Monthly Archives: March 2026

Top Tens – History: Top 10 History Books (2) Edward Gibbon – The History of the Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire

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Featured as a meme “the saddest book cover series in history” – the book design of hardcover or leatherbound versions originating from the 1946 edition design by Paul McPharlin with the etchings of Giovanni Piranesi (which included an additional seventh volume of Gibbon’s notes)

 

 

 

(2) EDWARD GIBBON –

THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE & FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

 

Once more but this time it’s the classic titular decline and fall of the Roman Empire.

Indeed, the title alone is so classic, “many writers have used variations” of it since.

And then you have the subject itself, the decline and fall of the Roman Empire – that “melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, retreating to the breath of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear and naked shingles of the world”.

Even now, the decline and fall of the Roman Empire informs much modern discourse about state failure – from Edward Gibbon onwards, “we have been obsessed with the fall: it has been valued as an archetype for every perceived decline, and, hence, as a symbol for our own fears”..

Much of that discourse is whether it was decline or fall. For the former, the Romans were consistently their own worst enemies, not just in their relentless civil wars but also in aspects of internal decline that were observed even as early as the second century – at its peak! – by contemporaries such as the historian Cassius Dio, who lamented the decline “from a kingdom of gold to one of rust and iron”.

In a nutshell, famously and controversially, Gibbon’s thesis was that Christianity did it – although much of that fame and controversy seems inflated from what Gibbon actually wrote.

But Stark After Dark I hear you say, why do you rank Gibbon so highly, in second place above all your other ranked books of Roman history and in god-tier to boot, when it is so widely considered outdated?

And my answer is that it may be outdated as history but “it remains a foundational, highly readable literary masterpiece”.

Firstly, let’s take that highly readable literary masterpiece part. Prose style always counts for a lot with me and snark doesn’t go astray either. Gibbon has few peers, if any, as prose stylist – “Gibbon’s work has been praised for its style, its piquant epigrams and its effective irony”.

Indeed, I tend to share Churchill’s view of Gibbon’s prose style, on which he modelled much of his own.

“I set out upon … Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire [and] was immediately dominated both by the story and the style. … I devoured Gibbon. I rode triumphantly through it from end to end and enjoyed it all.

Secondly, let’s take that foundational part. It is, dare I say it, ur-history, from which the historiography of the fall of the western empire almost entirely originated. It often seems ironic that one of the ways in which Gibbon is outdated is that he wrote his history from primary sources in preference to secondary sources, as that seems equally an impressive feat – and one for which he ‘is considered by many to be one of the first modern historians”.

Gibbon’s work is so foundational that, in combination with his prose style, it has been foundational not only in history but also in fantasy and science fiction, borrowing from fantasy. Literally, in the case of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation space opera series, which is essentially a galactic retelling of the history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire – which, as Asimov quipped in doggerel, was written “with a tiny bit of cribbin’ / from the works of Edward Gibbon”.

And not just space opera but high fantasy – indeed the highest, as Tolkien was also influenced by Gibbon, with Gondor in The Lord of the Rings corresponding to the eastern Roman Empire after the fall of its western half, and Minas Tirith to Constantinople.

Finally, it has been foundational for me, inspiring my fascination with the history of the Roman Empire, particularly its decline and fall – indeed, empires and their decline or fall in general.

“In accuracy, thoroughness, lucidity, and comprehensive grasp of a vast subject, the ‘History’ is unsurpassable. It is the one English history which may be regarded as definitive…Whatever its shortcomings the book is artistically imposing as well as historically unimpeachable as a vast panorama of a great period”

 

RATING:

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

Top Tens – History: Top 10 History Books (3) Azar Gat – War in Human Civilization

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Oxford University Press, 1st edition (paperback) cover 2008, the edition I own

 

(3) AZAR GAT –

WAR IN HUMAN CIVILIZATION (2006)

 

 

“War, huh, yeah

What is it good for?”

 

Azar Gat’s history of war in human civilization is nothing short of magisterial – and at least halfway answers that famous song lyric, telling us what war is for.

 

That is the fundamental question which this book examines – “Why do people go to war?”.

 

Is it part of human nature or a “late cultural invention” of “civilization”, linked to agriculture, the state or something else? In short, who was right – Hobbes or Rousseau?

 

Has war declined in modernity? If so, why?

 

“In this truly global study of war and civilization, Azar Gat sets out to find definitive answers to these questions in an attempt to unravel the ‘riddle of war’ throughout human history, from the early hunter-gatherers right through to the unconventional terrorism of the twenty-first century”.

 

The book is divided into three parts. Part 2 – titled Agriculture, Civilization, and War – is perhaps the most straightforward of the three, although the overarching question of why people go to war is still present throughout, along with the associated question of how they do. Although he gave the game away in Part 1, Gat definitely leans into Hobbes here, with the emergence of strong central states – Hobbes’ Leviathan – being a key reason for less violent societies. Yes – even when those states make a wasteland and call it peace, as with the Roman Empire and their Pax Romana. He indicates as much with the title of his conclusion for this part – War, the Leviathan, and the Pleasures and Miseries of Civilization.

 

However, Parts 1 and 3 were the most fascinating for me. Part 1 and its sweeping title Warfare in the First Two Million Years indicate that its gamut is the whole of human prehistory – and indeed earlier to hominin prehistory. One myth that Gat dispels in Part 1 is that humans are uniquely prolific for intra-species violence. As Gat demonstrates, they are not – and indeed other animal species match or exceed humans for violence within their own species. Where humans differ is with respect to the targets of their violence. Whereas animals avoid more costly violence against evenly matched males and instead target young or females of their own species (as with the infamous example of male lions killing cubs when they take over a pride), humans are the opposite – targeting other males, often with the express motive of taking women and children as prizes. But you might ask – aren’t human males similarly evenly matched as their animal counterparts? Yes, indeed – which is why humans make it less evenly matched by the preferred strategies of the ambush or raid catching antagonists by surprise, ideally asleep, something which is easier to do for humans than for animals.

