With Angepitoyeir due to drop on Rockman X DiVE tomorrow, the development team wasted no time to provide some insight behind the character's creation, motifs and more.
Via Twitter, Capcom Japan provided a five part Q&A with Angepitoyeir's designer Ryuji Higurashi. He's te designer for Droitclair and the character background, too. Many thanks to Windii Gitlord for the following translation!
What was the concept of the design this time around?
The order was for a pure and cute boy, the complete opposite of Droitclair. So I used an angel motif to contrast with the little devil Droit, and the coloring was done in pastel tones.
Are there any points you would like us to pay attention to?
I wanted to give him a noble, angelic impression, so I added engravings in various places. It's hard to draw. I was torn between feeling sorry for the Taiwanese staff and thinking that it was okay since I wasn't going to draw it myself.
There aren't many child characters, so how did you incorporate him into the series?
When I think of child characters in the X series, Midi and Techno come to mind, but Ange is a character from the Deep Log. I think I was able to differentiate him by prioritizing an electronic feel rather than a robotic feel.
Are there any Rockman characters that you used as references?
Like Droit, I didn't use any existing Rockman character as a reference because I interpreted it as a request for something that hadn't been done before in the Rockman series. I designed the character without setting any rules except for the fact that he has large limbs.
Please give everyone a message!
He's a difficult character to balance because, at first glance, he looks like he could be a girl but he's unmistakably a boy. When drawing illustrations of him, if you keep in mind that you have to keep him cute, you'll surely get it right. Thank you!
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| "We didn't do anything wrong... all we did was be born..." |
Angepitoyeir is one of the three alien siblings who came into existence due to a bug . He is the youngest of his siblings. The eldest sister is Erato; Droitclair is the middle child.
He's described as a "pure and innocent child" and always wants to play with the players without any "discrimination or prejudice." He hasn't had contact with anyone other than his older sisters, so he thinks it's fun to interact with players.
Because he is so young, he doesn't understand why he was born or what his role is. He merely wants everyone to play nicely together. However, despite his feelings, Erato tries to force him to fulfill his true purpose by inciting his fear and anger.
If Angie believes his sisters are being taken away from him or that he's being erased, he will unconsciously unleash his hidden power; an unimaginable force a being with such a small body.
The way this "pure and innocent child" wields his power as if he were just playing, it stands to reason he may not be able to control this hidden power at all.
The poor child, tossed about by ignorance, is torn among Erato, the players' enemy, and Droitclair, who become the players' friend.
Combat Style
From Angepitoyeir's perspective, he is not fighting. He's playing. He has a destructive power that is unimaginable from his angelic appearance. His attacks, both long and short-range, are extremely powerful.
He has a buster in his hand, a dashing attack which deploys the feather-like part of his back, and a shield that emerges when he hides in his shell. He's not only good for attacks but also in defense.
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Capcom Taiwan also gave us their take on Angie's background via their Facebook page which you can read below:
“Angepitoyeir”, a special existence who had never appeared before in MEGAMAN X series. As the youngest one of the three-sibling host of Sigma virus, he has two sisters who are respectively the second elder sister, “Droit”; and the elder sister, “Erato”.
Because he is the host of virus, Angepitoyeir has no choice but to be at the opposite end of the players; however, with his pure personality, he is interested in reaching out to others rather than being hostile.
As a host carrying a certain task, the elder sister couldn't bear the fact that Angepitoyeir also had the same "task"; and secretly hoped that her younger brother could escape the shackles of this "task".
When encounter the enemy, due to his simple personality, it isn’t like to battle so much as playing a game to him. Under the angelical appearance, he has not only destructive power but also outstanding defense.
“Angepitoyeir”, was still personally designed by “Ryuji Higurashi”. Based on Angepitoyeir’s innocent and naive personality, Ryuji designed him with a tone that is completely opposite to that of Droit that he took the image of an angel as the main design idea, with a similar carving design and using pastel tones to highlight his noble image; except for the design of his hands and feet, which still follow the consistent style of MEGAMAN series, the overall design still emphasizes the sense of computer.
