User blog comment:Neowitch/757 - The most disappointing female character in all of OP/@comment-9022101-20140820140807

Though I agree that Rebecca's helpless feeling was horrible timing for the situation, I don't think it is entirely out of charater. She has dealt with the burden of a fallen monarchy and the weight of the entire country's hatred and strife on her shoulders. I as well do see the similarities to Vivi, both of whom are princesses of war-filled countries, are the same age at introduction, and have dead mothers.

The differences, though, are equally striking. Vivi was raised as a princess with an entire kingdom BEHIND her and an army as well as a group of friends willing to protect her at any cost. Her mother also died of unknown causes. Rebecca, as I have already stated, was raised in poverty with her country against her, her only friend and father figure being a toy who actually was her father. Her mother was murdered in cold blood. She knew of no family except for Viola and Riku, who was of no help for most of her life, and thought she didn't have a father.

She had pent up sadness and anxiety her entire time in the Colosseum and, as we have seen, didn't have the willpower to hurt anyone she faced in her entire time fighting (deflecting constantly, dull sword). Expecting her to find hidden courage to fight the man who killed your mother and ruined your life without any help, something she has had in all of her shown fights (Kyros when she was kidnapped, Cavendish in Block D, Bartolomeo and Sabo in the Finals), is fairly unrealistic.

I don't mean to be disrespectful in my statements. I think that her finding courage would've be a good development for a character with promise. This doesn't, however, show any sort of reason to believe that Oda is showing gender-based biased, making Rebecca seem helpless because she is a girl. Rebecca has repeatedly shown her reliance on Kyros, from childhood to when she was in the Colosseum, repeatedly crying for his help. This is just a final instance of her cries, since it seems that Kyros will finally be able to rescue her, something he has never been able to truly do in the past.