Guild Wars 2

Are Asura racist and chauvinistic? I want to play as Asura, but I don’t approve their ideology. They think they are better then other races, and as we can read on wiki: “Other races believe they should rule by virtue of their power and strength, but they’re deluding themselves. In due time, ALL WILL SERVE THE ASURA.”

What are your opinions?
Edited by moderator: Sensitive and off-topic historical references were taken out. Thanks

Racist? Yes. Chauvinistic? Yes again. More so than the Charr? Nope.

If you are to choose culture by ideology, only the Sylvari are left as a truly acceptable choice.

What the Asura content brings to the table though is a lot of self irony. The race was made for people who enjoy laughing at their own blunders just as much as laughing at anything else that is fun. If you can say “It’s hilldarious how silly I look when jumping!” thn the Asura are for you. Again, if you are likely to laugh at how full of themselves the npcs and your character are, then the Asura are or you. If you want to see npcs that are full of themselves but your reaction is “epic!”, then you should choose a Charr or Norn

I love Charrs, they are not racist and chauvinistic! :C
Charrs are sweet kitties with fluffy fur!

Sylvari are too serious and they don’t drink grog and beer.

Sylvari will probably drink anything once, even if only to be able to say that they experienced it and tell other Sylvari all about it.

The asura aren’t chauvinistic…
Racist yeah, but not chauvinistic.
Their splinter group isn’t either, unlike the Norn (Sons of Svanir) and Charr (Flame Legion) splinter groups.

Hell yeah! we will rule the whole of tyria and gain world domination.

In order to achive this goal, we definetly have to be racist…..

belive me as soon as we gain world domination, we will start inventing machines in order to shrink everything in tyria to asura size. Chars, Norns, Humans and Sylvari will serve as our slaves.

it feels so good to be evil.

Just re-checked chauvinism in the dictionary:
1. Militant devotion to and glorification of one’s country; fanatical patriotism.
2. Prejudiced belief in the superiority of one’s own gender, group, or kind

For the first definition it probably only applies to Charr if any race. Asura are innocent there I would say.
For the second definition, Asura sure believe in their kind being superior to everyone else and within their kind that their group (krewe) is superior to everyone else. When it comes to gender though Asura are completly open minded.

i just see them as having huge ego’s and this makes me laugh in so many wayes. but i dont believe there realy racist. in what i pick up the think the are by far the most inteligent life form, and in person the most inteligent of that life form and that other races should follow there superior ruling becouse of there superior intellect. but the have no plans to exsterminate or inslave other races and even look down on eachother.

TSMTB.3254:

i just see them as having huge ego’s and this makes me laugh in so many wayes. but i dont believe there realy racist. in what i pick up the think the are by far the most inteligent life form, and in person the most inteligent of that life form and that other races should follow there superior ruling becouse of there superior intellect. but the have no plans to exsterminate or inslave other races and even look down on eachother.

you guys are srsly not helping our race to gain world domination.

come on…little small creatures having tyria under their powerfull hands. how cool is that? right now i feel like “Brain” from “Pinky and the Brain” but u guys are rather “Pinky”

I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Asura are racist but chauvinistic… definitely. They know they are the most intelligent of the races and aren’t afraid to rub it in. They even compete with each other for who is smartest.

Do they think the other races are stupid? For a large part yes. Do they therefore hate other races? No… racism generally implies a sense of hatred. The Asura are the most intelligent race and therefore aren’t boasting unfounded superiority when it comes to the mind department.

To be honest I think they just boast about their intelligence to distract you from their physical weakness a kind of nod to the pun ‘Making up for something’.

As for the Sylvari I honestly don’t understand where people keep thinking Sylvari are all serious. Have you met Sieran? Do you know who Caithe is? Have you seen their dance? Sylvari aren’t a serious race. They are generally kind and caring but unless it’s a serious matter they aren’t serious.

“Other races believe they should rule by virtue of their power and strength, but they’re deluding themselves. In due time, ALL WILL SERVE THE ASURA.”

