For as long as there have been gender options in story-heavy video games, there have been popularity contests about which option is “canon” in the story, for there can only be one it seems. The protagonist of the smash hitFate/Grand Order, Fujimaru Ritsuka, similarly hastwo options as per the player’s preference: the male-presenting lead nicknamed Gudao and the female-presenting Gudako.Despite officially being very similar characters, the fanbase has latched onto the nuances between their portrayals in marketing and assorted story material and formed very strong camps for each. Yet surprisingly, when it comes to the big adaptations ofFGO’s story arcs, the Gudao seems to be the default choice, which not everyone is a fan of.RELATED:Fate Grand Order: Best 5-Star Servants In The Game
Can You Spot The Difference?
Like with other debates in gaming, there isn’t necessarily a big difference with regard to what kind of person these characters are. They are both written as surrogates for the audience, with no official distinction discernable from official lore, at least if one goes off of accounts of Ritsuka’s personality.
But just like with something likeMass Effect, the notion of gender options appeals to different player preferences. The voice actor they prefer, the character design that looks cooler, the romance options available, or even the ones that aren’t available that one can fantasize about. GayFGOfans certainly love shipping Gudao with the hunkiest servants available, or Gudako with Mash.
But clearly, something has inspired such a strong distinction between these protagonists other than aesthetic preference other than just ludicrously complex memes born from fan headcanon. And that’s not to say that headcanon isn’t at play, but considering it may very well be a chicken or the egg issue because when Gudako is featured, it’s in very particular kinds of stories.
2020’sFate/Grand Carnivalisa sequel of sorts toCarnival Phantasm, a wild comedy from 2011 by Studio Lerche that spoofs Type-Moon’s greatest hits by putting them all in a room together. It was absolutely insane and fans loved it, so whenGrand Carnivalhit the scene, fans were delighted to see Gudako taking center stage as Humanity’s last master.
And in such a veritable playground full of series hits, Gudako is absolutely hilarious in this anime, especially in English whereLizzie Freeman (Chisato fromLycoris Recoil)really gives it her all. It’s such a jarring shift from the typical Ritsuka fans see in adaptations likeBabyloniaandCamelot, and it was a refreshing change that - to anime-only viewers - might have sparked a desire to see Gudako in more mainline FGO anime.
The mainstream idea of Gudako might be wackier and perhaps more of a meme, but that is just as much a consequence of the lack of serious depictions as it is a conscious choice. Fans want to see her in a major serious anime just like Gudao, and the arguments as to why this “can’t happen” seem to be based on a misconception about the existing FGO anime.
The Continuity of Fate/Grand Order
Let’s not pretend that FGO’s adaptation has been the most inclusive for newcomers.Fate/Grand Order: First Orderfunctions as an introduction of sorts, but has been received poorly compared to other greats in the franchise.Babyloniasought to begin with a light introof sorts, but it still skipped right to the second-to-last arc in the first big Act of the mobile game’s story.
And then only AFTERBabylonia’s TV run did Signal.MD and Production I.G. adaptCamelot, the arc that takes place BEFOREBabylonia. And it’s more likely that fans will see an adaptation of theLostbeltstories before they go back and adapt the earlier arcs. These stories aren’t so much for newcomers, but for the existing fans of the anime.
Some will claim that there is an issue of continuity and that if Ritsuka was to change from Gudao to Gudako, it would be confusing and a major shift in the continuity. To that, let’s not kid ourselves:anime viewers are already confused. The author of this article watched all ofBabyloniaand both Camelot films and still isn’t quite sure what “the point” of anything going on is. It’s very fun, but this series is not accessible to newcomers.
And to those asking “what about the continuity?” Twitter user @kizu_skip summed it up pretty well, pointing out continuity errors that are already present. These anime might feature Gudao and arguably exist within the same continuity, butBabylonia’s flashbacks feature characters that were cut from theCamelotadaptation because of creative liberties taken.
What To Do About Gudako?
It goes without saying thatFate/Grand Orderis not a series whose anime adaptations are beholden to continuity or even the expectation of releasing their stories in chronological order. Fate can be profitableso long as the characters and their individual storiesare well done and the studios working on these shows and films have the budget to make magic happen on screen.
With such passionate work resulting from even this relaxed attitude toward continuity, there really isn’t an excuse to throw Gudako into more serious stories. She’s already prominent in the commercials and especially the commemorative PVs that celebrate the game’s anniversaries, and her fanbase is considerable.
Perhaps Gudao could be in more comedy spin-offs ofFGO, or Gudako could be the protagonist of theLostbeltadaptations. Alternatively, they could just flip a coin andswitch between the two protagonistsin each new project. Fujimaru Ritsuka isn’t just one person, and they’re barely even a character so much as a representation of the player base, which certainly couldn’t be described by one character, let alone two.MORE:Fate/Stay Night: Why The Fate Route Deserves A Remake
