What Makes a Character Likable?

In order to make a likable character, you need to be honest as a designer and flesh out a character with imperfections.
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[@yaboi5893]

"no one human is loved by everyone universally" * cough * * cough* Bob Ross

[@drfifteenmd7561]

Keanu Reeves

[@David_Punzalan]

Mr. Rogers

[@catlookingdownonyou5465]

@@David_Punzalan nope, some people actually hate him

[@cosmicspacething3474]

Stefan Karl

[@Edible_Kittens]

@@David_Punzalan Isn’t there that one insane woman who was convinced he was a pedophile?

[@Mekts]

Best quote about characters that i've seen XD "There is a tree, your job is to get that character up that tree, once they are up there keep throwing rocks at it."

[@larrylovehandle8472]

Moldy_Crow shut up

[@AntiCuteness]

larry lovehandle oof

[@peynnep6483]

I rather do it as they climb, and then throw a bottle of water at them that says "bonus reward" as it's nice that characters are rewarded with something more than their goals once in a while

[@julesroy3469]

ah yeah we youths be chilling with walkmans and glow sticks yo

[@sewergoblins4843]

Juliette King totaLly tUbuLar bRo

[@Kinobambino]

trashcan't woah guys watch out before I dab on my fam squad

[@moontruther7170]

Yaaaaaas

[@poopdootscoop]

are you 37.

[@julesroy3469]

@@poopdootscoop plot twist: im in my early twenties

[@bisectro]

Greg: "If every pork-chop were perfect..." Steven:"We wouldn't have HOT DOGS!" That catchphrase really fits what you are teaching :) Great vid btw I wonder why you dont have many Subs :( ?

[@mattsaun4823]

plot twist: hot dogs in steven universe's world are made from actual dogs and it probably would have been better if every pork chop was perfect.

[@Greggers1516]

how does that correlate at all?

[@shareekwillis3934]

@@Greggers1516 it does

[@RealityRogue]

“But trying to tell a story with that kind of character, is impossible” Don’t you challenge me like this. I’m going to make a story with a super radical awesome dude who loves skateboarding and soda. But deep down he has crippling anxiety about how people think about him so he tries to be the ‘raddest’ dude there is. His sunglasses hide his tears.

[@yfis6168]

have you done it yet

[@rachaelgreen1812]

Are you finished yet?

[@waffles658]

Omg that’s such a cool concept 😭

[@leblonk5428]

dave strider moment

[@kagemushashien8394]

I would like to share a soda with that dude, dude.

[@elvinestrella5895]

I'm rewatching this video And I'm pretty sure the Emoji movie never saw this video

[@CharacterDesignForge]

I guarantee they didn't :P

[@DamageMaximo]

Why?

[@capitanstoodeows8123]

Jesus Christ your right

[@GoodBloodGames]

This is brilliant, man.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

+Good Blood That means a ton coming from you Jav, thank you so much!

[@cheeseboy1271]

Q

[@frankie11998]

@@cheeseboy1271 Q

[@TuesdaysArt]

In my experience, it can take months or even years to develop a character. Some characters of mine went in different directions than the ones I'd planned and I just went with it! As for developing a character's personality, you can either start with the basics and work from there or by picking an aspect of your character (being shy, not showing their emotions, liking strawberry ice cream, their zodiac sign, etc.) and letting it snowball into something more. With my characters, I of course started out with basic ideas for them, but I've let them just write themselves. They've become almost like real people to me and though I hardly share these characters with anyone (mainly because I don't have the skill or time to tell the story I want to tell through a webcomic and the resources to create an animated series, which I feel it'd work better as), I believe that they could be relatable and likeable to some people.

[@Mariathinking]

Cali Spaniel for me developing characters became a skill. 5 years ago all my characters were shitty and undeveloped. Now after years of developing my old characters feel pretty human and i can create a new character with an original backing story and personality within a couple of days. also merging two undeveloped characters really helps. but yh your right when you say it feels lime they're humans - sometimes when i write a line i think 'x wouldnt say that' and i change the script.

