I want to provide some additional details about Revali's character in Japanese as I believe they are important. In Japanese, Revali often uses words such as こいつ (koitsu) to address others and Link, which, in Japanese is an impolite and often rude way to address someone. I believe this is an important detail as it's not really something you can localise very easily. Revali still has some disrespectful elements to his character in Japanese, too.
I was going to comment that while this is a great side by side, I think it's hard to portray the full story of the Japanese version. Localization is tricky because you have only so many lip flaps and have to consider the level of politeness, humble language, honorific language, etc that is being used. I feel like the localizers decided the best way to portray Revali was to make him overly prideful and abrasive in his words. While Japanese Revali's words themselves certainly seem less abrasive and prideful, the way he talks certainly puts himself up and Link down. It's a cool detail that Revali only really wants a rivalry with Link and to show him his skill and that he admits to it in the Japanese version. I also like at the end when he blasts Ganon he says something to the effect of "I'm not doing this for you (referring to Link)." There's quite often big differences in scripts between languages in games, but it goes largely unnoticed since subtitles show the localized script of its respective language version and not the direct translation of the audio language, so the only way to notice is to have an understanding of other languages or watch a video like this that covers them. :)
@@Shalyn-ln9tu if i recall correctly, Sean Chiplock (Revali and other characters) was also the voice acting director for the game. His skill really shines. We all love to hate Revali, but that means Sean did his job well!
I don't hate localised Revali, but the original writing is undeniably far more interesting and gives him so much more depth and development. Really wish the translations were more faithful.
@Senseless mind can you back this up the video proves that revali is far more respectful to characters such as link and zelda it doesn't mean he doesn't have some traits in English but Japanese makes him far more nuanced
The Japanese version definitely did not suggest that XD Trust me, this video did a poor job explaining how he is in Japanese. He is still a mega jerk. Simply translating the JP text loses so much of the tone he used in japanese.
@@DanDanMan111 not really, if you finish the dlc and go back to fight windblight ganon again, there’s a chance you will get these lines from Revali to Link: (translated directly from the Chinese version, which has the same meanings with the Japanese version) ah… it’s too late to regret, I should’ve competed with you 100 years ago. You, showing up in Rito Village, having a one-on-one fight with me! That must be… the battle of the century, between the strongest knight of Hyrule and the strongest warrior of the Ritos! No matter the outcome, I really want to compete with you… So, Revali does see Link as a worthy opponent, at least after he finished Vah Medoh.
I’m aware that Revali says something similar in the English version, but his acknowledgment of Link’s strength is further emphasised in the Japanese version. Even in memories he isn’t as rude. He never called Link pathetic or anything as far as that.
The Japanese game really depicts him as a charming character. It's a shame they changed it so drastically. I kinda wish there was a way to play the game with the unchanged subtitles.
It really makes me wonder what else was mistranslated, or more accurately, changed by someone who thought there ideas were more worthy then the actual dev team.
I think it’s pretty sad that because of poor translation it has caused MANY to completely misunderstand Revali. He’s not a bad guy at all, he’s just completely misunderstood.
Yeah, I didn't like him in my first playthrough. Then switched the language to Japanese and he is a completely different character and then became my favourite champion since I finally understood his motives
I hope Nintendo learns from this and doesn't screw up translations anymore. I rather know their true intentions of characters and their personalities than to just have somebody translate and assume
Every work of translation is a creative endeavor, because the way that each culture typically expresses itself differs wildly. There are also so many Japanese words and concepts that have no clear equivalent in English. I’d love to know the Head Translator’s rationale for accentuating Revali’s animosity for Link.
Revali disliking Link simply because he doesn't believe Link is enough to take down a world-ending threat that is Ganon is way more interesting and understandable than him just believing he's the best and everyone else sucks. English Revali seems more interested in proving his pride and ego than actually stopping Ganon.
I agree! Revali definitely retains a similar sense of pride in both versions, but in Japanese he makes more comments about stopping Ganon. I really liked how he attempts to provoke Link by saying how he is the key to stopping the Calamity in the Japanese version of the memory cutscene.
Yep, in Japanese his noble and respectful personality is more inline to what you would see from a generic "this is the Hero" type game, were every single character/npc instantly accepts it as fact. Instead in the English, he is a lot more ruthless with his opinion of not believing such a weak Knight could be Hero, a much more realistic response when your life is on the line and youre essencially being hired as a Mercenary.
I mean, being fair, what we learn in Tears of the Kingdom all but says he deserves some credit for effectively pulling off a sage's power despite not being their decendant. And at least the diary indicates that he DOES care about other underneath the pomp and bluster.
When I first encountered Revali (US), I got the impression that he was a prideful yet emotionally insecure individual who cannot directly express much respect or admiration towards others. This makes him appear unbearably arrogant - and to an extent he is - but after freeing his spirit, his dismissive attitude nevertheless felt like his attempt at a thank you and praise but it came out in Revali-ese. I feel that may have been the intent of his localization, but they failed to add just enough soft moments to make it obvious.
As a Revali fan, that line about Link just being lucky has always irked me! I originally played the German version and there, he also acknowledged that Link is the more skilled one and that Link is the key to defeating Ganon! That was a very wholesome moment showing Revali’s character development. So imagine my disappointment when I heard the English version for the first time
I was wondering why my opinion of Revali was so much higher than the general online consensus. Turns out, I played the german translation, which seems to be more accurate to the japanese translation than the english one.
I dunno, that line always felt to me like even Revali kind of knew it wasn’t true, and was just doing it to be difficult? His whole schtick is just being ASTOUNDINGLY stubborn, so OF COURSE he’d be difficult about this too. I dunno, it seemed to have a weird affection about it, with Chiplock’s delivery.
SAME! I also remembered Revali as a more likeable and wondered why everyone seemed to hate him. Then I saw the cutscenes in English. The poor guy was turned into some kind of bully for Link! The English cutscenes showed me a Revali I didn't know.
I never realized how different Revali's character was in both the English and Japanese versions of BOTW until I watched this video. And those playing the English version ended up getting the rude bird over the moderately *nicer* bird from the Japanese version.
*way nicer bird Also it makes no sense for a warrior as skilled as Revali to be angry and reckless. Any occupation involving combat requires the person in question to be calm due to the risk involved. So a more humble Revali makes way more sense.
It is WILD how much Revali changes in each language translation! The Japanese version of him is understandable, the English version is angsty and sassy, then you get into the Spanish and German versions and the snark levels SKYROCKET.
@@chezmix64 Its his personal diary. That no matter the person is where they would be the most honest they will ever be. And guess what in Japanese he respects link’s strength in his diary.
@@katedp7825 But that's the thing--I actually have the DLC! And on top of that, Rito Village is my favorite location in the entire game, but somehow I've just never noticed Revali's diary.
I learned that there is special dialogue for fighting the blights multiple times, I’m astonished as I really thought I knew everything about this game.
It's interesting how he takes on two similar yet different archetypes in the different localizations. The Japanese version falls 100% into the role of rival that you often see in Japanese media. That form of a rival, with how they act and speak, isn't very common in western media, and people wouldn't relate to him in the same kind of way a Japanese player would. The English localization instead uses couple things, including a Japanese one that is recognizable and echos in western media- the made him a tsundere instead. The pulling on your pigtails, teasing, and (pun unintended) egging him on, sassy banter with barbs you may not mean, that's an archetype very recognizable to a western audience, and is much closer to how rival characters that aren't an enemy are done in western media. He doesn't even want to admit to himself via diary that he's impressed with Link though still wants his approval and recognition badly. English Revali is very similar to the Japanese one, he just shows it a different way, and makes you look past the mask of bravado he's protecting insecurities with to read between the lines while in Japanese he's more well if I can't do it this guy that supposedly better than me based on our given roles better do it, and since he's already dead he may as well be more open and upfront with how he thinks. English Revali is staying with the sassy banter they're used to with each other, that Revali always used to try to get any kind of reaction out of him, since Link would (or should, if he had the right memories) know what he means. (also, I don't think the "like talking to a stone" line is about Link's level of intelligence at all, I think it's more about a stone faced lack of expression, not letting anything show on his face while also rarely talking. Similar with the winging it line, the 'I got careless" has a very similar meaning to it, but it's too good a pun while being a well known phrase, they couldn't not use it, and it plays well with his more sassy nature)
Yeah, I think the differences between the original and the translation are being exaggerated here. The biggest overall difference, IMO, is Revali being more direct with his praise in Japanese. In English, he's still cushioning his own pride with phrases like "I suppose" and "I guess it's theoretically possible." But if we look past that, both versions are basically saying the same thing. Like you said, we have to read between the lines. I'm not sure why people aren't doing that. I really like the direct callbacks to the earlier cutscene about who was the "key" to defeating Ganon, though. I wish the English translation had kept that.
@@sydc3667 revalis speech is still rude in japanese so this entire video is exaggerating it. although they fucked up other translations i understand people’s skepticism with revali as well
I played the game in french and after watching this video, I realised how much the french translators did a good job. When I watched some playthroughs in english, Revali seemed way more arrogant than I remembered, and I get why I had that feeling now. Nice video, keep up the good work !
Well, you might be giving some Japanese lines too much credit for making Revali sound more humble. But I think your take overall is completely correct. Honestly IDK why more people didn't pick up on this immediately. An overly cocky attitude is always a compensation for something, usually to cover up anxiety and insecurity!
just a note that the skill *is* called revali’s tornado in japanese, but “tornado” is listed as the pronunciation of “ferocity.” this is a thing that happens a lot in japanese, especially in song lyrics.
btw this video rules!!! i played the game in japanese originally and was always confused by how much everyone hated revali. i understood as soon as i saw his characterization in english, especially the scenes after defeating vah medoh
To elaborate, Rivali's skill is written リーバルの猛り (Riibaru no takeri) but the pronunciation is リーバルトルネード (Riibaru Toruneedo). You can see it at about @10:49.
For me, the English translation still somewhat holds true to his character. He's not just arrogant, he's sarcastic. His tone to me always suggested that in his heart he knew Link was the one. I always felt like Revali's way of encouraging Link was always to tell him "You think you're better than me? Prove it." as a way of pushing Link to try harder, even if he didn't need to. I've always had a feeling that Revali always had the best of intentions despite his feelings about the role he was asked to take, while internally trying to figure out why he was placed there. He seemed to want to understand and earn the admiration of Link, hence the diary entries, but he realized that Link wasn't going to open up to him at all. Link, the tortured soul that he is, just can't get out of his stoic ways. His training won't let him, which I felt always made Revali want to push Link's buttons more and more, hence the mocking before and after the Wind Blight Ganon fights. But in the end Revali started to understand and respect Link, but in his own playful arrogant ways made it clear that he didn't show it through praise, but through the dripping sarcasm of referring to Link's skill as 'luck'. When I was playing I never doubted how Revali felt about Link. From my perspective Revali admired Link's skill and believed in it. Revali is a character that says a lot outside of the words that come out of his beak, from my perspective. This video was great at reestablishing that perspective by giving me the original intent of the character through the Japanese dialogue. Well done. c:
These are so varied. Some of the Japanese translations still sound arrogant to me though. Revali is very presumptuous about Link's intentions. Whether you invent new moves and strive for better, it doesn't make sense to challenge those on the same team as you if not to prove something. The difference between 'luck' and 'outright lost' however, is so different. Thank you for sharing your translations and interpretations.
