466:, as their favorite new character of 2022. They noted that they counted them for this since they had "important realizations" about themself, calling their coming out a "seminal moment" of the year. They found Testament's coming out particularly meaningful as a goth who was going through understanding themself. They also called Testament's design "stunning," calling their design "one of the greatest fighting game glow-ups ever" and wishing they looked as good. Their announcement for
490:, only to have 36 hobbies listed in their profile. They discussed how it made sense that someone who went through what Testament did would have few hobbies, and how Testament's new mindset helped them get more hobbies and happiness. They also discussed how Testament's hobbies were varied between hobbies considered feminine and hobbies considered masculine. They added that comparisons were drawn between the appearances Testament and Japanese fashion model
219:, though writer AJ Hurst hoped to see them toned down. Testament's depiction was discussed as an early example of a queer character in video games, as well as discussed fitting stereotypes of villainous androgynous characters. Fans debated Testament's gender as well due to their ambiguity. When they were revealed for
388:
writer Renata Price commented that they fit well into an "androgynous villain mold that many queer-coded characters are forced into." Price identified
Testament as "embarrassing and messy and built to be hated, but present and compelling nonetheless." When Testament was announced for
266:
and emphasized this through the character's silhouette, saying that they had "transcended human existence." They originally went by he/him pronouns in the
English version, and it was stated that they became non-binary due to becoming a Gear. Testament was considered for inclusion in
39:
790:"Cat's out of the bag~!✨ I voice Testament in #GuiltyGearStrive! They have been SO fun to portray and I love them dearly 🖤❤️ I also voice their two little Succubi! Big shoutouts to my games agent @ErinHuckeCESD for the help and to @ArcSystemWorksU for trusting me with them!"
342:. During Testament's voice work, Ishiwatari and other members of the team worked with McKee remotely to explore options with the performance. McKee did her voice lines apart from other voice actors, which is typical for the whole cast.
255:, Ishiwatari gave the character a theme of wanting "to find something to live for and something to protect" due to Testasment's "incomplete existence", and he reflected this through the character's relationship with
952:
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marketing rep Riku Ozawa later identified them as agender, saying "neither male nor female, Testament is
Testament." Ozawa added that English speakers would say they and them.
1018:
1123:
919:
482:
writer David Heath appreciated that
Testament's gender was a background element of their character, saying that Testament is just being themselves, regardless of labels.
1514:
422:, fans debated Testament's gender, which some thinking they were male or female due to their androgynous design. Their new look was well-received by Japanese fans, with
440:
writer Hirun Cryer speculated that voice actress
Kayleigh McKee's specialization in both feminine and masculine voices may have been why she was chosen for the role.
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1220:
669:
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fans, with the announcement that they would be voiced by a transgender woman garnering excitement due to matching a non-binary character with a trans actor.
705:
1154:
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182:
noted that they "transcended human existence" and becoming non-binary when becoming a Gear. They were originally voiced by Takami Akkun in the first
1077:
1187:
215:
In older releases, Testament had a reputation for being "infamous" powerful, with multiple players and critics expecting this to remain true in
876:
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249:
as the series progressed however, wanting to portray them as a "pitiful" character that yearned for family connection. With the game's sequel
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in
Japanese and English respectively, the latter receiving positive reception due to being a transgender actress voicing Testament.
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456:
writer Zephin
Livingston identified Testament as one of the most prominent examples of an LGBTQ+ character in fighting games.
1539:
1210:
382:
Testament has received generally positive reception, considered an early example of a queer character in fighting games.
1524:
659:
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415:, stating that while Testament was too strong, he would appreciate a more balanced version of them being included.
273:, but was not included in the end. Ishiwatari presented concept art made for Testament in Xrd, telling viewers at
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172:. They originally appeared as an androgynous male character, before being identified as agender in
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staff feeling that their hair, expression, thighs, and the performance of
Japanese voice actress
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writer TJ Denzer similarly expected them to be a "projectile and spacing monster as always."
1211:"There's a new Testament in town: Guilty Gear Strive reveals final season one DLC character"
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478:
due to being non-binary like
Testament and the fact that Testament was an "agender hottie."
452:
304:
1351:
975:
269:
976:"'Guilty Gear: Strive': The Fighting Franchise Characters We Most Want to See in the DLC"
427:
338:
in
Japanese and in English by Kayleigh McKee. McKee also voices Testament's accompanying
335:
205:
92:
727:
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1078:"Guilty Gear Strive fans are loving a new non-binary character voiced by a trans woman"
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630:. Arcadia Extra (in Japanese). Vol. 3. Enterbrain. 2001-03-23. p. 198.
606:. Arcadia Extra (in Japanese). Vol. 3. Enterbrain. 2001-03-23. p. 140.
1300:
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448:, represented a "rare step forward" for LGBTQIA+ representation in video games.
238:
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28:
1082:
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845:
436:
401:
816:"Guilty Gear Strive Adds a Non-Binary Hottie to Join All the Yes-Binary Ones"
241:, and intended mostly to create a suspenseful air for the game's final boss,
1009:"Testament, nuevo personaje de Guilty Gear: Strive, es de género no binario"
486:
discussed how the fact that Testament only had "thinking" as a hobby before
263:
877:"Testament & PlayStation/PC Crossplay announced for Guilty Gear Strive"
430:
made them attractive. Testament coming out received positive response from
411:
writer AJ Hurst considered Testament one of his most-wanted characters for
1147:"Guilty Gear Strive just made its new DLC fighter a queer icon overnight"
582:. Arcadia Extra (in Japanese). Vol. 77. March 2009. pp. 72–74.
399:
writer Ian Walker identifying their "trap-based gameplay" as "infamous."
339:
274:
350:
Testament first appeared as a secret boss and non-playable character in
797:
759:"Guilty Gear Developer Confirms That Character Testament Is Non-Binary"
660:"Classic Guilty Gear Character Comes Out As Non-Binary In Latest Game"
1409:
1013:
728:"「GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE-」開発者インタビュー。新プロデューサー宮内氏と開発ディレクター片野氏にシーズン2の展望を聞く"
664:
395:
1114:"Check out Destructoid's favorite new video game characters of 2022"
943:"ShackStream: Guilty Gear Strive Monday night fights with Testament"
223:
and confirmed to be agender, the response was generally positive.
1429:
140:
franchise. They first appeared in the first game in the series,
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Testament was originally voiced by Takami Akkun in the first
494:, which spurred Kurihara to profess interest in the series.
910:"Guilty Gear's Bridget Has Changed, So Have Fighting Games"
162:
as a playable character. They did not appear in any other
368:. Testament was announced as a downloadable character in
846:"Interview With Kayleigh McKee - Anime Los Angeles 2023"
277:
that this is what they would look like had they been in
237:, Testament was made to be a "simple expression of the
356:. Testament later appeared as a playable character in
259:, another character who wanted to live a quiet life.
1178:"How Fighting Games Became a Haven for LGBTQ Gamers"
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462:writer Chris Moyse identified Testament, alongside
112:
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21:
1044:"『ギルティギア ストライヴ』でテスタメントが"色気マシマシ"に大変身！？人気モデル・栗原類も反応"
698:"Guilty Gear Testament Gender And Story Explained"
178:, though an earlier interview with series creator
444:writer Jess Reyes felt that Testament, alongside
186:, before being voiced by Katsuaki Kobayashi in
127:
1284:
8:
303:, was identified using they/them pronouns.
1291:
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474:writer Nerium more interested in playing
1515:Video game characters introduced in 1998
1244:"14 LGBTQ+ Characters In Fighting Games"
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1190:from the original on November 21, 2023
672:from the original on November 18, 2022
18:
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1038:
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922:from the original on October 11, 2022
826:from the original on January 16, 2024
334:, Testament is voiced in Japanese by
7:
1505:Non-binary characters in video games
1176:Livingston, Zephin (June 17, 2023).
1157:from the original on January 8, 2024
1054:from the original on January 8, 2024
1021:from the original on January 8, 2024
1007:Contreras, Ulises (March 22, 2022).
738:from the original on January 8, 2024
691:
689:
687:
1535:Video game characters who use magic
1242:Heath, David (September 13, 2023).
1254:from the original on June 22, 2023
1223:from the original on July 12, 2023
988:from the original on June 18, 2023
856:from the original on June 18, 2023
769:from the original on June 18, 2023
297:. Testament, when introduced into
14:
1126:from the original on June 4, 2023
1090:from the original on June 7, 2023
955:from the original on June 7, 2023
708:from the original on June 7, 2023
696:Agossah, Iyane (March 20, 2022).
1112:Moyse, Chris (January 6, 2023).
908:Price, Renata (August 9, 2022).
134:is a fictional character in the
1209:Moyse, Chris (March 20, 2022).
1076:Cryer, Hirun (March 22, 2022).
887:from the original on 2024-01-18
757:Murray, Sean (March 22, 2022).
628:Guilty Gear X Drafting Artworks
604:Guilty Gear X Drafting Artworks
374:at the ARCREVO America Finals.
1145:Reyes, Jess (August 9, 2022).
658:Walker, Ian (March 21, 2022).
580:Guilty Gear 10th Memorial Book
281:. When deciding who to add to
262:Ishiwatari identified them as
1:
941:Denzer, TJ (March 28, 2022).
788:@GhaspeyVO (March 21, 2022).
150:, before later appearing in
1495:Fictional non-binary people
974:Hurst, AJ (July 22, 2021).
231:Introduced in the original
1571:
875:Denzer, TJ (2022-03-19).
814:Nerium (March 21, 2022).
128:
36:
26:
1520:Fictional child soldiers
108:In-universe information
1555:Fictional Swiss people
1500:Guilty Gear characters
734:. September 30, 2022.
204:, they were voiced by
1540:Fictional patricides
852:. January 14, 2023.
289:downloadable content
227:Concept and creation
146:, as a non-playable
1525:Fictional immortals
850:The Kitsune Network
16:Fictional character
1451:Daisuke Ishiwatari
1050:. March 29, 2022.
557:Guilty Gear Strive
544:Guilty Gear Strive
468:Guilty Gear Strive
420:Guilty Gear Strive
413:Guilty Gear Strive
391:Guilty Gear Strive
378:Critical reception
371:Guilty Gear Strive
332:Guilty Gear Strive
316:Katsuaki Kobayashi
300:Guilty Gear Strive
284:Guilty Gear Strive
247:Daisuke Ishiwatari
217:Guilty Gear Strive
201:Guilty Gear Strive
180:Daisuke Ishiwatari
175:Guilty Gear Strive
169:Guilty Gear Strive
90:Katsuaki Kobayashi
71:Daisuke Ishiwatari
46:Guilty Gear Strive
1550:Fictional hermits
1545:Fictional knights
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1473:Code Shifter
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1256:. Retrieved
1247:
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1225:. Retrieved
1214:
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1192:. Retrieved
1181:
1171:
1159:. Retrieved
1150:
1140:
1128:. Retrieved
1117:
1092:. Retrieved
1081:
1056:. Retrieved
1048:Inside Games
1047:
1023:. Retrieved
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990:. Retrieved
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957:. Retrieved
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924:. Retrieved
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