Amaterasu in Ōkami

In Ōkami, the main character Amaterasu is a physical manifestation of the Japanese Shinto Sun Goddess of the same name. The Goddess Amaterasu’s previous incarnation was a “male” wolf called Shiranui, but the incarnation in Okami known as Amaterasu is referred to with female pronouns. However, Amaterasu is technically genderless (as well as the other incarnations of Goddess Amaterasu), with the developers stating that “(…) it’s good to remember that all incarnations of Amaterasu in the Okami world are gender neutral. (…) Always remember: it’s people that assign gender to the gods.”

Over the years, fans have speculated and at times argued about Amaterasu’s gender, referencing moments such as Amaterasu’s reaction to seeing Priestess Rao’s breasts as impetus for assigning either a heterosexual male identity or a lesbian female identity onto the character.

Citations:

  1. Amaterasu (Character page). (n.d.). Okami Wiki. Retrieved from http://okami.wikia.com/wiki/Amaterasu
  2. Gender in Okami. (2011, January 28). Okami Facebook Page (Official). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/notes/okami/gender-in-okami/178878768815790/
  3. (2006, January 15). What gender is Amaterasu?. IGN Forum. Retrieved from http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/what-gender-is-amaterasu.107729909/
  4. (2006, October 5). Is Amaterasu a male or female?. IGN Forum. Retrieved from http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/is-amaterasu-a-male-or-female.128537100/
  5. (2009, January 30). Ammy’s gender. GameFaqs Forum. Retrieved from http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/920500-okami/47914600
  6. (2011, June 10). Okami – Meet the busty-er Rao. Youtube Video. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra1g9-vn1a4