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Tomodachi Life
| Video game fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tomodachi Life トモダチコレクション |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Release date | June 18, 2009 - present |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS, Switch |
| External link(s) | Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream |
| Related articles on Fanlore. | |
Tomodachi Life is a social simulation video game series developed and published by Nintendo. The game follows the day-to-day interactions of Mii characters, referred to as "islanders", as they build relationships, solve problems, and interact with the player.
Games
- Tomodachi Collection (Japan exclusive)
- Tomodachi Life
- Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Fandom
Tomodachi Collection for the Nintendo DS never released outside of Japan, however, an English Fan Translation patch has been created.[1] After Tomodachi Life's international release in 2014, the series went on a decade-long hiatus, perhaps caused by the widely-publicized controversy over Nintendo's exclusion of same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life.[1] Fans critical of Nintendo's decision to exclude same-sex relationship used the hashtag "#Miiquality" to vent their frustrations online.[2] There were rumors that the 1.1 update would add same-sex relationships to the games, though this turned out not to be the case.[3] A common trick used by players to allow for same-sex relationships in game is to simply assign a male Mii as female or vice versa.[4]
The long hiatus after the 3DS entry led fans to clamor for a third entry for many years, ultimately culminating in the announcement of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream for Nintendo Switch in March 2025, accompanied by the rise of the Alice/Anne ship[5] and the Tomodachi Life Trailer Art Meme.
While Nintendo's intention seemed to be for players to primarily add Mii versions of real people (in fact, Nintendo released some official QR codes players could scan to obtain Mii versions of celebrities such as Shaquille O'Neal and Zendaya)[6], many players tend to add fictional characters. Original characters are also commonly added, as are anthropomorphic/gijinka Miis based on objects and symbols such as the Mona Lisa,[7] a TV,[8] a question mark,[9] etc. Fans use sites like https://www.miicharacters.com/ to share Miis' QR codes. The relatively limited Wii/3DS/Wii U iteration of the Mii Maker was replaced by a more dynamic Mii Maker for the Nintendo Switch port of Miitopia. The "makeup" feature especially made it possible to more accurately create fictional cartoon and anime characters in Mii form.[10] Fans have expressed hope that Miitopia's Mii Maker will appear in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.[11]
Fanworks
Let's Plays
Tomodachi Life has become a popular game for many internet personalities to do Let's Plays of. Some of these Let's Plays have led to the creation of fan art, fanfic, and other fanworks. Particularly popular Tomodachi Life Let's Play series include the following:
- Vinesauce's Tomodachi Life Series (full series playlist); streamed on Twitch and uploaded to YouTube
- Vinesauce's series was one of the first popular Tomodachi Life Let's Play series, starting in 2014 and ending in 2017. It is, arguably, still the most well-known Tomodachi Life LP. Popular ships explored in fanworks include Two Faced/Walrus, Two Faced/Donkey Kong, Vinny/Cling On, and Waluigi/Witch. Vinesauce later did an LP of Miitopia as a follow-up to the Tomodachi streams, incorporating many of the same characters and lore. Vinesauce also played the original Tomodachi Collection game for DS.
- Saltydkdan's Tomodachi Life Series (Link to compilation video); streamed on Twitch and uploaded to YouTube
- Started in 2018 and received a second season in 2022.
- Poofesure's Tomodachi Life Series (episode one); uploaded to YouTube
- Starting in 2019 and ongoing as of April 2025, Poofesure's series largely stars the canonical NPC Miis featured in games like Wii Sports and Wii Party. Beef Boss/Abby is the most prominent ship.
- herofourever's Tomodachi Life Series (Link to most popular video); posted on TikTok with additional videos on YouTube
- Starting in 2022 and ongoing as of April 2025, herofourever has been posting Tomodachi Life videos to TikTok. Many have gone viral and garnered millions of views. The most popular of these videos features the ships Mario/Luigi and Bowser/Luigi.
- Big Yellow's Tomodachi Life Series (playlist of Season One streams); streamed on Twitch and uploaded to YouTube
- Starting in 2023 and ongoing as of April 2025, Big Yellow's series consists of three seasons thus far. Popular ships include 5-Volt/Chun-Li, Bridget/Elphelt, Bridget/Sol Badguy, and Olimar/JP.
