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Every once and a while an anime comes along that has an unbeatable protagonist, and then people start complaining that they're too strong! I think it's a welcome change from the run of the mill generic weakling. Change is nice, I like change... and cookies *-*
New reply Pages (4) [1] 2 3 » ... Last » Reply Cancel How to use BBCode? Jun 5, 2014 9:04 AM#2romagiaOfflineFeb 201317588
it's the other way round Every once and a while an anime comes along that has a realistic protagonist, and then people start complaining that they're too weak! I think it's a welcome change from the run of the mill generic unbeatable. Change is nice, I like change... and biscuits *-*
Jun 5, 2014 9:05 AM#3TrequartistaOfflineJan 201311680
Overpowered characters hate cookies. Yeah I know, totally worthy of the hatred.
Kagami_Hiiragi said:Idc if you think its weird, I have a life and friends and an income of money.
Jun 5, 2014 9:28 AM#4AnimeSwedenOfflineJun 20131026
I like OP characters (except for one...) since they are a nice contrast to the weak lead characters in every harem. I dislike badly executed plot armor though. Black Bullet EP03: Main protagonist gets stabbed multiple times, thrown into a river, wakes up the next day, not a single f*ck given.
Jun 5, 2014 9:32 AM#5MahouShoujoAnnOfflineApr 201479
Because it's boring to see a character having no real struggles, that's unrealistic.
Jun 5, 2014 9:49 AM#6GD1551OfflineOct 20105252
Using mahouka as an example, it makes the show boring. Although I think the worst is probably a regular or underpowered character with a bunch of asspulls.
Jun 5, 2014 9:57 AM#7TapeyOfflineAug 2013116
I like the idea of a main protagonist starting of weak then over the time of the anime becomes OP.
P DOPE.
Jun 5, 2014 10:14 AM#8NatealOfflineAug 2012567
OP characters are boring. Unless it's Alucard.
What do you think? The meaning of our existence. Why do we continue to live? ~Iris Rain Umbrella, my favorite robot
Jun 5, 2014 10:22 AM#9bloodiemonsterOfflineOct 20132896
JustinNateal said:OP characters are boring. Unless it's Alucard. ALUCARD is the best <3
[/quote]
Jun 5, 2014 10:24 AM#10bunny1ov3rOfflineApr 20124229
MahouShoujoAnn said:Because it's boring to see a character having no real struggles, that's unrealistic.OP characters can also struggle, in other ways.
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Jun 5, 2014 10:27 AM#11ShockedOfflineJan 20107276
An overpowered protagonist is not inherently bad. Such characters easily become a bore once the protagonist no longer has any challenges to overcome. They'll succeed at everything by virtue of being them. Why would I continue watching when I already know that the protagonist will win no matter what? That said, it could work if the said protagonist was fun to watch (Alucard, Kenshiro, Utena, etc). Overpowered protagonists are just difficult to write effectively since they can easily read as self-insert characters or the author's favorite or stuff like that. No more difficult than writing an interesting weak character, mind you. But yeah...uh...people complain both about overpowered characters and weak characters. This topic's setup is a bit weird.
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Jun 5, 2014 10:27 AM#12KorrvoOfflineSep 201229205
Generally it's because if they become too overpowered, then the thrill of fights become not as prominent as they should be because the fights are one-sided as hell. Mahouka is a good example. I wouldn't say overpowered protagonists are bad though; it just depends on how you execute it. I will laugh in the face of anyone who tells me Claire Stanfield is a bad character.
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Jun 5, 2014 10:28 AM#13FluffyFleshOfflineApr 20132087
What bothers me is not the question , its that its obvious but you dont know.
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Jun 5, 2014 10:31 AM#14CD2411OfflineMar 201310458
The issue with overpowered protagonists is that fights lack suspense
Jun 5, 2014 10:39 AM#15KainsliOfflineMay 201471
They seem to mostly exist for wish fulfillment (like Kirito, or the MC from Mahouka), not to mention that it's boring knowing that they can win any fight they're in. Overpowered characters can be fun, though, as long as the anime they're in doesn't take them seriously or if they don't bore me.
