Why You Suck at Writing Women Characters

[@Mangakamen]

Be sure to like the video, leave a comment and be sure to share the video on twitter - This was a fun video to make, so it always makes me smile to see people share my work around - More vids coming along the way guys! And be sure to check these vids and links out to support the channel: The Aki Video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2a6qJx8iKiAg80&ab_channel=MangaKamen My Ko-Fi if you want me to suffer: ko-fi.com/mangakamen Patreon: www.patreon.com/MangaKamen Twitter: twitter.com/Manga_Kamen Edit: Meant to say Joseph for the Jojo section - My bad. Sometimes mistakes happen.

[@rafaelbrites3607]

get your game on. about aoi, no gril got a bad treatment like her in all the yu gi oh history. They made her suffer just because she was a woman. and she deserved to had a rematch against spectre.

[@SinEater_]

I love Jotaro's mom. She's always so happy-go-lucky and sweet. She loves her son and sees through his fake exterior. Is she particularly well written? No. But, it almost feels like that one guy that you knew in school who's mom was always incredibly caring for him and he would vehemently defend if anyone ever said anything about.

[@evilsworn2901]

When you started talking about how something real important is treated as an easteregg in MGS. I felt that. I also feel MGS games by and large are B-plots and fanfics of the genuine story happening around them.

[@oriongold395]

Kamen, you should also talk about women characters in Kamen Rider as well, especially when it comes to some characters like Yua Yaiba AKA Kamen Rider Valkyrie from Kamen Rider Zero-One.

[@ThatguycalledJoe]

You could cut off over half of that first link and still get there, you know.

[@RocRolDis]

One of the issues with Millie is that Vivzie only seems to know how to write three kinds of characters. Those with daddy issues, those in toxic relationships and those with daddy issues who are in toxic relationships.

[@bussingbees]

Say it louder for those in the back

[@gaaraxnaru]

Fizz is none of those, though. I think that's why he stands out so much, lol.

[@csrjjsmp]

That’s why it works. Write what you know is advice for a reason. If you try to write a character you don’t under stand or empathize with, nobody will like it. If your range is very narrow maybe not many people will enjoy it but there will at least be some

[@RocRolDis]

@@csrjjsmp Vivsie's got talent. I want to see her broaden and mature her writing skills.

[@ryancarson6962]

@@gaaraxnaruExcept that Mammon, his boss, is portrayed as a sort of surrogate father to Fizz, and he's shown to be a toxic individual in his life. One scene literally has Fizz say he has to do what he says so he "doesn't let him down", the theming of "Stage Parents" is obviously there. So that argument is built on a flawed thesis, assuming that Fizz's story has absolutely nothing to do with daddy issues just because Mammon isn't blood-related to him.

[@aquapendulum]

The giveaway sign of when incompetent writers try to write women is they give the woman character all the traits that would be considered "toxic masculinity" if they were written for a guy - arrogant, stoic, promiscuous, emotionally abusive, take unnecessary risks, prefer the violent solutions over diplomatic ones, potty-mouth - and then pitch that as a "strong female character".

[@marocat4749]

And the thing is you can do that , dunno i thought xena the warrior proincess was literally written that way and her warlording, is toxic masculinity. Just that ita also about her growth and recovery and its a point that she has to make up for a lot, most of all to herself. That she cant forgive herself the most and has to learn to accept kindness and that. Because she kinda is toxi masculine. Or revy from black lagoon, revy is that, its just clear its out of trauma and she is a tragic character , she is badass and complex, but also tragic. She got the violence to kill anyone in a fight but is no better. I mean it can be good writing to do that, if its actually shown as flawed .

[@aquapendulum]

@@marocat4749 The last part is important. The framing of "strong" is part of the giveaway sign. Traits like those in a character shouldn't be framed as "strong", something to be proud of, but rather flaws. Without that framing, Revy turns into the twins in Wolfenstein Youngblood.

[@mikzpwnz_3199]

So they either have a parody of the male action hero as the basis or one that's at the start of a character arc yet don't include the humbling event that causes them to start their development, or worse, have the "development" be that they were already perfect and it was everyone else just holding her back.

[@D_YellowMadness]

@@marocat4749 Revi's one of the worst characters ever written & her trauma just makes it even more unforgivable that she tried to sell a kid. It's no surprise that the writer didn't understand/care about the nuance of writing an SA victim though, considering he's promoted SA drawings of Revi. He's just a gross person who likes having excuses to write gross things.

