Jade (Beyond Good & Evil)
Encyclopedia
Jade is a fictional character
and the main protagonist
of the action-adventure
video game Beyond Good & Evil
. She is a photo journalist, and was created by Ubisoft
developer Michel Ancel
, who had the intention of creating a character who resembled a real person rather than a "sexy action woman." In Beyond Good & Evil, she and her ally Pey'j, a half-boar
half-human, work together to both rescue the orphans they were taking care of and expose the government's corruption.
Since appearing in Beyond Good & Evil, Jade has been met with very positive reception; she was included on several top lists of female video game characters. She has been compared to other characters in fiction, including Alyx Vance
from Half-Life 2
, Kendra Midori from the Avatar video game, and others. Beyond Good & Evil public relations manager Tyrone Miller cited actress Shannyn Sossamon
as a good choice for a hypothetical Beyond Good & Evil film due to the similar way in which they both talk and act.
developer Michel Ancel. Ancel's wife, Alexandra, a character artist for the game, played an important role in her creation; Beyond Good & Evil public relations manager Tyrone Miller stated that a rumour existed that she was the inspiration for Jade. Ancel intended on creating a character that resembled a real person rather than a "sexy action woman." Miller describes the focus on Jade is on her role, situation, and meaning of her actions in the game. The design of Jade evolved through the game's development, both visually and psychologically. IGN
editor Kaiser Hwang describes the change as going from a innocent girl with a tomboyish charm to a tougher, more weathered girl with multiple green-coloured articles of clothing. Miller also describes her as a "girl next door" that people can identify with. While Jade has been cited as a black character, Miller states that she has no established ethnicity since the game takes place on another planet.
She is portrayed by Jodie Forrest in English and Emma De Caunes in French. When asked who he felt should portray Jade in a hypothetical Beyond Good & Evil film, Miller chose Shannyn Sossamon
, stating that she looks and walks similarly to Jade. In a recent interview by Nintendo Power
, Ancel states that he hopes that Jade keeps her values and personality in Beyond Good & Evil 2
. She is portrayed by Jodie Forrest in the English version and Emma De Caunes in the French version. In an interview with Play
, Ancel described Jade as having "a soul like a real person" rather than simply a puppet for the players to control. He noted the character's design was adapted during production, and attributed her personality as a result of the melding of the game's dialogue, voice acting, and visuals "coming together".
with the boar-like Pey'j, caring for children orphaned by attacks on the planet by the DomZ, an aggressive alien race. While a skilled jōdō
martial artist, she is also a freelance journalist. When she runs out of money to power the orphanage's shield generator, Jade takes a photography job cataloging all the animals on Hillys. She is then recruited by the IRIS Network, an anti-government group trying to expose a collaboration between the DomZ and Alpha Section, an elite military group supposedly created to fight the DomZ. With her martial arts knowledge, she is able to infiltrate different government facilities and obtain evidence of human trafficking. After confronting the DomZ High Priest on Hillys' moon, she learns that she is known to the DomZ as "Shauni", and was bequeathed with a spiritual power stolen from them centuries ago, using it to defeat the Priest and save the Hillyan populace.
A Jade-like figure appears in a Beyond Good and Evil 2 teaser trailer as traveling with Pey'j. The same figure is also shown in a leaked development video from Ubisoft, escaping from a city.
In addition, Jade's costume appears in the 2008 video game Prince of Persia for the character Elika.
, Jade has been met with positive reception, particularly for being attractive yet also tasteful. Fox News editor Lou Kesten cited Jade as an example of a heroine who isn't just eye candy for adolescent boys. The IGN
PlayStation
team listed her as one of the top 10 gaming heroines, describing her as "not your typical game character" as well as inquisitive, smart, brave, and fully clothed. IGN editor David Adams praised her ability to register pity or horror with the subtlest of changes in expression. GamesRadar
listed her as one of the seventh most tasteful game heroines, stating that while she has a mastery of several disciplines that would take many years to accomplish, she comes off as a normal person, leaning more towards competence than eye candy. They also listed her as one of the top 20 most overlooked video game babes, stating that her "artsy-fartsy" nature and lack of upskirt potential is why she is so overlooked. They also describe her as being inoffensive and her outfit "nigh on asexual." Play featured her in their first annual "Girls of Gaming" issue, praising her as the "ultimate thinking man's (and woman's) heroine". In an article from GameDaily
, they listed her as one of the top 25 hottest game babes, citing her as both tough and fashionable. She was also listed as one of the "10 babes who should meet your mom," describing her as devoted. In another article, they listed her on their "Babes of the Week: Brunettes" article, stating that she has a heart of gold. UGO.com listed her as the 46th hottest game babe, calling her righteous. San Francisco Chronicle
editor Peter Hartlaub listed her as one of the top 9 greatest video game heroines, describing her as tomboyish and a regular girl caught in the middle of a conflict.