 

Which brings us to the other myth Gat dispels in this part – Rousseau’s “noble savage” or rather the myth of a peaceful ‘savage’, where the true escalation of violence in war arising with ‘civilization’, whether agriculture, the state, or something else. Indeed, Gat demonstrates that humans in their “state of nature” or indeed in societies not predominated by powerful central states experience much more violence, usually by substantial orders of magnitude.

 

As for Part 3 – Modernity: The Dual Face of Janus – Gat demonstrates that modernity has resulted in, well, more peace and less violence or war, even if that does not seem to be the case because of the destructive power of our technology. More intriguingly, Gat dispels (or at least introduces cause for caution with respect to) any monomythic explanations for this – such as “democratic peace theory” or fear of nuclear weapons.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

Top Tens – History: Top 10 History Books (4) H.P. Willmott – The Great Crusade

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Raising the flag over the Reichstag – one of the most iconic images of WW2 (as photographed by Yevgeny Khaldei and in public domain), used for the cover of the first edition of the book (and also for its own article on Wikipedia “Raising a flag over the Reichstag”)

 

(4) HP WILLMOTT –

THE GREAT CRUSADE: A NEW COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR (1989)

 

My bible of the Second World War – the best single “volume history of the Second World War in its coverage of all the major themes and all the fronts”.

And for that matter, one of my favorite volumes of history for any subject – one firmly embedded in my psyche and to which I repeatedly return, particularly on the subject of WW2, with insights or nuggets on almost every page.

For example, comparing the Pacific War to the American Civil War, with the former having uncanny parallels to the latter, even down to the two main American (or Union) offensive directions of each, with Imperial Japan similarly doomed to defeat as the Confederacy and for much the same reasons.

Or the transposition between Germany and the Soviet Union in military proficiency, such that by 1944-1945 the latter arguably equalled or surpassed the former at its peak, while Germany matched many of the same failings for the Soviets back in 1941.

Indeed, most of my own views of the Second World War originate in this book. Much of that is due to the style of Willmott, a strangely neglected or overlooked military historian – to quote excerpts from an Amazon review:

“Interesting, insightful, revelatory…Willmott is Willmott: never less than lucid and coherent, even when his work descends into the “mere chronicle” of army, corps and divisional movements that more properly belong to purely military history…magisterial is no more than an appropriate term with which to describe Willmott’s informative – indeed, transformative – and succinctly and clearly expressed synthesis of the knowledge on such a wide subject.”

Above all, my view of the Second World War originates in Willmott’s main theme or thesis of the book, which he was nice enough to state at the outset – debunking the myth of German military excellence. Indeed, he cheekily adapts Oscar Wilde’s famous quote from The Importance of Being Earnest – to lose one world war may be regarded as misfortune, to lose both looks like carelessness

This might seem paradoxical given the extent of Germany’s initial victories – and the Allied effort required to reverse those victories and defeat Germany – but almost as paradoxically, Willmott argues this just illustrates his theme, that Germany could succeed to that extent but still lose.

However, the paradox is resolved by Willmott’s argument, which he repeatedly demonstrates throughout the book, that “the German military genius was in fighting not in war, and along with her Japanese ally Germany was the only great power that did not understand the nature of war.”

One might add that this is the converse of the art of war, at least according to Sun Tzu – and of the Allies in general and the United States in particular. As Willmott observes, in terms of actually waging war, Germany was hopelessly outclassed by the Allies, matched only by the similar hopelessness of their ally Japan.

Willmott has yet another striking insight in his speculation about the reason for this – that the very success of Bismarck, the one German leader who had understood war, that is the limits of military and national power, “blinded successive generations of Germans to these realities because they saw only his military victories”.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

Monday Night Mojo – Top 10 Music (Mojo & Funk): Special Mention (Mojo) (2) Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness

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(2) MOJO: LANA DEL REY –
SUMMERTIME SADNESS (2012)
B-side: Blue Jeans (2012)

 

“I got that summertime, summertime sadness”

You and me both, Lana del Rey, you retro pop queen – “self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra” and “L0lita lost in the hood”.

The music of Lana del Rey – or Elizabeth Woolridge Grant – has been noted “for its stylized cinematic quality; its preoccupation with themes of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia; and its references to pop culture” Also – Hollywood sadcore, baroque pop, dream pop and “about music as a time warp, with her languorous croons over molasses-like arrangements meant to make clock hands seem to move so slowly that it feels possible, at times, they might go backwards”

And somehow all of this seems infused in her 2012 trip hop ballad hit, “Summertime Sadness” – so melancholy!

Also something of a crush of mine, although perhaps more as an idea

And as for my B-side, I’ll go with her characteristically mournful love song, Blue Jeans.

Love, like life, is the long lost last look back…

“I will love you till the end of time
I would wait a million years
Promise you’ll remember that you’re mine
Baby can you see through the tears?”

As for the balance of my Top 10 Lana Del Rey songs:

(3) Ultraviolence (2014)
(4) Video Games (2011)
(5) Born to Die (2011)

(6) Ride (2012)
(7) National Anthem (2012)
( 8 ) West Coast (2014)
(9) Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2022)
(10) A & W (2023)

 

RATING: 4 STARS****
A-TIER (TOP-TIER)

 

Top Tens – History: Top 10 History Books (5) John Keegan – A History of Warfare

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(5) JOHN KEEGAN –

A HISTORY OF WARFARE (1993)

 

The magnum opus of one of the foremost military historians of our time – a global history of war from prehistory to nuclear weapons. (Although one might also argue his magnum opus was his trilogy of The Face of Battle, The Mask of Command, and The Price of Admiralty).

 

After an introductory section “War in Human History”, Keegan organizes his history in broad thematic sections invoking the four classical elements but as the four elements of war, albeit also more or less in chronological sequence – “Stone”, “Flesh”, “Iron” and “Fire”.

