It's been eight years. Give the girl a break already!
In honor of today, this character's birthday, I have finally decided to write what was overdone, lengthy, but still needed repeating after eight years of hell she has been through. This is also the essay with the most tags for one character.
1999. Burbank, California. Warner Bros. Studios, Kids WB Suite.
Exec. 1: So, we're getting a new show. Uh...'Yoojeeow'?
Exec. 2: I think you're pronouncing that wrong...
Exec. 1: Whatever. This is just like Pokémon and Survivor. We'll make billions!
Exec. 2: There's just one problem, though...
Exec. 1: What's that?
Exec. 2: There's a girl in the series. In a boy's show.
Exec. 1: That can't be right! There aren't any girls in this show, only extremely girly men!
Exec. 2: Well, how are we going to get a predominantly male audience with a girl who's only a B-cup?
Exec. 1: Easy. We'll attract 12-year old fangirls who won't get laid in a million years anyway, so let's make this chick look like a total prep.
Exec. 2: With Sweetvalley High 80's language?
Exec. 1: Yep. And we'll pohotoshop pom-poms in every scene that she's in.
Exec. 2: What about one of those Motorola Razors with bling?
Exec. 1: And a sparkly pink Game Boy Advance with rhinestone buttons.
Exec. 2: Then we must dye her hair blonde...
Exec. 1: And then we will name her something girly and celebrity-like. What about...Téa?
Exec. 2: Yeah, sure there's an actress with that name.
Exec. 1: But she must not be allowed to talk, unless it's about something cheesy...like friendship speeches. Or N'Sync.
Exec. 2: Have you hired a voice actress?
Exec. 1: Oh yeah, she makes a real, screeching, irritating voice. Amy Birmbaum, Gilbert Godfried, what's the difference?
...Except that never really happened.
Yet people think it's always been that way and Yu-Gi-Oh! is some sort of bishie parade that was ruined by a blonde in brunette's clothing. Now, I'll admit that Warner Bros. is pretty sexist (they don't make movies with female leads anymore) and there were marketers breathing down their neck if they didn't cut some parts out to appeal to their target audience. But...Yu-Gi-Oh! is a shounen series, and shounen isn't exactly known for feminism you know. So, I can't see how Anzu is the Amazon Goddess while Téa is the devil's temptress when they're the same exact character with different names.
Anzu gets scared, cries, becomes infatuated, likes pink and cute things, likes to look pretty just like Téa.
Téa loses control of her anger, breaks fights between Joey and Tristan, is highly confident in herself, stands up for herself and Yugi/Yami/Atem when someone opposes them just like Anzu.
Also, the "dub tayah is ebil" theory is bull since I own the uncut dub, which has all the dub names and most of the voice actors, but was discontinued after volume 3.
But what has changed was the audience's impression of Téa and Anzu, respectively. When Yu-Gi-Oh! was first broadcast in autumn 2001, she pretty much calls Seto Kaiba a jerk, then draws on her friends' hands as a symbol to keep them all together, no matter what happens. In the manga/season 0, she intercepts Jounouchi and Honda's game of keep away and yells at them.
Now, I can see how first impressions can change everything, but that didn't change the fact that this character was fanserviced in the manga (and sometimes even the dub--gratuitious shots of her butt in short shorts and low angles), still dressed and acted feminine at times--enjoying having her fortune told, saying that some of the Duel Monsters art is gross, and "falling in love" with Yami Yugi after only hearing his voice for the first time. I've only seen bits and pieces of Duel Monsters in Japanese and about 10 episodes of season 0, but as far as I can tell, Anzu refers to herself, by atashi, a feminine and self-confident form of watashi. But if she thinks of herself as a tomboy and is confident like that, then Téa is a tomboy. Maybe not as brash as Mai, but certainly more than Serenity and those random girls in season 0. The main reason why Jounouchi and Honda avoided her is simple: Class representatives and delinquents don't typically get along.