[@sophiejones7727]

well, different authors work at different speeds. I wouldn't read anything into how long it takes for someone to design a character. There are people who can fantastic characters in five minutes, there are others who takes years to make characters. But please don't keep them to yourself forever, that would be sad :(

[@neonbat666]

This video is great! How quickly people toss around the words "Mary Sue" or "Gary Stu", had become discouraging. But seeing this video really helped.

[@mynamesnotrick]

They shouldn't do that, but those terms have meaning that still points out a specific problem with the character's behavior in a story. When people say "Mary Sue", they are saying that the character isnot interesting and not relatable enough.

[@neonbat666]

+BrainDeadBastard I know, I get that. But lately I've seen a lot of people judge based on looks alone: "Oh this character has mismatched eyes, I don't need to read anything about them to know that they are a Sue" "Oh this character likes rock music and has a 'scene kid' haircut, without looking any further, the creator is obviously trying to hard, too much edge." That's what I'm talking about. I see more and more people adopting the mindset that specific looks or interests alone are enough to make the character a Mary Sue/Gary Stu.

[@DarkLordFluffee]

its really unfortunate, because a lot of budding artists and writers (myself included) write/wrote mary sues at the start, because, y'know, lack of experience and wish fulfillment. theres a tendency to lean towards edgy stuff at this stage because fuck, it was cool at the time, so the mary/gary sues get associated with that style, and thus becomes its own edgy aesthetic. design DOES communicate a lot about a character though, so while no one should immediately disregard a character because they appear "sue-like" when designing a character it should be kept in mind the implications of the design.

[@neonbat666]

DarkLordFluffee Well, yes. I don't mean to say that a design alone can never imply a Sue/Stu (some designs can be too much). What I mean, is that it seems like it's everything little thing now: "This character is black and red: Gary Stu!" "This character has a rainbow design on her clothes: Mary Sue!" "This character isn't human: The artist is trying too hard!" You get what I mean?

[@DarkLordFluffee]

absolutely

[@jessevasquez2598]

such an underrated channel too bad KZbin's system isn't for animators or people who need to take actual time

[@angeliesalvebernardez8587]

True, I came here to learn how to create a fiction.

[@AntiCuteness]

Jesse Vasquez Hate the player(s) in this situation, not the game. Not many people want to design a character.

[@maskedfoxx7173]

You have very sold, gentle eyes. I feel so welcome and safe watching this.

[@supermodelzdancerie]

Masked B1tch i agree !

[@IDontReallyWantAYoutubeHandle]

What makes a character likeable: Peridot

[@mochasumi]

true words, my friend true words

[@pearlyp9898]

James She's not supposed to be that. the whole Crewniverse participated in creating Peridot and that's awesome. Have your opinion and hate her all you want, but let others have their opinions too and don't try to fight them for it.

[@GrinHowl]

+Tyrone Townsend I mean Peridot is cool... but she's based off Zim. Rebecca Sugar is a huge fan of Invader Zim, and Peridot is clearly some sort of Zim "tribute". They are so freaking similar.

[@ameliajenny6170]

Tyrone Townsend true.

[@potatobro-gm2kr]

Tyrone Townsend or make it triangular

[@cryptonaut1435]

"An audience can easily discern if they are being pandered to." **Instantly thinks of current Marvel comics**

[@rosette4268]

Perfect timing

[@yungmuney5903]

Everything panders to something lmao, that's the whole point of finding/appealing to demographic.

[@shysterling2819]

I tuned out immediately after he dissed glow sticks

[@CharacterDesignForge]

I tuned out even sooner, distracted by how skinny I used to be

[@insidememesmind6482]

@@CharacterDesignForge 🤭 you're funny

[@Ravenroxy]

I saw one person ask, "What if one if a character's flaws is that they are so perfect that they don't like themselves?" And I saw your response saying that's unlikely for someone to be like that. (I'm just making a new comment because I don't want to be in the comment spam) I once read a book where a main character was really good at what they were supposed to do, but many people disliked them for their success, and they would feel discouraged. Is this an exception? Would it be an exception if they felt they had to perform worse because of other people's spite? I've never made a character like this myself, but in the book I was reading, the character still seemed interesting. But then again, the character also started to not want to do what they were great at anymore because they felt it was for a bad cause (and it was).