 

Between each section is an “interlude”, not so much in chronological sequence but with a focus on recurring aspects – or problems – throughout the history of warfare, respectively limitations on warmaking, fortification, armies, and logistics and supply. For example, the interlude on ärmies dealt with the basic problem of – and limited number of means for – actually raising armies.

 

The titles of those elemental sections speak for themselves – with fire obviously corresponding to the defining characteristic of modern warfare increasingly relying on forms of combustion or energy, from gunpower through the internal combustion engine to nuclear weapons.

 

A personal highlight was the book’s examination of the conquests of the various “horse peoples”, the high point of which were the Mongols, always a subject of fascination for me. Something that has always resonated in my mind ever since is Keegan’s opinion that much of the mobile tactical skill of the horse peoples originated in the same techniques they used on their herds except on their adversaries instead.

 

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

Top Tens – Girls of Video Games: Top 10 Girls of Video Games (Revised 2026)

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Grand Theft Auto 5 cover girl – “bikini selfie girl”

 

The girls of video games – as notorious as the girls of comics or perhaps even more so. There’s a reason Jiggle Physics is a trope – and why this is my second top ten girls list after the girls of comics.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

But first a note on the visual images used in this top ten. Given the copyright in such images, I only use a visual image as fair use for the purposes of comment and review in each entry – an iconic feature image to identify the character, either in general or in their most iconic version as I review it to be (or both), sourced from the published game cover or promotional art, or occasionally captured from gameplay or trailers.

I also include a special section in each entry under the subtitle of art and cosplay – not for any actual art and cosplay as such but instead where I nominate my favorite artists and cosplay models depicting the character, which you can look up for yourself. For art, I award a special ranking for any art by my two favorite artists – the two freelance digital artists Sciamano and Dandonfuga. For cosplay, I award a special ranking for any cosplay by my holy trinity of models – my favorite model Yummychiyo with her insane figure in top spot, followed by Hane Ame and Helly Valentine.

As for the iconic feature image I’ve chosen for this page itself and girls of video games in general, I couldn’t go past the notorious cover girls of the Grand Theft Auto series. Also intimately familiar (heh) to players from the long loading screens, the GTA cover girls have their own history and backstories, although typically with no or limited appearance in the games themselves. It’s arguable which GTA cover girl is most iconic or notorious, but I settled on the bikini selfie girl from GTA5. And yes – unlike other GTA cover girls who have names, that’s as far as her identity goes, an unnamed representative of the game setting Los Santos taking a selfie of herself in a bikini on the beach. Despite apparently being based on a real life model Shelby Welinder that Rockstar Games contracted for a photo shoot, there were waves of speculation as to the identity of the unnamed bikini girl – with two of the most popular being Swimsuit Illustrated model Kate Upton (and to be honest, it does look like her to the extent that I too thought it was) and Lindsay Lohan, the latter even filing a lawsuit.

 

 

Comic cover art by David Nakayama for issue 1A of the tie-in comic published October 2025 (fair use)

 

 

(10) MALEVOLA –

DISPATCH (2025)

 

The Devil from Down Under!

“Dispatch is a 2025 episodic adventure-real-time strategy game” which I noticed through the usual way I notice almost all games – through art and cosplay for its female characters. Hence, it’s my wildcard tenth place entry for best video game girl of 2025.

The narrative of the game seems to involve costumed superheroes and supervillains. Or former supervillains as the case may be – I understand the backstory involves a former superhero forced into retirement from active duty (by destruction of his mecha-suit, near-death experience, and public scrutiny) but assigned as a dispatcher or mission control to Z-team, a team of former supervillains going through rehabilitation and not doing too well at it.

I was spoilt for choice with the female characters on offer in art and cosplay. Blonde Blazer came very close to scoring this entry, particularly as she lends herself more easily to cosplay, but Z-team member Malevola won out because I just can’t say no to devil girls – particularly to devil girls from down under, which I understand in this case to mean Hell or Australia (or both).

 

ART – DANDONFUGA

 

Not surprisingly, Malevola scores my Dandonfuga ranking for art of her, indeed in multiple versions – although I went with comic cover art of her by David Nakayama for my iconic feature image of her.

 

RATING:

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

 

 

Promotional game cover art

 

(9) EVE –
STELLAR BLADE (2024)

 

Normally I lag behind the curve for my girls of video games, until I’m caught up in the wave of art and cosplay from the character – but I boarded the hype train on this one right from the start, such is the media or social media attention she received before her game’s release. From the trailers I saw of her character – particularly in her skin suit – we’re talking the singularity of Jiggle Physics here, people. Oh – and she’s motion-captured from a real life Korean model.

The plot synopsis from Wikipedia – “Humanity is driven from Earth after a losing war against alien invaders called Naytiba. To reclaim their lost home, Eve and her squad are deployed from the Colony to fight the Naytiba and to take back Earth. Eventually, Eve meets a survivor named Adam, who leads her to Xion, humanity’s last surviving city on Earth. Eve then makes contact with the elder Orcal and establishes relationships with the residents of Xion, in order to further her mission to save humanity and reclaim Earth.”

Adam and Eve? See – it’s of Biblical propotions!

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, I’ve chosen the promotional game cover art itself.

 

ART – SCIAMANO & DANDONFUGA

 

And yes – she may be new to 2024 but she had such an impact that she quickly scored Sciamano and Dandonfuga rankings with their art of her (in alternate versions). I’m slowly building up to an Eve art top ten but so far my favorite artists depicting her include Neoartcore, Logan Cure, Kitty, Shura KRGT, and Aleiira V.

 

COSPLAY – HANE & HELLY

 

Sadly no Yummychiyo ranking – she would rock Stellar Blade’s Eve – but Hane Ame has rocked Eve cosplay and Helly Valentine is a close runner-up

 

RATING:
A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

An iconic in-game pose in her equally as iconic costume – although she dispenses with the skirt in one variant

 

 

(8) 2B –
NIER AUTOMATA (2017)

 

Nier: Automata (or NieR: Automata) – sequel to post-apocalyptic game Nier. And even more post-apocalyptic! Post-post-apocalyptic, even?

