[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

Reika also seems to be losing her faith in the guild now. It's a damn shame she spent the previous 20 episodes being an absolutely horrible person, or else I'd care. Durendal at least had the decency to only show up 3 episodes ago so he doesn't seem like a total ass.

Well she is a villain (and a redeemed one, even if not tamed), so ofc she'd be shown as a horrible person before losing her faith in the guild as a path to redemption.

But Reika's traits (or characters similar to her) seems to be commonly viewed (and sold) as tough, cool, and badass capability, making it viewed as a hallmark of how she's a "strong female character". Her scheming to turn people against each other and beating up those who don't comply (e.g. her Sabela debut) is depicted as as cunning, competent, and mysterious, getting the job done, and torturing Sophia is seen being no-nonsense girlboss. It's common that "strong female character" is depicted by giving them toxic masculinity traits like making them cold, unpleasant, emotionally distant, ruthless, merciless, with feminine and vulnerable traits being viewed as weakness.

True that she is cool and badass, as being a highly skilled fighter and her power usage as Sabela dominating both Slash and Buster is that, but wish that those horrible traits won't be twisted as being strong, like what you noticed here if they're perhaps selling those as being tough (her hate came due to being reduced to fawning to Ryoga). U̶n̶p̶o̶p̶u̶l̶a̶r̶,̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶y̶ ̶I̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶Z̶i̶-̶O̶,̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶b̶o̶t̶h̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶e̶n̶e̶v̶o̶l̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶T̶s̶u̶k̶u̶y̶o̶m̶i̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶s̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶s̶t̶ ̶S̶w̶a̶r̶t̶z̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶a̶p̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶r̶u̶t̶h̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶O̶r̶a̶,̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶T̶s̶u̶k̶u̶y̶o̶m̶i̶ ̶d̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶d̶v̶a̶n̶t̶a̶g̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶c̶e̶.