In Defense of Wufei’s Honor
Wufei is not a prick. He not sadistic or a woman-beater and he does not spout the word “justice” at every possible opportunity. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard/seen him just randomly shout “Justice!” ever (or “injustice!” for that matter). Maybe “I’ll decide justice,” but he’s not quite so obsessive that he’s shrieking it all over the place. It’s the same with “woman” (onna). The only women he has much contact with are Sally and Noin. Sure, he called Noin “woman” when they fought the first time they met, but he didn’t exactly know her name at the time. And he calls Sally by her name. So stop making him call everyone “hey woman!”
Wufei is my favorite character from Gundam Wing (I go for those Vegeta/Saitou types). And it’s because of this that I’ve been so frustrated with the fan interpretation surrounding him. Either he’s a chauvinistic dick or he’s totally submissive—well, I suppose sometimes he’s doing Sally, which makes him neither, but that in itself frightens me as well. Let’s give the guy a little credit and some originality, okay?
From the beginning,
what do we know about Wufei?
Wufei is a member of a large, very powerful clan that migrated to the colonies nearly a hundred years ago. He was raised as a scholar, and seemed to mostly enjoy being alone to read (which he wore glasses for, by the way). At the age of fourteen he was betrothed to Meiran (or Meilan), the daughter of another powerful clan. Meiran was very dedicated to the cause of liberating the colonies from the Federation, and called herself Nataku, in reference to a hero in Chinese mythology (it's also rumored that Meiran is a descendant of Nataku. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but in any case Wufei didn't believe her). At first she resented Wufei for not being a warrior that could stand beside her. Wufei in turn was annoyed by Meiran for her naïve view of the world, and her lofty concept of “justice” (in Ep. Zero he even says, “Justice? Do you really think such a thing exists?”). It’s assumed, from the creators, that the two of them did consummate their marriage, despite the short time they were together.
When the colony they lived on was targeted for disposal by the Federation, Meiran immediately took on the fight in a prototype suit bearing remarkable resemblance to the Tallgeese. Wufei followed her in Shenlong, and succeeded in destroying most of the troops. However, the last guy nearly killed him—Meiran jumped in the way to save Wufei from what would have been a fatal blast. Wufei finished the last soldier and returned Meiran to the colony, only to have her die in his arms. From that point on Wufei became the pilot of Gundam Shenlong, taking up his wife’s cause for the liberation of the colonies. Even now he refers to his Gundam as Nataku, because in his words: “She protected this suit once. Her spirit is in it now,” (Ep Zero).
During the show Wufei fights with a great sense of purpose, and honor above all else. He follows the belief that “If you’re right, you have to be strong” and protests women and weaklings fighting. When his colony is destroyed he goes a little berserk for a while, destroying anything that fights in outer space. Wufei is typically a loner, and unlike the other pilots does not team up with anyone for any extended amount of time.
Wufei as a chauvinistic dick
All right, so Wufei does have a habit of going around, telling women they shouldn’t fight because they’re weak. This has led most people to believe that he’s some kind of female-hating big macho asshole. From an outward view, this may seem true. However, as time goes on, Wufei accepts Sally and Noin’s help in the fight, and even respects Sally to some degree. He does, after all, go to work with her as a Preventer after Endless Waltz.
First, think of the environment in which Wufei was raised. I won’t claim to be an expert on East Asian culture, but there is definitely a distinction between men and women, their roles in society, and what they’re capable of. Especially in a powerful clan, tradition probably indicated that fighting is a man’s job. This isn’t uncommon in a lot a cultures obviously, and goes back as far as animal instinct—it’s the male’s job to protect house and family. More than that, Wufei has also had at least one very strong female in his life that was lost to him. It may very well be that he discourages women from fighting not only because he thinks they can’t handle real combat, but because he’s protecting them from it. After all, he took up the fight only after Meiran’s death, for her sake.
And it’s not like Wufei is the only one with this view. Trowa feels very strongly about protecting Catherine, and Duo openly discourages Hilde about joining the fight. Each of the Gundams feel a responsibility to protect civilians, under the belief that “We’re fighting so that they don’t have to.” In this way, Wufei is more protective than all of the others by openly admonishing those that try to fight. If he was indifferent, and honestly didn’t care for weaklings or thought them idiots, he wouldn’t care if they got themselves killed. But he fights for them, and protects them (in the case of ep. 12). If he takes up the cause by himself and chases those weaker than him away, there’s less of a chance of anyone getting hurt.