[@sunlitsonata6853]

Those traits can be considered good writing, another great example besides Revy being Eva Ushiromiya from Umineko, but the important thing is to show these are FLAWS as a person and the ramifications of such.

[@VoltFall]

Can't suck at writting women if you don't write about women to begin with, Checkmate

[@dominocut2963]

Or just not write with the gender in mind

[@anubis7457]

@@dominocut2963Don’t write gender. Only write about neuter aliens.

[@HeilRay]

genius!

[@dominocut2963]

@@anubis7457 EXACTLY

[@the_apotecary_from_tf2]

​@@anubis7457Orks Warhammer 40k

[@undyne1]

I got asked this by a friend who was also writing a story, because I happened to be a woman who was writing a cast of characters, among them a female lead... All I said was: Just write a character that happens to be a woman. Don't focus on her gender *unless* it plays an important role in the plot, but even so don't make it her personality or shoehorn it. Same applies to a queer character, or a character of a certain ethnicity. Just write a character and a story that happened to be what they are, dont have it be the focus.

[@marocat4749]

And you can do changes later. like rewrites are a thing and if there need to be changes, later.

[@Cure_Hana]

A good example I can think of for a protagonist’s gender being relevant to the plot would probably be Heather Mason from Silent Hill 3. While she experiences just as much pain and torment as Harry and James before her, Heather’s story centers around themes that specifically apply to young women transitioning into adulthood. Fears such as stalking, exploitation, implied SA, unwanted pregnancy, body dysmorphia, and simply trying to survive in a world where misogyny still exists.

[@undyne1]

@@Cure_Hana Exactly. It's fine if it's an important part of the character's story, so long as its not constantly told or its the only thing holding the character up. I'm a firm believer of "show, don't tell" for these things.

[@randomyoutuber2633]

Pomni actually feels pretty well-written so far. They didn't just give her anxiety and just make that her character, she can be snarky and sassy aswell and acts like a real person. Loona and other Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss characters on the other hand....

[@TheAlienNerd.]

I absolutely agree with what you said + there's literally two episodes of tadc, it's not like a whole season or more and I believe as more episodes come out, the characters really start growing and who knows what's gonna be next, maybe jax in the next episode or gangle or even kinger and who knows if they eventually find a way to leave the digital world or not. Also the writing, animation, jokes and designs of this show along with other good ones like murder drones are * chef's kiss * And yeah, hazbin hotel and helluva boss... It's mid in my opinion, don't get me wrong there can be gorgeous animation and songs but the writing, character growth/designs, etc. they are honestly off putting to me but I wouldn't judge someone who likes the show & not toxic or terrible in general Also the cursing almost every single sentence got old quick, like I get that "they are in hell" but it's too much and although I don't really believe there is a heaven/hell, if there is tho I don't think imps and demons would talk like this at all. .-_-.

[@Okus477]

@@TheAlienNerd.Personally I never to this day get why people prefer Hazbin over Helluva, okay, in such defence, Helluva has two seasons, but even then, despite the not so great development with characters and whatnot with both shows, Helluva has MUCH better character development than Hazbin. Pacing wise? Both are essentially the same but Hazbin had DREADFUL pacing, it’s technically not their fault if it had to do with their time managements, but that point still stands, therefore I hope Hazbin season 2 actually has better pacing and more character development. Also, Angel Dust was literally the ONLY one who had an episode dedicated to himself that gave us more character development than all of the other characters combined. Hazbin seems far too plot based and therefore unbalanced in my opinion, like, no disrespect to Carmilla, but why should I feel sorry for her when she sang and stuff when she’s only been on screen for like 10 seconds??? 💀 I don’t often use the skull emoji but I find it’s use here to essentially emphasise the fact that it’s almost as though Vivzie and all that expected us to care, like WHO EVEN ARE CARMILLA’S DAUGHTERS?! DID THEY EVEN SPEAK ONCE?! like sure, they were in the room, but Carmilla mourning over literal statues would have made more sense and emotion compared to her daughters who literally just sat there and were of no reason to be drawn into that scene in the first place.

[@anonymousapproximation8549]

​@@Okus477 The reason Hazbin

[@Okus477]

@@anonymousapproximation8549 What? But both shows do? Unless I’m not getting something?

