Erica eventually becomes aware of the true nature of her manager, known as Boss or Thomas Mutton, who was actually a god named Dumuzid, and was responsible for these dangerous nightmares.

[4] Since appearing in Catherine, Erica has received a widely mixed reception, with some praising her personality and presentation with others criticizing other character's attitudes towards her.

"[6] The Guardian's Matt Kamen agreed on the hints, stating that the game "[reflects] the real fears and stigmas trans people face.

"[7] Writer Bella Blondeau writes in TheGamer that much of the reaction to Erica is "based in blind anger and a seemingly deliberate misconstruing of the game’s intent, messaging and morality."

[8] Writer Ana Valens cites a scene in the Full Body edition of the game where Erica does not transition, in the Catherine ending.

However, Toby looks on at Catherine and Vincent and reflects on how he wishes he had an "angel" like her, to which Erica replies "they may be closer than you think", implying she intends to transition.

[12] Writer Carol Grant was similarly put off by this plot, also criticizing a line where Toby claims that the sex he had with Erica felt "weird."

She suggests that this is a part of a greater problem with Catherine, which she claims features characters who fit gender types, such as one woman being the "nagging shrew" archetype.

[17] A fellow Destructoid writer, Ben Davis, felt that Erica was handled respectfully, and that while Toby is surprised by this, describes his reaction as joking in a friendly way.

He notes that this comes off as transphobic to global audiences but touches upon a "deeply Japanese" issue with outdated laws which require that trans people undergo gender-affirming surgery if they transition.

He also discusses how her deadnaming may reflect the fact past and present laws that prevent unmarried trans people from changing their names.