How to treat Japanese original scripts vs localisations for Soulsborne games
I was talking with @armorenthusiast about the disco horse about Japanese original script vs localisations because whereas some people claim that English script itself came first, others take Japanese script puritanism to the point they deny that Lost Sinner is female character. So here is the rough rundown on how much scrutiny localisations deserve so far:
Demon's Souls and Bloodborne: Nothing about English localisation is approved or should be seen as canon, Sony hired random people to adapt the text and not people in actual contact with Fromsoft. In fact, they straight up make shit up? From only approved of English voice acting itself, like lines delivery, but had no impact on the script. Demon's Souls adaptation is in fact done by one guy that was tired and underpaid and is broken in every spot (bonus points for Remake not even bothering to fix the mistakes if not making them worse) and Bloodborne's adaptation made Gehrman a drooling incel which has nothing to do with the character Fromsoft themselves wrote and missed a lot of important nuances.
Bloodborne Japanese script (with retranslations and notes from not one but TWO fluent speakers): ( x )
Demon's Souls Japanese script: ( x )
Dark Souls 1 and 3: Localised mostly by one guy who is Miyazaki's close friend, almost all changes and liberties were properly communicated and approved by Miyazaki himself! he didn't review EVERY single minor description, sure, so there are cases of misgendering or bold assumptions in small places but when it comes to overall lore we technically have two versions: Japanese and English. TECHNICALLY! I still think omitting that Aldrich ate his own children and omitting that Anri and Horace are siblings was ultimate chicken move lol The rule with them is: when English and Japanese descriptions do not contradict/exclude one another, both can be concidered as canon!
Dark Souls 2: Very similar thing as Dark Souls 1 and 2, just that Miyazaki wasn't involved. But otherwise there was SOME communication. For example, Lost Sinner specified as female character in localisation whereas Japanese script omitted it was an instruction by DS2 team and even Japanese fandom agrees that this specification makes way more sense within the lore, but in some places Dark Souls 2 has ABSURD mistakes (like accidentially localising the same name twice thus splitting one character into two). Other times the changes are useless (like hiding Pursuer's name for no reason). So the instructions to localisations were minimal and some were done as fixes in side materials or SotFS edition, but where they were? They sure counted.
As general rule for gendering: When character's gender is omitted in Japanese (their language allows it, it isn't the same as they/them pronouns or individuals that do not use pronouns) localisations almost always default to a 'he', and it is easy to do because usually gender is omitted for very obscure characters who you may not even meet. Like, Pharis or Durgo were never a he, Dores was never a he, etc etc etc. In Dark Souls 2, Japanese script omitted Gods' genders using neutral 'kami' for everyone and Lost Sinner, however these were commucated with localisations to specify who is God and who is Goddess and to not mess up their iconic girlboss but mistook Throne Watcher for a he at first and only fixed it later. Other times, gendering goes beyond in other languages; Hilde from Elden Ring was never gendered in Japanese OR English, but gendered languages such as Italian or French used feminine terms and with how strict Elden Ring's localisation was that too likely was an instruction.
Website for all Dark Souls parts Japanese script: ( x )
Elden Ring trilogy: Little to no mistakes in localisation, easily the most scrupulously revieved localisation up to date. The only odd things I can think of is inconsistency between Ranni stating her motivations vs how she speaks in her ending or omitting that Marika had at least one bastard Demigod child but otherwise the most competent adaptation yet. The general rule is to not get TOO caught in the semantics as often some inconsistencies that can be pointed out do not really change anything about understanding lore or characters. And when the dealbreaker for the theory is which specific synonym is used, THEN it is better to consult Japanese script!
Elden Ring's Japanese script (with notes): ( x )
Shadow of the Erdtree Japanese script: ( x )
(If anyone knows where to find all of Japanese script for Nightreign in one place let me know please so I'll add this here too! So far I've been just finding Japanese text for each line individually via Japanese websites!)
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In short: Elden Ring trilogy is VERY trustworthy, for Dark Souls trilogy you can often trust localisation but rules are largerly inconsistent so if you nitpick on minor characters and small details you have to approach each case-by-case, Demon's Souls and Bloodborne are not trustworthy WHATSOEVER and you should only check Japanese script for serious analysis!
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