I don’t understand people who say “Nintendo is so homophobic and racist because they never put NoN-WHITEY or LGBTQIAP++ characters in their games!”

First off, gay marriage is still illegal in Japan. There are Japanese games that focus on gay characters, but Nintendo is a family-friendly general appeal kind of publisher.

And as for characters of different ethnicities, Japan is one of the most racially homogenous countries in the world. Almost 99% of the population is Yamato Japanese. A black person in Japan is an incredibly rare sight.

In fact, most other countries aren’t as racially diverse as the US.

If an American looks at a piece of Japanese media and sees a sea of Caucasians (and afterwards complains about a lack of PoC), he is projecting his own views and biases onto the work.

In its country of origin, the cast would be seen as Japanese without question. Anime characters who are meant to be white have both blond hair and blue eyes, as well as features like a large nose, because that is how white people are generally perceived in Japan.

I’m not saying a particular culture is right or wrong. But when examining media we have to remember context and be aware of our biases.

Stop judging international media by US standards and then complaining that it doesn’t live up to them.