Well clearly nothing controversial that it would make news headlines as still don't know what a Shantae is lol.

A bit of a background on Shantae, she was created by a feminist and the game is intended to push female empowerment.

On her age, yep, she's 16, because she was born in 2002, although conceived as far back as 1994.
Yeah, some artists draw her older, and other artists draw her younger. In the original game

But to be real, I looked up the person who said she was 16, and it wasn't her creator (Erin Bell). It is unlikely age was a concern of theirs when developing the character. The more recent art of Shantae looks a lot younger than the art from the earlier games, so perhaps her later character is 16, but her earlier art looks ambiguously mid-twenties to mid-thirties.

Well, legal, but totally inappropriate! =D

14 is the legal age where I live (although prostitution and stuff requires an age of 18), but that is not the terms of what the culture says is appropriate, just the law. I'd say a man in his thirties with a woman below 20 is seen as generally disgusting, even if it is legal to go as low as 14.

The fact that you've been controlling Shantae all this time makes it extra illegal. Pushing her buttons, making her jump all the time.

Some people can look at a pair of bare ankles regardless of age and get aroused. Where's the legal protection in that?