A couple of blogs have recently posted lists of anime characters who are well loved among the fandom, but they personally don’t care for. It got me thinking about what each of our individual idea is of a likable character versus an unlikable one, and just like our preference for favorite anime in general, one person’s “worst” is another person’s “best.” However, because anime characters don’t have as many facets as anime series in general, I think our opinions about them tend to be more polarized – we either love (mostly) everything about them or we dislike (mostly) everything about them. So today I felt like examining how we judge anime characters…
As I’ve gotten to know various people’s favorite anime characters over the years, there’s one thing I can say for certain: our favorite characters don’t necessarily reflect our idea of a good person we’d want to exist in real life. It certainly could, I’m just saying that’s not always the case, if ever for some people. For example, Light Yagami from Death Note is a very popular character among Western fans, but I think people who like him would hesitate at the idea of a person like him existing in real life (unless they’re a drooling fangirl maybe XD) It’s not uncommon for fans to like characters from ruthless murderers to downright dastardly villains, such as Kirei from Fate/Zero, Kimblee from Fullmetal Alchemist, Orochimaru from Naruto, Ladd from Baccano, or any character whose actions and/or personality would be unforgiving in real life.
Why is that? Why can we like an anime character who we would most likely despise if they were real? I think the answer to that simply has to do with the wonders of fiction as entertainment. Because we’re dealing with fictional characters, we know that what we’re seeing isn’t affecting the real world. And because of that freedom, we’re able to judge the characters in ways that are different from how we judge real people. Also, like I mentioned in my previous post about how unlimited the animation medium is, because anime characters don’t even look like real people (as opposed to live-action TV shows), our suspension of belief is even greater. Thus, we can judge them beyond the basic things we judge real people by (“are they a good person or are they a bad person?”) With anime characters, we’re free to judge them by how well written their character is even if they have an unpleasant personality, how their dialogue entertains us even if it’s mean-spirited, how believable their actions are, how well they affect the plot, how good-looking they are or how nice their voice sounds…really, we’re free to set any standard we want for them precisely because they’re fictional people in a fictional world that may resemble the real world but doesn’t have to abide by its judgement of character. Often times, a nice but poorly written character becomes more distasteful than a mean but well written one.
With villainous characters, because we don’t have to worry about them reigning their evil down on the real world, we’re free to look at them differently. We might like a really evil character because their evilness entertains us and we can look at their horrible deeds as a piece of a story and not an immoral act in real life (again, only if that’s how we choose to look at characters). Someone might like Light because they find the ability to discreetly and ingeniously get rid of bad guys appealing. Someone might like Kirei because he’s a “good” villain, meaning he’s well written and entertaining in the Fate series, which is again a judgement reserved for fictional characters. Another interesting thing about villains in fiction is that, when you have a series with villains who are just pure evil, they rarely tend to be the most hated characters as opposed to characters who are “annoying” or “bitchy.” For example, I’m pretty certain that among Harry Potter fans, more people hate Prof. Umbridge than Lord Voldemort because the former more closely resembles a realistic bitch you could very well meet in real life, while the latter is more easily seen as an unimaginably evil villain that drives a story.
But like I said, not everyone likes the “dark” characters. Some people are the opposite in that they base their liking of an anime character by how well they’d like that character if they were real. If they’re looking for characters they’d want to befriend (or date) if they were real, chances are their favorites would be all nice, or at least personable, characters even if the characters’ personalities are bland or cliche. Some male otaku might be looking for straight-up wish-fulfillment in his anime, in which case his top 10 list of favorite characters might consist of only cute, moe girls from slice-of-life anime. Another male otaku might not be looking for that kind of wish-fulfillment, and instead likes anime for its cool action and fantasy. So characters he likes are mostly fiery shonen heroes while he dislikes anything cute. Still another otaku, female this time, might only like watching anime with hot guys in it, so her favorites would consist of the most charming bishonen. Then you have a more “elitist” fan who prefers serious, “intellectual” anime. So his favorites would consist of characters from such anime and he’d raise an eyebrow at any blatantly bishonen or moe characters being on a favorites list. Basically, we all have our own taste in favorite characters obviously, but the point I’m trying to make is that we’re not restricted by having to judge them in the limited ways of the real world. Thus, what any fan can like or dislike about characters is extremely varied.
