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  • TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 25 2007 6:30 PM

The 9 Worst Asian Characters of All Time



This is it, the bottom of the barrel. You won't find a more offensive batch of "orientals" than these right here.

This is not a bitter, angry list. I actually like some of these characters, though no one could argue the fact that they're terrible. I don't know why, (especially considering I was called one or more of these character names growing up) but, characters like these really do make me laugh. Not intentionally (obviously) but the fact that someone actually wrote them... with their brazen, completely un-PC traits...

Maybe 'cause at one time, they were all there was? I used to have a joke, in answer to another friend's complaints about the lack of black role models around, that all asians had was Bruce Lee... followed by Pat Morita from The Karate Kid ... and uh, after him was Pat Morita from "Happy Days"... Not exactly an all-star super hero team-up...

I draw a line betwen ignorance and racism and, well, ignorance is funny. Somebody not knowing how bad these guys were is fucking hilarious to me.


The 9 Worst Asian Characters of All Time


1) Short Round from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think this same kid was the "gadget" geek in Goonies.

He actually drives a pedicab/rickshaw in this movie, but his legs don't reach the pedals so he's got wooden blocks on his shoes. Ahh, I guess I know why they call you Short Round, Short Round. Coming up short in height, as well as dignity. What was it you said,"No time for love, Dr. Jones"? If only it was your tiny simian head Jones had torn into, rather than those frozen monkey brains.

2) Mickey Rooney as the upstairs neighbor from Breakfast at Tiffany's. He actually donned a pair of "asian-eye" specs for the role. What about broken English? Fear not, it's more broken than the hearts of every asian man who auditioned for that role. Although, my gut tells me that the number of asian auditioners was none.

Part of me really looks forward to the day Daniel Day Kim plays James Dean in a biopic with "round eye" glasses, white-face, and a slice of apple pie in his hand.

3) Long Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles. When a "gong" sound announces your arrival on the scene, the odds are fairly high that you're not a great asian character. Other not great signs are an intolerance to alcohol, a habit of getting kicked in the nuts, and your presence, naked, high in a tree on the morning of your white family's big important wedding. The "Donger need food!" indeed.

4) Trade Federation alien bad guys from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The absolute worst. Asian-style clothes and a Death Star's worth of broken "Engrish." I'm surprised they weren't wearing rice hats, solving equations, and driving the wrong way down a one way street. Believe it or not, these guys aren't even one of the 3 most racist characters in the movie.

5) Takashi from Revenge of the Nerds. Why Takashi, you ask? Well, at one point he asks to eat some "robster craws." At another he's mixing a huge bin of dirty jock straps with a spoon when he exclaims "Ahh, is like salad."

When he answers no to the jock's question of whether he knows karate he gets a jock strap put on his head. Classic asian-stereotype mistake...

6) Kwai Chang Cane from "Kung Fu." Let's take an awesome show idea, fire the guy who developed it as a passion project, then get a white guy to star in it. Um, you know, a "squinty," one... Clint Eastwood or... David Carradine! Yeah, perfect.

Oh, who did we let go? Whose idea was it, the guy that we fired? Bruce Lee.

7) Wong, Dr. Strange's manservant. Doctor Strange, for those of you who grew up handome and playing sports, is the Sorceror Supreme of the Marvel Comics universe. Heck of an existence. Picking up the Doc's laundry, keeping the Mansion tidy... oh, and getting the shit beat out of him every time some supervillain decided to come a calling.

How hard would it be for Strange to teach him a few self-defense spells to fend off interlopers? Who knows, cause the Doc can't be bothered. Too busy gazing into his precious Eye of Agamotto, which as we all know, isn't slanty.

8) Any Jackie Chan character from an American film, including Jackie himself during any appearances on an American talk shows. Sorry kung fu fans, he's an asian "Uncle Tom."

Nodding, grinning ear to ear like a moron, and happy to kick and punch on cue, no different than a trained animal. At least the animals got treats, all Jackie got was a handshake and a poor showing at the box office. Blisswully unaware of the host's jokes flying up and over his head, sadly, they were the one oppenent too fast for him to block.

9) Tom Cruise from The Last Samurai. Remember that formula that worked so well for David Carradine? Let's do that again, only this time we won't even bother making the character asian. White guy in samurai armor and gear who, like, kills a bunch of asians and then teaches them to get along, or something.

But, he's the last samurai, okay? It's got to be him, no one else. If we have to we can make the asian guy the "last railroad worker"? Is that cool?


Honorable mention: The "Howard Cosell" asians from Better Off Dead, asian nail salon ladies from "Seinfeld," Rob Fukuzaki.



TheCoolerKing does not know karate but his dad does.

 

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Uncognitive

Uncognitive

Brooklyn, NY
May 2003

SEP 26, 2007 07:51 AM

Flux said:
Best Asian Character of All Time That's Not Played By Toshiro Mifune:





ajaxappleengle

ajaxappleengle

Little Rock, AR
December 2004

SEP 26, 2007 07:52 AM

tattooartist said:
Tom Cruise wasn't the Last Samurai, Chow Yun Fat was. If you're gonna knock a movie at least pay attention to the friggin thing when you watch it.



Chow Yun Fat wasn't the Last Samurai, Ken Watanabe was. If you're gonna knock somebody for knocking a movie at least pay attention to the friggin' thing when you watch it.

