Bayonetta’s glasses are an iconic part of the character’s look, but if things had gone in a different direction, they could have been removed. This intriguing tidbit comes from series creator Hideki Kamiya.
Kamiya was responding to a fan question about an older interview quote that stated, “Bayonetta’s glasses are just like her underwear.” He confirmed that this line was actually spoken by the animation director, Yuji Shimomura. However, Kamiya also revealed that there were publisher requests to have Bayonetta’s glasses removed.
Speaking on social media, Kamiya stated:
“When I was designing Bayonetta, clients requested that I remove her glasses, and it’s true that I kept refusing to do so. Apart from that, it’s also true that Shimomura-san, who directed the cutscene, said the famous line, ‘Bayonetta’s glasses are practically her underwear, so don’t ever take them off.’”
Bayonetta’s character designer, Mari Shimazaki, also shared some insights about how the glasses became part of the character’s design. Shimazaki explained:
“During the development of Bayonetta 1, I was drawing rough designs when, out of nowhere, Kamiya-san was standing behind me and muttered, ‘I want you to add glasses to that design.’ That’s how it all started. After that, no matter which rough draft I drew, he would say, ‘Shall we try adding glasses?’ So I started preparing a glasses layer.”
She continued, “There were a lot of ups and downs until we decided on the final design, but the glasses layer was always on standby. However, even that one moment when she took off her glasses was a Bayonetta moment, and I think that’s what makes her so Bayonetta.”
For fans looking to experience the full Bayonetta story, the entire trilogy is available to play on Nintendo Switch.
Additionally, during the summer, Hideki Kamiya reflected on the voice actor change controversy surrounding Bayonetta 3, which we covered in a separate article.
Stay tuned for more updates and insights about Bayonetta and the creative minds behind the series.
https://nintendoeverything.com/bayonetta-glasses-origins/