If you’re interested, here’s a fun exercise that ties in with this post: think about your favorite anime characters and see what similarities they share (i.e., similar personalities, similar roles in their series). Even if they don’t share any, think about why you like them and if the reasons are the same. And if you want to go further, think about your most disliked characters and any similarities between them and why you dislike them. You just might learn something about how you judge characters =P
“However, because anime characters don’t have as many facets as anime series in general, I think our opinions about them tend to be more polarized – we either love (mostly) everything about them or we dislike (mostly) everything about them.”
Actually, I would argue that since most anime characters are archetypes they don’t stand out either way. Most of the anime characters whose popularity I don’t get I’m neutral towards – I don’t actively dislike them.
I think you’re right, however, that many times the more evil (and less realistic) a character is the more viewers are intrigued by them. My standards for male characters I’ve generally liked are different than for female characters: I tend to like guys who are seemingly jerks but are nice on the inside (basically, male tsunderes who go through a lot of character development), while I prefer spunky, cheerful female characters.
I probably should have worded that better; what I meant was that usually if we like something about them, we really like them, and likewise if we dislike them. If we’re neutral to them we’re just…neutral to them =P
I could also like the kind of male characters you described, but I’m usually more into sweet, gentle guys ^^,,, Females are kind of the opposite in that I tend to like tsundere and similar types.
I judge characters by how they fit into the anime, and how they make me feel. I do not try to think of them as real characters in any way, so I have no problem liking villains, or disliking the good guys.
Yuno from Mirai Nikki is a good example. I liked her a lot. She’s driven, devoted, loyal, strong, she has a large amount of really good, and likeable, qualities. That they are channeled in the wrong direction… Well, that is another matter :P However, if I met someone like her in real life (I hope I NEVER actually do…), I would probably be running away as far as possible, and would not even look back once.
I do like all sort of characters though, not in any specific trend. They do have some similar qualities though. I prefer characters who think of others a lot, and go out of their way to help others. They can be really cute characters (Mugi – K-on), or even action ones (Lockon Stratos). I’m not too partial to selfish characters (I like Ryuji more than Taiga), and I really dislike clueless\passive characters (Ichika – Infinite Stratos, or Shinichiro – True Tears). Considering that, lots of villains can fall into the categories of characters I like.
Interesting exercise and discussion :)
What you said about Yuno is funny XDI think there are plenty of characters like her that people like, but if they were real, we’d run from them for dear life! That’s why it’s so easy to like all kinds of fictional characters – we can look at them from an observer’s perspective and not have to worry about our feelings for them affecting the real world.
My favorite characters are probably the charismatic megalomaniac geniuses. Yagami Light, Johan Liebert, Lelouch Lamperouge, Reinhard Lohengramm… That kind. Whether evil or morally ambigous, camp or erious, there is just something about that sheer power that is in them, that can be amazing.
In the genre that I actually watch the most, romance, I mostly like the couples that seem to be the most casually close to each other. I just can’t buy idealized “love at first sight with a stranger” romances, so I’m always rooting for the childhood friend, the tsundere tomboy, or even the imouto, or whoever seems to be the most naturally close to the protagonist in a long term relationships at least as a friend. Two best buddies are always easier to be imagined as a future married couple, than a duo of stuttering cretins with butterflies in their stomach.
While I personally don’t care much for the megalomaniacs (I can understand why people like them though) I like the same kind of couples that you do. I can’t get that invested in couples whose relationship isn’t interesting and believable – “love at first sight” and being insufferably nice to one another just isn’t my thing. I tend to like it when both of them are tsundere for the other, like Haruhi and Kyon, and Inuyasha and Kagome if you’ve ever seen/read Inuyasha.
Yea man I totally agree… Light Yagami,Lelouch,Iatchi Uchiha all of em r Legends their characters r very Inspiring…
As you know, I love the murderous psychos: Kimblee, Ladd Russo, Eva-Beatrice, etc.
I love strong, likable, but still flawed female leads such as Utena.
Then there are the charismatic, cunning ones such as Johan Liebert, The Count, and Lelouch.
In terms of (reverse) harems that I watch, or anything that utilizes that standard anime character tropes, my favorites always tend to be the really classy and polite ones or the mysterious ones. Kyouya, Furude Rika, Aoki Reika (Smile Precure).
Just keep me away from bitchderes and moeblobs.
Yes, I can see you like characters whose morals are “questionable” to say the least XD
As much as I watch anime that could be called “moe,” my favorite characters aren’t usually the “moeblobs.” I tend to like the ones that have more “umph” to them, which are usually tsunderes. I don’t like bitchderes either – too much “tsun” and not enough “dere” just won’t do!
