“How can you like her?
She’s a fox for crying out loud!”

This question is a typical response to first learning that someone you know is a furry, someone who enjoys anthropomorphic characters to differing degrees. So before I answer why I like Krystal, I think it would be appropriate to address the question of how one could possibly be attracted to anthropomorphic animal people? Think about this common science fiction scenario: what happens when the consciousness of a person gets downloaded into a computer or robot. Are these people, while in a different body, any less human? From a biological standpoint, yes, they are very different. They are not even alive, in fact. But to anyone who cares for that individual, the mind of the person is what is important. It usually follows that the individual who is in the robot/computer gets put back into his/her own body eventually. In other science fictions, like Ghost in the Shell, humans have abandoned flesh and bone for cybernetic bodies. When one body gets damaged, they simply transfer their consciousness to another artificial body. Are these people any less human? For me, the answer is no. After all, even animals have bodies. What makes humans different is that we have a consciousness, an intelligence. Now, if anthropomorphs existed in real life, they would have human intelligence (a complex consciousness). To me, they may as well be human.

But beyond the mind idea, there is the body. Anthropomorphs are almost always given many human-like features. They walk upright, speak, live human-like lives, and have opposable thumbs. They usually have “humanized” faces, legs, and arms. (There are varying degrees of this, but Krystal has all that I’m describing.) With such human-like bodies and behaviors, the only real differences come in the form of small additions like tails, large ears, muzzles, paws, and, of course, fur. For many furries, these additions are attractive in their own right. Tails are very popular because they are soft and cute. Others like the full-body fur of the anthropomorph. However, one can enjoy anthropomorphic characters without liking these special traits in particular. In fact, I wasn’t interested in the non-human traits for a couple years. It can be an acquired taste, something that just happens one day.

Now that I’ve explained how I am able to like her, I will address the specific reasons why I like her.

For starters, she is blue. In addition to being my favorite color, blue is an unusual, beautiful color for a fox. I believe that her odd coloration is the main reason for her continued popularity. Secondly, from what little we know of Krystal’s past, she is a kind person. She stopped her search for answers to her planet’s destruction in order to respond to a distress signal. She ended up attempting to save Sauria. She cares for those in pain and helps wherever she can.

Krystal is a warrior. She takes charge of the situation, no matter how dangerous. She demonstrated this by facing General Scales directly, trying to save the Krazoa, and joining the Star Fox team. Even though Krystal gets placed into the “Damsel-in-Distress” scenario at the beginning of Star Fox Adventures, she makes up for that before and afterward, by assuming a leadership role. Like Samus Aran before her, Krystal is a very strong female figure.

Her weapon of choice is a staff, my favorite weapon in my brief time as a martial artist. Krystal has some psychic abilities, another thing I find interesting. Krystal is a quick study. She became a competent Arwing pilot in less than a year. Even though I started liking Krystal before I became a furry, now that I am one, I like Krystal even more now because she is an anthropomorph. Finally, I think she is cute. She is physically attractive to me.

For these reasons, I like Krystal. I hope that this has given you some insight about Krystal and furries in general.

---

Addendum

This article reflects my own opinion of Krystal and furry fandom in general. I’ve tried to limit my opinions’ effects on the article, but this article does not necessarily reflect anyone’s views but mine.

Since Star Fox Command came out, we have seen some more detail about Krystal’s personality. Krystal has shown herself to be the kind of person who tries to get even if she is hurt. She is quite stubborn. I’m not really fond of these newly revealed traits, but nobody is perfect.