Bridget, Gender, Japan, and Other Controversies 

Because it would appear people don't read descriptions and instead go straight for the comments, here is the list of sources I used to make the video. I strongly urge you read at least a few of them. If you are confused by the presence of political articles, this video was originally 36 minutes with a discussion on human right violation by the Japanese government. The last section was removed due to audio copyright. Hope this helps. Strive and Bridget's inclusion: - Bridget boosts Guilty Gear Strive’s player count as the character’s gender identity becomes a hot topic automaton-media.com/en/news/2... - Arc System Works warns of fake images, in response to tweets about the bridget’s gender identity automaton-media.com/en/news/2... - dev backyard #11 - Daisuke Clarifies his intent www.dropbox.com/s/extjlcjle6q... Trans rights issues in Japan: - Japan's first trans march held in Tokyo's Shinjuku area to raise awareness on rights mainichi.jp/english/articles/... - Interview: The Invisible Struggle of Japan’s Transgender Population www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/19/i... - Misinformation on transgender women spreads in Japan, even at LDP study session mainichi.jp/english/articles/... - Why LGBT Advocates Say Bathroom 'Predators' Argument Is a Red Herring time.com/4314896/transgender-... - Ipsos international LGBT survey LGBT+ Pride 2021 Global Survey points to a generation gap around gender identity and sexual attraction | Ipsos - GID act www.hrw.org/report/2021/05/25... - GID reform Pressure www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/25/j... LGBT Rights in Japan: - Sapporo Court deems ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional www.npr.org/2021/03/17/978148... - Osaka Court Deems ban Constitutional www.npr.org/2022/06/20/110631... - Japanese LGBT undeterred time.com/6189670/japan-same-s... - Tokyo to recognize marriages but not make it legal www.washingtonpost.com/world/... - Letter to Prime Minister www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/26/l... - Japan: Introduce LGBT Equality Act Before Olympics www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/26/j... - A Gold Medal for Homophobia in Japan www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/22/g... - Japan LGBT bill Falls Short www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/07/j... - Tokyo moves to allow same-sex partnerships, but not as legal marriage www.washingtonpost.com/world/... - Sexual And Gender Minorities and Bullying in Japan (page185) books.google.com/books?hl=en&... Sexism in japan: - Why Japan Can’t shake Sexism www.bbc.com/worklife/article/... - Japan's LDP party invites women to 'look, not talk' at key meetings www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-5... - Japan Ranks 116th in 2022 Global Gender Gap Report www.nippon.com/en/articlelist... - Japanese women over 30 stay in workforce and parental benefits improve asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Japan...

when a random video essay on a fictional character has a more nuanced view on trans people and gender conformity than any of my politicians. i love the internet. good shit.

My favorate part of this video is that every section of your talking parts, background Bridget won only once in the whole video

See I don't hate Bridget because she's trans, good for her. I hate Bridget because fighting her in neutral as millia makes me want to eat metal filings.

Great video, I think lots of people forget just how long Daisuke and Arcsys by extent has been experimenting with gender and sexuality in they’re games. This is one of the few good takes I’ve seen on the matter of Bridget’s gender.

The most hilarious thing is people thinking they know Japanese and going "look! this was said therefore the English translation is false!" despite the Japanese being...literally the exact same as the English lol

