Nazi iconography is often used in a callous, baffling way in media - especially when it comes to anime. But while some may have encountered this in something popular, like Gundam, I was not so cool. I first encountered this trope in Ring of Red, a PS2 game you've probably never heard of.
2001’s Ring of Red is a strategy game set in an alternate history version of 1960s Japan. The reimagining of history that the game springs from is essentially, “What if the planned Allied invasion of Japan, known as Operation Downfall, actually took place?”
Mechs Would Happen, Apparently
A big part of what the game thinks would happen? Mechs. Lots and lots of mechs.
The idea follows that Metal Gear line of thinking - that walking tanks work better in mountainous terrain than tanks with treads. In practice, the Mechs, or Armored Fighting Walkers (AFW) in the game’s terms, fill a role similar to the tanks in Valkiryia Chronicles. They are the central fighting unit around which all tactical and strategic decisions hang.
Ring of Red breaks play into three modes, tactical battles, operational maneuvers, and downtime in camp. The tactical battles are real-time fights between an AFW and up to three accompanying squads of footsoldiers. They ultimately break down into a sort of tug of war or shoving match, where the AFWs either push forward or retreat in an attempt to get into optimal fighting range.
The different types of squads of soldiers and AWFs and the various combinations of the same add depth to a combat mechanic that basically boils down to move forward, move back, don’t move, or shoot. The operational maneuver phase of the game takes on greater importance because of how much the success or failure of tactical fights has to do with range. Only a fool would march their big artillery mech up to a faster, punchy mech. The downtime at camp section of the game is where RPG-style character progression happens, as well as most of the plot and character development.
Cold War Compromises
While the moment-to-moment gameplay and story in Ring of Red are pretty compelling, the most interesting aspect of the game for me was the setting. The alternative history advanced by this game was a sort of masks-off, realpolitik version of the US, Soviet Cold War that defined my early childhood.
For those born after the fall of the Soviet Union, the US media pretty successfully sanitized the Cold War by the '80s. The entire conflict was boiled down to good vs evil, and the 'good guys' were winning. Ring of Red, on the other hand, has a setting that treats Cold War militarism with utter contempt. While it lacks the cultural reach of something like Metal Gear Solid, the setting of Ring of Red deals with themes of nuclear proliferation and militaristic arms races much more coherently.
Nazis in Japanese Media
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Many works of popular Japanese media, in particular anime and games, have a spotty track record of using Nazi imagery. This isn’t to say that developers and creators in other parts of the world have a perfect track record, just that these works often have a specific pitfall.
A popular, relevant example of this is the perennial classic, Mobile Suit Gundam. A big reason why a lot of fans miss out on some of the main themes of the show is the way fascist imagery is deployed. For example, the military uniforms of both main factions in the show are very Nazi-like, and members of the Zeon Federation are shown screaming “Sieg Zeon” at what may as well be a pre-war Nazi rally.
Oh, and there's the faction leader that literally worships Hitler.
The problem here is that the series also spends time making individual members of the Zeon faction sympathetic. While that's pretty normal for a show trying to depict all sides of a conflict, there's some slippage there. Yes, the Zeon isn't shown as a cohesive unit - there are numerous factions at work within the organization, some of which are actively disapproving of the push towards Nazism. Yet it's hard to deny, especially when taking The Origin into account, that Gundam tries to endear us towards certain Nazis... erm, Zeon. While it's a choice that makes sense, from an objective standpoint, it's a bit hard to stomach when you consider the atrocities that the Third Reich were responsible for.
Nazis In Ring of Red
Unlike some other examples of fascist imagery in Japanese games, a big part of what makes Ring of Red's setting work as a critique of the Cold War is the way it deploys fascist imagery. From the beginning of the game, the player is working hand in hand with German military officers who are still wearing Nazi-era uniforms even though the game takes place in the 1960s in Japan. In the US version, it is implied that these officers are allowed to continue serving because of their knowledge of AFW design and operations. This fact is stated outright in the Japanese version. The Mech designs are also very reminiscent of World War 2 era German tanks and artillery pieces. There's a lot of Nazi-esque iconography in the game as well, like what if a swastika had one less arm.
Ring of Red is referencing an actual historical event when it has Nazis working on Mech development. AFW technology in Ring of Red is pretty clear a stand-in rocket technology. Both the US and Soviet Union were more than willing to recruit former Nazi scientists into their respective space exploration and missile weaponry programs. Using fascist imagery to actually make a point about willingness to ignore war crimes in exchange for technological advances is refreshingly coherent.
Ring of Red has a lot to say about the effects that run away militarism has on a given society. It's kind of a shame it's so hard to find. There's a version on PlayStation Network for the PS3 and some emulated versions on PC but nothing much for the average gamer. That fact aside the game is a rare example of the use of fascist imagery for an actual thematic reason and not just as a generic code for ‘bad guys’ so it’s worth the work to check out.