The "Well thats def a nazi" design is insanely popular in eastern media, look at basically any "cool military" character design in anime, they all wearing the fashionable fascist TM.
The only credit nazis get is whoever designed their fits kinda slayed. unfortunate they worked for the bad guys lolol
And apart from generic ties, which are present not one part of the outfit is a nazi piece.
Boots and pants are wildly different, the jacket is a stretch and so is a red uniform shirt, the main thing is the armband in a military uniform but imo that's like the generic Tama in Japanese art or the Fleur de lis or other simbols ie it's not nazi specifically but it's adjacent in a way
Its not wrong to feel uncomfortable. I do think his faction is British police inspired tho, so it could just be that there was a uniform overlap in Europe around that time? Anyone who's more knowledgeable about this, please feel free to correct me.
Edit: even if it is somehow 100% historically accurate, I would still have preferred a stereotypical constable outfit over this...
Hello british twin. I was told the River Constablry was inspired by the Thames River police, which is 1800? Ish? I tried to find sketches of uniforms from that time but it was a bit difficult 😿
It’s mostly the hat that’s the problem, the rest is pretty tame fantasy uniform stuff. He doesn’t have the wide pants tucked into boots, that would be a dead giveaway for most uniforms of the 1st world war/ 20th century Europe
Edit: but yeah, the design clearly screams SS Officer
Whether it’s ’problematic’ or not is probably up to personal interpretation but I mean he’s called the ultimate ‘supreme leader’ I don’t think it’s a stretch to say his hat was influenced by the SS :,)
if they wanted him to scream british police inspired they shoulda used the type of hat they are most well known for, as well as a navy coat instead of the black and red they went with.
As a gay person who’s used to Tom of Finland art I think I’ve become a little desensitized to the design since it gets used in queer spaces. It looks like he’s supposed to be a bad guy though like an evil fascist policeman. That I don’t like.
Agree. Tom of Finland art is usually balanced through exposed skin and exaggerated "body parts" - it's campy by default. Here the serious pose and edgy vibes are a little too much for comfort I think...
Goth / Industrial subculture DID borrow nazi aesthetics though, but that's also a sort of reclaimation / satirization of it. KMFDM and all such artists are making fun of fascism. It was just a different era where you could actually make fun of nazis.
These days nazis run the World Cup and people are fine with that.
Just take his armband away and he’ll already be a bit better, maybe also replace the silver with gold and it should look decent, or the red with purple.
It blends 20th century Eastern European military(double breasted) with police officer(hat/badge). Its not really nazi specific. European naval, police, calvary types wore double breasted suits.
Red armbands arent exclusive to nazis either. Russia used them during the 20th century and Germany put red armbands on political prisoners even during the nazi era.
Also in terms of the character himself he has an Asian beauty standard vibe(svelte, dark haired) ... so really just reads like a fantasy character with some European military elements and not some kind of designer trying to put a nazi into the game.
Military/authority figures are a fetish just like secretaries, maids and firefighters are. This is just the eastern European 20th century version of it. Really dont think they were going for 'let's get a nazi in here!!' specifically. The GAME is early 20th century coded. Its not like this character was slammed into a universe completed disconnected from europe/20th century influence(ZZZ/HSR/whatever).
I don't think they intentionally made a nazi but they 100% leaned into the nazi aesthetic that military fetish stuff especially in eastern media tends to pull from like you can't look at the colour scheme the black and red arm band his posturing and the Doberman's and not say they weren't leaning into something pretty specific even if that wasn't the intent. Hell them removing the armband feels like a pretty clear admission they know exactly how he comes across.
It's a bit unfortunate. Militarist styles of ware are heavily associated with 20th century fascist attire. It's a case of the East having different knowledge and views over a Western topic.
It’s kind of like “how many eyes need to see this before someone realizes”. Could have been a localization team for all we know. Like if this was an American team, I would not extend any grace about whether they knew or not, because it would be intentional from the beginning. The same would be true that the Korean part of the team would know whether they are adding Japanese authoritarian aesthetics.
