Pokemon Horizions and Positive Masculinity:
I’ve heard people talking about how kids now a days are lucky for growing up with Horizons because of all the good and strong female characters of various levels of femininity and styles- and its true: Liko, Dot, Mollie, Orio, Diana, Ann and game characters like Rika- they’re all great female characters and most if not all of them pass the Bechtel test which is so rare in media even today- I can’t gush enough about these girls-
But one thing I don’t hear nearly enough about is how good the masculine role models are in Horizons, and I feel like they should be praised for it.
With the rise of incel culture and dudebro Misogynistic influencers like Andrew Tate, I feel like boys today don’t really have a lot of places to look that show them a positive model of masculinity- its all sex obsessed, shogunist, pride driven, violent weirdos out there.
Like even if characters aren’t obsessed with treating women as items they at least have one moments of “Men talk with their fists!” “Men protect w0m3n!” Or “Men don’t cry!” It spreads toxic, outdated charatctures of masculinity that in part created our emotionally stunted little financebros running around and voting to take away human rights today.
But Horizons does things differently- most of them- save maybe Spinel but I still don’t think he’s the worst role model if you ignore….you know the attempted murder and whatnot- are great and varying models of things boys can strive to be.
Friede has traits like being a knowledgeable, powerful protector- but he doesn’t have this condescending air about it that I feel like a lot of characters in his general archetype have- he’s not specifically protecting children and women and thus stripping them of their agency- he protects those who can’t protect themselves. He thinks things through instead of charging in head first, he never uses his power to subjugate, only to help those in need or to diffuse situations- but again, he respects the kids’ agency, and thats important. He gives them room to grow and if they say they can handle something- he trusts them. He takes responsibility for his actions, he can recognizes that he isnt the most powerful or intelligent person in the world, he’s literally the perfect role model for non-toxic stereotypical masculinity.
Then, on the other end of the spectrum you have Murdock. He’s nurturing, kind, and not afraid to show his emotions. He cooks, something seen as feminine for some stupid reason, but point is it isn’t something you think of when you think of a ‘man’s man’. He worries about the kids, isn’t afraid to show his affection, and even cries- all the while not being the butt of a joke for it. He also has a muscular physique that one wouldn’t expect from someone with his personality traits- showing boys they can be soft, they can like cutesy things like pastries and tiny dogs, they can emote, and do whatever the hell they want while still very much appearing as a man.
Amethio is quiet and reserved on outward appearance but still at times struggles with feelings of pride and inadequacy. But he learns from his mistakes, knows where to draw the line when something conflates with his ideals, and asks for help when needed. He still shows pride in his family, but never lets it blind him to the truth, and like Friede strives to protect people like his grandfather or his underlings without feeling like he’s striping them of their agency. And, on top of it all he isn’t presenting his gender in a stereotypical masculine and macho way- he has long wavy hair and a slim frame and soft features, he dresses prim, proper and clean. He’s very masculine coded in his personality, but still shows there’s more than one way to be a man with his appearance, without having the “he’s pretty like a girl” moments that a lot of femboys in anime have.
And then there’s Roy- just a fun loving kid along for the ride. He views Liko and Dot as his equals and his friendly rivals. He’s not afraid to admit when Liko is stronger then him. He always praises Dot for being so smart. He always treats them with respect, he never ogles or blushes over them (Which wouldn’t be bad in and of itself but could reinforce toxic stereotypes like women are just around to date and boys and girls can never just be friends). He wants to catch the Black Rayquaza and even though he can get carried away at times, he doesn’t just want to catch and subjugate it. He wants to earn its respect and prove his worth to it, leaving it up to the Rayquaza if it will return the feelings instead of forcing himself on it.
Like I said- there’s just so much here that I think boys can take away from and model themselves after. I feel like many of the male characters have very stereotypical masc coded traits and show non toxic ways they can be used. And they show there is more than one way to exist other than just the default. I feel like they spread the message of “be you” like a lot of the female characters do. Dress how you want, emote how you want, you can be strong- but never at the expense of others- you can be weak and that doesn’t make you lesser-
I wish boys had more role models like these, especially when I was growing up.
If you read my little rant thank you very much! I hope I got across what I was trying to say while only being minimally confusing lol. And this goes without saying, and I hope that if you read through what I wrote that its pretty clear but I’m obviously not saying its bad to be manly or there is only one way to be a man- and I think people should be able to relate to characters regardless of gender or presentation and I’m not trying to sound gender essentialist or anything.
But yeah! Idk, if you have kids in your life make them watch Horizons???? And have a good day???? Idk how to end this so here’s one of my favorite screenshots of my boy Friede:
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