[@anonymousapproximation8549]

@@Okus477 Lesbian Couple

[@anisecandy3108]

I'm kinda weirded out by the amount of "gender doesn't matter in writing characters!" in the comments because while this approach is like... good first step, you know, thinking about them as human first male/female second, it's important to still have it in mind. It's as much as a trait as somebody's age, race, sexuality, nationality... It shouldn't define them, but it is a factor you shouldn't just completly push it to the side. It's a part of their experience in the world and good writing should take that into account. And tbh this approach can lean to "writing man, slapping boobs on them"... Or denouncing femininity of the characters, because it "doesn't matter" after all.

[@D_YellowMadness]

In a lot of situations though, that's only part of their personality the same way that sitting in chairs is part of a human's personality because chairs fit our bodies & sitting on the floor sucks It's good to keep in. A character can feminine or masculine regardless of whether they're female or male. You're right that it should be kept in mind to some degree though. Otherwise, you have characters not knowing things that basic life experience should have taught them because you forgot that their gender has different experiences from yours.

[@PGOuma]

Not all women are "feminine" though... Whatever that means... It's different all over the world...

[@anisecandy3108]

@@PGOuma Where did I say that they are?

[@emblemblade9245]

You are absolutely correct OP. It’s certainly a good reproach to the problems modern Hollywood often has with writing its females but it’s more of a baseline of progress than the end all be all

[@whiten4635]

I fo agree with the statement but I also understand the method of writing a character and their struggle and deciding their gender. It really depends on the plot, story, and problem. Not all problem, character development requires gender to be a center piece. There are a lot of well written characters that can definitely be written for both male and female. ALTHOUGH gender and identity those make a characters writing more compelling and often leads to stronger relatability and impact.

[@Mepphy99]

"write a character and his objective, everything else comes second" i think that should be the modus operandi for writing characters

[@phorchybug3286]

Like a dead inside husk of a skull that demands motivation from a world that doesn't exist in his mind? That's what my brain feels like.

[@Januaryof28]

@@phorchybug3286 emo brain maxxing

[@Januaryof28]

sounds like a villain would be easier to do this for especially if theyre not human like sukuna

[@superstarultra28]

You are right on the money, my friend.

[@rodrigoreismarinho9552]

What if my characters objective is just... Survive.. just to live life as normal as they can while life does it's job to interfere at every moment? Is it just a slice of life or am i cooking something for real?! (In the context of the adventure genre)

[@wigmanmania259]

Lately my process of writing women has been writing a character first and then flip a coin to decide gender

[@vinroycrossman-walker6465]

I respect your method.

[@mikonyx7712]

Sounds kinda fun to be honest

[@mr.j3rs3y]

Seriously writing a character is writhing a character! It wouldn’t matter who I wrote for though, because I’m not a good writer XD.

[@abbyadventure5689]

W pfp

[@the_apotecary_from_tf2]

Same I then realized i'm bad at DRAWING women

[@purpleheartneptune6267]

I saw a Reddit post about writing women today and it gave ten tips that basically said write a woman like a normal person and not a sack of fat/just a love interest

[@SS_Atlantic_Greyhound1119]

Could you link that maybe or tell me where I can find it please?

[@TherandomshitstormerCXVII]

Rare Reddit W

[@midnightgamer2088]

Pomni is unironically my favourite character in TADC, her anxiety attacks are realistic and relatable, she’s kind and supportive but can also be a little snarky. She is delightful!

[@kenswords]

If anything, the main problem with TADC is that most of the other characters feel one-note. Of course, this works well in the favor of some characters (Caine and Bubble) and I really appreciate how they expanded more on Gangle’s character beyond her masks in episode 2. The others though feel like they’re losing their charm more. Of course, I could very well be wrong, but if I was, that would be very unfortunate because I’ve been working on a video essay about TADC. Being wrong would not be a good look for me Pomni is a great character though, you are right! I’m looking forward to the next episode, whenever that is.

[@emmychansuper]

I love how Jolyne grows as a female protagonist from the beginning to end. That's why she's my favorite Jojo after her own dad, Jotaro.

[@emblemblade9245]

Jolyne’s growth is amazing and it makes me so mad when people act like Johnny is the only Jojo with character development

[@commonviewer2488]

​@@emblemblade9245So ridiculous. Jotaro has character development throughout every part he's in. As a stoic character, it is more subtle, but it's there.