I wouldn’t take that to serious. Ofcourse they are little chauvinists. But for me that quote rather sounds like a little sarcastic hint of their big egos. Other races feel superior to others because they are strong and big, but Asura just don’t need a reason to feel better than everyone they just know they are.

Still I like the shrinking part. :p

Wheeping Song.6423:

belive me as soon as we gain world domination, we will start inventing machines in order to shrink everything in tyria to asura size. Chars, Norns, Humans and Sylvari will serve as our slaves.

it feels so good to be evil.

Wheeping Song.6423:

TSMTB.3254:

i just see them as having huge ego’s and this makes me laugh in so many wayes. but i dont believe there realy racist. in what i pick up the think the are by far the most inteligent life form, and in person the most inteligent of that life form and that other races should follow there superior ruling becouse of there superior intellect. but the have no plans to exsterminate or inslave other races and even look down on eachother.

you guys are srsly not helping our race to gain world domination.

come on…little small creatures having tyria under their powerfull hands. how cool is that? right now i feel like “Brain” from “Pinky and the Brain” but u guys are rather “Pinky”

shhhh, don’t tell them.^^

My character didn’t come off this way in the personal story and many other asura’s wont either but the arcane council certainly gives off this vibe. Inquest are also not entirely racist they simply prefer to experiment without morals.

Wheeping Song.6423:

Hell yeah! we will rule the whole of tyria and gain world domination.

In order to achive this goal, we definetly have to be racist…..

belive me as soon as we gain world domination, we will start inventing machines in order to shrink everything in tyria to asura size. Chars, Norns, Humans and Sylvari will serve as our slaves.

it feels so good to be evil.

[Inquest mode online]

Slaves are inefficient and die far too quickly to make a long-term difference. We’ll just put all the lesser races into many small colonies devoid of resources and communication with one another and hold them in, entirely dependent on our aid. They will be allowed no texts or technology aside of clothing and meager shelter to minimize costs. Then we’ll periodically take them and put their offspring into the latest and greatest harvesting Golems— Equipped with a D-class aggression inhibiter and an obedience array in the soul core, of course.

phhh way to much Oldschool.^^ Just watch Matrix and u know how it’s done.

Frosty and Frosty Law Firm.4981:

Wheeping Song.6423:

Hell yeah! we will rule the whole of tyria and gain world domination.

In order to achive this goal, we definetly have to be racist…..

belive me as soon as we gain world domination, we will start inventing machines in order to shrink everything in tyria to asura size. Chars, Norns, Humans and Sylvari will serve as our slaves.

it feels so good to be evil.

[Inquest mode online]

Slaves are inefficient and die far too quickly to make a long-term difference. We’ll just put all the lesser races into many small colonies devoid of resources and communication with one another and hold them in, entirely dependent on our aid. They will be allowed no texts or technology aside of clothing and meager shelter to minimize costs. Then we’ll periodically take them and put their offspring into the latest and greatest harvesting Golems— Equipped with a D-class aggression inhibiter and an obedience array in the soul core, of course.

True, true my fellow asuran brother, we shall be the only race across tyria living in luxry. The lower races of tyria will not be allowed to go to the toillet without asking for our permission, which of course will be taken over by an “Anti-Char/Norn/Human/Sylvari Agression Golem”. every failure or any slightest unpolitness shall be punished by our technologies greates torture machines.

They will, i repeat: they will kneel before us!

World Domination is our aim Gentleman. Lets make this happen!

p.s. proud to be an asuran racist seeking for world domination. Join my passion!

Wheeping Song.6423:

p.s. proud to be an asuran racist seeking for world domination. Join my passion!

Excelsior!

I would like at them more as prideful and patriotic. They tend to have a sort of Manifest Destiny complex, which is hilarious. Think of them as Tyrias version of the all-mighty Irken from Invader Zim.

