It is simple to overlook that, earlier than the discharge of its first seashore volleyball spin-off, the Useless or Alive sequence had been taken pretty severely as combating video games. We might have joked concerning the ridiculous jiggle physics, however the unique was nonetheless thought-about an honest successor to Virtua Fighter 2.
These days, after all, the Useless or Alive sequence is a joke, promising that new entries can be much less jiggly, then turning round and flogging dozens of bikini, maid, and schoolgirl costumes as DLC. Which is why it is so absurd to learn Tomotoshi Nishimura, the manager answerable for Koei Tecmo’s authorized affairs division, say that they had no selection however to take motion towards fan artwork which may harm the picture of the Useless or Alive forged—as a result of their creators’ consider them “like daughters”.
The particular phrase used within the unique Japanese is musume, which might imply “younger woman” in addition to “daughter”, however not solely is that also creepy on this context, it is a dated and overly formal use of the phrase. Nishimura virtually actually means “daughter” right here.
Nishimura was talking at a panel on mental property rights held at Tokyo Esports Festa, as reported by Recreation Watch. Whereas he defined the corporate was grateful to its followers, and even sponsored the doujinshi conference Comiket, he additionally stated between 200 and 300 Useless or Alive doujinshi out there on-line had been suspended following authorized motion—in a single case for utilizing artwork from a recreation but to be launched. Nishimura additionally stated that Koei Tecmo takes motion towards between 2,000 and three,000 works of fan artwork posted to social media and artist group Pixiv annually.
Additional explaining the corporate’s stance, Nishimura steered that some grownup Useless or Alive fan artwork might harm the characters’ picture, and that picture wanted to be protected as a result of different firms produced official merchandise of these characters. But additionally, you understand, the daughter factor.
It isn’t the primary time we have heard of Koei Tecmo taking authorized motion to guard the virtuous women of Useless or Alive. In 2021 it sued the producers of a DVD that used footage from nude mods. In the meantime, the subsequent recreation within the sequence can be Venus Trip Prism: Useless or Alive Xtreme, a courting sim with a images mode, which can solely be launched in choose Asian nations.