Ambidextrous Sprite: Difference between revisions

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Sprites are pixel art characters used in video games. Unlike a 3D model, you can't simply rotate a sprite to get a new view of it. Additional clothes, poses, and each frame of animation for actions have to be made almost entirely from scratch. For this reason, artists will usually make sprites perfectly bilaterally symmetrical. That way, any poses or actions made facing left could simply be flipped to make the same poses and actions facing right. There were also memory size concerns on earlier platforms - it was often more efficient to mirror the sprite than to store the opposite poses.

However, sometimes the concept for a character doesn't lend itself to symmetry. It might have an object in one hand or an [[Eyepatch of Power|eye patch]] or [[Good Scars Evil Scars|scar]] on one side. Whatever it is, simply flipping the sprite causes the feature to "change sides."

However, sometimes the concept for a character doesn't lend itself to symmetry. It might have an object in one hand or an [[Eyepatch of Power|eye patch]] or [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|scar]] on one side. Whatever it is, simply flipping the sprite causes the feature to "change sides."

Sometimes, developers will take the time to make a separate sprite for both the left and right facings. Usually, though, they won't bother.

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Since this is a ubiquitous trope, please only note examples where it is either glaringly obvious or averted.

== Action Adventure ==

* ''[[Bubble Bobble (Video Game)|Puzzle Bobble 3]]'' aka ''[[Title Confusion|Bust-A-Move '99 (or 3)]]'' had Lunaluna (or, since the names were not outright revealed, "that one fortune teller lady with the crystal ball and affinity for tarot cards"). [[Peek a Bangs|Her hair was made so that the left side of her head was covered with a very long bang that covered quite a bit of length of her body.]] [[Fashionable Asymmetry|The other side was barely shoulder length.]] All artwork depicting her throughout the game had shown her with the long hair to her left, including splash screens, the ending, etc, but there was one problem. When playing her as Player 1, she is flipped so her long hair is on the wrong side and can't be fixed. It is only fixed when you face her (but you aren't the one in control) or when you play as Player 2 (in which [[Color Coded Multiplayer|her hair is now green]]).

* ''[[Bubble Bobble (Video Game)|Puzzle Bobble 3]]'' aka ''[[Title Confusion|Bust-A-Move '99 (or 3)]]'' had Lunaluna (or, since the names were not outright revealed, "that one fortune teller lady with the crystal ball and affinity for tarot cards"). [[Peek-a-Bangs|Her hair was made so that the left side of her head was covered with a very long bang that covered quite a bit of length of her body.]] [[Fashionable Asymmetry|The other side was barely shoulder length.]] All artwork depicting her throughout the game had shown her with the long hair to her left, including splash screens, the ending, etc, but there was one problem. When playing her as Player 1, she is flipped so her long hair is on the wrong side and can't be fixed. It is only fixed when you face her (but you aren't the one in control) or when you play as Player 2 (in which [[Color-Coded Multiplayer|her hair is now green]]).

** Something similar happens with Lip's hair in ''[[Panel De Pon]]''; she has a swirl on the right side of her head and a flipped-up part on the other. Naturally, this gets reversed when any of her sprites are mirrored.

* Link is left-handed, but in the first few ''[[The Legend of Zelda (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' games his sword and shield will switch hands depending on which way he's facing. The player's guide for ''A Link to the Past'' mentioned how Link [[Serendipity Writes the Plot|superstitiously kept his shield between him and Death Mountain]].

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* ''[[Final Fight (Video Game)|Final Fight]]''

** The suspender on Mike Haggar's pants tends to switch sides depending on whether he's facing right or left. In most official artworks and character select profiles, it is shown going around the right side of his chest. This is averted in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Video Game)|Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'', where his suspender is always on the right shoulder.

** The enemy grunts [[One Letter Name|J]] and Two P have designs on the back of their jackets that are flipped whenever either of them change directions. It's particularly notable with J's jacket, who wears an atomic symbol on his back that has the word "BAD" written atop of it, which is mirrored when J is facing to the right.

** The enemy grunts [[One-Letter Name|J]] and Two P have designs on the back of their jackets that are flipped whenever either of them change directions. It's particularly notable with J's jacket, who wears an atomic symbol on his back that has the word "BAD" written atop of it, which is mirrored when J is facing to the right.

