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Controversy · comment analysis

Why are video game protagonists' faces and designs so controversial?

What YouTube comments really say about main characters' looks, with the numbers

Updated: 01/10/2026
Because a hero's looks carry clashing expectations: fidelity to the original, charisma, apparent age. The topic makes up ~20% of the talk on Intergalactic, Stellar Blade and Tomb Raider: Catalyst; Exodus (~14%) and Wolverine (~10%) follow.

The context

Naughty Dog unveiled Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards in December 2024. It is the studio's next original franchise, in development for PlayStation 5.

The lead character, Jordan A. Mun, is a bounty hunter stranded on Sempiria, a planet cut off from the wider universe for centuries. She is played by Tati Gabrielle. Kumail Nanjiani is also among the confirmed cast.

Since the 2024 announcement trailer, Naughty Dog has shared new artwork of the game, including an image of Jordan on Sempiria. The studio plans a fuller reveal in 2027.

Sources: Naughty Dog shares new Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet artwork (Dork)

Factual background compiled from public sources — the debate analysis below relies exclusively on the comments.

How we got here

as told by the comments
Dec. 2024

The Intergalactic trailer sparks the debate: the protagonist's haircut, tattoos and facial expressions get mocked, in a thread dominated by the dislike ratio commenters keep quoting.

Jan. 2025

Spanish-language comments fault the heroine for lacking charisma and for a design they call formulaic. In English, the haircut becomes a running joke about future press scores.

Dec. 2025

The Tomb Raider: Catalyst announcement shifts the debate to fidelity: some commenters say Lara has been changed too much, others are excited about an armed, more assertive Lara.

June 2026

On Stellar Blade: Blood Rain, talk centers on accusations of a childlike face and a petition some mention. Defenders dispute judging a fictional character's age by appearance.

Jul.–Aug. 2026

The Stellar Blade face debate is overshadowed by a video commenters call AI-generated (July 31), though some still recall the childlike-face accusations.

Sept. 2026

The theme spreads to Exodus, where one commenter finds the humans unappealing except Niva, and to Wolverine, whose facial mocap draws mockery. The topic now reaches unrelated games.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

~20% of the discussion on this game

Since the Dec. 2024 trailer, the protagonist's haircut, tattoos and facial expressions have drawn most of the mockery. The like/dislike ratio (~95-121K vs 241-308K per commenters) fuels the debate.

Critics 85 %

The character is judged to lack charisma and to follow 'modern' formulas, compared unfavorably to a kitchen appliance.
« The answer is simple: the protagonist oozes lack of charisma and wokeness, so much that even a microwave has more charisma than that character. »
— @Eivon_Æ · ♥ 1 k · translated · see original ↗
The haircut becomes a running joke: it would supposedly be enough to earn a 10/10 from some outlets.
« IGN is going to give 10/10 for the haircut alone »
— @forgetthisuser3338 · ♥ 2 k · translated · see original ↗
Facial expressions, notably one grimace in the trailer, are seen as a sign of an annoying character.
« The face she makes when drinking through the straw tells you all you need to know about how annoying this character will be. »
— @BKDBut · ♥ 1 k · translated · see original ↗

Defenders 15 %

Some voices wonder why a character must be sexualized or attractive for people to like a game.
« What is your problem. Like why do people NEED the character to be sexualized or attractive in order to like a game. It disgusts me. »
— @Mounichat · ♥ 2 · translated · see original ↗
Others call for giving the studio a chance before judging the final result.
« I don't know what to say about Naughty Dog. All I can say is let them cook, but you never know, they can surprise us at the Game Awards with something different. Try to have hope. »
— @th3stealthNinnja · ♥ 1 · translated · see original ↗

Stellar Blade: Blood Rain

~20% of the discussion on this game

Here the controversy concerns a face accused of looking childlike and a petition some mention. In the corpus, defenders are far more audible than accusers, and talk quickly drifts to a video commenters call AI-generated.

Critics 20 %

The childlike-face accusations are recalled, including by a commenter who then faults the studio for having been defended.
« Gamers: *Defends Shift Up with every fibre of their being over allegations of using childlike face on character* Shift Up: *Releases AI video that basically spits upon gamers concerned over RAM prices* »
— @jayedfuad4814 · ♥ 0 · translated · see original ↗
According to commenters, a petition and criticism of the character's apparent age circulated in June 2026.

Defenders 80 %

Accusers are mocked: they supposedly can't define gender yet judge a fictional character's age by looks.
« They can't recognize genders but can definitely tell the age of a fictional character based on their appearance? »
— @Ihavethetouch · ♥ 726 · translated · see original ↗
The return of the tomboy archetype is welcomed as something to defend.
« Despite their efforts, the Tomboy archetype has returned. Defend it with your life »
— @SumThingFawful · ♥ 520 · translated · see original ↗
The criticism makes some fans want to support the game even more.
« Their hatred just makes me want to support the game even more. »
— @Clint_Matthews · ♥ 643 · translated · see original ↗

Tomb Raider: Catalyst

~20% of the discussion on this game

The announcement revives the fidelity theme: commenters object to a retouched Lara and a team of 'younger adventurers'. A few voices instead praise an armed Lara with attitude.

