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Dead Or Alive 6 adds Core Values to Rachel's Fiend outfit

As you can see, in this screenshot via Famitsu, Rachel has a black bodysuit under her Fiend outfit

Dead or Alive 6 recently announced, via Twitter, that Rachel would once again be joining the roster of DOA fighters. She will officially be available on December 17, 2019. Famitsu ran an article on this fact and was able to include some screenshots from the Japanese version of the game. Fans of DOA immediately noticed that Rachel's Fiend outfit was a bit different from what they remembered. Gone was the exposed skin below the breast, replaced by a skin tight black bodysuit.
Yup, memories check out!
As you can see, the Fiend costume was indeed a lot more scandalous and exposed in previous iterations. However, I would be dishonest if I failed to mention that there is a 2nd version of the Fiend outfit. A maroon version of the Fiend outfit with a black bodysuit covering up most of her skin, just like in the image of DOA 6 Rachel from Famitsu, was also included in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus Rachel
There is an idea floating around that the DOA 6 suit that we are seeing could simply be a mix of the old maroon suit's black bodysuit and the purple Fiend outfit's coloring. This seems plausible at first glance, but quickly falls apart under scrutiny. You see, this theory doesn't account for the fact that Rachel's cleavage is clearly covered up in the maroon Fiend outfit and not in the DOA 6 version. The only reason to add the maroon Fiend outfit's bodysuit to the main version's color scheme would be to cover up the fan service, since this doesn't quite do that it is clear this is an attempt at covering up the censorship by adding plausible deniability. The obvious excuse of being "inspired" by the maroon Fiend outfit is sure to be trotted out to deflect from the truth.
As you can see here, the differences between the new DOA 6 and older Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 designs are quite striking

Another theory that has been floating around is we are not seeing the true costume but one with "exposure minimization" toggled on. For those not familiar with DOA 6's exposure minimization toggle allow me to explain. Exposure minimization covers up all the fan service bits with a black bodysuit type of thing. Not dissimilar to the bodysuit featured on Rachel in the Famitsu screenshot. This theory, while seemingly plausible, doesn't quite fit when you see it in action.
As you can see, navels don't seem to be an issue for Core Values
While exposure minimization does look a bit like what we see going on with Rachel's Fiend outfit there are some key differences. Exposure minimization doesn't seem to cover up the navels but Rachel's navel is clearly covered. This is especially odd considering Rachel has other outfits showing off the navel. Rachel's cleavage is also exposed which would not be the case if exposure minimization was on. This was a good theory but one we can clearly see is not the case.
#FreeTheNavel
There will be those who argue this is simply a design change, Some will say it is just an outfit inspired by Rachel's Fiend costume and not a 1 to 1 recreation. These people are either woefully ignorant or have been browbeaten until submission. It is clear to anyone who can look at the facts objectively that Rachel's costume undergone changes to fit into the "Core Values" of DOA 6.
This is not Core Values!
It seems Team Ninja has learned nothing, except that gamers will grumble and complain as they shell out cash for clearly censored content. Dead or Alive 6 continues to impress me with it's ability to ignore the sole reason it got attention in the first place and continue to court a demographic that clearly does not want to play their game. In all honesty, Team Nina could simply release a new SFW IP with combat mechanics based on DOA if they felt gamers actually wanted that. The fact that they don't do this is a clear indication that they know DOA fans play for the fan service as much as they play for the fighting mechanics. Team Ninja trying to straddle the line between being a serious fighting game and "that titty fighting game" is going to alienate both audiences and see their beloved IP eventually fade into obscurity. 

*All images are owned by their respective copyright holders and are used under fair use guidelines

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