Creepypasta
Tomodachi Life has a few notable creepypasta stories associated with it. Perhaps most infamous is "Adeline", the title of a song that appears in the OST for Tomodachi Life. The inclusion of "Adeline" (seemingly named for the song Ballade Pour Adeline) on the OST baffled English-speaking fans, as they did not recognize the song as playing anywhere in game. In fact, "Adeline" is simply exclusive to the Japanese version of Tomodachi Life. However, some fans instead claimed that "Adeline" is a song that plays when Miis suffer from a miscarriage. In reality, there is no "miscarriage" event in game and "Adeline" simply goes unused in the English version.[12]
A related story involves a common glitch that occurs when Tomodachi Life is emulated unsuccessfully, wherein Miis will appear with a large red symbol on their face; a circle with a line through it (a general prohibition sign). Fans found the appearance of this faceless Mii creepy and named them "Adeline."[12]
Mods
- Gender Removal Mod: removes gendered language (Miis can only use she/her or he/him pronouns in the base game).
- Mods to add same-sex relationships have been in development for years, however the complexity of adding this to the game's code has made it so no "gay mod" yet exists.[13]
Fan rumors
Due to a lack of understanding about Tomodachi Life's code and inner workings (even to this day), multiple rumors spread among fans on places like GameFAQs.
- One common rumor is that giving Miis the cell phone item can increase the likelihood they will make friends, initiate relationships, get married, etc. In fact, giving a Mii the phone item does not affect this.[14]
- Rumors spread that favorite foods were based on a Mii's personality and that a Mii's food preferences could change over time. In reality, a Mii's food preferences are totally random and cannot change.[15][16]
- Like with lots of life sim games, there were many rumors that Miis could somehow die. Rumors also spread about Miis stalking each other.[17][18]
Speedrunning community
A small speedrunning community exists for Tomodachi Life. Beyond Any%, special categories include Marriage% (trying to get two Miis married as fast as possible)[19] and Divorce% (getting Miis divorced as fast as possible).[20]
Resources
General sites
- Tomodachi Life on the Mii Wiki
- Tomodachi Life Wiki on FANDOM
Communities and archives
- Tomodachi Life on AO3
- r/tomodachilife/ Reddit community
References
- ^ https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/video-games/nintendo-apologizes-omitting-gay-marriage-tomodachi-life-n101861
- ^ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/643013-tomodachi-life/69194875
- ^ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/643013-tomodachi-life/69387255
- ^ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/643013-tomodachi-life/69390321
- ^ https://www.vice.com/en/article/tomodachi-life-living-the-dream-exists-and-im-nearly-in-tears/
- ^ https://www.crystal-dreams.us/?p=515
- ^ https://www.miicharacters.com/wii.php?mii=1190
- ^ https://www.miicharacters.com/index.php?mii=12710
- ^ https://www.miicharacters.com/index.php?mii=22155
- ^ https://gamerant.com/miitopia-mii-maker-new-standard-mii-character-customization-nintendo-avatar/
- ^ https://tech.yahoo.com/gaming/articles/switch-2-bring-back-one-133013591.html
- ^ a b https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=31yWUF-87fU&ab_channel=SmashedTomatoes
- ^ https://www.reddit.com/r/tomodachilife/comments/1519wn2/why_oh_why_is_there_no_mod_for_gay_couples/
- ^ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/3ds/643013-tomodachi-life/answers/607195-will-giving-a-married-mii-a-cell-phone-increase-their-chances-of-having-or-is-it
- ^ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/643013-tomodachi-life/69756544
- ^ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/643013-tomodachi-life/69676454
- ^ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/3ds/643013-tomodachi-life/answers/457282-is-it-true-that-sometimes-miis-can-be-stalked-or-disappear
- ^ https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/643013-tomodachi-life/70066609
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTXCOOnTSIY&t=30s&ab_channel=TheDapperWaffle
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1plYvp05Uc&ab_channel=Ciuava