And that's that for Angie. The final sibling, Erato, could be revealed very soon. Based on how fast they revealed and released Droitclair and Angie, it could be around the corner.
Keep your eyes peeled.
ReplyDeleteThis guy has no idea how to design characters for the X series. They had better keep this creep away from future Megaman games, since "drawing is hard" for him. More like drawing characters for a series about robots is hard without being a creepy and plagiarizing perv.
Ryuji Higurashi has been a Character Designer at Capcom since X5. If you hate the character design, just say you hate it lol.
DeleteHe didn't design the characters. He only illustrated them. Big difference. Also, it is a well-known fact that Haruki Suetsugu was the designer, so your point is still moot.
DeleteHe's still been working with the series since X5, so don't be such an asshole. Do you say the same of Zero's artist who literally did hentai?
DeleteAlso your point that "he doesn't know how to design X characters" is moot because the intent was to make characters that were out of place for the X series, so way to just miss the point and prove how ignorant you are.
Aw, cute name-calling there. I didn't think a comment on the internet would elicit such vitriol from you. Grow up. My point still stands.
DeleteAlso, the Zero series artist is also a creep, which explains why his characters look like children in underwear.
I could care less if it was "supposed to be out of place". If you actually had basic reading comprehension, that was what he ASSUMED. Doesn't mean he was asked to. Again, know the difference. This guy sucks and just wanted an excuse to live out his creepy fetish. Him being around Capcom for decades doesn't mean a thing because he was simply DRAWING existing characters DESIGNED by SOMEONE else, not designing them himself.
Waitaminute, the Zero series artist is a creepo?
Delete@nico Hi, that was my original account (I figured it'd be better to have a less aggressive name when my posts were being approved, didn't actually think they'd approve the initial ones on this account)
DeleteBut you can drop the high and mighty attitude you know, no one's buying that you actually care this much. Otherwise you would've dropped this series long ago if you actually cared to do a single bit of research. I mean clearly if you feel this strongly you would be vetting the history of every artist you come across to make sure they weren't a "creep" in your eyes, right?
But sorry I actually have some respect for all of these artists I guess.
@Austin Reed You're not really going to find any artist that doesn't draw porn in someway, it comes with needing to understand anatomy and the ins and outs of the human form before you can start distorting it with your imagination, that's just basics of figure drawing and especially common with mechanics artists in Japan.
And because I know one of you is going to argue in bad faith why they have to draw "like that", it's just aesthetics. The "moe" aesthetic is highly popular there and has been for generations, largely influenced by Shojo artists at the time as well as the works of Rumiko Takahashi (Urasei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, etc).
Essentially people just *really* liked her art that much that it went on to influence the entire industry stylistically.
Though it's also just a general fact that Japanese women tend to be on the smaller side, which is what these kinds of characters are based on, most of the "creep" art you're referring to by Nakayama literally are just translations of Japanese actresses from Super Sentai and Kamen Rider into stylized 2D art since Nakayama has always been a big Tokusatsu fan, and these were all adults.
So by all means, call him a creep, anything he's done is not actually abnormal in the slightest if you paid the slightest bit of attention to the culture at large though.
Tron's #2 Fan LMFAO lack of research? Do you hear yourself? I don't know what planet you're living on, but ever since XDive, this series has went downhill, so sorry if you can't handle my opinion.
DeleteAlso, why would I drop the series ages ago? Last I checked, none of this stuff existed back then, so I suggest you take your own advice and stop acting high and mighty.
@#2 Fan, drawing artistic nudity isn't the same as drawing [insert nsfw cartoon stuff here].
Delete@Nico Your "opinion" is ignorant. Do *you* hear yourself? Or any of the words I'm saying for that matter? Because the stuff I just told you about Toru Nakayama goes back to when Zero was being developed and can be found with just a google search. Just because you didn't know about it "last you checked" doesn't excuse your inability to do basic research if you really felt this strongly about about whether artists you were supporting were creeps by your standards.
