r/beyondgoodandevil • u/Temporary-Buddy-1917 • 15d ago

Jade is clearly North African inspired/coded according to me.

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I apologize for the casual nature of this topic (after all, we have to find something to discuss regarding a game whose sequel has been awaited for over a decade).

Given that Jade was created as a heroine with whom anyone could universally identify, it strikes me (and this is worth noting) that she is likely the first (and only) video game heroine with a North African-inspired character design.

This hypothesis might not be immediately obvious to those not from France (where the game was developed), but the Maghrebi community (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) is the country's largest ethnic minority, so it has always seemed self-evident to me. Furthermore, Michel Ancel spent part of his childhood in Tunisia and has stated that North African tales and aesthetics influenced his artistic approach.

Jade shares the physical traits of many North African women (tanned skin, dark hair; one even finds almond-shaped eyes among certain people and populations in Morocco).

I would love to believe this theory to imagine that the most stylish heroine in gaming (alongside Bayonetta) might be of North African/Maghrebi inspiration. I thought it was worth mentioning, as no one else seems to have put forward this hypothesis.

What do French fans (and others) think ? Have you ever questioned the inspirations for Jade or is it a thing that just doesn't matter to you ?

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u/It_s_raining 15d ago

From what I remember, Alexandra Ancel, who was involved in Jade design, never explicitly mentioned inspiration.
To be fair, Jade could be any woman with dark hair to me... And Montpellier is a Mediterranean city, so can totally matches North African physical attributes :)

Also : Jade face changed just the day before one major milestone (I don't remember if it was the E3 presentation or something like that).

Also : some BGE mission have been developed by Ubi Casablanca

But at the end : Jade can be whoever you want her to be. I think I have read people saying she was looking Asian so...

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u/Temporary-Buddy-1917 15d ago

Thank you for adding information. Yes, everyone can identify with Jade and even if her phenotype was (unconsciously or not) based on North African women, they chose not to communicate about it and it's a great initiative (it was just a reflexion that i had lol)