Lara Croft is famously known for her strong, realistic look as a Western archaeologist. But can you believe that in the 1990s, the Tomb Raider icon almost got a complete makeover as a Japanese manga-style girl?
Paul Douglas, one of the co-creators of the original 1996 Tomb Raider, recently revealed a surprising behind-the-scenes story that stunned gamers. When the game was about to launch in Japan in 1997, the local publisher Victor Interactive Software made an unexpected request.
Lara Croft had to “fit in” with Japanese tastes
At that time, the Japanese team felt Lara’s look was too rigid compared to the aesthetic preferences of their audience. They wanted to redesign her with big round eyes, a youthful face, and body proportions similar to popular anime and manga characters.
According to Douglas, the Japanese publisher kept sending redesign proposals to the Western development team. Initially, they wanted to change the entire in-game model, then scaled back to just Lara Croft, and finally pleaded to only swap out her head.
However, Lara’s creator Toby Gard firmly refused. He believed changing her appearance would completely destroy the identity and personality the team had worked hard to build.
The appearance of a “2D Lara”
Although the 3D game model was never changed, the Japanese side didn’t give up. A compromise was reached where the anime-style Lara Croft would only appear in promotional materials, manuals, and magazines in Japan.
If you look back at old Japanese gaming magazines from the 90s, you’ll find a very different Lara Croft with soft lines, big eyes, and a youthful look. Even the villain Jacqueline Natla was given a manga makeover in these publications.
The mystery of the anime 3D model
Strangely, years later, some 3D renders of an anime-style Lara Croft surfaced online, sparking fan speculation. Paul Douglas confirmed that his team never created those models, and their origin remains a mystery. It’s possible the Japanese publisher secretly made them for testing but never included them in any official release.