Now, I don't follow labels, but I've heard in Japan, the standards for "tomboy" are very different than in the United States. One of my friends who has been to Japan to see relatives at times is now working as an English teacher there. She has been to a small conference and mentioned that the entire women's bathroom was crowded with girls putting on makeup, getting their hair done, and putting on jewelry, thus feeling out of place. Every one of the girls spoke in a high-pitched voice in unison when the leader addressed them. As a matter of fact, even playing a geeky card came can make you a tomboy to most people. Many complain that Téa didn't "man up enough", but we seem to forget that she's actually Japanese. And more than two rough, reckless female characters would make the series less interesting. And since this is Warner Bros., Téa wasn't the only character who was fed corny lines. Kaiba's actually worshipped for his.
But that still doesn't change the fact that there are bashers who have read the manga and the subtitled anime who say that this girl offers nothing to the series but run around ranting about friendship!
What's so bad about friendship, anyway? I know it defeated every bad guy in the series, but...the theme of Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't just a children's card game that saves Egypt and Japan by screwing the rules and having money, it's that horrible 10-letter f-word that yaoi/bishie/mary-sue fans dislike. Even Kazuki Takahashi admitted that himself. So, it makes perfect sense for Téa, as well as every lead character to "rant" about friendship. Even Kaiba makes his anti-friendship speeches based on this reason. I mean, the freaking ending theme song in the Japanese first season is one big friendship speech. Besides, the only friendship-related rant was "I need more female friends." I guess she must've dumped those nameless girls from season 0, or Miho moved away and cut off all contact with her. She can't really interact with Serenity, Mai, or Rebecca on a daily basis with saving the world all the time... Maybe the theme isn't just friendship, but relationships in general; Joey with Serenity, Malik with Isis, Seto with Mokuba, Joey with Tristan, light half with dark half...even Kaiba and his employees. But anyway, every other friendship-related statement that Téa said were something along the lines of "Your friends are right by you!", "We can't let you go alone!", or "I'll be by your side!" Those were sentences, not speeches to be technical. Quit shouting from the rooftops, "SHADDUP TAYAH!!!1" whenever she appears on the screen. You might miss some canon.
And if you don't like friendship speeches, stop watching Digimon. I haven't forgotten what series we're discussing, I'm trying to make a point. I'm not sure why the Digidestined, the Sailor Scouts, Pokémon trainers, the Soul Society, the Slifer reds, Team Satisfaction, every other Square-Enix character, even the Task Force don't get half as much flak as Téa did. Akiza cheers on Yusei and I haven't heard of her being branded as a dumb cheerleader.
Yeah, sure Téa's useless. I mean, anyone can stow away on a ship where you can easily be spotted if you're not careful, resist sexual arousal from robot arms, stand up to powerful corporate executives who can shoot you or turn you into stone, figure out how to escape from one of Kaiba's death traps, behead zombie-mummies with a tornado kick, hop on top of a moving train and risking your life to make sure your friends and rivals are safe, realize the mystery of an ancient pharaoh's name, escape danger every five seconds and STILL save money for college. Right. This girl was one of the few people who kept Yugi from a downward spiral of depression in his younger years. Téa even saved Weevil (who has MORE fans than she does if you can believe it) or at least his body when his soul was already taken. This was when Yami Yugi lost Yugi's soul to Dartz and he didn't want to become a psycho again. And it was also the reason why she was on top of a MOVING TRAIN to watch them duel. And she'd rather dance than duel? What's wrong with that? I know the title means "King of Games", but it needs a variety of characters to hold people's interest. And at times Téa does duel. She even creamed Joey in the beginning of the Duel Monsters series. And remember in the manga, she used her knowledge of rhythm to to escape one of Kaiba's weirdass death traps?
But it's not enough for bashers, especially those who believe that she is hurting poor defenseless Atem by being in love with him. Atem and Yugi can't be together forever, and sadly, they didn't end up that way, and it was for the best. But nobody stopped to consider how conflicted Téa must have felt during the whole situation because she got in the way of Yugi and Atem's TRUE GAY LOVE. Capitalized because it's so more important and controversial than boring straight love. In fact, Téa is the most homophobic bitch around! She stalks Atem and sometimes Yugi, and she even gets in the way of Puppyshipping, Tendershipping, Bronzeshipping, whatever the hell Duke x Tristan is, even though she has no interest in any other male character other than Atem. And while we're on the subject, how DARE Téa think of Yugi as only her childhood friend and nothing more. What a crime! Forcing Yugi and Atem to save her when she's in danger! Not to mention STALKING Yugi and his REAL friends on their adventures. AND THE SPEECHES! And have you ever seen what this girl wears?! Trying to deter the boys from their important yaoi love and mary-sue vagoo! THAT FREAKING MARY-SUE HYPOCRITICAL HARLOT! PREACHING FRIENDSHIP WHILE ABANDONING YUGI FOR HIS SEXIER ALTER EGO. DON'T LOOK AT HER HYPNO B-CUPS, PEOPLE!! THEY'LL TURN YOU INTO STOOOOOOOONE!