Jade has been compared to other characters in video games. GamePro
editor cited Jade as an example of the right way to do female video game characters, along with other female protagonists such as Portals Chell
, Half-Life 2
s Alyx Vance
, and Silent Hill 3
s Heather Mason. Kotaku
editor Stephen Totillo compared Kendra Midori, protagonist of the Avatar video game, to Jade, describing the former as a "nature-loving scientist lady" while describing the latter as a "nature-loving photographer," stating that Jade would feel at home in the world of Avatar. In an article discussing racial ambiguity in video games, Wired.com editor Chris Kohler uses Jade as an example of someone whose race is ambiguous, also bringing up a reader's blog post listing Jade in his list of black characters. This caused a "mini-controversy" on the NeoGAF
forums, which Kohler takes statements from to show the confusion. Kohler feels that the developers made Jade to be racially ambiguous, intending to allow players to see themselves in Jade.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and the main protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil (video game)
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. The story follows the adventures of Jade, an investigative reporter and martial artist, who works with a resistance...
. She is a photo journalist, and was created by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
developer Michel Ancel
Michel Ancel
Michel Ancel is a French video game designer for Ubisoft. He is best known for creating the Rayman franchise for which he was the lead designer for the first two games, and which as of 2008 has sold the most units for the publisher. He is also known for the cult favourite Beyond Good & Evil and...
, who had the intention of creating a character who resembled a real person rather than a "sexy action woman." In Beyond Good & Evil, she and her ally Pey'j, a half-boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
half-human, work together to both rescue the orphans they were taking care of and expose the government's corruption.
Since appearing in Beyond Good & Evil, Jade has been met with very positive reception; she was included on several top lists of female video game characters. She has been compared to other characters in fiction, including Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance is a non-player character in Valve's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, and its following episodes: Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two...
from Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
, Kendra Midori from the Avatar video game, and others. Beyond Good & Evil public relations manager Tyrone Miller cited actress Shannyn Sossamon
Shannyn Sossamon
Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon is an American actress. She starred in the film A Knight's Tale, which gained her wider fame and praise. She has since established herself in Hollywood after starring in several films such as 40 Days and 40 Nights, Wristcutters: A Love Story, and One Missed Call...
as a good choice for a hypothetical Beyond Good & Evil film due to the similar way in which they both talk and act.
Concept and creation
Jade was created by Beyond Good & EvilBeyond Good & Evil (video game)
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. The story follows the adventures of Jade, an investigative reporter and martial artist, who works with a resistance...
developer Michel Ancel. Ancel's wife, Alexandra, a character artist for the game, played an important role in her creation; Beyond Good & Evil public relations manager Tyrone Miller stated that a rumour existed that she was the inspiration for Jade. Ancel intended on creating a character that resembled a real person rather than a "sexy action woman." Miller describes the focus on Jade is on her role, situation, and meaning of her actions in the game. The design of Jade evolved through the game's development, both visually and psychologically. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Kaiser Hwang describes the change as going from a innocent girl with a tomboyish charm to a tougher, more weathered girl with multiple green-coloured articles of clothing. Miller also describes her as a "girl next door" that people can identify with. While Jade has been cited as a black character, Miller states that she has no established ethnicity since the game takes place on another planet.
She is portrayed by Jodie Forrest in English and Emma De Caunes in French. When asked who he felt should portray Jade in a hypothetical Beyond Good & Evil film, Miller chose Shannyn Sossamon
Shannyn Sossamon
Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon is an American actress. She starred in the film A Knight's Tale, which gained her wider fame and praise. She has since established herself in Hollywood after starring in several films such as 40 Days and 40 Nights, Wristcutters: A Love Story, and One Missed Call...
, stating that she looks and walks similarly to Jade. In a recent interview by Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
, Ancel states that he hopes that Jade keeps her values and personality in Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2
Beyond Good & Evil 2 , or BG&E2, is the sequel to the 2003 video game Beyond Good & Evil, currently in development by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft. Michel Ancel, the creator of the original game, is back as lead designer of the sequel...
. She is portrayed by Jodie Forrest in the English version and Emma De Caunes in the French version. In an interview with Play
Play (US magazine)
Play was a U.S.-based magazine focused on video games, anime, manga, film, DVD, television, comics, music and media. Published by Fusion Publishing, Inc. since 2001, Play magazine also had a separate Internet presence on its website, Play Online...