Wufei as totally submissive
This is something that should
really be left up to the couple’s section, but I felt that I had to say at least
something. It’s true that despite
Wufei’s very harsh and independent exterior he has been known to lose faith at
times. However, he is not someone
that needs to be coddled or comforted.
When Wufei is upset, the first thing he seeks is solitude—something
constant from his years before being a Gundam pilot. I understand the idea of soldiers
needing someone who understands them, and wanting closeness with that
person. It’s also not uncommon for
that someone to seek understanding from an enemy; after all, there are strong
bonds that form between opposing sides, especially warriors.
However, this doesn’t mean that everyone relies on this kind of comfort. Wufei’s entire code relies on strength—if you’re right, you have to be strong. During the time that Wufei feels most irresolute, he’s not going to seek out a relationship that makes him feel even weaker. If he’s not the strongest then is he’s worthless. Lowering himself to some kind of desperate, lonely state would only heighten his self doubt. The other pilots may seek out each other in times of disillusionment, but Wufei operates on a different level, just like some real people do. Putting him in the middle of the people he’s trying to escape would only make things worse for him. I am, of course, talking about Trieze. I could go on forever about the two of them, but not right now.
The best support I have for this argument (other than the dozens of scenes of Wufei sitting alone on a rock or what have you) is his reaction to Sally. At first being with her group only made his “condition” worse: being with “weaklings” that were just like him made him admit more that he was weak himself. However, when Sally puts him back into a position in which he can be strong by protecting others, he responds to that. She didn’t need to coddle him. Wufei has all the strength he needs, if only he has a purpose.
So if he’s not a prick or a baby, what is
he?
Well, he’s Wufei. There’s no need for any kind of label here. He fights for his belief, he protects those weaker than himself by battling in their place, and sometimes he loses his way—no better or worse off than a teenage boy should be, in my opinion. He’s not perfect, but he’s trying to be, because there are a lot of people depending on him. On a more personal level, he’s fighting for his colony, his clan, his wife’s memory, and himself. There are a lot of reasons why Wufei—or any of the pilots—fight, and along the way he learns not only to accept his teammates, but to trust in himself. Though at times it seems that he is more susceptible to an incorrect path than the others (in the case of Endless Waltz), he’s learning. The most important thing is that he’s allowed to do things his own way, to work past his own problems and find his own solutions.
Being Croik, if he’s your favorite character, he’s got to be messed up
^o^ True, true. I always go for the most tortured and interesting characters. The Gundam characters are so fun because their problems aren’t visible on the surface (if you’ve read Duo’s section, you know what I mean). And Wufei is certainly no exception.
Before Wufei became a pilot, he was very different. He was, well, very much a prick. He devoted himself mostly to his studies, not caring about the war that went on around him because the actions of the rebels were rather illogical: whether or not the people fighting for peace are right, it doesn’t matter if they can’t beat their enemies. He proved this way of thinking to Meiran by fighting her. Though her goals were righteous, and he didn’t really care about the match either way, he still beat her with very little effort. This ideal is the only one from his past that seems to have survived up until the show: “if you’re going to be right, you have to first be strong.”
These ideas of his may have labeled him more or less as a coward—Meiran condemns him early on for not being a real man. But Wufei does prove himself by charging off after Meiran when she begins the fight in the prototype Leo, saying, “I’m not so much of a coward that I’d sit by and watch my wife die.” So we can say that, at that age of fourteen, Wufei was someone who believed more in staying alive than lofty concepts of justice and freedom. That is, it’s not worth risking your life over something abstract. The honor he had then was not about fighting recklessly for a temporary peace, but to live a satisfying life despite injustice. In many ways, he had a very mature view of the world.
Then Meiran died, and everything changed. Wufei became a pilot, dedicating himself to a cause he didn’t believe in at all only months earlier. Obviously the death of his wife caused this, and there are a lot of explanations for how this happened.