It is the distant future – and the last remnants of humanity have fled to the Moon while deploying combat androids to fight machine proxy wars with alien invaders. Or something like that.

Enter our protagonist YoRHA No 2 Model B, or 2B for short – a white-haired long-legged female model with an elegant steampunk appearance and dangerously short skirt (or leotard) of dubious combat utility.

Not entirely sure why our most advanced military technology in 11495 AD seems to consist of…swords.

Except of course – video game play and video game girls (with swords)!

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, I couldn’t go past the screenshot of one of her iconic in-game poses (commonly replicated by cosplay models). It also features her iconic appearance and costume, although she does dispense the skirt in the game and just goes round in her leotard she wears underneath it.

 

ART – SCIAMANO & DANDONFUGA

 

One of the most popular video games for artists, she scores both Sciamano and Dandonfuga rankings as both have done art of her. Even artists that more usually work in comics couldn’t resist her allure – such as Elias Chatzoudis and Nathan Szerdy.

Here’s my top ten on the spot for 2B art:

1 – Sciamano (apparently 2B art is also a favorite for the artist as well)

2 – Dandonfuga (for my Dandonfuga ranking)

3 – Elias Chatzoudis (for one of my favorite works of Nier art – by a professional comics artist to boot)

4 – Nathan Szerdy (more 2B art by a professional comics artist)

5 – Kikol Draws (Nier Automata and 2B is one of Kikol’s favorite subjects – and the source of some of my favorite 2B art)

6 – Neoartcore (for sensational 2B art)

7 – Logan Cure (for yet more sensational 2B art)

8 – Magion02 (2B is the subject of some of Magion’s best artworks)

9 – Ayyasap (for some nice 2B art)

10 – Aroma Sensei (Aroma Sensei does like doing art of white haired pretty girls)

 

SPECIAL MENTION

 

AI shoutout to Naughty Neurals.

 

COSPLAY – YUMMYCHIYO  (HANE & HELLY)

 

2B is also popular among cosplay models, getting a clean sweep of rankings from my holy trinity of cosplay models – Yummychiyo, Hane and Helly. Hane Ame deserves a special shoutout – I’d rank 2B among her best (and signature) cosplay.

I can’t quite rank a top ten of 2B cosplay but it’s close – with Octokuro, Lupinus, Tako, and Kato ranking after my top three cosplay models for their 2B cosplay.

 

RATING:
A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Promotional art of Ahri’s classic skin from the League of Legends website

 

 

(7) AHRI –
LEAGUE OF LEGENDS (2009)

 

Foxy lady!

I could just continue with the lyrics of Jimi Hendrix’s song but…

League of Legends (or LoL – lol) is a multiplayer online fantasy role-playing game in a similar style to World of Warcraft, although it has surpassed the latter in popularity since its release in 2009. The game’s popularity has also extended into merchandise and other media. The game mechanic is essentially that players control a character or ‘champion’ with distinctive abilities in the fantasy world of Runeterra, who then battles against other champions – “the champions and setting blend a variety of elements, including high fantasy, steampunk, folklore, and Lovecraftian horror”.

This insanely popular game has an insanely massive backstory or ‘lore’ to match – it has evolved from the original titular League of Legend (a magical battle arena used used to settle disputes between the competing fantasy factions) to the aptly named Universe, an extensive encyclopedia website (as well as written stories, artwork, comics, animations and other media).

So the choice of fantasy girl for this entry was tricky (and indeed deserving of its own top ten list), as there are again an insanely large number of characters from which to choose – 136 champions as at April 2017 – of which there are a number of female characters that are insanely hot. That’s even more so as each character has a number of variant appearances or ‘skins’, as well as other customizations.

In the end, however, there could be only one – Ahri the Nine-Tailed Fox. With her shapely form in her revealing, ah, skins, she has consistently appeared at the top of lists or polls for “the most desirable girls in the League” – which is only apt, as it reflects her seductive nature in the game itself. “To wit, she is so attractive that the sheer amount of s€xiness she puts out is a canonically-accepted game mechanic”. So much so that even other girls, not to mention otherworldly beings and eldritch abominations can find her attractive – and if they don’t, she can make them, as the most distinctive of her game abilities is a charm spell in the form of a blown kiss and shape of a heart.

As for her backstory, she was a literal fox, albeit smarter than the average fox, given that she was that foxy magical being known in Japanese folklore as a kitsune (or more precisely the somewhat more vampiric Korean equivalent known as a gumiho) – with intelligence and magic (including enchantment, illusion and shapeshifting) right down to the additional tails they grow as they get older, up to nine in total.

However, Ahri had ambitions to shift to a human shape and so she absorbed the life essence of a dying mage on a battlefield. With her newfound humanoid form, magic and seductive charm, she continued to absorb the life essence of men, until she contracted a case of conscience from – and about- sucking souls. (She can still do it but she’s just nicer about it).

In-game her character is a “deadly mage-assassin reliant on a heart-shaped Charm spell with a seduction-heavy theme and backstory”. She has taken to her human shape, although she retains such fox-like characteristics (or vulpine characteristics, if you want to be fancy about it) – her brightly colored eyes, whisker-like facial markings, cute fox ears and above all those nine fluffy and incredibly agile tails, which resemble luxurious pillows on which she often lounges seductively.

And how! She’s seductive in her classic variant, but then there’s her variant ‘skins’ (some of which sound like various fashion or fragrance lines) – Arcade, Challenger, Dynasty, Foxfire, Midnight and Generation ‘skin’.

 

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, what better than the promotional art for her classic skin or appearance from League of Legends itself?

 

ART – SCIAMANO & DANDONFUGA

 

She scores both Sciamano and Dandonfuga rankings for their art of her – particularly Sciamano as his art of Ahri is among my favorite both for the character and for his art.

