Monolith Soft recently incited a spicy Twitter query that sent Xenoblade Chronicles X fans spiraling into a frenzy—is Tatsu food? Right! The official account indeed hit fans with a poll asking whether the lovable (or annoying, depending on who you ask) Nopon companion could be consumed. Internet act of ours? Well, it is losing its marbles.
If you’ve never played Xenoblade Chronicles X, Tatsu is a squishy-looking potato-like thing that speaks of itself in the third person and loves trouble. Just like Riki, Tatsu is the wicked type of Nopon-those who say the Nopon have interesting, shall we say, tastes. In-game, Nopons jest about eating each other, making the poll one enormous meta-joke, or depending on your perspective, quite possibly a dark omen. Who knows?
The tweet doesn’t really give much context, barest poll really with “Yes” or “No” as the only options. Still, the deafening SILENCE (so far) is giving us some strong vibes: Either the fans are too stunned to speak, or they’re screaming about the implications into the void. Let’s be real here: what if Tatsu is food? What if that means all the other Nopons are just some big snacks? Is that why they are all such chubby things?
When one set of xenofans start debating, it goes all the way down-or maybe we should say, all down to the pot (Tatsu pot, of course)! This series has always had an odd relationship with food-remember how Riki was always on the verge of being made into “Heropon stew”? This totally feels like that on steroids.
Some fans will think the poll is a serious matter, while others are laughing their heads off at the absurdity. And honestly? That’s the magic of Xenoblade: One moment you are exploring some alien planet in giant mechs, and the next one you are wondering whether your party member is, in fact, a five-star meal.
If Monolith Soft was ever trying for a stir (pun wholly intended!), they aced it. Now the burning question is this: Is this poll gonna have real-life consequences? Is Tatsu going to resurface as a delicacy in the next game? Is the dev team simply pulling on our leg? Only time can tell.
As for now, vote and pray that our favorite (or hated) Nopon doesn’t show up on somebody’s dinner plate. Oh, maybe hope he does? Depends on where you stand on Tatsu.
No doubt, Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the weirdest, most wonderful RPGs ever to exist, and this tweet backs that concept up. For now, we should really go back and play it while giving Tatsu the side-eye the whole time.