Jun 5, 2014 10:43 AM#16DrGeroCreationOfflineAug 201314394
They can become predictable and for some people boring however people confuse being overpowered with being a gary stu. An over powered character is not necessarily a gary stu for example Ichigo is overpowered because he is the ultimate hybrid but he isn't a gary stu because he isn't perfect and in a fact a very unskilled shinigami considering his shikai and bankai basically have no abilities except for Getsuga Tenshou and he can't use any form of kido at all. Goku is another example of an overpowered character that is not a gary stu. I rather overpowered characters than gary stus like Sora from No Game No Life because overpowered characters that are not gary stus actually lose sometimes.
Jun 5, 2014 10:49 AM#17VerchanOfflineJul 20131610
Insert obligatory statement about how unless the writer is actually competent, overpowered characters tend to not be as interesting here.
And I mean that in the most sexually painful way possible.
Jun 5, 2014 11:05 AM#18ZekkenshinOfflineDec 201216239
The problem with overpowered, unbeatable characters is that it's too extreme of a contrast to the helpless beta males MCs. Izayoi from Mondaiji-tachi literally sapped away all of the fun with his outrageous ability to KO gods just by laughing hard enough and then punching. Strong characters are welcome. Kenshin Himura is an example of a character who is insanely strong and skilled yet lives in a world that pushes him to the limits. Both extremes of weak and strong are just poor excuses for wish fulfillment.
Jun 5, 2014 11:08 AM#19DrGeroCreationOfflineAug 201314394
Ratohnhaketon said:The problem with overpowered, unbeatable characters is that it's too extreme of a contrast to the helpless beta males MCs. Izayoi from Mondaiji-tachi literally sapped away all of the fun with his outrageous ability to KO gods just by laughing hard enough and then punching. Strong characters are welcome. Kenshin Himura is an example of a character who is insanely strong and skilled yet lives in a world that pushes him to the limits. Both extremes of weak and strong are just poor excuses for wish fulfillment. That's the difference I was talking about between overpowered characters and gary stus. Kenshin is overpowered like Ichigo and Goku but he isn't a gary stu.
Jun 5, 2014 11:17 AM#20KainsliOfflineMay 201471
DrGeroCreation said: That's the difference I was talking about between overpowered characters and gary stus. Kenshin is overpowered like Ichigo and Goku but he isn't a gary stu. Eh, I kind of disagree that being a gary stu makes a character inherently bad, it's just that they're almost always, 99% of the time, bad, or wish fulfillment characters. Shiro from Log Horizon is a gary stu done right and the only one I can think of. Possibly Hajime from Gatchaman Crowds but she started to get annoying by the end of the series.
Jun 5, 2014 11:24 AM#21GrunbeldOfflineJan 20143077
Would a painfully obvious plot armored MC count as OP?
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Jun 5, 2014 11:26 AM#22gedataOfflineFeb 20137533
OP mains are boring if they don't have a lick of charisma. It's why I like mains like Onizuka, Alucard, Vash and Ryo Saeba and can't stand someone boring like Tatsuya from Mahouka. So basically give the story some camp (Hellsing, Fist of the North Star), or have the dude be a likeable goofball often (GTO, Trigun, City Hunter). If the main is going to win every time without question, those wins should at least be fun to watch.
gedataJun 5, 2014 11:34 AM
Jun 5, 2014 11:30 AM#23DrGeroCreationOfflineAug 201314394
Kainsli said:DrGeroCreation said: That's the difference I was talking about between overpowered characters and gary stus. Kenshin is overpowered like Ichigo and Goku but he isn't a gary stu. Eh, I kind of disagree that being a gary stu makes a character inherently bad, it's just that they're almost always, 99% of the time, bad, or wish fulfillment characters. Shiro from Log Horizon is a gary stu done right and the only one I can think of. Possibly Hajime from Gatchaman Crowds but she started to get annoying by the end of the series. I never said gary stus are inherently bad characters. I think people are biased when it comes to gary stus though. People love Sora just because he is chatty and overconfident but dislike Tatsuya just because he is a more reserved type of guy.
Jun 5, 2014 11:32 AM#24RisaraOfflineFeb 20131181
It wouldn't be that interesting since there would be no room for development for the character.
Jun 5, 2014 11:36 AM#25KainsliOfflineMay 201471
DrGeroCreation said: I never said gary stus are inherently bad characters. I think people are biased when it comes to gary stus though. People love Sora just because he is chatty and overconfident but dislike Tatsuya just because he is a more reserved type of guy. Ah, my mistake. My reason for disliking Tatsuya (I'm not caught up with NGNL) is how his character is given a flaw, except it does not hinder his character in any way whatsoever. I mean, the guy can't use magic but that doesn't affect his overpowered-ness in the slightest. The guy's too cool for his own good.
Jun 5, 2014 11:39 AM#26Cyber_BluezOfflineMar 2014218
romagia said:it's the other way round Every once and a while an anime comes along that has a realistic protagonist, and then people start complaining that they're too weak! I think it's a welcome change from the run of the mill generic unbeatable. Change is nice, I like change... and biscuits *-* LOL....who wants to watch a teen bitching about when you can watch a behemoth blow peoples head off or an alien blow up planets
Jun 5, 2014 11:45 AM#27DrGeroCreationOfflineAug 201314394
Kainsli said:DrGeroCreation said: I never said gary stus are inherently bad characters. I think people are biased when it comes to gary stus though. People love Sora just because he is chatty and overconfident but dislike Tatsuya just because he is a more reserved type of guy. Ah, my mistake. My reason for disliking Tatsuya (I'm not caught up with NGNL) is how his character is given a flaw, except it does not hinder his character in any way whatsoever. I mean, the guy can't use magic but that doesn't affect his overpowered-ness in the slightest. The guy's too cool for his own good. Tatsuya could always use magic it was never said he couldn't use magic. Sora is a lot worst considering he is able to figure out everything about any game early on and win it even though it's the first time he is playing it.
DrGeroCreationJun 5, 2014 11:50 AM
Jun 5, 2014 11:57 AM#28KainsliOfflineMay 201471
DrGeroCreation said:Tatsuya could always use magic it was never said he couldn't use magic. Sora is a lot worst considering he is able to figure out everything about any game early on and win it even though it's the first time he is playing it. I dropped it at the 4th episode but by that point I'm pretty sure they said that he couldn't use magic, or perhaps, that he was really, really bad at using it. If not, then my mistake again.
Jun 5, 2014 12:11 PM#29type-a1phaOfflineMay 2014599
There are fairly good series with overpowered MCs...and then there's Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei...LOL! So bad it's almost good!
"Sometimes, the truth is the cruelest thing of all."
Jun 5, 2014 12:18 PM#30antonnOfflineApr 20104565
Kainsli said:DrGeroCreation said:Tatsuya could always use magic it was never said he couldn't use magic. Sora is a lot worst considering he is able to figure out everything about any game early on and win it even though it's the first time he is playing it. I dropped it at the 4th episode but by that point I'm pretty sure they said that he couldn't use magic, or perhaps, that he was really, really bad at using it. If not, then my mistake again. He was bad at the aspects that they test for and ridiculously OP at those that they don't. Oh and he's basically a future Einstein creating flying magic and such.
Jun 5, 2014 12:43 PM#31zetsubousei_heroOfflineMar 20131362
MahouShoujoAnn said:Because it's boring to see a character having no real struggles, that's unrealistic. same here and the fact that you know he/she will win already.
Jun 5, 2014 12:46 PM#32OchimushaOfflineJun 201212277
Why do the lowest tier of baiting threads always work on this community?
Jun 5, 2014 12:49 PM#33DrGeroCreationOfflineAug 201314394
Kainsli said:DrGeroCreation said:Tatsuya could always use magic it was never said he couldn't use magic. Sora is a lot worst considering he is able to figure out everything about any game early on and win it even though it's the first time he is playing it. I dropped it at the 4th episode but by that point I'm pretty sure they said that he couldn't use magic, or perhaps, that he was really, really bad at using it. If not, then my mistake again. He didn't do well at the entry exam and because of that they presumed he wasn't that good at magic. They overlooked that he excels at other aspects of using magic. So basically what antonn said.
