Iria, The Arrow, and Characterization
“The Arrow” is a reference to this post which is ostensibly about the FedEx arrow, but actually about social justice issues in fiction. I am bringing it up here because I think that my awareness that the arrow MIGHT exist (although I don’t see it in every case) makes me reluctant to hold up many of the female characters I love as good examples of characterization. I worry mainly because I fear that I fall into a trap of privilege. That I don’t see the arrow in this case just means I’m another clueless white dude.
At the same time, I feel that taking a stand on alternate interpretations opens both an opportunity for good characters to be highlighted AND a discussion of where maybe they fell short. So, with that in mind, let’s talk about Iria.
[A Red-Haired girl in a poncho is shouting into the camera. Image courtesy of Anime-Planet]
Disclaimer - I love Iria: Zeiram The Animation. A lot. I owned it on VHS. I own it on DVD and will buy it on BluRay if it comes out before I get the version I can download into my brain. Iria is capable, fiercely independent, and a crack-shot. She also looks fantastic in a cat suit, but the OVA doesn’t seem to make much of a deal of it. But what I really love about the whole thing is how well the plot maps onto her development as a character. She starts out as a callow and overconfident apprentice bounty hunter only grow into a brave heroine capable of saving the galaxy from a nigh-unstoppable monster by the end (spoiler: she wins).
For as long as I remember, I attributed her emotional development and insecurities to her circumstances: Her only brother dies within the first episode, leaving her alone in the world, facing a terrifying creature. She struggles to find her footing in the way that many of us do when we become adults. Are we doing it right? Can I use these things I’ve learned when the real world calls for action? When she balks during the middle portion of the OVA, it was clear to me that it comes from the trauma of seeing her brother’s face again after watching him die.
To me, NONE of this was gendered (not to say that gender isn’t a part of Iria, but I read it in a different manner). Iria’s moments of emotional weakness stemmed from her trauma not from her extra X chromosome and they make her character arc MORE enjoyable than if she had been a wooden, stonefaced killer. What we have here is good characterization. Aided by some gender considerations, but in the end I feel that a male character who acted in the same way would be just as interesting to watch (see: Naruto). So, for me: No Arrow.
That said, there is a gendered interpretation which I find valid and instructive. There are two pieces. First, the piece that I openly agree with is that her gender does come into play in her need to prove herself. Operating as a woman in a male-dominated (assumed? The three other bounty-hunters we meet are male, but that does mean that there isn’t parity? damn my patriarchal programming!) profession possibly drives her to out-perform her peers. The second piece is more subtle: That she’s ALLOWED this complex and engaging development BECAUSE she’s a woman. A male character would have to set his jaw and act stoic. Because women are have emotions (according to traditional gender roles), she can take time to reflect and do target practice, or balk when Zeiram calls her name in her brother’s voice. And while, true, maybe this illustrates an overarching inequity in characterization I would point at it and say, “why?!” Let the men cry a little, it will help those of us with feelings empathize.
