It has just been a year since the release of Bayonetta 3 for Nintendo Switch. The third installment of the iconic hack-and-slash game saga starring the sexy witch is in a strange position: Despite receiving positive reviews, winning the “Best Action Game” award at The Game Awards 2022 and selling over 1 million copies, this title has been quite controversial and divisive among fans for numerous reasons. That’s why, when Platinum Games released a new official image to celebrate its anniversary on Twitter, many of its followers responded with disdain.
Spoiler Alert for Bayonetta 3
Why are fans angry with the new Bayonetta family?
To celebrate Bayonetta 3’s First Anniversary, Platinum Games released a collection of excellent official images made by different talented artists of the company. Among all the illustrations, the one that caught our attention the most was this one made by Curie Baek, where we can see Cereza, accompanied by her romantic interest Luka Redgrave and her daughter Viola. This very interesting, as it is the first time we can see these 3 characters together as a family and in fact we had never seen Viola as a little girl with her parents. So this official look was adorable and it’s a perfect way to celebrate the birthday of this video game.
But why did such a cute image infuriate so many people? Since its initial release on October 28, 2022, Bayonetta 3 caused controversy among fans of the saga because of its story, which deals with a villain who threatens to destroy the Multiverse, and where our protagonist must help Viola, a girl from another dimension who later reveals that she is the daughter of the Cherry from another dimension. In addition to how absurd and complex this plot can be, many people disliked Viola for her personality and design, not to mention those who were furious with the confirmation that Bayonetta had ended up paired with Luka Redgrave.
Fans infuriated with this image can be divided into two camps: The first half “shipped” Bayonetta with her friend Jeanne, and considered her an LGBTQ+ icon because of that, so they are frustrated that she had a daughter with Luka. While the other half see the fact that a character as bold as Cereza having a family as a manipulation to motivate the Japanese public to have more children. Comparing her to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Some of the most critical comments on the topic are: “Boo hoo!”, “What happened, why did they make Bayonetta straight?”, “Fuck off and reproduce” and many more. However, not everything was so negative because there are also many other people who received this official art with open arms, celebrating the first anniversary of this third installment. Especially those who are tired of this debate that has been plaguing the franchise community for a year now. What do you think? Do you like this new official art? Do you think it’s time to put an end to this controversy?
© Platinum Games