The Oversexualized Samus

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

Metroid is my favorite game series. It's been that way for quite a few years now, and I honestly don't think it'll ever change unless Final Fantasy ever decides to make my jaw drop again. I've discovered that exploration-based platforming games are among my absolute favorite, and I find the insane re-playability of many of the series 2D titles to be perhaps the most appealing aspect of them. I'm also a huge fan of the Prime games, essentially first-person exploration with more of a focus on combat. This thread isn't about any of that, but I just wanted to throw out there why this is a rather interesting topic that I care about, the topic being the "oversexualization" of series protagonist Samus Aran.

This was recently brought to light once more with the reveal of Zero Suit Samus for Super Smash Bros 4. Prominent online figures such as Doug Walker (The Nostalgia Critic) have already begun to call foul on her new design, and, once again, bringing up how badly she's being "oversexualized" in today's current industry. This made me start to wonder; is what they're saying true, specifically about Samus herself? Or is it just the popular thing to do these days, throw a tantrum about anything "sexy" in the gaming industry?

Above is a picture from the "best" ending of the original Metroid on NES. If you completed the game fast enough, you were "rewarded" with that image, which is a pink/purple bikini with the same color boots. Off the bat, was this "oversexualizing" a female protagonist? Or is it no harm no foul because it's at the end of the game? This is the first problem I have with this mindset; it's nothing new when it comes to the character. She's been prancing around post-game in nearly nothing since 1987. "But Vergo, it's just 'fanservice', it's not shoved in the game". So? Doesn't merely the fact that this type of thing exists in the first place enough to say that she's "oversexualized"? And if it's not, is it okay to shoe-horn this type of thing at the end of the game with no problem so people don't get outraged?

Metroid II doesn't get any love, but Super Metroid certainly does. Held by many to be the best entry in the franchise, it's a near-perfect game to some. But as we see above, the next two games in the series did exactly what the first did; have Samus strip down once the game was over. Again, no harm, no foul on the part of these games, even though she's showing significantly more skin in all of these than she does with her current Zero Suit. So why was it okay then, but not now? Was it again because it's "extra"? Sexism and sexualization shouldn't be applies to only prevalent situations, and scenes that are "extra" shouldn't be exempt.

Fast-forward a few years, and we have the introduction of the Zero Suit in 2002 in the game Zero Mission. Can someone tell me why the image below is somehow worse than the images above? I don't think it is, but am I wrong by thinking that? If anything, the Zero Suit is more modest than past incarnations of what she wears under the suit. Was there an outcry in 2002 over this? Or did people just think it was a super-awesome game (which is was) with tons of re-playability value? And if there WAS outrage, why is it still going on today over a decade later? It can't be just the Zero Suit. Jumping even further, we have Super Smash Bros Brawl, which took the concept of the Zero Suit created in 2002 and used again in Prime 2 and 3 and made a fully playable character out of it. Wouldn't it have been WORSE if they went with the bikini from the original Metroid instead of the Zero Suit?

At this point in time, I think saying that she's "oversexualized" is either 1.) A bogus argument because people hold a double-standard against games of today versus games of yesteryear if they think the likes of Metroid and Zero Mission weren't oversexualized and Smash 4 somehow is, or 2.) Just completely non-unique to Smash 4 because this kind of thing has been going on for nearly three decades. The only thing I can think of is that the fact that she's wearing high heels now just completely pushes it over the edge for some.

Are the heels really what's breaking the camel's back and causing the outcry? Again, if that's what's pushing her over the edge.... didn't that happen with the bikini and the bodysuit anyways? What makes this so unique to this time period?

Ehh, maybe I'm completely wrong and I'm a chauvinistic, masculine male who just doesn't understand. I thought this might make for an interesting conversation in the Nintendo fan community, so shoot me if it doesn't. Is Samus oversexulaized in your eyes? And, if so, when exactly did it start happening in your mind, and why hasn't it supposedly happened to others such as Peach or Zelda?

 

[BoxTar]

All good points. I think the main outcry comes with a variety of reasons:

A) These are new times. The original Metroids were products of a different age, and people weren't so up-in-arms when it came to video game characters showing skin.

2) And I think this is the main one: the change to 3D makes it more realistic. Bogus argument, I know, but seriously, look at the evolution here. The 3D evokes realism, and thus, more people begin to take notice.