When I think of the characters I like in anime…. Spike (Bebop), Toph (Avatar), Reinhard (Legend of the Galactic Heroes), Porco (Porco Rosso), Reki, Hikari (Haibane Renmei), Felicia (Sora no Woto) Homura, Kyubee, Kyoko (PMM)
And think of the characters that I dislike (this is considerably harder since I tend to stop watching the shows they’re in)…. Haruhi, Kyon (The Melancholy of the same), Akari (Aria), Shinji (Evangelion), Yang Wenli (LOTGH)
They’re not really divided that strongly along moral lines. It would be hard to put any of the ones I like into the hero column as such. They’re not out saving the world – at least not for its own sake.
Haruhi I dislike because her personality’s so… explosive. Too loud for me.
Yang Wenli I disliked because he saw that he was going to get messed up all the time and did nothing about it. His attachment to the rules of a democratic system that didn’t really represent the will of the people just seemed like hypocrisy.
Felicia and Reki I liked because they’re taking care of people. In a reasonably active way. They don’t necessarily wait for everything to go horribly tits up before doing anything.
Aria, by contrast – I suppose lacks any real tension. It’s too sleepy. In a way there’s nothing to act upon.
Kyon is possibly the only character I have down there because of a moral decision.
I suppose those I like and dislike are broadly split into active, fairly complex characters that shape events in the ‘like’ group, and passive characters in the ‘dislike’ group. I suppose you could even argue that Yang was a fairly passive character, for all his supposed military genius.
In that respect it’s probably a lot easier to like villains just because the standard for heroes tends to be reacting to whatever the villain has done. In a quiet society there’s little for a hero to do. Which is possibly why few, if any, of the characters I have in the like group could really qualify as heroes in the traditional sense.
Looks like you have a good mix of characters you like and dislike, meaning I can’t find a ton of similarities between them. But you’re right that the ones you like tend to be “nontraditional” heroes while the ones you dislike are too passive (except for Haruhi who’s the opposite of that…she’s actually my favorite character but I can understand why people don’t like her XD)
Interesting point in your last paragraph about liking villains and non-standard heroes.
The pattern among my favorites is clear to see. Nodamiki from GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Miyako from Hidamari Sketch, Marii from Joshiraku, Nyarko from the series of the same name and Nero from Milky Holmes are among my favorite characters. Acchi Kocchi’s Mayoi, too.
All of them have similar, but slightly different, combinations of eccentricity, a love of mischief making, a high opinion of themselves and a tendency to be the butt of jokes. Being the boke in a routine almost instantly endears me to a character. Comedy relies on someone taking a fall, and those who take the fall and are willing to make a fool of themselves, by going the lowest, stand the highest.
I can’t really think of anybody I dislike. There are characters who others dislike that I’ve tried to argue aren’t as bad as they seem, but I can generally appreciate any character, simply on the merit of them having a role to play in an ensemble.
I don’t know many people who like “boke” characters that much, so kudos to you =D Characters like Miyako and Mayoi are always great for laughs even though they’re not usually my personal favorites (have you ever seen Azumanga Daioh? I suspect Tomo would be your favorite).
Heh, I consider myself pretty tolerant for anime and its characters but even I have a handful I dislike (a small one though). So again, kudos for being able to appreciate all anime characters XD
Let’s see… my favorite characters: Gintoki (Gintama), Hijikata (Gintama), Kagura (Gintama), Roy (FMA), Mugen (Samurai Champloo), Hidan (Naruto), Osaka (Azumanga Daioh), Lelouch (Code Geass). Aside from the overwhelming predominance of Gintama characters, it looks like I have a thing for characters who are usually harmless but have inner badassery that they’re not afraid to show when it matters. I can’t say whether Osaka has this badass side though lol, but she’s awesome anyway.
There aren’t many characters I hate, but I know that any character who is useless and whiny will quickly earn my hatred. Unfortunately this applies to many female lead characters who are forever having to be saved from the ridiculous situations they got themselves into. On the other hand I almost never end up hating the villain of the series, who are technically supposed to be hated. A well-written villain will often attract empathy, while a badly-written one is just hilarious and annoying more than anything else.
I haven’t seen Gintama or Samurai Champloo, so sorry I can’t comment on those characters. But yeah, Osaka seems to be the odd one out on your list XD She is awesome anyway, as you said! And wow, of all the many Naruto characters I didn’t think Hidan would be someone’s favorite. Wasn’t he the one who killed Asuma? It’s been a while…
I don’t generally hate “useless” characters unless they’re utterly annoying (like you said, being whiny) or they have no reason for their uselessness nor do they try to overcome it. And I tend to like funny villains (like Team Rocket) more than bad ass ones.
