Capcom, one of Japan’s most iconic gaming giants has once again continued its downward trajectory influenced by the pressures of BlackRock’s “force behavioral” investment focused on meeting diversity quotas and dissolving traditional representations of gender in favor of broader “inclusivity” at the cost of established artistic and cultural norms.
The latest casualty in this shift is the HD remaster of the PS2 classic Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny due for release on May 23rd 2025 on Nintendo Switch, Sony PlayStation 4/5, XBOX One and PC.
Like other recent Capcom re-releases, it suffers from needless censorship that feels more performative than purposeful. For longtime fans, it’s yet another disappointment as Capcom recycles legacy titles without the care or respect they deserve, hoping to cash in on nostalgia while diluting the original vision.
The remastered version of Onimusha 2 introduces several alterations that detract from the original game’s artistic intent. Most notably, Oyu’s alternate costume which originally featured a daring and unapologetically sexy design, with an exposed torso barring a fur coat draped over her breasts this sensual outfit has now been revised.
The updated version now includes a black bodysuit beneath the coat, significantly reducing visible skin and diverting focus away from her cleavage, evidently in alignment with contemporary sensibilities regarding character portrayal. This alteration comes despite the title maintaining its M rating for mature audiences, raising questions about the need for such a change in the first place besides catering to modern day ethical standards that now considers frivolous female character designs as inherently offensive and sexist.
In the original PS2 release, Oyu’s alternate costume was bold, feminine, and confidently provocative. Fast-forward to 2025, and Capcom has opted to cover her chest entirely in their remaster, reducing skin exposure in the name of so-called “modern sensibilities.”
This change was directly tied to Capcom’s internal push to meet global ethical standards, a phrase that’s quickly become code for sterilizing femininity to avoid offending the perpetually outraged.
The changes to Onimusha don’t stop at costume edits. Capcom has even added misty fog to the games opening cinematic which depicts Oyu bathing beneath a waterfall, a moment that was originally handled with artistic subtlety and fully aligned with the game’s tone.
Now, it’s obscured, as if the natural beauty of the female form is something to hide. This shift reflects a broader trend driven by industry pressure from gaming journalists and performative activists, where so-called ethical standards under the banner of diversity and inclusivity seem increasingly aimed at alienating and demonizing straight male audiences.
There was no practical reason to censor anything in the Onimusha 2 HD remaster, especially given its mature age rating. But for Capcom, it’s not about age appropriateness, it’s about optics. The company seems focused on rebranding its classic titles to align with modern “ethical standards,” while gaslighting longtime fans into believing nothing of value was changed.
In recent years, Capcom’s alignment with BlackRock’s gay global ideological agenda has led to sweeping censorship across its back catalog. The Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster saw the removal of the lighthearted “Erotica” photo score mechanic, which used to reward players for snapping cheeky shots of female survivors, now deemed inappropriate.
Capcom also race-swapped the character Larry Chiang, scrapping his original Chinese design for fear of stereotyping. They went further by cutting dialogue from a crazed military veteran who called the player a “filthy communist,” stripping away the edgy satire in favor of inoffensive political correctness.
Meanwhile, the Monster Hunter franchise has been steadily transformed to meet ESG-driven criteria. With Monster Hunter Wilds, gender-locked armor is gone, and character creation relies on gender-neutral “body type 1” and “body type 2” labels following the precedent set by Monster Hunter Rise.
Iconic, skimpy gear has largely disappeared, replaced by unisex armor designed to appease Western newcomers brought into the franchise with Monster Hunter World rather than satisfy the long-time player base.
Capcom’s remakes of Resident Evil 3 and 4 also conformed to modern standards by replacing Jill Valentine and Ashley Graham’s iconic skirts with more modest skorts, changes that have drawn criticism for diluting the characters’ original visual identities, however, the most heavily affected titles have been Capcom’s fighting game re-releases.
The Capcom Fighting Collection 2, marketed as a nostalgic package for fans of late ’90s, early 00’s fighters, introduced censorship across several games. Iconic games like Capcom vs. SNK and Power Stone featured altered stage designs and character endings to tone down and remove portrayals of women dressed seductively or wearing bikinis, seemingly in an effort to comply with current “ethical standards.”
In Capcom Fighting Evolution, Demitri’s signature Midnight Bliss move, famous for humorously transforming male characters into alluring female versions was also edited, stripping away its original charm while the re-release of SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos featured a new disclaimer condemning the portrayal of feminine beauty and included modified artwork for Western audiences, such as changes to Mai Shiranui’s outfit to remove breasts and cleavage.
Capcom’s recent marketing strategies also reflect their broader shift toward artificial global trends that prioritize racial and sexual diversity.
The company has increasingly partnered with transgender influencers who were once adult porn actors alongside drag queens to promote its games in Western markets, moves seen by some as aligning with the values of major investors like BlackRock who alongside The Vanguard Group hold a collective 6% stake in the company, not including the likes of other heinous firms like Goldman Sachs (3.59%) and Capital Research and the Capital Group (3.22%).
This ongoing trend of ideological pandering has, in the eyes of many fans, resulted in the gradual erosion of Capcom’s legacy and their authentically Japanese culture with the company now fixating itself on politically correct games for global audiences awash with censorship and arbitrary forced inclusivity.
The Onimusha 2 remaster stands as yet another example of a beloved classic being sanitized to conform with contemporary “ethical” standards.
For those who want to experience the game as it was originally intended, raw, artistic, and uncompromised your only option is to emulate the original PS2 version through PCSX2.
In an era where corporate revisionism is the norm, preservation has become a quiet form of rebellion against an industry increasingly shaped by regressive ideological pressure.