Here’s my top ten on the spot for Ahri art:

1 – Sciamano

2 – Dandonfuga

3 – Artgerm (coming close to Sciamano’s art for my favorite image of Ahri)

4 – Logan Cure

5 – Kittew

6 – Neoartcore

7 – Prywinko

8 – Ayyasap

9 – Olcha S

10 – Naughty Neurals

 

COSPLAY – HANE & HELLY

 

No Yummychiyo ranking but she scores a high Hane and Helly ranking, particularly the former. Ahri is one of Hane Ame’s favorite characters to cosplay and her signature cosplay in all of Ahri’s various skins.

As for other Ahri cosplay in order – Kalinka Fox (aptly enough) and Hedy.

 

RATING:
A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

Mai Shiranui in promotional art for The King of Fighters XIII

 

 

(6) MAI SHIRANUI –

FATAL FURY / KING OF FIGHTERS (1992)

 

I do like my ninja girls!

Not surprisingly, they are a staple of the fighting game genre of video games. Mai Shiranui is yet another ninja girl – or kunoichi for the proper term. And as usual for ninja girls in popular culture, her signature fighting costume seems distinctly un-ninja-like or particularly conspicuous for a ninja (that highly visible ninja trope again). Firstly, there’s not much of it, all the better to display her, ah, jiggle physics (literally her trademark fighting stance – or bounce). Apparently that aspect of her character was inspired by tales of kunoichi using their bodies for seduction and distraction – I’m certainly distracted!. Secondly, it’s red – and rather weird in its design.

She made her debut in the Fatal Fury fighting game series in 1992 – a series which consistently features that usual plot excuse of martial arts action set pieces, a martial arts tournament (which also strangely seem to be run by crime lords). From there, it becomes complicated as the Fatal Fury characters then featured in King of Fighters, a crossover series combining the company’s other fighting game series.

The development of her character is quite intriguing, from her intended origin as a “sexy and beautiful kunoichi” (with her official character description in games as the “Gorgeous Ninja” or the “Knock-Out Ninja”). Apparently, her, ah, bust and buttocks were modelled after two different Japanese actresses (and her costumes certainly don’t let them go to waste). Otherwise, she “represents the ideal of a Japanese woman – or yamato nadeshiko. Her profile lists her height, weight and measurements, because of course it does (1.64 m or 5’4”, 48 kg or 106 pounds and 87-55-91 or 34-22-36).

Mai is the Japanese word for dance while her surname is the Japanese word for an atmospheric ‘ghost-light’ phenomenon, referencing her pyrokinetic abilities. Her weapon of choice is the characteristic kunoichi set of folding fans or tessen.

“Largely due to her sex appeal, Mai has become one of the most popular, recognizable and celebrated female characters of the fighting game genre and video gaming in general, especially in Japan, China and some other East Asian countries.”

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, I chose the promotional art for her from King of Fighters XIII. It may not be up there with the glorious fan art for her but it still showcases her game…assets. Not to mention one of her classic poses.

 

ART – SCIAMANO & DANDONFUGA

 

Everyone loves Mai – especially artists and it is her prolific fan art, even after over three decades, that sees her in my top ten.

And yes – it also sees her score Sciamano and Dandonfuga rankings for their art of her, with the latter some of my favorite Mai art.

As for my Mai top ten art on the spot

1 – Sciamano (for my Sciamano ranking)

2 – Dandonfuga (for my Dandonfuga ranking – and some of my favorite Mai art)

3 – Kikol Draws (for some of my favorite Mai art)

4 – Artgerm (consistently the professional comics artist with the best art of video game girls)

5 – Neoartcore (for Mai in Neoartcore’s usual style)

6 – Logan Cure (for Mai in Logan Cure’s usual style)

7 – Ayyasap (for cute Mai art)

8 – Prywinko (for Mai in Prywinko’s usual style)

9 – Kittew (for some sizzling Mai art – too hot to handle!)

10 – Magion02 (recently bringing their A-game to Mai art)

 

SPECIAL MENTION

Al Rio (for some of my favorite art of Mai I just happened across)

AI shoutout to Naughty Neurals.

 

COSPLAY

Sadly no cosplay from my holy trinity, all of whom would rock Mai cosplay – Yummychiyo, Hane, or Helly.

There is a lot of quality Mai cosplay out there, including my favorite models – Anxi, Miu, Nami, and Giorgia Cosplay.

 

RATING:
A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

 

 

Promotional game art – with facial re-design

 

 

(5) RAPI –
GODDESS OF VICTORY: NIKKE (2022)

 

That’s right – the girls of Goddess of Victory: Nikke, a science fiction third-person shooter role-playing game, really jiggled on to the scene when the game was released in November 2022.

And that’s also right – they’ve spelt Nike, the usual translation of the name of the Greek goddess of victory, with an extra k.

As for the plot, it’s somewhat similar to the Nier Automata series – a far-future post-apocalyptic Earth, albeit one in which humanity is not extinct, but close to it as remnants that have retreated to a technologically advanced underground bunker known as the Ark. Retreated that is, from extraterrestrial robots known as Raptures.

Like Nier Automata, humanity is fighting back with Nikkes- combat-ready androids in the form of beautiful women, a curious design choice but one obviously chosen by someone similar to me because that’s exactly how I’d design them, or anything really. The androids fight in teams led by human commanders which I understand to be essentially the gameplay.

One of those Nikkes is Rapi, the iconic poster girl of the game who has featured heavily in their promotion as well as fan art and cosplay – in a design seemingly resembling some sort of Red Army fetish girl in stockings.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

What better than the game’s own promotional art as iconic both of Rapi and the game itself?

 

ART

 

Sadly no Sciamano or Dandonfuga ranking. Indeed, I haven’t come across much fan art for her at all, at least from my favorite artists.

