Rule 63 is an Internet meme that states that, as a rule, "for every given male character, there is a female version of that character" and vice versa. It is one of the "Rules of the Internet" that began in 2006 as a Netiquette guide on 4chan and were eventually expanded upon by including deliberately mocking rules, of which Rule 63 is an example. [1] It began to see general use in fandom communities as a term to refer to both fan-made and official gender flips of existing fictional characters.
Prior to the creation of Rule 63, gender flipping was popularized in video games in the 1990s by the finishing move of Darkstalkers character Demitri Maximoff, a vampire. Called the "Midnight Bliss", it involved tossing a rose at a character to transform them into a helpless maiden and completely drain them of life energy. [2] This meant that female versions of all the game's male characters had to be created, as well as those of Street Fighter and SNK characters when SNK vs. Capcom included Maximoff. These female interpretations became popular and resulted in large amounts of fan art, as well as prompting art of gender-swaps of other male and female characters. [2]
Rule 63 was created in mid-2007 as an addition to the humorous "Rules of the Internet", originally created around the end of 2006 on 4chan. [3] It lists two statements:
The trope, originally seen primarily unofficially, later became more widely disseminated in popular culture, with critics stating that it had been "recognized by Hollywood". [4]
Rule 63 is commonly used as a term to refer to gender-swapped interpretations of existing characters in fanworks, such as fan art, fan fiction and cosplay, [5] and it is particularly pervasive in the anime and manga community, where communities sprang up built around romantic gender-swap relationships. [2] It also often overlaps with the creation of moe anthropomorphic female versions of non-human, male characters. A well-known example of this is Bowsette, a female version of the Mario antagonist Bowser that became one of the most popular Internet memes of 2018. [6] However, it has also been used by critics to refer to official characters who are gender-swapped versions of older characters or fictional beings, such as Number Six from Battlestar Galactica being a "sexy female" version of a Cylon Centurion, [7] and the female main cast of the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters . [4]
The creation of Rule 63 cosplays such as gender-swapped superheroes has been cited as popular amongst female cosplayers as giving them the ability to portray roles beyond socially approved gendered scripts. [3] It is seen as empowering, allowing cosplayers to wear clothing and weapons usually not afforded to female characters. [8] However, certain characters with inherent gender fluidity are said to work better than others. Such gender-bending cosplay, which allows the cosplayer to choose what behavior enhances the performance, can be contrasted with crossplay, which completely immerses the cosplayer in the codes of another gender. [3]
The Legend of Zelda is a video game franchise created by Japanese video game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka and mainly developed and published by Nintendo. The universe of the Legend of Zelda series consists of various lands, the most predominant being Hyrule. The franchise is set within a fantasy world reminiscent of medieval Europe which consists of several recurring locations, races and creatures. The most prominent race in the series are the Hylians, a humanoid race with elfin features identifiable by their long, pointed ears. The series' lore contains a creation myth, several fictional alphabets, the most prominent being Hylian, and a fictional universal currency, the rupee. Most games in The Legend of Zelda series follow a similar storyline, which involves the protagonist Link battling monsters to save Princess Zelda and defeat a villain, which is often the series' main antagonist, Ganon. Nintendo developed the series' lore into a timeline that spans thousands of years across its history.
Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-playing in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject. Favorite sources include anime, cartoons, comic books, manga, television series, rock music performances, video games and in some cases, original characters. The term comprises the two aforementioned counterparts –costume and role play.
The Triforce is a fictional artifact and icon of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game franchise. It first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda video game (1986) and has appeared in every subsequent game in the series. It consists of three equilateral triangles that are joined to form a large equilateral triangle. In the fictional history of the series, it represents the essence of the Golden Goddesses named Din, Nayru and Farore who create Hyrule. Imbued with divine power, it is capable of granting any wish to anyone who possesses it.
Princess Zelda is a character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda. As one of the central characters in the series, she has appeared in the majority of the games in various incarnations. Zelda is the elf-like Hylian princess of the kingdom of Hyrule, an associate of the series protagonist Link, and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Link is a character and the protagonist of Nintendo's video game franchise The Legend of Zelda. He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Link was introduced as the hero of the original The Legend of Zelda video game in 1986 and has appeared in a total of 21 entries in the series, as well as a number of spin-offs. Common elements in the series include Link travelling through Hyrule whilst exploring dungeons, battling creatures, and solving puzzles until he eventually defeats the series' primary antagonist, Ganon, and saves Princess Zelda.
Ganon is a character and the main antagonist of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series and franchise, as well as the final boss in many Zelda titles. In his humanoid Gerudo form, he is known as Ganondorf. A massive and malevolent pig-like creature, Ganon first appeared in the original The Legend of Zelda game in 1986, while his alter ego, Ganondorf, was introduced in Ocarina of Time. He has since appeared in the majority of the games in the series in various forms. He is the archenemy of the protagonist Link and Princess Zelda of Hyrule and originally the leader of the Gerudo, a race of humanoid desert nomads before becoming the ruler of his demon army.
Crossplay is a type of cosplay in which the person dresses up as a character of a different gender. Crossplay's origins lie in the anime convention circuit, though, like cosplay, it has not remained exclusive to the genre. While it is similar to Rule 63 (gender-bending) cosplay, it can be differentiated by the performer becoming completely immersed in the codes of another gender, rather than picking and choosing what behavior enhances the performance.
