So square can make drastic changes to FF7 in the remake but couldn't be bothered to not make Barrett an ignorant racist caricature? (Read Threadmarks)

[Valkerion]

I agree with not liking the voice direction. I was in on the various threads throughout this games build up to release agreeing that the voice direction of Barret was really outdated and off putting. Like others in these threads say, "I really don't get non black people's obsession with with the Mr. T characture being applied to many black male characters"

Yes. Barret himself is a good character. He has an amazing arc and purpose to the entire FF7 story. But that does not explain or excuse why his voice is so damn trumped up and goofy in most scenes. Why does everyone else get to sound like a normal ass speaking person when they have lines but Barret sounds like a freaking cartoon? It's made worse because we get examples of his character in a normal voice, but its always contrasted by the tropey direction in the next.

"Ya'll gotta look at the big picture, nothing comes without sacrifice" Amazing normal sounding voice, read, and direction.
"I'm here to take the LAAWD OF YA SHOULDAS!" like some goofy ass southern baptist preacher stereotype. Why. I kept asking myself why he was directed like that.

Sure he was envisioned as a Mr. T style character... A reference that isn't as obvious today and even less apt or appropriate in its hammy execution contrasted by the normalized speaking of literally the rest of the cast. I get that the direction and actor both got the refrence and wanted it characterized, it just stands out negatively in my opinion.

Here's hoping we get less Mr. T, and more Barret in the followups.

 

[LiK]

I think a main character and party member is going to be a lot more front facing than a random NPC. I'm talking about prominent characters in the story. And sorry but the demo exists to be judged. They deemed that a good representation of what the game as a whole will be like. If I was bothered by Barrett for 30 minutes, I'm hesitant to drop $60 to have him there for 30 hours.

Click to shrink...

Fair. I recommend you giving it a shot when it's on sale in the future. I think they did a great job with Barret in the game. He was the emotional core for me.

 

[Aly]

I admit I was iffy about it in the demo as well. Mostly because of the voice but tbh I don't mind him in the full game and it fell to the wayside pretty quickly for me, especially since other black characters even if they are NPCs don't act like that. Don't worry cause I understand your concern, although my annoyance usually comes more from sassy/ angry black woman tropes. But something about Barret works for me.

 

[DeepDishPizzazz]

It's so frustrating listening to countless people who aren't black tell me (who is black) about why Barret is a black caricature. How he is "too black", "too loud", "too tropey", the list goes on...

It's just draining and sad that in 2020, people still think black people are either "too black" or "not black enough" and don't realize that people are just fuckin' people and the color of their skin, their accent, their mannerisms, whatever else are just parts of who they are.

I hesitate even posting in threads like this because getting moderated for expressing my disappointment with people telling black people what they can and can't be just feels so helpless, but whatever, if it happens, it happens.

Does Barret SOUND like he's from a blaxploitation film? Sure. If that's what you take away from his character, to me that speaks volumes about you, not him.

Click to shrink...

Just want to say that this is a beautiful post.

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

Haven't played the remake yet but one thing to note is why is Barret the only character who talks in this manner? When you spend a lot of time with people your speech and phrasing start to become more similar. It make no fucking sense that Barret is the only character in the original (and based off the comments likely the remake) who has this over the top voice with this wildly unique type of speech. Why is it specifically just him? Think about it.

Click to shrink...

Barret isn't from Midgar but a rough and tumble mining town. Would have to see how they portray his home in the remake as they didn't really spend much time on the characters there in the original.

That said, I agree that Barret was a total caricature in the original, but I think they did a much better job here.

 

[srtrestre]

Yup. One of the many, many, many, many, many, MANY things Squeenix dropped the ball on with this game. But probably one of the most disappointing.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

Thank you for echoing how I feel. I already feel ostrasized enough sometimes for being an afro-Carribean living in the UK and my experiences and viewpoints being different yet regarded as wrong, but there's already wrongful discussion to be had if we're going to have example posts commenting on his lack of curly hair (this is stereotyping). Regardless of the game being Japanese, he's been one of my favourite male representations in a videogame for a number of years regardless of his skin colour.