When it comes to how Bridget has been written, I think there are two facets people don't talk about enough. For one thing, the way she originally was written isn't very kind representation of josou. Lots of anime and video games fall into this habit of depicting josou as something the male character is forced into: coerced into it for money, or forced to do it for some bizarre family ritual, or to go undercover, or something like that. If you look at people who really practice josou in real life, it's not like that at all. For them, it's a part of their identity and it's an artform. It's the manifestation of an ideal. The way most anime and video games depict it is very antiquated and based on an outsider's perspective of what josou is like and what it means to people who practice it; and the way Bridget is initially depicted is much the same way. Now I do think there is some wiggle room, in that art doesn't need to depict things exactly the way they are in real life to say things that are meaningful to real people - but I don't think most depictions of josou are like this. I think most of them are coming from a place of interest, but not necessarily empathy or understanding. The other thing about Bridget's depiction as trans is that, retcon or not, the way she's written does something very interesting that I almost never see in depictions of trans people. It's kind of clear by the point of -Strive- that Bridget knows she's trans and is keeping that bottled up, because she's afraid of losing the progress she's made dispelling her hometown's superstitious beliefs. If she acknowledges she's trans, then that might undo all that - because then people will say that twin boys or twin girls could still be bad luck, since she was never a "son" to begin with. And while it's a bit out-there, a lot of trans people face similar dilemmas. When you come out later in life, it's never just over and done with at that point. You've got to consider getting prescriptions for HRT. You've got to consider changing your name on official documents. You've got to consider whether friends you've known for years will stop associating with you. You've got to consider if you'll have to quit the sports team you're in, or quit your job. You're going to have to re-evaluate a lot of things, and you're going to have to question a lot of things about yourself that you took for granted. Accepting you're trans is often just the first step of a long and rocky road for a lot of people. So that's why I like the way they handled Bridget being trans. The question isn't whether or not she's trans: the question is, what is she going to do about all the stuff tied up in her gender identity? What's she going to do about her whole life so far? How is she going to negotiate all those different things with each other, and what is she going to lose? But at the end of the day, the conclusion is this: while Bridget's still got a long road ahead of her and it won't always be easy, it's better to walk that road and be true to who you are than to live a lie. Looking at it through that lens, I think Bridget is one of the better written trans characters we've gotten in a long time.

I’d LOVE to learn Strive because Bridget is not only cute, but looks like the kind of fighter I’d to play. The issue is I’d have to buy the PC version and then I wouldnt be able to play on ethernet…

Trans characters and crossdressers are already linked and swapped back and forth because a lot of "otokonoko" characters were like trans or trans coded because to many japanese mangaka without actual knowledge of the difference and AMAB in female clothing was the same. Even more modern "femboys" have these issues. Felix in the Re:Zero anime reads as a simple femboy. Ferris (Felix's chosen name) in the novels can be read as trans on non-binary coded what with them literally praying away male puberty and having a mantra about how they are a girl. Also, the idiots who view femboys as a fetish already call canon trans characters "tr*ps" like Alluka from HunterxHunter

Imma be honest. My first exposure to not just the controversy but bridget and even guilty gear as whole was from Dimitri monroe who made the video about bridget. And honestly I ate it all up mainly because I didn't know anything. I didn't really participate in any of the arguments mainly because I didn't really want to embarrass myself but I do still kinda cringe at the fact that I used to so genuinely believe that bridget wasn't trans and that her being trans was a bad thing even though at the time , some of the arguments felt off to me ? Like when people were arguing for bridget not being trans and use arguments like "bridget is bridget" it felt like an insult to my intelligence. Honestly while I still don't like the decision cuz it made me feel like an asshole for a few days I can honestly say that bridget being trans was still a good decision and no amount of me being an edgy teenager was gonna change that. Congrats bridget fans, you deserved that w Edit : wow I'm actually so happy I wrote this comment. Seriously I was worried I was some piece of shit transphobe for a while now but after writing this I felt so much closure. Like I just told myself "nah you ain't Dimitri is just cringe"

It was always strange that the "bad ending" was the one where Bridget was finally happy with herself and found self confidence thanks to supportive buff biker grandpappy. How is that a bad ending exactly? Bridget is happy with herself and gained confidence, that's character growth and caps off her entire experience with looks towards a happier and fuller future. But the one where she stays closeted and bottles it down inside her is the good one? Also, in both endings it's really REALY clear she's still trans, it's just that in one of them she actually comes out and says it. The others she just doesn't gain the courage and confidence to say what she feels with her whole chest out and just keeps it inside. It's not like she says "Actually, I feel like I'm truly just a boy, a cisgender boy and that's what I am.", what she did was just accept what she thought was right to do and not be true to and live for herself. Shows a lot when someone being trans is the "bad ending" in these people's minds.

"In the case of Strive." This guy had a way out, could've been arguing deferred to the series standard, but no! No, he singles out _the_ GG which _doesn't_ have "bad" split paths, absolutely inspiring!

