>>32882249JRPGs are made with Japan in mind, so their sensibilities will be catered to first. Games with international settings that could have a black guy are limited, even downright questionable in their depictions, but I don't think they really give much thought on diversity or inclusion. Nor do I think their lack of it is necessarily malicious or excluding. It's just sort of "there."
Nintendo is a company that has gained international appeal, but expecting them to play up to it, probably doesn't seem to be in the cards since they're more about ideas and concepts rather than who represents them. They're not going to think progressively, because they don't really have to and even if they did, it's not like they're going to hire a consultant to depict those aspects of said character(s) in a relatable way beyond appearance.
Your best bet is making a fangame/indie-clone of Earthbound with a black kid, because Itoi sure as fuck won't.
>>32882259True, but the point being made is that there are characters you don't have to racebend when a series either
a) Has black or dark-skinned characters, even if they are characters of the day or side characters with a few good parts
or
b) An anime or game these types of people either never heard of or seen has a black/dark-skinned character ought to be acknowledged
It just seems like a big misdirected way of representation when you miss the actual character who is supposed to "look like you" and actually looks worthy of fanart, cosplay or toys. Not saying one can't admire or see oneself in the non-black/brown character, just seems kind of blind to me as some settings aren't supposed to be diverse in the first place (like Rumiko Takahashi's work being all about Japanese people's wacky lives) or just selectively diverse (Midori's Days having the American foreign exchange student).