Click to shrink...

Barret's design is based on Mr. T. People would obviously be expecting him to have curly hair taking that into consideration. That's not stereotyping, that's just pointing out that they manage to emulate all these other things about Mr. T in his design and persona but missed the curly hair. How is recognizing that an issue when you're discussing a character?

 

[Village]

In what aspect do you feel that however? For a character ruined by Shinra, I see no negative portrayal of his resentment. He remains clear during the entire game that whilst he views people who use Mako energy as complicit, he does not hold them in the same regards as the decision makers. For the emotional scenes in the game, not once does he change in overall attitude and is even the one to reassure cast members that what they're doing is the correct thing to do. He has a machinegun for an arm as a unique weapon, the same way other cast members have swords despite frequently battling enemies using firearms. I still think it's far different from 'black man with a gun'.

Click to shrink...

How he conducts himself, no one cares he's upset. His cadence and how he conducts himself is still very much that of a stereotype. How he speaks, his character in the story, everything.

 

[Deleted member 4034]

It's so frustrating listening to countless people who aren't black tell me (who is black) about why Barret is a black caricature. How he is "too black", "too loud", "too tropey", the list goes on...

It's just draining and sad that in 2020, people still think black people are either "too black" or "not black enough" and don't realize that people are just fuckin' people and the color of their skin, their accent, their mannerisms, whatever else are just parts of who they are.

Does Barret SOUND like he's from a blaxploitation film? Sure. If that's what you take away from his character, to me that speaks volumes about you, not him.

Click to shrink...

What volumes does that speak, do tell? I'm curious.

 

[Uthred]

Is TV Tropes the worst thing to happen to Internet criticism? It created a billion endlessly categorising armchair storytelling experts.

Click to shrink...

Yes, it's fucking terrible. It tried to turn everything into a nail for the the ignorant to use the hammer of "tropes" to bash. Whatever utility it might actually have had is ruined by sloppy stretched categorisation and most people being ignorant of what tropes are, how they differ across media and how to actually apply criticism to a work. Thats why you see people saying "Look a trope a trope!" as a criticism and feeling that its somehow an actual critique. (This isn't aimed at the OP, just a general comment on how TvTropes is garbage)

 

[Bumpers]

I've read the staff communication and I think that's unfairly dismissive of opinions. HIs character arc is very important to his development as a character, and I think any other person regardless of race would be equally as resentful as he is portrayed in game. Do not mix personality and portrayal.

 

[Village]

It's so frustrating listening to countless people who aren't black tell me (who is black) about why Barret is a black caricature. How he is "too black", "too loud", "too tropey", the list goes on...

It's just draining and sad that in 2020, people still think black people are either "too black" or "not black enough" and don't realize that people are just fuckin' people and the color of their skin, their accent, their mannerisms, whatever else are just parts of who they are.

I hesitate even posting in threads like this because getting moderated for expressing my disappointment with people telling black people what they can and can't be just feels so helpless, but whatever, if it happens, it happens.

Does Barret SOUND like he's from a blaxploitation film? Sure. If that's what you take away from his character, to me that speaks volumes about you, not him.

Click to shrink...

What thread did you read. Because the only thing being said in this thread is people telling black folks they shouldn't be dissapointed in barret. Me myself being one of them. You black and think barret is cool? More power to you. But don't start that " Don't tell me how to feel shit " where the entire first several fucking pages are folks telling people they are over exaggerating about the claim

get THE fuck out of here with that

 

[Deleted member 4976]

I'm extremely confused by this thread. I've never met a single person of any race that thought Barrett was a bad character or a mockery of black people or anything of the sort. Everyone agrees he's a badass and many of them (including myself) kept him in their party the entire game because they really liked him.

I was under the impression that Barrett was a really good, strong representation of black people. He's strong and powerful. He's a leader of a group that believes as he does. His character and story has depth. He has flaws, like all good characters, and that makes him worth watching. If he were less loud, and less passionate, that would just make him a less memorable, more boring character, eventually pushing him towards forgettable. Why would anyone want that?

