In Reply To #458
I always thought the whole "relating to fictional characters" was a pile of shit. And I mean, at the basic level, with no real human emotion attached to them. Y'know, just based on their looks basic descriptions. Sure, I can't relate to a female warrior, but I can relate to a guy who hails from a powerful vampire killing lineage. I can relate to being the ONLY person able to wield a magical whip and relate to fighting vampires.
It's just like in Final Fantasy when people say, "Oh yeah, I can soooo relate to Sephiroth". No you can't. you aren't silver-haired, you aren't part alien and you weren't born through a scientific expierment and was raised your whole life as a cold emotionless SOLDIER. You aren't a Legendary SOLDIER...fool, get off it! Just like the idiots who say, "Oh yeah, if Sephiroth was real, we'd be pals!". No you wouldn't, he'd kill you, moron!!
In all seriousness, I could relate to any gender. It doesn't have to do with being male or female. If the character is good, if they show emotion, up to the point where they ARE relatable("I know what they are feeling, I lost a parent....I know what they are feeling, I got into a fight with my best friend...") on a human-level. For that, gender doesn't discriminate, you can be a guy playing as a female heroine, and something happens to her that happened to you and you can still draw that connection.
For me, it's never been a deal, actually. Sure, I like playing as guys, but I'd be lying if I said Chun Li wasn't my favorite fighter in Street Fighter II(I always play as her).
Though, the only exception I have when it comes to female heroines is that they can't be fruity. If a female character becomes overly mushy, lovelorn and boy-crazy, that's where I draw the line. Even in real life, I can't really handle those squealing chicks who melt over, like, Tiger Beat and boybands. Urgh. But then again, those types of female characters are almost never the leads. They are almost always supporting secondary characters who fall in love with the male leads. It always takes a strong character to be the main character, and as long as the female heroine is strong and is determined to her cause(doesn't let shoujo-styled love get in her way), that's a relatable quality in itself that shows no gender bias. But if it's "OMG, he's SOOOOOOOOO cute!!! *swoon*" type of stuff, no thank you. That and no chick drama. That's one of the big issues of Inu-Yasha, which has to be one of the most CHICK-ish animes I've ever seen(it reminds me of the anime equivalent of the Gilmore Girls).