New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’

As pointed out on NeoGAF, the invading giant ants and spiders in Earth Defence Force 5 are called “immigrants.”

[Image via PlayStation]

With the recent refugee crisis and anti-immigrant attitudes worldwide, this might not be the best word choice. It’s understandable why people outside Japan might wonder about this naming.

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’

It’s also understandable that Japanese game developers might not have the best grasp on English-language nuances.

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’

Then again, if you’ve been following Japanese news coverage, you’ll know that the Japanese word imin (移民), meaning “immigrant” (though, it can also mean “emigrant” as well as “settler”) has been used in regards to what’s been happening in Europe and the United States. Here’s how the Google Image results look for the word:

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’
(Image via Google)

[Image via Google]

The word “nanmin” (難民) has also appeared in the news recently. Imin (immigrant) and nanmin (refugee) obviously have different meanings in Japanese like they do in English.

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’

The text at the top reads “alien civilisation” (異星文明 or isei bunmei). The text blew that is “immigrant.” [Photo: Famitsu]

It’s worth noting that according to a 2015 Asahi Shimbun poll of around 2,000 Japanese citizens, 51 per cent supported expanding immigration, while 34 per cent said they did not. (You can read more here.)

Another thing to keep in mind is that when Japanese people hear “immigrant” (イミグラント or imiguranto), many people will not know what it means, because it’s not a well-known English word. Have a look at its Google Image results:

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’
(Image via Google)

[Image via Google]

That’s why Japanese players might associate it with these enemies instead of, you know, actual immigrants.

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’
The Immigrant enemies. (Photo: Famitsu)

The Immigrant enemies. [Photo: Famitsu]

In a recent article, Japanese game site Famitsu explained the meaning to readers, writing, “The name of the extra terrestrials this time around is ‘Immigrant.’ In Japanese, that means imin (移民), and these life-forms are planning to immigrate on Earth.”

This isn’t exactly new to EDF. As NeoGAF notes, Earth Defence Force 3 and EDF 4 called the enemies “foreigner” (フォーリナー or “foorinaa”).

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’
(Image: Official Site via Wayback Machine)

[Image: Official Site via Wayback Machine]

They were localised as “The Ravagers” in English.

New Japanese Game Labels Enemies As ‘Immigrants’

Likewise, “Immigrant” will probably get another name in English with less baggage.

In case you missed it, check out Kotaku’s Earth Defence 5 impressions from the Tokyo Game Show.


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