I have played the German version and to me, Revali came across as someone with an Athlete mindset. Always set on improving himself and pushing himself to his limits. While the praise of others did go somewhat over his head, I remember reading in his diary that he wanted to teach his abilities to younger Ritos, so that they even may surpass him. I also remember him being frustrated with Link, because he couldn't read Link's facial expressions, or see if he had any feelings at all. Implying that he only challenged him to get an emotional reaction out of Link. While I really do enjoy the English VA's sass and arrogance of the character, I never understood why so many people outright hated Revali. The bird puns are hilarious. 😅 (also I think the "good luck sealing the darkness" line was add-lib and they just kept it? But I could be wrong, it's been years.)
Wow, the English translations were changed in so many places. This reminds me of how the Quest Descriptions are written in the First-Person in the Japanese version, like you talked about in the past. (I'm still salty about losing that.)
@@TheBreadPirate Given they based it on misleading Tweets and Tumblr posts, I'd say that's about right. And when people actually knowledgeable of the language say otherwise, it makes one think.
The "luck" line is honestly just really aggravating. Like, the whole *point* of that scene is Revali acknowledging that Link truly was the bigger man after all, and adapting it as "I was wrong about how LUCKY he was, now let's hope that luck holds" basically just... erases any change in his character. It's one of two moments where even just casually playing the game (Japanese voices with English text) I could tell that something was *very* wrong... The other being Sidon's words to Link before he enters Vah Ruta, where in the Japanese Sidon is basically just showering Link with all the praise ever, telling him what a fantastic job he's done and ending it with "You're the best, Link!" whereas in the English script his usual hyper-polite personality just... suddenly disappears for this one scene and he instead just spends the entire scene talking business, with that final line being changed to him just telling Link to "finish the job". Ironically these two scenes have the opposite problem in a way; Revali's final scene reads like the English writers were just stuck in the mindset of "Revali is incredibly arrogant and so we need to stay true to that", whereas with Sidon it's like the writer just *forgot* what the guy's personality had been very blatantly established to be.
I think that thing about luck was also sort of a callback to EN Revali's line, perceiving Link as some lucky guy with a magic sword. His tone doesn't sound as if it was literal. "I guess I was eong about... How "lucky" he would be", to me sounds like Revali admits it wasn't luck. Someone talked about the western archetype they used for Revali in another comment and it makes it make sense. He's a Tsundere, not fully honest with his words and you need to read between the lines. I still prefer the Japanese Revali, but I recognise the intent was here
I find it strange how the french version also received the "impesonal" writing in the sheika slate like in english, while still getting some parts from the Japanese original version, for example, in French, it is called "La rage de Revali" , which translates to Rivali's rage, and that happened for other things too...
I think the French localization is more accuracy oriented and trusts in the audience to pick up the subtleties while the American localization is not as confident in the audience and aims more for the "feel" of the message to be communicated.
@@grandsome1 Just different languages Translate better, Spanish is also pretty accurate to the Japanese, simply because you will have a better time finding the correct meaning of words in Latin based languages, than in whatever the fuck English is.
Vegeta does have a similar development to Revali's, the line where he admits having lost to Link and that "he is the key" reminded me of Vegeta's speech on chapter 510, when he witnesses Goku fighting Boo: "Kakarrot... you are glorious. This creature is far beyond my power, no but you can fight him. I think at last why I could never beat you. I thought is was because you had people to protect, I thought that desire created some unfathomable power in you. But I have the same desire now. I have others to protect and yet... I still fight to win... to enjoy it... to kill enemies... to puff up my pride. Not you. You've never fought to win. You fight to better yourself, to push your limits! That's why you never killed your enemies... why you refused to kill me... as if you knew, all along, I would learn to have a soul... I should hate you! A saiyan who love to fight- and is kind?! Good luck, Kakarrot... you are the champion!!"
Revali is such a misunderstood character, sadly. I feel like many people are too quick to judge and write him off as just an arrogant jerk without bothering to look more into it. People usually put up arrogance as a front to hide their insecurities. Revali is very proud of his skill that he worked very hard to develop, yet Link showed no reaction to it whatsoever. That damaged his pride, understandably. Add to that the fact that the other champions have these amazing skills that they were essentially born with... That probably made him more insecure and thus he became even more arrogant and rude. And while the original Japanese version of Revali is certainly kinder to Link and has more depth, you can find some of that development in the English version of Revali too. Anyway, this is a really good video. Well put together and well written! Anyone who takes the time to look more into Revali and tries to understand him gets a like from me, hahah.
This is a great point. It must be chafing to suddenly be compared to your companions who mostly were born with special abilities and skills and didn’t seemingly work as hard for them as you did. I didn’t dislike Revali but I was surprised at how abrasive he came off while playing his parts. It also explains why in his diary in the OG text he respects Zelda’s hard work even if she hasn’t been successful in her endeavors more than Link who is silent and turns him off when he tries to engage with him.
It's super interesting to hear Revali say (in translated Japanese) that he is to play "a supporting role" when Mipha says in English, that she's "honored to play the role of support"...that phrase always got stuck in my mind because it never sounded like what someone might say in English, but it 100% sounded like a translation. I love hearing about how localization changes the subtext or intention of what a character says.
This video needs to be watched by more people especially those Revali-Hater! OMG I was SO SAD the localization changes his personality so much that almost totally erase all the charms of him and makes him to be “the least favourite champion” or even “the only champion who is okay to just die lol” for some of the haters as the result. My boy gets so much hate that wouldn’t happen if not the localization makes that many changes! I play the game in Chinese and the translation is really just translation, also I can speak Japanese so for me he is such a special and charming character. I mean, he calls himself “boku僕”, not “ore俺” in general nor “oresama俺様” (which is more common for an arrogant, self-centred character), and that is freaking ADORABLE! He usually calls others “kimi君” instead of “omaeお前”(he calls Medoh omae once, “anta” to Daruk once), not using keigo in most of the time, so the way he talks is like a more neutral tone to me, not really rude or disrespectful or something. Also his (Japanese) voice and intonation is, I would say soft and tender, in my opinion; his every sentence (almost) ends with “… yo~”, “… ne~”, “…kai?”, “… dai?” I love the way he talks so much
i own the BOTW Making a Champion book, and Revali's page made me laugh! there was a note about how they didn't want players to dislike him and the developers achieved that, but i hated him and thought they failed at it! im both glad and upset that i was wrong. the translators really failed this game it seems :/ thank you for this video though! i like him a lot more now and im not upset about the Rito champion being one i hate. they're my favorite of the races.
I'm happy you enjoyed the video! It was incredibly fun to make! I've also grown so much more fond of him and his character after analysing the Japanese version as well!
Im so happy to show this to my english speaking friends, thank you!!! It was funny seeing how they disliked him so much but this explains it so much lol. Hes one of my favorites, if not my favorite. The motivation of zelda and mipha i think is also misrepresented. The english makes it seems like the secret to unlocking the power that zelda couldnt access. Mipha says "ill protect you" instead "I would heal you" and revalli also says it here too in the japanese version, of watching over him (all of them make me cry) The collective theme everyone shares is the desire to protect everyone, and thats how zelda awakened her powers is she finally stopped running away, and goes to protect link before he was about to die. It makes everyone's deaths bittersweet because they all watch over link and zelda in the end.
What makes Revali so interesting is that he's the one hero in this story who isn't of some kind of royal heritage, doesn't inherit some kind of magical ability, isn't "chosen by destiny", etc. He's aware of that, proud of it, but also plagued by it, since it has to be kind of maddening to see this group of people gifted so many of their abilities and feel like they don't fully respect just how much *work* he had to do to get where he is. But a lot of details about the way the dialog's written boils down to things like cultural language idioms, phrases (e.g. Japanese honorifics or slang words can be very tough to bring over to English), inflections, etc. Like, a lot of what Revali says in the English version strikes me as a bit of sarcasm, e.g. I don't believe he truly thinks Link only "got lucky" against Windblight Ganon, but he's just saying that so he can kind of keep the rivalry going in his mind a little bit.
I knew I was right by having Revali (isn't his name Rival in Japanese? Idk, it sounds like it to me) as my favorite champion. I could always relate to him and I felt there was more to his "bad" attitude. And tbh, Link being silent can come off as rude. I know I thought he was in some instances. 🐦
I'd love to see a video like this for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The differences in that game are dire, it's character assassination for pretty much everyone
I don't *really* mind Revali's depiction in the English version, but it does bother me how most of the English localisations seem to lack the subtlety seen in the original Japanese script. Especially that one infamous english localisation of the side-quest involving the female zora child writing love letters to a hylian adult male, and uniting them together as "soul mates"... eugh.. In the original Japanese version, the joke was that they were both disappointed once they actually saw each other in person, but too awkward and polite to outright say it. In the English version they just make her a lolicon "oh I'm actually an adult but I just look young for my age :)))" type of character and it's so ick. I do hope the English TOTK localisation is better.
FINALLY! SOMEONE understands me. I'm from germany tho. But i hate it, that sooo soooo many people, can't read between the lines when it comes to Revalis Character. I've heard from a few japanese people, that they don't understand it, why they made him such a jerk in the english version. They are saying also, that the german version is one of the best translated versions, which comes very close to the japanese version. But even here in germany. I have many MANY idiots, who can't read between the lines and refuse to see, what i see in him. He has a Heart of Gold. He is a lone wolf and has no one who cheers for him. He is not a royal, nor he has parents or SOMEONE, who believes in him. They misunderstanding his character and his person. He trains alone and he is a perfectionist, who ALWAYS gives 900%, to get to, where he wants to be and he doesn't want to be seen, UNLESS, he for himself decided, that he wants to show his perfected skill to someone. He may be cold on the outside, but on the inside, he has a Heart of Gold. And i hate it so much, that very less people are seeing him, for what he truely are. I'm very thankful for your video. But the sad fact is, that even if i share my knowledge with my Discord "Friends", that won't believe me, that Revali is a true gem. It just makes me... sad. And very very mad. Don't they have eyes in their heads? Can't they see, that Revali is a caring and loving Rito Warrior? I don't get it. Why is it, that very less people like me and you, have the Empathy, to see tru all of this muck? Revali isn't a snob. He has feelings, he cares and he always does his very Best, to be the perfect Version of himself. I can relate to that. Maybe i understand him way better, because of that. And what else those dumb and numb people without a Heart are missing is, that he is a very well written character. And for example, it wouldn't fit his character, if he says to Teba at the very End of the Age of Calamity Game, something like: "Thank you." He, in all versions says just: "Hm." And i'm the only one who says: Well, this is his character. And it wouldn't fit his character, if he said to Teba: "Thank you". That "Hm", was the right choice to make, for his character and for the Storytelling. They, the developers, take a lot of time with his character. development They won't rush into making him softer, just the war in AoC is over. This will come naturally and with time. With time, Revali will open up himself, very very slowly. And THEN, ALL of the other dumb people are going like: "Oh! I never knew that he is the good guy all along!" with faces like that :O ... When this happens, i will rage and i will say: "SEE?! THIS is what i'm trying to tell you THE.WHOLE. DAMN.TIME. YOU IDIOT!! Why wouldn't you listen?!" He isn't a jerk. And yeah, like i said. I'm so upset and mad at all those people, who don't see Revali, for what he really is. I love him with all of my Heart. Back then, and always.
You're correct and I feel for you. It's the same thing for me in the Undertale/Deltarune fandom with Berdly.( also a cocky blue bird, btw) with Asgore, it is even worse. It's hard when you try to reason with people, when yiu have the facts on your side and the facts fall on ears deaf as a stone.