...No, no, no. Téa did not write the Japanese version of Proposition 8. There's a reason why she follows her friends around; because she's not a heartless bitch who will abandon a loved one, no matter what the cost. And Yugi and Atem want to save her. Yugi has a huge crush on her, and maybe Atem does, too, just a little. Maybe. It's never been confirmed nor denied. But it's certainly true that Atem, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Duke and Bakura like Téa's company. Unfortunately, for me, none of the yaoi pairings especially not Wishshipping, Dragonshipping, or Feathershipping will ever be canon. However, if Téa found out that Yugi and/or Atem liked boys (or each other) in that way, she'd be the first if not the first to know and trust. Téa might certainly be disappointed if Atem doesn't love her back, but because she loves him and is good with her emotions (most of the time), she would soon worry more about his boyfriend treating him right. If you had a loved one you've known for a while and gotten to know them as a close friend, even gone on a date with him once, wouldn't you not want him to leave? Even if it meant life or death to that person?
Yugi, and the other boys don't need a restraining order against Téa. The stalking claim is ridiculous, and she would in no way harm Yugi or Atem, unless she had a frontal lobotomy, was high on LSD, and under Dark Malik's control. Don't you remember when she defended Yugi from bullies and asshole duelists? She does retaliate against Joey a few times, but it's because he's an idiot more than half the time. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JOEY'S NOT SO WEAK AS TO ASK KAIBEY-WAIBEY FOR HELP IN DEFENDING HIMSELF. NEITHER IS BAKURA. I'm surprised how fast this girl can make friends (this is the friendship preacher, after all). Mai, Serenity, Bakura, Duke, Rebecca... Even Jounouchi and Honda in the manga, considering how they treated her. Téa does not need to be labeled as insane simply because she has a better outlook than half the characters.
And I'm pretty sure that Téa is a Mary-Sue because she's the only character without a Millennium Item and still be cool at the same time. *rolls eyes* Yeah, that tear activation thing is so girly and Mary-Sue like BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE JOEY GET MAULED BY YAMI BAKURA IN A MONSTER COSTUME. Okay, maybe it wasn't great writing, but still, making that claim because she's cast into a crappy role into a shounen series? Not to mention the only other guys who are interested in her are people nobody even wants to date! So, when all the 'hawt, hawt bishies' fall for her...yeah. And it's not her fault that she had to be a damsel in distress a few times in the anime and throughout most of the early manga/season 0. Actually, Joey, Yugi, Bakura, and even Kaiba were dudes in distress at one point, but nobody calls them wusses. They just think it's oh so cute when they're so weak that a newborn hamster could kill them.
I'm not even sure that people know what a "slut" is nowadays. It's a derogatory term for a sex worker, usually female. It's not someone who is prettier than you, nor is it someone who dresses in flashy/revealing clothes. Like I've reiterated before, Téa has Female Character In A Shounen Series Disease, so of course she's gonna wear short skirts and shorts. Dancers have nice legs, after all. Need I remind you that the weird fashion is because she was formerly Japanese and in Japan from the late 90's to the early 2000's and especially nowadays a lot of the fashions would be some of the weirdest things you have ever seen? And the argument against the short clothes reminds me too much of the "she was asking for it, so she deserved it" excuse. I'm sure few people are aware that not all sex workers are happy with their work, nor do they always choose their line of work, so I'd think twice about calling a woman a slut/whore/harlot.
So, why the wall of text? I've always wanted to do a Téa/Anzu defense in a slightly different perspective than most of her other fans. I used to be kind of neutral to Téa/Anzu when I was much younger and started watching Yu-Gi-Oh!. But then I was exposed to Téa/Anzu-bashing on the internet. I wasn't sure why she was getting so much animosity. I thought she'd be everyone's favorite character! But then again, lots of people hate Relena and Miaka, who are strong, relatable characters. I always found her to be the grumpy older sister of the group, kind of like Misty/Kasumi. I tend to liken Téa to Rinoa, Aerith, Tifa, Yuna, Sora Takenouchi, Winry or Kairi. In fact, liking Téa so much has helped me like Kairi more than I used to. Even though the infamous bashing kind of died down a little bit and more yaoi-bashing and homophobic!Joey has come up, I'm saddened to still see Tayah The Mentally Deficient Friendship Fanatic or Anus The Homophobic Stalking Prostitute fics in the Pit. After a while I watched some of the old episodes that I've missed due to work. First I saw Dawn of the Duel and Téa, along with Mana, instantly became my favorite character. I saw how she wanted to help Atem but at the same time never want him to leave. I could really feel the conflict of love within her. Then I watched Doma (I like saying that) and was surprised at how adventurous she was, in spite of the allegations against her. I'm more of a shoujo fan, so I naturally gravitate towards female characters and characters who choose to work out their problems through words rather than fighting, or those with complex emotional development. The only things I didn't like about Téa were the way that she stood, with one fist to her chest, looking like she's holding back, which is the opposite of her personality, and the fact that she wore platform shoes almost everywhere she went, including mountainous areas. I used to somewhat dislike Anzu in the manga because she had a lot of fanservice shots, was a damsel in distress in many chapters and she was a threat to my favorite pairing and I was 18 and stupid, but that wasn't really her fault. I think of her as the same person as Téa, only Japanese. She deserves so much more love than she has gotten in nearly a decade. Which still surprises me, as Yu-Gi-Oh! fans have aged considerably since then. I can't believe Alexis/Asuka and Akiza/Aki don't get bashed to bits since they pretty much have the same role that Téa/Anzu does (notice that all the female leads in the Yu-Gi-Oh! trilogy have names that start with 'A'?).
IN SHORT, TEA/ANZU ROCKS. THE END.
1999. Burbank, California. Warner Bros. Studios, Kids WB Suite.
Exec. 1: So, we're getting a new show. Uh...'Yoojeeow'?
Exec. 2: I think you're pronouncing that wrong...
Exec. 1: Whatever. This is just like Pokémon and Survivor. We'll make billions!
Exec. 2: There's just one problem, though...
Exec. 1: What's that?
Exec. 2: There's a girl in the series. In a boy's show.
Exec. 1: That can't be right! There aren't any girls in this show, only extremely girly men!
Exec. 2: Well, how are we going to get a predominantly male audience with a girl who's only a B-cup?
Exec. 1: Easy. We'll attract 12-year old fangirls who won't get laid in a million years anyway, so let's make this chick look like a total prep.
Exec. 2: With Sweetvalley High 80's language?
Exec. 1: Yep. And we'll pohotoshop pom-poms in every scene that she's in.
Exec. 2: What about one of those Motorola Razors with bling?
Exec. 1: And a sparkly pink Game Boy Advance with rhinestone buttons.
Exec. 2: Then we must dye her hair blonde...
Exec. 1: And then we will name her something girly and celebrity-like. What about...Téa?
Exec. 2: Yeah, sure there's an actress with that name.
Exec. 1: But she must not be allowed to talk, unless it's about something cheesy...like friendship speeches. Or N'Sync.
Exec. 2: Have you hired a voice actress?
Exec. 1: Oh yeah, she makes a real, screeching, irritating voice. Amy Birmbaum, Gilbert Godfried, what's the difference?
...Except that never really happened.
Yet people think it's always been that way and Yu-Gi-Oh! is some sort of bishie parade that was ruined by a blonde in brunette's clothing. Now, I'll admit that Warner Bros. is pretty sexist (they don't make movies with female leads anymore) and there were marketers breathing down their neck if they didn't cut some parts out to appeal to their target audience. But...Yu-Gi-Oh! is a shounen series, and shounen isn't exactly known for feminism you know. So, I can't see how Anzu is the Amazon Goddess while Téa is the devil's temptress when they're the same exact character with different names.
