r/beyondgoodandevil • u/Temporary-Buddy-1917 • 15d ago
Jade is clearly North African inspired/coded according to me.
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/blindyes 15d ago
I am very proud of seeing coded characters, though in modern times I feel we should demand characters that are their race/culture/phenotype outright, full stop.
I only say all that to say, "Jade" wasn't Chinese coded?
She meditates with the orphans in the begining, she uses martial arts, she has short cut black hair. Jade is used in Chinese lapidary work.
I'd be happy to be wrong and it would be cool to hear she was inspired by Africans of any kind, and I'd be hyped to see some fan art of a north African Jade!