Do you refer Ritsu Namine as "he" or "she"?

[MystSaphyr]

Personally Myst, I don't think it's a big deal to use "it" in Vocaloid/Utau context because outside of the avatar and namesake... take all of that away and it's only a voice. These synthesized voices can be interpreted and genderbent to fit whatever you want it to be (hence VY1V3/VY2V3 having no official human mascots and having the ability to g-flag and adjust the gender parameter in Vocaloid). It's not the same as referring to a living, breathing person as an "it" to dehumanize them.

While it's true that the voicebanks are just voicebanks, there's the fact that Ritsu (and other UTAUs/Vocaloids) has a CHARACTER attached to the voicebank, with a humanlike design and physical/personality attributes and all. Ritsu is a lot more of a fictional character than the VYs (who were specifically intended to have no gender, design or personality) and how you treat fictional characters can reflect how you view/treat/respect real-life people.

Besides, this discussion was specifically about the character profile. If you're referring to Ritsu's VOICEBANK as "it" then I can totally understand that, but this was intended to be in context of Ritsu's CHARACTER PROFILE (i.e. the okama thing) so trying to justify calling Ritsu-character an "it" because of Ritsu-voicebank is pretty damn shifty if you don't do that for other UTAUs or Vocaloids.

 

[수연 <Suyeon>]

While it's true that the voicebanks are just voicebanks, there's the fact that Ritsu (and other UTAUs/Vocaloids) has a CHARACTER attached to the voicebank, with a humanlike design and physical/personality attributes and all. Ritsu is a lot more of a fictional character than the VYs (who were specifically intended to have no gender, design or personality) and how you treat fictional characters can reflect how you view/treat/respect real-life people.

Besides, this discussion was specifically about the character profile. If you're referring to Ritsu's VOICEBANK as "it" then I can totally understand that, but this was intended to be in context of Ritsu's CHARACTER PROFILE (i.e. the okama thing) so trying to justify calling Ritsu-character an "it" because of Ritsu-voicebank is pretty damn shifty if you don't do that for other UTAUs or Vocaloids.

At the end of the day, it's a voice and people still give avatar-less or non-human banks a human appearance and personality to fit their interpretation. Giving different interpretation to established canon is the stuff fanfiction and role-play are made of. *shrugs* As far as character profile is concerned, Ritsu - to me - is a male crossdresser with mechanical appendages, so I think "he" or "it" (since it's not entirely established that he is in fact a biological human with organs required to sustain human life), or even "zhe" for gender fluid can apply. All we know is that he's considered a male by the creator (who allows others to see Ritsu as anything other than male), has body parts that aren't flesh and blood, and that he's dressed feminine. Combined with the voice that is provided by a female, I think we need another option in the poll to allow gender fluid/zhe because people will consider Ritsu to be whatever they want regardless of the profile.

 

[MystSaphyr]

Is it established for all other human shaped UTAUs that they're human? Have you literally ever called another human-shaped UTAU "it"?

Still not seeing appropriate justification for using "it" in Ritsu's case when it's an especially sensitive topic.

That fact alone should be enough to avoid using "it" to respect the actual trans, genderfluid, neutrois, etc. individuals in the fandom. Else you might find yourself having to try to explain one day "nonono I didn't mean it like that I mean I think Ritsu's a genderless android" in a really awkward situation.

That's just my two cents.

(I agree with adding genderfluid or neutrois options to the poll though)

 

[Agatechlo]

Is it established for all other human shaped UTAUs that they're human? Have you literally ever called another human-shaped UTAU "it"?

Still not seeing appropriate justification for using "it" in Ritsu's case when it's an especially sensitive topic.

Also consider that NO ONE (that I've heard) refers to Defoko, who's canon clearly states she's a Japanese robot, as "it". Or SF-A2 miki: AH went out of their way to make her look like an android with those limb joints, yet again no one calls her an "it".

Now if you want to call "Tree" an it, that's different

 

[Enriku]

Vocaloid are called 'it' on the box cover when you buy them, they officially don't have a gender, you just assume the design is meant to mean that character is specified to that gender, but VY1, and VY2 are different since their concept was drawn to look Feminine and Masculine implying that they're meant to be like that but no one said a sword is "it", they gave them a gender automatically and clearly the creator of Ritsu has spoken to say (which I have heard) that the maker doesn't mind how you see Ritsu as, as long as you use Ritsu, it's cool rofl.. I think Ritsu's genderless and I just imply Ritsu a male to please fandom of their grief of the life story of Ritsu Namine Part 1, part 2 will be release in 2018 if sooner, same with Yokune Ruko which is another life story ahead<3

hope I didn't seem stupid :L I usually have a lot of confusing content thrown in..

 

[MystSaphyr]

Vocaloid are called 'it' on the box cover when you buy them, they officially don't have a gender, you just assume the design is meant to mean that character is specified to that gender

Fairly sure that "it" is referring to the Vocaloid software and not the character because my Yukari box says "she unites you all with her voice" and Miku's calls her a "virtual diva from the future" and pretty much all the Taiwan Engloid boxes have their genders on them.