[@alwaysawretch]

this is something that happens a lot in fiction that annoys me. obviously there are different contexts and the story you've mentioned could fall into that but the whole "this character is amazing but people are jealous of them so they dislike themselves" just seems like a forced flaw itself, especially if that's the only flaw there. i've had people be jealous of me in real life, and i know people that it's happened to. people who are jealous are insecure, and not everybody in the world is insecure- sometimes it's YOUR fault for people not liking you.

[@anhsu4854]

Then the guilt pressured from other people's jealously or low confidence despite having good ability is a flaw and therefore the character is not perfect This can even make them an underdog if society punishes the character enough but it's not like this type of story is uncommon

[@peynnep6483]

ideas for flaws on some characters: Main character: anger issues, powerless, lazy, plays games more than trying to still get a chance in life Rival: feels prisoned in his/her own powers that have kept them alive when they once was about to freeze to death, balance their emotions Best friend: trying to get ride of his arrogance as a Royal towards others

[@LpsRoseGold]

Thanks bud! (・∀・) I'm planning a lot of stories, and I get easily overwhelmed by big lists, so once again, thank you!

[@ethanadams8109]

Tom and Jerry. I used to think Jerry was the bad guy... because he is... There are tons of episodes where Tom is actually doing something nice for someone else... then I feel horrible when Jerry fucks it up for him. I hated Jerry as a kid.

[@purplepepper2503]

Indeed, the Walkman's so trendy right now that being the young untrendy kid that I am- have no idea what it is xD

[@CharacterDesignForge]

+Eujean Yu Theyre the latest and greatest! Late 80’s, that is

[@shortycareface9678]

I always say that I never attempt to create "likable" characters as much as I attempt to create realistic characters.

[@KingKayro87]

I just make whatever character I want. I look at a character and I think to myself "What weapon would best suit who they are as a person?" And then I give them a weapon. For instance, one guy's weapon is a chainsaw. His personality? He loses focus easily, he's goofy as hell, he's reckless, and he surprisingly has no qualms with killing, but he's actually quite stable mentally. Chainsaws are terrifying when used as a weapon, and it seems stupid and insane to use it as such, but as it turns out it's very easy to control and keep steady. Contrast that with his rival, who uses a chained blade. Focused, serious, and elegant, but in terms of his mental state he is unstable and could break at any moment. A chained blade requires focus, intelligence, and dexterity to utilize effectively, and it is most certainly an elegant weapon, but even the most skilled warriors struggle to keep it stable. There's other characters as well. One character uses a weird, floaty, segmented, half-axe, half-katana weapon. This character is somewhat of a clone of another character, but the cloning process was seriously rushed. Unlike the perfected clone, who has a floaty, segmented, green katana that controls time, this katana is red and black, and the blades shake when he slashes, seeming as though they're almost always in whip mode (the blade can switch from blade mode to whip mode). The floating segment at the end of the blade looks like the head of a war axe, much different from the rest of the blade. Now, the character that uses this weapon is the leader of a demon army which he obtained from conquering Hell. He often wears a hood to hide his identity, and the benefits which he gained from the cloning process always have some sort of detriment. Like the segmented blade, he's quick and hard to predict, but in exchange he's easily left open for attack. Like the blade's pitch-black color scheme, he hides quite a bit. He doesn't want to be seen. He fears what the people will see. He doesn't want them to see him as he is. And the axe head represents why he was made: to kill. But his blade is wavery; he doesn't want to kill. He doesn't want to commit these crimes, but even after the death of his creator, he's still stuck going down this path. Because he leads the demon army, if he were to deviate from his set path, they'd all kill him. The blade reflects this as well. The red color and the spikes on the cross guard and the bottom of the handle represent the demon army, and how they hold him in forever. It's meant to resemble an Iron Maiden, where if you make one wrong move, you'll be in immense pain. So yeah, the characters and their stories are based on their weapons.