DeleteOh but I probably shouldn't be telling you this on second thought, you'll probably use this to write up some kind of "PSA" hitpiece on Twitter about him, after all need to warn all of your followers not to support the Zero series because the artist's character aesthetics don't line up with your own, right? Gotta get those brownie points and make yourself feel like you accomplished something.
But no, XDive isn't the start to any of this on an official sense either, the only real change you're seeing is that the series can dip into fanservice territory more being a game that markets itself off of nostalgia and monetary spending, so an older audience is expected. The same thing happened with Xross Over back when that was still a thing, which featured swimsuit art of the Star Force heroines by series artist Ryuuji Higurashi. That kind of marketing focus on heroines has always been a thing though with the series, whether it's Roll's upgraded redesign for MM8 or Legends shifting to a harem comedy focus when marketing Roll Caskett and Tron to fit the trends at the time with popular series like Tenshi Muyo, something that carried over until Star Force (and Battle Network's anime staff would later go onto produce the high school ecchii series To-Love-Ru, which you can tell, lol) even the three Navigators in the X series were likely introduced for marketing reasons (come to think of it I don't hear many complaining about Palette's design, guess she's protected being an actual X character), and all of this was done under Keiji Inafune who himself would go onto be a producer for the Gunvolt series, which is definitely not shy about marketing its heroines off of sex appeal.
So uh, yeah, I'm not what else to say but if you couldn't tell up till now I'm sorry, that's honestly on you.
@Tron's #2 Fan Another one with the "gO oN tWiTtEr" response. My opinion is not ignorant. It's your opinion you think that way. I 100% am willing to bet that had I not revealed myself as a woman, all you grown men wouldn't be jumping down my throat, gaslighting, invalidating and dismissing me.
DeleteYa'll are creating a toxic environment. Then again, I should expect no less from gamers.
Adorable character. I love him a lot
ReplyDelete"It's creepy" You don't have to like every character design, you have the option to not play him
You are not the target audience for every character in a gacha game
The target audience SHOULD be people like me. Not incel weebs like you who play Genshin Impact for the waifus. This IS creepy. Deal with it.
DeleteYes definitely catering towards pedo fetish. Why give the boy character a crop top? Why the need to show that much skin on a boy? It just seems blatantly obvious how pedophilia is slowly becoming normalized. Right...target audience.
DeleteNothing's being normalized, lmao. Character designs like Ange have been in anime and manga for decades both in Japan and across the globe, and it hasn't "normalized" anything IRL. We get it though, you're scared of a cartoon character showing some skin, lol
DeleteAnd no, just because you personally find it creepy doesn't mean anything, the world doesn't revolve around you and you don't dictate how people associate with fictional characters. You can call people whatever you want, but at the end of the day you're both just some dudes raging on the internet that some people would dare to like a fictional character, and you can't do anything about that, lol.
Im suddenly reminded of Gunvolt, and how they had to censor the MC's crop top because I guess that was too spicy for the west
Delete@Tron's #2 Fan. First of all, I'm a woman. Second of all, the fact that you don't see anything wrong with this is telling of what other questionable things you like. Lemme guess, you're one of those creepy incels who defend your love for their obvious lolicon waifu because she's "aCtUaLlY 4000 yEaRs OlD, gUyS!!". Please go outside, touch some grass and stop obsessing over fictional children.
Delete@Nico
Deletelook i don't like the design either but you've been wasting your time writing comment after comment about how much you hate the designs in XDiVE and outright insulting other commenters over it, so if there's someone who needs to go outside for once, it's you. if you don't like the design, read what Protodude said on his Twitter and write directly to CAPCOM Taiwan.
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Delete@Nico Well I don't know who "she" is you're talking about, but if she's "4000" she probably doesn't actually exist, since you and I both know humans can't live to 4000 outside of certain important religious figures. Why are you so mad at something that clearly doesn't exist?