 

COSPLAY – YUMMYCHIYO & HANE

 

On the other hand, there’s an abundance of quality cosplay for her, including from Yummychiyo and Hane Ame – hence her Yummychiyo and Hane rankings.

Ranking the top Rapi cosplay in order – Hane Ame (for classic Rapi uniform cosplay), Yummychiyo (for summer swimwear Rapi cosplay), Lupinus (Rapi is her signature cosplay), Aqua, Fufukowa, By0ru, Ain Nguyen, and Ely.

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****
S-TIER (GODDESS TIER)

 

 

Game character promotional art

 

(4) ASUNA –
BLUE ARCHIVE (2021)

 

“Wait – it’s all Asuna and Karin?”
“Always has been”

There seems to be a recurring trend in games from the 2010s and 2020s which involve gameplay of recruiting literal teams of girls for combat or similar missions. At least in Nier Automata, the pretext was that the combat-ready androids were designed in the form of beautiful woman – as I’ve quipped elsewhere, a curious design choice but one obviously chosen by someone similar to me because that’s exactly how I’d design them, or anything really.

Perhaps not as curious a design choice as here though, where you are a teacher – addressed as “sensei” of course – and, ah, recruit your students, albeit I don’t remember any students who looked liked this at my school, even without their distinctive haloes.

“You awake as a “sensei”, after seeing an unknown yet familiar girl in your dreams. You are tasked by the Vice President of the General Student Council of the sprawling academic city of Kivotos to find the GSC’s missing president… gameplay is done on an isometrically-viewed battlefield. You fight by using students you’ve recruited as units in a formation of 6″.

Given it’s a “sprawling academic city”, there’s about eleven schools and each school has a host to students to choose from, so there’s a lot of potential Girls of Blue Archive, but when it comes to art and cosplay, it is indeed like that astronaut with the gun meme – it’s all Asuna and Karin, the two signature girls of the game hailing from the Millennium Science School (and its ‘Cleaning and Clearing’ club or affiliation, hence their, ah, maid outfits). As per TV Tropes, Asuna and Karin are “Blue Archive’s poster girls for it being fetish fuel best known for the fanservice”. Of course, their variant bunny costumes help so much.

Each of the Cleaning and Clearing maids are assigned a number – with Asuna as 1 and Karin as 2, which would also reflect my rankings for them, with Asuna just edging forward of Karin to claim a top ten spot (while Karin and other girls of Blue Archive rank special mention)

Asuna is a buxom blue-eyed blond, typically with hair over one eye and a blue theme to her, including her halo. Essentially, she’s carefree and ditzy, but lucky.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

The best Blue Archive art is the game’s own promotional character art and Asuna is no exception – hence my choice for iconic feature image. The only issue was that I had to choose among the Blue Archive game promotional art for Asuna’s different ‘skins’ – her default school uniform, her maid costume and her formal attire design by artist Dishwasher1910, but the choice could only go to her bunny girl costume.

 

ART

 

Sadly no Sciamano or Dandonfuga ranking but I can at least nominate three artists for my favorite fan (bunny) Asuna art – Kikol Draws, Magion02 and Prywinko. And of course the artists for her promotional game character design (including Dishwasher1910).

 

COSPLAY – YUMMYCHIYO  (HANE AME)

 

Fortunately my favorite cosplay models step up – indeed, Asuna might well have one of the highest Yummychiyo rankings, given that she’s arguably the signature cosplay for my top favorite model Yummychiyo. She also has a high Hane Ame ranking, with Asuna as some of Hane Ame’s best cosplay in prolific photo sets for different itirations of the character.

 

My Asuna cosplay top ten on the spot

1 – Yummychiyo

2 – Hane Ame,

3 – Uri

4 – Aqua

5 – Fufukowa

6 – Okita Rinka

7 – Natsume

8 – Miu

9 – Rissoft

10 – Azami

 

SPECIAL MENTION

1 – By0ru

2 – Meenfox

 

 

RANKING: 5 STARS*****
S-TIER (GODDESS TIER)

 

Yes – that is her game promotional art for her Race Queen skin “Stunning Speedster”

 

(3) ATAGO –
AZUR LANE (2017)

 

“Oh my, what a cute commander~ I’m Atago. I might just take good care of you…”

Ahoy! What is it with video games and ‘ship girls’ – anime girls literally personifying Second World War naval vessels? Let’s face it – there’s nothing that fans can’t or won’t see as anime girls. (Hello Earth-chan or Black Hole-chan!)

In 2013, it was Kantai Collection – KanColle or Fleet Girls in English, with girls personifying Imperial Japanese Navy vessels (somewhat disturbingly, given Imperial Japan’s role in the war) against a mysterious abyssal alien opponent.

And in 2017, Azur Lane is a Chinese copycat version of the same thing – perhaps even more disturbingly with the same focus on Imperial Japanese naval vessels, given Imperial Japan’s actions towards China.

But I can’t stay mad at Imperial Japanese vessels when they’re anime catgirls. As usual, Azur Lane came to my attention through cosplay – particularly cosplay of Atago, ship cat-girl for the Imperial Japanese Navy heavy cruiser of the same name. Or more precisely, ship dog-girl, as she sports dog ears (as all the Japanese ship girls have animal ears or tails). Similarly to Kantai Collection, embodying a big ship, she has some, well, big guns – along with her sisters in the Takao heavy cruiser class. While her original appearance features her in white naval-style uniform, she has a number of racier ‘skins’ or appearance – we all know we’re here for Race Queen (or RQ) Atago, in which she barely fits in a black and white racing flag-style bikini outfit. O my goddess!

As for ranking her Race Queen skin as well as her other skins, you can find my Top 10 Atago skins here, as a sub-page of my Top 10 Girls of Azur Lane

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, there was only one choice – the promotional art for her Race Queen skin!

 

ART – SCIAMANO

 

Atago arguably scores THE Sciamano ranking – my all-time favorite Sciamano art of any character and the one that originally drew me (heh) to his art, as the first Sciamano art I saw. It’s also my favorite art of Atago, both in her Race Queen version and her more formal dress uniform version.

