Koei Tecmo‘s upcoming open-world JRPG Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is the first new mainline entry to the Atelier series following the successful Atelier Ryza trilogy. While the series’ new protagonist Yumia has already received enthusiastic approval from fans of the series and newcomers alike, coming up with a heroine design that could parallel the success of Ryza was a difficult task, the developers revealed in a recent interview with 4Gamer.
The character design of Reisalin “Ryza” Stout, created by artist Toridamono, famously attracted a lot of attention (and new fans) to the series, particularly for how it parted ways with the franchises’ tendency for petite body types in favor of a more curvaceous figure. Ryza’s thighs become a particular hallmark of the trilogy, especially as players theorized (with solid evidence) that they were growing in circumference with each new entry.
Talking to 4Gamer, Atelier producer Junzo Hosoi commented on the series’ approach of reflecting real-life trends through its character designs.
“This is just my perception, but I think that the economy has an influence on what kind of designs become popular. There are certain types of characters that are needed in times of recession, and there are types of characters that are embraced only when the economy is booming.” As an example, Hosoi cites the often-heard theory that people start to favor voluptuous body types and motherly characteristics in women during times of economic recession.
He goes on to confirm that these kinds of considerations influenced certain aspects of Ryza’s design. While her thick thighs and voluminous chest are obviously the first thing that comes to mind, Ryza is also very “girl next door,” with a bubbly personality and uncomplicated, approachable design, which seems to reflect what Hosoi is talking about.
On the other hand, the producer notes that while the economic slump is still ongoing, he decided not to opt for the same approach for the series’ next protagonist. “They say Japan will be in recession for a long time, but I thought that attempting to match the times again would lead to Yumia looking too similar to Ryza.”
Instead, the team opted to incorporate global trends, giving Yumia a “cutting-edge” look meant to intercept fashion trends from the near future. While still visibly inheriting the Atelier DNA, Yumia’s design is decidedly more sleek and modern-looking compared to previous protagonists in the series. Hosoi comments in the interview that he wanted to avoid giving her an overly girly look or “puffy” silhouette, opting for tight, form-fitting clothing that’s more popular globally.
The character designer for Atelier Yumia is Benitama, who happens to be a friend of Toridamono and a big fan of Ryza. He describes feeling immense pressure from being tasked with designing Atelier’s next heroine, commenting, “I couldn’t imagine surpassing Ryza’s design at all.” It apparently took the team a long process of trial-and-error and 30 to 40 revisions to make sure Yumia was equally appealing but not similar to Ryza.
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Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land is scheduled to be released on March 21, 2025 for PS4/PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam).
Please understand, the economy made me do it. Trade wars, population decline, the increasing wealth disparity between the poor and the rich. All of it conspired to create an absolute babe of a character with thick meaty ham legs. There was simply no choice.