Is this stereotyping?? ( Stereotyping in stories is bad?? )

So i made a story about a girl who searches for her boss's daughter. it's said he's daughter is located in the Philippines, but the main character is not alone. with her is a katana wielding young girl who speaks japanese. Why japanese??? because the main character's boss is actually a Yakuza boss. And the main character is half Chinese and half Filipino.

This came to my mind.... is this stereo typing??? Yeah, takes place in Philippines and the main character's side kick is Japanese. And every people she will interact is Filipinos, so i decided to mute the Japanese character cause... SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND FLIP WORDS!!!! And also, is stereotyping in stories bad???

I dont see why a person who doesnt understand the language not talking much would equate to stereotyping. If you want a realistic portrayal of someone who speaks a different language then maybe give her some japanese one liners romanized but un-translated or mention that she said something the main character couldnt understand to make her seem more believable since, if she doesnt say anything what so ever just because of the language barrior she might seem kind of fake. Of course, maybe their is another reason besides language behind her silence. She could be schizoid like me or something.

However, how you approuch dealing with the character kind of depends on how you narrate the story. If it is from the perspective of the main character then what I have said applies. If the narration is omniscient then you should give the japanese girl thoughts and reactions to what goes on, plus an understanding of her own words.. Anyway, the main issue I have with the character you described is actually her being a bishoujo wielding a katana. I could understand a yakuza boss having one for decoration to enforce his position but a young girl? She will probably wear a seifuku or samurai garb to top it off right? Just a bit too cheezy for me. It isnt really stereotyping in that no one believes Japanese girls do this but, without proper explaination, she doesnt seem like a plausible character for a real modern world setting. If you go for a fantasy, scifi, or fuedal world then it is easy enough to explain. The only real way I can think of doing so in the modern setting is by making her rather abnorbal in someway. A hardcore kendo practicer is a possibility since it would explain her carrying a wooden katana but a steel one.. not so much, so you would still have to explain that. Maybe make her a sword otaku? like she collects them and carries one around despite how socially awkward and outcast it would make her because she doesnt care what others think? I imagine this is a long shot from the image of the character you have but she just seems so farfetched without proper explaination. Imagine seeing a person just walking through a modern industrial city wielding a broad sword. You would think it is cosplay and that the person is kinda odd, specially if no one else is dressed up.

As for stereotyping, generally it is a bad thing but it depends on how its handled. For example, in a first person story, stereotypes percieved in other characters can give an interesting view into the faults of the main character and her or his perception. The thing with stereotypes is they are gross extagerations of certain observable characteristics that are then generalized to entire populations. Aspects of stereotypes can show up in characters, like the academically dilligent asian student or something, but it is important to remember that such characters should still be portrayed as complex beings. Avoid contructing them entirely around their stereotype. This is especially true if said character is central to the story because a central character who remains a flat and 2dimensial caracature for the entire story will really weaken the text as a whole as well as offend people (This is why I hated sword art online).

At the same time little appearances of stereotyped characters can be very negative as well Eg. the jewish money lender or the Chinese Opium Fiend or the lazy drug addicted homeless person who has no desire to return to a normal productive life or the overly social, flamboyant gay male or the tomboyish/ feminazi/ "dike" gay female or the long hair male who only likes classic rock music, does weed and plays guitar. And the list goes on but these are just common ones that I find particularly annoying. The later four are very prominent in media today. These are all caricatures rather than characters and they generally promote negative generalized images of certain groups of people. They also bring a hidden negative social agenda to your story which critics and active readers will bash you for.

Anyway, just as some added advice:

The plot seems somewhat contrived as a whole. Make sure you properly explain the reasons behind the events and character relations. Why is the girl searching for her work bosss daughter? Does she have gang relations too? Did she know the girl? Why does the boss send the katana girl with her, as a bodyguard? Are they both young girls for a reason since this seems more like a task for adult characters? Just random speculation on my part but maybe the missing girl was forced into the sex trade and the boss needs to use young girls to try and infiltrate it directly to find her.. I would rather not tackle a story with such adult themes and content but it would be more believable than no explaination at all. Maybe you already have the reasons down though and it makes sense, not sure. Anywho, good luck. Sorry if its tldr.

It's weird how a half-Chinese and half-Filipino character has a boss that is a Yakuza, I thought they were Japanese only?

Anyway, the story is far different from the rest out there. Don't worry too much about stereotyping, everyone has a sort of stereotypes in their own fictional works. Hell, even Star Wars has stereotypes.

noticed that tooo XD hehe, just do it mangaka.

No problem i read everything you said. So it's up to me and decide whether i want the side kick to talk or not. And i will make sure i will avoid some negatives, like racism and something that would offend people. Hey, this is my personal project story. And it's a Martial Arts story, Ip man and Fist Of The North Star inspired me~ XD