History AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / Nintendo

*** That's not even getting into the many conflicting interpretations of the secondary characters. [[spoiler:Is Lucina's attachment to her father just that of a young girl who lost him and doesn't want him to die again, or does she have an ElectraComplex? Is Tharja really that cruel and wicked, or is she just '''terribly''' bad in social situations and that became even worse [[spoiler:in the BadFuture]]? Which of Henry's characterization is the most valid, his Japanese (where he doesn't always enjoy bloodshed as he says he does) or English one (where he actually ''does'', and only learns to think differently when with the Shepherds)?

** Not helping matters is the manual for the original ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros''. It explains that Bowser had turned many of the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom into bricks. Whilst the manual explains the transformed citizens are specifically the PowerUp giving blocks that can't be broken by Mario; many fans propose that are the same ones that are [[InferredHolocaust smashed by the Brothers throughout the course of the game]].

*** That's not even getting into the many conflicting interpretations of the secondary characters. [[spoiler:Is Lucina's attachment to her father just that of a young girl who lost him and doesn't want him to die again, or does she have an ElectraComplex? Is Tharja really that cruel and wicked, or is she just '''terribly''' NotGoodWithPeople and that became even worse [[spoiler:in the BadFuture]]? Which of Henry's characterization is the most valid, his Japanese (where he doesn't always enjoy bloodshed as he says he does) or English one (where he actually ''does'', and only learns to think differently when with the Shepherds)?

** In regards to messing up planets' ecosystems, Samus's mission to exterminate the entire Metroid population in ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'' calls the Galactic Federation's trustworthiness into serious question. Going by that train of thought, the end of that game and the events of ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' can be seen as Samus coming to realize the worth in the creatures she has been repeatedly tasked with eradicating, with ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' rounding out the story arc by revealing once and for all that the Galactic Federation was a ruthless, fascist state responsible for multiple counts of genocide and the same illegal bioweapons programs as their enemies all along.

*** Samus is either seen as gaining much-needed character development or else as getting severely derailed from previously-established characterization. A lot of it seems to come down to whether or not a given fan thinks Samus had much of a personality established from games made before ''Other M''.

*** That's not even getting into the many conflicting interpretations of the secondary characters. [[spoiler:Is Lucina's attachment to her father just that of a young girl who lost him and doesn't want him to die again, or does she have an [[OedipusComplex Electra complex]]? Is Tharja really that cruel and wicked, or is she just '''terribly''' NotGoodWithPeople and that became even worse [[spoiler:in the BadFuture]]? Which of Henry's characterization is the most valid, his Japanese (where he doesn't always enjoy bloodshed as he says he does) or English one (where he actually ''does'', and only learns to think differently when with the Shepherds)?

*** That's not even getting into the many conflicting interpretations of the secondary characters. [[spoiler:Is Lucina's attachment to her father just that of a young girl who lost him and doesn't want him to die again, or does she have an ElectraComplex]]? Is Tharja really that cruel and wicked, or is she just '''terribly''' NotGoodWithPeople and that became even worse [[spoiler:in the BadFuture]]? Which of Henry's characterization is the most valid, his Japanese (where he doesn't always enjoy bloodshed as he says he does) or English one (where he actually ''does'', and only learns to think differently when with the Shepherds)?

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF97hm3SqjI As shown in this YouTube video]], quite a few fans pin Camilla from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Fates]]'' as suffering from an AmbiguousDisorder such as separation anxiety disorder or clinical depression rather than just being a {{yandere}} MsFanservice character.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'':

*** {{Jerkass}} through and through and determined to turn the universe into his own personal toy box, or abused {{woobie}}? There's certainly evidence for the latter; his parents were abusive and various people in his hometown mock him, though he still shows that odd big-brother sort of caring for Picky and is friends with Ness. When Giygas begins to control him, he gets a taste of a much, much better life and does everything to keep it, including lie, steal, and alienate his only friend. In ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'', he surrounds himself with his own personal utopia: A place filled with self-praise and reminders of his old life and friends, and his grand plan is to destroy the world, therefore destroying everyone who won't like him. Or, if it was Porky who had corrupted Giygas, this can be supported by some of Porky's lines being badly translated, and so the fact that Porky had willingly, and consciously followed Giygas, knowing the harm he would cause to others was never conveyed. It also made it look as if Giygas was behind the Happy Happy Cult, when he actually wasn't. This is important because this was the first time Porky was displayed as a villain, he was also the only cult member not under any influence, and he had consciously tried to kill Paula and Ness. This is further supported by his behavior in ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'', and also Giygas' woobie back story.

