Why Do Japanese Games Handle Trans Characters so Differently?

Try Brilliant free for a full 30 days by visiting: The first 200 people get 20% off an annual premium subscription! --- Why Do Japanese Games Handle Trans Characters so Differently? Happy Pride Month! If you play a lot of Japanese games, or consume Japanese media, you might notice that there is quite an abundance of gender non-conforming, crossdressing, and trans characters... but not very many gay or lesbian characters, by comparison. In the West, T acceptance has been much slower than LGB acceptance, but in the East, this trend is largely the opposite. Why is that? And what does this have to do with video games? In this Pride Month special, we’ll be looking at the history and development of characters like Birdo and Bridget to see what we can learn about cultural differences in the area of gender studies. Join me in this (I hope) politically neutral and interesting look into Trans Characters in Japanese Games. --- 10% of Moon Channel’s Revenue goes to charity: including our sponsorship income! We are currently supporting Doctors Without Borders (MCF). You can learn more about Doctors Without Borders at -- Please also consider supporting Moon Channel on Patreon! --- Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 03:00 - Sponsored By 04:02 - History and Cultural Context of Gender Non-Conformance in East Asia 06:29 - Birdo, Localization Error and the Nature of Symbols 08:34 - Poison, a Different Level of Acceptance of Trans Characters Between Cultures 11:39 - Bridget, Trans People and Cultural Conformity; Iran Example 17:35 - Vivian, Social Disruption and Degrees of Acceptability in Japan, Understanding the Limit of Catch-All Terms like “East“ and “West.“ 21:13 - Conclusion, a Long Rainbow Road Ahead of Us 23:52 - Credits Gag [Paper Mario: Sticker Star] --- Track List: Intro - Rainbow Falls, Kirby’s Epic Yarn Sponsor - You Are Smart, Katamari Damacy History - First Steps, Celeste [Cupcake Dog Joke] - One Winged Angel Birdo - Paper Mario Color Splash Birdo’s Theme Custom Loop [Link Below] Poison - Poison Theme, Street Fighter V Championship Edition Bridget - Simple Life [Bridget’s Theme], Guilty Gear XX Vivian - Boggly Woods, Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door Conclusion - N64 Rainbow Road, Mario Kart 8 Credits Gag - Paper Mario Sticker Star [Link Below] --- Additional Reading: Same Sex Marriage Around the World: Birdo is the Perfect Metaphor for Trans Representation: Birdo is Not a Trans Icon: Akira Yasuda Talks About Poison: Daisuke Ishiwatari Says Bridget Always Trans: --- Attributions: [Poison Footage] [Dynasty Warriors 8 Footage] [Birdo Musical Footage] [Birdo Kissing Mario Footage] [Persona 5 Footage] [Ace Attorney Dual Destinies Footage] [Guilty Gear X2 Bridget Footage] [Vivian Footage] [Paper Mario Thousand Year Door Footage] ] [Level 3 Apology Footage] [Credits Gag]