[@dagmar.rokita.author]

T H I S!

[@surprisinglysurviving751]

One rule that I made for myself is the following: try to have an equal amount of good and bad traits It really helped me making more realistic characters

[@larilaa]

"The worst thing that you can do, though, is try to design a character that everyone will love." I can think of worse things.

[@darkflame728]

Like what?

[@larilaa]

Murder.

[@IchCharacter]

Murderers can be likeable characters. However, a character that almost everyone likes (from the cast, needless to say) can make for a rather good villain, in my opinion.

[@larilaa]

Huh? I agree with you but you miss my point.

[@everyonehasmynames2420]

He/she means that murder is worse than designing a character like described in the quote.

[@michelobtheassortedmanatee818]

Can you please make a video about how to make a likable coulple with good chemistry together

[@damotoneko1500]

Actually, some characters made to look hip or are unflawed can actually be interesting and fun. Like Bobobobo and Sakamoto. If they pull it off just right then it can actually be a fun character despite being a mary/gary stue.

[@BwooHuraca]

It depends on the tone of the story. You can't really shoot for a serious story with a mary sue at the helm, because then nobody would take it seriously. They probably work best if the character is played for tongue-in-cheek laughs or if it's a straight-man in a crazy world scenario (in which the mary sue is portrayed as the crazy one, at least to the audience.)

[@nightowl8477]

But I don't like Steven. He's too perfect; unflawed. And whenever he is given a flaw, it's resolved almost as quickly as it was introduced

[@JumpdeArt]

nightowl I think that has changed with the new series they wrote, SU future. Haha. Ur right though

[@jennisangel4537]

I know I’m like a year late but how about a character that seems almost perfect at first but then slowly becomes this really flawed character the more you get to know them, not to the point where they’re a bad person, just where their small mistakes happen so often that it gets difficult to ignore. Like Rose Quartz from Steven Universe. And what if their best friend kinda contrasts them. They are a bit more of an outcast and seen as very flawed but slowly those flaws seem to become smaller the more you get to know that character, and less important, even though they are still there.

[@soleil-in-the-sky]

Forgive me for this, but I'm kind of thinking of Isabella from Encanto!

[@dagmar.rokita.author]

I usually do that, that's pretty interesting

[@aiiiia9971]

I really love this concept, actually. I like when your perspective on a character changes and unfolds as you learn more about them!

[@kitkatboard]

I actually have more difficulties giving my characters qualities than giving them flaws...

[@DiamondBunnyArts]

So I found this in my recommendations and, WOW! this is actually super useful I'm always looking for people and tips so I can improve my work. thanks for helping all the artists out there wanting to get better at what they do (Sooo all of 'em)

[@sergiotorres9560]

"No one human is loved by everyone universally" *Cough cough* Tom Holland *Cough*

[@linhnguyenviethieu254]

This is simply an enlightenment! Can't tell you how much this has helped with my works! Thanks a million times!

[@FaumauNZ]

Please tell this to Cartoon Network

[@mistereagleman]

Is it necessarily bad to make a character based on yourself though? Design and speech wise so you know how they'd react to the situation the way you do?

[@darkflame728]

Rebecca Sugar (creator of Steven Universe) said the gems are all based off of different ways she interacted with her brother and they sort of became lives of their own. So doing starting with something from yourself probably isn't a bad thing as long as you let the character become its own person.

[@noellerutledge8789]

@Trin Silvers I must disagree with this. My OC is based entirely off of me. She looks like me, talks like me, thinks like me and acts like me. Every conflict she's encountered has been a reflection of a conflict I've encountered in my life. She is a self insert by design. However, when I introduce people to my character without mentioning her being a self insert, I've been praised as one of the best character designers and writers they've ever seen. Not trying to toot my own horn, but it's just the truth, I made a self insert character that people love and I can always be assured that she is original and realistic because you don't get much more realistic than reality. So go ahead and make self inserts, just know who you are at your core before you do. A flawed, but wonderful human being.