DeleteTo drop the pretense though, no, those characters aren't anything new either. I think you know that pretty well though since you clearly have plenty of experience with them, otherwise you wouldn't be this mad at some characters. (I'd suggest therapy tbh, maybe they can actually help you with your anger issues)
LMFAO you're gonna suggest therapy to the person who's already in it? Take your own advice, you weeb. Clearly, you have an unhealthy obsession with lolis and animu waifus.
Delete@Sprite Recreator Last I checked, it's called freedom of speech. Second of all, if you can't handle differing opinions and valid criticism on the internet, you'll never survive in the real world, and I suggest you take your own advice and go outside.
DeleteAlso, people in the comments started attacking me for having an opinion, not the other way around. You seriously cannot lack so much basic reading comprehension. Grow up.
If you wanna devolve to name calling like a typical brainless twitter monkey, then get lost and go play on twitter.
DeleteBut be warned: there is no grass on twitter either.
@shrap Don't know who you're addressing, but it better not be me.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteA generic "you" including you, Nico. Gonna insult me too? Go ahead. BUT...
DeleteI would like the forums to remain open, so keep it friendly. Protodude can shut it all off at a moments notice if he wants, your freedom of speech be damned. A previous thread was already locked. Your going to get this one, too, if you don't chill out. Twitter is the ideal place for such shit posting. Hence my suggestion.
For the record, on topic, I stated quite clearly many times I hate this "game", this topic included. So get creative on my insult, which won't be read anyway.
"You are not the target audience for every character in a gacha game"
DeleteI'm scared to know who the target audience was for this character.
@shrap Is that response to everything? "gO oN tWiTtEr"? Please come up with something original.
DeleteI've never seen so many dudes getting bent out of shape over a woman voicing her opinion on the internet. Yikes.
If the next stupefied Waifu OC they reveal is godawful in every single possible way after Angie's release, all those people better own Angie a seriously apology for what they said about him!
ReplyDeleteI afraid that can be the case. Just Google what Erato is in mythology, you'll find some really... interesting stuff.
Deletebuilt for /ss/
ReplyDeleteYou know what they say..."I don't care! a backrear port is a backrear port"
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDon't know where "creepy" or "pedo" is coming from, this boy looks like Pit from kid icarus or Astro boy. I swear I see those two words are used far too much now just to express dislike and to push censorship.
ReplyDelete"MUH CENSORSHIP". If he were Pit from Kid Icarus, he wouldn't be parading around in his underwear. Stop trying write off this creepy and inappropriate design as "censorship".
DeleteI see a lot of people on here using the “It’s like Astro Boy” arguement, and I can see where they’re coming from but…I’ll weigh in on that.
ReplyDeleteYes, Astro Boy was essentially a young robot boy who wore very little clothing as well. But I’d argue there’s something about his design that still feel feels far more “mature” and less creepy than some of the designs we’ve been getting from XDive. You don’t get the same vibe from his design the way you get it from these XDive OC’s.
I honestly think a lot of that has to do with the style and aesthetics. Astro Boy feels far less “Dolled up” compared to these new characters. He isn’t glamoured or designed to be as cutesy in a strange way, he looks like someone who is ready to protect and defend. There’s always something eerie when you give a younger looking character a design that’s all glamoured to the point where they look like they’re trying to be a model. It’s just…wierd.
Ultimately, I think it just comes to the “moe” (is that how you spell it?) artstyle, which honestly has always been a questionable style choice in Japan as of late. It’s sadly not just in Megaman though, it honestly feels like it’s becoming mainstream in more anime and gaming. And I personally feel like it’s gotta’ stop. Or at least try harder to give these characters a more “mature” design.
I wonder what it says about my time in the Megaman fandom that I'm surprised the comments WEREN'T full of creepy gushing over a design like Angie's and calling him a "shota". (Well...besides those two pedophilia "jokes" upthread.)
ReplyDeleteIf I ever draw this kid, I'm giving him a full bodysuit. Angie's cute, but I have a few rules for designing/drawing child characters, and they include "no crop tops" and "no micro-shorts".