Click to shrink...

There's always been an issue with OG Barret. Even more so because the character was changed pretty drastically from the Japanese version to the English version, and that version is the basis for Remakes characterization.

 

[Sandfox]

It's so frustrating listening to countless people who aren't black tell me (who is black) about why Barret is a black caricature. How he is "too black", "too loud", "too tropey", the list goes on...

It's just draining and sad that in 2020, people still think black people are either "too black" or "not black enough" and don't realize that people are just fuckin' people and the color of their skin, their accent, their mannerisms, whatever else are just parts of who they are.

I hesitate even posting in threads like this because getting moderated for expressing my disappointment with people telling black people what they can and can't be just feels so helpless, but whatever, if it happens, it happens.

Does Barret SOUND like he's from a blaxploitation film? Sure. If that's what you take away from his character, to me that speaks volumes about you, not him.

Click to shrink...

A number of people on Era who have a problem with Barrett on Era are black themselves.

 

[Bobo]

I'm with OP. It doesn't matter why Barrett's characterization is the way it is thematically. This isn't a "this is just how he is" situation. Square has the ability to control the characterization of Barrett in anyway they felt like. And while Barrett is a good person and a fun member of your party, that comes with what should be some fairly obvious negative drawbacks. I will say, I am at least grateful they chose a black voice actor for the role. Some of you need to look at the broader picture. Barrett isn't an isolated character. He belongs to a history that has continually portrayed black people as hyper aggressive or as some sort of comic relief.

 

[Mozendo]

Can't say much about story the story as I haven't played the game but his voice is definitely rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[Memento]

I didnt play it yet, but I assume having the characters in the remake being true to the original is one of the most important aspects of retelling a classic story like this. The backlash would be insane if his personality changed for the remake.

 

[Grzi]

OP, I fully agree with you. It's really cringeworthy and very disappointing that this thread is a bunch of non-black people talking down to you. Barret's representation is a joke in this game. I'm enjoying the remake a lot, but honestly just feel disappointed that it's 2020 and this is the major AAA black male representation we get. This was definitely the place for them to have some time to reflect and rework this very important character. But nope, we get angry black doofus.

Click to shrink...

I agree with the OP, and this is a touchy subject, but "angry black doofus"? Come on.

His character is a stereotype and it is a problem that should be discussed, but he is far from a doofus, let's not exaggerate. Unless you believe everyone who is passionate about anything is a doofus, and being calm and collected about everything makes you smarter? I admire his passion deeply, for instance, he is literally a character you can look up to.
His characterization is great, possibly the best in the entire game, but I have no idea what they were thinking with his voice, especially at the start. It gets MUCH better as the game goes on, at least in my opinion.

 

[newmoneytrash]

It's so frustrating listening to countless people who aren't black tell me (who is black) about why Barret is a black caricature. How he is "too black", "too loud", "too tropey", the list goes on...

It's just draining and sad that in 2020, people still think black people are either "too black" or "not black enough" and don't realize that people are just fuckin' people and the color of their skin, their accent, their mannerisms, whatever else are just parts of who they are.

I hesitate even posting in threads like this because getting moderated for expressing my disappointment with people telling black people what they can and can't be just feels so helpless, but whatever, if it happens, it happens.

Does Barret SOUND like he's from a blaxploitation film? Sure. If that's what you take away from his character, to me that speaks volumes about you, not him.

Click to shrink...

I think it's more an issue of non-black people writing a black character this way. it's not that black people *can't* act this way, it's the interpretation of a black person as a very specific trope written by non-black people that causes the issue to be raised

 

[mentallyinept]

Yeah, it's pretty undeniable that Barrett is a straight-up walking stereotype in terms of dialog, voice direction, and character design.

Which is really conflicting to say\admit when he is my favorite character in this remake despite all that (disclaimer: I'm not all the way through the game having just got to Chapter 16).

He absolutely owns every scene he's in, has the most well-rounded development, and has by far the most memorable lines.