I think it's important to acknowledge that the older concept of Bridget as someone who was simply expressing masculinity in a different way was something that really encouraged and helped a lot of gender-non-conforming male and non-binary people. That concept was crucial to helping me understand and come to terms with my own "Third Gender" existence, actually. A think a lot of us were just excited to see that rare and unique representation return, and the disappointment of being overshadowed as usual, but specifically by a character that once represented you so well, is a hard pill to swallow. Anybody who begrudges anyone else's representation is obviously in the wrong, and to me that includes people who seem to want to gloat over those who are no longer represented by the character. I get that this kind of conversation can be easily hijacked by bad actors who just want to hate on trans people, but that's no reason to write off those of us who were genuinely saddened by the loss of something that's been meaningful to us for so many years, something we've been able to look at that told us, "You can do this." Fortunately, there are still other somewhat similar characters, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a character quite like the original Bridget, who looked, acted, and sounded that way and presented the concept of, "This is me, I am a man, this is what me being a man is, deal with it," to a lot of us who were struggling to understand ourselves in a much, much different world from the one we see now. Some of my fondest memories were of using Bridget to express my closeted self when the character was first introduced. The character being changed does not take that from me, but the people acting like my experiences are now invalid are hurtful. I wish everyone the best with their newfound representation in the character. I've always been a friend to trans people, both personally and generally. I think the "old Bridget experience" and "new Bridget experience" should be able to coexist, as this is a fictional character whose experiences are ultimately ours. I think a lot of people feel like people like me are trying to push against real life trans experiences, but that's absolutely not the case; you get to cast off your dead name and everything attached to that phase of your life if that's what you need to do. I just don't want anyone to minimize my experiences with a character because they are now having new experiences with that character due to changes that are, of course, a natural part of storytelling. People *do* change over time, and so do characters. Just don't hate me for saying, "I'm like the old Bridget, but I respect and support people who are like the current Bridget." It's not hard for those of us who are differently-gendered to coexist, and we need camaraderie in a world where the status quo still looks down at us all with sheer disdain. I get yelled at by bigots, too, ya know? Maybe we should reserve all the attitude for dealing with them instead of tearing each other down over minor differences like there's some kind of religious schism poisoning our brains. ;p

I'm just going to say this. THANK YOU FOR PRESENTING GOOD FAITH ARGUMENTS. I mean the extended dunking on people was amusing (albeit not informative to myself) but really, what mattered to me was the addressing of the "grooming" argument and the use of "Otoknoko" and providing information I was missing. Yeah, I was on the angry at direction camp before watching this video, and I'm *glad* you actually showed me what was going on with the word usage since that was the one reason I though there was something distinctly contradictory.

This is honestly a really good video and makes a lot of sense. This makes me love Bridget more and see them as better representation than ever, even if I haven’t done anything to go through with my transition yet

As a trans person who was honestly feeling kind of upset with the mass amount of negativity towards this newly found character I can see myself in, seeing such a level headed video like this really means a lot. Thank you for being such a good voice on the topic

You mentioning Dimitri Monroe was like being hit by a concussive grenade, it was someone I had completely forgotten about that I now feel extreme agony in remembering, good video

17:13 "That's a crunchyroll level of shitty business model." I'm going to start using that freaking phrase from now on. that made me laugh so hard.

listen, I didn't know I needed Bridget to break transphobes' backboards with the power of god and anime on her side... but it's such a great visual! :)

It's wild how it's been four months since you made this vid and it continues to be relevant. Glad I found it though, it's a pretty great vid, thorough without being overly long.

damn you should've put a brainrot warning onscreen before Dimitri started talkin

Gotta love how people are calling Bridget a victim of child abuse when they probably don't even know Bridget's back story.

*"BRIDGET IS BRIDGET"*

This is a really well researched, well spoken, and well executed video. This kind of content is really appreciated, thank you

I can't believe I went from being gay for bridget to being gay for bridget. Too bad that I hate her playstyle lol, I need the paint drinking goodness of Potemkin. He probably would've been my first pick for helping her along in her arcade story, but goldlewis and ky were great.

thank you for this video, I needed it, lol, the entire conversation at the time she came out was just sick

Dimitri trying to say that Daisuke didn't have control over the story of Strive is honestly the funniest part, does he know who Daisuke is??? Yknow, the guy who has proven over and over again that GG is his pride and joy. The guy who has decided to make every character have lyrical themes, made the story basically have a movie, and probably has five games worth of story arcs already written. Daisuke has probably sold his soul to make GG, the guy is definitely very hands on with the story.

