Shipgirls didn't used to be human, they're incarnated spirits. Stahp. #IWillDieOnThisHill
The "previously human" headcanon is usually used for drama's sake. Interesting idea, but, of course, it gets pretty sad when it comes to the younger girls.
Shipgirls didn't used to be human, they're incarnated spirits. Stahp. #IWillDieOnThisHill
Depends on the author. Some authors have them as straight-up robots that are manufactured at the arsenal. Some are spirits. Some are humans infused with spirits living in the rigging. Some are humans who just adopt a name from an old ship for no reason, and have super-tech rigging, and will "graduate" from destroyer to cruiser to battleship as they age. (That means Kiyoshimo's right, and she'll eventually grow up to be a new Musashi.) It's all deliberately unanswered in the source material, so whatever the author needs to make the story they want.
Shipgirls didn't used to be human, they're incarnated spirits. Stahp. #IWillDieOnThisHill
KanColle has absolutely zero official story. Even the 'official' manga, anthologies and animes have utterly different stories. Basically everyone's headcanon is valid.
What part of, "I will die on this hill" didn't you understand? Anyway, not that I'm interested in actually convincing anyone, but:
While it has no canon story, we can infer a *lot* from what we have, even leaving out the anime and manga.
No shipgirl ever mentions a life before being a shipgirl in-game, and all have memories and emotions from their ship-lives, up to and including PTSD and other trauma that they are clearly unaware of: that they're just 'pretending' to be the ship and 'happen' to be like this doesn't make sense, nor would it be logical that they can 'switch' between ships as they grow older, that would require losing memories and gaining new mental characteristics, essentially removing any sort of personal continuity from their existence.
There are fairies present in the equipment/naval base; that strongly implies a magical source, especially along with other actively 'living' elements of the artwork (Rensouhous, Chou-10cm-hous, Ushio's turret, Sazanami's rabbit). Even if the fairies are just 'UI color' and don't 'exist,' we the very clear voice quotes of Abyssals being purified into shipgirls in real-time, not being rebuilt or requiring any sort of modification, again implying a direct 'poof you're better' effect.
We see a lot of a lot of shipgirls' skin, and there's no sign of any cybernetics anywhere in any official art. If it existed, it would have shown up by now.
Given that the girls are capable of fighting in costumes that don't necessarily involve rigging, their combat potential is clearly not directly tied to equipment.
None of which prevents or should prevent authors/artists from bending or breaking the rules and doing things their own way! Creative license is a vital part of creativity. I just don't like certain variations of it and, "shipgirls used to be normal girls," is one I especially dislike.
Hiburi-san.Yes.Please throw away the thought that "you are human".Firstly, there is something I need you to remember when you become a ship girl.From now on you are a ship girl. While on documents you are considered human-shaped naval vessel... Please define yourself as a weapon.
