Defend your hated character!

Everyone must have a character that they like who seems to be hated by many fans. Some of you may even like a generally popular character who is hated by your intelligent peers with such strong back lash and you are scared to admit that you are one of "them".

This is your chance to defend your hated character who you actually find likable! (Tidus... Mr. Zonder)

In my case, it is Nanami from Suikoden II. I've seen so many posts with fans saying how annoying she is and she seems to always be in the top 3 of "Which character do you want to kill in the Suikoden series?" threads.

Nanami is the first female main character that I actually didn't feel the urge to strangle. Before Nanami, whenever someone asked me who was my favorite female character, I would have answered "no one!"

She made such an impact right from her first appearance in Suikoden II. She was violent, aggressive, and funny. A definite 180 degrees from many other heroinnes. She always did the unexpected and she was able to get me laughing so many times. Her actions during the combo attack with her brother was hilarious and I think the scene that made my day was watching her NOT being rescued by the boys.

Not only was she a source of laughter, but she also made me cry my eyes out in several scenes. The obvious is the spoilerish scene near the end of course that made me hate the name Gorudo for the rest of my life, but the scene where she carried her brother on her back in Tinto after he had fainted was also very touching. I think Nanami and her brother was at the difficult age of childhood where she needed to realize that her brother can take care of himself more than she gave him credit for. I think that it was especially harder for Nanami since protecting her brother had probably been her focus since Genkaku died. For those that complain about her constant nagging and trying to tag along with her brother everytime he needed to go somewhere, I think that it would have been so unnatural of her to immediately be ok with her brother going to scary places without her. She also was caught in right in the middle of the conflicts between Jowy and her brother, and of course she was going to cling on to him!

Any how, a female who doesn't need a man to rescue her gets an automatic walkin to my hall of fame. : )

 

I actually have two Ms. Genso PenPen.

We'll start with Tidus. It's hard to defend him without spoilers, but I guess I'll have to, because a certain person hasn't finished the game. I won't name names, but his starts with an "S" and rhythms with "Skyewelse." ^_^

At first glance people see Tidus as a whiny complainer, and nothing else. But as the game progresses, you learn more about Tidus. His relationship with his father and mother in particular turned me towards him because it closely mirrors my own life. I guess for people that haven't experienced what I have experienced with my father, it's harder to see, but there's a complexity added to Tidus simply from that relationship. It's like a whole other level added to his personality that's not really spoken of clearly. All you hear and see is his reactions between him and his father; you're left to guess what he's thinking and feeling most of the time. For me, it was easy to guess, because I've felt that way before.

Then there's his relationship with Yuna, which in itself is a complex relationship that is ill-timed and ill-fated because of the events occuring within the game. Throughout the story, you see Tidus grow a little as he experiences more and more and learns from those he is traveling with. Tidus has to make choices, sometimes very difficult ones. His emotions and his logic tug him in different directions; the events that occur try to tear him apart at times, but all the while he tries to remain strong for himself and others, and tries to make the right decision. You don't always know if what he's deciding is the right decision, but it's the one he makes, and you at least know that he's doing what he thinks is best.

That, in itself, makes him a great character, because he is so real.

The other character, of course, is Jowy. Jowy, unlike Tidus, is actually loved by just as many people, but nevertheless I think he deserves mention because the people that do dislike him dislike him with a passion. This part does contain some spoilers

Throughout the game, Jowy lied, cheated, and murdered to achieve his goals. I always loved him because of his ambitions and ideals. He wanted to create a world where children could be safe. He didn't think the City-State could accomplish that, and so set out to rule the land himself. He eventually became the king of Highland through treachery--having a heavy hand in the death of Luca Blight.

He was a naive boy, and made many mistakes. But he had a large heart--he couldn't bring himself to kill his friend, no matter how he tried. This eventually led to the defeat of the Highland army.

I think part of the reason I love Jowy so much is his "whatever it takes" attitude. It's something I can relate to--you can see it when he murders Anabelle, though he is clearly feeling guilty about doing so. You can see it when he tell's Riou he was forced to use his rune to try and protect the people of Muse from the Beast Rune, which brought him to death's door. You can see it when he asked Luca Blight for Jillia's hand him marriage, knowing it could very well mean his death. But, through all that, Jowy's way of taking on life conflicted with his heart and his compassion--the very reason he had wanted to become king in the first place. He couldn't kill Riou and Pilika on the hilltop. When Gorudo tried to kill him, Riou, and Nanami, he had defended his two friends.

I think Jowy was a boy who saw what was happening in the world and decided to do something about it, like Riou. Sometimes, his fervent wish for a better, more compassionate world resulted in only more pain, but I applaud him for his effort.

 

Ridley from the Metriod series, why aren't there any ridley fans out there?