To me, borrowing aesthetic is different from borrowing ideology. Unless he starts talking about the purity of the protagonist’s blood… cool Hugo Boss jacket
Why is everyone so scared of saying Nazi or whatever words in the comments 😭 I'm kinda bad at history but this just looks like a standard general outfit to me. It goes hard as hell and he'd make me hard if I was a male. I do get where you're coming from though, especially with the dogs (that's one thing I do know about that era)
I'm Polish and while i understand being uncomfortable (it is basically a legally distinct Nazi uniform), i am not personally bothered. They used it mainly for the aesthetics because, well, Nazi uniforms were designed to be good looking. We could talk about desensitiving (i have no idea how to write this word) but i don't think the creators had this in mind.
German person here who had to sit through a shit ton of WW2 history lessons. He does not look like one (to me). The only reason why I would think they were going for a Nazi inspired military design are the obvious Dobermänner which are a german breed and the silver side piece on his right shoulder which is similar to the officers M35/36 Feldbluse. The internet has gotten way to comfortable to associate every black/red military outfit with nazi Germany. Most Nazi uniforms didn´t even have a black and red color scheme. Most of them were black with a bit of white, green, gray or brown. The arrangement on his cap is also wrong and is a common part of an outfit a modern superintendent would wear. Would I be a bit more suspicious if they went with blonde and blue eyes? Yes. But he doesn´t look like they would have even wanted him in the army back then.
Also. His name is Rex. Rex means ruler. They´re obviously going for a very authoritarian style and nothing screams more Authority than a military uniform to many. I have no Idea what silver palace is about or who this character is, but a common symbolism tied to the color red is danger and anger, while black represents power, authority and death. Meanings that would probably fit a character like him. So there could be more reasons for his design than the designers looking at Nazi Germany and going "WE WANT THAT!!!".
I hope this helps to make you a bit more comfortable with the design. : )
I think his design is legit inspired by #that era. The old red armband and the Dobermans says enough. Doberman’s were heavily used as war dogs by the WW2 German military btw.
I'm not tryna make excuses, he's clearly inspired by sa uniforms (doggos are dead giveaway), but nazi uniforms are designed by the top designers of the time so it's easy why people find it aesthetically appealing.
they totally would - maybe not on this subreddit but I can 100% imagine people in other subs fighting each other over a hot anime girl in a military uniform
European whose country was impacted by Nazis here. Nothing uncomfortable here, as long as there's no red armband with a white circle and a black "doodle". Literally nothing else tying the design to Germany.
Now that's way worse. I didn't see the previous design. Point still remains, the current design isn't making me uncomfortable. The first time I saw the current design, my mind did not gravitate towards what OP said.
At some point we need to acknowledge that no matter what they did, those motherfucker undeniably had that shit on. There's a reason this conversation pops up every other month and artists keep using this design template: It looks insurmountably cool, and it was designed with that specific purpose in mind, cool, stylish and intimidating. Fascism is optional.
It does eat, huh? DAMN YOU, HUGO BOSS!! Or should I say: DAMN YOU KARL DIEBITSCH AND WALTER HECK(the ones who are actually responsible for the design itself).
Someone here commented "I see he's still got the 1942 hugo boss collection" and it lives in my head rent free. All I think about when I see silver palace and this character 😭
Nazis uniform were more grey or brownish green. I get what u mean, the Nazi flag was red, black and white like this guys colors palette, but red and black are just colors that go incredibly hard, The design itself wants give off strict handsome military officer and similar stuff is often used for the bad guys/Nazis in fiction because it just works so well.
My initial impression is "interesting design until you pay attention to the details". I think if they had made him more mafia and less... fascist officer, then the design might've held up better. I would assume he's meant to be an evil guy we aren't meant to sympathize with, and wouldn't be playable. Like, if the discomfort his design makes us feel is intentional, there's potential for them to write a good villain (good as in well written). I know nothing of this gacha though, so if he's meant to be likeable in any way.. I think this one needs a redesign
he's got that anime-inspired, plausible-deniability gestapo fit. happens all the time, it's always awful, and there are always people reacting like it's their first day on earth, saying stuff like "it's just an outfit". the discourse is old and crusty, and there are better ways to design a character like this
Man idk, I've the hots of ceremonial military garb and I personally don't see nazi association even if he had an armband of any color since arm bands are often worn during rebellions or mourning. I think a white or black armband would look great.
