An upcoming Dragon Quest game for iOS based on Toei’s anime of Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai has come under scrutiny and criticism from Japanese gamers after a promotional image was released showing that long-time skirt-wearing warrior, Maam, has been censored.
Otacom picked up the news after various gamers and fans of the Dragon Quest anime discovered that Maam’s martial arts costume had been censored in the promotional image for the upcoming Dragon Quest iOS game, which is one of three games scheduled to release based on the new anime.
The article laments Maam’s censorship, as seen in the image below where her legs are covered. Yet conveniently her reptile comrade has his legs tail completely exposed.
Japanese fans were quick to point out that Maam was censored but the reptilian warrior wasn’t.
マァムがタイツ履くならクロコダインもタイツ履け！！！ pic.twitter.com/OFfn1bgO7V
— あんかー (@the_anchor7) May 27, 2020
For those of you unfamiliar with the character, Maam has typically worn a variation of different outfits based on her role in the party. Her default outfit consists of pants, a t-shirt and boots. Her martial arts outfit consist of the double-slit cheongsam, while her priestess outfit is a miniskirt version of squire’s garb.
You can see an example below of her priestess outfit.
We know that in the anime her priestess garb will at least stay the same, as demonstrated in a tweet by the official Dragon Quest Twitter account.
【7月3日(金)発売✨】
ドラゴンクエスト ダイの大冒険(1991)Blu-ray BOX
法人別オリジナル特典イラスト公開③🎉
■ヨドバシカメラ：描き下ろしキャラファインポートレートスタンド
■楽天ブックス：描き下ろしパプニカのナイフ木製キーホルダー#ダイの大冒険#ドラゴンクエスト pic.twitter.com/JcSokZmjoi— 「ドラゴンクエスト ダイの大冒険」アニメ公式 (@DQ_DAI_anime) May 14, 2020
An article from Game Watch also confirmed that the priestess outfit won’t be censored in the game either.
However, the martial arts outfit has been subject to censorship.
Centrists™ will likely say “She’s always wore black leggings under her cheongsam!”, but that’s incorrect.
In the original Shonen Jump manga, Maam showcased plenty of legs and thigh while wearinng her martial arts outfit. You can seen an example below provided by Otacom.
There’s also questions about whether or not her martial arts outfit will also be censored in the anime, since we’ve yet to see her appear in that particular outfit within the promotional material.
Either way, both outfits were oftentimes used as a way to give viewers a bit of fan-service, since every time Maam kicked, jumped, or found herself in a perilous position you could very readily see up her skirt or get a nice glimpse of her white panties.
Twitter user hiropinsuki had a few screenshots of the old anime based on Dragon Quest III, showcasing Maam in her priestess attire where viewers managed to get some great upskirt fan-service shots of the feisty pink-haired party member.
アニメ ダイの大冒険 マァム フレイザード 逆さ吊り パンチラ
マァムのパンチラサービスはいつ見ても最高です。 pic.twitter.com/3g9BNoOUqv
— ヒロピン 好き (@hiropinsuki) September 8, 2017
Because of the fan-service aspects of her previous attire, a few Japanese commenters tried to justify the censorship by saying that the studio was aiming for a lower CERO rating, and therefore the censorship was necessary to attain the rating. A few more attempted to place the blame on Apple, claiming that due to iOS app requirements, Maam’s original outfit wouldn’t have been allowed.
However, none of those excuses hold weight since games like Azur Lane and Fate/Grand Order are both on the iOS App Store and are chock full of fan-service.
Most savvy fans suspect that the growing presence of censorship is what’s at play here, and are blaming the West for the changes. Others also rightly pointed out that if she’s wearing leggings to censor her thighs, it’s no longer Maam.
It’s possible this is the handiwork of the ever-increasing presence of Square’s Ethics Department.
(Thanks for the news tip Noriyuki Works)