The presence of this gynoid-among-androids simultaneously is and isn’t a big deal. For what it’s worth, she’s an assemblage of pixels and therefore lacking in true gender. Beyond that, her pixels are assembled into a robot formation, meaning that even if video game characters could have gender, this one doesn’t. On the other hand, it means something to lifer gamers that a series that has previously pitted Mega Man against set after set of all-male Robot Master bosses finally admitted that a ladybot could give Mega Man just as hard of a time. (A few blogs have even noted that Capcom had initially planned to include two Robot Mistresses, but scaled that plan down in order to make Mega Man 9 seem like not too great a departure.
Capcom released her concept art this week. It’s below, and when you see what’s attached to the lower half of her body (robobody) you’ll see why I was compelled to write about this.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBrpEPQMhUk2CvZiMdrD6svjOqw678LG4Kr_ADtI_iDiN6T1EUXPEs3SLi_G9cW13p_QpjTaXTlX21MutWqBtnQyZw08TQaX-x29z8h8A_VlSHbr9wduS3MpiU9jyFPWyJP08Fsy6aU4/s400/splash_woman_kidicarus222.jpg)
And here she is as she will appear in the actual game.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6Fdpk80wxj8vdGgJJ6yIdITETAWk-UBVfPOJnfwJfvgqE6v3xdNh2_Ctdb_SubKh7OMPS19TJ34t1wWoBLRL-8V3W-RVMOltfp9HYGHhIuXdW74A4GGQSHR4IUtQRTsmV2DqLM6z-Pw/s400/splash_woman_rockman.jpg)
As you can see, this waterborne villainess (robovillainess) is a mermaid (robomermaid) who dresses in a vague musketeer fashion. On her head (robohead), she wears a crash helmet with a flapper adornment, as all gynoids do. The fact that the first ladybot lacks legs doesn’t bode well, I guess, but I’m glad they didn’t try to make her look especially cute or sexy, especially since cute and sexy don’t translate well to eight-bit-style graphics. (The closest she came to that, so far, would be the below screenshot from the game, which shows that singing is included in her attack plan.)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnKutI-_pJfpozPtoDMzGNioVqIUGe1QnhFIN31D0hz7ZxlI2JxqzfwHTA2kX2tpYuZWG9153Ey7Dk9PCpf0m5Ah3FIKuw8A-3cr-sQP_KCFihMEohRrr2vriU1YOgb6lNWbvRUQcr2s/s400/splash_woman_mega_man_9.jpg)
On the right of the concept art, you see that the weapon Mega Man gets upon defeating Splash Woman is her electrified trident. I’m thankful it wasn’t, like, a gun that shoots hearts or something, but the fact that the “Laser Trident” is basically three electrified phalluses is a little amusing.
So let’s see: a record first of a woman doing something that only men had previously done, she enjoys wielding a phallus weapon, she has a distinct fashion sense, and she’s pure evil. Is Splash Woman Sarah Palin?
Without a doubt.
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