[@mogomighty102]

@Noelle Rutledge That’s interesting, maybe your just a very cool person xd

[@MouldMadeMind]

@@noellerutledge8789 the problem with a self insert character is not that they are you, but that you treat them like you want to be treated by the universe.

[@noellerutledge8789]

@@MouldMadeMind So the issue isn't with self insert characters. It's with Mary sues.

[@jacksonjohnson6938]

I had two characters and I worked on them alot over a year. Both are very important to the story. one was my main character, a fire shooting teenage cockroach hybrid named Eric. The other was a laser firing spider hybrid. It took a year but I realized the spider guy didn't have a name, any suggestions?

[@NancyDrewsClueCrew]

What about Reginald (or Reggie for short)?

[@moonbeamqueendarling3869]

Jackson Johnson perhaps something like terry? Or Anthony?

[@jameslillie5445]

Peter Parker

[@catsgrimmowo7773]

+James Lillie ayy good one xD

[@Kinobambino]

Jackson Johnson "hey its me I'm a spider" is be a good name

[@pinkwings8036]

If your interested in understanding the Mary Sue, I'd recommend reading "Ensign Sue Must Die". It's a webcomic about a stereotypical Mary Sue character on the USS Enterprise, and the story grows from there. It's a blast to read, and will only take you a few hours if your a slow reader. It shows why a Mary Sue doesn't work, and how even "bad" characters can grow and become enjoyable.

[@GrayeIra]

lol, my first character was literally depressed. 😐 I'm a strange human

[@Kinobambino]

Graye Ira 😅 me too

[@Pissicist2394]

3 years late but i'm pretty sure 75% of people started making their first characters edgy

[@mogomighty102]

There’s another problem where people want to give their character’s the biggest edgiest sob story and it’s just comes off as desperate and cringe-worthy

[@shunderstock8080]

@@Pissicist2394 Nope, mine was a harem protagonist self-insert

[@tofire2261]

Thank you. I plan on creating a story... and after i am done with the story to make a manga out of it... and i have some ideas. This video was really helpful ^-^

[@sylviahowell7802]

Very insightful, Brookes! Thank you.

[@kykeee2487]

My character has too many flaws and not enough positives....

[@icefreak2272]

i clicked for steven lol

[@rfk2298]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video, especially the "rock wall" comparison. I definitely agree, you can't scale something without grooves for your hands. Or, in these terms, you can't relate to a character without flaws. Nobody is perfect, we all have our flaws. Something along the lines of "clumsy" or "too kind" or "too perfect" etc. Is not relatable. None of us is perfect. However, once, I made the mistake of giving my character _no_ good traits, nothing interesting in the backstory, etc. I was too afraid my character being dubbed a "Mary Sue". I soon realized, though, that you must have something good about your OC, something interesting/fun. Having no good traits _at all_ would be like making the wall a cluttered mess. You earned yourself a new subscriber. Peace~

[@GamingChiliHedgehog]

I love the rock wall analogy! Really helps me write my characters to make them likable and relatable. Thanks for helping people like me to write and design better characters :)

[@jukkasaarinen35]

I know this video is 2 years old (right now) but i still have a question: why do one thing in all the movies now-o-days work: cleaning up your mess or/if you dont know what i mean, starting a war, then ending it, and now ebery one tjimks youre the hero even tough you kust cleaned up ur mess. Its like dropping a bucket of red paint in to a white floor but no one knows it was you, so heroicly you walk in and paint the floor white again. This has happened in several movies and serieses but people seem to lile it even if its over used. Why?

[@CharacterDesignForge]

If this makes sense, it's because as far as the story's concerned, it's more important that we see the character grow and have an arc, than seeing the world cleaned up. Movies that simply follow a logical series of events don't lend themselves to being exciting, we see normal, plausible stuff everyday. Cleaning up your own mess externally tends to be a metaphor for cleaning yourself up internally. :)

[@ethanveach8451]

Making a character more human is exactly what flaws do, however flaws and honesty are only two of the many incredible things that make us people. This is where so many characters fall short in animation when they're all but distracted by the plot at hand. It get hard, probably even impossible then, to have a deeper meaning that is supposed to make us reflect on our own lives. I feel as though one of the primary animated shows that brings in so many more realistic qualities of not only the characters but the entire world that they live in is Bojack Horseman. It doesn't scrape as much on the philosophical compared to the writings and books of Shakespeare (as an example), but Bojack still does to an incredibly humane extent. This is one of the reasons I find it so hard and just plain silly to try and make my own characters. It just takes so much knowledge, knowledge that I don't have but because of it's incredible contrast to today's standards I can still perceive it. I don't want my characters to be likable, I want them to BE.

