What Every Stat Really Means In The World Of Bofuri
Anime and video games have always been bedfellows, and few series are better examples of this fact than "Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt so I'll Max Out My Defense." Granted, that's primarily because it is chiefly a story about playing them, but that is beside the point. Anyone could theoretically write a story about people playing video games, even if they didn't have the background knowledge to accurately portray what playing games look and feel like. "Bofuri" manages to give a reasonable representation of games as an art form and a means of entertainment. It strives to truly understand the culture, which cannot be said for every anime series.
While it'd be unreasonable to say "Bofuri" is always true to video games, on the whole, it captures most aspects of gaming, specifically MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) fairly accurately. They also create comedy from certain quirks common to games, which forms the basic premise behind why Maple is such a strong protagonist. She accidentally leveled her character in a way that NewWorld Online's designers didn't account for, and it made her nigh invincible.
However, the very stats that Maple abused may not be as cut and dry as they appear. They aren't always thoroughly explored, and even real RPGs sometimes make their purpose confusing. Thankfully, there are answers to what every stat really means in the world of "Bofuri."
NewWorld's confusing stats are almost too real
Don't get fooled into thinking that stats, the ability scores that determine a character's strengths and weaknesses, are always self-evident. Even real, successful RPGs aren't always very clear about how their stat systems work. The popular action RPG, "Dark Souls II" features a stat known as adaptability, or ADP, which often seems as if it affects nothing. In reality, leveling it improves the player's dodge and allows them to heal faster, among other things which may not be immediately obvious to players (via Dark Souls II Wiki).
Things are somewhat similar in "Bofuri," where the effects of stats aren't always evident in their names. Some, such as Health Points, Magic Points, Strength, Vitality, and Agility, do exactly what they sound like they'd do. HP governs the player's health, MP their magic, Strength increases physical power, Vitality affects defense, and Agility influences speed. The final two skills listed on the "Bofuri" wiki, however, aren't nearly as straightforward.
Dexterity influences the player's luck, instead of their speed or finesse, as in other games. Likewise, Intelligence seems to affect the damage of active skills. This somewhat makes sense, as other RPGs often have Intelligence influence magic damage, but it also represents the player's skills in science or nature. So, while the stats of "Bofuri" stats may seem counterintuitive, that's also somewhat par for the course in real games.