Thank you a lot. I appreciate your reply. ^^ Yeah. It's always like that, isn't it? Often it's just very sad, that they don't see what we see. :'( Hopefully someday, that will all turn around and they will changed their minds for the better. @@Nai-qk4vp
It’s interesting to keep into perspective why the international versions change so much of the original context aside from just Japanese being difficult to translate. And not because Nintendo of America or Europe think they are making a better product. It’s not necessarily that they believe better than the original authors, but rather that Nintendo of America isn’t Nintendo themselves, but a business partner and redistributor. They localize games (not translate them) with a business approach in mind rather than to keep the storytelling faithful. That’s why there’s a lot of censorship and/or changes to suggestive, adult and/or religious themes. Basically they try to make a version of the games as less controversial and as sanitized as possible for a broader audience. It is a bit different than buying manga or a blu-ray of Japanese media, since it stems from the old practice of treating video games as toys. And yes, it sucks.
Always loved Revali, both versions! He's such a joy to see develop, even if just a little. I like to think if he was to be given a second chance at life as well, he and Link would be the best friends that call each other jerks but still have each other's backs and wont allow for people to talk ill of the other because that's only allowed for them to do. Not the outsider!
I loved this character as soon as he was introduced, but seeing the differences and how he had such character development in Japanese ver made me love him even more!
You've done it again. What a thoughtful and well researched video. It really makes me wonder how much of this is mistranslation/misunderstanding or something else like trying to fit a trope English speakers would be more accustomed to. It may even be influenced by compromises made for the voice acting. It's probably a spectrum of all three and more, but it makes me wonder how things can diverge so much.
I need this video to reach EVERYONE. Especially Revali haters. If they still don't like him after seeing this, that's fair. But most people hate him for his rudeness when in actuality it's the localisation's mistranslations. I love his character even more now that I know what he really meant. The part where he swallowed his pride and admitted that Link won really got to me.
Thank you so much for this video. I always had a strange feeling like maybe Revali isn’t as bad as we think, and you proved it to me by showing the receipts. Thank you! Revali just went from a 4/10 to a 7/10 for me (platonically, as a character that I enjoy)
I think the implications of Revali's writing in Japanese are misinterpreted by this video, and the English translation and writing does a pretty good job of capturing what he's really trying to say. It can be difficult to understand the true meaning of a direct translation (which can never actually be completely accurate), but I think the writers more or less nailed translating what he was actually trying to say. That compliment he gives during the fight is almost certainly backhanded, as he knows (or thinks he knows) that the battle is already over. While it's true that his use of "pathetic knight" in front of Link is definitely more disrespectful, the actual meanings of the Japanese text and not just taking the direct translation at face value come through if you actually can understand what he's trying to say. At that moment, he was clearly questioning Link's abilities before he even finished asking the question. Furthermore, this kind of arrogance based on your own capabilities is done in a very Japanese manner originally, which is more restrained and more implied (aside from the "koitsu" thing), so perhaps the translators really felt the need to ram home how clearly arrogant he was actually being. And judging by the comments calling the translated Revali writing "charming" they clearly made they right call, because they could not tell how arrogant or disrespectful Revali actually was being looking at the direct translation. He was, in fact, being arrogant and disrespectful the whole time, from the beginning to the end.
Yeah, I understand what you're saying. I think it's likely that Revali calling Link a "pathetic knight" is just the localiser's way of communicating other untranslatable nuances of the Japanese text. The word こいつ (koitsu), which Revali uses in Japanese is an example of this. You can't really pair it with a direct equivalent English translation. Hence, finding other methods to convey that element of Revali's character becomes necessary. I do believe it's important to consider this, and everything else you mention in your comment, too. Culture plays such a massive part, and language is so complex too. When it comes to reading text alone, it can definitely be difficult to establish the tone of voice someone is writing in as well. I will definitely be improving how I deliver my explanation of this important part of localisation in future videos and try to provide a bunch of "alternative" translations where necessary. I appreciate your comment, thank you!
I was going through the comments trying to find someone else who thought this. Japanese as a language has a lot of reading between the lines. And while English has some too, it's not quite as much and also often of a different sort where it does exist.
@@xarin42Why would he still respect Link's strength and show utter faith in him after the Champion's Ballad boss fight? Or in his DIARY. Where he is being watched by no one and has no reason to be sarcastic? A diary,a place famous for being where people put down their deepest, most unfiltered thoughts. Why? That's not "reading between the lines". That's making up lines. Just sounds like you're trying to explain away evidence that contradicts your beliefs. Reading "I want my steak medium rare" and with no evidence of anything interpreting that line as "I DON'T steak, I want fish" ISN'T reading between the lines. It's making sh*t up.
@@xarin42And again, his observable behavior contradicts this Answer me this: Why would he still not admit Link was the man for the job and give a backhanded compliment, as you(wrongly) think he did, AFTER in his diary he already did it? To save face? Why then , after the Windblight battle, AFTER Link has already teleportes away and he is positioning Vah Medoh, does he explicitly admit Windblight beat him and Link is " *the key to defeating Calamity Ganon* "? He is saving face from whom? The air? And again, there is nothing implicit about his final words to Link in the Champions' Ballad. He outright, blatantly praises Link,states his belief in his ability and compliments him by saying that with Link's strength and him watching over him, it will be more than enough to defeat Ganon. "His tone"you say. Then why does he sound clearly different in the memory at Rito Village than he does after defeating Windblight and *even more* so after the champion's ballad? Face it, no matter how you put it, he just isn't the jerk you want him to be. It's just demonstrably false. The video's thesis is correct(though much to my displeasure it seems QuestWithAaron, who was right in the video,a well made video has started to give in to these bad talking points in the comments later). By looking too closely for subtext that wasn't there, you missed the text that was.
I do like the japanese version of the ending for revali. I think all the other stuff was just them trying to better show the nuance of Revali coming off as rude and arrogant. Since its harder to get that across in english. But saying the english version only refers to what Link did as “luck” is a bit unfair when Revali straight up admits Link accomplished what he could not. With that, you can infer that Revali realizes that its more than just luck and hes just Revali being… well Revali. He wants that “luck” to hold out for everyones sake but deep down knows its Links skill because he just previously said he did something even he couldn’t. Overall, it loses some nuance in some places and puts it back in other places. I think hes still basically the same character, hes just more arrogant in english. I do wish they let it down in some areas like his diary tho since its unnecessary there. But overall very good outlook here! I personally think hes way more interesting in english. You can still infer that he has a bit of a complex and he does have character development albeit done a bit differently. Hes way more tame in Japanese which comes off as a little more boring to me. But thats just me. I definitely think he has the most striking character out of every champion. He definitely stands out.
in Spanish, his ability is called " Furia de Revali" that translates into Revali's rage and actually, pretty much every dialogue is directly translated from japanese, in spanish he also challenges link, he never said anything about being the best or something, if only we got the first person text for the Sheikah Slate, it would be 100% faithful to the Japanese version
im really glad i found this video, bc as much as i love english revali (he is FUN, almost ridiculous, and i love asshole good guys, also the voice actor does an amazing job portraying him) i love seeing the more well rounded version of his character in the original version. sometimes i really don't understand what the people adapting the game think, like with the terrible transation of the message in a bottle quest, or removing the fact that the adventure log is link's diary
When I played the game for second time I changed the voices to japanese, and when I read the subtitles it was like 'wait, he's not saying that', so I searched up the actual translation and I ended up here. I'm sad that they made him look such a brat. In japanese, he's not saying that he's better than Link, but sees him as a good rival. And, in addition of that, in the japanese version, you can notice even more that he's actually very young. He's a little disrespectful, and too proud of himself, but when you add the other details like his red cheeks or his height, you understand that he's just a young warrior, training too hard to reach the spectative (That the people have and the one that he create by himself) of been a champion. He's such a complex character, like other ones in the game, and he doesn't have the recognition that deserves because some of those poor translated dialogues. Thank you for making this video!!!
Even I want to slap this pile of feathers, I can’t help but love him at the same time. He’s one of the four (5 if Link is included) Champions and the only one that DIDN’T act noble (in a positive sense) or humble in aiding Link, but paired with a personal reason stemming from a misunderstanding. This kind of character of Revali struck deep with me like a well-shot arrow because I can relate to him to an extent compared to the other Champions. The Japanese translation is pretty much how I imagined Revali to be. I love that Revali is shorter than Teba because I assumed he was the taller one 😂
revali sounds so much more endearing. He's hard working and tries so hard to get Link's attention and knows what he's capable of while respecting other people's efforts.
Very good video as always. For those who wonders why the translators in the English verison did a simingly arbritrary translation, you have to keep in mind that it's not as simple as using Google Translate. Japanese can be a tricky language to translate and, sometimes, it's up to the translators to interpret the the meaning of what's written (not that you can make it say whatever you want, though). And, sometimes, is up to the English/French/any-non-japanese-studio-language to change the meaning/character of some dialogues to match what they think is best.
I wholeheartedly agree with you! Japanese is an incredibly challenging language to translate. So much goes into the localisation process and I'm sure there are multiple reasons for why the English version is how it is. With that said, there are definitely some translations which stray farther from the source material than others. When you combine them all together, you essentially get two completely different versions of the same character. It's really interesting!
Revali always struck me as the type to at first dislike Link, because he didn't trust him to defeat the Calamity. I mean... he's been there for the entire ride of him working his way up to be one of, if not the best Rito archer, developed an incredibly useful skill all by himself, and did so not because of some kind of blessing, but through determination... And then this Hylian knight shows up, and he's just supposed to trust him to do all the heavy lifting, while he's only there to play support? Knowing how about his japanese dialogue only makes me feel like that's what's going on even more... that the entire rivalry he was trying to establish, could have been a way for him to see if Link really had it in him, while also pushing both of them to take thing even further.
looking forward to your future content regarding botw2’s lost-in-translation stuff! it’s infuriating how they handle the localization this feels like form of censorship tbh, im glad there’s people like you!
I think most of these changes come from western stories not really having a "constructive rival" trope. A rival is someone you hate, someone you want to see humiliated and fail. There isn't much of a healthy rivalry mindset here so I guess that's why Revali was rewritten this way. As a jealous instigator of conflict just for the sake of it rather than someone who wants improve themselves alongside someone else.
It's kinda funny how he was trying so hard to start a rivalry with Link to the point of showing off, but Link just didn't get it (or didn't want to) Revali was trying to live a sports anime romance and died trying lmao
I love Revali regardless of whether he’s a cocky jerk or a charming rival, ngl. He’s just a super interesting, fun character overall. I’m really curious though. Why is it a reoccurring theme where English translators go out of their way to butcher/alter a characters personality in a different language? It seems like a job where you REALLY shouldn’t let your own bias affect your work, yet it happens constantly…who exactly is translating these games??
I think they're probably just looking at things as THEY see them, instead of trying to portray them as was originally intended. Wish these translations were faithful to their origins.
i appreciate the deep dive into all of these differences! i do have some thoughts, though: i think it's important to take into account that revali's words, when talking to link or others, can possibly not match his true feelings. i definitely think he exaggerates himself to an extent, at least in the english dialogue. imo, revali does accept in the end that link triumphs over him, he just doesn't want link to know that. i think there's an element of self awareness, too, to add a feel of playfulness to him. like, he respects link, but he just likes pushing his buttons lmao but i definitely won't deny that even with my interpretation in mind, he's still pretty different in the jpn version. also, in regards to his feelings about zelda, i feel like the english version could be interpreted in two different ways. your interpretation, that revali feels that zelda is inadequate, definitely makes sense, but i would also argue that what he could mean by saying "she's trying her hardest, it's just not good enough" is that he respects the effort that zelda has put in and recognizes that she has been trying, it's just that her task is unreasonably hard to achieve. so in that interpretation, it's not him looking down on zelda, it's him having pity for her because she keeps doing everything she can with no results. and with that in mind, you could definitely see his pity making sense, since everything he's achieved has been through hard work and determination, just as zelda is trying to do. great video all in all! i doubt revali will appear in totk lmao but if he does i will definitely be wondering, ok, but what does he say in the og jpn??