[@silvermoon8184]

The first character I created was so perfect in every way bc I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, and now I’m like wait a damn minute, why the hell is she trying to be so perfect and now I’m like ohhhhh she’s a control freak...

[@narayasuiryoku1397]

Creating a good character is easy. Tragic backstory atypical personality.

[@SketchLove]

Can I ask, what if a character strives to be perfect (basically a perfectionist) that they shut out social interactions due to thinking they're distractions, can that be a flaw or a mary sue?

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Its a flaw if the narrative and your writing shows that its a flaw.

[@SketchLove]

@@CharacterDesignForge Ah thank you!

[@fluffydemon1]

*When you have such a bad personality that when you make a character that you wish to be that they have flaws*

[@ryuk4471]

Helped me a lot, thank you very much, hugs and health 🖖

[@danniels-kun1091]

he talks adout f-friends and family at one point... what ar thouse things?

[@Kinobambino]

Dan Vulpes awwwwww

[@carson1084]

So could you purposefully create an unlikable character (say, a villain) by molding them to perfection? Or would this just be a boring antagonist?

[@CharacterDesignForge]

+Mao Zedong i'd have to lean toward them being more boring than dislikable, unfortunately! Good question!

[@nunu7797]

The wall analogy is brilliant. Too bad a lot of characters add flaws for the sake of it. *cough* *cough* steven universe *cough*

[@cimlyanimations6828]

Now I know how to create a character everyone hates

[@philiprousseau7333]

you no doubt have friends ... you lost me there

[@DSMCasual]

Thank You so much, this can help me in my stories. 🙏😁

[@ShunShinimaru]

I love that you showed Steven Universe.

[@norahohl723]

Thank everything that I randomly had this video recommended. I tried on my own to give the character flaws, but gave him too many, and the other one had none.

[@AnatomicallyIncorrectCat]

tysm!

[@thatonecatwiththetophat]

I've been trying my best to make a character that's shy, but likeable. Obviously he's shy, constantly nervous, and will go some length to be seen in a good light. He's true to his friends and will defend them with his life. But I feel like there's something missing from him. Could you help me? He's based off of someone from a video game, so I don't know if that's the problem. I feel like it isn't, but if it is, that's okay.

[@juliamaki117]

had to watch this video twice because your eyes are distracting in a good way

[@hotdag9467]

Amazing Video, this helped me a lot with my school project! The entire class has to write a story and learning the keys and techniques on writing one, and the problem with me writing my story is because Im stuck on is Character Development. This really helped and than you so much! (I woke up 2 am so my spelling and grammar is terrible -_-)

[@Deltidion]

4:20 you certainley have friends. Well thats where you're wrong. (Lonely chuckle)

[@Gulji213423]

As Super Hare Melon said very helpful high quality videos! I will definitely be subscribing :)

[@ameliajenny6170]

this helped so much with my story im (Trying) to write.

[@yuli7345]

Thank you so much! I found this very useful, and i could probably listen to you talk for hours :)

[@Justsomeothers]

I’m trying to make a comic and I was making the two main characters and I was watching your video while making them and the color. I was watching your video. I remembered to give the characters flaws.

[@wonderouslyweird9300]

I have a problem. I have a side character but he feels too much like the character Michael from be more chill. 1. They both have the same name of Michael 2.They’re both underdogs3. They both have one guy best friend that and both are losers and not well known just like Jeremy heere and Michael in bmc. There ARE BIG differences especially because o f a different story, but I’m feeling self conscious. Help.. please?