** In the Japanese incarnation of ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon 2}}'', Marina is a soft-spoken and awkward character. The English translation made her into a more sarcastic character. Fans have created explanations for her personality. One interpretation is that she is InnocentlyInsensitive due to Octarian-Inkling cultural differences and doesn't realize she's being mean. Another is that she's actually quite shy and is pretending to be tougher than she is, most likely to try and emulate how she believes inklings behave. The third most commonly spouted interpretation is that she uses a persona and her real personality is much more subdued.

** Mario and Luigi are sometimes considered to be {{Nominal Hero}}es or even {{Villain Protagonist}}s because they tend to slaughter tons of seemingly-harmless creatures on their quest to rescue the Princess. In the actual games, primary antagonist Bowser can range from being a HarmlessVillain to a huge threat. In future games such as VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy, plenty of enemies such as goombas are seen charging towards Mario, making this idea a moot-point.

** There's a common interpretation, especially amongst fans who think Peach enjoys being kidnapped, that Mario doesn't romantically like Peach. He is constantly rescuing her for the thrill of the chase and the adventure. Or that he's mainly in it for the [[FoodAsBribe cake]]. Others simply [[MistakenForRomance mistake]] them for a couple. This seems to be backed up by her simply giving him a "Thank you Mario" whenever he rescues her, and the occasional kiss on the end of his nose. No further affection is ever shown, not even a hug.

** ''WebVideo/BrainscratchCommentaries'' have had a lot of fun portraying Luigi as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y7bRPgP8vE&t=764s too bitter and jaded]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfQR1oUTKVI&t=7s to care anymore]].

** This is ''canon'' for Marth. He's always been noble and brave to a degree but in the earlier games he was decidedly naive and a bit of a bleeding-heart, apparently so much that the OAV adaptation ''removed'' the brave and noble part and upped the softness. In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee'', he was something of a show-off. Finally, ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Shadow Dragon]]'' introduced a bolder, more serious version of the character. To a lesser extent Caeda went through this as well; the games portray her as a sweet, brave girl who supports and loves Marth 100% where the OAV portrays her as a snitty brat with a mean jealous streak. Considering her actions in ''Shadow Dragon'', Caeda would make a ''very'' convincing ManipulativeBitch if the story were told from the villains' point of view with Marth and co. as the antagonists. Lorenz even notes she tends to keep people wrapped around her finger.

* ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'': A case could be made for quite a few characters, but [[spoiler:Dickson]] most springs to mind. As one of the oldest creatures in the universe, is he simply a [[spoiler:remorseless, backstabbing BloodKnight who desires only to fight for his master, Zanza]], or has he [[spoiler:long since given up on trying to forge his own future, resigned to serving a God he has no hope of defying]]?

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', there is the SOS theory where in the initial theme of all the Divine Beasts, a faint Morse code could be heard. Some believe that the Champions sent the SOS when they knew they weren't able to handle the Blights on their own. Or that it was the Divine Beasts ''themselves'' desperately trying to call for help to be freed from the malice all these years. It's possible that Revali either managed to fend off Windblight Ganon longer than the others or he refused to send the signal until later out of his own pride. It should be mentioned that his SOS is very rushed and appears frantic, compared to the other SOS calls that are slower and quieter.

** Tom Nook is prone to this to near RonTheDeathEater levels. Is he an honest businessman or an evil, greedy creep who pretty much single handedly runs the town's economy and keeps the protagonist as an indentured servant? The latter interpretation is in part because he is constantly upgrading your house without your permission and the first thing he does when you come to town is try to force you to buy a house without your permission (or any knowledge of your budget). Some even go as far as to see him as {{yakuza}} or [[TheMafia mafia]] affiliated.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHs50-GrTkg That's not even assuming he is a lot more tanuki like than he might seem as a explanation for his behavior]].