, Ancel described Jade as having "a soul like a real person" rather than simply a puppet for the players to control. He noted the character's design was adapted during production, and attributed her personality as a result of the melding of the game's dialogue, voice acting, and visuals "coming together".
In video games
In Beyond Good and Evil, Jade lives in an island lighthouseLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
with the boar-like Pey'j, caring for children orphaned by attacks on the planet by the DomZ, an aggressive alien race. While a skilled jōdō
Jodo
, meaning "the way of the jō", or is a Japanese martial art using short staffs called jō. The art is similar to bōjutsu, and is strongly focused upon defense against the Japanese sword. The jō is a short staff, usually about 3 to 5 feet long...
martial artist, she is also a freelance journalist. When she runs out of money to power the orphanage's shield generator, Jade takes a photography job cataloging all the animals on Hillys. She is then recruited by the IRIS Network, an anti-government group trying to expose a collaboration between the DomZ and Alpha Section, an elite military group supposedly created to fight the DomZ. With her martial arts knowledge, she is able to infiltrate different government facilities and obtain evidence of human trafficking. After confronting the DomZ High Priest on Hillys' moon, she learns that she is known to the DomZ as "Shauni", and was bequeathed with a spiritual power stolen from them centuries ago, using it to defeat the Priest and save the Hillyan populace.
A Jade-like figure appears in a Beyond Good and Evil 2 teaser trailer as traveling with Pey'j. The same figure is also shown in a leaked development video from Ubisoft, escaping from a city.
In addition, Jade's costume appears in the 2008 video game Prince of Persia for the character Elika.
Reception
Since her appearance in Beyond Good & EvilBeyond Good & Evil (video game)
Beyond Good & Evil is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Ubisoft and released in late for the GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox platforms. The story follows the adventures of Jade, an investigative reporter and martial artist, who works with a resistance...
, Jade has been met with positive reception, particularly for being attractive yet also tasteful. Fox News editor Lou Kesten cited Jade as an example of a heroine who isn't just eye candy for adolescent boys. The IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
team listed her as one of the top 10 gaming heroines, describing her as "not your typical game character" as well as inquisitive, smart, brave, and fully clothed. IGN editor David Adams praised her ability to register pity or horror with the subtlest of changes in expression. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
listed her as one of the seventh most tasteful game heroines, stating that while she has a mastery of several disciplines that would take many years to accomplish, she comes off as a normal person, leaning more towards competence than eye candy. They also listed her as one of the top 20 most overlooked video game babes, stating that her "artsy-fartsy" nature and lack of upskirt potential is why she is so overlooked. They also describe her as being inoffensive and her outfit "nigh on asexual." Play featured her in their first annual "Girls of Gaming" issue, praising her as the "ultimate thinking man's (and woman's) heroine". In an article from GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
, they listed her as one of the top 25 hottest game babes, citing her as both tough and fashionable. She was also listed as one of the "10 babes who should meet your mom," describing her as devoted. In another article, they listed her on their "Babes of the Week: Brunettes" article, stating that she has a heart of gold. UGO.com listed her as the 46th hottest game babe, calling her righteous. San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
editor Peter Hartlaub listed her as one of the top 9 greatest video game heroines, describing her as tomboyish and a regular girl caught in the middle of a conflict.
Jade has been compared to other characters in video games. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
editor cited Jade as an example of the right way to do female video game characters, along with other female protagonists such as Portals Chell
Chell (Portal)
Chell is the protagonist and player character of the Portal series. Chell first appears in Portal, where she is taking part in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center's test under supervision by GLaDOS. GLaDOS tries to kill her as Chell then tries to escape the Enrichment Center, attempting to kill...
, Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
s Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance is a non-player character in Valve's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, and its following episodes: Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two...
, and Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 3 is a survival horror video game published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 and developed by Team Silent, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. It is the third installment in the Silent Hill series and a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill game...
s Heather Mason. Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
editor Stephen Totillo compared Kendra Midori, protagonist of the Avatar video game, to Jade, describing the former as a "nature-loving scientist lady" while describing the latter as a "nature-loving photographer," stating that Jade would feel at home in the world of Avatar. In an article discussing racial ambiguity in video games, Wired.com editor Chris Kohler uses Jade as an example of someone whose race is ambiguous, also bringing up a reader's blog post listing Jade in his list of black characters. This caused a "mini-controversy" on the NeoGAF
NeoGAF
NeoGAF is an internet forum that discusses video games, founded as an adjunct to , a video game news site. Since April 4, 2006, the site has been independently hosted and administered....
forums, which Kohler takes statements from to show the confusion. Kohler feels that the developers made Jade to be racially ambiguous, intending to allow players to see themselves in Jade.