 

[theBmZ]

Let me preface this by saying I'm a white male, so I obviously can't speak to the black experience. All I can do is give my viewpoint of the character based on other media and the original game itself.

Totally disagree here. If we were talking about the original FFVII Barret then I'd agree. But Remake Barret has so much more depth. And feels more like a real person, than caricature to me. A lot of what he does is just a show because he's the leader of his group. He's angry yes, at the problem of Shinra. But he's also incredibly warm and funny. He gets his point across more so in impassioned speeches, and I don't think he's ever portrayed as trying to be scary at all. In fact he's often times more scared than anything. Scared they will fail, scared of heights, scared of being seen as the villain, scared to lose his family etc. His scenes with Marlene are some of the most heartwarming and emotionally impacting in the game. I think they took a caricature and made him an actual person. Barret was my favorite character in this game. I didn't expect that because of the original game. But his writing here is very strong.

 

[DontHateTheBacon]

Muting this thread. It's wild. Super frustrating to read this stuff in 2020.

I grew up with people who sound more like a "stereotype" than fucking Barret in FF7, lol. That's just who they are at their core, and they're not "dumb", "ignorant", or anything else. Carry on, everyone.

 

[Deleted member 23046]

I'm extremely confused by this thread. I've never met a single person of any race that thought Barrett was a bad character or a mockery of black people or anything of the sort. Everyone agrees he's a badass and many of them (including myself) kept him in their party the entire game because they really liked him.

I was under the impression that Barrett was a really good, strong representation of black people. He's strong and powerful. He's a leader of a group that believes as he does. His character and story has depth. He has flaws, like all good characters, and that makes him worth watching. If he were less loud, and less passionate, that would just make him a less memorable, more boring character, eventually pushing him towards forgettable. Why would anyone want that?

Click to shrink...

It's not contradictory. Stereotypes aren't necessarily propagated with nefarious intentions. What creates the stereotype isn't always a bad portrayal but the constant use of it. Maybe "racial stereotype" would have been more appropriate than "racist" in this case, although it still incidentally participates to some forms of symbolic oppressions.

 

[newmoneytrash]

I didnt play it yet, but I assume having the characters in the remake being true to the original is one of the most important aspects of retelling a classic story like this. The backlash would be insane if his personality changed for the remake.

Click to shrink...

a lot of personalities have been altered to still adhere to the core of the character while working in a more modern story telling structure. barrett sticks out specifically because he's a character that doesn't do that against a cast of characters that do it very well

 

[Deleted member 4976]

Yeah, it's pretty undeniable that Barrett is a straight-up walking stereotype in terms of dialog, voice direction, and character design.

Which is really conflicting to say\admit when he is my favorite character in this remake despite all that (disclaimer: I'm not all the way through the game having just got to Chapter 16).

He absolutely owns every scene he's in, has the most well-rounded development, and has by far the most memorable lines.

Click to shrink...

Despite my issues with his portrayal, that's where I stand too. I think his actual arc is the best out of any of the character, which makes this even more dissapointing.

He has some great lines.

 

[Deleted member 4034]

I didnt play it yet, but I assume having the characters in the remake being true to the original is one of the most important aspects of retelling a classic story like this. The backlash would be insane if his personality changed for the remake.

Click to shrink...

No, there would not have been a backlash if Barrett's boisterous rants were less over the top and more human.

What makes it frustrating is that, at times, it's actually a pretty good performance. It's the other times where he's deliberately annoying and over the top that rub people the wrong way. Not saying that he can't yell, but the reference point that he sounds like during those times ain't a good one.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

Barret isn't from Midgar but a rough and tumble mining town. Would have to see how they portray his home in the remake as they didn't really spend much time on the characters there in the original.

Click to shrink...

I know he isn't from Midgar originally but many of the main characters aren't. Still, living in the slums and living with all these people for what will have to have been a considerable amount of time, is it not strange how no one shares any launguage expression quarks with Barret? Like I said, people rub off on each other when they spend considerable time together. Seemingly no one has any of Barret's tendencies, speech similarities or quarks and that is weird. For Cloud and Aerith it makes sense since they spend little time with him. Everyone else though? It is weird that Barret is so different from everyone else you get introduced to in the original. I have to play the Remake but I find it unlikely this changes much. I doubt when you go back to Corel in the remake they are all going to talk like Barret but my opinion will be a lot more positive if they do.

