0:58 What’s sad is that Maddie didn’t even want the role. At one point, she cried during filming because she felt like she was making fun of autistic people. She deserves far better.
I always saw Kieran as someone who was terrified of having his brains blown out if he says the wrong thing. I definitley see the hyperfixation on horses now though
0:45 Julia was not made by Autism Speaks. Sesame Street initially worked with (iirc) the Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN for short). At the last minute, after Julia's character was pretty much finalized, they backed out of the deal with ASAN and partnered with AS. It sucks, but at least the character was created with the help of an organization that isn't PETA but with Autism.
My Autism was discovered way to late, at 17 years old. School was hell, and solitude was my only escape. Now that solitude has become harmful. I don't have many interests, and starting conversations is often difficult, but the people at my work - at least the open ones - enjoy my company. But there are also some people who have no idea what it is, and one even accused me of lying. The portrayal of the spectrum in moviesis often so riddled with stereotypes, it simply isn't fun.
@LexusLFA554 I'm autistic too. How could anyone in this day-&-age possibly not know about autism?! I just don't believe that. Also, I hate it when people complain about stereotypes in fictional media because stereotypes have a basis in truth. It's not like they're made-up bullcrap with no basis in reality. Also, portrayals of autism in fictional media have been more varied than people claim. For example, it can't be said that Raymond Babbit, Forrest Gump, Adrian Monk & Ambrose Monk, Sheldon Cooper, and Shaun Murphy are exactly the same as one another, because they simply aren't.
@@Optimegatrongodzilla "How could anyone in this day-&-age possibly not know about autism?" By being over 50 years old, close to no internet access, and a soulless person who has no feelings for other people. In terms of media, my comment was probably a bit too general. I have to admit that I don't know of any of the mentioned people except Forrest Gump.
@@Optimegatrongodzilla Well, I grew up to 17 years old without a TV, even if it wasn't in an impoverished land. Just because I don't know something you don't need to insult me.
@@LexusLFA554 1.I didn't realize you were talking about yourself. I thought you were saying that the "soulless person who doesn't care for other people" you mentioned, who I figure is either your father or your mother, was the 50-year-old you were talking about. 2.I did not insult you. If that's how you perceived what I said, I apologize because that was not my intention. If you're 50, I don't see how you would have gotten an Autism diagnosis at 17 years old because that long ago, the only people who were thought of as being autistic were those who are retarded and outside of medical circles, most people had never heard of autism.
Kieran didn’t deserve a thing that happened to him. Got tied to a tree, occasionally assaulted, sexually harassed by Bill, and eventually killed. Rest in peace, paranoid king!
I could talk forever about Edgeworth being autistic. His special interest in The Steel Samurai? His polymath tendencies in school (us finding out he won awards for flute playing, speech giving and golf playing) combined with breaking down at the slightest imperfection? The incredible depths of emotion that he almost never expresses well (I’m thinking of this time in a bonus court sketch in which he hides under his bench because he can’t handle the FEELINGS inspired by Phoenix becoming a lawyer to save him)? So relatable.
SAME BRO LIKE AT THE END OF TURNABOUT GOODBYES WHEN HE TAKES MAYA’S “that’s how you say thank you!” LITERALLY AND HE JUST GOES “Whooooooooooop.” IS SO AUTISM CODED LIKE JAJSHDBDJD
@Eddierewrwrwerw I can definitely see that exacerbating it. However, if you were (perhaps overtly) Special Interested in the character as I was once, one finds lore suggests that he was like that long before his father died. (We get the bits that Phoenix knows about, of course, but it's even expanded upon, primarily in AAI2.)
It's honestly kinda crazy how I can relate to every single character in this video, at least a little bit. The perfectionism of edgeworth, being open to people I feel more safe to and taking the blame for everything like Josh (aswell as the tiny examples in 7:34), not being able to read context clues like Silver, the short temper of Wrench, talking a lot about things I love like Kieran, being shy and quiet like Sunny, and not feeling like I belong like Mae. Great video!
Watch_Dogs 2 is one of my favorite games, I bought it on release day on disc which I still have. Josh has become SO kino as I've gotten older and entered the workforce. Everything about his social interactions, posture, confusion, and ESPECIALLY the imposter syndrome and self deprication is literally me. Like, I got another pep talk from my supervisor TODAY to reassure me that I'm doing good.
Outside of work im like a twitchy, infodumping, hyperfixating machine full of hobbies and bursting with stories and information, but while im at work or otherwise around very normal and unfamiliar people I clam up and become really succinct, stoic, and robotic just like how Josh is in the game. I think it could be because of teen bullying trauma mixed in with a percieved external "vibe" of societal pressure to conform and appear outwardly normal that keeps me not nessesarily masked, but armoured.
That game just speaks to me, it’s also one of my favourites. My kind of characters, I agree with their ideals and goals and Turbo Lover played in the chase during Cyberdriver. 10/10
I really liked this video but I feel like it is important to adress how autism being recognized as a disability is extremely important, specially to level 2 and 3 (medium and low functioning peers). Refusing to label it as such is like saying having a disability is bad, when it's not, all all. We are NOT able to function as neurotypical people, no matter where in the spectrum we are. 90% of autistic people are unenployed. We are more prone to mental illness, bullying, and social isolation overall. Some of us can't communicate or live by themselves. Aknowledging it is a disability is crucial for these people to get help, and there just is nothing wrong with it being a disability, because it's not synonim to it being an illness, which it's not.
I tend to have moments where life stops feeling real where I can drift into my head a lot and freak out when the feeling lasts too long, playing Night in the Woods helped me put that feeling into words better, and made me feel less alone in that feeling. I owe that game a lot.
Genuinely, had this strange feeling where my eyes saw the world as it was yet my brain made me felt like I was staring at just a collection of shapes and colors. And until I remembered NITW exists, I genuinely had a hard time putting the feeling into words This game is an absolute masterpiece
I have two tattoos (one of Mae and one of one of her doodles from her notebook) because this game helped me get through discovering my depression, anxiety, dissociation, and autism. It helped me stop being suicidal, and it helped me when I had a crisis of faith and stopped being Christian. I owe NITW my life for those reasons, and adore the game for it. It will always be very important to me.
I'm getting diagnosis this week and I'm scared but I don't know what I'm really scared of is it the disappointment or the future. do you like black holes?
Wholeheartedly same. I got diagnosed with it like 3 weeks ago, it explained everything. I wasn’t surprised though, as after my curiosity got triggered earlier this year and I did some research on it, I was pretty confident I (and my Dad) had it-I wasn’t about to leave it at a self diagnosis, though, there are enough people who don’t have certain disorders, yet claim they do.
“Being autistic was something I was ashamed of” literally makes me realize how lucky I am to find out I was autistic AFTER I gained self love lol. I would’ve been so insufferable if I had known I was autistic like 3 years ago, I would probably talk about it all the time and make it everyone else’s problem. Sometimes I wish that I knew I was autistic beforehand because that would’ve given me more awareness and time to figure out how to deal with it more, but this one phrase has made me come to the realization that this is probably for the best lmaoo. The day that I found out I was autistic I was confused (not because it didn’t make sense to me, I was just surprised because I never considered it as a possibility), but like I was never really like “oh noooo I have autism dang” I was just like “ok ig cool?” And also it helps that I was obsessed with Abed from Community and the reason I even found out I was autistic was because I found out he was autistic (I literally related to him so much without realizing he was autistic, found out he was autistic and was like “wait am I autistic”, researched autism, and took medically approved tests that said I was autistic), so pretty much realizing I was autistic was just like “ok so I’m even more like one of my favorite characters of all time than I realized” lol 1:42 oh my gosh this would literally be such a good time to include an Abed shoutout which makes me think this RUclipsr hasn’t seen Community, so if you see this PLEASE please watch the show Community. It starts off just decent, but gets REALLY good and hilarious midway through the first season
I honestly feel like Wrench has ADHD instead of autism. As someone with ADHD I can relate to almost everything that Wrench does specially when it comes to being loud and being bad at reading the room
The two conditions have a decent amount of overlap. I was misdiagnosed with ADHD for a short time, then after a brain scan I was rediagnosed with Asperger’s.
@@kingdollop-head743 I don’t believe it was the brain scan alone. More that it was contributing to a rediagnosis. The brain scan was done because I was having seizures.
To be fair, it's technically possible for him to have both. He does give me more ADHD vibes as well, but I could just as easily see him having both and leaning into the ADHD side more heavily.
I haven’t been diagnosed with autism, but from what I’ve heard other people say, animation and comics tend to have much better representation than live-action media when it comes to the topic… especially in regard to the examples you gave (ಥ_ಥ) I can’t understand why this pattern is so prevalent, though. Maybe it’s a difference in directorial decisions, or some traits are easier/harder to portray in certain mediums…? ¯\_(⊙︿⊙)_/¯ Also, Silver The Hedgehog mention! I win. Seriously though, I’m happy you brought him (and the general franchise) into the conversation (⌐■_■) Sega had quite a habit of sidelining interesting characters and plots when “cringe culture” was at it’s peak. However, now that we’ve (hopefully) unlearned shame, they’re making a comeback ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ Anyways, I’d argue that a good chunk of characters in Sonic The Hedgehog exhibit signs of neurodivergence, including (as you had already mentioned) Silver! Starline, Sonic, Shadow, Tangle, Tails, Big, Knuckles, and even Surge are also particular standouts, in my opinion (^-^) On top of that, I consider many characters in Deltarune and Undertale to be on the spectrum (∗•ω•∗) Actually… this is Toby Fox we’re talking about, it’s probably easier to list who doesn’t constantly exhibit neurodivergent traits.
I agree with everything you just said. I also feel like Amy might be on the spectrum (and I could probably go into why very in depth) that might just be me projecting though.
I agree with everything you just said. I also think that Amy is on the spectrum and could probably go into why in depth. That may just be me projecting but still.
As an Ace Attorney fan, i think Ace Attorney was how I found out I had autism. It was a huge hyperfixation for me, making me wake up, eat, play all day and voice the characters, and then sleep. So thank you ace attorney for awakening the neurodivergent
Night in the woods was such an important game to me because it helped me realize that I am not the only person with disassociation issues. While I would still have moments it atleast gave me the closure to learn what I have. I also have a sharkle tattoo on my leg.
I was diagnosed with high function autism when I was 6… I was in denial in my teenage years as well. It took me until I was like 18-19 to understand it’s okay to have autism cause I was always in special education because of my disabilities with learning so I felt very insecure about it and I felt like there was something wrong with me that I had to go in the special education classes and not in the other classes with the other kids. I was harsh on myself and I was in denial. I remember I burst out crying when I was a kid when my mom told me I had autism… I just thought I’d share that about me cause maybe some of you can relate. I still always feel weird being autistic people feel the need to unnecessarily baby me even when I say I’m okay. I even had someone talk to me like I was 5… it’s weird experience and I have very specific hobbies like video games and art… I often fixate on things people label as weird like bugs and insects and whenever I talk about bugs people get grossed out… it’s never like anyone listening or taking interest in my special hobbies, it’s always labeled as weird… I like weird things like spirits and supernatural stuff and spiders… I’m also a big animal nerd and I love Pokémon lol… my mom always would hate me for buying Pokémon merch… she said it’s a waste of money and I won’t be happy with it… being autistic is isolating as well…
I’m autistic myself yet I didn’t notice that half the characters were on the spectrum. It’s easy to forget that it’s just one part of our personality when it blends with interests and circumstances. Fictional characters are masked by stereotypes but once you see the pattern it blows your mind.
One more thing I noticed about Josh in WD2 in this video: he fidgets when sitting down moving back and forth as a stim and he's also having problems with maintaining good eye contact, looking at and away from people repeatedly or just not looking at people at all when talking to them which is so relatable. Also this explains why I liked Silver so much (and still do). I haven't really interacted with recent games or comics but what you showed? Damn. Also Omori is literally me hello??? (Inlcuding having a sweet and lovely sister but without having *spoilered*)
My favourite unofficially autistic character is Laios from Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi. He's a sweet guy who often gets dismissed as silly, but is really reliable and has a lot more emotional depth than is immediately obvious. His special interest in Monsters is really relatable, and kind of contagious. I love him
what makes it so hard to create autistic characters is that autism is unpredictable by nature, two autistics can be the complete opposite of each other, hell, me and my friend (both autistic) are basically, one is a genius at useless information and the other an authoritarian furry
It's funny because I was watching a friend stream Omori earlier this year and he's on the spectrum, and when I asked him what he thought of Sunny he immediately said, "Oh, Sunny is autism-coded, definitely." Sunny is definitely interesting from a character point because you can extrapolate a lot of his personality from the gameplay, narration, and even the Foe Facts journal. Off the top of my head: - He likes to rate people's beds based on comfort. Literally every bed he can interact with he will rate it based on how comfortable it is to lay on it. The funny thing is his friends don't even comment on it which implies that they understand that this is just a Sunny™ thing to do and I love that. - He's got a very dry sense of humor - his musing on several enemies in Foe Facts really show this (especially the Rabbit(?) enemy). - In gameplay, Sunny is immune is being Happy and can only reach Tier 1 Angry and Sad which shows how much he's suppressed his emotions. Even his Tier 1 Angry looks way more intense than the others. Contrast to Omori, who is the only party member to reach Tier 3 emotions. - He's courageous to boot. Even when faced with his fear of water, he will jump in and learn to conquer his phobia as well. For someone who, at that point, had only been out of the house for several days that's a pretty big deal. There's a lot more I could go over, but yeah... Sunny is a very fascinating and deep protagonist to me.
One of my favourite details about Josh in Watch_Dogs 2 that always stuck with me is that someone, I think Marcus, stopped someone else in the crew from giving him energy drinks because "You know what they do to him." and that was a detail so hyperspecific that I know they for sure had a bunch of Autistic people in the writers room.
This is such a good video omg. I saw Silver in the thumbnail and clicked as fast as I can, as he is my favorite character and I also read him as autistic, as an autistic person myself. Before I even got into sonic my friends made comparisons between me and him and thats part of what prompted me to look into Sonic more seriously beyond just 'oh yeah I watched Sonic X as a kid. I guess'. ALSO part of the reason I got so attatched to him so fast is because of a special interest of my own; internet aesthetics. I saw him, his design, how he was released in 2006, how he's from the future and instantly clocked him as 'Omg Frutiger Aero the Hedgehog', and that remains true. I won't info dump in your comments section but that pretty much sold me INSTANTLY on his character before I even knew his story proper and came to truly appreciate who he is and how much I see myself in him. Overall? Excellent video 10/10
@ don’t worry it’s easy to tell somebody doesn’t have autism if they have normal regular pronouns and not this stupid xe xir or they crap or 2 different pronouns that aren’t related
miles edgeworth mentioned !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my goodness i think about him so much it's not even funny,, he's like. my favorite character of all timeeee
6:12 I prefer the term "mental disorder" as it does not assume inability to do things. It's like having a messy room with the potential to know where everything is.
As someone who has high functioning autism I admire and loved your video about characters that maybe on the spectrum, Growing up I didn’t see any awareness about my autism nor character I can relate to. ( Except, maybe Sponge bob… i think he’s on the spectrum to and Peridot, I love Steven Universe.) Also I always thought of Mae Browski being on the spectrum ever since I played it last year and she feels So relatable to me, ever since I dropped out of college 7 years ago and me having anger issues when I was in school with no friends to support me and feeling like you’re all alone with no to talk to 😞. Thank You SO MUCH for making not feel that I’m not alone 😭.
i love kieran so much. my absolute fav. i see his behaviors as a defense mechanism honestly, in a similar way as arthur has. arthur is mean and agressive to people as a defense mechanism while kieran is kind and compliant as his own. and both of them genuinely care for people, arthur just doesn't like to show it.
This video was great, as you can tell by my pfp I'm a pretty big Kieran Duffy fan. I played rdr2 at a time of my life when I was coming to terms with my diagnosis. Like you said I've been bullied for it in the past and I tried to burry it. Having a character like Kieran who I immediately latched onto and projected on oddly helped myself become more comfortable in my own skin. I have countless other characters for who I've done the same. I loved this video so much.
Somehow, the algorithm has a knack for finding all the autism creatures that roam on the Internet. Thank you to the group that recommended this.😂😂😂❤❤❤❤ you just gained a new subscriber
28:58 there’s a new show coming out on PBS kids with a whole cast of neurodivergent characters! It’s called Carl the Collecter and as a Autistic person, I say it looks pretty well done from the trailers.
I'm maybe a little surprised to see that Kieran Duffy is your go-to RDR2 autistic character, but that's just because... I hate to say it, but... Micah feels incredibly autistic. I know he's a bastard, but beyond what he says, the way he interacts with people as well as on his own was very relatable to me. Like, how he talks and moves his body.
As a BIG Kieran fan, I'm happy more people think he's on the spectrum. I see a lot of myself in his character and the mission where you go fishing with him always touches me and makes me cry a little
SUNNYS NOT JUST THE ONLY AUTISTIC-CODED CHARACTER IN OMORI!!!!!!!!!!! i was hyperfix8ed on basil at one point and OH LORD is he neurodivergent. somehow i convince myself that im past my omori phase and then it comes back when someone gets something wrong about basil
Also I like this video! I can relate a lot to this! The characters you showed are adorable! I never played most of these games, but now I think I might have to. These are pretty accurate representations of autism and I love it!
oh shit wait wrench just made me realise i might have autism. i always thought autism was having trouble socialy but this is what i experience. holy crap dude.
Watch Dogs 2 IS that good. I love that the game allows you to play non lethal playthrough as someone on the spectrum that doesn't always enjoy violent chaotic playthroughs. It was fun strategy game.
I saw Wrench Jr and Silver and clicked SO fast. Also regarding Josh !! Iirc his VA actually went off and did some research of his own into autism bc he wanted to make sure Josh was played correctly !! I could be wrong tho but it’s a wholesome idea ^^ !
On a semi related note, the Pokemon franchise has a metric ton of coded characters that intentional or not (and when they have characters who "memorized various manuals that told him how to interact with other people" or are visibly overstimulated when she goes outside and has trouble eating food, I think its far to say its the former) genuinely set the bar extremely high. But the funny thing is their only character that's actually confirmed (due to leaks granted, but it seems like it was never changed) gives Sean G. Doctor a run for his money, dude literally tried to kill everyone besides himself including the people that loved him, all because he saw people with emotions as inferior, which is just a new level of stereotyping. But still better than other autistic villains lol
@LimusTSlime I'm autistic too. In the 'The Good Doctor' episode you mentioned, which is titled 'She', the titular character of the series, Shaun Murphy, had never heard of transgender people and gender dysphoria wasn't covered by his medical education. By the end of the episode, he comes to understand the young trans patient in the episode and refers to her as "she". Also, I want to point out that despite Sesame Workshop having consulted with Autism Speaks when creating the autistic child Muppet character named Julia for 'Sesame Street', based on all of the clips I have watched on RUclips, Sesame Workshop has done a really good job with the character. If such a character had been introduced in the series back in the early 2000s, perhaps a good chunk of the bullying we went through while growing up wouldn't have happened.
But what's sad is that Autistic people still get discriminated the reason why I'm saying this is because I'm also Autistic and I hate that I even said that but it's true because it's hard for someone like me to find a job that doesn't treat me like garbage
If you are looking for a canon autistic character played by an autistic person look into Heartbreak High’s Queenie… played by the Chloe Hayden. Based off of heartbreak and drama in a very accurate Australian school their character is accurate and never the stereotype that most media shows. Definitely a show I’d watch over and over
As someone with le ‘tism, I can just stare deep into a characters eyes and scan them, stare deep within them, realize them, make connections with their personality, and go “yep, that one, right there, thats the one I like”
23:49 (spoiler warning for Omori) I can totally see why you’d say that but I believe Basil is a little more messed up, seeing that it was his idea to hide the truth and not to mention the fact that near the end of the game he try’s to kill Sunny with a pair of shears in an attempt to “protect” him. His mental state has deteriorated to the point of literal psychosis by then and that’s why it’s up to Sunny, who still at least is somewhat grounded in reality, to save him because he’s genuinely incapable of saving himself by that point.
Me, my brother, and a few other people I know, started a group called the "Autistic Cheese Puffs" and it was kinda a way to show yeah, we are autistic, we are also still human
Something I wanna say as an autistic man who's also disabled in multiple other ways including physically, it took a while for me to call my autism a disability due to the fact it took a while for me to accept any of my disabilities. Now I say my autism is a disability with pride because I've learnt that disability isn't a bad thing and disabled isn't a bad word It's a bit funny looking back on the fact that I was trying to insist my chronic pain condition that prevents me from walking some days and gives me serious balance issues wasn't actually a disability. Like I CANT WALK PROPERLY 😅
Also my autism does disable me but it's also not wholly negative, like yeah I'm fully unable to function on some days but I know so much about my special interests and I've made a lot of friends through them. I honestly think the reason for so much of the is autism a disability thing comes from people assuming something being a disability means it's entirely negative or you have to be miserable all the time or whatever. Even with my serious physical disabilities they're still not like the end of my life or the worst thing that could ever happen
I never got super into the Sonic franchise, but I remember loving Sonic X and Boom when I was younger, and as soon as I got my grubby little hands on the IDW comics and figured out who the heck Silver even was (I FR THOUGHT HE WAS A GRANDPA BECAUSE I JUST GRABBED A RANDOM BOOK FROM THE SERIES AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON-) he was my favorite. I always loved the Sonic characters and felt I could relate to them. At this point I think you can guess that I was eventually diagnosed with AuDHD- Anyways I love seeing good representation of people who have traits like me, even if they aren't neurodiverse, idk it's just nice seeing people like me and my friends ^^
Mae from NITW is such a relatable character to me, and I basically felt the exact same thing for a while in my life That is, feeling like the world was just shapes and not much more. Genuinely could not put it into words until I remembered that this game exists, I'm still a bit confused about how I feel such a similar thing to Mae but thinking about this one game has got me through a lot I think this game is a masterpiece
Great video, but Edgeworth's perfectionism probably also steams from the second kg 8 incident and Yew's escape/how his first trial against Mia ended, his defeats against Phoenix also probably beought back the terrible memories around those events. Also, what about Vera from Ace attorney 4?
(Warning, huge list of semi obscure games incoming.) Let's go Watch Dogs 2 mentioned! Jokes aside, really interesting video! If I may, here are some other niche games with, at the very least, interesting takes on Autistic-coded characters: -Kent = Amnesia Memories. (A mess of a visual novel and story. However, Kent has the most straightforward romance, and deal with the topic of someone emotionally closed-off rather well for its time period, and the fact it was made in Japan.) -Most of the cast = Black Survival: Immortal Soul. (This game is not available anymore, sadly. Thankfully, most of the character writing was saved up by fans online. For an online PVP experience, the devs really put a lot of thoughts into creating a diverse cast of characters, that are never really demonized for the things that can make them different. Some, like JP, Leon, or Arda, could be considered as autistic coded, but that does not stop them from feeling unique to one another, in the best possible way.) -Richard = Growing up. (A raising sim, where you experience random events throughout your life, while trying to become as good of a person as you can be in the 90s. In this type of narrative/management experience, it's very important to have a huge range of characters, and this game is very respectful, even if a bit sappy. Richard is not the only characters I could see being autistic, although he's one of the more explicit examples. He's one of the three characters you can have as a childhood friend, and seeing him grow out of his self, through good support, all the while not getting rid of his anxiety and awkwardness, is very heartwarming.) -The twins (Dys & Tangent) = I was a teenage exocolonist. (It's impossible to talk about this game without spoiling it. But the cast is one of the most unique aspect of this game, and seeing them grow up alongside your own character, is one of the best experience I've seen in a modern title.) -Again, a lot of the characters = Kindred Spirits on the Roof. (Basically, two dead girls contact an emotionally closed off teenager to play matchmaker within the school grounds, now that homosexuality is less taboo. It's pretty... interesting?) -The Seraphs & Angela = Lobotomy Corporation/Library of Ruina. (Again, it's impossible to discuss Project Moon games, without spoiling everything. Just know that the characters are partially... robots? Kinda? So they feel off, but not really. It's complicated, but it does lead to extremely interesting and intimate characterization.) -Meursault = Limbus Company. (I mean, whether it's the actual novel by Camus, or Project Moon's version, Meursault is one of the most neurodivergent characters ever made.) -Peter Parker = Marvel's Midnight Sun. (Kind of a reach, but the way Peter is portrayed in this game, as this overly genuine guy who is really happy, but also fails hard to make connections at times, hits really close to home. Also, this game has really cool, meaningful interactions between the different heroes, so... it's worth a shot.) -A LOT of the cast = Monster Prom 1 to 3. (The entire point of these games is to portray outcast characters getting into insane shenanigans. If I had to say, Calculester, and Liam feel pretty autistic-coded, but they definitely aren't the only ones. The games are pretty inclusive overall. The dark humor isn't for everyone though.) -Sig = Puyo Puyo. (Honestly, they are not even trying to hide it at this point. He's hilarious to be fair, but depending on the game, either he's a high-functioning neurodivergent guy, or he's deep into his special interest. To be fair, these games are lighthearted and Sig is not even a main character in most of the entries. Not sure if you could also count Schezo, because I'm pretty sure his social awkwardness comesfrom him having a hard time expressing himself, due to his choice of words, not his actual attitude.) -Benson & Ze = Volcano Princess. (Again, kind of a reach for these two, but it is interesting to see positive depictions of men with very closed-off emotions, or, in the case of Benson, someone who needs their alone time and have "non-traditionally masculine interests" without sacrificing the will necessary to protect those you care about. Who knew raising sim could be so inclusive?) -Cove = Our Life: Beginning and Always. (It's not stated in-game but the devs openly explained he was meant to be autistic and you can feel it. I won't spoil much, but seeing Cove's growth and watching the relation between him and your character develop is extremely sweet and touching. He has flaws that he works on, and, as the MC of a visual novel, is very developed compared to your average representation.) -Gin = Your Turn to Die. (This kid is autistic, and it has been confirmed, woof. Despite YTTD being inspired by Danganronpa, however, the characters are pretty grounded. Gin feels very real, and is a pretty good representation of an underage boy, 10, with a special interest that still has character beyond his quirks.) -Raqio = Gnosia. (A werewolf roguelite VN game. Sounds insane? Well imagine it takes place in the far future, in space, and you got a whole bunch of characters to meet. Raqio is the most explicit autistic representation in the game, but they're not the only one. Contrary to most of the others on this list though, they're not very pleasant and they don't try to be. It feels pretty refreshing, and this doesn't stop them from having their moments and qualities.) (I only have access to my steam page rn. So I could probably find more obscure indie games I know with representation, but these are the only characters I could remember at the moment.)
“We need more autism rep” the entire team fortress 2 cast: (sadly it is all hcs but also sniper in the comics is EXTREMELY autistic coded. also scouts autistic cuz have you seen that man? look at him. autism)
I've been diagnosed as autistic when I was in high school, and one of my favorite non officialy autistic character from a video game is Ferdinand von Aegir from Fire Emblem Three Houses ! (I even wrote a small article in french about him). I'm glad to see Miles Edgeworth in this video, and I have to admit I never really saw him as autistic because I have the bad habit of never taking the serie seriously (for example I bursted out laughing when Kazuma did his big revelation in TGAA2). Considering that, I really liked to see another point of view about him ! Sorry for my bad english !
I see Miles Edgeworth, I clicked. But after playing the games, seeing ‘hints’ (with quote marks because it’s still a headcanon and not confirmed by capcom) is why I relate to him so much (except being stoic).
Lived with borderline Autism most of my life. Way I see it, it's like a Skill Chart, where you're min-maxing stats (e.g. Max in Luck, Min in Charisma). In my case, it's social cues (which I suck at), overthinking (which I'm terrible at), and music (which I'd say I'm okay at... 5 instruments and counting). Autism isn't a blessing or a curse. It's just a roll of the dice with what you have. Love this video explaining it - I'd say you did a very good job about it. Thanks
@pocketinfinity6733 It's not like genius autists don't exist and it's never claimed in the fictional media in which they're portrayed that all autists are geniuses.
@@KittyTrackz It's not like genius autists don't exist and it's never claimed in the fictional media in which they're portrayed that all autists are geniuses.
As much as I have often seen myself as the "smart guy" with Asperger's (though college has knocked me down several pegs), I feel that with how often the "autistic genius" is shown, it encourages people to assume that autistic people are prodigies. Because of this, people might end up treating autistic people worse after said autistic people don't meet the expectation of being -intelligent.
I knew I loved Kieran for a reason, besides being just a button of a man, also loved that he loved horses so much. I was crushed when he was killed and made an exsample of, even being sent back to camp on his poor horse
Omg if you want another example in this slightly dry well, Cemetery Mary has a FANTASTIC canonically autistic protagonist! I love her a lot lol, highly recommend checking it out!
I replayed Watch Dogs 2 this year after 4 years, and i can say that Josh and Wrench are my favourite characters on the game Now i wanna check more of them on the DLC missions
Hey ASD Las , I loved your video! As regards the Sonic comics, I also find Tangle the lemur to be nerodivergent (have ADHD), which I absolutely love her character. I don't know if this is a thing, but I have really good friends who have ADHD. It's like the hyped ADHD and the calm ASD combo bounce off each other, which makes for a great time. I see this dynamic happen with Tangle and Whisper.(Also, just a theory I found Whisper the wolf to be very relatable. I find she has ASD characteristics.) And yes, I know ASD and ADHD is a spectrum, and everyone experiences it differently, I just wanted to have an excuse to talk about the Sonic comics. 😅😊
0:58 What’s sad is that Maddie didn’t even want the role. At one point, she cried during filming because she felt like she was making fun of autistic people. She deserves far better.
well its cuz sia is a piece of garbage who doesnt take maddies emotions into consideration at all
Remember never blame the actors blame the writers who made the thing
@ no one blames maddie for the poor representation. everyone blames sía
@@Krimsin01 yeah they were agreeing
Jesus Christ I misread that as "autumn in videogames" and thought this would be abt like maple treeway from Mario kart Wii or something
It's finally Autism, I love the Fall!
@@beuwmwa-yay bathden seasoning!
I love when it's Autism and the leaves start to fall
half of the video would be just stardew valley
That’s still good.
“Autism = special ed” is what kids learned off the internet. So whenever you do something strange, BOOM, get slapped with the autism label of shame.
Nevermind the internet, they learned it in school with the rest of us who were actually in it. I didn't have the internet when I was going to school.
I hate seeing these 4chan posts with the op saying some stupid and then saying hes autistic like no your not autistic your just stupid
this is the point i always try to tell people then they tell me im "sensitive" or that im a snowflake or some shit
@@BallScratcher3 How do you know though? They might actually be on the spectrum but just because they don't tick your specific set of boxes...?
@@Roadent1241 i think they meant the people who use Autism as an insult towards others (if i read it correctly)
I always saw Kieran as someone who was terrified of having his brains blown out if he says the wrong thing. I definitley see the hyperfixation on horses now though
My brain thought you meant Kieran from Pokémon until the Red Dead Redemption part.
@@nabbitgohome9672 imo every rival from scarlet and violet is autistic imo
He’s my favorite autistic horse girl I love him
i also read this as pokemon's kieran and i fully accepted for a second that i just missed that he was really into horses
@@KB-xc6mdagree!! he’s also my favorite autistic horse girl
maybe the true autism were the friends we made along the way
It truly was an autism.
as a rpg dm I can assure that
Yakuza:Like a Dragon in a nutshell
@@SitraSancan you tell me how to get to the station
@@BuckTheODST Ohhh it's ENGLISH.... 🫥
0:45 Julia was not made by Autism Speaks. Sesame Street initially worked with (iirc) the Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN for short). At the last minute, after Julia's character was pretty much finalized, they backed out of the deal with ASAN and partnered with AS. It sucks, but at least the character was created with the help of an organization that isn't PETA but with Autism.
I prefer them call them autisanazis
"PETA but with Autism" is so accurate!
My Autism was discovered way to late, at 17 years old. School was hell, and solitude was my only escape. Now that solitude has become harmful. I don't have many interests, and starting conversations is often difficult, but the people at my work - at least the open ones - enjoy my company. But there are also some people who have no idea what it is, and one even accused me of lying.
The portrayal of the spectrum in moviesis often so riddled with stereotypes, it simply isn't fun.
@LexusLFA554
I'm autistic too. How could anyone in this day-&-age possibly not know about autism?! I just don't believe that. Also, I hate it when people complain about stereotypes in fictional media because stereotypes have a basis in truth. It's not like they're made-up bullcrap with no basis in reality. Also, portrayals of autism in fictional media have been more varied than people claim. For example, it can't be said that Raymond Babbit, Forrest Gump, Adrian Monk & Ambrose Monk, Sheldon Cooper, and Shaun Murphy are exactly the same as one another, because they simply aren't.
@@Optimegatrongodzilla "How could anyone in this day-&-age possibly not know about autism?" By being over 50 years old, close to no internet access, and a soulless person who has no feelings for other people.
In terms of media, my comment was probably a bit too general. I have to admit that I don't know of any of the mentioned people except Forrest Gump.
@LexusLFA554 I still can't imagine someone having never heard of it, unless they were from some crappy, impoverished country.
@@Optimegatrongodzilla Well, I grew up to 17 years old without a TV, even if it wasn't in an impoverished land. Just because I don't know something you don't need to insult me.
@@LexusLFA554
1.I didn't realize you were talking about yourself. I thought you were saying that the "soulless person who doesn't care for other people" you mentioned, who I figure is either your father or your mother, was the 50-year-old you were talking about.
2.I did not insult you. If that's how you perceived what I said, I apologize because that was not my intention.
If you're 50, I don't see how you would have gotten an Autism diagnosis at 17 years old because that long ago, the only people who were thought of as being autistic were those who are retarded and outside of medical circles, most people had never heard of autism.
Kieran didn’t deserve a thing that happened to him. Got tied to a tree, occasionally assaulted, sexually harassed by Bill, and eventually killed. Rest in peace, paranoid king!
I read this before watching the video and thought it was about Kieran from Pokémon 😭
The fact my name is Bill 😳
I could talk forever about Edgeworth being autistic. His special interest in The Steel Samurai? His polymath tendencies in school (us finding out he won awards for flute playing, speech giving and golf playing) combined with breaking down at the slightest imperfection? The incredible depths of emotion that he almost never expresses well (I’m thinking of this time in a bonus court sketch in which he hides under his bench because he can’t handle the FEELINGS inspired by Phoenix becoming a lawyer to save him)? So relatable.
SAME BRO LIKE AT THE END OF TURNABOUT GOODBYES WHEN HE TAKES MAYA’S “that’s how you say thank you!” LITERALLY AND HE JUST GOES “Whooooooooooop.” IS SO AUTISM CODED LIKE JAJSHDBDJD
I didn't know Edgeworth was autistic what 😭 waa and Phoenix being a lawyer to save him made me so happy
@@mistdoesstuff I KNOOOW I was thinking about that myself after I made my comment! Great moment.
I always figured his problems with imperfection came from Manfred.
@Eddierewrwrwerw I can definitely see that exacerbating it. However, if you were (perhaps overtly) Special Interested in the character as I was once, one finds lore suggests that he was like that long before his father died. (We get the bits that Phoenix knows about, of course, but it's even expanded upon, primarily in AAI2.)
It's honestly kinda crazy how I can relate to every single character in this video, at least a little bit. The perfectionism of edgeworth, being open to people I feel more safe to and taking the blame for everything like Josh (aswell as the tiny examples in 7:34), not being able to read context clues like Silver, the short temper of Wrench, talking a lot about things I love like Kieran, being shy and quiet like Sunny, and not feeling like I belong like Mae. Great video!
Honestly same! It's kinda uncanny 😅
Yes, specially when I feel like those characters sometimes
Uh, if you can really relate that much, maybe take a look at autism and ADHD(the two are often very similar).
@@illuminum8576 I already have, I have autism, but not ADHD.
Hold up, a video essay about autism that doesnt just make fun of it, instead it explains and analyze in details? Definitely earned a like and a sub
Idk whats in your feed, but there's a lot of them. Usually made by autists too.
Hmm maybe because he has it himself you dumbass
Watch_Dogs 2 is one of my favorite games, I bought it on release day on disc which I still have. Josh has become SO kino as I've gotten older and entered the workforce. Everything about his social interactions, posture, confusion, and ESPECIALLY the imposter syndrome and self deprication is literally me. Like, I got another pep talk from my supervisor TODAY to reassure me that I'm doing good.
Outside of work im like a twitchy, infodumping, hyperfixating machine full of hobbies and bursting with stories and information, but while im at work or otherwise around very normal and unfamiliar people I clam up and become really succinct, stoic, and robotic just like how Josh is in the game. I think it could be because of teen bullying trauma mixed in with a percieved external "vibe" of societal pressure to conform and appear outwardly normal that keeps me not nessesarily masked, but armoured.
Not to mention in canon josh is an operator he gets around and puts fools to the sword in Brazil when their dedsec branch goes dark
That game just speaks to me, it’s also one of my favourites. My kind of characters, I agree with their ideals and goals and Turbo Lover played in the chase during Cyberdriver. 10/10
@@Moonshine449I have found my people
I really liked this video but I feel like it is important to adress how autism being recognized as a disability is extremely important, specially to level 2 and 3 (medium and low functioning peers). Refusing to label it as such is like saying having a disability is bad, when it's not, all all. We are NOT able to function as neurotypical people, no matter where in the spectrum we are. 90% of autistic people are unenployed. We are more prone to mental illness, bullying, and social isolation overall. Some of us can't communicate or live by themselves. Aknowledging it is a disability is crucial for these people to get help, and there just is nothing wrong with it being a disability, because it's not synonim to it being an illness, which it's not.
Thank you. There are so many people who get mad at me for mentioning it is one.
I tend to have moments where life stops feeling real where I can drift into my head a lot and freak out when the feeling lasts too long, playing Night in the Woods helped me put that feeling into words better, and made me feel less alone in that feeling. I owe that game a lot.
Mmm, dissociation
Genuinely, had this strange feeling where my eyes saw the world as it was yet my brain made me felt like I was staring at just a collection of shapes and colors.
And until I remembered NITW exists, I genuinely had a hard time putting the feeling into words
This game is an absolute masterpiece
I have two tattoos (one of Mae and one of one of her doodles from her notebook) because this game helped me get through discovering my depression, anxiety, dissociation, and autism. It helped me stop being suicidal, and it helped me when I had a crisis of faith and stopped being Christian. I owe NITW my life for those reasons, and adore the game for it. It will always be very important to me.
I recently discovered I was on the spectrum this year. Every thing confusing in my life has made a lot more sense now...
I'm getting diagnosis this week and I'm scared but I don't know what I'm really scared of is it the disappointment or the future. do you like black holes?
@@W4llt4lkr Black holes low key scare me like the idea of them is terrifying but they're also so interesting.
@Freakishly_Weird yeah did you know a black hole in the mass of a penny explodes
Wholeheartedly same. I got diagnosed with it like 3 weeks ago, it explained everything. I wasn’t surprised though, as after my curiosity got triggered earlier this year and I did some research on it, I was pretty confident I (and my Dad) had it-I wasn’t about to leave it at a self diagnosis, though, there are enough people who don’t have certain disorders, yet claim they do.
I hope things stay good for you.
I also found it good to know but my most local friends apparently decided I was enjoying it too much.
“Being autistic was something I was ashamed of” literally makes me realize how lucky I am to find out I was autistic AFTER I gained self love lol. I would’ve been so insufferable if I had known I was autistic like 3 years ago, I would probably talk about it all the time and make it everyone else’s problem. Sometimes I wish that I knew I was autistic beforehand because that would’ve given me more awareness and time to figure out how to deal with it more, but this one phrase has made me come to the realization that this is probably for the best lmaoo. The day that I found out I was autistic I was confused (not because it didn’t make sense to me, I was just surprised because I never considered it as a possibility), but like I was never really like “oh noooo I have autism dang” I was just like “ok ig cool?” And also it helps that I was obsessed with Abed from Community and the reason I even found out I was autistic was because I found out he was autistic (I literally related to him so much without realizing he was autistic, found out he was autistic and was like “wait am I autistic”, researched autism, and took medically approved tests that said I was autistic), so pretty much realizing I was autistic was just like “ok so I’m even more like one of my favorite characters of all time than I realized” lol
1:42 oh my gosh this would literally be such a good time to include an Abed shoutout which makes me think this RUclipsr hasn’t seen Community, so if you see this PLEASE please watch the show Community. It starts off just decent, but gets REALLY good and hilarious midway through the first season
i was gonna mention abed too!! hes such good representation!
I honestly feel like Wrench has ADHD instead of autism. As someone with ADHD I can relate to almost everything that Wrench does specially when it comes to being loud and being bad at reading the room
The two conditions have a decent amount of overlap. I was misdiagnosed with ADHD for a short time, then after a brain scan I was rediagnosed with Asperger’s.
It's always possible to have both after all ^^
@@wizardthecat9808Brain scan? That usually isn’t part of the diagnosis of autism. What kind of brain scan was it?
@@kingdollop-head743 I don’t believe it was the brain scan alone. More that it was contributing to a rediagnosis.
The brain scan was done because I was having seizures.
To be fair, it's technically possible for him to have both. He does give me more ADHD vibes as well, but I could just as easily see him having both and leaning into the ADHD side more heavily.
I haven’t been diagnosed with autism, but from what I’ve heard other people say, animation and comics tend to have much better representation than live-action media when it comes to the topic… especially in regard to the examples you gave (ಥ_ಥ) I can’t understand why this pattern is so prevalent, though. Maybe it’s a difference in directorial decisions, or some traits are easier/harder to portray in certain mediums…? ¯\_(⊙︿⊙)_/¯
Also, Silver The Hedgehog mention! I win. Seriously though, I’m happy you brought him (and the general franchise) into the conversation (⌐■_■) Sega had quite a habit of sidelining interesting characters and plots when “cringe culture” was at it’s peak. However, now that we’ve (hopefully) unlearned shame, they’re making a comeback ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ Anyways, I’d argue that a good chunk of characters in Sonic The Hedgehog exhibit signs of neurodivergence, including (as you had already mentioned) Silver! Starline, Sonic, Shadow, Tangle, Tails, Big, Knuckles, and even Surge are also particular standouts, in my opinion (^-^)
On top of that, I consider many characters in Deltarune and Undertale to be on the spectrum (∗•ω•∗) Actually… this is Toby Fox we’re talking about, it’s probably easier to list who doesn’t constantly exhibit neurodivergent traits.
I agree with everything you just said. I also feel like Amy might be on the spectrum (and I could probably go into why very in depth) that might just be me projecting though.
I agree with everything you just said. I also think that Amy is on the spectrum and could probably go into why in depth. That may just be me projecting but still.
I like your use of these
ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)♡ ᐠ( ᐛ )ᐟ ✧(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
As an Ace Attorney fan, i think Ace Attorney was how I found out I had autism. It was a huge hyperfixation for me, making me wake up, eat, play all day and voice the characters, and then sleep. So thank you ace attorney for awakening the neurodivergent
Night in the woods was such an important game to me because it helped me realize that I am not the only person with disassociation issues. While I would still have moments it atleast gave me the closure to learn what I have. I also have a sharkle tattoo on my leg.
I was diagnosed with high function autism when I was 6… I was in denial in my teenage years as well. It took me until I was like 18-19 to understand it’s okay to have autism cause I was always in special education because of my disabilities with learning so I felt very insecure about it and I felt like there was something wrong with me that I had to go in the special education classes and not in the other classes with the other kids. I was harsh on myself and I was in denial. I remember I burst out crying when I was a kid when my mom told me I had autism… I just thought I’d share that about me cause maybe some of you can relate. I still always feel weird being autistic people feel the need to unnecessarily baby me even when I say I’m okay. I even had someone talk to me like I was 5… it’s weird experience and I have very specific hobbies like video games and art… I often fixate on things people label as weird like bugs and insects and whenever I talk about bugs people get grossed out… it’s never like anyone listening or taking interest in my special hobbies, it’s always labeled as weird… I like weird things like spirits and supernatural stuff and spiders… I’m also a big animal nerd and I love Pokémon lol… my mom always would hate me for buying Pokémon merch… she said it’s a waste of money and I won’t be happy with it… being autistic is isolating as well…
I clicked on the video because I saw Wrench and I was NOT DISAPPOINTED! I cannot lie, I genuinely squealed when I heard "all the things" start playing
i'm barely 2 minutes into the video and i'm already experiencing the 5 stages of grief
I’m autistic myself yet I didn’t notice that half the characters were on the spectrum. It’s easy to forget that it’s just one part of our personality when it blends with interests and circumstances. Fictional characters are masked by stereotypes but once you see the pattern it blows your mind.
They aren’t its mostly made up
Like I could just say Aiden Pearce is an the spectrum doesn’t mean it’s factual
silver was always my favorite growing up, id listen to his theme from 06 all the time out the 3ds speakers while i played minecraft or whatever
As an autistic person myself seeing all these characters I never knew before was so fun to listen to! Such a wonderful video
One more thing I noticed about Josh in WD2 in this video: he fidgets when sitting down moving back and forth as a stim and he's also having problems with maintaining good eye contact, looking at and away from people repeatedly or just not looking at people at all when talking to them which is so relatable.
Also this explains why I liked Silver so much (and still do). I haven't really interacted with recent games or comics but what you showed? Damn.
Also Omori is literally me hello??? (Inlcuding having a sweet and lovely sister but without having *spoilered*)
My favourite unofficially autistic character is Laios from Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meshi. He's a sweet guy who often gets dismissed as silly, but is really reliable and has a lot more emotional depth than is immediately obvious. His special interest in Monsters is really relatable, and kind of contagious. I love him
what makes it so hard to create autistic characters is that autism is unpredictable by nature, two autistics can be the complete opposite of each other, hell, me and my friend (both autistic) are basically, one is a genius at useless information and the other an authoritarian furry
It's like Pinky and the Brain but you're both Brain in different ways.
That's what I said aloud lol@@LuckySketches
It's funny because I was watching a friend stream Omori earlier this year and he's on the spectrum, and when I asked him what he thought of Sunny he immediately said, "Oh, Sunny is autism-coded, definitely."
Sunny is definitely interesting from a character point because you can extrapolate a lot of his personality from the gameplay, narration, and even the Foe Facts journal.
Off the top of my head:
- He likes to rate people's beds based on comfort. Literally every bed he can interact with he will rate it based on how comfortable it is to lay on it. The funny thing is his friends don't even comment on it which implies that they understand that this is just a Sunny™ thing to do and I love that.
- He's got a very dry sense of humor - his musing on several enemies in Foe Facts really show this (especially the Rabbit(?) enemy).
- In gameplay, Sunny is immune is being Happy and can only reach Tier 1 Angry and Sad which shows how much he's suppressed his emotions. Even his Tier 1 Angry looks way more intense than the others. Contrast to Omori, who is the only party member to reach Tier 3 emotions.
- He's courageous to boot. Even when faced with his fear of water, he will jump in and learn to conquer his phobia as well. For someone who, at that point, had only been out of the house for several days that's a pretty big deal.
There's a lot more I could go over, but yeah... Sunny is a very fascinating and deep protagonist to me.
One of my favourite details about Josh in Watch_Dogs 2 that always stuck with me is that someone, I think Marcus, stopped someone else in the crew from giving him energy drinks because "You know what they do to him." and that was a detail so hyperspecific that I know they for sure had a bunch of Autistic people in the writers room.
This is such a good video omg. I saw Silver in the thumbnail and clicked as fast as I can, as he is my favorite character and I also read him as autistic, as an autistic person myself. Before I even got into sonic my friends made comparisons between me and him and thats part of what prompted me to look into Sonic more seriously beyond just 'oh yeah I watched Sonic X as a kid. I guess'. ALSO part of the reason I got so attatched to him so fast is because of a special interest of my own; internet aesthetics. I saw him, his design, how he was released in 2006, how he's from the future and instantly clocked him as 'Omg Frutiger Aero the Hedgehog', and that remains true. I won't info dump in your comments section but that pretty much sold me INSTANTLY on his character before I even knew his story proper and came to truly appreciate who he is and how much I see myself in him. Overall? Excellent video 10/10
Doesn’t silver have a small dick
Now I am NOT autistic but he seems to fit the general traits of autism and same for everything else
@ don’t worry it’s easy to tell somebody doesn’t have autism if they have normal regular pronouns and not this stupid xe xir or they crap or 2 different pronouns that aren’t related
miles edgeworth mentioned !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my goodness i think about him so much it's not even funny,, he's like. my favorite character of all timeeee
we noticed
He's such an interesting character!! He has surprising nuance and depth compared to other characters. I clicked on this video just because of him lol
I noticed with the clips that Josh avoids eye contact a lot. That's a super nice detail and makes my own autistic heart happy.
6:12 I prefer the term "mental disorder" as it does not assume inability to do things. It's like having a messy room with the potential to know where everything is.
Disability doesn't mean someone can't do something, it just means someone has a harder time doing things.
@@polocatfan quite right, and autism can indeed be quite the burden at times
As someone who has high functioning autism I admire and loved your video about characters that maybe on the spectrum, Growing up I didn’t see any awareness about my autism nor character I can relate to. ( Except, maybe Sponge bob… i think he’s on the spectrum to and Peridot, I love Steven Universe.) Also I always thought of Mae Browski being on the spectrum ever since I played it last year and she feels So relatable to me, ever since I dropped out of college 7 years ago and me having anger issues when I was in school with no friends to support me and feeling like you’re all alone with no to talk to 😞.
Thank You SO MUCH for making not feel that I’m not alone 😭.
wait wahagh i was like halfway through the video i knew sunny would be a autism coded character thats so cool (i love omoei)
REAL!!@!@!@!!!!!!
SAMMMEE
CAPS LOCK!!!
This is a WONDERFUL video!!!
:3
i love kieran so much. my absolute fav. i see his behaviors as a defense mechanism honestly, in a similar way as arthur has. arthur is mean and agressive to people as a defense mechanism while kieran is kind and compliant as his own. and both of them genuinely care for people, arthur just doesn't like to show it.
great video! super glad theres still youtubers who will just talk about what they love
Josh is the Autist me to outsiders, Wrench is the Autist me to the initiated.
I’ve got Asperger’s syndrome! And I’m proud! It’s part of my identity
aspergers syndrome isn't real. it's just autism. the term aspergers was popularized by nazis.
@i557i hey fun fact: not everyone is as miserable as you are.
@@RanEdgar-ok3wk aspergers doesn't exist it is just autism. the term aspergers comes from a nazi and was popularized by communists.
11:20 BEST GUY IS HERE!
FACTS
@@VerysigmaSTR4WBB1ESILVER SUPREMACY
This video was great, as you can tell by my pfp I'm a pretty big Kieran Duffy fan. I played rdr2 at a time of my life when I was coming to terms with my diagnosis. Like you said I've been bullied for it in the past and I tried to burry it. Having a character like Kieran who I immediately latched onto and projected on oddly helped myself become more comfortable in my own skin. I have countless other characters for who I've done the same. I loved this video so much.
Somehow, the algorithm has a knack for finding all the autism creatures that roam on the Internet. Thank you to the group that recommended this.😂😂😂❤❤❤❤ you just gained a new subscriber
28:58 there’s a new show coming out on PBS kids with a whole cast of neurodivergent characters! It’s called Carl the Collecter and as a Autistic person, I say it looks pretty well done from the trailers.
I would be down to watch you talk about Wrench :3
There ain’t enough love for my boi so I’m happy that you kinda feel the same way I do about him o_0
I'm maybe a little surprised to see that Kieran Duffy is your go-to RDR2 autistic character, but that's just because... I hate to say it, but... Micah feels incredibly autistic. I know he's a bastard, but beyond what he says, the way he interacts with people as well as on his own was very relatable to me. Like, how he talks and moves his body.
Yeah, being led down (
or leading ourselves down dark paths is depressingly common when it comes to us.
As a BIG Kieran fan, I'm happy more people think he's on the spectrum. I see a lot of myself in his character and the mission where you go fishing with him always touches me and makes me cry a little
“Let the cornholing begin”
Single handedly best line from Josh
(That was from Josh right)
The line Silver has in Team Sonic Racing is awesome XD
AUTISTIC SONIC FAN HERE THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH FOR TALKING ABOUT MY BOY SILVER. he means soooo so much to me you are so correct. excelent video
SUNNYS NOT JUST THE ONLY AUTISTIC-CODED CHARACTER IN OMORI!!!!!!!!!!! i was hyperfix8ed on basil at one point and OH LORD is he neurodivergent. somehow i convince myself that im past my omori phase and then it comes back when someone gets something wrong about basil
Kel also
is it pronounced bah-zil or bay-zil
@@frid7434 i think its bah-zil
@@frid7434 bay-sil, like the herb
19:30 if you love mae's #girlwithissues vibe i can't wait for you to eventually discover germ near the abandoned food donkey
thank you i am doing original character research for some o' my autistic ocs and this was a very cool video
Also I like this video! I can relate a lot to this! The characters you showed are adorable! I never played most of these games, but now I think I might have to. These are pretty accurate representations of autism and I love it!
oh shit wait wrench just made me realise i might have autism. i always thought autism was having trouble socialy but this is what i experience. holy crap dude.
SAAME
I feel just like wrench
"Now, if you've had sex before, then you probably don't know who Silver is."
Oof... I felt that in my aro ace gut...
Use it or you lose it also if u don’t have sexual edges ur schlong is definitely not atleast average
Lmao real
miles is so firkin relatable that kind of obsession is a genuine thing I face day to day
I love how like 65% of the characters on the thumbnail are my comfort characters 😭
0:43 WAIT SESAME STREET PARTNERED WITH AUTISM SPEAKS!?!?!?!??!?!? IM ACTUALLY SO DEVASTATED WTF
Watch Dogs 2 IS that good. I love that the game allows you to play non lethal playthrough as someone on the spectrum that doesn't always enjoy violent chaotic playthroughs. It was fun strategy game.
3:03 is so real 😭
I saw Wrench Jr and Silver and clicked SO fast. Also regarding Josh !! Iirc his VA actually went off and did some research of his own into autism bc he wanted to make sure Josh was played correctly !! I could be wrong tho but it’s a wholesome idea ^^ !
On a semi related note, the Pokemon franchise has a metric ton of coded characters that intentional or not (and when they have characters who "memorized various manuals that told him how to interact with other people" or are visibly overstimulated when she goes outside and has trouble eating food, I think its far to say its the former) genuinely set the bar extremely high.
But the funny thing is their only character that's actually confirmed (due to leaks granted, but it seems like it was never changed) gives Sean G. Doctor a run for his money, dude literally tried to kill everyone besides himself including the people that loved him, all because he saw people with emotions as inferior, which is just a new level of stereotyping. But still better than other autistic villains lol
THIS MAN PLAYING FANTASY MIND ON HIS OUTRO.
I was JUST listening to that earlier today.
Whitewoods themselves gave me the greenlight to use it. And I’m really happy it’s such a bop
‘’Watch dogs 2 is one of my favorite video games of all times yeah I said it’’
and in this desert that is the internet I finally found an oasis
Don't forget Edgeworth's hyper-fixation with the Steel Samurai Guardian of Neo Olde Tokyo
I love the idea of autistic Miles Edgeworth, but also can we talk about autistic Maya Fey 👀
TRUEEE
autistic maya is good but how do you feel about autistic ema
There is also popular headcanon about autistic Athena Cykes that I like
@@reynet5543 as a Athena Cykes Connoisseur™, her having autism is canon and idc what anyone else says /hj
I also believe Franziska is autistic too!
gin from your turn to die is confirmed autistic!
@LimusTSlime
I'm autistic too. In the 'The Good Doctor' episode you mentioned, which is titled 'She', the titular character of the series, Shaun Murphy, had never heard of transgender people and gender dysphoria wasn't covered by his medical education. By the end of the episode, he comes to understand the young trans patient in the episode and refers to her as "she". Also, I want to point out that despite Sesame Workshop having consulted with Autism Speaks when creating the autistic child Muppet character named Julia for 'Sesame Street', based on all of the clips I have watched on RUclips, Sesame Workshop has done a really good job with the character. If such a character had been introduced in the series back in the early 2000s, perhaps a good chunk of the bullying we went through while growing up wouldn't have happened.
But what's sad is that Autistic people still get discriminated the reason why I'm saying this is because I'm also Autistic and I hate that I even said that but it's true because it's hard for someone like me to find a job that doesn't treat me like garbage
@tobyzilla Yeah, there's definitely some discrimination against us. I'm sorry that you're having trouble with getting a good job.
@@Optimegatrongodzilla thank you
@tobyzilla You're welcome.
This was randomly recommended to me, and I think I've stumbled upon a new favorite youtuber
I don’t know who you are but I saw Mae in the thumbnail and my brain just decided I should be here
If you are looking for a canon autistic character played by an autistic person look into Heartbreak High’s Queenie… played by the Chloe Hayden. Based off of heartbreak and drama in a very accurate Australian school their character is accurate and never the stereotype that most media shows. Definitely a show I’d watch over and over
As someone with le ‘tism, I can just stare deep into a characters eyes and scan them, stare deep within them, realize them, make connections with their personality, and go “yep, that one, right there, thats the one I like”
SAINT PFP
@ :]
A fellow Silver AND Infinite enjoyer!?
fastest, I've ever hit the sub button. You're based
23:49 (spoiler warning for Omori) I can totally see why you’d say that but I believe Basil is a little more messed up, seeing that it was his idea to hide the truth and not to mention the fact that near the end of the game he try’s to kill Sunny with a pair of shears in an attempt to “protect” him. His mental state has deteriorated to the point of literal psychosis by then and that’s why it’s up to Sunny, who still at least is somewhat grounded in reality, to save him because he’s genuinely incapable of saving himself by that point.
Me, my brother, and a few other people I know, started a group called the "Autistic Cheese Puffs" and it was kinda a way to show yeah, we are autistic, we are also still human
Something I wanna say as an autistic man who's also disabled in multiple other ways including physically, it took a while for me to call my autism a disability due to the fact it took a while for me to accept any of my disabilities. Now I say my autism is a disability with pride because I've learnt that disability isn't a bad thing and disabled isn't a bad word
It's a bit funny looking back on the fact that I was trying to insist my chronic pain condition that prevents me from walking some days and gives me serious balance issues wasn't actually a disability. Like I CANT WALK PROPERLY 😅
Also my autism does disable me but it's also not wholly negative, like yeah I'm fully unable to function on some days but I know so much about my special interests and I've made a lot of friends through them.
I honestly think the reason for so much of the is autism a disability thing comes from people assuming something being a disability means it's entirely negative or you have to be miserable all the time or whatever. Even with my serious physical disabilities they're still not like the end of my life or the worst thing that could ever happen
Every day someone makes a video discussing Night in the Woods I can feel my lifespan steadily increasing.
I never got super into the Sonic franchise, but I remember loving Sonic X and Boom when I was younger, and as soon as I got my grubby little hands on the IDW comics and figured out who the heck Silver even was (I FR THOUGHT HE WAS A GRANDPA BECAUSE I JUST GRABBED A RANDOM BOOK FROM THE SERIES AND HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON-) he was my favorite. I always loved the Sonic characters and felt I could relate to them. At this point I think you can guess that I was eventually diagnosed with AuDHD-
Anyways I love seeing good representation of people who have traits like me, even if they aren't neurodiverse, idk it's just nice seeing people like me and my friends ^^
I spotted Miles Edgeworth in a video about autism and I exploded (positively)
Mae from NITW is such a relatable character to me, and I basically felt the exact same thing for a while in my life
That is, feeling like the world was just shapes and not much more.
Genuinely could not put it into words until I remembered that this game exists, I'm still a bit confused about how I feel such a similar thing to Mae but thinking about this one game has got me through a lot
I think this game is a masterpiece
Great video, but Edgeworth's perfectionism probably also steams from the second kg 8 incident and Yew's escape/how his first trial against Mia ended, his defeats against Phoenix also probably beought back the terrible memories around those events. Also, what about Vera from Ace attorney 4?
(Warning, huge list of semi obscure games incoming.)
Let's go Watch Dogs 2 mentioned! Jokes aside, really interesting video!
If I may, here are some other niche games with, at the very least, interesting takes on Autistic-coded characters:
-Kent = Amnesia Memories. (A mess of a visual novel and story. However, Kent has the most straightforward romance, and deal with the topic of someone emotionally closed-off rather well for its time period, and the fact it was made in Japan.)
-Most of the cast = Black Survival: Immortal Soul. (This game is not available anymore, sadly. Thankfully, most of the character writing was saved up by fans online. For an online PVP experience, the devs really put a lot of thoughts into creating a diverse cast of characters, that are never really demonized for the things that can make them different. Some, like JP, Leon, or Arda, could be considered as autistic coded, but that does not stop them from feeling unique to one another, in the best possible way.)
-Richard = Growing up. (A raising sim, where you experience random events throughout your life, while trying to become as good of a person as you can be in the 90s. In this type of narrative/management experience, it's very important to have a huge range of characters, and this game is very respectful, even if a bit sappy. Richard is not the only characters I could see being autistic, although he's one of the more explicit examples. He's one of the three characters you can have as a childhood friend, and seeing him grow out of his self, through good support, all the while not getting rid of his anxiety and awkwardness, is very heartwarming.)
-The twins (Dys & Tangent) = I was a teenage exocolonist. (It's impossible to talk about this game without spoiling it. But the cast is one of the most unique aspect of this game, and seeing them grow up alongside your own character, is one of the best experience I've seen in a modern title.)
-Again, a lot of the characters = Kindred Spirits on the Roof. (Basically, two dead girls contact an emotionally closed off teenager to play matchmaker within the school grounds, now that homosexuality is less taboo. It's pretty... interesting?)
-The Seraphs & Angela = Lobotomy Corporation/Library of Ruina. (Again, it's impossible to discuss Project Moon games, without spoiling everything. Just know that the characters are partially... robots? Kinda? So they feel off, but not really. It's complicated, but it does lead to extremely interesting and intimate characterization.)
-Meursault = Limbus Company. (I mean, whether it's the actual novel by Camus, or Project Moon's version, Meursault is one of the most neurodivergent characters ever made.)
-Peter Parker = Marvel's Midnight Sun. (Kind of a reach, but the way Peter is portrayed in this game, as this overly genuine guy who is really happy, but also fails hard to make connections at times, hits really close to home. Also, this game has really cool, meaningful interactions between the different heroes, so... it's worth a shot.)
-A LOT of the cast = Monster Prom 1 to 3. (The entire point of these games is to portray outcast characters getting into insane shenanigans. If I had to say, Calculester, and Liam feel pretty autistic-coded, but they definitely aren't the only ones. The games are pretty inclusive overall. The dark humor isn't for everyone though.)
-Sig = Puyo Puyo. (Honestly, they are not even trying to hide it at this point. He's hilarious to be fair, but depending on the game, either he's a high-functioning neurodivergent guy, or he's deep into his special interest. To be fair, these games are lighthearted and Sig is not even a main character in most of the entries. Not sure if you could also count Schezo, because I'm pretty sure his social awkwardness comesfrom him having a hard time expressing himself, due to his choice of words, not his actual attitude.)
-Benson & Ze = Volcano Princess. (Again, kind of a reach for these two, but it is interesting to see positive depictions of men with very closed-off emotions, or, in the case of Benson, someone who needs their alone time and have "non-traditionally masculine interests" without sacrificing the will necessary to protect those you care about. Who knew raising sim could be so inclusive?)
-Cove = Our Life: Beginning and Always. (It's not stated in-game but the devs openly explained he was meant to be autistic and you can feel it. I won't spoil much, but seeing Cove's growth and watching the relation between him and your character develop is extremely sweet and touching. He has flaws that he works on, and, as the MC of a visual novel, is very developed compared to your average representation.)
-Gin = Your Turn to Die. (This kid is autistic, and it has been confirmed, woof. Despite YTTD being inspired by Danganronpa, however, the characters are pretty grounded. Gin feels very real, and is a pretty good representation of an underage boy, 10, with a special interest that still has character beyond his quirks.)
-Raqio = Gnosia. (A werewolf roguelite VN game. Sounds insane? Well imagine it takes place in the far future, in space, and you got a whole bunch of characters to meet. Raqio is the most explicit autistic representation in the game, but they're not the only one. Contrary to most of the others on this list though, they're not very pleasant and they don't try to be. It feels pretty refreshing, and this doesn't stop them from having their moments and qualities.)
(I only have access to my steam page rn. So I could probably find more obscure indie games I know with representation, but these are the only characters I could remember at the moment.)
Cove's autism is confirmed in-game in one of the In Between sections iirc
@teaqueque My bad. It's been a while since I last played.
Thanks for the correction.
“We need more autism rep” the entire team fortress 2 cast:
(sadly it is all hcs but also sniper in the comics is EXTREMELY autistic coded. also scouts autistic cuz have you seen that man? look at him. autism)
I've been diagnosed as autistic when I was in high school, and one of my favorite non officialy autistic character from a video game is Ferdinand von Aegir from Fire Emblem Three Houses ! (I even wrote a small article in french about him).
I'm glad to see Miles Edgeworth in this video, and I have to admit I never really saw him as autistic because I have the bad habit of never taking the serie seriously (for example I bursted out laughing when Kazuma did his big revelation in TGAA2). Considering that, I really liked to see another point of view about him !
Sorry for my bad english !
I see Miles Edgeworth, I clicked.
But after playing the games, seeing ‘hints’ (with quote marks because it’s still a headcanon and not confirmed by capcom) is why I relate to him so much (except being stoic).
a few autistic characters that i really like are
marcy wu (amphibia)
papyrus (undertale)
Some “literally me” characters just make me watch the show they’re in, Entrapta might be the only reason I watched She Ra lol
@@thataintfalco7106 yassssss
I feel like Mabel and especially Dipper are pretty autistic coded too
Yeah did you know Michael form gta 5 is autistic
Lived with borderline Autism most of my life. Way I see it, it's like a Skill Chart, where you're min-maxing stats (e.g. Max in Luck, Min in Charisma). In my case, it's social cues (which I suck at), overthinking (which I'm terrible at), and music (which I'd say I'm okay at... 5 instruments and counting).
Autism isn't a blessing or a curse. It's just a roll of the dice with what you have. Love this video explaining it - I'd say you did a very good job about it. Thanks
3:59 ah yes the "this autistic person is a genius" trope
yeah that’s not great
@pocketinfinity6733
It's not like genius autists don't exist and it's never claimed in the fictional media in which they're portrayed that all autists are geniuses.
@@KittyTrackz It's not like genius autists don't exist and it's never claimed in the fictional media in which they're portrayed that all autists are geniuses.
It's better than the same other autistic tropes 😅
As much as I have often seen myself as the "smart guy" with Asperger's (though college has knocked me down several pegs), I feel that with how often the "autistic genius" is shown, it encourages people to assume that autistic people are prodigies. Because of this, people might end up treating autistic people worse after said autistic people don't meet the expectation of being -intelligent.
This makes me feel a little more proud to have autism.
Damn I was not expecting genuinely excellent autistic representation from a Ubisoft game
I knew I loved Kieran for a reason, besides being just a button of a man, also loved that he loved horses so much. I was crushed when he was killed and made an exsample of, even being sent back to camp on his poor horse
Omg if you want another example in this slightly dry well, Cemetery Mary has a FANTASTIC canonically autistic protagonist! I love her a lot lol, highly recommend checking it out!
Thank you for making this video, you have done an incredible job.
I ALSO HAVE AUTISM YIPPEE!!
ME TOO :)
Me three
Most people realize Im autistic when they learn I have a space marine army for warhammer 40,000
me four hurendthst :3
Me five
Right here as well!
I replayed Watch Dogs 2 this year after 4 years, and i can say that Josh and Wrench are my favourite characters on the game
Now i wanna check more of them on the DLC missions
Another great video you deserve more support your content is so diverse always keeps me guessing the next video
Hey ASD Las , I loved your video! As regards the Sonic comics, I also find Tangle the lemur to be nerodivergent (have ADHD), which I absolutely love her character. I don't know if this is a thing, but I have really good friends who have ADHD. It's like the hyped ADHD and the calm ASD combo bounce off each other, which makes for a great time. I see this dynamic happen with Tangle and Whisper.(Also, just a theory I found Whisper the wolf to be very relatable. I find she has ASD characteristics.) And yes, I know ASD and ADHD is a spectrum, and everyone experiences it differently, I just wanted to have an excuse to talk about the Sonic comics. 😅😊