[@likeablekiwi6265]

4:21 nope

[@vix7136]

Really good!!! awesome video!!

[@boo5860]

Flawed characters also can tend to create more conflict which is always interesting. I personally tend to hyper-exaggerate the flaws in my characters so that it's easier to fall into dynamic situations. It becomes especially prevalent when two irrevocably dynamic characters come into contact with one another.

[@patricialikeswater3521]

*heheheheh*

[@pillowpilloww]

bro at first i thought it said lickable lmaoooooo

[@saraa3155]

And you still clicked on this? 😑 Respect

[@Summertail]

One thing you (And like half the worlds population) needs to understand is that Mary Sue is not a character critique. Mary Sue is a cheat that you can say if you don't like someone's character. Or you think they are overpower or perfect. In fact Mary Sue isn't even a term. Like i said above it is a short cut so critics don't have to say why they don't like your character they just... Do. So they say Mary Sue and call it a day. Hope that clears up some stuff for you. Other wise i love your channel thank you so much. I've been needing a channel like this for months.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Summertail is there a term for a character that lacks any and all flaws that you personally prefer? While I agree the term has been improperly allocated to mean what you say, if I'm not mistaken (I'm on mobile right now) the term originates from a Star Trek fan fiction, with a character that was purely author insertion- celebrated by all and devoid of fault. Since I'm not referring to any specific characters in this video, I didn't mean to gloss over a character I don't like, but instead simply help people to avoid creating a flawless character. Appreciate your interest in the channel!

[@Summertail]

A term i use is simply Over Powered, Too Perfect, ect.. I know it doesn't sound as cool as Mary Sue... But then again... Mary Sue IS... Any way. Thank you for replying.

[@elloingo]

Mary Sue is a perfectly valid critique, it means that as a designer you are not aware of your subconscious design choices when making a character. A self insert is something slightly different such as Andrew Hussie's self insert in Homestuck as a joke on Deus ex Machina or Larry David's fictional version of himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm to highlight his own insecurities. A Mary Sue is a subconscious projection of who you would like to be. Mary Sues will therefore tend to be perfect, loved by everyone and just generally one dimensional characters.

[@StitchedXOnXSmiles]

Summertail I don't think the term Mary Sue is empty in itself, but when someone uses the term they have to back it up. If you just say "This character is a sue," it says nothing, especially since the term has different interpretations. It just sounds like you don't like that character. However, if you say, "This character has never been harmed throughout the series, is beloved by all, received no consequences for actions that harmed others, and the plot is extremely convenient for them. I believe they might be a mary sue," the term now has significance, and "mary sue" suddenly becomes a lot more relevant to whatever you're talking about. If i had to compare it to something it'd be a review score. Sure, calling a show a 2/10 probably means you think it's garbage, but what makes it garbage? Why do you hate it so much? It means little on its own, but if you back it up with more elaboration it can summarize the points you make into a term that immediately grabs attention and lets people listening know that there is a problem.

[@stephengrant4841]

Summertail i disagree. I say Mary Sue when i have valid complaints, when a character is OP for no reason, is very good at something the second they begin to do it, is perfect at almost everything. Think Rey from Star Wars, or Eragon.

[@BologneyT]

I'm glad you went on to very successfully relate to today's youth XD

[@Pandyfay]

Loved your video, thank you!

[@heartz4chan]

I see steven...I click

[@caellum1445]

so my friends character is a sally sue and charasmatic, but he is kind of a dick to people but in a satirical sense. would that be a character flaw?

[@karayazbek1264]

this helped me create one of my new characters. If you would like to see how much my art style changed with this last art piece due to this video go to my amino account aminoapps.com/p/tkpy2

[@privatecitizen9341]

Outstanding presentation. Great ideas.

[@CharacterDesignForge]

Hehe thanks, this is so old

[@mellox6526]

what art progam do you use plz tell me

[@CharacterDesignForge]

+Sir_CarboniBoi I mostly draw in Procreate on the iPad Pro.

Well said. Thank you!