That said, I agree that Barret was a total caricature in the original, but I think they did a much better job here.

Click to shrink...

It would be hard to do worse than the original :P

 

[Bumpers]

Barret's design is based on Mr. T. People would obviously be expecting him to have curly hair taking that into consideration. That's not stereotyping, that's just pointing out that they manage to emulate all these other things about Mr. T in his design and persona but missed the curly hair. How is recognizing that an issue when you're discussing a character?

Click to shrink...

So does that mean we should make him more like Mr T, or completly different from how he was previously? Mr T's hairstyle was never a point of contention for me personally, however his portrayal of many gold chains and jewlerry was. I do not see an excess amount of this on Barret, infact none at all. There's nothing wrong with having characters inspired by others, but the difference is in how you portray them. If anything still comparing him to Mr T now feels an insult. Mr T was an black insert character known for referring to himself in speech and for being loud, Barret is an inspired design but other than being loud (which can be stereotyping depending on how it's portrayed), really does not share anything else in terms of personality, and has significantly more depth than anything Mr T ever did.

How he conducts himself, no one cares he's upset. His cadence and how he conducts himself is still very much that of a stereotype. How he speaks, his character in the story, everything.

Click to shrink...

If no one cares about him being upset, why does he still have a team of people resolute to his cause, despite the severe concequences of it? There's not one point in the game where people worry he's being too extremist bar Tifa, who later learns the real extent of what Shinra is and can do after seeing their actions for herself. Passion is being mistakened for racism in this thread. Every character in the game has an element of stereotyping about themselves, but this is not racism. He regards himself as a leader, he exuberates confidence in order for others to not be concerned, but there are many moments in the game where you see inner-weakness. His accent I will leave til Corel Prison to determine whether the stereotyping is significant, but I think calling Barrets portrayal as racism is a disservice. We really should be talking about stereotyping in videogames instead, not mixing the two.

 

[Kreed]

It's so frustrating listening to countless people who aren't black tell me (who is black) about why Barret is a black caricature. How he is "too black", "too loud", "too tropey", the list goes on...

It's just draining and sad that in 2020, people still think black people are either "too black" or "not black enough" and don't realize that people are just fuckin' people and the color of their skin, their accent, their mannerisms, whatever else are just parts of who they are.

I hesitate even posting in threads like this because getting moderated for expressing my disappointment with people telling black people what they can and can't be just feels so helpless, but whatever, if it happens, it happens.

Does Barret SOUND like he's from a blaxploitation film? Sure. If that's what you take away from his character, to me that speaks volumes about you, not him.

Click to shrink...

1) There are multiple people in this thread who are Black. We just don't all see the need to go "As a Black man..." every time we post in a topic on this forum about Black people.

2) This is a fictional character, being portrayed by an English VA who does not actually talk the way he is portraying Barret/someone who is acting. No one is attacking a real person for how they naturally talk.

3) It's fine if you don't have a problem with the English VA portrayal of Barret, just as it's fine that some people do. We are giving our opinions and trying to have a discussion about it. No one is writing off your opinions, so no need to write off others.

Muting this thread. It's wild. Super frustrating to read this stuff in 2020.

I grew up with people who sound more like a "stereotype" than fucking Barret in FF7, lol. That's just who they are at their core, and they're not "dumb", "ignorant", or anything else. Carry on, everyone.

Click to shrink...

Again, this is a fictional character in a video game. No one is criticizing your personal life experiences.

 

[Miamiwesker]

I thought they did the best job of updating the portrayal of Barret over anyone in FF7.

 

[Deleted member 34949]

There's some points where he actually does drop the bravado (Chapter 12 in particular comes to mind) and actually does come off as a somewhat nuanced character without being a caricature in those moments, but outside of those select instances... yeah.