Tingle is a recurring character in The Legend of Zelda series, designed by Takaya Imamura. He first appeared in Majora's Mask, where he is a map salesman who wants to become a fairy. He has since appeared in several installments, including The Wind Waker, where he provides maps to help Link find pieces of the Triforce. He has gone on to be the star of Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, where his origin as Tingle is shown as him tasked with collecting as many Rupees as possible. He also appears in its sequel Irozuki Tingle no Koi no Balloon Trip, where he is transported into a storybook and has to enter into relationships with women in order to escape.
Midna is a fictional character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series, introduced as one of the main protagonists in Twilight Princess. She is a member of the magic-wielding Twili who joins forces with Link to prevent the kingdom of Hyrule from being enveloped by a corrupted parallel dimension known as the Twilight Realm. While Midna appears as an imp-like creature in the majority of Twilight Princess, her actual form is humanoid. She was designed by Yusuke Nakano and voiced by Akiko Kōmoto. Midna also appears as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors, and makes minor appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series.
"Fionna and Cake" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The episode was written and storyboarded by Adam Muto and Rebecca Sugar, from a story by Mark Banker, Kent Osborne, Patrick McHale, and series creator Pendleton Ward. It originally aired on Cartoon Network on September 5, 2011.
Hyrule Warriors is a hack and slash video game developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo and Nintendo, mixing settings and characters from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda with the gameplay of Koei's Dynasty Warriors series. Hyrule Warriors was released in Japan in August 2014, and worldwide the following month. It became one of the best-selling games on the Wii U. An updated port, Hyrule Warriors Legends, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan in January 2016 and worldwide in March of the same year. A second enhanced port, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. A successor, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, was released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in November 2020.
"I am Error" is a quote from the 1987 video game Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The quote is spoken by a villager, apparently named Error, in the town of Ruto. In the original Japanese version of the game, the line is Ore no na wa Erā da..., which translates to "My name is Error...".
Linkle is a fictional character who appears in various versions of Hyrule Warriors, a non-canon spin-off title in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series, starting with the 2016 Nintendo 3DS release of Hyrule Warriors Legends. She was originally featured in concept art for Hyrule Warriors, and was conceived as Link's sister, though this idea was rejected by The Legend of Zelda designer Eiji Aonuma who felt this conflicted with Link's sister, Aryll, in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts is an art collection book about Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series. It is published in English by Dark Horse Comics out of a partnership with Nintendo and is the second book of an official series called the "Goddess Trilogy" that began with the publication of Hyrule Historia and was completed with the publication of The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia. It was released on February 26, 2017 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series. The book provides a collection of illustrations created in the first 30 years of The Legend of Zelda video games. Two editions were published including a standard edition with a red cover and a purple limited edition that depicts the Master Sword on its cover.
Bowsette or Koopa-hime, is a fan-made, moe anthropomorphized and gender-swapped version of the Mario franchise character Bowser, in which he is transformed by the Super Crown power-up to resemble the franchise character Princess Peach. The character was originally created on 19 September 2018 by Ayyk92, a Malaysian online artist, as part of a comic strip which he posted to Twitter. Bowsette subsequently became an Internet meme and rose in popularity internationally, with related hashtags in English and Japanese trending on Twitter; several professional Japanese artists contributed their own renditions of the character on the website.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda is a rhythm game developed by Brace Yourself Games and published by Nintendo. The game is a crossover of Crypt of the NecroDancer with The Legend of Zelda, combining the rhythm-based movement and fighting mechanics with elements reminiscent of earlier games in the Zelda franchise. The game was released for the Nintendo Switch on June 13, 2019 to generally positive reviews from critics.
Urbosa is a fictional character from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. She first appeared as one of the major characters in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where she is the leader of the Gerudo and one of the four Champions who helped Princess Zelda and Link protect Hyrule from Calamity Ganon, losing her life in the process. She also appears in the hack-and-slash video game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as a playable character.
Sidon is a fictional character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. He first appeared as a major character in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. He reappears as a playable character in the hack-and-slash video game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and as a nonplayable character in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Sidon is the prince and eventual king of the amphibious Zora and younger brother of Mipha, one of the four Champions who helped Princess Zelda and Link fight Calamity Ganon. In Breath of the Wild, Sidon helps Link to reach Divine Beast Vah Ruta so he can defeat Waterblight Ganon and free it from Ganon's control. Since his debut, Sidon has received overwhelmingly positive reception from both fans and critics. He was designed by Yuko Miyakawa, who gave him grey skin and a hammerhead shark motif, though his skin was changed both due to blending issues and to match his skin color with Mipha's. Due to his personality, he has achieved a large fan following and has also been the subject of fan art and Internet memes on social media.
The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia is a book about Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series. It is published in English by Dark Horse Comics and is the third book in the "Goddess Collection" trilogy, following the publication of Hyrule Historia and Art & Artifacts. The encyclopedia was released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series. It provides a detailed compendium of the numerous fictional characters, creatures and items found within the first 30 years of the Zelda game series. It was published as a standard edition with a blue cover and a deluxe edition with a gold NES cartridge design in June 2018.
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