Anzu gets scared, cries, becomes infatuated, likes pink and cute things, likes to look pretty just like Téa.
Téa loses control of her anger, breaks fights between Joey and Tristan, is highly confident in herself, stands up for herself and Yugi/Yami/Atem when someone opposes them just like Anzu.
Also, the "dub tayah is ebil" theory is bull since I own the uncut dub, which has all the dub names and most of the voice actors, but was discontinued after volume 3.
But what has changed was the audience's impression of Téa and Anzu, respectively. When Yu-Gi-Oh! was first broadcast in autumn 2001, she pretty much calls Seto Kaiba a jerk, then draws on her friends' hands as a symbol to keep them all together, no matter what happens. In the manga/season 0, she intercepts Jounouchi and Honda's game of keep away and yells at them.
Now, I can see how first impressions can change everything, but that didn't change the fact that this character was fanserviced in the manga (and sometimes even the dub--gratuitious shots of her butt in short shorts and low angles), still dressed and acted feminine at times--enjoying having her fortune told, saying that some of the Duel Monsters art is gross, and "falling in love" with Yami Yugi after only hearing his voice for the first time. I've only seen bits and pieces of Duel Monsters in Japanese and about 10 episodes of season 0, but as far as I can tell, Anzu refers to herself, by atashi, a feminine and self-confident form of watashi. But if she thinks of herself as a tomboy and is confident like that, then Téa is a tomboy. Maybe not as brash as Mai, but certainly more than Serenity and those random girls in season 0. The main reason why Jounouchi and Honda avoided her is simple: Class representatives and delinquents don't typically get along.
Now, I don't follow labels, but I've heard in Japan, the standards for "tomboy" are very different than in the United States. One of my friends who has been to Japan to see relatives at times is now working as an English teacher there. She has been to a small conference and mentioned that the entire women's bathroom was crowded with girls putting on makeup, getting their hair done, and putting on jewelry, thus feeling out of place. Every one of the girls spoke in a high-pitched voice in unison when the leader addressed them. As a matter of fact, even playing a geeky card came can make you a tomboy to most people. Many complain that Téa didn't "man up enough", but we seem to forget that she's actually Japanese. And more than two rough, reckless female characters would make the series less interesting. And since this is Warner Bros., Téa wasn't the only character who was fed corny lines. Kaiba's actually worshipped for his.
But that still doesn't change the fact that there are bashers who have read the manga and the subtitled anime who say that this girl offers nothing to the series but run around ranting about friendship!
What's so bad about friendship, anyway? I know it defeated every bad guy in the series, but...the theme of Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't just a children's card game that saves Egypt and Japan by screwing the rules and having money, it's that horrible 10-letter f-word that yaoi/bishie/mary-sue fans dislike. Even Kazuki Takahashi admitted that himself. So, it makes perfect sense for Téa, as well as every lead character to "rant" about friendship. Even Kaiba makes his anti-friendship speeches based on this reason. I mean, the freaking ending theme song in the Japanese first season is one big friendship speech. Besides, the only friendship-related rant was "I need more female friends." I guess she must've dumped those nameless girls from season 0, or Miho moved away and cut off all contact with her. She can't really interact with Serenity, Mai, or Rebecca on a daily basis with saving the world all the time... Maybe the theme isn't just friendship, but relationships in general; Joey with Serenity, Malik with Isis, Seto with Mokuba, Joey with Tristan, light half with dark half...even Kaiba and his employees. But anyway, every other friendship-related statement that Téa said were something along the lines of "Your friends are right by you!", "We can't let you go alone!", or "I'll be by your side!" Those were sentences, not speeches to be technical. Quit shouting from the rooftops, "SHADDUP TAYAH!!!1" whenever she appears on the screen. You might miss some canon.
And if you don't like friendship speeches, stop watching Digimon. I haven't forgotten what series we're discussing, I'm trying to make a point. I'm not sure why the Digidestined, the Sailor Scouts, Pokémon trainers, the Soul Society, the Slifer reds, Team Satisfaction, every other Square-Enix character, even the Task Force don't get half as much flak as Téa did. Akiza cheers on Yusei and I haven't heard of her being branded as a dumb cheerleader.