They really gotta do something about that voice direction for him, man.

What makes it frustrating is that, at times, it's actually a pretty good performance. It's the other times where he's deliberately annoying and over the top that rub people the wrong way. Not saying that he can't yell, but the reference point that he sounds like during those times ain't a good one.

Click to shrink...

My thoughts exactly.

 

[devious.one]

Edit--

My opinion has since changed, and I recognize how ashy I sounded with my original comment.

After a second time around, i've noticed that train sequence is pretty oof.

 

[JSevere]

Yeah I have been thinking while playing through the game that Barret sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the other main characters. Cloud, Tifa, etc speaking and reacting to things realistically while Barret's got to ham it up and shout every other line he has. There's parts where it's cringe and parts where he's performed naturally that I don't have any problem with, but the fact that there was discomfort in the first place means that there's definitely discussion to be had on how he could've been handled better.

I'm thinking things are not mutually exclusive. You can love Barret for being passionate about saving the planet and taking down evil corporations. You can love him for being an inspiring leader and a great dad. You can love him 'cause he's funny af. He can have a fantastic arc and be one of the most fleshed out and endearing characters in the game. They could've kept all that and ALSO just let John Eric Bentley use his natural speaking voice and the character's portrayal would've been all the better for it. I know my man's throat be hurtin the recording booth. Don't be afraid to ask for things to be better guys

also, we need more major and main Black characters in JRPGs and video games in general 🤧 game devs call me up since y'all having trouble lol

 

[Deleted member 33533]

If you see driveby dismissals, feel free to report them and the mod team will take a look at them. It's a huge forum and we're only so many. We rely on the users using the report button so we can be more aware of problematic posts a lot easier.

Click to shrink...

Noted. I've noticed since I made that post there are some choice posts that are particularly bad that have received moderation that weren't before. Thanks. I just think there are less egregious examples that almost always pop up in these threads. I don't think that in a thread discussing concerns about the portrayal of black people should have so many "nah, it's fine" posts that put no effort into saying anything else.

I didnt play it yet, but I assume having the characters in the remake being true to the original is one of the most important aspects of retelling a classic story like this. The backlash would be insane if his personality changed for the remake.

Click to shrink...

I don't think they really needed to change his personality. From what people are saying he is more nuanced than before but I think his stereotypical voice direction is what really lights up all those other elements of his character and makes it bad.

I thought Barrett looked really cool and then he started talking in the elevator as Cloud and Jessie looked at him like he was a joke. I really just wish they toned down his voice and some of his mannerisms. I think not making him a bad stereotype is more important than appealing to nostalgia. They altered other things. I'm not saying they need to turn him into someone unrecognizable.

 

[skillzilla81]

I didnt play it yet, but I assume having the characters in the remake being true to the original is one of the most important aspects of retelling a classic story like this. The backlash would be insane if his personality changed for the remake.

Click to shrink...

He's not like this in the original Japanese version.

It's really sad because there are several moments when Barret tones it down and it's very, very touching.

Dude sung a negro spiritual on the way up the stairs for god's sake. If they tone down his over the top yelling and animations for the sequels, he's got potential to be amazing representation. But this was just frustrating. My wife gave me the side eye several times while playing. She said at one point, "THIS is one of your favorite games? A game with THAT racist character?"

 

[Makeno]

It's so frustrating listening to countless people who aren't black tell me (who is black) about why Barret is a black caricature. How he is "too black", "too loud", "too tropey", the list goes on...

It's just draining and sad that in 2020, people still think black people are either "too black" or "not black enough" and don't realize that people are just fuckin' people and the color of their skin, their accent, their mannerisms, whatever else are just parts of who they are.

I hesitate even posting in threads like this because getting moderated for expressing my disappointment with people telling black people what they can and can't be just feels so helpless, but whatever, if it happens, it happens.

Does Barret SOUND like he's from a blaxploitation film? Sure. If that's what you take away from his character, to me that speaks volumes about you, not him.

Click to shrink...

This is how I feel about it too.

