I believe the avatar here is based on a real person yes (I know the face, but can't connect the name).
The avatars I used are very western - many of them are from portrait packs for some of the Bioware games of the late 90s/early 2000s. My goal was definitely to give the game a more realistic, western feel to it. My favorite RPGs (although Final Fantasy Tactics always had a spot in this) are games like Baldur's Gate.
The game is also based on a classic western society mythology, so it kind of all fits.