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I have been wondering about this issue for a long time. As the number of Black otaku continues to rise every year, there are bound to be an increasing number of Black nerds that want the same ability as their Japanese and White counterparts in being able to consume media featuring main characters that look like them, in terms of skin color, hair or implied ethnicity. Since Japanese people too are very open and unapologetic in wanting to enjoy mediums with relatable self-insert protagonists that share their ethnicity and skin color as evidenced by the sheer number of blank-state or bland Japanese MCs in Isekai and Narou stories, it would be foolish to assume that Black nerds won't think the same with regards to wanting to see relatable MCs in the media they love. Therefore, I'd like to ask a simple question. How open are you to the idea of playing a VN with a Black Protagonist ? There are some that says that the race or color of the MC doesn't matter as long as the story and Heroines are interesting enough. If that is really true, then they wouldn't mind if the protagonist is Black, right ? It doesn't have to be NTR crap for such MCs to be introduced. Black MCs can appear as a normal hero too in a straightforward pure love VN or Eroge, as evidenced in the Netflix anime "Yasuke". I hope that the idea of Black Protagonists would be normalized in VNs, especially ones made in the West. They're human too just like you and me. Besides, there is no law that says you can't make a fictional work with a protagonist that has a different appearance, skin tone, background or ethnicity from your own. Creators should be able to explore boundless limits in storytelling and be more adventurous to prevent cliched stagnation of overused elements in character relationship dynamics. I think multiracial countries like America and some Southeast Asian countries like Singapore can really lead the way in making games with diverse protagonists and interracial or intercultural romance, especially in the Visual Novel medium. What do you guys think ?

Hi! You'll need a tool to repack the files into a .xp3 file again. The easiest way is probably using animeed: http://wks.arai-kibou.ru/ae.php?p=dl Here's a tutorial I made for it long ago for another person: https://www.mediafire.com/file/4toxi3xwxlwhoe4/XP3Tutorial.docx/file Hope this helps!

Smaller indie VNs sometimes already do that by letting you customize your MC in various ways, like giving them a darker skin tone or changing gender, but it comes with the cost of them not showing up in CGs and dialogue/story being generic enough to not clash with any possible configuration. I don't self-insert very much so for me the bland or invisible protagonists detract from my enjoyment. I'd indeed take a protagonist that is very much unlike myself, like a woman or a black person, over an empty shell any day. The curious part of your question is that I'm not sure how to interpret the framing. Are you trying to make a protagonist that is essentially a self-insert but black/have a background that will appeal to black readers? If the protagonist has as little presence as those in JP eroge (meaning it won't lean very heavily into any kind of identity or personality traits to not get in the way of the reader filling the blanks), I don't think that would matter that much to usual VN readers. They should still have enough in common with the MC to self-insert without much issue, like they do for Japanese protags. It you want a well-defined black protagonist and a plot that refers to their race in meaningful ways... Than I definitely wouldn't mind it, but that's because it'll be clearly someone's story, and not masturbatory waifu fantasy. Other people that look for stories over fap material will also likely be interested with the unusual setup, like Zaka already suggested. The main issue is to communicate clearly what you're aiming for/what your game has going for it and not overstating the identity stuff.

First off, let me just say that I love reading your posts. They actually serve as a great recap for me, as a person who tends to forget a lot of details from VNs I haven't read in a while. As for Island, I enjoyed it a lot back when I read it, and I'm glad to see it getting some more appreciation. The only thing I wasn't entirely satisfied with was how

....I finished Island. Goddamn, I haven't been this emotionally attached to a cast of characters in a looong time. Specifically the love tale between Setsuna and Rinne. It's just so fabulously romantic, everlasting love that transcends the boundaries of time... Sorry Sara and Karen, these two heroines get absolutely shafted in the grand scheme of things, but it worked in my favor anyways cuz I just ADORE Rinne. Unfortunately can't say much without instantly getting into SPOILERS, but yeah, once I got into winter I was hooked until the end. Random highlight reel (ULTIMATE SPOILERS) cuz I gotta rant about this stuff to get it out of my system or I'll get a real nasty case of post-VN completion withdrawal depression LOL: