The BEST Bayonetta Character Design?

#Bayonetta #Bayonetta3 #MarkFlynn
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Special thanks for the additional gameplay:
Godisageek    • The Nintendo Costumes of Bayonetta 2  
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It’s no secret if you’ve watched some of my past Character design videos, that I’m a huge fan of the works of Hideki Kamiya. Devil May Cry’s Dante is one of the most iconic action game characters ever, so his inclusion in the Best Design series was obvious. Today we’re here to talk about another character of Kamiya’s, one that was created after he left Capcom and Dante behind in 2006.

Forming Seeds Inc. Which would eventually become Platinum Games, Kamiya wasn’t ready to bow out of the Action Game genre. 2009 saw the release of Bayonetta, a series which borrowed a lot of its DNA from Devil May Cry via its settings, enemies, characters and gameplay.
However, Kamiya didn’t want to re-tread the exact same ground, feeling in particular that he had done all that he could with male protagonists. Thus, Bayonetta was born. The Umbra Witch’s namesake was inspired by a Bayonet, implying that there was ‘more to her than meets the eye’ in a similar fashion to this traditional weapon of war.

Kamiya worked with character designer Mari Shimazaki over a full calendar year to create a new character, installing three traits that he thought were critical:

1. She had to be a female lead.
2. She was a ‘modern’ Witch.
3. She had to use four guns.

Hundreds of design concepts were developed for Bayonetta, with an astounding number of differences in style. Some are high fashion, looking like they came off a London Fashion Week catwalk, whereas others appear like Devil May Cry/Darkstalker hybrids. Sketches by concept artist Wesley Burt also stand out especially, with a design that looks like it’d fit right in amongst the Forbidden West.

Eventually, longer limbs became a sticking point of the character that Kamiya loved, along with a black colour scheme. Kamiya requested that Glasses should be added to the final design to add a greater sense of mystery and intelligence, though Shizamaki thought he may have possibly just had a preference towards women with Glasses.
In most cases, I’d say that sexualisation of video game characters is completely unnecessary. But whether it was intentional or not Bayonetta feels like the best-case example of this being done right. Embracing her sexuality in the most empowering of fashions and owning her campy world with confidence, charm and skill, owning each and every scene with killer looks and a sassy British attitude.

There’s a reason this character is so beloved and that’s down to her fantastic characterisation and one of the best character designs from the past two decades.
Today we’ll look at how the design developed across the series and decide where it hit its highest point.