Lara Croft’s Anime-Style look Almost became a Reality in Japan

Did you know that Lara Croft almost received an official anime-style look? Paul Douglas, one of the co-creators of Tomb Raider released in 1996, recently revealed a curious behind-the-scenes detail about the game.

According to him, the Japanese publisher responsible for the local release believed that Lara Croft should have a visual style more aligned with the preferences of the Japanese audience at the time. The idea was to redesign the character with large eyes, a younger-looking face, and body proportions similar to anime and manga characters.

Lara Croft’s Anime-Style look Almost became a Reality in Japan

The Japanese version of Tomb Raider was released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn and PlayStation, published by Victor Interactive Software. Before launch, the company sent redesign proposals for the character to the Western development studio.

Douglas explained that these materials arrived very late in the development process. Toby Gard, who was responsible for Lara Croft’s visual concept and original creation, immediately rejected the proposal. For him, changing the protagonist’s appearance would compromise the identity that had been carefully built from the very beginning of the project.

Even so, the Japanese publisher persisted. The request initially aimed to change all in-game models, then only the in-game models, then just Lara Croft, until it was reduced to changing only her head. Still, the creators’ response remained negative.

As a compromise, the anime-style designs were used only in promotional materials in Japan, such as manuals and official guides. Magazine scans from the time show a younger-looking Lara Croft with larger eyes and traits typical of 1990s manga. A redesigned version of the villain Jacqueline Natla also appeared in these materials.

Douglas commented that at the time, 3D art was still relatively new, and Victor Interactive likely believed that changing models and cutscenes would be a simple process. However, from a technical and creative standpoint, it would have required an enormous amount of rework.

Interestingly, some 3D renders of an anime-style Lara Croft surfaced years later, raising questions among fans about who created them. According to Douglas, these models were not made by his team, and their exact origin remains unknown.