This was a well done and thought out breakdown of the situation.

I really appreciate bridget's transition and this video also, I hate seeing people create controversy over this for nothing

hey its my dunking bridget! haha, neat (also thanks for credit, i like me my image credits)

can you give like a brain damage warning whenever that dimitri dude is talking I feel like I dropped 50 cells every time

"non canon bad end" Even if it was non-canon it can still indicate real things that didn't come up in the canon,

Its amazing how the japanese character writer can directly confirm; bridget is a trans girl, she was amab but uses she/her. The scene in which she says "im a girl." Is her canonically coming out as trans. And we still have people insisting that its actually not like that at all, because five thousand years ago the character said they were a guy (trans people always know they are trans from the second they are born, and are never in the closet) and also its not canon despite what the literal writers say, and also also everyone else just doesnt know the intricate historical context of japaenese culture and linguistics (They spent ten minutes on wikipedia and used google translate) that invalidates what the f*cking japanese writer said.

Usually those who say trans people are groomers are groomers themselves

The best thing about Dimitri's video is that it showed me how stupid i was for listening to what boils down to a creepy discord e-boy with zero credibility to his name especially when he gets things so wrong in his video that he says things about "the writing doesn't matter because the localization is misrepresenting the creators" but when that was shown to be not true he moved the goalpost to "well um i actually cared about the writing and the creator is wrong" as someone who's enjoyed GG for a long time it's very frustrating to have someone who knows jack shit about it and barely touched the games try to act as some sort of arbiter for both the story and the Japanese fanbase I used to like Dimitri's videos some time ago but that video made me realize not only is Dimitri not concerned on being right and only cares about looking like he's right while conveniently bashing anything that has to do with trans people and his precious Japanese media but it also made me realize just HOW MUCH his fanbase is hard core transphobic crazy people. If you're trans or anything like that don't be fooled by people like Dimitri, their goal is to make sure you remain as an OTHER in their world. they might not say they are transphobic but their actions are to belittle the existence of them as a form of "don't ask don't tell" policy. aka we won't go after you as long as you don't act like you're the same as us. If you are then you're pandering.

amazing vid my g, very well researched and with great presentation. just found out about you, but already looking forward for more of your content.

Apparently the hobgoblin made a new video a few months back citing Vastedge, editing interviews and claiming Daisuke didn’t make Bridget after all

I really loved this video and how it breaks down the culture behind the language used, as well as delving into the perspectives how even trans people view Bridget.

I know this post seems unrelated to this topic. But this is very relatable because as a asian gamer myself orientalism still exists today more than ever, especially in video games. Its not only Daisuke Ishitawari addressed this but also Yoshi P regarding FF characters. The reason why Bridget is controversial is the lost in translation about crossdressers and drag queens. The truth is femboys arent a thing here in Asia especially in east Asia until animes. There are terms and classifications even in east Asia regarding drag queens and crossdressers. You said it yourself in that video. Femboys only become popular because of Bridget and Astolfo. In fact even in the new game of Atlus Metaphor: ReFantazio the creator himself said a interview that the main character is androgynous. Androgynous is very different from a femboy. Most Kpop boybands are androgynous but theyre definitely not femboys

you ate this argument

this is such a good vid thx for making it

8:01 Is that a femboy version of the scurblord's prayer?

20:40 Hey not all Slayer players huff glue...some of us enjoy the acquired scent of dry erase markers.

It's honestly so good that someone made a full video about the topic debunking every single lie transphobes tried to push regarding her. P.S.: I also appreciate the usage of music from Under Night In-birth in the background :)

21:30 Haha yeah, some people really think of gender and sex through nhentai tags

That Boku No Pico thing hit me like a bombshell. I remember when everybody was talking about that "show" but I don't remember ever hearing about Bridget being the inspiration.