Heavens! How come this video went entirely under my radar until now, I am elated to find it regardless 💕 It makes me happy to see more people bringing this to attention when it comes to Revali and his characterization; he is SUCH an interesting and well written character all around and many people miss out on this just because his less grating nature gets lost in translation. And though I've seen this repelling reaction from players all over the world, I think it is most prominent from those whose first language is English. Mine is spanish, and I am proud to announce that during this entire video, I can attest to the faithful job that was done while localising the original Japanese script. Revali is still a bit of a jerk, but significantly less so than how he's depicted in the English dub; he is less abrasive, more respectful, mindful of others and mostly seeks validation and recognition for his arduous dedication to his crafts and abilities, which he is rightfully proud and boastful of. I myself am a fan of Sean Chiplock's interpretation, because it is undeniably iconic and hysterical, and I like how it leans into the tsundere trope almost to an extreme lol, BUT I can't help but notice the immediate backlash this character receives upon introduction, and it's a real shame how people can be turned off so quickly from peering into one of this franchise's most remarkable characters, in my honest opinion, and alongside Zelda, the only ones that undergo actual tangible development in BotW. I said what I said 🙌🏻 Anyway, this video is real treat, and the editing works wonders for following along translated dialogue and comparisons to its adaptations. Wish I could give it more than one like :')
Woah... I truly had no idea. I grew up with Rival Silver character in Pokemon Gold, I say this just because I've taken an interest in fictional bossy characters. It would've nice though if the English localization stepped back a bit. It's hard for me not to see him a bossy because that's my first experience with him. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the video!! I have a decent enough understanding of jp so i played the game on english but with japanese audio, and immediately noticing the differences between Revali’s speech in voice vs the english localization sub made me raise a brow. The more i looked into it (by going thru jp clips and even replaying the game in full jp) I notice so much difference in his portrayal. I’m lucky I can recognize jp text enough to appreciate his character right away (in fact he became my immediate fave even from first playthrough), so it saddens me Eng doesn’t show the depth of his character that well. I know localization is difficult, and anything done “officially” with a team can become a factor to deciding the final process, not to mention the subtleties that can’t be directly translated (like how Revali uses 僕, which is generally a more humble first pronoun for men, an interesting note because you’d think someone with his pride would use 俺 instead, the more aloof counterpart). Plus, when it comes to translatinf, having the context of the rest of sentences are also important. While I think some of the text you highlighted actually relay to eng just fine, I’m grateful that this video exists so more people can understand how careful his writing truly is in the original!! Side note: Rito in general seem to be a very individualistic race who especially protective of their own kind, which is highlighted by how much Revali cares for his home as a warrior and how much he (AoC DLC spoiler) prioritized the safety of Tulin when he wandered in the Lost Woods. He truly does have a soft spot that people overlook.
Revali’s rage, You know, I speak Spanish and in the Latin Spanish version Revali calls it “La furia de Revali” translated is Revali’s fury or Revalis rage I just wanted to mention that
I've always really liked Revali. It's actually not surprising that his original character is depicted this way to me at all, but in retrospect I'm not sure what made me pick up on his true nature after playing the English version.
I'd really like to see you cover more of the larger lore, with your linguistic perspective, especially some of the older games you haven't covered yet, but this dive into a specific character was fascinating. I might not call him Ravioli, if I had seen the subtlety of his original characterization in the Japanese.
I thought Rabaul was a big softy. Thanks for this discussion and expansion on his character! Wish the translations of the text stayed true to the original context. Please do this with the other champions too!
He always has been my favorite. This makes him even better. I understand you can’t translate everything perfectly into any language, but thats a big difference in his character. (In german he‘s pretty much saying the same as in english)
I always thought Revali was the king of "Tough on the outside, soft on the insid" kinda bird and that he had trouble showing that he cared. Maybe exactly due to the fact that he held himself to such high standard and thus exprected the same from others. At least that's the impression I got from him (but then again, I played BotW in German and while he is still extremly arrogant, he never seemed THAT rude to me). I'm very grateful to gaining more insight into his character thanks to your video and your comparisons to the Japanese original texts. I love the thought of Revali and Link as friendly rivals, it's adorable and makes me like him even more than I already did (because I always DID have a soft spot for Revali). ♥ Edit: I rewatched the German cutscenes and noticed that they are VERY close to the Japanese Original. For example, after freeing Medoh, he also calls Link "the key" and admits to Link being the stronger one.
There’re a lot of differences from the Japanese version throughout the whole game, I remember I started playing it with the English text but had to change it to Japanese due to those differences, Revali has always been my second favourite champion
I didn't know until today that every translation was taken from japanese, i though they would come from the english one. In spanish you can see the same revali that in the japanese version, praising him in the end because he realises link is way more skilled than him. Translations are always something to look at, each one is a different world
In that regard, I'm quite glad that they toned down his arrogance in the Italian translation. In base it is quite similar to the English, but they make some important changes. Taking the diary, for example...the smaller remarks about Link being pathetic are absent, and overall he sounds way more understanding. He is prideful and loves to boast, but he fully acknowledges the skill of Link and instead of prattling on how he's trying to understand talentless people, but cannot, he goes on how he tries, yet fully acknowledges how Zelda is trying her best, and hopes for her power to awaken. It's way less insufferable.
Having fully completed my test translations of Breath of the Wild's dialogue, I had quite the experience of seeing how you worked on the same lines. I'm currently looking at Age of Calamity and will get to Tears of the Kingdom after playing it.
I have played the Latin Spanish version because I am Mexican and I have noticed that the translations are very similar to Japanese of course is not perfect, it makes me curious how in English it is very different, I hope you do the same with the other Champions :)
Mexican Japanese translations have always been closer to the original meaning than English ones that rather than simply translate localize things. The Dragon Ball franchise, for example, is almost 1 to 1 with the Japanese one, meanwhile the American one is full of changes to make it more… relatable to the American audience.
Revali is already my most favorite character from botw, so watching how the en messed up the translation and knowing how the jp version of him actually more sympathetic towards link makes me likes him even more than i already should have. They really did my boy dirty in en version
a very good video about my favorite botw character. i knew there was more to him than meets the eye, and i hope future translators will do a better job.
I wish the English translation was better. I don't know how different it is in Japanese but the translation can also explain Revali's inconsistencies in AoC. In botw they painted a picture that he disliked link due to his role as backup for him. However, in AoC link was just a normal knight when they met and Revali had no real reason to dislike him. It was jarring.
Great job on this. The last textbox in Revali's diary definitely swaps Revali's competitive spirit for a haughty attitude. Nice catch, shame he lost some personality in English. If I may, some notes on your retranslations: * 14:15 無理して見せてやった is "went out of my way to show", not "pushed myself to the limit". (無理して〜する is kind of a piece of grammar. It doesn't always mean 無理をすること .). The English "gave him the privilege" is perfectly applicable. Overall, both diaries convey a fairly similar tone. I note that Revali is as curt in the Japanese as in the English (e.g. 反応無し), which doesn't come across in your retranslation. * Revali's Gale is written Revali's Rage, but *pronounced* Revali's Tornado. Listen to the voice clips. English doesn't get to do this, so the localizers simply picked the one that's easier to understand. That's all.
Not really. "Went out of my way" implies effort on the part of Revali. It shows it wasn't easy but he really wanted to show him. "Gave the privilege" makes it sounds easy and haughty. "Went out of my way" is not interchangeable with "gave him the privilege" and is true to the original version, far more than the latter.
I’m actually surprised at how much people hate him. I guessing it’s just culture difference. I played in English my first run but I still see the Japanese archetype for him
Even before learning about the Japanese text, Revali has always been my favorite champion. I liked the way he was presented but I wish more players took the time to actually think about his character. He’s truly the best.
Honestly I prefer the english, idk just something about a smug abrasive character who never shows it, but you know that inside he has a soft spot and genuinely considers the mc they're always showing off to and claiming they're better too as some form if friend. Idk just something so special about a character bond like that.
I knew that Revali wasn't that bad I was neutral at him but when I saw this vid and another one talking about how he is a best character I realised that he reminded me of none other than Chazz Princeton of Yu-Gi-Oh, he started out as a jerk but deep down he suffered a lot of pressure from his brothers Slade and Jagger
You know what’s funny though? I think all that the Japanese version reveals is still present in the English version, but you you have to look for it. Revali in the English version is just presented as someone who doesn’t always say what he means, and I think looking at him under that light makes him seem a lot closer to the original text.
Thank u for these videos breath of the wild it’s my favorite game not only because of the graphics but the amazing storyline and Characters personality
Tbh I really disliked Revali as a character. There are so many parts in English that were originally different that make Revali just seem cocky and make it look like he thinks he's some form of god, but the fact he actually tried to impress link in the japanese version just made my heart melt. They really robbed us of a genuine character development in English. Thank you! This was definitely worth a subscription, this has convinced me into feeling Revali is a charming Character.
I want to provide some additional details about Revali's character in Japanese as I believe they are important. In Japanese, Revali often uses words such as こいつ (koitsu) to address others and Link, which, in Japanese is an impolite and often rude way to address someone. I believe this is an important detail as it's not really something you can localise very easily. Revali still has some disrespectful elements to his character in Japanese, too.
I was going to comment that while this is a great side by side, I think it's hard to portray the full story of the Japanese version. Localization is tricky because you have only so many lip flaps and have to consider the level of politeness, humble language, honorific language, etc that is being used. I feel like the localizers decided the best way to portray Revali was to make him overly prideful and abrasive in his words. While Japanese Revali's words themselves certainly seem less abrasive and prideful, the way he talks certainly puts himself up and Link down.
It's a cool detail that Revali only really wants a rivalry with Link and to show him his skill and that he admits to it in the Japanese version. I also like at the end when he blasts Ganon he says something to the effect of "I'm not doing this for you (referring to Link)."
There's quite often big differences in scripts between languages in games, but it goes largely unnoticed since subtitles show the localized script of its respective language version and not the direct translation of the audio language, so the only way to notice is to have an understanding of other languages or watch a video like this that covers them. :)
i like Japanese Revali better than English Ravioli
@@taminostam9912agreed. I also adore the voice after chosen for the English version. It really does fit the personality and Japanese translation
This kind of rudeness really does not translate at all, so it makes sense that they would have to find other ways to make him rude.
@@Shalyn-ln9tu if i recall correctly, Sean Chiplock (Revali and other characters) was also the voice acting director for the game. His skill really shines. We all love to hate Revali, but that means Sean did his job well!
I don't hate localised Revali, but the original writing is undeniably far more interesting and gives him so much more depth and development. Really wish the translations were more faithful.
The localisation is more faithful than what this video tries to push.
@@NuiYabuko explain, im learning japanese so i need to understand the nuance
@@NuiYabuko Is it though?
@@NuiYabuko "My source is that I made it up"
@Senseless mind can you back this up the video proves that revali is far more respectful to characters such as link and zelda it doesn't mean he doesn't have some traits in English but Japanese makes him far more nuanced
I honestly wish we saw this from Revali in the english localization, seeing Link as a worthy opponent rather than constantly calling him inferior.
Personally I like that xD
The Japanese version definitely did not suggest that XD Trust me, this video did a poor job explaining how he is in Japanese. He is still a mega jerk. Simply translating the JP text loses so much of the tone he used in japanese.
@@DanDanMan111
So he was sarcastic in his choice of words?