Scientifically speaking, they aren’t racist… they feel they are superior to other species which is the same as saying Humans feel we are superior to chimpanzees, or dolphins. These animals are recognized as highly sentient, and yet we see ourselves as clearly superior. This is the same as the Asura. Charr, human, norn and sylvari are like sentient animals, cute for pets and labor, but clearly inferior to the Asura. (And golems are more reliable, anyway.)

It’s not that the Asura want to dominate the world, it’s just that the other races are too.. how do I put this.. mentaly challanged to rule, so the Asura have to step in and rule before the bookhas run the world into ruin.

The Asura shall rule you all… or more specifically I will – I’d know, I’ve seen the future* >:D

But yeah, Melkathi says it best. In one of the developer blogs, the writers for them admit that while the Asura might come over as a little comical at time; anyone willing to play a 3ft tall midget with a Napoleon complex is probably already on board with you or they’d rolled something more serious

• Or one version of it

The Asura a definitely the race for you if you enjoy laughing at your own blunders. Asura aren’t “racist” in the sense that they dislike other races, or think certain races should be banned from x, y, or z … but they definitely think they are superior to other species.

Also, this is a bit off topic, but it’s not really races we are talking about, but species. Race would be more like black Asura vs Brown with white belly Asura — and there is absolutely no categorizing by race within the Asura species. I honestly think “species” is a more appropriate term as opposed to “races” but gaming tradition dictates here.

So, if you want to be technical Asura are Chauvistic and “Asuracentric” (e.g. human’s who think they are better than Jaguars are Anthrocentric). :>

No, they are definitely racist. The look down on other races, and would rather not work with other races either. They only do so because they have to in the face of the Elder Dragons, so much has been said a few times at least. Sometimes I am outright puzzled by why they aren’t all more like the Inquest.

I found it interesting just how terrible the Asura where. I always assumed the Charr would be the ‘badest’ guys, and they certainly have some of the same dark traits. But the Asura are simply a level above in being bad. I think the only redeaming trait they have over the Charr is their tighter family ties. They seem to care more about their family members the a Charr typically would.

^ Now that you said that, it seems that my 2 fav races are the most evil.
<o>,…,<o>

Charr is a warrior race they long for war and alot of them still dont like humans and some are not as smart.

Humans in tyria are losing. They have to really fight to hold ther own.

Norn….nothing to say about them.

Sylvari are still a new race and in the future they may need to thing how to reproduce cuz i think atm all of them are born from a tree.

Asurans are geniuses. They see the world as a lab and some races as test subjects(the inquest sees that). Honestly in the end yes they want to rule the world but then also when they look at the world and its races they dont want to.

In the Asura personal story they don’t really have a problem if you choose to put the guy in a golem body rather than trying to force the girl back into an asura body.
So I don’t think they worship the asura form as some superior state of being. They care more about discovery and unlocking the potential of things and all that jazz.

“Chauvinism” and “male chauvinism” are differing applications of the word. Although, in a modern sense, you often hear the word “chauvinist” directed at misogynists, as people have already pointed out, that isn’t the core definition of the word. The asura are certainly chauvinist in a racial sense.

They’re described on this site as “a race of evil geniuses hell-bent on world domination” and you can hear some asura NPCs make derogatory comments towards humans(they’re stupid and irrelevant), sylvari(naive and also lol salad jokes) and norn(they have bad hygiene) with fair frequency. They seem to respect the charr considerably more.

Of course, there’s also a lot of interpersonal variation among the asura, as you would expect to find in any sentient race. Perhaps even more – they are, after all, very sentient. Some asura are going to see the humans as friends, some as test subjects, some as inferior and worthless, and some as valuable tools. I know the asura vigil representative sees the other races as close comrades.

Did somebody come in here and actually say that charr are racist? Nonsense!

Even before the ceasefire they were perfectly willing to allow non-charr into the city, so long as they proved they wouldn’t mess with the charr.

Inscribed.1609:

They seem to care more about their family members the a Charr typically would.

When you realize that the charr view their warband as their family, rather than their blood relations, not really. Charr would do anything for their fellow ’band mates.

