[Librarian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genocyber

How would it be racist to have a Japanese person play a red Samurai? Won't it be racist if you had non-Japanese actors for the Samurai Rangers? I remember it was racist when you had Tom Cruise for The Last Samurai or Iron Fist being white when he is white in the comics?

Both of those examples were also audience ignorance, not actual racism. Iron Fist for example is built on the aspect of his privilege and his obliviousness. So changing his character nullifies his innate metaphor of what he conveys. He's one of those rare ones that can't be changed because it's actually built into who his character is. It'd be like changing Black Panther. Simply doesn't work as it then destroys what the character represents. In Iron Fist's case it's because he was one of the original founders of the entire trope/cliche that gets thrown at him in modern times. Unlike characters like spider-man or many others where race doesn't play a huge factor in their character, Iron Fist is one of the few where it really does because of his early comics with Luke Cage, and many of his character defining stories. As well as other aspects to his growth in a foreign land. Any changes to him redefines the character's innate metaphor and stories to the point it wouldn't be the Danny Rand Iron Fist.

And Tom Cruises character in the Last Samurai was a British officer. Again, changing his character would have innately ruined the metaphors being used for the story and the story being told. Though I have no clue how historically accurate it is.

This was during a time when areas were causing propaganda stirs against all manner of movies even if it didn't apply. And people were hopping on the mob mentality without checking the material of the film itself or bothering to try and understand why. Having their ignorance get taken advantage of as they were baited into it to cause an uproar. While a few did need to be spoken against for what they were doing, the scattershot approach hit too many that didn't actually apply because very few were checking the films being thrown at them. Mix this in with how various areas fetishize Asian people & their cultures, and it's a recipe for disaster and toxic ignorance.

For Samurai red, that was entirely on casting though. It partially doesn't make sense since they are supposed to be descendants. But also 'chosen warriors' have no real limitations by race or creed either. Typically speaking, samurais are by bloodline. Though there are other instances of newly formed lineages too(none in recent times that I'm aware of, but every Samurai lineage had to start somewhere).