@@DanDanMan111 not really, if you finish the dlc and go back to fight windblight ganon again, there’s a chance you will get these lines from Revali to Link: (translated directly from the Chinese version, which has the same meanings with the Japanese version) ah… it’s too late to regret, I should’ve competed with you 100 years ago. You, showing up in Rito Village, having a one-on-one fight with me! That must be… the battle of the century, between the strongest knight of Hyrule and the strongest warrior of the Ritos! No matter the outcome, I really want to compete with you…
So, Revali does see Link as a worthy opponent, at least after he finished Vah Medoh.
I’m aware that Revali says something similar in the English version, but his acknowledgment of Link’s strength is further emphasised in the Japanese version. Even in memories he isn’t as rude. He never called Link pathetic or anything as far as that.
The Japanese game really depicts him as a charming character. It's a shame they changed it so drastically. I kinda wish there was a way to play the game with the unchanged subtitles.
It doesn't.
I wonder how hard it would be to mod that in...
@@NuiYabuko receipts?
It really makes me wonder what else was mistranslated, or more accurately, changed by someone who thought there ideas were more worthy then the actual dev team.
I keep seeing this argument around and clearly nobody knows what tone is
I think it’s pretty sad that because of poor translation it has caused MANY to completely misunderstand Revali. He’s not a bad guy at all, he’s just completely misunderstood.
Yeah, I didn't like him in my first playthrough. Then switched the language to Japanese and he is a completely different character and then became my favourite champion since I finally understood his motives
Even if the Japanese version had him as a jerk I would still like him as a character
I hope Nintendo learns from this and doesn't screw up translations anymore. I rather know their true intentions of characters and their personalities than to just have somebody translate and assume
Every work of translation is a creative endeavor, because the way that each culture typically expresses itself differs wildly. There are also so many Japanese words and concepts that have no clear equivalent in English. I’d love to know the Head Translator’s rationale for accentuating Revali’s animosity for Link.
@@kittygirl0872 ngl I would would he has a lot of personality even if he is sorta a di-
Revali disliking Link simply because he doesn't believe Link is enough to take down a world-ending threat that is Ganon is way more interesting and understandable than him just believing he's the best and everyone else sucks. English Revali seems more interested in proving his pride and ego than actually stopping Ganon.
I agree! Revali definitely retains a similar sense of pride in both versions, but in Japanese he makes more comments about stopping Ganon. I really liked how he attempts to provoke Link by saying how he is the key to stopping the Calamity in the Japanese version of the memory cutscene.
Yep, in Japanese his noble and respectful personality is more inline to what you would see from a generic "this is the Hero" type game, were every single character/npc instantly accepts it as fact.
Instead in the English, he is a lot more ruthless with his opinion of not believing such a weak Knight could be Hero, a much more realistic response when your life is on the line and youre essencially being hired as a Mercenary.
I mean, being fair, what we learn in Tears of the Kingdom all but says he deserves some credit for effectively pulling off a sage's power despite not being their decendant. And at least the diary indicates that he DOES care about other underneath the pomp and bluster.
I think it’s less he believes he’s better, it’s that the idea that someone is better scares him, how can he be a champion if he’s not THE champion
This is not the impression I got at all. In English, he comes off a similar way.
When I first encountered Revali (US), I got the impression that he was a prideful yet emotionally insecure individual who cannot directly express much respect or admiration towards others. This makes him appear unbearably arrogant - and to an extent he is - but after freeing his spirit, his dismissive attitude nevertheless felt like his attempt at a thank you and praise but it came out in Revali-ese.
I feel that may have been the intent of his localization, but they failed to add just enough soft moments to make it obvious.
As a Revali fan, that line about Link just being lucky has always irked me!
I originally played the German version and there, he also acknowledged that Link is the more skilled one and that Link is the key to defeating Ganon! That was a very wholesome moment showing Revali’s character development. So imagine my disappointment when I heard the English version for the first time
I was wondering why my opinion of Revali was so much higher than the general online consensus. Turns out, I played the german translation, which seems to be more accurate to the japanese translation than the english one.
I dunno, that line always felt to me like even Revali kind of knew it wasn’t true, and was just doing it to be difficult? His whole schtick is just being ASTOUNDINGLY stubborn, so OF COURSE he’d be difficult about this too.
I dunno, it seemed to have a weird affection about it, with Chiplock’s delivery.
SAME! I also remembered Revali as a more likeable and wondered why everyone seemed to hate him. Then I saw the cutscenes in English. The poor guy was turned into some kind of bully for Link! The English cutscenes showed me a Revali I didn't know.
@@Buphido Just figured out the same reason. How did english localization butcher him so bad?
I never realized how different Revali's character was in both the English and Japanese versions of BOTW until I watched this video. And those playing the English version ended up getting the rude bird over the moderately *nicer* bird from the Japanese version.
*way nicer bird
Also it makes no sense for a warrior as skilled as Revali to be angry and reckless. Any occupation involving combat requires the person in question to be calm due to the risk involved. So a more humble Revali makes way more sense.
I did feel that how he calls Link pathetic in English was a bit much. I also couldn't believe how he equates Link's abilities to luck in English!
It is WILD how much Revali changes in each language translation! The Japanese version of him is understandable, the English version is angsty and sassy, then you get into the Spanish and German versions and the snark levels SKYROCKET.
This whole video is misinformation. Revali's tone in all of those "nice comments" is supposed to be sarcastic
@@chezmix64 Its his personal diary. That no matter the person is where they would be the most honest they will ever be. And guess what in Japanese he respects link’s strength in his diary.
Yesterday, I learned that there were boss medals. Today, I learned that Revali has a diary. This game...
But it's a diary in the dlc, the only diaries available without it are Zelda's research journal and diary, King Rhoam's diary, and Paya's diary.
@@katedp7825 But that's the thing--I actually have the DLC! And on top of that, Rito Village is my favorite location in the entire game, but somehow I've just never noticed Revali's diary.
Wait until you find out about the hidden SOS signals 😢 found that out yesterday
I learned that there is special dialogue for fighting the blights multiple times, I’m astonished as I really thought I knew everything about this game.
@@megamillion5852 the Rito and their village are my favorite too
It's interesting how he takes on two similar yet different archetypes in the different localizations. The Japanese version falls 100% into the role of rival that you often see in Japanese media. That form of a rival, with how they act and speak, isn't very common in western media, and people wouldn't relate to him in the same kind of way a Japanese player would. The English localization instead uses couple things, including a Japanese one that is recognizable and echos in western media- the made him a tsundere instead. The pulling on your pigtails, teasing, and (pun unintended) egging him on, sassy banter with barbs you may not mean, that's an archetype very recognizable to a western audience, and is much closer to how rival characters that aren't an enemy are done in western media. He doesn't even want to admit to himself via diary that he's impressed with Link though still wants his approval and recognition badly. English Revali is very similar to the Japanese one, he just shows it a different way, and makes you look past the mask of bravado he's protecting insecurities with to read between the lines while in Japanese he's more well if I can't do it this guy that supposedly better than me based on our given roles better do it, and since he's already dead he may as well be more open and upfront with how he thinks. English Revali is staying with the sassy banter they're used to with each other, that Revali always used to try to get any kind of reaction out of him, since Link would (or should, if he had the right memories) know what he means.
(also, I don't think the "like talking to a stone" line is about Link's level of intelligence at all, I think it's more about a stone faced lack of expression, not letting anything show on his face while also rarely talking. Similar with the winging it line, the 'I got careless" has a very similar meaning to it, but it's too good a pun while being a well known phrase, they couldn't not use it, and it plays well with his more sassy nature)
Thank you! You put into words what i was thinking exactly.
Yeah, I think the differences between the original and the translation are being exaggerated here. The biggest overall difference, IMO, is Revali being more direct with his praise in Japanese. In English, he's still cushioning his own pride with phrases like "I suppose" and "I guess it's theoretically possible." But if we look past that, both versions are basically saying the same thing. Like you said, we have to read between the lines. I'm not sure why people aren't doing that.
I really like the direct callbacks to the earlier cutscene about who was the "key" to defeating Ganon, though. I wish the English translation had kept that.
@@sydc3667 revalis speech is still rude in japanese so this entire video is exaggerating it. although they fucked up other translations i understand people’s skepticism with revali as well
Honestly I love them both. But that's also because I love characters like ravali.
Yeah this is a good explonation for why they made the changes they did
I played the game in french and after watching this video, I realised how much the french translators did a good job.
When I watched some playthroughs in english, Revali seemed way more arrogant than I remembered, and I get why I had that feeling now.
Nice video, keep up the good work !
I have the opportunity to take a class on French
So maybe i should so i can see more actuate dialogue
Well, you might be giving some Japanese lines too much credit for making Revali sound more humble. But I think your take overall is completely correct. Honestly IDK why more people didn't pick up on this immediately. An overly cocky attitude is always a compensation for something, usually to cover up anxiety and insecurity!
just a note that the skill *is* called revali’s tornado in japanese, but “tornado” is listed as the pronunciation of “ferocity.” this is a thing that happens a lot in japanese, especially in song lyrics.
btw this video rules!!! i played the game in japanese originally and was always confused by how much everyone hated revali. i understood as soon as i saw his characterization in english, especially the scenes after defeating vah medoh
To elaborate, Rivali's skill is written リーバルの猛り (Riibaru no takeri) but the pronunciation is リーバルトルネード (Riibaru Toruneedo). You can see it at about @10:49.
For me, the English translation still somewhat holds true to his character. He's not just arrogant, he's sarcastic. His tone to me always suggested that in his heart he knew Link was the one. I always felt like Revali's way of encouraging Link was always to tell him "You think you're better than me? Prove it." as a way of pushing Link to try harder, even if he didn't need to.
I've always had a feeling that Revali always had the best of intentions despite his feelings about the role he was asked to take, while internally trying to figure out why he was placed there. He seemed to want to understand and earn the admiration of Link, hence the diary entries, but he realized that Link wasn't going to open up to him at all. Link, the tortured soul that he is, just can't get out of his stoic ways. His training won't let him, which I felt always made Revali want to push Link's buttons more and more, hence the mocking before and after the Wind Blight Ganon fights.
But in the end Revali started to understand and respect Link, but in his own playful arrogant ways made it clear that he didn't show it through praise, but through the dripping sarcasm of referring to Link's skill as 'luck'. When I was playing I never doubted how Revali felt about Link. From my perspective Revali admired Link's skill and believed in it.
Revali is a character that says a lot outside of the words that come out of his beak, from my perspective. This video was great at reestablishing that perspective by giving me the original intent of the character through the Japanese dialogue. Well done. c:
These are so varied. Some of the Japanese translations still sound arrogant to me though. Revali is very presumptuous about Link's intentions. Whether you invent new moves and strive for better, it doesn't make sense to challenge those on the same team as you if not to prove something. The difference between 'luck' and 'outright lost' however, is so different. Thank you for sharing your translations and interpretations.
I have played the German version and to me, Revali came across as someone with an Athlete mindset. Always set on improving himself and pushing himself to his limits. While the praise of others did go somewhat over his head, I remember reading in his diary that he wanted to teach his abilities to younger Ritos, so that they even may surpass him. I also remember him being frustrated with Link, because he couldn't read Link's facial expressions, or see if he had any feelings at all. Implying that he only challenged him to get an emotional reaction out of Link.
While I really do enjoy the English VA's sass and arrogance of the character, I never understood why so many people outright hated Revali. The bird puns are hilarious. 😅
(also I think the "good luck sealing the darkness" line was add-lib and they just kept it? But I could be wrong, it's been years.)
Wow, the English translations were changed in so many places. This reminds me of how the Quest Descriptions are written in the First-Person in the Japanese version, like you talked about in the past. (I'm still salty about losing that.)
Heya!
Come on lol. The Quest Log wasn't written in first person. And Revali absolutely is the same in Japanese.
