In 2003, Fire Emblem: The Sword of Flame on the Game Boy Advance became the first game
in the series to be officially released in the west.
The game was retitled simply Fire Emblem and went through a number of changes and tweaks
in its localization.
Today we'll be focusing on one of the more peculiar alterations though.
For those who haven't played it, Fire Emblem: The Sword of Flame features a self-insert
character referred to as the "Tactician."
While the character's default name is "Mark," the game outright asks players to fill in
their own name, birth month, and gender.
In the original Japanese release however, the game also asks the player to provide their
blood type as well.
Some would ask why this was removed from the western releases, but others might also wonder
why blood types were in the game in the first place.
After all, this isn't a game like Trauma Center where a blood transfusion might be
needed.
Instead, this is a reference to a popular belief in Japan that one's blood type effects
their personality among other things, similar to one's zodiac sign in western astrology.
Yet, while western astrology is based upon ancient beliefs of reading the stars, the
"Blood Type Personality Theory" has roots in early 20th century scientific theory.
Back in 1901, the Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner first published his discovery
of multiple human blood types in an article titled, "Agglutination phenomena of normal
human blood".
This landmark discovery would go largely unrecognized though, until 1909 when Landsteiner classified
human blood into the 4 groups,A, B, AB, and O, known today as the ABO blood group system.This
research paved the way for safer and more successful blood transfusion methods, eventually
earning him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1930.
This discovery would go on to make waves outside of the medical field, leading scientists and
theorists of the time to research other ways differing blood types affected people.
This first appeared in Japan in 1916 when Kimata Hara, a Japanese doctor, published
a research paper alleging a link between someone's temperament and their blood type.
However, this idea failed to gain traction until 1927 when Takeji Furukawa, a professor
of Ochanomizu University, published a series of articles titled, "The Study of Temperament
Through Blood Type".
According to Rachel Nuwer in a report for the Scientific American, "Furukawa's research
claimed that individual blood types—A, B, O, and AB—reflected the personalities of
those who carried them.
Using questionnaires but providing no controls or statistical tests, Furukawa presented intricate
behavioral charts defining the various blood types and concluded that a correlation between
blood types and personality exists."
Nevertheless, despite Furukawa's lack of credentials and questionable methodology,
the paper helped influence the Empire of Japan to commission further studies in the hopes
of training and breeding superior soldiers.
The study was even published in the west within The Journal of Social Psychology in 1930 under
the title, "A Study of Temperament and Blood-Groups".
After World War II though, this theory began fading away into obscurity.
That changed in 1971 however, when a Japanese journalist by the name of Masahiko Nomi released
a book titled Understanding Blood Type Affinity, which revived and expanded on Furukawa's
theories.
Despite the fact that Nomi had no medical background, his book went on to become a best-seller
in his home nation of Japan.
[10] He followed this success by continually publishing more books further developing what
is now known as the Blood Type Personality Theory up until his death in 1981.
After passing away, Nomi's son, Toshitaka Nomi, took over his father's book line,
releasing dozens more himself that have sold over 6 million copies in Japan.
Toshitaka further promotes the Blood Type Personality Theory under a private group named
the Human Science ABO Center, whose goal isn't to, quote, "rank or judge people, but to
smooth relationships and help make the best of one's talents."
So, what does the Blood Type Personality Theory say anyway?
Well, specifics vary between theorists, but Kanae Nakamine concisely breaks the fundamentals
of each blood type's general characteristics down in her article "Japanese Blood Types:
And What They Say About Your Personality."
Essentially, "People with [Type A blood] are described primarily as kichōmen, or well-organized.
They like to keep things neat but can be stubborn and get stressed out easily.
They also value harmony with others."
"[People with type B blood are] generally described as jikochū, or selfish.
They are also known for their creativity.
…Type B has a strong sense of curiosity, but at the same time, loses interest easily."
"[The AB blood type] is a hybrid of A and B, two different personalities mixed together.
They are often seen as dual-natured and complicated.
For example, they are shy like A types, but also are outgoing like type B. …AB people
are kawarimono, or eccentric."
"[And people with type O blood are] often described as rakkanshugi, or optimistic.
They are outgoing, have leadership abilities, and are able to set the mood for groups of
people.
They don't care much about little things…they're often late to events (and sometimes rude),
[but] O types are incredibly resilient and flexible, enabling them to roll with the punches."
These theories haven't fallen on deaf ears either, as the Blood Type Personality Theory
has become a cultural phenomenon in Japan.
A few examples can be seen with things like Japanese dating services, such as "Exciting!
Blood Type Goukon," who pair couples based on their blood type compatibility.
Or products such as ABOBA, a condom brand line including condoms specially made for
each blood type as well as relationship advice based upon your blood type pairing.
Collectibles like Japanese baseball cards also feature each player's blood type alongside
their typical stats too.
And there even exist foods that are advertised to customers of each blood type.
For example, Pokka Corp. once marketed "Soda for the Sympathetic" to those with O type
blood, claiming to load the drink with multivitamins to help an overachieving O burn energy more
efficiently.
Whereas those with type B blood had "Soda for the Curious," which included extra protein
purportedly to promote "mental stamina" to fuel a B's unabating curiosity.
This theory has spread into other South East Asian countries as well, as can be seen with
the South Korean movie, My Boyfriend is Type-B, a romantic comedy starring two star-crossed,
or rather, blood-crossed lovers.
There exists no scientific proof that one's blood type effects their personality as numerous
scientific studies have failed to reproduce the theory's claims.
Nevertheless, in 2016,Nifty conducted a survey on 3,355 Japanese people that found 29% of
males and 45% of females claimed to believe in the theory to some extent.
It's no surprise then that blood types have found their way onto the bios of characters
from Japanese video games.
An example of this can be seen in the Resident Evil Archives, an official companion book
covering the first five main entries in the series, which lists the blood types of many
of the series' characters alongside their age, height, and weight.
For instance, the unwavering, head strong series hero Chris Redfield suits the best
aspects of his O type blood.
Just as the ruthlessly calculating Albert Wesker lines up with the worst aspects of
O type personalities.
Meanwhile, a character such as the crafty two-faced Ada Wong perfectly suits the supposed
dual-nature of AB blood type.
Still, these references to the Blood Type Personality Theory would go completely over
the heads of most western gamers.
Thus, localizers will sometimes remove references to blood types from games when releasing them
overseas - like with Fire Emblem: The Sword of Flame and quite a few other titles.
But that's all we have time for today.
If you're interested in learning more about this peculiar aspect of Japanese pop culture
then consider looking into Kanae Nakamine's aforementioned article on Tofugu.com, we've
provided a link in the description below and as always, until next time, thank you for
watching!
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