At the moment, there's staff communication basically saying this thread is now only about racist stereotyping of black people, and his character does not excuse the stereotype. Makes me feel that people ONLY see his exterior which to me, a lot of scenes in the game show to be a foolish way of looking at the man - that's before you see the scenes that show his mannerisms are mostly for show. He's a big softy with a gun for an arm.

I respect Square for not heavily altering his character because of his earlier representations, instead the new Barrett to me feels like an understanding of how his earlier presentation was actually rooted in that mentality. This game allows us to see how he transcends it to be MORE than just an angry black man.

I just looked through the index of black stereotypes on Tvtropes and man, I'm just glad I don't let that colour my perceptions too heavily because I'm certain he's actually a few more of those tropes.

Uncle Tomfoolery: A stereotypical black guy with the sole purpose of comic relief
Token Black Friend: A black character whose main purpose is to revolve around the non-black main character and/or only add diversity to a work
Salt and Pepper: A duo of one black person and one white person with personalities that are hilariously polar
Malcolm Xerox: Someone who is willing to go to violent extremes for the sake of an oppressed group
Magical Negro: A black character who is both wise and mystic, only existing to give wisdom to other non-black characters
But Not Too Black: A character is black, but their skin tone is very pale, with the unfortunate implication that this makes them "easier to swallow."
Blaxploitation: A genre of film with a hero whose main attributes is the fact that they're black (almost always behaving stereotypically), badass, and fighting against the bad guys pretty violently
African Terrorists: Sub-Saharan African terrorists, often carrying out guerrilla operations and maybe working for someone else.)

but not actually any of them? I just think it's reductive as hell to see things through this website.

Funnily enough there's a black stereotype here that Resetera constantly advocates for, the Black Vikings: A minority character is in a work, but it doesn't make sense in the historical setting.

Don't even get me started on the posts about his hair, lemme go tell my boi that he's negative black stereotype because he has straight hair naturally. (Funnily enough his hairline is more like OG Barrett)

 

[Gallows Bat]

The voice actor is a black dude who absolutely loved the original game and Barret as a character. He's a well written character that gets to display a wide range of emotion and his va does a great job of humanising him.

He's not a one note angry black man stereotype at all. I could see how people might think that if they only played the demo but if you've actually spent 30+ hours with the character over a playthrough I don't know how you can spout this bullshit with a straight face.

Shinra destroyed his life, I think the fact he hates Shinra perhaps more than anyone if you know the context from the original game makes perfect sense.

 

[Memento]

a lot of personalities have been altered to still adhere to the core of the character while working in a more modern story telling structure. barrett sticks out specifically because he's a character that doesn't do that against a cast of characters that do it very well

Click to shrink...

No, there would not have been a backlash if Barrett's boisterous rants were less over the top and more human.

What makes it frustrating is that, at times, it's actually a pretty good performance. It's the other times where he's deliberately annoying and over the top that rub people the wrong way. Not saying that he can't yell, but the reference point that he sounds like during those times ain't a good one.

Click to shrink...

Reading some of the replies here it seems they did just that, with a lot of people thinking the Remake was great at accomodating his personality to modern times aka not subtracting him of his peculiar characterization yet adding significant development/depth/nuance to his character

That said I am only talking this out of some replies here

I only played the demo, which I agree it was kind of too much (the voice acting at least)

 

[MonadL]

Someone mentioned giving Barrett a British accent, and now I'm picturing him as basically Manchester Black from CW Supergirl. Would be incredible.

 

[Deleted member 4034]

If it doesn't bother you, it doesn't bother you, but the "whaaa? Well I never. Barrett? Racist? I've never heard such a crazy thing" posts are baffling.

Also, pointing out that you liked his arc doesn't remotely address the issue.

 

[Deleted member 3010]

I loved Barret in Remake, in fact he stood out as one of my favorite.

I always connected his explosive temper with his passion for the cause, along with the fact that Avalanche is a minority, even among the little people, which was showed to be a losing/desperate fight almost throughout the entire game. I could relate to that anger and I think that's what made him so lovable.