[@l0sts0ul89]

And Jonathan? From a weak rich kid to a badass monster slaying gentlemen, sure it isn't a lot but its srkll something

[@VaclavRytina]

What about Gappy? My boy has so much development yet just a few people talk about him

[@microcelltechnicalassistence]

​@@VaclavRytina well he had to literally develop character, as he was no one

[@claytonrios1]

Jolyne is definitely a great example. Someone who doesn't feel like a carbon copy of Jotaro but definitely feels influenced by Arakis previous work regardless.

[@IPlayKindred]

jolyne is so cool, she's the perfect example of a well written female character. because araki stated himself there's beraly any difference between writing women and men.

[@titaniumcranium3755]

That's because araki didn't write her with his dick

[@williambutcher7429]

Arakis??? Omg dune “Here lies our toppled god, His fall was not a small one. We did but build his pedestal, A narrow and a tall one”

[@StiffyBallz]

Because she isn't focused on being female but is still able to be looked at as an inherently strong female character.

[@updog9567]

Jolyne is a great character. She has both feminine (fashionable, althought that just runs in the family, caring, I'd even say she can be quite tender at times) and masculine traits (indenpendent, battle intelligence, sense of justice, aggressive against foes). And she quite literally kicks ass lmao. She doesn't get everything from the start, isn't unbeatable and always in the right because she's a woman, she has to struggle as much, probably even more, as her male ancestors and sometimes rely on those around her. She feels very human and is honestly incredibly inspiring. Araki cooked with her.

[@kingbash6466]

As much of meme Digital Circus can be, I really love Pomni's character so far. She definitely has attributes of anxiety that's all the rage these days, but she does have her moments where she isn't just a doormat like how she expresses her frustration with people like Jax, and her scenes of Gumigoo displays her compassionate side really well.

[@Justapikachu577]

She's also rather snappy with Ragatha! Not appreciating how she's being heavily coddled by her (even if well intentioned), which i think is a great character trait to pair with Ragatha acting as the pseudo protagonist of ep 2

[@zierragacha5089]

@@Justapikachu577 She seemed a bit annoyed rather than snappy

[@williamangelo6732]

Me, who doesn't write anything that makes a single lick of sense: I don't have such weakness

[@Duality2222-2]

Is it possible to learn such power?

[@DE23]

​@@Duality2222-2Hook up a random number generator to a dictionary

[@ildemiurgochenuotanelgener1146]

​@@Duality2222-2 Not from a surrealist

[@RogueOmega]

I feel like one of the hardest parts about trying to write a female character nowadays is dealing with the inevitable waifu-chasers. By that, I refer to people who hate slow burns, don't want to wait for more than maybe one or two seasons for the character who they want to claim as a waifu to get over their personal issues and turn into someone they can ship with an OC or outright self insert, and end up creating this personally idealized version of the character in their minds, only to get really pissy when the character doesn't turn out like that in canon. Another thing I've noticed over time is that a lot of people who try and criticize writing choices for shows still in their early seasons are usually people who are used to writing one off, individual short stories or, for the slightly more qualified, amateur novels, rather than long, drawn out things that would last across multiple seasons' worth of time. These people really don't know quite as much of what they're talking about as they like to proclaim. Yes, you're writers, but for things that are self contained and much shorter than a show that's planned to last for several years. And finally, something that I touched on in the first part of this comment but am going to explain a bit more in depth: People hate waiting these days. I've noticed that ANY time a character from some indie webtoon or show or whatever gets a massive online following, people start scrambling to try and basically write the character themselves instead of waiting to see how things go in canon. People end up creating this idealized version of a character for themselves, and end up growing more attached to their idealized version of that character than to the actual canon version of that character, to the point that they start to feel like anything the writers for the actual show do with that character that deviates from their own idealized version of them is "bad writing". So in short, stop trying to push writers to rush character developments just so you can have your waifus, shut up and learn some patience, and for the love of god people, go outside, touch grass, and talk to some real women instead of getting overly attached to fictional female characters. I'm sorry that this is so bitingly rude, but this is stuff that's been frustrating me for a while. Yes, writing for stuff has gotten worse these days, but you know what? So have fanbases.

[@Cardboard449]

It’s kinda what happened to the purple bunny guy in digital circus, or maybe not, it’s more like people didn’t like him anymore because he acted like a jerk in the 1st episode.

[@PGOuma]

No, you're definitely spot on!!

[@emblemblade9245]

You’re so freaking right

[@EggMortis]

yeah... noticed this with Wally Darling from the ARG Welcome Home. There are so many fan versions of that puppet and a scarily immediate demand to know how the creator felt about ppl sexualising their characters...

