Ashe and Leblanc of French Basis

[Yliette]

IMO Leblanc is the most French character in the entire FF series. She's a fashionist (from the way she dresses), has flirtatious tendencies (her line "Let me blow you a kiss" and calls anyone "Love") and lives in Seymour's manor in Guadosalam which she now calls Chateau Leblanc. "Chateau" is French for "Castle." Moreover Leblanc's name translates to "The White" in French. Leblanc is also a factual French surname.

Ashe in turn was purposely designed to be vaguely French. According to Akihiko Yoshida, FFXII's designer, "The base of Ashe's bone structure is that of a French person's. We were given orders from the start to not make her look like an Asian. But we modified her a bit to look more like a Japanese for the sake of the Japanese audience, and also since a character that looks completely French makes some of the CG expressions difficult."

[Captain Maxx Power]

"The base of Ashe's bone structure is that of a French person's. We were given orders from the start to not make her look like an Asian. But we modified her a bit to look more like a Japanese for the sake of the Japanese audience, and also since a character that looks completely French makes some of the CG expressions difficult."

That's the most ridiculously unintentionally racist quote I've heard today. As we all know, French people are very bad to animate due to their...frenchness...

[Yliette]

Leblanc doesn't have CG appearances after all. And I daresay her face looks generously French.

[BG-57]

Of course Leblanc can't be French because France does not exist within the context of the game. Having said that, she does have French influences in her name and home. However, I'm not sure I'd characterize her style of dress or mannerisms as French. I always assumed she affects her manner of speech to make her look more sophisticated and elegant than she is.

Her origins clearly lie with anime: Crimson Scorpion (Stream Detectives), Grandis (Nadia) and utlimately Doronjo (Time Bokan). All are beautiful, elegant, and vain femme fatale types, always accompanied by two flunkies (one tall and lanky, the other short and stocky). A case has been made that Cruella DeVille was the earliest incarnation. A look at her flunkies was persuasive to me.

All this may make it sound like I dislike her, which isn't the case. She's my favorite original FFX-2 character.

As for Ashe, I'm reminded of a discussion where one of Rinoa's character designers suggested he was going for European look. Or that the creator of Five Star Stories based his Fatimas on East European gymnasts. People are influenced, conciously and unconsciously, by their and other cultures.

[Takara]

Rinoa was supposed to look European? She looks very Asian to me.

[BG-57]

Apparently all the major characters were.

I wasn't able to find the thread where it was discussed, but I found this link that mentions it in passing.

[black orb]

>>> FF characters always have some influences from different cultures, FF4 Yang, FF7 Yuffie, FF8 Kiros, are some obvious examples..
And yeah I guess Leblanc is french or something.

[Aerisfanatic]

i always thought leblanc was a french prostitute

[Firo Volondé]

How come? There's nothing to suggest that she... performs the services of a prositute. Her outfit may be revealing, but that seems to be the fashion in Spira.

[GF_Diablos]

i always thought leblanc was a french prostitute

Lol I agree she does look like a hooker and her home does look like a bordello.

I think there is meant to be an influence, they don't do things like that in games by accident.

[BG-57]

As in real life, people often judge video game characters based on their apperance more by their personality and actions (see Tifa in FFVII). Leblanc may wear revealing outfits and flirt, but only for the benefit of one man.

If anything her profession should be a Diva.

[ReloadPsi]

i always thought leblanc was a french prostitute

When she transforms from Songstress Yuna back into her good ol' self, me and my mate used to say "From whore... to Parisian!"

Rinoa was supposed to look European? She looks very Asian to me.

Wait, what? Those Japanese really think us westerners are complete retards; just look at the PR for the PS3.

[Renmiri]

i always thought leblanc was a french prostitute

Yeah, that syndicate and the chateau.... The first whorehouse in Spira

[PuPu]

i always thought leblanc was a french prostitute

Yeah, that syndicate and the chateau.... The first whorehouse in Spira

I'd just like to remind everybody of the disturbing fact that Seymour first lived in whorehouse.

[Renmiri]

So Seymour did some business on the side ?!?!? That Tromel never fooled me! He was a ho!