For me it tends to be how much I can relate/sympathize with a character, how complex they are (usually means there has to be some sort of character growth), or how much their inner strength inspires me. There are a few exceptions of characters I simply found really funny/cool or that I simply liked because of how they fit with another character; but for the most part, it’s the three above reasons.
Dislike seems to be the opposite of that as well. xD I tend to dislike mean and unsympathetic characters, shallow (moe) characters, or characters that just really aren’t anything above the archetype they were given.
All three are good reasons for liking characters. I also tend to go by those except for the one about complexity. While I could certainly like complex characters, most of my favorites aren’t really complex nor do they have a huge amount of character growth. More than that, I care about whether I find them interesting, entertaining, or just that something about them clicks with me.
The characters I tend to dislike the most are overly macho, yakuza-ish male characters or characters who are just plain bland (as in, they fit a role in the series and nothing else about them stands out in that archetype).
I judge characters based on how interesting their personality is, how well-written their story is, and I also take their intended alignment into account (chaotic evil, lawful good, etc.). When it comes to disliking characters, it’s.actually pretty rare for me, seeing as I actually don’t dislike characters if they were the type of people I’d wouldn’t mind existing in real life. A character might have a plain personality, but I wouldn’t hate them. I honestly never get the hatedoms for characters such as those, they’re uninteresting as characters, but I don’t see why you would wish death upon them. Fictional or not, that’s uncalled cruelty. xD
When a villain is a scumbag, I love to hate them – which means I love them as villain, which means the writer did their job properly, which is clearly a completely different type of dislike. Even though I do prefer deep villains with realistic goals. Protagonists that are not only scumbags, but are dimwitted in their decisions, usually don’t earn much points from me, unless it’s played for laughs or used as a basis for character development. Characters I dislike are mainly the ones that seem to be built upon stupid-decisions that could have been easily avoided in another way. I view characters like that an excuse to put conflict into the story and nothing more. Oh, and I happen to not like generic shoujo leads that friendzone the perfectly fine guy in front of him in favor of the new guy on the block that treats them like dirt. I dunno, I guess I don’t like superficial characters. xD Not my type of romance.
When it comes to my absolute favorite characters, it seems that I have a love for the whole “hidden depths” deal. The ever-loved Kamina is an example for this for me. Unlike other people, I don’t like him for superficial reasons such as “wow so badass lolol”, I actually like how his impulsive personality is a cover-up for own fears and insecurities during battle, and it’s only because he wants to be a symbol of hope (for his best friend and kids that just want to enjoy life in their crapsack world) that he ever acts like this in the first place. Characters that put up a generic personality and end up being completely different on the inside get tons of points from me and their stories end up being explored to a much more interesting extent than other characters that are more honest with their feelings, which I why I LOVE them.
Good call about hating on “plain” characters. I also never understand hatred of characters who would be okay as people. I can understand calling them boring or useless, but energy spent hating them seems kind of wasted. But if they’re genuinely annoying or so bland you could die, then yeah, hate is a little more justified XD
You know, I also tend to love characters who are “more than what they seem.” That’s probably why I like the tsundere trope – it’s about having one trait on the outside but another on the inside. But actually, Kamina is one character I don’t particularly like because I don’t like that macho, bad-ass personality a lot of male characters in shonen/action anime have. But the way you described him is different from how most people view him, as you said, and I like your view better XD
The only anime character I dislike is Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya because sometimes, his POVs makes me sick. No offense to the ones that finds him appealing. I dislike Tsundere and Yandere type characters as well. I’m made a exception if they were more dere than Tsun and Yan.
Itsuki Koizumi may be my favorite character out of the Haruhi Suzumiya cast, but, even sometimes, I get frustrated with him. Sakura Haruno from Bleach, Orihime Inoue from Bleach, England from Hetalia are my favorites because of their personalities.
In other words, I judge the characters by their personalities and thoughts. Maybe I could blame their creators for making what they were? XD
Hmm, not sure in what way this is particular to anime. The character we ‘love to hate’, as well as the idiot/rogue who would be awful in real life but is brilliant onscreen, is something of a staple in all media.
I mostly judge characters based on their actions and how their personality can be integrated into the story. If their actions and personalities can be integrated well into the story, I tend to like them, but if otherwise I don’t really like them.
I don’t mind any types of personality that the characters have, as long as they are done right, well developed, well written, and still tolerable.