@@Token-j1n Oh. I guess everyone was wrong. oops
@@TheBreadPirate
Given they based it on misleading Tweets and Tumblr posts, I'd say that's about right. And when people actually knowledgeable of the language say otherwise, it makes one think.
The "luck" line is honestly just really aggravating. Like, the whole *point* of that scene is Revali acknowledging that Link truly was the bigger man after all, and adapting it as "I was wrong about how LUCKY he was, now let's hope that luck holds" basically just... erases any change in his character. It's one of two moments where even just casually playing the game (Japanese voices with English text) I could tell that something was *very* wrong...
The other being Sidon's words to Link before he enters Vah Ruta, where in the Japanese Sidon is basically just showering Link with all the praise ever, telling him what a fantastic job he's done and ending it with "You're the best, Link!" whereas in the English script his usual hyper-polite personality just... suddenly disappears for this one scene and he instead just spends the entire scene talking business, with that final line being changed to him just telling Link to "finish the job".
Ironically these two scenes have the opposite problem in a way; Revali's final scene reads like the English writers were just stuck in the mindset of "Revali is incredibly arrogant and so we need to stay true to that", whereas with Sidon it's like the writer just *forgot* what the guy's personality had been very blatantly established to be.
Both those changes bother me a lot. 😝
I think that thing about luck was also sort of a callback to EN Revali's line, perceiving Link as some lucky guy with a magic sword. His tone doesn't sound as if it was literal. "I guess I was eong about... How "lucky" he would be", to me sounds like Revali admits it wasn't luck. Someone talked about the western archetype they used for Revali in another comment and it makes it make sense. He's a Tsundere, not fully honest with his words and you need to read between the lines.
I still prefer the Japanese Revali, but I recognise the intent was here
4:30
The English localization just had to throw a Star Fox reference there.
I find it strange how the french version also received the "impesonal" writing in the sheika slate like in english, while still getting some parts from the Japanese original version, for example, in French, it is called "La rage de Revali" , which translates to Rivali's rage, and that happened for other things too...
I think the French localization is more accuracy oriented and trusts in the audience to pick up the subtleties while the American localization is not as confident in the audience and aims more for the "feel" of the message to be communicated.
@@grandsome1 Just different languages Translate better, Spanish is also pretty accurate to the Japanese, simply because you will have a better time finding the correct meaning of words in Latin based languages, than in whatever the fuck English is.
question: if it's "rage" for revali, what is urbosa's one? bc in japanese urbosa's is anger (je parle français btw)
Guy seems kind of like “what if we put Falco from Star Fox into a Zelda game and him obnoxious like Vegeta?”
Vegeta does have a similar development to Revali's, the line where he admits having lost to Link and that "he is the key" reminded me of Vegeta's speech on chapter 510, when he witnesses Goku fighting Boo: "Kakarrot... you are glorious. This creature is far beyond my power, no but you can fight him. I think at last why I could never beat you. I thought is was because you had people to protect, I thought that desire created some unfathomable power in you. But I have the same desire now. I have others to protect and yet... I still fight to win... to enjoy it... to kill enemies... to puff up my pride. Not you. You've never fought to win. You fight to better yourself, to push your limits! That's why you never killed your enemies... why you refused to kill me... as if you knew, all along, I would learn to have a soul... I should hate you! A saiyan who love to fight- and is kind?! Good luck, Kakarrot... you are the champion!!"
Revali is such a misunderstood character, sadly. I feel like many people are too quick to judge and write him off as just an arrogant jerk without bothering to look more into it. People usually put up arrogance as a front to hide their insecurities. Revali is very proud of his skill that he worked very hard to develop, yet Link showed no reaction to it whatsoever. That damaged his pride, understandably. Add to that the fact that the other champions have these amazing skills that they were essentially born with... That probably made him more insecure and thus he became even more arrogant and rude. And while the original Japanese version of Revali is certainly kinder to Link and has more depth, you can find some of that development in the English version of Revali too. Anyway, this is a really good video. Well put together and well written! Anyone who takes the time to look more into Revali and tries to understand him gets a like from me, hahah.
This is a great point. It must be chafing to suddenly be compared to your companions who mostly were born with special abilities and skills and didn’t seemingly work as hard for them as you did. I didn’t dislike Revali but I was surprised at how abrasive he came off while playing his parts. It also explains why in his diary in the OG text he respects Zelda’s hard work even if she hasn’t been successful in her endeavors more than Link who is silent and turns him off when he tries to engage with him.
Out of the original four champions, Revali has always been my favourite.
It's super interesting to hear Revali say (in translated Japanese) that he is to play "a supporting role" when Mipha says in English, that she's "honored to play the role of support"...that phrase always got stuck in my mind because it never sounded like what someone might say in English, but it 100% sounded like a translation. I love hearing about how localization changes the subtext or intention of what a character says.
This video needs to be watched by more people especially those Revali-Hater! OMG I was SO SAD the localization changes his personality so much that almost totally erase all the charms of him and makes him to be “the least favourite champion” or even “the only champion who is okay to just die lol” for some of the haters as the result. My boy gets so much hate that wouldn’t happen if not the localization makes that many changes!
I play the game in Chinese and the translation is really just translation, also I can speak Japanese so for me he is such a special and charming character. I mean, he calls himself “boku僕”, not “ore俺” in general nor “oresama俺様” (which is more common for an arrogant, self-centred character), and that is freaking ADORABLE! He usually calls others “kimi君” instead of “omaeお前”(he calls Medoh omae once, “anta” to Daruk once), not using keigo in most of the time, so the way he talks is like a more neutral tone to me, not really rude or disrespectful or something.
Also his (Japanese) voice and intonation is, I would say soft and tender, in my opinion; his every sentence (almost) ends with “… yo~”, “… ne~”, “…kai?”, “… dai?” I love the way he talks so much
i own the BOTW Making a Champion book, and Revali's page made me laugh! there was a note about how they didn't want players to dislike him and the developers achieved that, but i hated him and thought they failed at it! im both glad and upset that i was wrong. the translators really failed this game it seems :/
thank you for this video though! i like him a lot more now and im not upset about the Rito champion being one i hate. they're my favorite of the races.
I'm happy you enjoyed the video! It was incredibly fun to make! I've also grown so much more fond of him and his character after analysing the Japanese version as well!
Im so happy to show this to my english speaking friends, thank you!!! It was funny seeing how they disliked him so much but this explains it so much lol. Hes one of my favorites, if not my favorite.
The motivation of zelda and mipha i think is also misrepresented. The english makes it seems like the secret to unlocking the power that zelda couldnt access. Mipha says "ill protect you" instead "I would heal you" and revalli also says it here too in the japanese version, of watching over him (all of them make me cry)
The collective theme everyone shares is the desire to protect everyone, and thats how zelda awakened her powers is she finally stopped running away, and goes to protect link before he was about to die.
It makes everyone's deaths bittersweet because they all watch over link and zelda in the end.
This video actually turned me around on his character. It's crazy how the reframing makes me actually kind of fond of him.
What makes Revali so interesting is that he's the one hero in this story who isn't of some kind of royal heritage, doesn't inherit some kind of magical ability, isn't "chosen by destiny", etc. He's aware of that, proud of it, but also plagued by it, since it has to be kind of maddening to see this group of people gifted so many of their abilities and feel like they don't fully respect just how much *work* he had to do to get where he is.
But a lot of details about the way the dialog's written boils down to things like cultural language idioms, phrases (e.g. Japanese honorifics or slang words can be very tough to bring over to English), inflections, etc. Like, a lot of what Revali says in the English version strikes me as a bit of sarcasm, e.g. I don't believe he truly thinks Link only "got lucky" against Windblight Ganon, but he's just saying that so he can kind of keep the rivalry going in his mind a little bit.
I knew I was right by having Revali (isn't his name Rival in Japanese? Idk, it sounds like it to me) as my favorite champion. I could always relate to him and I felt there was more to his "bad" attitude. And tbh, Link being silent can come off as rude. I know I thought he was in some instances. 🐦
I'd love to see a video like this for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The differences in that game are dire, it's character assassination for pretty much everyone
I don't *really* mind Revali's depiction in the English version, but it does bother me how most of the English localisations seem to lack the subtlety seen in the original Japanese script. Especially that one infamous english localisation of the side-quest involving the female zora child writing love letters to a hylian adult male, and uniting them together as "soul mates"... eugh.. In the original Japanese version, the joke was that they were both disappointed once they actually saw each other in person, but too awkward and polite to outright say it. In the English version they just make her a lolicon "oh I'm actually an adult but I just look young for my age :)))" type of character and it's so ick. I do hope the English TOTK localisation is better.
I don’t know much about editing but I like the translation editing. They seem very well done
FINALLY! SOMEONE understands me. I'm from germany tho. But i hate it, that sooo soooo many people, can't read between the lines when it comes to Revalis Character. I've heard from a few japanese people, that they don't understand it, why they made him such a jerk in the english version. They are saying also, that the german version is one of the best translated versions, which comes very close to the japanese version. But even here in germany. I have many MANY idiots, who can't read between the lines and refuse to see, what i see in him. He has a Heart of Gold. He is a lone wolf and has no one who cheers for him. He is not a royal, nor he has parents or SOMEONE, who believes in him. They misunderstanding his character and his person. He trains alone and he is a perfectionist, who ALWAYS gives 900%, to get to, where he wants to be and he doesn't want to be seen, UNLESS, he for himself decided, that he wants to show his perfected skill to someone. He may be cold on the outside, but on the inside, he has a Heart of Gold. And i hate it so much, that very less people are seeing him, for what he truely are. I'm very thankful for your video. But the sad fact is, that even if i share my knowledge with my Discord "Friends", that won't believe me, that Revali is a true gem. It just makes me... sad. And very very mad. Don't they have eyes in their heads? Can't they see, that Revali is a caring and loving Rito Warrior? I don't get it. Why is it, that very less people like me and you, have the Empathy, to see tru all of this muck? Revali isn't a snob. He has feelings, he cares and he always does his very Best, to be the perfect Version of himself. I can relate to that. Maybe i understand him way better, because of that. And what else those dumb and numb people without a Heart are missing is, that he is a very well written character. And for example, it wouldn't fit his character, if he says to Teba at the very End of the Age of Calamity Game, something like: "Thank you." He, in all versions says just: "Hm." And i'm the only one who says: Well, this is his character. And it wouldn't fit his character, if he said to Teba: "Thank you". That "Hm", was the right choice to make, for his character and for the Storytelling. They, the developers, take a lot of time with his character. development They won't rush into making him softer, just the war in AoC is over. This will come naturally and with time. With time, Revali will open up himself, very very slowly. And THEN, ALL of the other dumb people are going like: "Oh! I never knew that he is the good guy all along!" with faces like that :O ... When this happens, i will rage and i will say: "SEE?! THIS is what i'm trying to tell you THE.WHOLE. DAMN.TIME. YOU IDIOT!! Why wouldn't you listen?!" He isn't a jerk. And yeah, like i said. I'm so upset and mad at all those people, who don't see Revali, for what he really is. I love him with all of my Heart. Back then, and always.
I'm not sure if i remember correctly but in the French version we have a mix of english and japanese which make in more of a tsundere than a jerk.
To hell with them!
In the wise words of Phil Leotardo:
"Fuck'em , John! Fuck all of them!"
You're correct and I feel for you.
It's the same thing for me in the Undertale/Deltarune fandom with Berdly.( also a cocky blue bird, btw) with Asgore, it is even worse.
It's hard when you try to reason with people, when yiu have the facts on your side and the facts fall on ears deaf as a stone.