 

[TheMilkman]

I actually liked Barret in this precisely because he's a Mr. T type nigga with more depth than the original.

 

[Gotdatmoney]

So does that mean we should make him more like Mr T, or completly different from how he was previously? Mr T's hairstyle was never a point of contention for me personally, however his portrayal of many gold chains and jewlerry was. I do not see an excess amount of this on Barret, infact none at all. There's nothing wrong with having characters inspired by others, but the difference is in how you portray them. If anything still comparing him to Mr T now feels an insult. Mr T was an black insert character known for referring to himself in speech and for being loud, Barret is an inspired design but other than being loud (which can be stereotyping depending on how it's portrayed), really does not share anything else in terms of personality, and has significantly more depth than anything Mr T ever did.

Click to shrink...

Barret's design heavily resembling Mr. T is not a new revelation lol. There is nothing wrong with people pointing out Barret's hair in the remake. It isn't reflective of what the source material would make you think, that's why people are commenting on it. There isn't an issue with people pointing that out.

 

[skillzilla81]

I respect Square for not heavily altering his character because of his earlier representations, instead the new Barrett to me feels like an understanding of how his earlier presentation was actually rooted in that mentality. This game allows us to see how he transcends it to be MORE than just an angry black man.

Click to shrink...

ALL black men are more than just an emotion. The fact that some of ya'll need an arc to see it is just stupidity.

 

[sonicmj1]

Early in the game, it feels like Barrett's portrayal is hit by how emotion is generally exaggerated across the board for many characters in the game (in both the English and Japanese dubs), both in vocal expression and animation. People make big stage gestures and put a lot into what they're saying. Barrett suffers, Tifa suffers, Jessie suffers, a lot of the NPCs suffer. Unfortunately with Barrett, those exaggerations play into racial stereotypes that don't affect the others (who just wind up seeming very... anime).

The argument with Shinra employees in the train car in Chapter 2 is one of the starkest examples this, and it undercut for me a scene that works very well on paper and in the script.

 

[Bumpers]

Someone mentioned giving Barrett a British accent, and picturing him as basically Manchester Black from CW Supergirl. Would be incredible.

Click to shrink...

Depends on the accent. I'm a Londoner, and if they were to make a black UK voice actor not from boroughs like Hackney or Peckham voice as such, I could very easily argue the same points of negative portrayal that his current voice actor is facing now.

 

[newmoneytrash]

Reading some of the replies here it seems they did just that, with a lot of people thinking the Remake was great at accomodating his personality to modern times aka not subtracting him of his peculiar characterization yet adding significant development/depth/nuance to his character

That said I am only talking this out of some replies here

I only played the demo, which I agree it was kind of too much (the voice acting at least)

Click to shrink...

as someone who has played it i don't think they updated his personality *at all*. adding nuance to his character (which was mostly already in the original, they just get to it a lot quicker) does make up for the completely outdated trope that is the core of his personality

 

[Sonic and Knuckles]

He's just angry about what's going on in the world.

 

[Papasmurff]

The amount of rage this man generates inside me whenever he is on screen is insane. I haven't seen anything this hilariously racist in a AAA game since.... I don't even know when. Who the hell has angry black man and scary black man tropes in their games in 2020?

Click to shrink...

> OP is upset about an angry black man

> He himself is enraged by the very sight of a fictional video game character

 

[Jessie]

The voice actor is a black man. I'm in the camp that doesn't believe that black actors acting hammy is necessarily a stereotype. Black people are allowed to be loud and angry, funny and sweet, and Barret is all of those things because his character has a lot of depth.

I think it's notable how a lot of black folks enjoy Barret and appreciate him for who he is while white folks cringe and think he's a stereotype. I think the black community is better at identifying nuance in black characters while white people (no offense) only look at his surface layer and automatically deem him a stereotype.

I also think there's some level of meta racism going in where people get angry to see an angry black man. It's like how people get angry when they see Colin Kaepernick kneel, or BLM protestors. Something about black anger brings up a lot of emotions in white people for some reason.