Characters that aren't your race that you relate to.

[The]

Carl Johnson from GTA: San Andreas. Not that I relate to him, since I was never involved in any gangs, but I enjoyed his character and story very much.

 

[Miss G.]

I'd have to say Oliver from Ni no Kuni; he loses his mom (I knew that from game informer before it came out, but when it happened it was a major emotional trigger because of my own mother's death) and shortly after we're both crying, someone who's been with him for a while gives him the opportunity to discover (and also save) a whole new world- one that he's willing to do so many things he never knew he could do in, for her.

 

[The Hero Killer]

Pre-love story Squall Leonheart from Final Fantasy VIII. Back when I was in high school I was EXACTLY like him, internal monologue and all.

 

[Garyn Dakari]

I found I could always relate to Thane Krios and Liara T'Soni from the Mass Effect games. Well, I could relate to a lot of characters, but those two especially. Also, Flick from Pixar's highly under-appreciated A Bugs Life, and Marlin from Finding Nemo. That last movie is like Taken, but with fish! Or maybe Taken is like Nemo, but with super Liam Neeson... either way, good relatable characters of a different race.

Oh, by race you mean skin color? Oh... Well, The Walking Dead game had a lot of fantastic characters I suppose, and most of them weren't "white".

 

[Casual Shinji]

Most game characters are brave, strong, independed, and clever though. So not much for me to personally relate to.

I guess maybe Bill from The Last of Us, being a lonely shitbag and all. And Ben from The Walking Dead. I know he's just a straight white guy like me, but I hated him so much yet totally understood and felt for him at the same time.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Considering how I'm apparently retarded and can't tell the difference between Caucasian/Hispanic/Asian there isn't really anybody I can't relate to based on race.

Even black people, who I obviously can tell the difference in skin colour I have no trouble relating too (e.g. Lee Everett)

 

[Bullfrog1983]

In light of the recent CM webcomic touching on race relatability in popular media, I want to know what characters stay relatable no matter what thier ethnic background to you.

I'm of a heavily mixed, carribean british and south amarican background, so there is damn near no character that I'm the same race as, so this is quite easy for me.

I suppose I'll go with Jason Brody from Far Cry 3, even though he has a bit of a yuppy douche-bro backstory, I mainly identify with him having to learn on his feet how to deal with a strange new area and volatile people, learning to adapt to his surrounding quickly and eventually enjoy it, all the while trying not lose himself in the process.


just to note, I know the majority, of the escapists are white and I have a good feeling that I will see a lot of Lee Everett (just saying)

C.J. from GTA: San Andreas. He's a guy who starts in a shitty situation and has to find his own way out of it while surrounded by two faced friends, corrupt cops/officials and psychotic women.

I personally don't have any problems relating to people of other 'race' in reality or in video games because racism is stupid, outdated and should be ridiculed.

just to note, I know the majority, of the escapists are white and I have a good feeling that I will see a lot of Lee Everett (just saying)

Yeah, because only white people can relate to a well-spoken professor that murders his wife's lover? ;P

 

[SuperfastJellyfish]

This is sort of a strange question, atleast to me. I barely consider race at all and I don't even really think about it, so if a character is relatable the character is relatable.

 

[Gitty101]

Ninja'd by a lot of people, but screw it.

Lee Everett.

Just a regular(ish) guy in a messed up situation.

 

[BrotherRool]

This is sort of a strange question, atleast to me. I barely consider race at all and I don't even really think about it, so if a character is relatable the character is relatable.

That's the same for most of us, we're just struggling to come up with non-white protagonists at all. I'm pretty sure the question was meant to highlight how it doesn't matter and celebrate some awesome characters

 

[Requia]

I'm going to go with the dragonborn, since I don't usually play as a white character?