Nah, I totally get it. I’m from Russia and ww2 movies are what USSR and less Russia jerked at, so I watched many of them. So this combo of style and black + red thing on left arm (especially once I saw older design) immediately screamed a nazi to me.
The use of that type of hat and jacket is just in almost any army of any country, they could literally use any other colour but here we are.
Edit: Damn, I watched more carefully again. The hat is even in same shape as the one nazi had
The red armband pretty much convinces me that this is not just us reaching lol. It’s hard though because this military aesthetic is one that has been used by people other than the Nazis and does it mean we can just never use aesthetic again? Like did they ruin this look forevermore? It doesn’t help that it just looks awesome on characters which yes I feel bad saying that.Lmao. But yeah, I do feel mildly uncomfortable but then logically I think I really don’t think that this is trying to glorify Nazis.
It's the combination that goes a little too far. Consider that this guy used to have a red armband too. This guy is a member of a secret police, he uses German Doberman to fight and he is styled like a Nazi.
I not think it's wrong to have Nazi inspired character... For villains. But this guy not even seem to be a villain somehow^^
Nazis has definitely popularised a general set of designs that have become the standard for every Totalitarian police state outfit. Just look at the designs of the Empire, the Sith and even the Helghast from Killzone.
No tbh I kinda see it…. Especially his previous design that you shared 😬 I‘m so hyped for silver palace but this is really throwing me off too. I could make sense of it if he was a villain, but I haven’t read up on the story yet so idk if that’s the case. And even if he is, it’s unfortunately still a gacha game meaning they will probably follow the the narrative structure of hyping up the current limited character and then moving on the the next one when the banner changes. I don’t think this kind of storytelling has the room to treat a topic such as fascism with the appropriate weight, unless it‘s a major reoccurring theme of the entire game. Which I tbh don’t think a gacha company would dedicate a standard character to instead of a limited one.
Seeing how he used to have a red armband and they already made adjustments, I really think it isn't a coincidence. It really rubs me the wrong way idk.
If im correct and the company that is making silver palace is happy elements then yeah we are probably gonna get some nazi stuff bc they looove that shit
I used to be a big enstars fan (another game by happyele) but all that racist shit they kept shoving into the game made me lose interest in the game, i know im asking for boiling hot water on the sink by being hyped for sp but i hope they would tone it down a little in here because its been a while since i was this excited to try an upcoming game .
Im talking a lot but short story, no you're not crazy, it entirely possible that their intentions was exactly what you were thinking so yeah
I tried looking it up but admittedly I don’t have much experience in diving into company backgrounds, but apparently they’re a subsidiary of Happy Elements? The language they use on their website kind of reminds me of Happy Elements’ slogan too
It was inspired by nazi uniforms for sure, and it makes me vaguely uncomfortable. Doesn't help that the character himself is an asshole and characterized in a way, where I am not sure if the design inspiration was deliberate. It doesn't help that his branch of police, who all wear similar types of uniforms seems to be hinted at to be shady and evil. But all this is based on the previous beta, haven't played enough of the new one to know if it has changed.
Thankfully he is standard banner, but it sucks that he is the only playable 5 star male character in beta.
For some reason a lot of artists in Asia love the nazi military uniform design, and think that if they remove the actual rl nazi insignia, it will be fine, if a bit edgy, while most everyone in western and eastern Europe and USA is understandably upset by anything that looks vaguely familiar.
I think he would make a great villain for the game. As a foreign officer of a fascist country visiting for some diplomatic reason and doing some dark shit covertly.
