had a giggly personality and was occasionally troubled by her fat ass.) Ms. Splosion Man was made from the same explosive materials that her soul mate was, but she had a better handle on her abilities and even managed to escape to the outside world.

Wonder Boy was one of Sega’s biggest franchises during the 8-bit era, but the series was over 20-years-old before we were introduced to Wonder Boy’s female counterpart. The Dragon’s Trap was listed on this site as the best Master System game of all time, and developer Lizardcube updated the title in 2017 with amazing hand-drawn graphics and a bunch of new features. One of the most surprising additions was the introduction of a new character named Wonder Girl. She had the same abilities that Wonder Boy had, but her inclusion helped foster a safe environment where everyone could feel included! On a more serious note, a lot of thought went into her design. An 8-bit sprite of Wonder Girl was created for the game’s retro mode, and the title screen even changes when she is chosen by the player.

After footage of Breath of the Wild was revealed at the 2014 E3, a bizarre theory that Link was a female began gaining traction in some circles. The Zelda series was nearly 30-years-old at this point, however, so there was obviously no reason to change the gender of one of gaming’s most iconic figures. When Nintendo explained that it would make no sense for Link to suddenly be depicted as a female, the usual suspects began throwing around tired accusations of sexism and misogyny. Female Link was not meant to be, but a brand new female character was soon introduced in Hyrule Warriors Legends that borrowed design cues from Link. Linkle’s green tunic and courageous spirit are clear references to the legendary hero, but she’s far more talkative than Link ever was and has a stronger personality.

In a 1991 issue of The New York Times, essayist Katha Pollitt coined the term “Smurfette principle” to describe lone female characters who exist solely in reference to other male characters. While the male Smurfs each had unique quirks that had nothing to do with their gender, Smurfette’s defining trait was the fact that she was a girl. Toadette is not the only Toad in the Mario series with female traits, but everything from her braids to her name seems to reference Smurfette directly. Nintendo has explained that the Toads are actually a genderless race, so it’s wrong to assume Toadette’s gender based on perceived female characteristics. Toadette has her own personality and relationships, and its patently unfair to trivialize her character based on her pronouns or her association with the color pink.

Ms. Pac-Man is quite possibly the most notable example of a distaff counterpart in all of fiction. Ms. Pac-Man was originally conceived as an unlicensed Pac-Man clone, but it eventually evolved into a proper sequel and its graphics were changed to fit the Pac-Man universe. Ms. Pac-Man was given a bow, long eyelashes, and a beauty mark to differentiate her from her husband, but there were other differences that were far less superficial. During the game’s third intermission, Ms. Pac-Man welcomed a bouncing baby boy into her family. The manner in which Ms. Pac-Man was able to balance her career and her family was admirable and progressive. Centuries from now, historians will point to the release of Ms. Pac-Man as the precise moment that women achieved equality.