RU-vid is being fucking stupid and wont let me put links in the fucking description so here's all the Sources: Art used in the video by Machitoons: twitter.com/MachiToons www.newgrounds.com/art/view/machitoons/basket-3 All Bridget and particle Mods seen in the video were created by me: gamebanana.com/members/1915165 Millia jeans mod: gamebanana.com/mods/342180 Sources and articles used to make this video: Strive: - Bridget boosts Guilty Gear Strive’s player count as the character’s gender identity becomes a hot topic automaton-media.com/en/news/20220810-14839/ - Arc System Works warns of fake images, in response to tweets about the bridget’s gender identity automaton-media.com/en/news/20220827-15286/ - dev backyard #11 11th volume of “Developer’s Backyard”(9/14 Release) | NEWS | GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- | ARC SYSTEM WORKS - Daisuke Clarifies his intent www.dropbox.com/s/extjlcjle6qroya/bridget%20trans.pdf?dl=0 Trans rights: - Japan's first trans march held in Tokyo's Shinjuku area to raise awareness on rights mainichi.jp/english/articles/20211122/p2a/00m/0na/006000c - Interview: The Invisible Struggle of Japan’s Transgender Population www.hrw.org/news/2019/03/19/interview-invisible-struggle-japans-transgender-population - Misinformation on transgender women spreads in Japan, even at LDP study session mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210519/p2a/00m/0na/025000c - Why LGBT Advocates Say Bathroom 'Predators' Argument Is a Red Herring time.com/4314896/transgender-bathroom-bill-male-predators-argument/ - Ipsos international LGBT survey LGBT+ Pride 2021 Global Survey points to a generation gap around gender identity and sexual attraction | Ipsos - GID act www.hrw.org/report/2021/05/25/law-undermines-dignity/momentum-revise-japans-legal-gender-recognition-process#2081 - GID reform Pressure www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/25/japan-new-momentum-reform-transgender-law LGBT Rights: - Sapporo Court deems ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional www.npr.org/2021/03/17/978148301/in-landmark-ruling-court-says-japans-ban-on-same-sex-marriage-is-unconstitutiona - Osaka Court Deems ban Constitutional www.npr.org/2022/06/20/1106313824/japan-court-ban-on-same-sex-marriage-constitutional - Japanese LGBT undeterred time.com/6189670/japan-same-sex-marriage-lgbt/ - Tokyo to recognize marriages but not make it legal www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/15/tokyo-same-sex-japan-lgbtq/ - Letter to Prime Minister www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/26/letter-prime-minister-yoshihide-suga-regarding-national-lgbt-non-discrimination-act - Equality Act Letter www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/05/Equality_Act_Japan_Corporate_Letter05282021.pdf - Japan: Introduce LGBT Equality Act Before Olympics www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/26/japan-introduce-lgbt-equality-act-olympics - A Gold Medal for Homophobia in Japan www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/22/gold-medal-homophobia-japan - Japan LGBT bill Falls Short www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/07/japans-ruling-party-lgbt-bill-falls-short - Tokyo moves to allow same-sex partnerships, but not as legal marriage www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/15/tokyo-same-sex-japan-lgbtq/ - Why Transgender People In Japan Prefer To Be Told They Have A "Disorder" www.buzzfeednews.com/article/lesterfeder/transgender-in-japan - Sexual And Gender Minorities and Bullying in Japan (page185) books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=TflQEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA185&dq=Sexual+and+Gender+Minorities+and+Bullying+in+Japan&ots=XIi7LJpYxx&sig=IWmm3r1osqPNeI4umU--XgX3riE#v=onepage&q&f=false - LGBT women in japan tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CEDAW/Shared%20Documents/JPN/INT_CEDAW_NGO_JPN_20695_E.pdf Sexism: - Why Japan Can’t shake Sexism www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210405-why-japan-cant-shake-sexism - Japan's LDP party invites women to 'look, not talk' at key meetings www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56095215 - Japan Ranks 116th in 2022 Global Gender Gap Report www.nippon.com/en/articlelist.html?f=ncf-tag&s=society&pnum=3 - Japanese women over 30 stay in workforce and parental benefits improve asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Japan-women-in-30s-stay-in-workforce-as-parental-benefits-improve

Thank you for making this video!

