Where's the Japanese archers in JRPGs?

[auronlu]

We've got a lot of vaguely European armor, weapons and fighting styles in Final Fantasy and other JPRGs, but there's also ubiquitous Ninjas, Samurai, and fighting monks who exhibit fantasy variations of eastern hand to hand styles.

I was just puttering my way through Suikoden V again -- SOOOO much easier on a back-compatible PS3 where the load times are speeded up -- and I noticed that one Elf character starts to lift his bow in a Japanese archery style -- but then, no, he drops his hands and draws European style. Fran and everyone in FFXII have western stances as well. Of course, most of them are using shorter bows -- Penelo's is much too short for Zen archery, and the Elf characters in Suikoden have short bows as well. So I suppose that what I think of as a Western draw is really a shortbow draw.

Anyway, just once l'd love to see a kyudo (Zen) archer in a game. I've seen them practicing at my local range a few times, and it's absolutely mesmerizing. This video captures it.

I could've envisioned Fran and her sisters using a variation of it, since they are such meditative warriors who prize stillness and silence (when they aren't being driven into a killing frenzy by the Mist.)

Then again, Kyudo archery is usually reserved for religious ceremonies and Zen meditation, and is normally done so slowly -- maybe it would seem jarring to depict it in a battle or competitive setting?

Comments

[heavenscalyx]

But kyudo originated as an actual martial art, so I don't see why they don't use it as such in videogames. It may get used in historical games, I don't know.

[auronlu]

i originally wrote "nowadays" in that sentence and then deleted it because I wasn't sure if I was talking out of my butt. Thanks. Good to know I'm NOT.

Despite that minor quibble, one of the things I love most about S5 is the amount of Asian stuff in it, somewhat tricked out in fantasy mode.

[akycha]

You need to check out earlier Suikodens; lots of interesting weapons and weapon styles!