With the release of Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection, fans are relishing the return of their beloved crossover fighting games. However, one observant fan pointed out that the game has retained its somewhat controversial panty shots for the character Roll. This sparked a revelation from the original planner, Atsushi Tomita, who claimed that these moments were actually the brainchild of Mega Man creator, Keiji Inafune.
Tomita shared that Roll originated from another department within Capcom and was initially designed to be modest, without any revealing shots. He recounted, “Inafune, who led Mega Man’s division, saw Roll and questioned, ‘No panties?’ This led INO, the character artist, to revise Roll’s pixel art to ensure each movement showcased the panty shots.”
Keiji Inafune, known for his groundbreaking work on Mega Man, played a significant role in designing Roll. This character was part of Inafune’s early work in the 1980s after joining Capcom. Despite this, Tomita revealed that Akira Kitamura, Inafune’s mentor, was responsible for the original static pixel art for Mega Man.
This disclosure has stirred mixed feelings among long-time fans of the fighting game series and the Mega Man franchise. Given that Roll is canonically the younger sister of Mega Man and depicted as an underage girl, the inclusion of such imagery has become a point of concern and debate.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics just launched for Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 on September 12th, with an Xbox port scheduled for 2025. Despite the decades that have passed since the original game’s release, this revelation has re-ignited conversations about character design and appropriateness in video games.