10:23 WHAT WAS THIS GUY YAPPING ABT IS HE FCKING SERIOUS? 😭 This was the hardest cope I've ever seen and it hurt my soul to even listen to him speak 💀

Never trust surveys in Japan Since even in private most people in Japan try there best to conform to the "Accepted" I don't think Japan is as transphobic or Homophobic as people think Its only really the people in power who are , while its more and more accepted in the younger generations Don't get me wrong Japan is still very bad when it comes to these things

I don't even play GGST or care about the Bridget drama, just found this vid in my recommended earlier today and i wanna compliment you on it. Can't believe you have so few subscribers when your content is this solid! Keep it up, you've earned yourself a new sub 👍

this was such an amazing video

Strive is the first Guilty Gear game I have ever played. I got Bridgette because I like YoYos. I love this character and this video’s explanation of the lore. Thanks for the great content!

Tbh, idc about genders In fighting games ngl. I would play a fucking chair if it was in the game because in the end it's legit just a game.

I don't really have anything to say about Bridget because you've already made a half-an-hour-long video expressing my thoughts for me (also great work with the research, you quoted more sources than many people even care to look up before opening their mouths and I'm sure that took a lot of time), but I was surprised by what you said about Faust. I know his old design is rooted in contemporary Japanese culture, but I had no idea they changed it because they thought it was gonna be more appealing to a global audience (it sure isn't more appealing to me, but to each their own). Did anyone at ArcSys confirm that?

I don't know I fell in this rabbit's hole, but the trip was very interesting, even from a total outsider view (both about Guilty Gear or trans right).

God this was so fucking refreshing to hear. Thank you for making this video.

This video was recommended after listening to "Feel the Heat" At the end, I understood why.

I fucking hate taking part in long dicussions on this subject so it took me a lot of time to watch this video even tho it's popped up for me a number of times, but this whole video is such an excellent summary of the entire discourse, I think this'll be my thing to point to for people who want more information on it. One thing that I'd like to add on (on the off chance nobody else has said it yet) is that not completely unlike the way some trans women in Japan use the word otokonoko to refer to themselves, there is still a sizeable amount of trans women who speak English and derive affirmation from the term femboy. It's ultimately a slightly different situation seeing as Japanese has not made the shift to referring to crossdressing and transgenderism as different things, whereas English has but some people still choose to use the outdated stuff because gender is a social construct so who cares it makes them happy

I really have to thank you for putting into words what I long struggled to define. A lot of those people who don't believe Bridget is trans believe that the Japanese are for some reason an absolute monolith, a hivemind in regards to sex and gender. They too, are human people. And not even people from a small country/culture have the same idea. So, as you said, gotta be sniffing a lotta glue to think that a whole 125.7 million people all say "Bridget is a boy and it's just been translated bad to pander to the western audience".

The dishwater joke killed me

I really love that they solidified bridgette is just a girl. A trans girl. The trap stuff she inspired in people always rubbed me the wrong way lol

RU-vid recommending a banger video outta no where

thank you for the clarification

I always though Bridget was going to embrace their original identity and get a change of style to reflect that but the last thing i expected was a double down of the whole girl thing, I'm not mad and i like them just fine but it kinda threw me for a loop when i first heard....it is what it is.

Bridget being trans makes perfect sense and shows off a part of being trans that is often overlooked: denial (aka being an “egg”) She tries to prove her masculinity, which is a thing a lot of trans women do because they can’t accept that they are trans.

amazingly based video, you do such a good job of explaining the differences between Japanese and English to people who have no clue, and also do it in an understandable way. Keep up the good work gamer. Subscribed.

Thank you for this video I found it very insightful and supportive.

Honestly Guilty Gear's story is so confusing I don't even care anymore.

I accept Brisket as a trans representative character. However what I don't accept is her being British. I keep having to remind myself because of how frequently I forget. I've been studying Japanese for maybe like 3 years now. Shit's hard for a native English speaker, and I even have to rely on a second hand translation for a lot of things. I do like to browse Japanese spaces sometimes to see what the conversation's like, especially for more progressive topics. A common thing I've read is 「ブリジットはブリジット」 ("Bridget is Bridget"). I think it's a generally well intentioned comment to make, suggesting that people will like and support Bridget regardless of how she identifies, but I worry that it's not very affirming since we know she's identifying as a girl now. What's clear is that there's definitely not one singular unanimous stance, despite what some would have you believe. As a side note, whenever I hear someone pronounce 男の娘 in their western accent while claiming to be a reliable source of the Japanese perspective is painful because of how wrong it sounds.

does anyone know how to get the skin for bridget in the video? (like a link)

the fact that people were so willing to sexualize +R bridget (who was 14 at the time) but are suddenly put off at the idea of bridget coming out as a trans woman is so icky to me

The strive severs are doing a better job at making people boycott this game then these people ever did.

