Zako psychology (2 Viewers)

[Ezzy]

there's something freeing and transgressive in rooting for them despite it all.

Well said. Usually, the good guys win, and it means that the zako women, even the most evil of them, are, in fact, harmless. Their evil plans will never be completed and even if some of them killed somebody, you know that they will pay for this. In a way, they are innocent and they deserve to win battles sometimes.

 

[Darkling19]

Well said. Usually, the good guys win, and it means that the zako women, even the most evil of them, are, in fact, harmless. Their evil plans will never be completed and even if some of them killed somebody, you know that they will pay for this. In a way, they are innocent and they deserve to win battles sometimes.

May be they are harmless to most good guys. But they are not harmless to their others victims. It is one of the hottest aspects of zakos that this evill beauties will pay for this.

I recently started to really like the idea of sending henchwomen to prison, and the good guys or the audience making fun of the excessive length of their terms. (Zipgun/Shadono often has arrests on his pictures, and sometimes mentions in the comments that the bad girls will spend at least twenty years behind bars.) So it can be fun to watch the arrested women's facial reactions when the heroine casually mentions that the judge will estimate all their crimes.

In fact, I rarely like it when the villainess is killed at the end of the story. It is much more interesting when, for example, one female drug dealer-zako is killed in a shootout, and her accomplices are arrested, handcuffed and convicted. In the end, we see the villainesses sitting in cramped prison cells, in ugly overalls, possibly chained. It would be interesting if readers would have the opportunity to decide their fate after their arrest, for example, as a jury in court. Will a criminal girl decorate a gallows or an electric chair, or rot in a cell for the rest of her days?
From my point of view, for this plot to work well, several points must be fulfilled:

1) a woman must be attractive.

2) she must be a real villain, not a prostitute, not a thief, but a murderer, robber, rapist,drug dealer and so on

3) her punishment should be severe, on the one hand, arousing sympathy for her, on the other hand, a feeling of satisfaction and joy that evil is punished.

 

[KunoichiLover]

Tenchu did it for me. Still obsessed with the kunoichis (obviously). I think they're design's perfect, both visually and narratively. They aren't really given any special treatment, nobody stops to even give them a second thought. They're there, they are in the way and go down just as brutally as any other male enemy. Then there's the more subtle visual cues that make them unforgettable, like how the kunoichis in Wrath of Heaven/Fatal Shadows have these full red eyes. They aren't supernatural in any way but that adds a layer of intrigue. Or their thigh tattoo, a taboo in japanese cultural norms but a great visual indicator of their allegiance, societal standing. They are clearly dangerous, never to be underestimated, willing participants. Same goes for Tenchu Z, although the kunoichis are different, the design language stays. They can mess you up and will taunt you but they aren't comic book levels of evil. They're well trained and could pose a challenge but are just simply never given the chance of a fair fight. You treat them with the same efficient indifference as the rest. Love that.