Yeah, sure Téa's useless. I mean, anyone can stow away on a ship where you can easily be spotted if you're not careful, resist sexual arousal from robot arms, stand up to powerful corporate executives who can shoot you or turn you into stone, figure out how to escape from one of Kaiba's death traps, behead zombie-mummies with a tornado kick, hop on top of a moving train and risking your life to make sure your friends and rivals are safe, realize the mystery of an ancient pharaoh's name, escape danger every five seconds and STILL save money for college. Right. This girl was one of the few people who kept Yugi from a downward spiral of depression in his younger years. Téa even saved Weevil (who has MORE fans than she does if you can believe it) or at least his body when his soul was already taken. This was when Yami Yugi lost Yugi's soul to Dartz and he didn't want to become a psycho again. And it was also the reason why she was on top of a MOVING TRAIN to watch them duel. And she'd rather dance than duel? What's wrong with that? I know the title means "King of Games", but it needs a variety of characters to hold people's interest. And at times Téa does duel. She even creamed Joey in the beginning of the Duel Monsters series. And remember in the manga, she used her knowledge of rhythm to to escape one of Kaiba's weirdass death traps?
But it's not enough for bashers, especially those who believe that she is hurting poor defenseless Atem by being in love with him. Atem and Yugi can't be together forever, and sadly, they didn't end up that way, and it was for the best. But nobody stopped to consider how conflicted Téa must have felt during the whole situation because she got in the way of Yugi and Atem's TRUE GAY LOVE. Capitalized because it's so more important and controversial than boring straight love. In fact, Téa is the most homophobic bitch around! She stalks Atem and sometimes Yugi, and she even gets in the way of Puppyshipping, Tendershipping, Bronzeshipping, whatever the hell Duke x Tristan is, even though she has no interest in any other male character other than Atem. And while we're on the subject, how DARE Téa think of Yugi as only her childhood friend and nothing more. What a crime! Forcing Yugi and Atem to save her when she's in danger! Not to mention STALKING Yugi and his REAL friends on their adventures. AND THE SPEECHES! And have you ever seen what this girl wears?! Trying to deter the boys from their important yaoi love and mary-sue vagoo! THAT FREAKING MARY-SUE HYPOCRITICAL HARLOT! PREACHING FRIENDSHIP WHILE ABANDONING YUGI FOR HIS SEXIER ALTER EGO. DON'T LOOK AT HER HYPNO B-CUPS, PEOPLE!! THEY'LL TURN YOU INTO STOOOOOOOONE!
...No, no, no. Téa did not write the Japanese version of Proposition 8. There's a reason why she follows her friends around; because she's not a heartless bitch who will abandon a loved one, no matter what the cost. And Yugi and Atem want to save her. Yugi has a huge crush on her, and maybe Atem does, too, just a little. Maybe. It's never been confirmed nor denied. But it's certainly true that Atem, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, Duke and Bakura like Téa's company. Unfortunately, for me, none of the yaoi pairings especially not Wishshipping, Dragonshipping, or Feathershipping will ever be canon. However, if Téa found out that Yugi and/or Atem liked boys (or each other) in that way, she'd be the first if not the first to know and trust. Téa might certainly be disappointed if Atem doesn't love her back, but because she loves him and is good with her emotions (most of the time), she would soon worry more about his boyfriend treating him right. If you had a loved one you've known for a while and gotten to know them as a close friend, even gone on a date with him once, wouldn't you not want him to leave? Even if it meant life or death to that person?
Yugi, and the other boys don't need a restraining order against Téa. The stalking claim is ridiculous, and she would in no way harm Yugi or Atem, unless she had a frontal lobotomy, was high on LSD, and under Dark Malik's control. Don't you remember when she defended Yugi from bullies and asshole duelists? She does retaliate against Joey a few times, but it's because he's an idiot more than half the time. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JOEY'S NOT SO WEAK AS TO ASK KAIBEY-WAIBEY FOR HELP IN DEFENDING HIMSELF. NEITHER IS BAKURA. I'm surprised how fast this girl can make friends (this is the friendship preacher, after all). Mai, Serenity, Bakura, Duke, Rebecca... Even Jounouchi and Honda in the manga, considering how they treated her. Téa does not need to be labeled as insane simply because she has a better outlook than half the characters.