Thank you a lot. I appreciate your reply. ^^ Yeah. It's always like that, isn't it? Often it's just very sad, that they don't see what we see. :'( Hopefully someday, that will all turn around and they will changed their minds for the better. @@Nai-qk4vp
It’s interesting to keep into perspective why the international versions change so much of the original context aside from just Japanese being difficult to translate. And not because Nintendo of America or Europe think they are making a better product.
It’s not necessarily that they believe better than the original authors, but rather that Nintendo of America isn’t Nintendo themselves, but a business partner and redistributor. They localize games (not translate them) with a business approach in mind rather than to keep the storytelling faithful. That’s why there’s a lot of censorship and/or changes to suggestive, adult and/or religious themes. Basically they try to make a version of the games as less controversial and as sanitized as possible for a broader audience. It is a bit different than buying manga or a blu-ray of Japanese media, since it stems from the old practice of treating video games as toys.
And yes, it sucks.
It sucks A LOT. 😡
the russian ver of BOTW is a direct translation of the Japanese dialogue, it is the most faithful to the original
First that weird side quest in Zora's domain now this makes me wary of the nintendo translation team
Always loved Revali, both versions! He's such a joy to see develop, even if just a little. I like to think if he was to be given a second chance at life as well, he and Link would be the best friends that call each other jerks but still have each other's backs and wont allow for people to talk ill of the other because that's only allowed for them to do. Not the outsider!
Honestly this is the whole reason I play the game in Japanese his character makes so much more sense I’m glad someone has finally called this out.
I loved this character as soon as he was introduced, but seeing the differences and how he had such character development in Japanese ver made me love him even more!
"I entrust you with my vengeance" Sounds way more badass than the avenge me line 😮
You've done it again. What a thoughtful and well researched video. It really makes me wonder how much of this is mistranslation/misunderstanding or something else like trying to fit a trope English speakers would be more accustomed to. It may even be influenced by compromises made for the voice acting. It's probably a spectrum of all three and more, but it makes me wonder how things can diverge so much.
I need this video to reach EVERYONE. Especially Revali haters. If they still don't like him after seeing this, that's fair. But most people hate him for his rudeness when in actuality it's the localisation's mistranslations. I love his character even more now that I know what he really meant. The part where he swallowed his pride and admitted that Link won really got to me.
Thank you so much for this video. I always had a strange feeling like maybe Revali isn’t as bad as we think, and you proved it to me by showing the receipts. Thank you! Revali just went from a 4/10 to a 7/10 for me (platonically, as a character that I enjoy)
I think the implications of Revali's writing in Japanese are misinterpreted by this video, and the English translation and writing does a pretty good job of capturing what he's really trying to say. It can be difficult to understand the true meaning of a direct translation (which can never actually be completely accurate), but I think the writers more or less nailed translating what he was actually trying to say.
That compliment he gives during the fight is almost certainly backhanded, as he knows (or thinks he knows) that the battle is already over. While it's true that his use of "pathetic knight" in front of Link is definitely more disrespectful, the actual meanings of the Japanese text and not just taking the direct translation at face value come through if you actually can understand what he's trying to say. At that moment, he was clearly questioning Link's abilities before he even finished asking the question. Furthermore, this kind of arrogance based on your own capabilities is done in a very Japanese manner originally, which is more restrained and more implied (aside from the "koitsu" thing), so perhaps the translators really felt the need to ram home how clearly arrogant he was actually being. And judging by the comments calling the translated Revali writing "charming" they clearly made they right call, because they could not tell how arrogant or disrespectful Revali actually was being looking at the direct translation. He was, in fact, being arrogant and disrespectful the whole time, from the beginning to the end.
Yeah, I understand what you're saying. I think it's likely that Revali calling Link a "pathetic knight" is just the localiser's way of communicating other untranslatable nuances of the Japanese text. The word こいつ (koitsu), which Revali uses in Japanese is an example of this. You can't really pair it with a direct equivalent English translation. Hence, finding other methods to convey that element of Revali's character becomes necessary. I do believe it's important to consider this, and everything else you mention in your comment, too. Culture plays such a massive part, and language is so complex too.
When it comes to reading text alone, it can definitely be difficult to establish the tone of voice someone is writing in as well.
I will definitely be improving how I deliver my explanation of this important part of localisation in future videos and try to provide a bunch of "alternative" translations where necessary. I appreciate your comment, thank you!
I was going through the comments trying to find someone else who thought this. Japanese as a language has a lot of reading between the lines. And while English has some too, it's not quite as much and also often of a different sort where it does exist.
@@xarin42Why would he still respect Link's strength and show utter faith in him after the Champion's Ballad boss fight?
Or in his DIARY. Where he is being watched by no one and has no reason to be sarcastic? A diary,a place famous for being where people put down their deepest, most unfiltered thoughts.
Why?
That's not "reading between the lines". That's making up lines.
Just sounds like you're trying to explain away evidence that contradicts your beliefs.
Reading "I want my steak medium rare" and with no evidence of anything interpreting that line as "I DON'T steak, I want fish" ISN'T reading between the lines. It's making sh*t up.
@@xarin42And again, his observable behavior contradicts this
Answer me this: Why would he still not admit Link was the man for the job and give a backhanded compliment, as you(wrongly) think he did, AFTER in his diary he already did it? To save face?
Why then , after the Windblight battle, AFTER Link has already teleportes away and he is positioning Vah Medoh, does he explicitly admit Windblight beat him and Link is " *the key to defeating Calamity Ganon* "? He is saving face from whom? The air?
And again, there is nothing implicit about his final words to Link in the Champions' Ballad. He outright, blatantly praises Link,states his belief in his ability and compliments him by saying that with Link's strength and him watching over him, it will be more than enough to defeat Ganon.
"His tone"you say. Then why does he sound clearly different in the memory at Rito Village than he does after defeating Windblight and *even more* so after the champion's ballad?
Face it, no matter how you put it, he just isn't the jerk you want him to be. It's just demonstrably false.
The video's thesis is correct(though much to my displeasure it seems QuestWithAaron, who was right in the video,a well made video has started to give in to these bad talking points in the comments later).
By looking too closely for subtext that wasn't there, you missed the text that was.
I do like the japanese version of the ending for revali. I think all the other stuff was just them trying to better show the nuance of Revali coming off as rude and arrogant. Since its harder to get that across in english. But saying the english version only refers to what Link did as “luck” is a bit unfair when Revali straight up admits Link accomplished what he could not. With that, you can infer that Revali realizes that its more than just luck and hes just Revali being… well Revali. He wants that “luck” to hold out for everyones sake but deep down knows its Links skill because he just previously said he did something even he couldn’t.
Overall, it loses some nuance in some places and puts it back in other places. I think hes still basically the same character, hes just more arrogant in english. I do wish they let it down in some areas like his diary tho since its unnecessary there.
But overall very good outlook here! I personally think hes way more interesting in english. You can still infer that he has a bit of a complex and he does have character development albeit done a bit differently. Hes way more tame in Japanese which comes off as a little more boring to me. But thats just me. I definitely think he has the most striking character out of every champion. He definitely stands out.
in Spanish, his ability is called " Furia de Revali" that translates into Revali's rage
and actually, pretty much every dialogue is directly translated from japanese, in spanish he also challenges link, he never said anything about being the best or something,
if only we got the first person text for the Sheikah Slate, it would be 100% faithful to the Japanese version
Pero eso solo pasa en el Español de España, en el de latam los dialogos son más parecidos a los del ingles
@@silaba1x641 recién jugué el juego nuevamente, ninguno de los diálogos mostrados aquí se parecían a los del español latino
if revali's is "rage" what is urbosa's one? bc in japanese urbosa's is anger
This video on Revali is well done aaron!
im really glad i found this video, bc as much as i love english revali (he is FUN, almost ridiculous, and i love asshole good guys, also the voice actor does an amazing job portraying him) i love seeing the more well rounded version of his character in the original version. sometimes i really don't understand what the people adapting the game think, like with the terrible transation of the message in a bottle quest, or removing the fact that the adventure log is link's diary
When I played the game for second time I changed the voices to japanese, and when I read the subtitles it was like 'wait, he's not saying that', so I searched up the actual translation and I ended up here. I'm sad that they made him look such a brat. In japanese, he's not saying that he's better than Link, but sees him as a good rival. And, in addition of that, in the japanese version, you can notice even more that he's actually very young. He's a little disrespectful, and too proud of himself, but when you add the other details like his red cheeks or his height, you understand that he's just a young warrior, training too hard to reach the spectative (That the people have and the one that he create by himself) of been a champion.
He's such a complex character, like other ones in the game, and he doesn't have the recognition that deserves because some of those poor translated dialogues.
Thank you for making this video!!!
I felt the same way as you the first time I played the game, which is one of the reasons that inspired me to research for this video!
Even I want to slap this pile of feathers, I can’t help but love him at the same time. He’s one of the four (5 if Link is included) Champions and the only one that DIDN’T act noble (in a positive sense) or humble in aiding Link, but paired with a personal reason stemming from a misunderstanding. This kind of character of Revali struck deep with me like a well-shot arrow because I can relate to him to an extent compared to the other Champions. The Japanese translation is pretty much how I imagined Revali to be.
I love that Revali is shorter than Teba because I assumed he was the taller one 😂
I just checked and im happy to say that the italian version is like the japanese one, at least in the diary
i already loved revali before watching this and now i love him even more
revali sounds so much more endearing. He's hard working and tries so hard to get Link's attention and knows what he's capable of while respecting other people's efforts.
Revali has been redeemed in my eyes. I've only ever known him with the English dub, as I'm American, but now I see him as he, miyamoto, intended him.
Remember, localization is not just a translation of words, but making the intention of the writing clear in a different language as well
I couldn't agree more!
They failed to do that in english.
Very good video as always.
For those who wonders why the translators in the English verison did a simingly arbritrary translation, you have to keep in mind that it's not as simple as using Google Translate. Japanese can be a tricky language to translate and, sometimes, it's up to the translators to interpret the the meaning of what's written (not that you can make it say whatever you want, though). And, sometimes, is up to the English/French/any-non-japanese-studio-language to change the meaning/character of some dialogues to match what they think is best.
I wholeheartedly agree with you! Japanese is an incredibly challenging language to translate. So much goes into the localisation process and I'm sure there are multiple reasons for why the English version is how it is.
With that said, there are definitely some translations which stray farther from the source material than others. When you combine them all together, you essentially get two completely different versions of the same character. It's really interesting!
Revali always struck me as the type to at first dislike Link, because he didn't trust him to defeat the Calamity.
I mean... he's been there for the entire ride of him working his way up to be one of, if not the best Rito archer, developed an incredibly useful skill all by himself, and did so not because of some kind of blessing, but through determination...
And then this Hylian knight shows up, and he's just supposed to trust him to do all the heavy lifting, while he's only there to play support?
Knowing how about his japanese dialogue only makes me feel like that's what's going on even more... that the entire rivalry he was trying to establish, could have been a way for him to see if Link really had it in him, while also pushing both of them to take thing even further.
English: Selfish, Arrogant, Egotistical, Prideful and Disrespectful, Hates Link, Jealous.
Japanese: Misunderstood, Prideful yet Respectful, Loyal, Desires praise and acknowledgment from Link, Insecure.
looking forward to your future content regarding botw2’s lost-in-translation stuff! it’s infuriating how they handle the localization this feels like form of censorship tbh, im glad there’s people like you!
I am excited to see what BotW's sequel will be like! I'll definitely cover anything I find
I think most of these changes come from western stories not really having a "constructive rival" trope. A rival is someone you hate, someone you want to see humiliated and fail. There isn't much of a healthy rivalry mindset here so I guess that's why Revali was rewritten this way. As a jealous instigator of conflict just for the sake of it rather than someone who wants improve themselves alongside someone else.