Daisuke says there is no “bad ending” and Bridget us trans. Conservatives are j mad

Saw you mention Dimitri Monroe, who just *looking at the section names* from that video from 9 months ago was *still* using talking points that Bridget deniers had abandoned long ago because of being so thoroughly debunked.

I remember something from Dimitri's video, is that some people harrased some japanese artist/fans that made or posted art about Bridget and referring to Bridget as a boy. Do you have anything to elaborate on that if there were actual dumbdumbs that harrass people over these things?

literslly the first time ever ive seen a voice over gameplay youtuber say trans rights tysm 😭

Good video, but does anyone know the bop in 13:45 ?

i don't play games much, just here to understand, thank you for the informative video! i really like these animations but i hate playing games yayy

Pretty solid video, hope to see more from you if you are still making videos

Let us know when you have an update on part 6!

9:31 Did someone say "canon events"?

This video definitely addressed what my problems were with the statement within the first chapter, and honestly, I appreciate it being real legitimate reasons to dislike the change and not just being called transphobic for it.

Friendly reminder: Guilty Gear is one of the most queer games out there. REMEMBER VENOM?

3:35-3:40 that is literally an argument that these kinds of people use💀 But an example of how gaslighting doesn’t actually do much is the fact that trans people exist, because like they’ve been taught their entire life that they are their GAB (Gender At Birth) and yet they still turn out be trans, because if you actually trans then you’re going to eventually realise it on your own, same if you’re “gaslighted” into being a girl when you’re a guy, you’ll eventually realise that you aren’t a girl (unless you turn out trans that is… obviously).

I was so happy when Bridget came out as trans. I feel like Bridget was always meant to be trans, but it couldn't be explicit for reasons. Like how Hoyoverse can't have explicit lesbian characters because of China, but they have a ton of implied lesbian couples. Even if I'm wrong about Bridget always having meant to be trans, I feel like her story is a natural evolution so I don't see a problem with them pronouncing her as trans.

Shoutout to youtube reccomended for actually giving me a banger for once

Awesome stuff! I am ashamed to say that I get really, really emotionally invested when people disagree with me. I am trying to fix that, and I can certainly say that the way you argue is a really good way to go about handling this kind of topic. Thank you! Cheers

Best take ive heard tbh

19:36 and the floor, and the ceiling, and in the corners, and everywhere else you could possibly think to imagine.

video game controversies are weird

Interesting video 🤔

Thanks for the in-depth analysis! I was considering not following this game at all once I saw how nasty the fighting over it became. I played GG from 2001 to about 2015, returned a few months ago and was not sure what was going on. All I saw was insults and attacks on people who like femboys and people who like trans characters. I like both and kinda felt unwelcome in the community. This video helped me see the root issue under all that! Thanks for the good work here, I get it a lot better now!

15:26 the dawg is moonwalkin' doe :0

I think Bridget being trans makes sense and it's official and all so no point in denying it. But I got introduced to Bridget as femboy, connected a lot as a kid and it was my first cosplay back then as well. And now all I get is hate and being called a transphobe when I say I don't exactly celebrate the change. Can't both be okay...? Fans have always done genderbend versions of characters or Alternative universe versions as well.. is it that bad when I want to draw a femboy Bridget? I think hate should stop in both directions :/

The only thing I seem to agree with Dimitri anymore is *some* of his points on localization, because it *can* and *does* change context of scenes greatly for seemingly no reason at times. But even then he still makes leaps of logic and bad faith arguments about it all the time so it's hard to even say that.

this video got me into Guilty Gear Strive, before this video i dident even know this game was made

Great video!

Wait, Mai's trans? Well I guess technically he is being a guy in a woman's body but, are you saying Mai's a MtF trans?

"Hero Hei, the RU-vid equivalent of a screenwrite article" is now the only way I will refer to him.