And I'm pretty sure that Téa is a Mary-Sue because she's the only character without a Millennium Item and still be cool at the same time. *rolls eyes* Yeah, that tear activation thing is so girly and Mary-Sue like BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE JOEY GET MAULED BY YAMI BAKURA IN A MONSTER COSTUME. Okay, maybe it wasn't great writing, but still, making that claim because she's cast into a crappy role into a shounen series? Not to mention the only other guys who are interested in her are people nobody even wants to date! So, when all the 'hawt, hawt bishies' fall for her...yeah. And it's not her fault that she had to be a damsel in distress a few times in the anime and throughout most of the early manga/season 0. Actually, Joey, Yugi, Bakura, and even Kaiba were dudes in distress at one point, but nobody calls them wusses. They just think it's oh so cute when they're so weak that a newborn hamster could kill them.
I'm not even sure that people know what a "slut" is nowadays. It's a derogatory term for a sex worker, usually female. It's not someone who is prettier than you, nor is it someone who dresses in flashy/revealing clothes. Like I've reiterated before, Téa has Female Character In A Shounen Series Disease, so of course she's gonna wear short skirts and shorts. Dancers have nice legs, after all. Need I remind you that the weird fashion is because she was formerly Japanese and in Japan from the late 90's to the early 2000's and especially nowadays a lot of the fashions would be some of the weirdest things you have ever seen? And the argument against the short clothes reminds me too much of the "she was asking for it, so she deserved it" excuse. I'm sure few people are aware that not all sex workers are happy with their work, nor do they always choose their line of work, so I'd think twice about calling a woman a slut/whore/harlot.
So, why the wall of text? I've always wanted to do a Téa/Anzu defense in a slightly different perspective than most of her other fans. I used to be kind of neutral to Téa/Anzu when I was much younger and started watching Yu-Gi-Oh!. But then I was exposed to Téa/Anzu-bashing on the internet. I wasn't sure why she was getting so much animosity. I thought she'd be everyone's favorite character! But then again, lots of people hate Relena and Miaka, who are strong, relatable characters. I always found her to be the grumpy older sister of the group, kind of like Misty/Kasumi. I tend to liken Téa to Rinoa, Aerith, Tifa, Yuna, Sora Takenouchi, Winry or Kairi. In fact, liking Téa so much has helped me like Kairi more than I used to. Even though the infamous bashing kind of died down a little bit and more yaoi-bashing and homophobic!Joey has come up, I'm saddened to still see Tayah The Mentally Deficient Friendship Fanatic or Anus The Homophobic Stalking Prostitute fics in the Pit. After a while I watched some of the old episodes that I've missed due to work. First I saw Dawn of the Duel and Téa, along with Mana, instantly became my favorite character. I saw how she wanted to help Atem but at the same time never want him to leave. I could really feel the conflict of love within her. Then I watched Doma (I like saying that) and was surprised at how adventurous she was, in spite of the allegations against her. I'm more of a shoujo fan, so I naturally gravitate towards female characters and characters who choose to work out their problems through words rather than fighting, or those with complex emotional development. The only things I didn't like about Téa were the way that she stood, with one fist to her chest, looking like she's holding back, which is the opposite of her personality, and the fact that she wore platform shoes almost everywhere she went, including mountainous areas. I used to somewhat dislike Anzu in the manga because she had a lot of fanservice shots, was a damsel in distress in many chapters and she was a threat to my favorite pairing and I was 18 and stupid, but that wasn't really her fault. I think of her as the same person as Téa, only Japanese. She deserves so much more love than she has gotten in nearly a decade. Which still surprises me, as Yu-Gi-Oh! fans have aged considerably since then. I can't believe Alexis/Asuka and Akiza/Aki don't get bashed to bits since they pretty much have the same role that Téa/Anzu does (notice that all the female leads in the Yu-Gi-Oh! trilogy have names that start with 'A'?).
IN SHORT, TEA/ANZU ROCKS. THE END.