Critics 85 %

New characters should be created rather than altering classic figures.
« Why can't they make their own queer characters and leave our classic characters tf alone? »
— @Jose-s9u7h · ♥ 510 · translated · see original ↗
Seeing childhood heroes reshaped is described as heartbreaking by longtime fans.
« It is heartbreaking to watch the characters and stories I loved as a child get ruined by activists and modern audience »
— @Ritesh-GG · ♥ 61 · translated · see original ↗
Lara's look is called weird; this commenter turns to Atlantis instead.
« she looks weird in catalyst, now im looking forward only for Atlantis, watch im calling it, Atlantis sells tons while catalyst sells none. »
— @budoshi14 · ♥ 0 · translated · see original ↗

Defenders 15 %

A Lara with guns and attitude makes some want to follow both announced games.
« Proper Lara with guns and attitude - Looking forward to both games »
— @MrMorden121 · ♥ 0 · translated · see original ↗
Some say they like the new touches, such as her Black Widow-style grapple hook.
« they gave her the black widow grapple hook. I'm here for it. »
— @emmyjr1231 · ♥ 23 · translated · see original ↗

Exodus

~14% of the discussion on this game

Character design is a side topic in a mostly enthusiastic thread driven by the Mass Effect comparison. A few remarks find the humans unappealing or the whole thing soulless.

Critics 40 %

Apart from one character, the human designs are said to lack appeal; the commenter hopes the effort extends to the rest.
« Niva or whatever her name is is the only appealing human character design I've seen at this point. There is appeal there that is lacking in all the others. I hope that appeal can now also be put towards the rest of your human character designs. »
— @grimmjow0106 · ♥ 4 · translated · see original ↗
The overall look is judged empty and soulless.
« Looks empty and soulless. »
— @latyssflac6370 · ♥ 73 · translated · see original ↗

Defenders 60 %

Commenters like what they see, graphics included, and say they intend to play.
« I must say, I actually like what I see. I sat with a smile on my face when the toads started to talk. Also feel very Mass Effecty (that is a very good thing). Nice graphics also. Yea I am for sure gonna play this. »
— @PhyrePhoenix · ♥ 60 · translated · see original ↗
A female version of the protagonist is eagerly awaited by some fans.
« I am holding out for FemJun »
— @SaltyVandal · ♥ 96 · translated · see original ↗

Marvel's Wolverine

~10% of the discussion on this game

In post-release comments, disappointment dominates: some find the facial capture and animations too tame for a character meant to be ferocious. Defenders of the game remain rare.

Critics 88 %

The facial mocap supposedly makes the angriest man alive look constipated, far from the teaser's dark tone.
« The teaser really gave off a vibe of a gritty and dark solo adventure with Logan clawing his way out from the worst possible scenario he found himself in. But instead we got compelling dialogue like 'That's my Wolverine' and amazing face mocap that makes the angriest man alive look constipated. They somehow thought it was a wonderful idea to water down Marvel's most depressing hero. And I was excited for this… »
— @NarNarXc · ♥ 4 · translated · see original ↗
The final game is said to look nothing like the CGI trailer.
« The actual game is nothing like this CGI Trailer...... »
— @gameshark427 · ♥ 4 · translated · see original ↗
Animations are called too tame for a character meant to be ferocious.
« For a game meant to be ferocious, the animations are so tame and 2000s. »
— @ShinobiNerro13 · ♥ 3 · translated · see original ↗

Defenders 12 %

One player calls the game excellent, better than the first Spider-Man, and rates it 8.5/10.
« Totally wrong. Horrible take. Wolverine is an awesome game. I think I like it better than Spiderman 1. Definitely better than 2. 8.5/10. »
— @cockroachv · ♥ 3 · translated · see original ↗
A few isolated voices say they like the game despite the wave of disappointment.
Where the debate standsThe debate pits critics against defenders everywhere, but on different grounds: Intergalactic's charisma and haircut, Lara's fidelity, apparent age in Stellar Blade. It runs hottest on Intergalactic and Tomb Raider: Catalyst, and has recently spread to Exodus and Wolverine.

Frequently asked questions

Which games are caught up in the character design controversy?
The corpus shows the topic on Intergalactic, Stellar Blade: Blood Rain and Tomb Raider: Catalyst (~20% each), then Exodus (~14%) and Wolverine (~10%). Arguments vary a lot from game to game.
What do commenters object to about Intergalactic's protagonist?
According to commenters, her lack of charisma, haircut, tattoos and facial expressions. Around 85% of the targeted exchanges are critical; a minority defends the character or asks to wait for the game.
Why is the Stellar Blade heroine's face debated?
Commenters mention accusations of a childlike face and a petition. Defenders, about 80% of the sample, dispute judging a fictional character's age by appearance.
Is the Lara Croft debate in Catalyst about her face?
Mostly about fidelity to the classic character: around 85% of targeted comments regret the changes. One isolated remark calls her face weird, while others like her armed attitude.
Analysis built from 308 public YouTube comments on the tracked videos — updated on 01/10/2026. Our methodology