Personally, I don't find Samus to be sexualized. Like you said, its completely ridiculous because she is fully clothed. Yes, its a skin tight outfit. And? Could be worse, she could be in a string bikini, for goodness sakes! She's not moaning like some weird hentai online every time she is hit, now is she? (I don't actually know, I haven't heard any game audio from SSB4, but its merely a guess). Is she a weaker character? Maybe in Brawl, but that was on purpose because of the drawbacks of the Smash technique, whichw as clever. Now she is apparently balanced out in terms of power, or at least, that's what they are saying.

Overall: no, and anyone saying Samus is sexualized is being ridiculous. I can see where they are coming from, but this is honestly nothing compared to actual sexualization of a character, like her slowly licking her raygun barrel or something. :I

 

[Musicfan]

It's not as over the top as the past in terms of shock. I think it is mostly because it is 3d an not a sprite.

 

[Dragoncat]

You want oversexualization? Look at Soul Caliber with its characters like Ivy, with their breasts the size of bowling balls and skimpy outfits. This is nothing in comparison. People...seriously.

 

[JuicieJ]

Fan service = oversexualization, guise!!

 

[Mercedes]

Or is it just the popular thing to do these days, throw a tantrum about anything "sexy" in the gaming industry?

Hit the nail on the head. The most popular thing these days for gamers to do, above actually playing games, are knee-jerk reactions and whining about trivial things they could easily rationalise if they wanted to actually think, but choose not to. And websites/Youtube personalities just add fuel to this fire because either a) they're part of the problem, or b) they want views/hits for dat ad revenue. I appreciate people's opinions but stuff like this... I just miss the days when people would actually analyse a situation rationally rather than going straight for the pitchfork and torch they keep beside their PC.

As for the complaint I don't really think it has much ground, she is definitely not over-sexualised and I think people saying that don't really understand what it means and should go look at some blatant attempts at it. Yeah she's got a nice body, so sue the designer who decided to make Samus pretty and have a good figure. We want her ugly damnit, what a horrible person! And yet despite her looks she's still one of the most badass characters in gaming. I like to think she's a great symbol for female game characters because of that. Sure she's attractive, just like many male characters are too, but her role in games is not to just be a walking pair of boobs, she's a powerful character who can hold her own against anyone else, and most importantly her looks aren't gratuitous in any way; she's still got realistic proportions, generous sure, but realistic, and the Zero Suit isn't conveniently zipped down to show a bit of cleavage that doesn't at all help in a combat situation (*ahem* Jill from Revelations. Zip that up girl). I also think it's believable she'd wear that underneath her armour, in contrast to the bikini-armour we see in many MMOs and other games.

And as the OP posted, she's actually put clothes on throughout the years. What a babe. So yeah. People find her an attractive videogame character and Nintendo obviously capitalise on that, why wouldn't they, she's young, attractive, and also kicks ***, but the very act of doing that is not over-sexualising a character. If in SSB5 she's in the new Zero Bikini Suit, then yeah that may be crossing the line, but she isn't! Much to the dismay of many, I'm sure.

 

[Shadow Blade]

For fans of Metroid more like my self the problem isn't as much that her appearance has changed or is overly sexual in design but that her character its self has been changed, Other M depicted her as submissive, week and emotionally broken, these are things a bounty hunter in the metroid universe especially one of Samus's repute would not have, they took what is perhaps the strongest female protagonist in video game history, and turned her into an emotionally broken wimp, (which infuriates me) the Samus that is depicted in Other M is not the same Samus that became one of my absolute most favorite video game characters of all time.

But back on topic, Im not a big fan of her new character designs, I think a more athletic build would be more realistic considering her occupation, but I'm not going to make a big deal about her character design, so I'll simply say I don't necessarily agree with the designs.

I hate Other M and I do so for legitimate reasons, I will use logic not irrational complaints in my opinions.

 

[キラ]

Yeah, she is sexualized IMO. She's fully clothed, but with a skin-tight suit that shows off her big ta-tas. I would have thought that if she would be in this new Smash Bros game, Nintendo would shrink down her breasts. Kid play Smash Bros, and I don't doubt at least a few parents complained. Well, Nintendo made them bigger. I mean, just look.

And in this screenshot below, she has bunny ears (the Bunny Hood). Maybe I'm reachin', but heyyyy... It's a common theme for girls in hentai to wear bunny ears, as well as real girls from Playboy.

Pretty flexible...