DrakeWurrum.6049:

Inscribed.1609:

They seem to care more about their family members the a Charr typically would.

When you realize that the charr view their warband as their family, rather than their blood relations, not really. Charr would do anything for their fellow ’band mates.

Tybalt Leftpaw would like to differ.

All of the races are racist, except maybe the Sylvari. Asura think everyone else is dumb. Humans think Charr are dumb and smell bad. Charr think Humans are weak and whiny. Norn… I dunno, something about the sylvari, I forget what they say :p

Racism is weird in a world where not everyone is the same species. Doubly so if you consider that most races are also cultural entities. Charr are not just fluffy cat people, they’re also a nation and culture, with some splinter groups. So slants asura or others may have are probably more against the culture than the race specifically… it’s hard to say.

In any case, asura are very much “racist”, if such a term makes sense in context. But then again, so is everyone else.

As a sidenote, my alternative future self has already taken over Tyria, but I beat her up.

The asura believe that in time, all will serve them because they are clearly THE superior race – and the other races will understand this in time.
They are, however, all way too busy fostering their individual accomplishments, indulging in their genius, etc. … it’s not like they would even consider ganging up to conquer the world.
It’s more of a parody, Geeesh.

Edited by moderator: Edited, since the historical references have been taken out

I’m pretty sure Sylvari are the only race that ISN’T racist.
The general mindset of every race is either “We are a head and shoulders above the rest” or in the case of humans “I hate Charr”.
Norn might be less so since they judge individuals, but they still tend to be skeptical of what non-Norn are actually capable of.

As far as Chauvinist goes, that depends on the species. Humans and Charr are because they have a very strong sense of nationality, Asura and Norn are more egocentrically centered, though Asura do have a sense of group loyalty, on a national scale their patriotism seems only enough to bother with an actual government. Sylvari… They might be in an odd way. They are fiercely defensive of the Pale Tree and the Grove, but that’s logical since if the pale tree died (that group at least) would die off too. They are also extremely defensive of the teachings of Ventari’s Tablet, which can be chalked up to a bit of nativity, and the Nightmare Court honestly harming their own case nine out of ten times.

Edit: I also want to point out to people: IT’S SAPIENT! NOT SENTIENT! Sentience is basic awareness of one’s surroundings and world, and the ability to react to some extent. It applies to not just humans, but cats, dogs, fish, and bugs.
Sapience is a being capable of “human-like” and complex thought processes. Human beings are the only known race to possess full sapience. In fiction, Asura, Charr, Norn, and Sylvari also are sapient, elves, dwarves, and orcs are sapient. In otherwords.

Now you know the difference.

Fay.2735:

I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Asura are racist but chauvinistic… definitely. They know they are the most intelligent of the races and aren’t afraid to rub it in. They even compete with each other for who is smartest.

Do they think the other races are stupid? For a large part yes. Do they therefore hate other races? No… racism generally implies a sense of hatred. The Asura are the most intelligent race and therefore aren’t boasting unfounded superiority when it comes to the mind department.

To be honest I think they just boast about their intelligence to distract you from their physical weakness a kind of nod to the pun ‘Making up for something’.

As for the Sylvari I honestly don’t understand where people keep thinking Sylvari are all serious. Have you met Sieran? Do you know who Caithe is? Have you seen their dance? Sylvari aren’t a serious race. They are generally kind and caring but unless it’s a serious matter they aren’t serious.

I have to agree with this statement. To be honest, I think like in any population group, you’ll have the Asura who don’t mind working with other races, those who hate it etc. It’s very hard to put a blanket statement over the Asura.

I can definitely agree with the sentiment that they feel superior in intelligence. They feel superior in their knowledge of magic and alchemy. I can’t call them all racists either since it’s too much a blanket term. That is probably why people are saying they aren’t either because it’s very hard to put a blanket term on something.

It’s like saying all cheerleaders are skinny. We know it’s not true even though it’s the common stereotype.

And the poor exiled centaur in Lion Arch gets a rough time from everybody.

