Food for Thought: Bayonetta and Feminism

Here's an idea: What if Bayonetta, the over-sexed action heroine from the game of the same name, was arguably one of the most feminist characters of our generation?
Bayonetta is a stylish action game developed by some of the great minds behind the original Devil May Cry series, Viewtiful Joe, and Okami.  The game stars a female protagonist who is a witch (a good witch) who fights angels (bad angels).  Many of Bayonetta's special powers come from her use of magic to manipulate her hair into things like giant fists, heels, dragons, and whatnot.  And she figures, when you can turn your hair into anything, why wear clothes? Bayonetta sees no need to wear clothing, and instead fashions her skintight leather outfit also out of her hair.

This pretty much means one thing.  Since her hair cannot possibly be in two places at once, she spends a lot of the game very scantily clad.  This combined with her well-endowed figure and rather risqué dialogue pretty much makes her a teenage fanboy's wet dream.

However, simultaneously, Bayonetta manages to be a beacon of feminism in a medium dominated by male protagonists.  How you ask?  Let's take a look.

World of Witchcraft - Bayonetta takes place in a universe where two warring clans - The Umbran Witches and the Lumen Sages - were wiped off the face of the planet.   The last two remaning Umbrans are Bayonetta and her rival Jeanne.  Both possess enormous power that scares the living shit out of both Heaven (Paradiso), and Hell (Inferno).  They are regularly seen clashing with ungendered (though presumably male?) angels, and kicking unquantifiable ass.  Obviously you see significantly more of Bayonetta than her white-haired counterpart, but it's made very clear that nothing fucks with either of these two ladies and lives for very much longer.

Supported by Pillars of Manliness- Bayonetta's cast of supporting characters consists entirely of men.  Enzo is a fat mobster who can do little more than curl up in a corner and snivel (as shown in the game's opening cutscene).  Rodin is bigger, blacker, and significantly more badass.  However, the game is about as subtle as a sledgehammer in suggesting that he's a demon or some other kind of hellish superpower.  Even then, Rodin's supporting role is that he owns a bar called "The Gates of Hell" which Bayonetta can visit for weapons, accessories, upgrades, and items.  The game goes so far as to make even its "male lead", Luka, particularly useless.  He follows Bayonetta about yet, due to dimensional differences, is unable to see or interact with her or the angels she fights.  This means that instead of partaking in the action, Luka is generally tasked with hiding behind a rock or playing Mr. Mom to the little girl Cereza, Bayonetta's other tagalong.

Strength in Combat and in Character - Ok, so I've talked about the world, the supporting cast, let's talk about Bayonetta herself.  Yes, her character practically drips sex.  Hell, everything from her body to the way she moves, acts and talks has been sexualized in some way.  And while this might be the product of misogynistic developers who only think of a woman as a sexual object, this also kind of defines Bayonetta and why she's such an admirable figure.  Bayonetta flaunts her sexuality in an over-the-top, but prideful manner.  Each step, each movement, each phrase emanates with confidence.  She's hell in high heels and nothing can stop her.  This blend of sexuality, strength, and confidence is a cocktail of personality that I have still yet to see in another character.  What I'm saying, is that Bayonetta's sexual behavior and nature isn't just for show, it's integral to her character and makes her feel strong, smart, witty, and sexy.   This is in contrast to characters like Ivy from the Soul Calibur franchise and just about every female from the Dead or Alive series who wanders about and fights in absurdly revealing costumes, only to spout high school drama club Shakespeare during story segments.  These characters are given the "sexy" outfits without the attitude or personality that accompanies it.

Pummeling Patriarchy - One last point here.  Bayonetta turns more than a few things on their heads over the course of the game, but it all really crescendos when you discover that the main antagonist has been none other than her father all along.  With this newly discovered information, what's a girl to do?  Kill her father of course.  Bayonetta cuts right to the chase of cutting down the patriarchal concept of men being stronger and dominant over women, by cutting down the patriarch.

Of course, you could always take the game at face value.  You run around as a hot chick who gets mostly naked and commits some seriously stylish violence.  Just realize that underneath the glossy finish, there's a confident, powerful woman who don't take shit from no one.

-Nik "Latency" Trumble