Critics like writer Flynn Demarco and author William Gibbons felt disappointed by the use of stereotypes of transgender people and androgyny to represent villainy.

[3] Flea ends all of his sentences with "yo ne" (ヨネ, pronounced like 'yonnai' in mayonnaise) in the Japanese version, intended to be "[sickeningly] cutesy.

[5] During English localization, the nature of Flea's character was partially lost due to Nintendo of America's strict policies on "sexually suggestive or explicit content.

Flea is defeated, but returns along with fellow subordinates, Ozzie and Slash, to do battle against Magus who had defected to join the protagonists.

[13] While discussing what they consider the propensity of role-playing games to depict heterosexual romances with little representation of queer people, IGN writer Nayuta Miki noted that Flea made a lasting impression on them.

[16][6] Author Michael P. Williams felt Flea was an inauthentic representation of trans people and drag culture, referring to him instead as an okama.

[3] Writer Beth Cato lamented the lack of representation for transgender people in video games, feeling that Flea's portrayal was not adequate.

[17] Autostraddle writer Loraine commented on Flea's line about power and beauty positively, declaring him their favorite character in Chrono Trigger.