Here’s my outlook. (though i doubt anyone cares >.>)
Human- Too boring, but they are indeed losing land too much.
Charr- They and asura are the 2 that are the most likely to take over Tyria. They deserve the asuran respect they have.
Asura- Them and Charr are probably gonna take over. Very smart and if they put their mind to it, and not slack off, take down the charr if they wanted.
Norn- No comment.
Sylvari- Like them, but they are way to naive.

Keep in mind that the first Asura I worked with was voiced by Maurice LaMarche (Brain, from Pinky and the Brain).

All I can think of is that Asura are geniuses kittengularly try to take over the world, only to inevitably and hilariously succumb to their own hubris.

Neither. I believe the correct term is Ethnocentric – where they believe they’re better then all other races. And, in many ways, they are!

The asuran attitude towards other races would be racist and chauvinistic if it weren’t true. It is true, so they are simply stating fact when they claim to be superior.

DrakeWurrum.6049:

Inscribed.1609:

They seem to care more about their family members the a Charr typically would.

When you realize that the charr view their warband as their family, rather than their blood relations, not really. Charr would do anything for their fellow ’band mates.

Well, that is partially my point. So, yeah, really. They are not as careing about family as the Asura.

I love the asura because they are this way.

They think they are better , they act like they are better , and most of times , they will also prove they are better.

In time all will serve the asura.

I believe it’s more correct to say that, in time, the asura will destroy the world. They have an unhealthy disregard for massively large-scale risk, at least when they are the reason for it. Which also means an asura is the best person to stop another asura from destroying the world…

When I first saw the game I thought “there’s no way I’d play an Asura”.

But when I made one it was so silly it became my favorite. I made the shortest, skinniest, floppiest eared, friendliest faced Asura. His fight animations with a greatsword are my favorite.

I contrast him to the players who make the largest and meanest faced characters and play them with such self-importance. My little Asura is just as tough and jumps and dances and is generally silly to play.

He’s in total contrast to me in real life, I’m almost as tall as a doorway and pretty serious all the time—so my little Asura is like my e-opposite.

they are not racist, they love all other races……as experiments

Their society is based around intelligence, so naturally, they look down on the less intelligent. It’s how their society functions, survival of the smartest. They view as intelligence being the ultimate prize, thus anyone who’s not so bright is naturally placed below the intelligent ones. It’s not so different from the norn judging people by size and physical prowess.

As for ‘taking over the world’, it’s more of an ‘eventual equilibrium state that will happen at some point in the future’ than an actual goal they’re working on, in my opinion.

Indeed. If there was a stupid Asura, he’d be the first to be given the boot too.

I assume this question is ment as ‘Are they raceist towards the other Tyrian Races?’

I say, Maybe a little: But mostly no.

While I Think at cursory Glance they may come off this way I think it’s because Asura are Driven, Self assured (kitteny and arogant at times even) and often oblivious to anything that’s NOT part of their current task.

This means they often seem to be looking down on, or dismissive of, others, but I think this applies to everyone. Not just the other Races, All people who are not the particular Asura in question. They tend to be as rude to each other as they are to other races.

While there are defiantly a few examples of individual Asuran Racism (“I was going to make a bad Salad Joke, but….”) I think that these are the notable exceptions and that the race in general are simply a but egotistical rather then racist.

yes, they are racists and it is fully understable as they posses much more developed intellect – why would they treat other races as their equals ? they probably view humans as something a little bit more than a monkey.

Venthus.6137:

Indeed. If there was a stupid Asura, he’d be the first to be given the boot too.

Visit the Peacemaker jail in Rata Sum. There’s a great example there of what the asura do to members of their race who aren’t up to their standards of intelligence.

yes they are racist. But it’s not a bad thing since it isn’t expressed in hatred but smugness.

Most, if not all intellectuals will directly or abstractly view others that are less intelligent as inferior. This doesn’t make one a ‘racist’. Infact, ingame in the Iron Citadel, an asura compliments the architecture of the charr. The asura simply openly assert their intellectual and technological superiority.