Canon intended the gender to be up to the user but the point I am trying to make is "it" is not a gender and should never be used as a gender.

 

[Enriku]

True, if you use 'it' your basically implying it as an inanimate object with no actual human distinctiveness what so ever, and I bet a person wouldn't like to be called 'it' themselves, that's so down grading to say. I dunno somewhere I read that on the back it say's 'it' but on the website it has the gender-nouns for Vocaloid, :U I love to understand why people fine the word 'it' to be suitable for a fictional being..

 

[Fokkusu]

She. I could care less about the factual mainstream information. In my world, it is a woman. c:

 

[Catlione]

I never liked the overal idea about trap characters, and since Ritsu is voiced by a female, I refer to Ritsu as "she". The other thing that really annoys me, is if you refer to Ritsu as a female on one of your works (covers, videos, drawings) 80% of the comments will be about that you are wrong about Ritsu, not about your work.

 

[Fuutari Makku]

Personally i don't really get why making ritsu's character like this. Couldn't they just make "him" female? Canon probabily trolled us. They already knew about gender fight O.O

 

[FluoroLime]

I use he because he was introduced to me as a he. But seriously though, why make him a he if he sounds like a girl and dresses like a girl?

 

[IrisFlower]

I use he because he was introduced to me as a he. But seriously though, why make him a he if he sounds like a girl and dresses like a girl?

Because men can sound feminine and dress in feminine clothing and still identify as male? Just because a guy dresses like a girl and sounds like one doesn't make him any less a guy if that's what he chooses to be. Same could be said for female UTAUs who are presented in a masculine fashion(male clothing, deep voices, short hair, etc.). Or really...any character or real life person. Just because they don't outwardly present themselves as a certain gender doesn't mean they can't or shouldn't be able to identify as that gender, understand?

It's very limiting to assume that the only way a character can be female is if they sound female and dress in pretty lady clothes and vice versa for men because then that thought extends to real people and it just isn't true.

At any rate, I've always used "he" for Ritsu. Cause when I first joined the fandom that's what I was told and it's just stuck since then.

 

[Aloof]

Because men can sound feminine and dress in feminine clothing and still identify as male? Just because a guy dresses like a girl and sounds like one doesn't make him any less a guy if that's what he chooses to be. Same could be said for female UTAUs who are presented in a masculine fashion(male clothing, deep voices, short hair, etc.). Or really...any character or real life person. Just because they don't outwardly present themselves as a certain gender doesn't mean they can't or shouldn't be able to identify as that gender, understand?

It's very limiting to assume that the only way a character can be female is if they sound female and dress in pretty lady clothes and vice versa for men because then that thought extends to real people and it just isn't true.

At any rate, I've always used "he" for Ritsu. Cause when I first joined the fandom that's what I was told and it's just stuck since then.

Not only the above, but it actually insulting and kinda erasing cross dressers who are cisgendered.

I use masculine pronouns for that reason.

For Ruko I use either masculine [due to being majorly male and Ruko's cannon "not caring as long as you don't discuss it with Ruko"] or I just use Ruko's name.

 

[MillyAqualine]

Even if the first time I've known about him I've called him a "she" and nicknamed him The Witch, I keep on calling him a he.

[also about Ruko, well... I may sound silly and/or disrespectful but despite the 90% male and the fact she's hermaphrodite, I call Ruko a she. However, when he gets his hair down, or his male voice is used, I call him a he .//. /I can't use the same pronoun for the whole time sobs]

 

[MystSaphyr]

Ruko's case is just as tricky, so I guess I just use whichever pronoun for whichever voicebank being used and "they" for the character in general, though one of the earliest Ruko headcanons I was exposed to was that they could literally spontaneously swap genders whenever they felt like it (rather than being truly intersex) and I liked that idea a lot, so I guess I tend to think of Ruko as genderfluid in a way?

(That headcanon stuck for me because one of my favorite MMD animators, the one person who does all those silly MMD talkloid dramas, switches between Ruko voicebanks like that on a whim in one of their animations and it's great)

 

[samth1815]

Yes, I've always referred to Ruko as "she", simply because her design is noticeably female. Although I do generally think of the character as a "they" now and the same goes for Ritsu.

 

[FluoroLime]

Also, I don't know if this has to do with anything, but in Thailand, there are heaps of crossdressers (ladyboys is their name, but it sounds disrespectful) and they all prefer to be known as she.

 

[amaterasu miya]

i go based by appearance, to me, i see Ritsu as female

 

[Kiyoteru]

The word "okama" is basically some sort of term like "tranny" so I would suppose it is somewhat disrespectful, but we're talking about a troll character here.

I use "he" because that's how I was introduced to Ritsu, and because it's fun to imagine him as some bratty little boy running around with a cabbage dissing japan and making missile threats.

 

[oteto]

All hail the Missle Boobs!