Flea

Flea, known as in Japanese, is a fictional character in the Chrono series of video games. He is a shapeshifter that presents as feminine but identifies as a man and, in Japanese, uses feminine signifiers in his speech. He first appears in Chrono Trigger, where he serves as a subordinate to the antagonist Magus and cameos in the sequel, Chrono Cross. Flea has been recognized as a noteworthy LGBT character, particularly for non-binary and genderqueer people. Critics like writer Flynn Demarco and author William Gibbons felt disappointed by the use of stereotypes of transgender people and androgyny to represent villainy. Concept and creation Flea was created for Chrono Trigger by artist Akira Toriyama. He presents as feminine but identifies as a man. Flea is named Mayonnai in Japanese, a play on mayonnaise. This was changed in the English version to Flea, based on the musician of the same name. Flea ends all of his sentences with in the Japanese version, intended to be "[sickeningly] cutesy." He also speaks in a tough feminine tone, using the personal pronoun . During English localization, the nature of Flea's character was partially lost due to Nintendo of America's strict policies on "sexually suggestive or explicit content." Feminine signifiers, such as a feminine manner of speaking, tildes, long vowel marks, and heart icons were absent in the English version. The Japanese version features an item called Mayonnai's Bra which was censored and changed to Flea Vest in the English version. Flea Vest was later changed to Flea Bustier in the Nintendo DS port's English localization. Appearances Flea first appears in Chrono Trigger. In this game, he serves as a subordinate to one of the game's antagonists, Magus. He is encountered by the protagonists in Magus' Castle where he is mistaken for a woman. He clarifies that he is actually a man and elaborates that he views gender as irrelevant in comparison to power and beauty. Flea uses various attacks that inflict status effects including blindness, confusion, and rage. Flea is defeated, but returns along with fellow subordinates, Ozzie and Slash, to do battle against Magus who had defected to join the protagonists. Flea later appears in the sequel Chrono Cross in a cameo role in which players may choose to fight him. Reception Since appearing in Chrono Trigger, Flea has become an iconic character for his gender identity and expression.