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A reader named Jay asked a little while ago about a scene from Breath of Fire . It involves an old man asking specifically for a female party member to give him a back massage, and then a weird cutscene with a pink, flashing screen happens:

So the question is, what was this old guy saying originally and what happens in the Japanese version of the scene? After a bit of work I was able to locate the text in question. Here’s how the scene progresses:

First, before you put Nina at the front of your party:

Japanese Version (basic translation) English Version Who are you?! I HATE men! Stay away from me! Ptooie! The woman with you… Let me speak to her.

And if you put Nina at the front of your party, he says:

Japanese Version (basic translation) English Version Oh! Oh! What a beauty you are! Please, let me give your shoulders a rub-rub! Healer, won’t you please fix my aching back? I’ll give you Zeni if you’ll let me rub them! Yes No Yes No

Holy moly, that IS different! It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it’s definitely got a creepy vibe. In the Japanese version, he wants to put his hands all over Nina, but in the English localization he wants her to massage him instead.

Once you say yes, the screen fades to black, then it starts flashing pink, suggesting that “something” is going on. But IS anything going on?

Japanese Version (basic translation) English Version Oh… Oh…. Oh! Pat-a-pat-a-pat-pat. Whew…… Pat-a-pat-a-pat-pat.

After this, the scene fades back in and the old man talks again:

Japanese Version (basic translation) English Version Whew, that was great. Thanks. I feel years younger! Thanks! This is the secret to my youth.

Then he pays money!

Japanese Version (basic translation) English Version Nina received 20000 Zeni You receive 20000GP

Wow, so it looks like he specifically pays Nina in the original version. He also says something after paying her, but in the English version he doesn’t say anything at all:

Japanese Version (basic translation) English Version Don’t waste it now.

If you talk to him again with Nina in your party, he’ll say something like this in the Japanese version:

Oh, you want me to rub you some more? You certainly are a lecherous girl!

Summary: He does ask for a massage in the Japanese version too… but he asks to give one rather than receive one.

Anyway, hopefully that answers that question! I can understand why this might not have been acceptable back in a 90s Nintendo game, and I’m impressed that the localization almost writes around it all without seeming too out of place. But if you ever played the game and wondered what this scene was REALLY about, now you know!

If you liked what I've covered here and know any other fans of Breath of Fire, I hope you'll share it with them. Thanks for your help!