Genderswap discussion

Ravensfall

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Imagine for a moment that ff7 was released with every single character in it genderswapped, cloud and sephy are female, tifa and aerith are male and so on like that, Do you believe the game would have more or less fans if this had been the case? I would love to say it would have more but at the time it was released there just wasnt as many powerful female characters in things, it was a shock back then to see a powerful female martial artist even as a side character, so having one as a genetically engineered super-soldier? that would have been one hell of a push
 
Good thread!

Female leads were not unknown to Final Fantasy before FFVII (FFVI essentially had Terra as a lead for half of the game, and then Celes as a lead for the other half). I'd say that they could have gotten away with nearly every character being gender swapped and it not affecting the story much (with some exceptions).

Cloud might have ended up like Lightning, Tifa might have ended up like Zell or Yang (or any other FF monk), Red XIII might have been more like Nala from The Lion King (or like Deneh from the FFVII expanded universe), and Yuffie might have been a typical teenage ninja boy. Vincent could also easily translate into a female vampirish human without altering her personality or role too much. Cait Sith might not need much altering either.

The other characters would be slightly more unorthodox in their roles, but not entirely beyond imagination. A male Aerith might have been a pious but outgoing young man (whether his day job would remain a flower merchant or not would depend - it has been known, particularly in anime / Japanese games). Barret would be a loud and aggressive woman with a gun-arm who has adopted the son (Marley, perhaps!) of her presumed-dead friend. Cid (or Cindy!) would also be a controversial loudmouth, and would curse and be cruel to the man who serves her because she blames him for ruining her chances of going into space (this part would be possible, but it might be played here more for comedy than for shock value since such abuse against males is usually considered in this way by society at present). Would a female Cid have been considered capable of leading a space program (in 1997)? We've seen female Final Fantasy characters in respected positions of authority in previous games, so I don't see why they couldn't have done it in 1997 if the genders were swapped.

As for the minor characters? I'm not sure if Mukki (the homosexual character who pulls Cloud into the bath in the Honeybee Inn) would work in the sense that he is supposed to be a mockery of the macho-man. A gender-swapped Mukki would have to be hyper-feminine instead (and a lesbian), and then it might work. This is if we want a complete swap to leave the effect intact.

Similarly Dio is supposed to be a bodybuilder billionaire (or gilionaire) who used his wealth and influence to create the Gold Saucer theme park. A gender-swapped Dio could still be a ripped bodybuilder who is egotistical, but they might have decided to alter this back in the day since it was the exaggerated manliness of Dio which was being mocked in the original game (Dio largely being a joke character).

Some characters might not work as well in the sense that they are named after particular figures from our world (such as Bugenhagen and Heidegger), and these associations might not be recognised if the characters were gender-swapped and a feminine form of the names used instead (if any change to the name is necessary given that these are the surnames of said persons from our world).

So on the whole it could work, technically. Would it have been as popular? It is hard to say. There is quite a mix of male and female characters in the original game as it is (some of the males are 'other' in the sense that they are animals or robotic toys). The player party itself is quite balanced, and would remain so with a gender-swap. There would be differences, some subtle, but it could have been pulled off.

The main difference, I guess, would be that the SOLDIER program would consist mostly (or entirely) of women, and some alterations to the plot or a few lines would likely have been added to explain the absence of men in a military setting if nothing else.


Given that FFXIII's Lightning was quite popular as a marketing icon (and as a character too - though fans are divided on her just like they are on Cloud Strife), a female Cloud might have had a similar reaction... Even in the 1990s. It wasn't that long ago. :argor:



I might think differently on reflection (and after considering some other characters) but these are my initial thoughts.
 
Your opinions are welcome, Im glad to see I am not the only person who may have considered this as interesting idea for discussion, yes in many games of the era there has been pioneers in the world of gaming, female characters have been in powerful positions for a long time, but as you pointed out its not entirely likely that a female Cid would have been able to fill the same role as he did in the game, and then of course a primarily female military force would be difficult to explain, unless you were to say that the gene only works in women? I mean its plausible enough as part of the story itself. but then there would have to be repercussions to that alteration, repercussions that wouldnt need to be considered if the military force was male, i mean, we see in game what happens to people born from gene tampering when we look at sephiroth but if everyone in soldier was a woman and all of them were to give birth then who knows how far that might go
 
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