Sadly, Atago does not have prolific art from my favorite artists so I don’t have enough for a top ten – Sciamano would rank first of course, but after that there’s Kikol Draws and Kittew

 

COSPLAY – YUMMYCHIYO & HANE

 

However, Atago does have prolific cosplay, particularly in her Race Queen version because – just look at it!

She does score my Yummychiyo ranking, but perhaps even more so my Hane ranking. Ahri may be Hane Ame’s signature cosplay (and her personal favorite) but her Atago is up there as well – the Race Queen skin of course but also the other skins.

And I can squeeze out a top ten of Atago cosplay

1 – Hane Ame (one of her signature cosplays – and a reliable source of Azur Lane cosplay in general)

2 – Yummychiyo (another reliable source of Azur Lane cosplay)

3 – Fufukowa

4 – Takomayuyi

5 – Biya

6 – Natsume (another reliable source of Azur Lane cosplay)

7 – Anxi

8 – Okita Rinka

9 – Oripiepie

10 – Camilla

 

RATING: 5 STARS****
S-TIER (GOD TIER)

 

 

 

(2) TIFA LOCKHART –

FINAL FANTASY (1997)

 

Pinup girl of the cyber-generation. Introduced in FFVII – the same edition of the game that broke through to widespread Western popularity. Coincidence? I think not.

She’s of the fantasy monk character class. Think kung fu not Christian – a combination of martial arts and mystical training. In a black mini-skirt – for extra kicks.

Also measures in at 36-24-35″ (or 92-60-88 cm – at 5 feet 6 inches or 167 cm) because of course she does.

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, I chose one of her more popular game screenshots – which seems to be popular for a reason.

 

ART – SCIAMANO & DANDONFUGA

 

Tifa scores both Sciamano and Dandonfuga rankings, with Sciamano’s art as some of my favorite for his art and also for Tifa herself – but Tifa is very popular among artists and arguably the most popular subject among ‘fan’ artists. Here’s my Tifa art top ten on the spot:

1 – Sciamano (for my Sciamano ranking with a number of artworks of her – including one in tribute to her appearance in the Italian Parliament. No, seriously)

2 – Dandonfuga (for my Dandonfuga ranking – as above with a number of artworks of Tifa)

3 – Neoartcore (for cute Tifa art – with multiple artworks)

4 – Kikol Draws (Tifa is one of Kikol’s specialties and best subjects – with multiple artworks of her)

5 – Magion02 (for one of my favorite artworks of Tifa in canonical swimsuit)

6 – Artgerm (one of the few professional comics artists I know to feature her in his art – at least as far as I know)

7 – Logan Cure (for multiple artworks of Tifa)

8 – Aroma Sensei (for some of the best Tifa artwork outside her canonical costumes)

9 – Kittew (another artist with some sizzling art of Tifa as recurring subject)

10 – Shura KRGT (for Tifa in her classic costume)

 

SPECIAL MENTION

She’s a favorite among AI artists as well – shoutout to Naughty Neurals among others.

 

COSPLAY – YUMMYCHIYO, HANE & HELLY

 

Tifa may be even more popular among cosplayers than she is among artists – perhaps one of the most popular subjects of cosplay of all time. She certainly gets a clean sweep of my holy trinity of cosplay models – Yummychiyo, Hane & Helly. However, if I had to choose between them, I’d have to nominate Hane as the definitive Tifa cosplayer – both as a contender for another Hane Ame signature cosplay but also as the definitive cosplay of Tifa throughout her costumes. Wow – at this rate, I may just have to do a top ten Hane Ame cosplays. My Top 10 Girls of Video Games alone has seen some of her best (and signature) cosplays – probably Ahri in top spot as Hane’s personal favorite, but then Tifa, Atago and Asuna.

 

As for my Tifa cosplay top ten on the spot –

1 – Hane Ame

2 – Helly Valentine

3 – Yummychiyo (as my favorite cosplay model but ranking third here as Hane and Helly have more prolific cosplay of Tifa)

4 – Uri

5 – Kalinka Fox

6 – Aqua

7 – Lupinus Rando (just a glimpse of Tifa cosplay!)

8 – Kisaragi Ash

9 – Diaphora

10 – Camilla

 

SPECIAL MENTION

1 – Vampy Bit Me

2 – Katyuska Moonfox

3 – Octokuro

4 – By0ru

5 – Miu

6 – Rissoft

7 – Anxi (if only I could find Tifa cosplay by her colleague Hedy, who would also rock it!)

8 – Ely Cosplay

9 – Plant Lily

10 – Meenfox

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****
S-TIER (GODDESS TIER)

 

Tomb Raider Anniversary edition – 2007 release

 

 

(1) LARA CROFT –

TOMB RAIDER (1996)

 

Could there be any doubt? There could only be one girl in the top spot as THE most famous, THE most iconic and THE most enduring action girl in video games (or indeed, video games protagonists in general) – the first (if not only) female video game character most people would name as such: Lara Croft, tomb raider. (Indeed, she holds a Guinness World Record for most recognized female video game character).

Tomb Raider is a video game franchise with Lara as the titular tomb raider and adventurer archaeologist (who, along with Indiana Jones, made archaeology seem adventurous rather than the boring dusting of broken pottery that it is in reality). The games have her trotting the globe, raiding tombs for treasure while avoiding rival hunters, wildlife, and various death traps.

Since its debut in 1996, the games have sold millions of copies and extended into comics, films (with Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander in the title role) and an animated series.

As for Lara herself, does she need any introduction? “A British archaeologist who has a knack for descending into trap-riddled tombs and ruins, and loves every bit of it”.

Armed with her wits and her trusty dual pistols” (with seemingly limitless ammunition, “Lara uncovers secrets across the globe stopping at nothing to get what she wants”. She is the archetypal video game action girl, “practically the trope codifier” for female video game protagonists of this type, and “at the height of her popularity, she was probably the best recognized and most popular video game character originating in the western hemisphere”.