Seriously, the only non white character I can think of playing recently where I didn't pick the race was Final Fantasy 13, and fuck those characters, all of em, I can't relate to anybody who didn't ever get fed up with Hope and abandon him.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Race has nothing to do with. They are either relatable or they are not. The latest Lara was great. Also a lot of the characters from ME were also, they may be aliens, but still im sure. I guess the only characters i find unrelatable are the black gangsta (GTA:SA) ones or characters that are evil for the sake of it.

 

[alik44]

Ahh Din Kolack The volus ambassador from mass effect 1. surprisingly enough he and I have a very similar personality especially when it comes to what were related to how it is never connected well to others. for Din it is the connection he constantly argues as to why the volus are not apart of the council even though the volus made a large ajudgment and creations the currency to the entire citadel and maybe across to even other races. this is why he is a constantly in a annoyed and slitlely angry at other races when they achieve more even though he they remain quite low.

To me its quite similar when it comes to a lot of different points. the gamming community, comic community, my job at school and other, and even when it comes down to my race even though its very rare i have seen it happen before. and when i talk about it i do act annoyed and when spoken deeply angry when it becomes more dis approved or looked down upon by others even though it achieved so much.

 

[Yopaz]

I guess I would have a problem remembering the last game I played without a white character. Even more difficult is it to find the last time I related to a game character at all. Can I answer Pacman? I kinda relate to his painkiller addiction and crazy hallucinations after I got some amazing painkillers a while back.

 

[[REDACTED]]

It's been said by everyone, their uncle and their uncle's second cousin's best friend's cat, but it still bears repeating: Lee Everett. I identified with him more than any other video game protagonist before or since.

 

[xPixelatedx]

Wow most of you are playing on easy mode. Back in my day we didn't just play as and relate to different races, but different species!

Mega Man (Not a robot)
Link (Not a Hyrulian)
Samus (Not a female amazon.. whatever she is)
Fox Mccloud (Not a space fox)
Leon Kennedy (Not that white)
Alucard (Not a Vampire)
Ruy from BoF 3 (Not a Dragon)
Sly Cooper (Not a pantless racoon)
Wander (Not a weird elf boy from the land of Ico)

 

[Jamieson 90]

Connor from Assassin's Creed III was the last character I played that wasn't of my race (I'm British/White) and I did enjoy playing through his story and his character arc, I found him a bit naive at times but he did have his values and principles.

 

[Xangba]

Garrus. What, was this restricted to humans? I'm still saving the money to get my Peace Officer Certificate so I can finally finish my training and join a police station, and I know the restrictions I'll be facing and how frustrated I'm likely to get. I've interned, shadowed detectives and officers, and am related to an officer, and I can easily see myself in Garrus. Wanting to stop the bad guys but red tape or a technicality or the right bribes and off they go, and just wishing I could do something about it. I relate to a lot of his views and feelings actually, which is why I think he was my favorite character in Mass Effect.

 

[Wintermute_v1legacy]

I don't "relate" to fictional characters.

But I do "understand" their motives and/or reasons for doing things.

Race, gender, sexuality or age never factors into it.

Yeah, same here. I don't understand this fascination with race and gender. Go to IMDb, pick the first actor or actress you see, and you will find people discussing "he's/she's (color), but his/her great great great great great great grandmother was born in Paraguay to a Russian couple, then they moved to Namibia."

 

[kklawm]

I barely notice people's race... both in life and in games. As long as the character is likable to me(or at least interesting, well made), I have no problems with them. Gender I notice, but again have NO problems ever relating to.

Seriously, its topics like these that make me even take notice some of the characters I like arent of my "race". Is that good or bad ?

I'd say it's good. Noticing races, even if you aren't racist, can make you a kind of morally pretentious bigot, or reverse racist. For me personally, I tend to notice people's race, insofar as there is black asian white and, err... Middle Eastern/Indian/whatever? And if I'm describing a person I do tend to really broadly categorise them unless they're white (because living in a white city and being white can make you notice these things).

I thought the original question originally meant species and was an interesting jab at the relatability of alien looking creatures. Personal answer: no one. Can't think of any person I relate to in any game or movie as such.