A concept artist from Naughty Dog shared artwork of Stellar Blade's protagonist, Eva, on the game's official X account, sparking immediate backlash from fans. Many criticized the depiction as unattractive and masculine, with comments describing the design as ugly and repulsive. A significant portion of the response accused the designer of making Eva appear "awakened," a reference to a current trend in character design.

This incident appears to align with Naughty Dog's recent controversies. The studio faced criticism for the inclusion of explicit DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) content in their recently unveiled game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The trailer for this sci-fi adventure garnered a record number of dislikes, surpassing even Concord's earlier record.

The original design of Stellar Blade's protagonist, Eva, created by Shift Up, was a major factor in the game's success, achieving widespread popularity due to her conventionally attractive appearance. This stands in stark contrast to the negatively received redesign.