*** Marth gets this ''again'' in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'', [[spoiler:when Lucina tries to impersonate him. Her perception of Marth is of a proud, stoic warrior. In her supports with Tiki, however, who knew Marth personally, Tiki tells Lucina that the real Marth was more of a MagneticHero whose true strength came from the alliances he built with others, and noting that he was actually closer to Lucina's real personality than her imitation of him.]]

** A lot of the new cast of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'' weren't well developed, and are frequently subject to this.
*** The BlackKnight/[[spoiler:General Zelgius]] in the final chapters of ''Radiant Dawn''. Despite leading [[spoiler:Ashera]]'s human forces in the final battle, we're never really told where he stands on that whole "end of all life" thing. Instead, he seems to side with her partially out of loyalty to [[spoiler:Sephiran]] and partially because doing so will give him a chance to fight [[TheHero Ike]] one last time. Had he, like [[spoiler:Sephiran]], crossed the DespairEventHorizon and believed that humanity didn't deserve to exist anymore? Was he secretly hoping for the heroes to win, but was unwilling to aid them for [[WorthyOpponent various]] [[MyMasterRightOrWrong reasons]]? Or did he just not care about the outcome of the battle at all and was only interested in testing his own strength?

** Ganondorf himself gets this in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', due to mentioning a FreudianExcuse for dramatic effect. Now, people are unsure if he's just a MagnificentBastard, or a WellIntentionedExtremist turned insane due to a series of failures. And then, there's King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, who is either thought to be a [[TheAtoner wise monarch who regrets his past mistakes]] or...[[http://www.halolz.com/2009/10/12/the-king-of-hyrule-is-a-jerk-part-3/ this.]]
*** Speaking of ''Wind Waker'', [[spoiler:his simple act of hesitation in killing Zelda and choosing instead to slap her away ''with his sword hand'' is what ultimately defeats him.]]
*** And, even more fundamentally, just as Link and Zelda are [[ChosenOne chosen by the gods]], ''so is Ganon''. They are the three forces that keep Hyrule's history going: whenever Hyrule has [[StatusQuoIsGod fallen into a stasis]], Ganon destroys it, Link defeats him, and Zelda puts it all together again, in a greater form. He might not be ''likable'', but he is ''necessary'': [[BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil without him, Hyrule's past is slowly but surely forgotten, its treasures buried in forgotten dungeons, and the whole realm languishes with lack of any progress, while with the destruction wrought by Ganon comes the chance of and motivation for new growth and improving things]].

*** On the subject of Link; think about his AngstWhatAngst. Is he a {{determinator}} too set on saving the world to worry about his own problems, or a StepfordSmiler? (In reality, it's probably the first one, but [[EpilepticTrees whatever.]])
*** Or a [[http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/195 creepy giant who catches fairies and puts them in jars for sale]]?

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', there is the SOS theory where in the initial theme of all the Divine Beasts, a faint Morse code could be heard. Some believe that the Champions sent the SOS when they knew they weren't able to handle the Blights on their own. Or that it was the Divine Beasts ''themselves'' desperately trying to call for help to be freed from the malice all these years.
*** There are some interpretations why Revali's SOS comes later compared to the other Champions. It's possible that Revali either managed to fend off Windblight Ganon longer than the others or he refused to send the signal until later out of his own pride. It should be mentioned that his SOS is very rushed and appears frantic, compared to the other SOS calls that are slower and quieter.

** Flint: Some say he's a good father, just detached from the rest of the world since the death of his wife and disappearance of his son, and the world changing at a fast pace around him probably don't help. Others say he's an obsessed man driven crazy by the grief of losing his wife. Believing himself to have caused this, he seeks an outlet for redemption, in this case, looking for his missing son, even if it means completely ignoring his living son in the process.
*** Speaking of fathers, remember Ness' father? He only appears as a phone and mostly plays to lonely hotel music. I dare you, listen to the hotel music again and think about this.
** Porky Minch: {{Jerkass}} through and through and determined to turn the universe into his own personal toy box, or abused {{woobie}}? There's certainly evidence for the latter; his parents were abusive and various people in his hometown mock him, though he still shows that odd big-brother sort of caring for Picky and is friends with Ness. When Giygas begins to control him, he gets a taste of a much, much better life and does everything to keep it, including lie, steal, and alienate his only friend. In ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'', he surrounds himself with his own personal utopia: A place filled with self-praise and reminders of his old life and friends, and his grand plan is to destroy the world, therefore destroying everyone who won't like him.
*** Or if you've had the opportunity to play ''VideoGame/{{Mother|1}}'' (AKA ''Earthbound Zero'') you can argue that if it was Porky who had corrupted Giygas, this can be supported by the fact that some of Porky's lines were badly translated, and so the fact that Porky had willingly, and consciously followed Giygas, knowing the harm he would cause to others was never conveyed. It also made it look as if Giygas was behind the Happy Happy Cult, when he actually wasn't. This is important because this was the first time Porky was displayed as a villain, he was also the only cult member not under any influence, and he had consciously tried to kill Paula and Ness. This is further supported by his behavior in ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'', and also Giygas' woobie back story.

