Netflix’s English Dub Of Tiger & Bunny 2 Changes Dialogue To Have Golden Ryan Criticize “Outdated Gender Norms”, Declare Himself A “Feminist”

Spencer Baculi |

May 1, 2022

Source: Tiger & Bunny: The Rising (2014), Sunrise

Netflix’s English-language dub of the superhero anime Tiger & Bunny 2 has changed an instance of dialogue from the original Japanese script in order to have a male character, Golden Ryan, both criticize “outdated gender norms” and declare himself a “feminist”.

Source: Tiger & Bunny Season 2 (2022), Netflix

Created in 2011 under the direction of The Big O co-creator and Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack key animator Keiichi Sato and produced by the former Sunrise studio, Tiger & Bunny depicts a world wherein superhumans – referred to in-universe as NEXTs (Noted Entities with eXtraordinary Talents) – not only exist, but those who choose to serve as heroes receiving corporate sponsorship and a starring role on Hero TV, a reality show which livestreams their exploits and allows users to vote on who should be crowned the season’s “King of Heroes”.

Source: Tiger & Bunny Season 1 Episode 1 “All’s Well That Ends Well.” (2011), Sunrise

Unfortunately for Kotestsu T. Kaburagi, an older hero who goes by the name of Wild Tiger and possesses the ability to power-up his physical abilities for a short time, recent years have seen his more classical methods of superheroing rendered outdated by a generation new of NEXTs who boast more haphazard views towards stopping villains as well as better equipment.

As such, his sponsors team him up with an up and coming hero, Barnaby Brooks, Jr., who just happens to share the same powerset as Kotetsu.

Source: Tiger & Bunny Season 1 Episode 2 “A Good Beginning Makes A Good Ending.” (2011), Sunrise

Though their outlooks and methods clash at first, the two grow to respect each other’s styles, ultimately finding their groove as partners and teaming-up to solve the murder of Barnaby’s parents.

Following the anime’s first season and a sequel movie, Tiger & Bunny: The Rising, the popular series quietly receded into the annals of anime history until 2019, when Bandai Namco Pictures – the recently-formed entity into which Sunrise was folded – announced that a new series starring Kotetsu and Barnaby was in production.

Source: Tiger & Bunny: The Rising (2014), Sunrise

Released on April 8th, 2022, Tiger & Bunny 2 picks up in the aftermath of The Rising and finds two villains, Fugan and Mugan, slaughtering heroes across the globe as they make their way to the series’ main setting, Sternbild City.

This second season also introduces the ‘Buddy System’ to the Hero TV competitors, an aptly-named concept which requires all heroes be placed in a duo, their partner either chosen by themselves or forcefully ordered by their sponsors.

Source: Tiger & Bunny Season 2 Episode 1 “A word to the wise is enough.” (2022), Sunrise

Thanks to this new requirement, veteran series hero Blue Rose finds herself teamed up with the aforementioned Golden Ryan, the gravity-manipulating hero who debuted in the series as Barnaby’s one-time partner in The Rising.

However, Blue Rose soon finds herself annoyed with Golden Ryan’s overt chivalry which, despite being performed with only the best of intentions, often results in him either dismissing her own capabilities as a hero or treating her opinions with condescension.

Source: Tiger & Bunny Season 2 Episode 1 “A word to the wise is enough.” (2022), Sunrise

This friction eventually culminates in the season’s tenth episode, Pride comes before a fall, after a number of superheroes’ secret identities – including Golden Ryan’s – are acquired by the enemy through a computer hack.

Fearing for his partner’s safety, Golden Ryan attempts to combat the enemy on his own, arguing to Blue Rose, “I show my face without wearing a helmet, they might attack me any minute now. You haven’t revealed your real name or your face. They won’t go after you. So if you stay with me, you’ll be in danger.”

Source: Tiger & Bunny Season 2 Episode 10 “Pride comes before a fall.” (2022), Bandai Namco Pictures

“Don’t treat me like an idiot!” Blue Rose fires back. “Why are you worrying about me? You’re the one who’s in trouble! Do you think I’m so scared of them that I’d abandon you?”

Following this argument, Golden Ryan and Blue Rose are seen together in the next episode, Every cloud has a silver lining, where in an effort to lift his partner’s spirits in light of the data breach forcing her family to move to a safehouse, the former takes the heroine to a musical performance being put on by her childhood friends in a local park.

Source: Tiger & Bunny Season 2 Episode 11 “Every cloud has a silver lining.” (2022), Sunrise

Afterwards, the two return to the car and begin driving back to base, at which point Blue Rose opens up, “We’ve been friends since high school. I had to cancel on them many times because of my job [as a superhero], but they still remain my friends. I used to hate not being able to do what I wanted with my own time, but I’m the one who chose this life.”

“Whether it’s my superhero job, my friends, school, my singing, I’ve got to live my life with no regrets,” she asserts, which in turn prompts an apology for their argument from Golden Ryan.