Not to mention Chow Yun Fat is from Hong Kong and Ken Watanabe is from Japan, but hey, they all look the same I guess, huh?

NoPantsDave

NoPantsDave

Cincinnati, OH
OLD SKOOL

SEP 26, 2007 08:04 AM

The Howard Cosell guys from Better Off Dead deserve more than an honorable mention, dammit. I love those guys.

What about the Japanese tourists in Caddyshack who couldn't stop taking pictures of everything....

ValCapone

ValCapone

Montreal, QC
June 2005

SEP 26, 2007 08:10 AM

Lemonkid said:
As soon as I saw the title I immediately thought of Breakfast at Tiffany's.



Me too. And Sean Connery's Asian disguise in "You Only Live Twice."

Adria

Adria

SUICIDEGIRL

California, USA

SEP 26, 2007 08:18 AM


Uh, hello:

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

SEP 26, 2007 09:23 AM

disgrasian said:
His direct descendant Masi Oka on Heroes, who's learning how to be a Samurai from...another white dude!



It remains to be seen what's up with that guy.

Zombox5000

Zombox5000

Abingdon, VA
July 2005

SEP 26, 2007 11:38 AM

Eh. More 'Be PC' garbage. It should be noted that most of the characters sited are played for humor value, and using stereotypes on humor is perfectly acceptable. Almost every decent comedian does it. From Mel Brooks all the way to George Carlin.

Graven

Graven

Reading, MN
March 2003

SEP 26, 2007 12:16 PM

Zombox5000 said:
Eh. More 'Be PC' garbage. It should be noted that most of the characters sited are played for humor value, and using stereotypes on humor is perfectly acceptable. Almost every decent comedian does it. From Mel Brooks all the way to George Carlin.



I'm hoping this is a joke post and you don't actually believe this.

TheCoolerKing

TheCoolerKing

NEWSWIRE

Los Angeles, CA

SEP 26, 2007 12:28 PM

ajaxappleengle said:

tattooartist said:
Tom Cruise wasn't the Last Samurai, Chow Yun Fat was. If you're gonna knock a movie at least pay attention to the friggin thing when you watch it.



Chow Yun Fat wasn't the Last Samurai, Ken Watanabe was. If you're gonna knock somebody for knocking a movie at least pay attention to the friggin' thing when you watch it.

Not to mention Chow Yun Fat is from Hong Kong and Ken Watanabe is from Japan, but hey, they all look the same I guess, huh?


Ahahahahahahaha!!!

Zombox5000 said:
Eh. More 'Be PC' garbage. It should be noted that most of the characters sited are played for humor value, and using stereotypes on humor is perfectly acceptable. Almost every decent comedian does it. From Mel Brooks all the way to George Carlin.


Yeah, I'm "Mr. PC." Absolutely...

Read the intro next time.

formerviking

formerviking

Denver, PA
May 2006

SEP 26, 2007 12:43 PM

Mrs_Misha said:

Cimmerian said:
No mention of David Lo Pan?



+1
I was so thinking of Lo Pan, I freakin love him.



I believe the proper response to this would be , Indeed !

theconservative

theconservative

Spring, TX
October 2004

SEP 26, 2007 01:30 PM

ajaxappleengle said:

tattooartist said:
Tom Cruise wasn't the Last Samurai, Chow Yun Fat was. If you're gonna knock a movie at least pay attention to the friggin thing when you watch it.



Chow Yun Fat wasn't the Last Samurai, Ken Watanabe was. If you're gonna knock somebody for knocking a movie at least pay attention to the friggin' thing when you watch it.

Not to mention Chow Yun Fat is from Hong Kong and Ken Watanabe is from Japan, but hey, they all look the same I guess, huh?



that calls for a BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!









Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

SEP 26, 2007 01:32 PM

theconservative said:

ajaxappleengle said:

tattooartist said:
Tom Cruise wasn't the Last Samurai, Chow Yun Fat was. If you're gonna knock a movie at least pay attention to the friggin thing when you watch it.



Chow Yun Fat wasn't the Last Samurai, Ken Watanabe was. If you're gonna knock somebody for knocking a movie at least pay attention to the friggin' thing when you watch it.

Not to mention Chow Yun Fat is from Hong Kong and Ken Watanabe is from Japan, but hey, they all look the same I guess, huh?



that calls for a BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!











He's on fire!

Anyong

Anyong

Washington, DC
September 2007

SEP 26, 2007 01:45 PM

Cheng Huan from Broken Blossoms in 1919 as well as most every depiction of Asian / Asian American men until the mid-1990s. Gotta love always being evil or asexual!

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

SEP 26, 2007 01:51 PM

Anyong said:



zoom image

Annyong!

mingol

mingol

Singapore
July 2005

SEP 26, 2007 03:07 PM

ajaxappleengle said:

tattooartist said:
Tom Cruise wasn't the Last Samurai, Chow Yun Fat was. If you're gonna knock a movie at least pay attention to the friggin thing when you watch it.


Chow Yun Fat wasn't the Last Samurai, Ken Watanabe was. If you're gonna knock somebody for knocking a movie at least pay attention to the friggin' thing when you watch it.

Not to mention Chow Yun Fat is from Hong Kong and Ken Watanabe is from Japan, but hey, they all look the same I guess, huh?



I was coming here to post exactly this, but you beat me to it.

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