Guilty Gear Developers: Bridget Was Always Meant to be Transgender

On October 26, Guilty Gear Strive developer Daisuke Ishiwatari said that the character Bridget was always meant to be transgender.

In an interview with TBS, he said that Bridget’s character was meant to be one whose messaging revolved around gender identity and acceptance.

“The direction of the story itself was decided when Bridget first appeared in the game, and it hasn’t changed,” Daisuke said. Guilty Gear Strive Lead Director Akira Katano also chimed in, agreeing that the character’s core themes had always been about exploring gender identity and expression.

Guilty Gear Strive is a fighting video game developed and published by Arc System Works. It is the seventh mainline installment of the Guilty Gear series and the 25th overall.

The theme of Guilty Gear, as described by the developers, is humanity, because there is a basic idea that “a very imperfect state makes human beings human.”

For a while now, Bridget’s gender has given rise to some controversy in the Guilty Gear community, as when the character was first introduced, she was said to be a boy made to dress like a girl.

At first, her arc was believed to be about proving that she was indeed a boy despite her appearance by being the best bounty hunter.  

Her appearance on Strive deals with her arc after she achieves this goal. Once she has proven herself as the best bounty hunter, Bridget realizes that she likes being a girl and that her gender does not diminish her worth or take away any of her other traits.

As is the case when any media portrays transgender characters, this revelation led to a sizable controversy with transphobic players lashing out and disapproving of Bridget being transgender.  

Here is what Akira Kantano had to say about this controversy and the developers’ decision to make Bridget trans during the interview with TBS:

“We’ve never changed the storyline in a flash of an idea. It’s not just about Bridget, it’s the character’s message, and the drama has been decided for a long time.

Nowadays, transgender people are much more widely recognized, and it’s as if the times have caught up with the story of Bridget, which we had been thinking about for a long time.

Every character was conceived by Ishiwatari in advance. Ishiwatari had already decided on the settings and dramas for each character, but there were many that we hadn’t yet revealed. This time, we brought out Bridget, and I think that’s really all there is to it.”

The developers have said that despite the controversy, the decision to make Bridget transgender was always part of the plan, and they are glad to have this representation in the game.

About Guilty Gear

Guilty Gear is a series of fighting games developed by Arc System Works, created and designed by artist Daisuke Ishiwatari. The first game was published in 1998 and has had several sequels since. It has been adapted to other media such as manga and CD.

The plot of Guilty Gear takes place in the year 2180 of the 22nd Century, five years post the end of the Crusades. A gear named Testament made plans to resurrect Justice and wipe out the human race. In fear of the Gear, a Union Of Nations organize a fighting tournament in pursuit of fighters who may be able to defeat Testament and curb her revival.

Ten combatants enter the tournament and as they go through the stages of the tournament, a series of secrets begin to unravel about the true goal of the tournament.

Source: TBS Interview