Despite her villain'sh look... she's a female protagonist who will go down in history for being quite the... badass heroine.
Bayonetta's actual name is Cereza (which is actually really nice), born in December of 1411 to a Witch and a Lumen Sage, she is one of two surviving Umbra Witches.
Bayonetta is a looker, and that's what initially lured a lot of her fans in... but... I'm glad that wasn't the only thing that kept them going back for more (I salute the developers for giving her real substance). Luckily her looks weren't just for... looks either, her hair also doubles as a weapon (using a variety of weave techniques) adding to the list of what makes her an overall well-equipped hero.
Bayonetta was trained by an Umbran Elder and is highly skilled in the Bullet Arts. She's strapped from head to toe... literally, just take a look at her signature heels with guns strapped to the back. For the ladies wondering just how comfy these heels are... you'd have to ask your local cosplay professional. :p
Anyway, Bayonetta isn't limited to gunplay, she's a witch so she can do a variety of things including slow down time, transform into different beasts via her witchcraft, summon things like a dragon of death, and also use other weapons... well (like I said, badass). Just to touch on her ability to slow down time for a second, could you imagine the things you could get down with a power like that? Forget about ever being late for work.
She's super athletic, which makes her even more capable of pulling these things off, and I'm sure if someone ever decides to bring her awesomeness to the big screen in motion picture form... it will require someone with the ability to keep up just to stay in character. Otherwise, just go CGI and keep it moving. By the way, If you didn't know... there is a 2014 anime film titled, Bayonetta: Bloody Fate.
There was a bit of drama when her new look was revealed for the second installment of the action-packed franchise... but I don't remember the last time I've heard a complaint. Bayonetta's short haircut was decided on by the devs to give her a more "masculine" look... for whatever reason.
I didn't jump in the debates about why she should maintain her old look or embrace the new look. People can get a bit crazy about fictional characters, and I had no time for crazy emails trying to argue down "my" opinion. I did find it interesting though because arguments about her look... went into the weird-er category about why no one attracted to women should be attracted to a female character because it's offensive to women (even if that's how attraction works). This isn't an argument presented by all women, because there are countless women who appreciate their beauty being appreciated... but (yeah) the arguments were getting crazy.
One of the points I found relevant enough to speak on (here), was the one about body types and how the shapes of female characters have an unrealistic form. This can be argued for characters of multiple shapes and sizes, but it usually only takes aim and the ones that some find a bit sexier than others. I can see it being sort of intimidating to some, but I can't say that these are unrealistic body types.
They may be seen as unrealistic among some, but some of us have grown up around people with body types that can be found in some games... sooo I say that to say they're getting representation just like the representation that others also receive. If it's unrealistic to some... should the women with those shapes feel as if they're abnormal? I don't think so, that would be wrong. Before I write a book, I'll move on.
The update to her look shifted the arguments for some... granted the costume was similar (because her hair was short), but some argued that it allowed women to take the power back. Arguments began to contradict themselves and... I wasn't going to touch any of it. The only W won here was the fact that the protagonist didn't die at SEGA... which is why the Platinum Games franchise lived on through Nintendo.
Facts: "Naughty boys that stalk the ladies, never get the girl." - Bayonetta
Anyway, Bayonetta is a flashy hero with her first introduction to the world taking place in the fictional European city of Vigrid, where she awakens from a 500-year sleep with no memory of who she is. She began to get... woke over time realizing that she has a piece of jewelry representing one of two factions from her past, as she sets out to find the other. Both of these treasures are known as the eyes of the world, and she has the left one (which is red). Check out this First 30 of Bayonetta and consider diving into her world on the Nintendo Switch... where you can catch up on where she left off.