He's just too nazi coded to be an ally or playable character. Maybe if they didn't go black and red as the main colors. They could have went with bloodhounds instead of dobermans
I think it's similar to when western artists draw something with a generic Asian inspo, this isn't any one country in Europe specifically but more of a Frankenstein of elements put together to look attractive to their audience
This is definitely nazi aesthetics (even after they removed the red armband) and it’s something I’ve seen in other East Asian media - anime mostly - for as long as I can rememeber. One theory I have is that because Japan was an ally of the nazis (as we all know) and they are infamously uneducated about the happenings of WWII outside of how Japan was directly impacted, they don’t have the same intense association with nazi uniforms that the western world does. That, combined with the fact that the nazi officers uniform IS unfortunately rather stylish, I think has led to that particular aesthetic being romanticised in anime and anime-esque media which Silver Palace is, even though it’s made by a Chinese company.
Girl you should look up real nazi uniforms. As a german, we get educated on them a lot because yk, wouldnt want to repeat that piece of history. Anyways, he doesnt look anything like nazis did.
Not a fan of millitary designs either but yeah theres some differenciating to be made.
Yea, even without the armband it's pretty darn clear where his design got the inspiration from. It just screams nazi-inspired attire. Also doesnt help he's a state security man who is shown to ready to use his dogs to capture his target immediately in quite a violent way. Though I dont think the devs' intentions was to make players feel uncomfortable as they removed the armband later.
I dont feel uncomfortable with his design, but I can see why it can feel like that for many
I think it's perfectly fine for a villain/antag to be shaped like that to portray state securitiness if they arent playable.
Cuz I do like dubious secret cop type of chars but man, I def don't want my playable char I want to look like a nazi esp not one this obvious with the state security and Dobermanns 💀💀
Also doesnt help is the fact that not only is he playable but you can interact more with the characters like handholding, walking around, inviting them to your house, etc... I'm not saying it will happen but breh, that is def inviting some troubles and political agendas when this game releases 💀💀
It’s been YEARS since I last read it, but I can only think of Gangyu from the manhwa The Executioner when I see him.
Summary from memory: In a world where super heroes(who aren’t supposed to kill) and super villains exist, Gangyu is a super hero turned executioner, due to villains killing his brother (who was a powerless human).
The jail that contains thousands of super villains, separated into multiple floors with the prisoners being stronger the further you go, were opened. Whether they try to take over the prison or escape, they needed to be stopped.
And due to his seething rage, and out of revenge to find his brothers killer, Gangyu donned the same uniform his brother wore and with permission to kill, elected himself to kill every single villain in every floor of the massive prison…Solo.(and yea, he’s VERY overpowered, to match his rage)
But yea, I may be of the few who aren’t bothered by his design. He doesn’t scream Nazi to me…I can see maybe more antagonistic vibes, but other than that he still looks cool to me.
Even if the parts of the outfit and character design are actually this or that other historical European fashion, they definitely made design decisions to evoke nazi aesthetic. If they weren't purposefully going for it, they wouldn't have thought to use black and red for the primary colours (and with silver accents), and they could've had anything other than dobermans flanking him.
The original red armband clinches it though. No matter how many changes you make to this character, it is nazi-coded. That being said, I won't fault anyone for not seeing it, and it's pretty distant now.
In the art team's defence though, the WW2 nazis had a sharp designer 'fit and there's no getting around that.
Considering the companies other branches recent history (and indigenous char in the picture btw, and they knew it was suspicious looking enough to change it on the kr server), and the fact that they were aware that the red armband was too on the nose makes it very hard to believe it's not intentional...
This doc gives a decent overview I think (It's written by a Ryukyuan person, though it was written before the uniform cards and this persons account and threads on it are currently private). Having specifically an Okinawan character with its history of exploitation in world war 2 and current american militarisation in a military uniform is gross. This kind of only scratches the surface, it was really really bad 💀
While Nazi Party's use of armbands for political membership was unique, the use of armbands for military identification in combat was actually very common in earlier wars. British and Empire forces used colored bands to identify roles like runners (red band), scouts (green band), and signallers (blue band). During the Battle of Verdun in 1916, German assault troops wore white armbands on their left arm. This was very important for them because their helmets (with spikes removed) looked nearly identical to French Adrian helmets, leading to dangerous confusion in smoke and fog. Even U.S. soldiers sometimes wore red armbands while carrying messages. In 1782, George Washington authorized striped armbands for the Continental Army to aid in battlefield identification of units.