** Dr. Andonuts: kindly, absent-minded scientist who's [[spoiler:forced to work for the Pigmask army]], or [[spoiler:mad scientist who'll work for anyone who'll fund him? He apparently doesn't stand up for himself in the slightest until Lucas comes through--or, to be even less charitable, until the very end of the game, when he already knows what side his bread's buttered on anyway. He seems to spend most of ''Mother 3'' in an apathetic haze, making cool toys (he makes monstrous chimeras ''in his spare time, for fun''). Think Nazi-turned-Allied scientist Wernher Von Braun, but in a trash can, and with more child neglect than you can shake a stick at.]]
*** It seems someone forgot that [[spoiler:Porky likely went out of his way to kidnap Andonuts and brought him to the future.]] It's uncertain whether he was threatened into [[spoiler:working for the Pigmasks or not,]] but he was likely in emotional shock from being [[spoiler:yanked away from his life and thrust into a completely unfamiliar environment.]] He had nobody to look forward to for rescue or otherwise, no idea what was going on, and no reason to believe that he could escape. And the [[MixAndMatchCritters chimeras?]] Perhaps he wasn't designing them for combat purposes. [[spoiler:It could explain why the Ultimate Chimera was unstoppable: Andonuts gave Porky [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor what]] [[GoneHorriblyRight he]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard wanted]], hoping it would devastate the Pigmask army!]]

** While on the subject of Mario, what about Birdo? Is she ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'''s villain or is she the girlfriend of Yoshi's that the spin-off games make her out to be?

*** Even as early as ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'', the Galactic Federation demonstrate that they are nearly as willing as the Space Pirates to recklessly take up the power offered by Phazon in pursuit of military victory. They even alter Samus's suit to include a Phazon Enhancement Device without her knowledge or consent.

** And then there's ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'', which managed to take whatever was left of the fan base and [[BrokenBase shatter it into pieces beyond repair]]. Samus is either seen as gaining much-needed character development or else as getting severely derailed from previously-established characterization. A lot of it seems to come down to whether or not a given fan thinks Samus had much of a personality established from games made before ''Other M''.

*** It's mostly Peach/Bowser fans that have this view, however many think Peach allows herself to get kidnapped. Common interpretations are she enjoys the excitement and finds it amusing or she is secretly in love with Bowser.

*** You also have to remember one thing. Who do you think builds all those Dr. Eggman-worthy (IQ of 300) machines and forms all those evil plots? A Goomba?

*** Unless she really is just that clueless about "how babies are made", and thinks that it is entirely possible somehow because of this lack of knowledge. (She spends most of her time either locked up in a dungeon or hanging out in her castle with the genderless Toads, after all.) Adding to this, because VideoGame/YoshisIsland presents the idea that babies can be brought in by stork, which just adds more evidence to the idea that she really might not know about the birds and the bees.

*** In advertising, Mario's super form is always the one that is used. Several games seem to imply that to some extent, the Super Mushrooms [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration may not be canon]], as games such as VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine and VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey appear to replace the concept of Super Mushrooms with HitPoints. This basically means that in several games, when hit by an enemy, Mario does ''not'' shrink. Because of this there is no need for Super Mushrooms.

** Also Bowser. Idiotic overly macho king, or obfuscating stupidity on a political mastermind? i.e., his kingdom is all lava and igneous rocks. Peach's isn't. And the best way to gain political power in a monarchy is to marry into it.