I'm kind of sad we didn't get this Revali in the game, it would've added so much depth
So in all actuality, he's not A**hole Bird, he's Tsundere Bird.
It's kinda funny how he was trying so hard to start a rivalry with Link to the point of showing off, but Link just didn't get it (or didn't want to)
Revali was trying to live a sports anime romance and died trying lmao
I love Revali regardless of whether he’s a cocky jerk or a charming rival, ngl. He’s just a super interesting, fun character overall.
I’m really curious though. Why is it a reoccurring theme where English translators go out of their way to butcher/alter a characters personality in a different language? It seems like a job where you REALLY shouldn’t let your own bias affect your work, yet it happens constantly…who exactly is translating these games??
I think they're probably just looking at things as THEY see them, instead of trying to portray them as was originally intended. Wish these translations were faithful to their origins.
22:03 yeah he wasn't boasting but just looking for acknowledgement for his hard work
i appreciate the deep dive into all of these differences! i do have some thoughts, though:
i think it's important to take into account that revali's words, when talking to link or others, can possibly not match his true feelings. i definitely think he exaggerates himself to an extent, at least in the english dialogue. imo, revali does accept in the end that link triumphs over him, he just doesn't want link to know that. i think there's an element of self awareness, too, to add a feel of playfulness to him. like, he respects link, but he just likes pushing his buttons lmao
but i definitely won't deny that even with my interpretation in mind, he's still pretty different in the jpn version.
also, in regards to his feelings about zelda, i feel like the english version could be interpreted in two different ways. your interpretation, that revali feels that zelda is inadequate, definitely makes sense, but i would also argue that what he could mean by saying "she's trying her hardest, it's just not good enough" is that he respects the effort that zelda has put in and recognizes that she has been trying, it's just that her task is unreasonably hard to achieve. so in that interpretation, it's not him looking down on zelda, it's him having pity for her because she keeps doing everything she can with no results. and with that in mind, you could definitely see his pity making sense, since everything he's achieved has been through hard work and determination, just as zelda is trying to do.
great video all in all! i doubt revali will appear in totk lmao but if he does i will definitely be wondering, ok, but what does he say in the og jpn??
Heavens! How come this video went entirely under my radar until now, I am elated to find it regardless 💕 It makes me happy to see more people bringing this to attention when it comes to Revali and his characterization; he is SUCH an interesting and well written character all around and many people miss out on this just because his less grating nature gets lost in translation. And though I've seen this repelling reaction from players all over the world, I think it is most prominent from those whose first language is English. Mine is spanish, and I am proud to announce that during this entire video, I can attest to the faithful job that was done while localising the original Japanese script. Revali is still a bit of a jerk, but significantly less so than how he's depicted in the English dub; he is less abrasive, more respectful, mindful of others and mostly seeks validation and recognition for his arduous dedication to his crafts and abilities, which he is rightfully proud and boastful of. I myself am a fan of Sean Chiplock's interpretation, because it is undeniably iconic and hysterical, and I like how it leans into the tsundere trope almost to an extreme lol, BUT I can't help but notice the immediate backlash this character receives upon introduction, and it's a real shame how people can be turned off so quickly from peering into one of this franchise's most remarkable characters, in my honest opinion, and alongside Zelda, the only ones that undergo actual tangible development in BotW. I said what I said 🙌🏻
Anyway, this video is real treat, and the editing works wonders for following along translated dialogue and comparisons to its adaptations. Wish I could give it more than one like :')
Today I learned that you can fight the Blights more times after upgrading the abilities for more dialogue
Woah... I truly had no idea. I grew up with Rival Silver character in Pokemon Gold, I say this just because I've taken an interest in fictional bossy characters.
It would've nice though if the English localization stepped back a bit. It's hard for me not to see him a bossy because that's my first experience with him. Thanks for the video.
So what you're telling me is that Revali is like Vegeta Cosplaying as Falco Lombardi?
Thank you for the video!! I have a decent enough understanding of jp so i played the game on english but with japanese audio, and immediately noticing the differences between Revali’s speech in voice vs the english localization sub made me raise a brow. The more i looked into it (by going thru jp clips and even replaying the game in full jp) I notice so much difference in his portrayal. I’m lucky I can recognize jp text enough to appreciate his character right away (in fact he became my immediate fave even from first playthrough), so it saddens me Eng doesn’t show the depth of his character that well.
I know localization is difficult, and anything done “officially” with a team can become a factor to deciding the final process, not to mention the subtleties that can’t be directly translated (like how Revali uses 僕, which is generally a more humble first pronoun for men, an interesting note because you’d think someone with his pride would use 俺 instead, the more aloof counterpart). Plus, when it comes to translatinf, having the context of the rest of sentences are also important. While I think some of the text you highlighted actually relay to eng just fine, I’m grateful that this video exists so more people can understand how careful his writing truly is in the original!!
Side note: Rito in general seem to be a very individualistic race who especially protective of their own kind, which is highlighted by how much Revali cares for his home as a warrior and how much he (AoC DLC spoiler) prioritized the safety of Tulin when he wandered in the Lost Woods. He truly does have a soft spot that people overlook.
Wow. Thank you for documenting this.
Revali’s rage,
You know, I speak Spanish and in the Latin Spanish version Revali calls it “La furia de Revali” translated is Revali’s fury or Revalis rage
I just wanted to mention that
I've always really liked Revali. It's actually not surprising that his original character is depicted this way to me at all, but in retrospect I'm not sure what made me pick up on his true nature after playing the English version.
I'd really like to see you cover more of the larger lore, with your linguistic perspective, especially some of the older games you haven't covered yet, but this dive into a specific character was fascinating. I might not call him Ravioli, if I had seen the subtlety of his original characterization in the Japanese.
I thought Rabaul was a big softy. Thanks for this discussion and expansion on his character! Wish the translations of the text stayed true to the original context. Please do this with the other champions too!
He always has been my favorite. This makes him even better. I understand you can’t translate everything perfectly into any language, but thats a big difference in his character. (In german he‘s pretty much saying the same as in english)
Revali’s JP voice sounds so much more mature lol
I always thought Revali was the king of "Tough on the outside, soft on the insid" kinda bird and that he had trouble showing that he cared. Maybe exactly due to the fact that he held himself to such high standard and thus exprected the same from others. At least that's the impression I got from him (but then again, I played BotW in German and while he is still extremly arrogant, he never seemed THAT rude to me). I'm very grateful to gaining more insight into his character thanks to your video and your comparisons to the Japanese original texts. I love the thought of Revali and Link as friendly rivals, it's adorable and makes me like him even more than I already did (because I always DID have a soft spot for Revali). ♥
Edit: I rewatched the German cutscenes and noticed that they are VERY close to the Japanese Original. For example, after freeing Medoh, he also calls Link "the key" and admits to Link being the stronger one.
thank you so much for this! I was most curious about the difference in translation about Revali!!!
There’re a lot of differences from the Japanese version throughout the whole game, I remember I started playing it with the English text but had to change it to Japanese due to those differences, Revali has always been my second favourite champion
I didn't know until today that every translation was taken from japanese, i though they would come from the english one. In spanish you can see the same revali that in the japanese version, praising him in the end because he realises link is way more skilled than him. Translations are always something to look at, each one is a different world
Thank you for making this video! I never knew about this, i love Revali'a character alot, shame hes so misunderstood
These videos you make are always interesting, I think I'm going to watch em all
In that regard, I'm quite glad that they toned down his arrogance in the Italian translation. In base it is quite similar to the English, but they make some important changes. Taking the diary, for example...the smaller remarks about Link being pathetic are absent, and overall he sounds way more understanding. He is prideful and loves to boast, but he fully acknowledges the skill of Link and instead of prattling on how he's trying to understand talentless people, but cannot, he goes on how he tries, yet fully acknowledges how Zelda is trying her best, and hopes for her power to awaken. It's way less insufferable.
Having fully completed my test translations of Breath of the Wild's dialogue, I had quite the experience of seeing how you worked on the same lines.
I'm currently looking at Age of Calamity and will get to Tears of the Kingdom after playing it.
I have played the Latin Spanish version because I am Mexican and I have noticed that the translations are very similar to Japanese of course is not perfect, it makes me curious how in English it is very different, I hope you do the same with the other Champions :)
Mexican Japanese translations have always been closer to the original meaning than English ones that rather than simply translate localize things.
The Dragon Ball franchise, for example, is almost 1 to 1 with the Japanese one, meanwhile the American one is full of changes to make it more… relatable to the American audience.
Revali is already my most favorite character from botw, so watching how the en messed up the translation and knowing how the jp version of him actually more sympathetic towards link makes me likes him even more than i already should have. They really did my boy dirty in en version
a very good video about my favorite botw character. i knew there was more to him than meets the eye, and i hope future translators will do a better job.
I wish the English translation was better. I don't know how different it is in Japanese but the translation can also explain Revali's inconsistencies in AoC. In botw they painted a picture that he disliked link due to his role as backup for him. However, in AoC link was just a normal knight when they met and Revali had no real reason to dislike him. It was jarring.
Great job on this. The last textbox in Revali's diary definitely swaps Revali's competitive spirit for a haughty attitude. Nice catch, shame he lost some personality in English.
If I may, some notes on your retranslations:
* 14:15 無理して見せてやった is "went out of my way to show", not "pushed myself to the limit". (無理して〜する is kind of a piece of grammar. It doesn't always mean 無理をすること .). The English "gave him the privilege" is perfectly applicable. Overall, both diaries convey a fairly similar tone. I note that Revali is as curt in the Japanese as in the English (e.g. 反応無し), which doesn't come across in your retranslation.
* Revali's Gale is written Revali's Rage, but *pronounced* Revali's Tornado. Listen to the voice clips. English doesn't get to do this, so the localizers simply picked the one that's easier to understand. That's all.
Not really.
"Went out of my way" implies effort on the part of Revali. It shows it wasn't easy but he really wanted to show him.
"Gave the privilege" makes it sounds easy and haughty.
"Went out of my way" is not interchangeable with "gave him the privilege" and is true to the original version, far more than the latter.
I’m actually surprised at how much people hate him. I guessing it’s just culture difference. I played in English my first run but I still see the Japanese archetype for him
Even before learning about the Japanese text, Revali has always been my favorite champion. I liked the way he was presented but I wish more players took the time to actually think about his character. He’s truly the best.
Honestly I prefer the english, idk just something about a smug abrasive character who never shows it, but you know that inside he has a soft spot and genuinely considers the mc they're always showing off to and claiming they're better too as some form if friend. Idk just something so special about a character bond like that.
I knew that Revali wasn't that bad I was neutral at him but when I saw this vid and another one talking about how he is a best character I realised that he reminded me of none other than Chazz Princeton of Yu-Gi-Oh, he started out as a jerk but deep down he suffered a lot of pressure from his brothers Slade and Jagger
You know what’s funny though? I think all that the Japanese version reveals is still present in the English version, but you you have to look for it. Revali in the English version is just presented as someone who doesn’t always say what he means, and I think looking at him under that light makes him seem a lot closer to the original text.
I like Regali's arrogant and condescending persona better than his other one. Its more interesting and sells the whole rival relationship better.
regali
Thank u for these videos breath of the wild it’s my favorite game not only because of the graphics but the amazing storyline and Characters personality
Tbh I really disliked Revali as a character. There are so many parts in English that were originally different that make Revali just seem cocky and make it look like he thinks he's some form of god, but the fact he actually tried to impress link in the japanese version just made my heart melt.
They really robbed us of a genuine character development in English.
Thank you! This was definitely worth a subscription, this has convinced me into feeling Revali is a charming Character.