[@Machinima_Cinema]

This was really helpful 👍

[@deltawolf6552]

Is it normal to have a weird fear of accidentally copying someone's character/someone copying my character? I know it sounds silly. :/

[@dexmund]

i kind of have that first fear as well

[@kajag5232]

Superb advice!!

[@Angrygreentea]

You kinda look like Liam' Obrien.

[@citrusman7937]

what about Mickey mouse?

[@Anonymous10282]

Someone said that my character was too linear, what does that mean?

[@trenzinhodaalegria8012]

Hum... But what if my main villain is simply not supposed to be likable? In fact in my story he is so absurdly inhuman and perfect in every sense that often fighting him seems more like fighting an unstoppable force of nature rather than fighting a human... The main villain of my story is quite literally a socially perfect man. And it is his perfection in contrast with the flaws of Dr Eelmann (the most flawed man) that really makes Eelmann very likable to me. In my story Eelmann is supposed to be the most flawed man ever, he is sad, lonely, depressed, overall not very masculine and desperate to make friends. So yeah I hope that the people that read my story identify themselves with Eelmann but not the Perfect Man. The Perfect Man is simply comically perfect.

[@WordChicken-mk7el]

Trenzinho da Alegria Just remember that a force of nature must focus on making the hero more interesting. Watch extra credits' video about force of nature vids of you haven't already

[@heuredelait1127]

I think you shouldn't do a character the audience shall hate, but a character your characters hate. You don't have to make him annoying. Giving him flaws and some background will just make your story even more interesting !

[@WordChicken-mk7el]

One 3 But force of natures don't need backstory. The Joker is one of the best villains but doesn't have a backstory.

[@heuredelait1127]

what's a force of nature ?

[@WordChicken-mk7el]

One 3 A force of nature is a character that exists solely to make the other characters more interesting, they are usually villains and commonly causes the hero to question themselves. Watch Extra Credits' video about force of nature villains. It's about video games but the video can be used in any story based medium

[@captainclipy6236]

For my film, I'm having a "Cool" character, but he's going to be killed off by being a stupid human being.

[@N1rvanaGod]

That wall analogy was excellent.

[@CyberSoulgem]

this was a great video, I've learned a lot from it, thank you!

[@furyberserk]

My first character was quiet, smart and unfun, much like myself. A LOT of people hated me growing up.

[@cripwalker665]

I animated you greatly! ,it took me 80 frames to make your eye move from left to right! -god

[@balintkristof8442]

Tril87 you realise that the universe doesn't move in frames

[@WordChicken-mk7el]

Bálint Kristóf But we see in frames

[@lucetubegplusstillsux2678]

I know it's an old video but there is a sort of exception - addendum to the rule. Which is where a character is specifically lacking in a human quality, yet that somehow teaches us of our own humanity. A good example is Mr. Data from Star Trek, or any sort of AI character that seeks understanding of something that is narratively impossible for them to. The "Cool Soda Guy" could also be reworked to be unable to do anything else with his life aside from market products to kids, to the point where it's ruining his life. For all intents and purposes they're perfect for what they were initially designed for but... not really perfect humans.

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

1:30 So what if I'm specifically making fun of these trends via a one-off or side character, while the main character doesn't adhere to these things?

[@piper2739]

I think my OC looks like sh!t.

[@emoeggowaffle704]

I always watch this video to make my comic book/ fictional book characters. Your voice is really nice to listen, as well. :D

[@biblicalbee2082]

So smart, sorry you were sick.. Glad you're feeling better

[@elvinestrella5895]

got any advice for a villain main character and how to introduce them (after you quote on quote "showed the white knight of the story" and how radical he is)? I plan on making them a "flawed person, who just so happens to be seen as a big bad by everyone else, because of the role they are supposed to take for the story" in the world and setting

[@cottoncandybleach32]

what I don't get is that my friends makes a blind caraters and I was like cool they have flaws BUT apparently they all have physic power that helps the move around and that takes the point of your caraters being blind I have a blind oc that relise on her brother and hearing like a normal blind person should rely on not this magic that helps them see color and objects like my friends try to do I hate it it's such a Mary Sue move

[@pnr2736]

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