Guilty Gear Strive says “Trans Rights” with new DLC character

EVO 2022 brought a number of hype moments over the weekend, including the most incredible “cell yell” I’ve ever heard since Dragon Ball Fighter Z‘s first season in 2018. There were also some announcements during the tournament, such as: the welcome reveal of rollback netcode for more fighting games. But perhaps most exciting was the news that classic fighter Bridget is the next DLC character to come Guilty Gear struts. Additionally, the Arcade Mode footage revealed in the days or so that Bridget came out as a trans woman. Talk about a based W!

Bridget was first introduced in 2002 Guilty Gear XXpresents himself as a very sweet boy who immediately stole the hearts of the fans. Although born as one of two twins in a multi-billionaire couple, Bridget’s depiction of gender was decidedly feminine, despite the use of masculine pronouns. (Official reason: convoluted anime bullshit.) However, with Bridget’s official return as a playable character Endeavor As part of the game’s $25 Season Pass 2, ArcSys has given them a “Come Out” moment where they announce that they actually identify as girls.

Bridget is an experienced yo-yo user dialogue on Endeavor shows how she is comfortable expressing her trans identity Deuteragonist Ky Kisuke and US Secretary of Defense (lol) Goldlewis Dickinson the, “[calling me] Cowgirl is okay. Because I’m a girl!”

Yes, queen, live your truth! We love to see it. In fact, many people online celebrated the unveiling fan art and memes. even someone created a mod for Bridget that sees her in blue, pink, and white colors the Trans Pride flag. It’s cool!

Not everyone was thrilled with Bridget’s trans status, however, which shouldn’t come as a surprise in this space. Willing to dismiss their identity blanketly, there are many crude tweets that denounce ArcSys and give us a real trans character Endeavor. While there is some nuance to the idea that the studio could “erase a character’s past identity.” as a tweeter put itmost of the negative discourse oscillating around Bridget is framed as a malicious argument about “Personal hygiene.”

kotaku has reached out to Arc System Works for comment.

The negative reaction to Bridget’s coming out is unsettling to say the least. At a time when the US government is drafting legislation aimed at attacking the queer experience, being in the media — especially in games — should be considered a boon. It reassures people in our community that being who you are is okay and how you identify is both accepted and loved. As a non-binary individual seeing a bit of themselves the elegant “Reaper” will, Endeavor‘s first Enby character, I absolutely live for Bridget to come to herself.