Wufei is honoring her memory
The clearest motive for becoming a pilot would be to honor the memory of his wife. Meiran was very young when she died, probably only about 13. She hardly had the time to live, let alone accomplish her ideals. As her husband, Wufei probably felt a large responsibility toward finishing what she had begun. Also, just before she died she told him, “You’re a lot stronger than I am.” After that, how could he turn his back on her? He really had no choice but to be what she expected of him.
Wufei is atoning
Guilt is another huge factor in an incident like this. Obviously it wasn’t his fault that Meiran saved his life, but at the same time if it wasn’t for him, she’d still be alive. Or rather, if he had been stronger, she wouldn’t have needed to sacrifice herself for him. If Wufei had refused to fight even after she gave her life for that purpose, he probably would have suffered a terrible amount of guilt. In order to make up for the sin of causing her death, he has no choice but to finish her work. (Think Kenshin, those of you that know of RK’s Revenge Arc).
Wufei is keeping Meiran alive
The old Wufei was not someone to be admired. He probably wasn’t even someone worth saving. Meiran (or rather, Nataku) had more strength of purpose than him, more reasons to live; and still she gave her life protecting him. Wufei honestly believes that part of her spirit lives on; she is so strong that she continues her work even in death. He gave up his beliefs and way of life and replaced them with hers. In a way, Wufei became Nataku (or took her place, whichever you prefer).
This is not healthy. In order to preserve Meiran and make up for the sin of losing her, Wufei is suppressing his true nature. Suddenly he is trying to maintain two very different ideals, which is the reason for the confusion he often suffers from. Though Wufei doesn’t really believe in the existence of true peace, he wants to for Meiran’s sake, and therefore fights. He doesn’t think of himself as being very strong, but Meiran told him he was, and therefore he must be. He doesn’t think the weak should be fighting, but at the same time protects them because Meiran would have done so (as she had protected him).
So you see, the boy is a mess of paradoxes that occasionally short him out. It’s not surprising really that he flipped out during Endless Waltz—he needs to find beliefs that are his own, not someone else’s handouts.
Interpretation of Wufei’s Image Songs
Can I just say that I love Wufei’s voice? ^o^
Knock on Tomorrow’s Door
“More than the dream
in front of our eyes
We pursue the
dangerous game
We are knocking on the door to a faraway tomorrow”
Because Wufei’s different beliefs are pulling him in different directions, he can’t honestly imagine what the outcome of his efforts will be. That is, finding his reason to fight here and now is more important than how everything will end. Therefore, more than what lies ahead, he thinks only of the now (like Duo). He may be knocking on the door to tomorrow, but he’s not opening it, and he’s not stepping through.
Grasp the Truth
“I am surely feeling
it
Live through
today
I am not making a fool
of it
Because I cannot speak about tomorrow”
Again, living through today so that he doesn’t have to worry about after the war.
“Hesitation and the
fear make the darkness
Risky battle, even one
second is fatal to my life
As long as the
soldier's blood continues to flow in me
I will not die”
If he hesitates or even questions himself he could lose everything, but as long as he fights like a warrior (like Nataku) then he will survive.
Let Into Top (my fav!)
“Every
time I turn around
I
hold in these hands the answers…
Seems
like my shadow’s looking down at me…”
Even
when it seems like he has the answers, he really doesn’t.
“Let
into top… What I am searching
for is not for the sake of tomorrow,
But
for living out the now…
Let
into top… I am trying to make
one thing in my life certain.”
Though
Wufei is fighting for peace, the thing he wants most is not that outcome, but
merely his own answers.
“Everyone
sees dreams and talks of
A
place to return to…
I
only want to continue walking,
Only
gazing at the darkness…”
The
same
In
Conclusion
Do not take Wufei for granted! He’s just as complicated and interesting as any of the other characters. He has a lot of issues that need to be worked out—especially surrounding Meiran. Justice is only a small part of that. And when it comes to putting Wufei in a relationship, be careful with the poor guy. So many times I’ve seen him stuck with someone just for the sake of him having a partner (with the others taken). Sex is not going to help him get over his past. He needs to make amends with himself before any kind of mutual trust or love can grow. He’s a loner, has always been a loner. That doesn’t mean he won’t find someone someday to care for; he just needs time to get his life back on track.