* ''[[Alien vs. Predator|Alien Vs. Predator]]'' - In the Capcom arcade version, all the player characters have asymmetrical designs ([http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=thumbs&db=videodb&id=5293 as shown on the game's brochure]) that differs in-game depending on whether the player is facing left or right.

** Linn Kurosawa has a large studded shoulder guard on her left shoulder, as well as knife holster on her right leg. Strangely, they're switched by default on her in-game sprite, since all the player characters start the game facing right. The hilt of the katana she carries on the back of her waist also switches sides to the opposite of her current direction.

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* In ''[[Final Fantasy V]]'', the pirates have eye patches. Whether they're looking left or right, the eye patch is always over their visible eye.

* Happens to Sion in ''[[Treasure of the Rudras]]'' after his eye is taken out early in the game. His right eye gets taken out, but if he's walking right his eye is left un-patched, a mirror to his sprite when walking left.

* ''[[Inazuma Eleven]]'' had this hold true in the overworld sprites of their DS games, which is jarring when hand-in-hand with [[Peek a Bangs]] characters such as Kazemaru and Edgar, or those with eyepatches like Sakuma.

* ''[[Inazuma Eleven]]'' had this hold true in the overworld sprites of their DS games, which is jarring when hand-in-hand with [[Peek-a-Bangs]] characters such as Kazemaru and Edgar, or those with eyepatches like Sakuma.

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* ''[[Super Paper Mario (Video Game)|Super Paper Mario]]'' does this; some examples are: Count Bleck (watch his monocle) and Dimentio (his masks colors switch when he faces different directions). Justified in that they literally are two-dimensional entities that literally flip over when they turn around.

** ''[[Scribblenauts]]'' does this, as well; the rally car inexplicably named "GEORGE" has a 5 on it, which is reversed when facing left.

* Rare 3D platformer game example: Rosalina from ''[[Super Mario Galaxy (Video Game)|Super Mario Galaxy]]'' normally has her [[Peek a Bangs]] cover the right side of her face, but from certain angles, her bangs will cover the left side of her face instead.

* Rare 3D platformer game example: Rosalina from ''[[Super Mario Galaxy (Video Game)|Super Mario Galaxy]]'' normally has her [[Peek-a-Bangs]] cover the right side of her face, but from certain angles, her bangs will cover the left side of her face instead.

* Happens to Stinkoman in ''[[Stinkoman 20 X 6 (Video Game)|Stinkoman 20 X 6]]'' whenever he's wearing the stone fist he got from defeating [[Giant Hands of Doom|Stlunko]] while he's still in Level 4.

** There is [http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Flipped_Images an entire article] on the ''[[Homestar Runner (Web Animation)|Homestar Runner]]'' [[The Wiki Rule|wiki]] about all the examples of this trope on their website.

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== Western Animation ==

* ''[[My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'': Since the ponies are made of Flash objects, they--or parts of them--often appear mirrored. It's more complicated than a simple flip, though. The ponies seem to have a "good side" that, in nearly every shot, starts out facing the camera. When a pony turns around while visible in a shot, all of her features remain left-right consistent, and the other side shows--unless they turn around very quickly, in which case the Flash object gets flipped, and the "good side" stays to the fore.

* ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'': Since the ponies are made of Flash objects, they--or parts of them--often appear mirrored. It's more complicated than a simple flip, though. The ponies seem to have a "good side" that, in nearly every shot, starts out facing the camera. When a pony turns around while visible in a shot, all of her features remain left-right consistent, and the other side shows--unless they turn around very quickly, in which case the Flash object gets flipped, and the "good side" stays to the fore.

** This is especially prominent in the case of Fluttershy and Rarity, whose manes can obscure their faces. They always begin every shot with their bangs out of their faces, whether facing right or left, ''except'' when the shot calls for Fluttershy to look [[Peek a Bangs|extra shy]] or Rarity to look worried or depressed.

** This is especially prominent in the case of Fluttershy and Rarity, whose manes can obscure their faces. They always begin every shot with their bangs out of their faces, whether facing right or left, ''except'' when the shot calls for Fluttershy to look [[Peek-a-Bangs|extra shy]] or Rarity to look worried or depressed.

** Occasionally, because the Flash objects aren't double-sided, you can get a glimpse of a pony's cutie mark on the ''inside'' of the thigh.

* ''[[The Problem Solverz]]'', another Flash-animated show, is quite obvious about this. Sometimes it isn't ''too'' noticeable, as most of the characters have symmetrical appearances, but it just looks weird when a question mark on their shirt is backwards.

* On ''[[The Amazing World of Gumball]]'' (which ''isn't'' flash-animated), this happens to Gumball's whiskers (he always has three on one side and two on the other, but they often flip sides) and Carrie's asymmetrical [[Peek a Bangs]].

* On ''[[The Amazing World of Gumball]]'' (which ''isn't'' flash-animated), this happens to Gumball's whiskers (he always has three on one side and two on the other, but they often flip sides) and Carrie's asymmetrical [[Peek-a-Bangs]].

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* ''[[The Order of the Stick (Webcomic)|The Order of the Stick]]''. [[Better Than a Bare Bulb|Naturally]], it's been [[Lampshaded]] [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0401.html a couple] of [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0580.html times].

** Although in the first case, it wasn't so much that Roy's supposed to be wearing two different sized boots (and the gag is they swap feet), as that the boot nearest the reader looks bigger because it's closer (and the gag is that it actually is bigger. And they swap feet).

* Being a sprite comic, ''[[~~Eight~~ Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight Bit Theater]]'' naturally does this. Played with [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/02/09/episode-659-my-new-sword-technique-is-unstoppable/ when Black Mage loses a hand], [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/02/11/episode-660-when-it-rains-it-pours/ then an arm], [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/02/18/episode-663-surgical-precision/ and then loses both arms somehow].

* Being a sprite comic, ''[[8-Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight Bit Theater]]'' naturally does this. Played with [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/02/09/episode-659-my-new-sword-technique-is-unstoppable/ when Black Mage loses a hand], [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/02/11/episode-660-when-it-rains-it-pours/ then an arm], [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/02/18/episode-663-surgical-precision/ and then loses both arms somehow].

* ''[[Our Little Adventure (Webcomic)|Our Little Adventure]]'', especially when you see [[Fashionable Asymmetry|Angelo or some of his followers.]]

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* In ''[[Naruto Clash of Ninja (Video Game)|Naruto Clash of Ninja]] 2'', during the [[Super Move Portrait Attack]], the portrait is slightly different depending on what side you're facing. This is done because the Leaf headbands would look odd when mirrored, and some characters have accessories (like bandages) that are on one of their arms but not the other. The other games just show the characters flashing straight-forward in the middle of the screen.

* In the first ''[[Dragon Ball (Manga)|Dragonball Z Budokai]]'' game, The character's portrait poses in the selection screen were mirrored. However, Only the ''pose'' was mirrored. One-sided objects and accessories (like the Saiyans' scouters or that red band on Raditz's left forearm) remained on their proper side.

* Two-Face, in the ''[[Batman Forever]]'' [[Beat Em Up]] for the Sega Genesis/Megadrive, possesses not only separate sprites but 'entirely different movesets' depending on which way he's facing, as a nod to his dual nature.

* Two-Face, in the ''[[Batman Forever]]'' [[Beat'Em Up]] for the Sega Genesis/Megadrive, possesses not only separate sprites but 'entirely different movesets' depending on which way he's facing, as a nod to his dual nature.

* The ''[[Soul Series|Soul Calibur Series]]'' completely averts this by having character's backs face the screen. You will see the front or back of your character depending on what player you are.

** Raphael is, however, left handed solely so he can face the screen when wielding his rapier when selected by player one.

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== Strategy Games ==

* In ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|Fire Emblem: Sword of Flame]]'', Nergal's turban always hides his right eye. {{spoiler|No points for guessing [[Good Scars Evil Scars|what he reveals under it]] in the last chapter...}}

* In ''[[Fire Emblem Elibe|Fire Emblem: Sword of Flame]]'', Nergal's turban always hides his right eye. {{spoiler|No points for guessing [[Good Scars, Evil Scars|what he reveals under it]] in the last chapter...}}

** Idenn of ''Sword of Seals'' has [[Mismatched Eyes]].

** Prominent instances of it being played straight: