Now that's an interesting one... I've actually been considering this because of another little project I was working on with Mitsu, and I think I'd have to say I'm UNSURE what her exact ethnicity would be.
Specifics are under the cut but the TLDR is: Mitsu wouldĀ definitely be from Japan and most likely a member of an indigenous people called the Ainu. But I have not settled on the second part yet as I am still learning about the Ainu and want to approach their representation respectfully in any writing I may do.
I greatly encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about the Ainu to research them independently as I am by no means an expert. At the very bottom under the cut Iāve listed a few resources Iāve used myself, just to get started. As always- be careful of your sources, and think about things critically folks. (Also if you plan on sending any follow up asks, please read everything under the cut before doing so.)
Mitsuās home country as far as I'm concerned is Japanese, and her name is also meant to be Japanese. It always has been. I've actually gone all out and researched a lot of Japanese naming conventions and Kanji. Itās actually resulted in a slight change to her name, before she was Mitsu Murata, now she is Mitsu Muratan. But because I don't wanna get bogged down kanji and confusion here, gonna keep any more specifics to myself for now.
Now I tend to do a lot of research for my characters when translating them to real world ethnicities, jobs, schooling, and lifestyles. Especially with a character like Mitsu who has gone through so much, and whose culture and history is meant to be a major part of her character arc. Taking this part of her character into account, what was done to her family/clan in the past, and how she was made to assimilate in the Marines all led me to research cultures and religions more deeply. I am not gonna half ass anything about my characters, and I want to try and avoid being disrespectful to any cultural groups as much as possible. Even if members of said groups never come across my work.
This is how I started learning about the Ainu People of Hokkaido. The Ainu population of Japan is incredibly small, and they are indigenous to Hokkaido, and have a very long history. Their language is classified as being nearly extinct, having been banned in the 19th century, though since at least the 1990ā²s people have been actively trying to revitalize it. For much of their history the Ainu were forced to give up their cultural practices, and in fact many still do because of discrimination that they face.
And this isnāt a thing of the past, they were only really recognized as an indigenous people in 2008.
This is all very real and very recent.
BUT
Although Mitsuās experiences may align with some of Ainu history and oppression, this is by no means a one to one comparison. And it is not meant to be. I am simply trying to find a people and a place for Mitsu, that aligns well with what I have pre-established in One Piece, and I believe the Ainu culture and people fit closest.
However this is all something I am still researching, and something I do want to be respectful about for a lot of reasons. This is incredibly real history, with very real people, who deserve to be represented with respect. And I am very much not Japanese, and certainly not Ainu, I am coming at this from a western perspective and trying to understand a lot of new things. While I don't think you have to be part of a marginalized group to write characters who are part of that group, I do believe it is highly disrespectful to do so without first researching everything thoroughly.
Bellow Iām going to link some of the resources I used when starting my research, for those who want to learn more about the Ainu and their history. Please remember to be respectful and kind to all people.
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((Drawing mood has now expanded to other characters... Hereās @ask-marine-mitsuās character Mini Mitsu!Ā Possibly gonna draw some other ask blogās characters.))
Kunimin: I like gow you tried to persuade Zero once with puppies. I think I should have used that technique instead of shooting him, right?
((for this youāre gonna get a MiniTsu, because sheāsĀ the one that tried that.))
āI mean we tried, he didnāt seem to wanna talk tho. I donāt know if my older self had better luck.ā¦. this tumblr stuff is weird ya know? Itās almost as bad as the Grand Line.ā She looks up at the guy with big confused blue eyes, but she ended up smiling.Ā āYou seem nice though mister! I hope you two are good friends!ā
((Send !! and Iāll write a description of your muse from mineās perspective. Honestly this one was HARD to come up with. Mostly because I kept going on a tangent, and because her thoughts and feelings on Akainu have shifted a lot over the course of her life. Soā¦ consider this a follow up to this little story i wrote a few days ago.))
Heās too big! Him and papa both are, I feel like a midget around them. But dadās been holding me a lot more and thatās weird. After we got home and papa saw how my stitches were torn there was a lot of shouting. Iām not sure what happened, but the dogs were really worried. And now Dadās justā¦ heās being dad, not Sakazuki or Akainu. I donāt get it. I thought he hated me? Didnāt he want me gone? He kicked me and allā¦ but now heās letting me sit in his lap and if I say Iām cold or hungry he gets me food or gets me a blanket.
Wasnāt I just a hassle? I wonder if Papa is making him do this. I donāt want him to do it if heās being made toā¦ I just wanna know if he hates meā¦
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She sat on the ground, tears running down her face, hair a mess and leg stained and bloody from where the stitches had torn. Watching as he walked off, not noticing her plight, Mitsu could only wonder why? Why did she deserve this? What had she done? Hadnāt she been good? Just... why?
((So an update to my Strange Family AU. For a bit of a glimpse into the early days. Sakazuki was a horrible father, and he needs to learn to actually care for the child. After this incident, heās forced to.))
((P.S. @ask-monkey-and-dog I told you I had something angsty in the works.))
((So I just wanted to make sure that you guys knew I was totally IN for the Chibiko Village event! This is a bit rough and I plan to re-draw it, but here is Kumainu Mitsu! She is small and looks like an adorable child with long hair. Which I need to get better at drawing in an up-do. I wonder where her other little Kumainu partner is?))
@ask-the-skellyman @ask-chibi-law Ā and Ā @ask-the-fringeheads (you know why)
Mitsu was not the happiest vampire child. Especially since her Papa had been the one to get her into this mess. Well... she was stuck now! May as well make the most of it. At least she could turn into a cute tiny bat! And she could fly too!
((AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! I am actually decently happy with how this turned out. So this was inspired by @ask-lieutenant-wendyās vampire AU but also by this post by @ask-monkey-and-dog because I am trash. And I love the idea of papa Borsalino accidentally getting his daughter bitten by a vampire and just dealing with that. The anger I can imagine coming off of Sakazuki is real. *How can you be that stupid damnit!* Would be the mildest of the insults aimed at the tall fuck.))
