I've always assumed the white mage is a she, mainly because I consider the character's pre-class change sprite (below left) to be on the feminine side. I recently came across a few comments on line, though, that suggested the white mage must be a he due to the more masculine appearance of the white wizard sprite (below right).
Those broad shoulders don't necessarily mean the white wizard/mage is a he, though, do they? I mean, we're talking about one member of a four-person party that's been tasked with saving the world--you'd think such a person, whether male or female, would have to buff up a bit beforehand, wouldn't you?
As such, I'm sticking with my initial opinion that the white mage in Final Fantasy is a she. That's just my opinion, though; what's yours?
I always thought it looked like a girl. Most of the character sprites from that game are sort of ambisexual, though. The fighter could be a butch girl, and the black mage is...questionable at best.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm with you regarding the black mage. How could anyone tell? Although, the black wizard sprite definitely is a bit masculine.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought of the fighter as a butch girl, though. Very interesting :)
It's pretty much FF tradition to make white mages female. Can you think of a male white mage, only?
ReplyDeleteYou're right, anonymous, although I don't think this tradition began until after the Famicom/NES versions of Final Fantasy were released. These first versions didn't really apply a gender to *any* of the main characters, although it's clear some of them are supposed to be male. The white mage/wizard is the most ambiguous, in my mind, and the most likely to be a female.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that we assign femininity to ambiguity.
ReplyDeleteHuh. I definitely didn't use the word with that in mind, although I may have done so subconsciously. I just meant that the combo of the white mage/wizard sprites are the most ambiguous overall, and along with that most likely to be female. Does that make any sense?
ReplyDeleteFF1's white mage is totally a he, replete flowing red Fabio hair. For further proof, it's all in the eyebrows -- they tell the tale.
ReplyDeleteHey, this game was released during the era of Brooke Shields -- i.e., when "strong brows" were "in" for the ladies. Why, oh why, do I know this??? ;)
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