Of course, two continuity reboots have led to three radically different Laras, while changing game design has multiplied these Laras even more, with alternate outfits (as well as magazine advertisements) from wet suits to bikinis to cocktail dresses.

Throughout her incarnations, she has been a s€x symbol, one of the earliest in the video game industry to achieve widespread attention, portrayed by official models and licensed for promotion or appearances – “as of June 2016, Lara Croft has been featured on over 1,100 magazine covers surpassing any supermodel”.

In appearance, she is depicted with brown eyes and reddish-brown to brown hair, frequently kept in a pleat or ponytail, with her classic costume of turquoise tank top, light brown shorts, boots and socks (although, as noted above, there are variations on the theme and different costumes).

Her basic (or classic) costume makes for prolific cosplay – not to mention her official models. All hail Lara Croft, Tomb Raider and goddess of video games!

 

ART & COSPLAY

 

For her iconic feature image, I went with her game art from the 2006 Tomb Raider: Anniversary edition, still arguably the classic version of the character.

 

ART – SCIAMANO & DANDONFUGA

 

Not surprisingly, as the iconic girl of video games Lara scores both Sciamano and Dandonfuga rankings – as my favorite art from her and among my favorite art from those two artists.

 

As for my Lara art top ten on the spot

1 – Sciamano (for my Sciamano ranking with a couple of versions)

2 – Dandonfuga (for my Dandonfuga ranking again with a couple of versions)

3 – Neoartcore (for cute Lara art)

4 – Nathan Szerdy (for some fine Lara art, although I would have expected more)

5 – Sun Khamunaki (not as prolific as expected but she has done some Lara art – and Zenescope characters in the style of Lara)

6 – Elias Chatzoudis (again for some fine Lara art, although I would have expected more)

7 – J Scott Campbell (not surprisingly – as Lara is a girl made for that classic Campbell style)

8 – David Nakayama (for a classic piece of Lara art)

9 – Logan Cure (for hot Lara art)

10 – Prywinko (for cute Lara art)

 

SPECIAL MENTION

1 – Michael Turner (for classic Michael Turner art of Lara)

2 – Adam Hughes (for classic Adam Hughes art of Lara)

3 – Greg Horn (for cover art in photo-realistic style)

4 -Jeff Champion (also for cover art in photo-realistic style)

AI shoutout to Naughty Neurals

 

COSPLAY – HELLY

 

Sadly no Yummychiyo or Hane ranking – I’d love to see it! – but she does score a mighty fine Helly ranking.

 

Poster art of Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft in iconic pose in the 2001 film

 

MEDIA & MODELS

 

Lara is my only Girl of Video Games with both media adaptations and official models.

 

For the first, the definitive cinematic incarnation of Lara remains that portrayed by Angelina Jolie in the 2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider film and its 2003 sequel. The films may have been of, ahem, average quality, but Jolie perfectly embodied Lara for the screen. Live-action Lara was reprised by the Swedish actress Alicia Vikander – after her breakout role as the robot girl in Ex Machina – in the 2018 Tomb Raider film which sought to reboot the film franchise but sadly failed to do so.

 

 

Yes – I’m going there. Apparently, Christmas Jones in the 1999 James Bond film The World is Not Enough as played by Denise Richards was based on Lara Croft – at least in visual design – and Richards was rumored for casting as Lara. Christmas Jones may have not been – how do I put this delicately? – one of the best Bond girls but I’m including her as special mention for media adaptations of Lara, indeed prior to any other live action film. I don’t know if Richards would have embodied the character as well as Jolie in performance – but certainly would have in appearance.

 

Rhona Mitra, the second official promotional model for Lara, shown here in classic pose

 

Secondly, her video game company had nine professional models to portay Lara for promotional events – in chronological order as follows:

1 – Nathalie Cook (English model) 1996-1997

2 – Rhona Mitra (English model & actress) 1997-1998 – arguably the highest profile model, given that she went on to quite the acting career, usually in action girl roles, hence my (fair) use of her in classic promotional pose to represent the Lara Croft models. One wonders why they didn’t cast her as Lara in film (or television)

3 – Vanessa Demouy (French model) 1998

4 – Nell McAndrew (English model) 1998-1999 – sadly fired for posing in Playboy

5 – Lara Weller (Dutch model) 1999-2000

6 – Lucy Clarkson (English model) 2000-2002

7 – Jill de Jong (Dutch model) 2004-2006

8 – Karima Adedbibe (English model) 2006-2008

9 – Alison Carroll (English model) 2008-2010 – after which the company discontinued the use of models

 

Okay – I’ll include an image of the last Lara model Alison Carroll as tribute (and also as my personal favorite of the models)

 

RATING: 5 STARS*****
S-TIER (GODDESS-TIER)

 

 

 

 

 

FANTASY GIRLS –
GIRLS OF VIDEO GAMES: TOP 10 (TIER LIST)

 

S-TIER (GODDESS TIER)

(1) LARA CROFT – TOMB RAIDER (1996)

Like Wonder Woman in comics, Lara pretty much defined girls in video games for me and remains the definitive girl of video games.

(2) TIFA LOCKHART – FINAL FANTASY

(3) ATAGO – AZUR LANE

(4) ASUNA – BLUE ARCHIVE

(5) RAPI – NIKKE: GODDESS OF VICTORY

If Lara and Tifa are my Old Testament of girls in video games, Atago, Asuna and Rapi are my New Testament.

 

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

(6) MAI SHIRANUI – FATAL FURY / KING OF FIGHTERS

(7) AHRI – LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

(8) 2B – NIER AUTOMATA

(9) EVE – STELLAR BLADE

 

X-TIER (WILD TIER)

(10) MALEVOLA – DISPATCH

Finally, my wildcard tenth place entry for best video game girl of 2025