Do I think sexualization in video games is wrong? No. If developers want to make a sexy video game character, so what? As long as the player is mature enough, there is no problem.






...and I definitely don't mind a sexy Samus... Teehee...

 

[Garo]

The initial reveal that Samus was a woman was a pretty significant moment for the industry, but one that was pretty poorly handled. The idea of having a female action hero in the vein of Ripley as the player character is a great one. Treating it as a surprise reveal at the end, and using her appearance as a "reward" of sorts, is far less than great. I would say it's a bit disgusting, honestly, but the fact that it managed to launch Samus into position as one of the most prominent female characters in gaming, who has been generally well portrayed, earns it enough goodwill that I find it at least begrudgingly acceptable.

The Zero Suit nonsense is a bit unforgivably disgusting, though. No, her physical appearance does not affect her characterization, which - other than some poor writing in Other M - has remained consistently strong. But that doesn't mean we can't and shouldn't find fault with some of the ways she is portrayed. What purpose, pray tell, does the Zero Suit serve? An extra layer under the Varia Suit? Okay, sure, I'll buy that from a functional standpoint. But why is she so frequently seen out of the Varia Suit and in the Zero Suit? Why, especially when the Varia Suit is a much stronger bit of iconography for the character and series, is she commonly shown in a less-protective suit with no head protection at all? As a bounty hunter visiting a panoply of dangerous alien environs, that is irresponsible and rather bizarre.

No, the decision to have Samus in the Zero Suit lies entirely in the domain of using sex to sell a product. Look back up at those pictures Vergo posted. Two of them feature Samus in a position with her back to the camera, but her body contorted so that her chest is also facing the camera. The other features Samus bent over in a strangely contorted pose. Sure, she may not always be like this in game. But this is the way her appearance is being marketed. It's turning a powerful female character into a sex object to move copies of a product. Disgusting.

Can characters be attractive? Absolutely. There is nothing wrong with having attractive characters, male or female. And perhaps oversexualization is the wrong word. But the existence of more egregious examples (Soul Calibur was mentioned, fairly) does not make this instance of it acceptable.

EDIT: Oh wow, as I was posting this, Ghost posted a few more screenshots that show Zero Suit Samus in even more sexualized positions. Yuck.

 

[キラ]

What purpose, pray tell, does the Zero Suit serve? An extra layer under the Varia Suit? Okay, sure, I'll buy that from a functional standpoint. But why is she so frequently seen out of the Varia Suit and in the Zero Suit? Why, especially when the Varia Suit is a much stronger bit of iconography for the character and series, is she commonly shown in a less-protective suit with no head protection at all? As a bounty hunter visiting a panoply of dangerous alien environs, that is irresponsible and rather bizarre.

I think she is faster this way. More flexible too, to pull off some acrobatic physical combat that is hard to guard. She has different weapons for attacks. Different suits and the lack-there-of for different purposes. Not to take away that this suit is sexualizing her a bit, cause it is IMO, but these could be explanations used to put logic into not wearing armor.

I think that these sexual positions are lewd, but I wouldn't say disgusting.

 

[Sir Quaffler]

I find nothing wrong with her portrayal. How can she be "over-sexualized" when she already had an element of sexuality to her from the very beginning? Yes, that sexuality was hidden underneath the cold metallic exterior of ruthless bounty hunter (as she should always be when she's on the job (at least when dealing with hostiles, we do see her softer side even in the power suit several times throughout the series when violence isn't needed, and her extremely ticked-off side when violence is REALLY called for)) but underneath it all she is still an attractive woman who likes to [modestly] show off when the job's done.

Now me personally, I see the Zero Suit as being more practical than sexual. It's an undersuit to keep her comfortable while she's lugging around the heavy outer shell (including the ZS there are 3 shells total if my sources are correct) - very similar to a jumpsuit an astronaut wears underneath all the other layers when he's out in space. Of course it's tight-fitting, it's MEANT to be. And as a side bonus, she can fight with much more agility in her ZS than in her PS. The bracelets and boots are there for added firepower. If you have a problem with her breast size... I don't know what to tell you, I've never placed much of a priority in that department, that's just kinda how she is, deal with it. I've always been attracted to her personality and job tenacity, but I guess me not having a problem with her chest size makes me a chauvinistic pig...

The only real question I have with the boots is... how the heck is she supposed to aim those things?! I guess she took lessons from Bayonetta, because otherwise I've got no idea.

 

[BoxTar]

What purpose, pray tell, does the Zero Suit serve? An extra layer under the Varia Suit? Okay, sure, I'll buy that from a functional standpoint. But why is she so frequently seen out of the Varia Suit and in the Zero Suit? Why, especially when the Varia Suit is a much stronger bit of iconography for the character and series, is she commonly shown in a less-protective suit with no head protection at all? As a bounty hunter visiting a panoply of dangerous alien environs, that is irresponsible and rather bizarre.

Well then, instead of just throwing around assumptions, let's actually get down to the real reason of why the Zero Suit exists, shall we?

The Zero Suit was introduced in a little game for the Game Boy Advance known as Metroid: Zero Mission (I believe that is also where the suit got its name). Zero Mission is actually a reboot to the original Metroid for the NES, but with enhanced graphics, more power ups, and an additional chapter. This chapter involves Samus completely losing her Varia suit, which was important to the tact of the gameplay: Samus is now vulnerable to the Space Pirates. She doesn't have her plasma beam, or her screw attack or anything whatsoever. She must now rely on her stealth and her wit to escape.

This makes the Zero Suit make a bit more of sense, rather than it being some nonsensical sexy suit out of nowhere. Samus shouldn't be naked underneath the Varia suit for two reasons. A) Could you imagine the chafing? Yeesh. And 2) If she had been naked underneath her suit, situations like the one she experienced in that game would be, well, bad. One could make an argument that its skin tight for maximum mobility underneath the bulky Varia Suit.

They brought back this suit in Brawl, as recoil to her Final Smash. Again, it made sense. It wasn't completely out of nowhere and was a brilliant way of changing strategies while playing Samus.

I don't think it would matter if she had a figure or not, someone would be up in arms about something, honestly. Those "sexually suggestive" positions you see are screencaps of her movesets. She doesn't hold them for long, and for God sakes, I've seen Yoga positions more suggestive than that.

The initial reveal that Samus was a woman was a pretty significant moment for the industry, but one that was pretty poorly handled

This I can agree with. I believe it should have been an awesome reveal at the end of the game for your bounty hunter to be a woman, merely for shock value (NES days were different times, the idea of the woman being the hero had immense shock value), but not as some silly reward, and she didn't need to be in a bikini. It should have been integrated with the plot. But the original was kind of an NES game...so there wasn't much plot to begin with...but I digress...

 

[Garo]

Well then, instead of just throwing around assumptions, let's actually get down to the real reason of why the Zero Suit exists, shall we?

The Zero Suit was introduced in a little game for the Game Boy Advance known as Metroid: Zero Mission (I believe that is also where the suit got its name). Zero Mission is actually a reboot to the original Metroid for the NES, but with enhanced graphics, more power ups, and an additional chapter. This chapter involves Samus completely losing her Varia suit, which was important to the tact of the gameplay: Samus is now vulnerable to the Space Pirates. She doesn't have her plasma beam, or her screw attack or anything whatsoever. She must now rely on her stealth and her wit to escape.

This makes the Zero Suit make a bit more of sense, rather than it being some nonsensical sexy suit out of nowhere. Samus shouldn't be naked underneath the Varia suit for two reasons. A) Could you imagine the chafing? Yeesh. And 2) If she had been naked underneath her suit, situations like the one she experienced in that game would be, well, bad. One could make an argument that its skin tight for maximum mobility underneath the bulky Varia Suit.

They brought back this suit in Brawl, as recoil to her Final Smash. Again, it made sense. It wasn't completely out of nowhere and was a brilliant way of changing strategies while playing Samus.

I don't think it would matter if she had a figure or not, someone would be up in arms about something, honestly. Those "sexually suggestive" positions you see are screencaps of her movesets. She doesn't hold them for long, and for God sakes, I've seen Yoga positions more suggestive than that.

The Zero Suit can have all the justification in the world in-game. That doesn't change its design and clear push towards sexualizing her. In Metroid Prime, Samus looses all of the powerups she has at the beginning of the game, including the Varia Suit. But she isn't reduced to the Zero Suit, she's given the Power Suit, a much less sexualized design. She's suddenly more vulnerable and lacking a lot of her offensive and defensive capabilities - just as in Zero Mission. Why, then, couldn't Zero Mission do that? Why did the Zero Suit have to exist to serve a purpose that was already well served by the Power Suit? Because the Zero Suit shows off her figure and allows them to position her in certain ways... namely, the ones seen above.

I have no problem with the existence of the Zero Suit from a logical standpoint. Yes, it makes sense. Yes, giving her a different moveset in Smash Brothers is pretty cool. I have a lot of problems with the design of it and the way that it is marketed and promoted. You mention that those screencaps are just from her various moves, and they aren't held for more than a second or two. Why, then, are those the screencaps we got? Because they're in suggestive situations, just as the ones in Vergo's post are.

What this comes down to is that, as a male gamer, I am quite irritated and disgusted by the industry's apparent misunderstanding that they need to market female characters in a sexualized way in order to get me (read: my demographic) to buy things (even if they actually do need to market them that way, that fact alone is saddening and equally disgusting). Zero Suit Samus is the Nintendo version of this larger trend, and while it is absolutely more tame than a lot of the attempts out there in the industry, it's still unnecessary and insulting to both me as a male gamer and to legions of female gamers out there, who are being implicitly told that their market value, so to speak, is tied to sex.

TL;DR: It's not that she's attractive. It's not that the Zero Suit has no in-game explanation (because it has a perfectly satisfactory one). It's that it is being blatantly marketed in a sexual way, which is demeaning to both female gamers and the male gamers it is being marketed to.

 

[JuicieJ]

I have no problem with the existence of the Zero Suit from a logical standpoint. Yes, it makes sense. Yes, giving her a different moveset in Smash Brothers is pretty cool. I have a lot of problems with the design of it and the way that it is marketed and promoted. You mention that those screencaps are just from her various moves, and they aren't held for more than a second or two. Why, then, are those the screencaps we got? Because they're in suggestive situations, just as the ones in Vergo's post are.

No, they're showing off the flexibility of Zero Suit Samus as a fighter. She's much more agile than she is in her Power Suit (not to mention she has Chozo DNA in her), and as such, she's going to be pulling off otherwise impossible maneuvers.

What this comes down to is that, as a male gamer, I am quite irritated and disgusted by the industry's apparent misunderstanding that they need to market female characters in a sexualized way in order to get me (read: my demographic) to buy things (even if they actually do need to market them that way, that fact alone is saddening and equally disgusting).

And I'm irritated with people crying out sexism when it's not even there. Seriously, so many people are way too sensitive when it comes to these kinds of situations, especially when gaming is involved. If you want a truly sexualized female character, look no further than Bayonetta.

 

[BoxTar]

Yeah, she is sexualized IMO. She's fully clothed, but with a skin-tight suit that shows off her big ta-tas. I would have thought that if she would be in this new Smash Bros game, Nintendo would shrink down her breasts. Kid play Smash Bros, and I don't doubt at least a few parents complained. Well, Nintendo made them bigger. I mean, just look.

So...she's a woman with big breasts, so that's autmoatically suggestive? No, wait, its the fact that she's showing them off, THAT'S suggestive? She's not though. Yes, skin tight outfit, whatever, its still covered and not exposed. If, at some point in the game, she were to zip it down, rip it off, or if it became tattered in battles, then I would find that sexually suggestive. A woman having "big tatas" does not make her sexually suggestive. And I'm sure children have seen bigger boobs in real life, on TV, or in movies, and I'm sure they haven't been traumatized after seeing them.

And in this screenshot below, she has bunny ears (the Bunny Hood). Maybe I'm reachin', but heyyyy... It's a common theme for girls in hentai to wear bunny ears, as well as real girls from Playboy.

Yeah...that's a stretch. Anybody could have been put in that picture and no one would care. Peach could be there and everyone would be like "oh, Peach has the bunny hood for some reason. Neat." Honestly, its an item in-game, not a personalized skin, she's not the first to be seen with it.

Pretty flexible...

Yeah, that's...kinda the point of Zero Suit Samus...is her flexibility, compared to her bulky Varia suit counterpart. Yes, I understand that's an official Nintendo released screenshot, but think about it: any picture of any move that they release from Nintendo of Zero Suit Samus is gonna have people going "WOAH, HEY, WHAT THE HELL, SHE'S BEING SOOOOOOO SEXUALIZED WHILE DOING THAT!!!!!". The fact of the matter is this: it doesn't matter if she's doing a handstand, the splits, or just standing in place: someone is gonna take it as a sexualized pose. When it really isn't. Its a woman in a skin tight outfit still trying to kick some ***.