Ninjiro and Jennifer's Early Designs by MetalDoom on Newgrounds

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Ninjiro and Jennifer's Early Designs

Imagine if you will that you have woken up in a different dimension. One that is exactly the same as the one you inhabit now. Everything is perfectly as you knew it. Nothing has changed. Would you even notice? Well, what if I told you that one day when you decide to you check Newgrounds dot com, you might find that your whole world is upside down? You go to the account of one metalsonic655 and you see something strange. Two funny little characters you've grown to tolerate are now completely different. Would you even notice? Would you push it to the back of your mind; thinking you're only remembering things wrong, or would it drive you to the brink of madness? You are now entering... the Twilight Zone

There was something of an uncanny factor when it came to drawing this. Like, these characters ARE NOT supposed to look this way anymore! This is not my goofy little guy! This is not his funny little friend!

It's been ages since I drew Ninjiro like this, I don't even have any of those old drawings anymore. I don't even know if I ever drew Jennifer before this year. I tried my best to recreate how I used to imagine them both, though.

Ninjiro's design, hell he wasn't even called Ninjiro back then, is far more generic and inexpressive. I honestly really don't like it now that his modern design has ingrained itself into my brain. I feel like the current one conveys his character a lot better as it's a bit more funny lookin'. You look at him and you know he's a fairly lighthearted dude. This one almost looks too serious by comparison. You'll also notice that he's an absolute lanklet.

Jennifer too is QUITE different, maybe even more so. Back when her character was more generic deadpan goth than offbeat punk. I actually don't dislike this design, I think it works in its own way, but I do prefer the one I eventually landed on. The new design just has better chemistry with the current Ninjiro look. They both feel like they're equally silly and expressive characters, rather than one being the designated goofball and the other being the super serious straight man that hates fun.

Still, maybe I'll repurpose the old Jen for a different character. I'd say she's worth keeping around somehow. The old ninja design, though? Probably going to remain in the dustbin of history.

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HeartisttheArtist

2023-01-14 21:22:20

It’s always interesting to see early versions of characters—there’s a lot of fun to be found in seeing what changed and what stayed the same. Going back and revisiting them can be rewarding, too. I can’t count how many times I looked back and made new characters out of old versions of other characters!

MetalDoom responds:

I love scouring through old concept art, it's always one of my favorite bonus features on anything. Reading about the creator's thought process, seeing how things change, and why those designs were ultimately scrapped. It's so fascinating getting a look into a person's creative process.

It's all the more interesting when an old concept design gets reused for an entirely different character. One of my favorite little facts along those lines is that in MK Deception, Havik's design originally started as a redesign for Noob Saibot. I love bonus content like that and think it's a shame you don't see it as much anymore.