Tomb Raider's Lara Croft almost looked very different in Japan

Lara Croft is one of the most iconic video game characters in the annals of gaming history. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mario, Pikachu and Sonic, she broke barriers as one of the first major female video game protagonists to achieve global fame.

Design changes over the years have often been controversial, and fans are still debating the new Lara Croft design for Tomb Raider Catalyst and the Unreal Engine 5 remake Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. But it turns out that there was once pressure for the intrepid archaeologist to be given an even more radical redesign that could have completely changed how the character is perceived.

Victor wanted us to change in-game Lara to appeal more to a Japanese audience. Huge eyes/head etc. They faxed through examples really late in dev. Toby Gard really didn't want to alter Lara. As a compromise all that was changed was the manuals & guide. Not sure who did that render or illustrations.

— @cnhyv.bsky.social (@cnhyv.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-01-22T01:56:05.583Z

This year we'll see new reimaginings of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Legacy Of Atlantis, a remake marking the 30th anniversary of the original game, and the Tomb Raider TV series coming to Amazon with Sophie Turner as the heroine. But neither of these visions is likely to be as big a departure as the redesign that was pushed for the Japanese Tomb Raider release back in the 1990s.

Writing on BlueSky, Tomb Raider co-creator Paul Douglas recalls that the game's Japanese publisher Victor Interactive wanted Lara to be redesigned with an anime-inspired look. It even faxed Douglas and designer Toby Gard some suggested designs in the form of sketches and even a mock up of in-game screenshot.

They show a younger-looking Lara with typically huge anime-style eyes and a larger head, making her look more like a character for Final Fantasy VII or Xenogears.

Paul said he wasn't sure who did the Japanese illustrations or the render, but a fan has noted that the manual gives graphics support credits to Takanori Wada and Hiromasa Ohta. The latter was the character designer for Keio Flying Squadron, which worked with Victor for years. The Japanese sketch of Lara is signed Ohchan.

I started digging around. The Japanese Saturn manual credits "Takanori Wada" and "Hiromasa Ohta" for graphic support. That second one was the character designer for Keio Flying Squadron, who worked at Victor for many years. And this image is signed "Ohchan." www.mobygames.com/person/45518...

— @foxhack.bsky.social (@foxhack.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-01-22T01:56:05.748Z

It wasn’t unusual for developers to modify character designs in a effort to appeal to Japanese audiences. Crash Bandicoot was altered to be cuter and less aggressive. But Paul says Toby pushed back against Victor's proposal. Finally only the manuals and guide for Tomb Raider were changed.

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I think history has proven this to be a the right move. The sketch is an interesting take, but the render is frankly terrifying. Lara Croft became iconic due to the character's blend of intelligence, physical strength and sex appeal. Many fans are saying that the oversized anime eyes on the proposed Japanese redesign look both cartoonish and creepy.

Add to that the graphical limitations of the original PS1 at the time, and I think the team at Core were right to reject the anime-inspired look. What do you think? Can you imagine an anime Lara in the original game?

If all this is making you feel nostalgic, check out our picks of the best retro gaming consoles and handheld retro consoles.