Resident Evil’s Ada Wong goes head-to-head with sexpionage stereotypes

Let’s make one thing clear: I am obsessed with Ada Wong. when she first appeared resident evil 2 As a detective in Raccoon City, I first became acquainted with him during my playthrough of the original resident Evil 4, Needless to say, I instantly fell in love with him. Ada is a femme fatale at heart, always dressed in a flashy red outfit and doing killer flips while fighting with her hookshot and moving around. When I found out about Ada-specific extras different waysspeed through the end of i RE4 to get it, and of course whenever she appeared inside, I laughed and kicked my feet RE4 Remake. fits perfectly with resident Evil 4and his equally ridiculously macho counterparts, Leone and Krauser.

Ada is a very fun character in a fun game. But RE4‘S The cinematic approach comes with plenty of action-movie tropes. Some, like Leone’s awesome movie hero one-liners and head-exploding roundhouse kicks, are still really funny. Others – especially those that apply to my favorite international spy – are not. So let’s dig into it.

title screen for different ways rivals her femme fatale reading: in an allusion to the 1990 film la femme nikitaAdah is shown in the film’s poster in a similar pose to Titanic’s Nikita. The film is about a young woman who becomes an assassin and falls in love, and fans have noted that Ada’s love for a man (namely, Leon) is a trait they share.

Ada is Asian American, however, and this affects her reading of the femme fatale trope, as she falls quite neatly into the derogatory “dragon lady” trope, which portrays Asian female characters as deceitful, mysterious, villainous, and domineering. Does Often, these characters are dressed in sexually suggestive Asian-inspired garb to emphasize their exoticism. While all-American guy Leon Kennedy races around Spain to rescue the president’s daughter, Ada stands opposite him in her trendy Chinese qipao, teaming up with the infamous Resident Evil villain Wesker. Even her name reminds me of Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Chinese American film star, who was often forced into these types of roles due to the limited number of roles available for Asian women.

It would be a stretch to call Ada a villain, as she actually has a soft spot for Leon and helps him throughout the game, but in RE4 Her sensuous and shadowy persona – along with her famous red dress – is the “dragon lady” trope to a tee. I guessed right RE4 The remake makers would change Aida’s dress to do away with this trope. The remake is also the first time in a Resident Evil game that Aida was voiced by an Asian actor, Lily Gao, who unfortunately faced harassment on social media for her performance. Gao made a post on Instagram addressing the harassment she experienced and expressing her support for authentic casting, writing that “dehumanizing casting perpetuates an unhealthy image that further dehumanizes the community it serves.” They want to reflect. It’s time we stop capitalizing on only the sensual, sensual and mysterious Asian woman and make room to respect every kind of Asian woman.

On paper it may seem like Ada is made up of the superficial sexy spy stereotype, but I believe there are more subtleties to her character than that. Perhaps I He just has a soft spot for her. After all, there were very few Asian American characters in popular gaming when Ada stepped onto the scene. resident Evil 4, and in 2005, our expectations for honest representation of Asian female characters were low. It was really incredible to see such a cool and capable Asian woman in the sport!

Image: Capcom

Ada has character moments that flesh her out as well, but the hitch is that they mostly involve Leon, a hallmark of the “sexianage” trope. Sexionage occurs when intimacy, romance, or sexual activity occurs during espionage, and occurs every time Ada and Leon cross paths. However, their relationship also shows a more subtle side to Aida beyond the cold-hearted femme fatale, which I love. [Warning: The following contains a spoiler for Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 remake.] For example, during Leon and Ada’s conversation RE4 The remake highlights how Ada has changed since Raccoon City, as she refuses to give Plaga to Wesker in order to avoid casualties. The problem isn’t the existence of a romance between Ada and Leon – it’s that their romance is the only vehicle for character development Ada is given.

We don’t know much about Ada’s history or purposes; Perhaps this is done intentionally to maintain his mysterious spy image. Because of that, we only see the more human aspects of her character in relation to her romance with Leon. consider how that’s a part of Ada Lyon’s character development RE4, But he still develops without her. Ada getting caught up in “romantic” plots seems to be a recurring problem, as seen in her later resident Evil 6 This includes the main villain, with whom she has a one-sided infatuation. It seems like this sort of thing is a natural detriment to the “sexionage” storyline.

It’s certainly possible that we might see more of Ada in the future. I’m still holding out for one different ways-Type for DLC RE4 Remake. she was also originally supposed to play a role resident evil village According to early concept art, Ethan was searching for his daughter while conducting an investigation on the village; Ada would rescue him during this first encounter with the Lords. This concept was ultimately cut, but it’s promising, as it’s the exact kind of development for her outside of romance, and an indicator that Ada could still be a player in the franchise. But really I hope Gao said something in her statement where she reflected on her performance, saying, “My style is alive. She’s kind, fair, intelligent, and funny. She’s unpredictable, flexible, and absolutely a stereotype.” No. Knowing that care was taken in her remake portrayal by an actor who understands how deeply Adah could make me very happy, and I can’t wait to see my favorite in red Where can women come forward?