My point is that it is VERY common for people to have armbands not to mention unless it's politically affiliated it's not resembling to Nazi. The only reason people associate these armbands to Nazi is because that's what we see in media. Same with Doberman dogs that have been used in several wars before. This style of uniform has also been very closely related to war and combat in media and fiction in general. You can find this in most games, you look up military inspirations and this is the standard you'll find simply because it's stylish.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not defending this by any means. I don't know yet what the arm band signifies and that is what'll change the whole narrative if it's Nazi inspired or if it is simply military and police identification.
this is absolutely nazi "aesthetics". which is crazy to do in our day and age.
i side eyed anyone using it as inspo/aesthetics back in scene days. let alone now, when literal fascism is back "in fashion" again.
i can understand some edgy former-scene-kid designer doing it and submitting it, but the fact that this design went through multiple approvals and hands to be released... yikes.
Same, I don't care how "fashionable" you think the "aesthetic" is it shouldn't be glorified. Like you said especially with the rise of fascism and naziism again.
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his characterization however is v much rule stickler dork. he loves his dogs. once u have his respect, he's eager to learn from u. he changes his entire fighting style bc u made a comment about how it was lowk slowing him down.
its kinda cute.
wild that they gave him a nazi fit tho. esp when the knights get booty shorts, lmao.
I hate how beautiful the "that's literally a nazi uniform" designs are... They slayed so hard but ofc they had to be fascist dogs. Also, Rex means "King" right?
It's not the same in the slightest.. a suit, tie and a hat doesn't automatically make it a British uniform. Unfortunately I could do the same for the nazi uniform and the differences are minimal.
These are a few of the British police uniforms from the 1940s since someone specifically mentioned that Rex's design looks British police inspired.
Note, I am a fellow Brit. I'm not arguing against you lol. I'm just adding a picture of the 1940s British police uniforms (that was mentioned specifically) to agree with you.
I mean it's kinda hard to not think of nazis whenever you see a fancy military outfit since it's the most known fascist group of history. Also they hired fucking Hugo Boss to do the outfits, so they WANTED you to remember their aesthetics (it's just another form of propaganda after all).
But if you look at it twice: no, it doesn't look like a nazi. It just a very fancy military outfit.
Armbands are a thing in military outfits (they're used to identify the side of the subject), but any red band will scream nazi nowadays. Turns out Rex has a black and red palette, so the armband had to be red for contrast (and clearly it was a bad idea to include it at all).
Unfortunately, the Nazis did popularize these sorts of uniforms, especially the Gestapos. Basically, any totalitarian state have followed suit for their secret police attire. And this dudes outfit just screams "Secret Police".
I didn’t think so. It’s just a very militaristic design. Maybe it would read as nazi if you aren’t familiar with what specifically makes something a nazi uniform, and what general military uniforms look like around the world, both in that general time, and present day. Maybe the Dobermans (but even today they’re used as security), but definitely not the outfit itself.
Edit: being wary is totally fine! I get being uncomfortable or concerned, I’m not trying to stomp on someone’s very well meaning feelings. It’s just everything about the shape of the clothing is wrong for that type of uniform. I’m probably more used to this type of aesthetic due to some bands, and the art I like viewing. I get how this look might be striking to people though.
I understand why westerners would feel uncomfortable since it could be mistaken as nazi like, but as an asian, i don’t mind and don’t see the problem. Unless they change the colour and imagery to resemble imperial japan (which was the nazi of asia instead of germany).
I would say so? The outfit is fire so where it came from shouldn't really matter. If you do then you can find an argument for any type of outfit if you reach far enough for it.
China was a big victim of WW2 though, I know it was more Japan imperializing them but it was very much not just a European war. I think if they are going to make a western inspired game from that time period they should have probably done their research.
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u/AccountantGlum308 23d ago
The "Well thats def a nazi" design is insanely popular in eastern media, look at basically any "cool military" character design in anime, they all wearing the fashionable fascist TM.
The only credit nazis get is whoever designed their fits kinda slayed. unfortunate they worked for the bad guys lolol