Yuffie's Writing How-To's

How to make a LIKEABLE CHARACTER (pt. 3)

This isn't an article; it's my own personal thoughts on the matter.

Why do we like some characters over another? What do they all have in common? Here is where I'll analyze some of my favorite fictional characters. As I'm not much of a reader (gasp), I'll use TV shows. Even if you don't know the specific character, pay attention to the character traits I outline.

Naruto Uzumaki from Naruto

Naruto is my number one favorite character of all time, and the biggest reason is because he's so passionate about everything he does. He never gives up or sulks. If he can't do something, he will not sleep until he can do it better than anyone else.

Example: when he learned how to make shadow clones. He couldn't even make a copy image of himself. Every single person despised him and made fun of him, but he retreated to the woods and practiced until he could make actual CLONES of himself. Not even the elite ninjas could do that, and he ended up kicking one of their butts.

His ultimate dream is to become Hokage (the ruler of his village), and that drives everything he does. He has his own set of values (never giving up, never turning his back on someone who needs help, never half-assing anything), and he will never go against those, no matter what.

The guy always holds his chin up high and smiles. No matter how bad things get, he stays optimistic. In one scene, this evil demon thing was mocking him for saying he would take on the hatred of everyone and use it as his power. The demon told Naruto that if he couldn't even save his best friend (a very sore subject with him. His best friend/rival left the village and essentially turned “bad”, and Naruto couldn't save him), how could he save the world? Naruto just smiled at the demon and said, “I'll take away your hatred, too.”

Summary:

-He never complains or whines.

-He always gives his 100% in even trivial tasks.

-He's OPTIMISTIC even in the darkest situations.

-He holds onto his dreams every step of the way.

-His friends always come first.

Caroline from The Vampire Diaries

Okay, preppy, annoying, blonde cheerleader? Originally. Then she got turned into a vampire, and her characterization took a complete 180. She became of the coolest and most sympathy-inducing characters I've ever seen. Let's look at why.

Yes, really bad things happened to her (ie. Getting turned into a bloodthirsty vampire), but she didn't let it bring her down for long. She grew up to the challenge to living with her condition, and she learned how to own it.

But her shining moment came when preppy, annoying, douchebag jock Tyler turned into a werewolf. The guy was a complete douche, but she understood what it was like becoming a monster. She was there for Tyler even though one bite from him would kill her. She stayed with him right up to the moment he turned because she didn't want him to be alone.

Summary:

-She never complains or whines.

-She always gives his 100% in even trivial tasks.

-She's OPTIMISTIC even in the darkest situations.

-Her friends always come first.

Light Yagami from Death Note

The guy is a psychopathic serial killer (with a special notebook—the Death Note—in which you write someone's name, and then they'll drop dead), but I still loved him. If someone can make me (and many others) love a guy like him, there must be something really brilliant about him.