Jun 5, 2014 1:01 PM#34ShockedOfflineJan 20107276
YorozuyaGinSan said:Why do the lowest tier of baiting threads always work on this community? It's summer after all.
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Jun 5, 2014 5:13 PM#35jonnyhanOfflineJan 2010337
You people are way off on your examples for overpowered protagonists like Kirito and that fag who bangs his sister in Mahouka. Azuma Kazuma from Yakitate Japan! and Liu Mao Xing from Chuuka Ichiban are the best specimen for Gary Stu and there will never be another ones like them. Still both the series are very enjoyable.
Jun 5, 2014 6:17 PM#36AnimeFanTalkOfflineMar 2014325
Whats wrong with an overpowered main protagonist? Let me tell you why There is nothing wrong with an OP character, its just that the author might have someone on his level
TyrelJun 6, 2014 2:08 PM
Jun 5, 2014 6:23 PM#37Red_KeysOfflineSep 201219234
It removes the sense of suspense and tension that action scenes are supposed to provide. Basically, it demotes any action in a story to nothing but fanservice; it's in no way important, dramatic, or interesting to the viewer other than the fact that it's something "cool" to look at. Like a firework show.
Jun 5, 2014 6:28 PM#38ShrabsterOfflineOct 20122614
An overpowered character provides no real sense of danger since you know they aren't going to lose. A Mary Sue/ Gary Stu is just obnoxiously perfect.
Jun 5, 2014 6:41 PM#39VerchanOfflineJul 20131610
Cyber_Bluez said:LOL....who wants to watch a teen bitching about when you can watch a behemoth blow peoples head off or an alien blow up planets 2edgy4me. Assuming you're not trolling, I'd rather see a writer deal with a character's internal struggles rather than resorting to immediately showing how "badass" and "awesome" he is.
TyrelJun 6, 2014 2:08 PM
And I mean that in the most sexually painful way possible.
Jun 5, 2014 6:46 PM#40KruszerOfflineDec 201210181
Nothing. I enjoy characters, who are actually competent, bringing the pain.
KruszerJun 5, 2014 6:52 PM
"The name's Gambit. Remember it." -Gambit "X-Men '97"
Jun 5, 2014 6:48 PM#41SolosOfflineJun 20114455
Kruszer said:Nothing. I enjoy characters who are actually competent bringing the pain. So Alucard, right?
Jun 5, 2014 6:53 PM#42KruszerOfflineDec 201210181
Yes, among others. You can't spell slaughter without laughter. It's fun to see them totally annihilate the competition.
KruszerJun 5, 2014 7:07 PM
"The name's Gambit. Remember it." -Gambit "X-Men '97"
Jun 5, 2014 7:03 PM#43Celestrial2OfflineNov 20132607
JD2411 said:The issue with overpowered protagonists is that fights lack suspense takamura is extremely op but most of his fights were suspenseful as fuck and highly enjoyable
Jun 5, 2014 7:21 PM#44Cyber_BluezOfflineMar 2014218
JabonHR said:Cyber_Bluez said:LOL....who wants to watch a teen bitching about when you can watch a behemoth blow peoples head off or an alien blow up planets 2edgy4me. Assuming you're not trolling, I'd rather see a writer deal with a character's internal struggles rather than resorting to immediately showing how "badass" and "awesome" he is. NOPE,i'm not trolling,as far as i'm concerned you could have ww ii stuck in your mind,if you're not written in a way i'll like you (kenshin/za major) i'll just see you as a whiny and/or unlikable prick or you can just skip all that nonsense and cut to the badassery part
Jun 5, 2014 7:22 PM#45RedRoseFringOfflineJan 201417169
Celestrial2 said:JD2411 said:The issue with overpowered protagonists is that fights lack suspense takamura is extremely op but most of his fights were suspenseful as fuck and highly enjoyable Takamaru isn't the main protagonist though. That's Ippo. There are always OP characters among the good guys, but they get much less time than the MC.
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Jun 5, 2014 7:23 PM#46UnoPuntoCincoOfflineOct 20135174
If they're not Killy or Alucard they can go and fuck off.
Jun 5, 2014 7:40 PM#47jjrocks24OfflineJul 2012563
It doesn't really matter how powerful the main character is to me. As long as they aren't a good for nothing that magically gains a unique power and has a bunch of babes around him.I don't really like perverted main characters. Too cliched and very annoying. Fan service is still great though! I like a cool headed main character.
Jun 5, 2014 8:28 PM#48JJHRTDOfflineNov 2013715
Over powered main protagonist that can defeat all enemies without losing even once is boring. Struggle during battle against stronger enemies is more enjoyable imo.
Jun 5, 2014 8:34 PM#49VerchanOfflineJul 20131610
Cyber_Bluez said:JabonHR said:Cyber_Bluez said:LOL....who wants to watch a teen bitching about when you can watch a behemoth blow peoples head off or an alien blow up planets 2edgy4me. Assuming you're not trolling, I'd rather see a writer deal with a character's internal struggles rather than resorting to immediately showing how "badass" and "awesome" he is. NOPE,i'm not trolling,as far as i'm concerned you could have ww ii stuck in your mind,if you're not written in a way i'll like you (kenshin/za major) i'll just see you as a whiny and/or unlikable prick or you can just skip all that nonsense and cut to the badassery part Yes, yes, I also hate it when my characters aren't aloof badasses with little to no personality, depth, or substance. I just hate that nonsense of fleshing a character out; it's a waste of time and doesn't matter if he's not cool just like me! /sarcasm Considering that you're writing like you'd call someone who went through WWII "whiny" if they complained about their problems, I'll have to assume you know nothing about portraying internal conflict. It's similar to telling someone whose parents just died to "suck it up." You're coming off to me as if you lack total empathy for others and would rather see them "get over it" no matter what it is, like your WWII example. I hope you're not this ignorant of internal problems that people go through. Also, unless you're as excitable as a five year old, "badassery" is earned through depth, charisma, how interesting one is, and other factors utilized by talented writers. Let's compare Kirito and say, I don't know, Kenshin. Kenshin goes through many trials, both internal and external, throughout the manga; as Himura Battosai, he's one of the strongest swordsmen in-universe, but after reverting to Himura Kenshin using a sakabato, his skill and likeliness to win a fight had gone down to the point where he was probably underneath Aoshi a little bit. Even after temporarily turning back into his Battosai self, he struggled against Saito, the fight ending in a tie, and it wasn't until he retrained under Hiko that he had acquired the will to live, which gave him strength that's arguably as good as the strength he had as Battousai the Manslayer, and granting him a better chance of winning against Sojiro and Shishio, even if he technically didn't outmatch either in a direct fight. What made Kenshin a better character in comparison to Kirito is that Kenshin trained for his strength; he went through many trials and tribulations to acquire his skills, working hard since he was a little boy for his abilities, and even then, there were many others who were still as strong as him, if not even stronger. In contrast, Kirito was just automatically "that good" from the beginning because he just so happened to get in as a beta tester for the game. He's hardly ever in real danger because he just outclasses every other swordsman in the game, despite only honing his skills for two years, in contrast to Kenshin training since he was a boy, or hell, Goku training since he was roughly 12 and still not even the strongest in-universe by the time he's in his mid-thirties. Kirito lacks a concrete personality as well; one moment he's an edgy loner, another he's a goofy kid who enjoys putting Leafa's hand in his mouth, and his tendencies were all over the place because the author is incapable and was more interested in showing off his forced "badassery" rather than making him a person and not a cardboard cutout. Now that I'm done aimlessly ranting... tl;dr ur a faget with shit taste, get rekt bro
And I mean that in the most sexually painful way possible.
Jun 5, 2014 8:36 PM#50rrexylOfflineSep 2013238
they make me jelis
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