[@Marrianno]

Tbh, as a woman, i dont think advise of "just write a character that happened to be a woman" is apropriate for many cases. Women and men, depending on time and location of the story, have different social expectations and pressures, their expiriences can be vastly different and(more often than not)they were raised in gendered ways. That doesn't mean that a female character should 24/7 brag about sexism,and it shouldn't be her entire character. Just dont make "I'm a woman" her defining trait

[@dream-lh4pc]

Exactly

[@turqussy]

REALEST THING TO BE REALES

[@reoij]

This exactly

[@DangericeDreams]

I honestly think Pomni is a really well-written character. The first episode just didn’t give her enough opportunity to express what kind of person she really is.

[@pickyphysicsstudent201]

Right now she comes across as rather onenote and "audience surrogate". They are really playing into her innonce & vulnerability which are good things to make us sympathise with her so much, with this kind of story. Right now she is kind of the absence of writing, being filled in by fanon headcanons and whatever you can picture her doing. There is no wrong answer with her.

[@dokuganryu1565]

@@pickyphysicsstudent201 Seeing as there's been only 1 ep aside from the pilot I guess that's just fine.

[@anubis7457]

@@pickyphysicsstudent201Innocence? She abandoned Ragatha as soon as the exit popped up lol. She’s got a degree of selfishness in here.

[@CountSpartula]

​@@pickyphysicsstudent201There are literally only two episodes released so far you genetic pretzel.

[@googleisevil8958]

@@anubis7457 To be fair she looked as though she was willing to help Ragatha until she touched her hand and Pomni saw her own started to glitch. Remember Ponmi was thrown into a digital world. She just met these people and is learning about the world around her. The latest episode showed her feeling more at home with these people. Slowly getting more accustomed to them. We'll probably see her open up more and more as the series continues.

[@cosmicspacething3474]

People talking about Pomni when Ragatha and Gangle are right there

[@midnightgamer2088]

But they aren’t as developed yet

[@somanygoodfandoms]

it's literally the second episode???

[@bluedragonstudios9004]

Ironically, my second book is going to have a female protagonist just as my side series features one as well.

[@Mangakamen]

Good luck!

[@bluedragonstudios9004]

@@Mangakamen thanks, and so far i am currently going through editing suggestions of my second book after my editor looked through it.

[@bluedragonstudios9004]

And also so far in terms of my side series that I called TIS Epics, I have a prologue and the first chapter released so far

[@rga1605]

The way I see is that the issue with the "write characters first, traits (like if it's male, female or other) later" is that these traits might also be fundamental to the characters, what kind of story does the writer want to tell? Depending on that question, these traits can be more or less important

[@aitanacruz9882]

Yeah! For example I do historical fantasy and if you write say a character from ancient rome then their gender will ABSOLUTELY shape who they are.

[@billcipher8645]

​@@aitanacruz9882depends. If you want it to be historically accurate then that's obvious but with historical fantasies you don't have to limit yourself to what our world shaped as gender roles, create your own ones or even define gender in completely different ways. I feel like too many people restrain themselves to historical accuracy in the gender roles department when everything else isn't accurate whatsoever - it's so deeply ingrained in some people for some reason

[@aitanacruz9882]

@@billcipher8645 I disagree, but maybe we have different definitions of historical fantasy. To me historical fantasy isn't a fantasy world inspired by a historical setting, it's historical fiction but with a fantasy element (as far as I know, at least). You generally want it to be as accurate to reality as possible outside of the fantasy you added. Like if I write a story about the Roman Empire but with some vampires added in, I'm not going to remake the entire roman culture because the premise is to see a real life culture that we know interact with a fantasy creature. Now, their interactions might bring some changes, including changes on gender roles, but those changes NEED to be as a result of those vampires being introduced, not just because it's historical fantasy and I can make up whatever I want about the romans. Basically it's Urban Fantasy but in the past. Urban Fantasy generally tries to be like our 'normal', contemporary world.

[@pickyphysicsstudent201]

It was surreal seeing Aoi (Blue Angel) in the thumbnail. This genuinely seems like one of the only channels which talks about Yugioh outside of typical Yugitubers. Its strange to think that Yugioh had like zero cultural impact, even in interent culture in the 2010s (Zexel, Arc-V & VRAINS) there was no discussion of Yugioh besides maybe YGOTAS. It wouldn't surprise me if the average person believed Yugioh ended back in the 00s.

[@Mangakamen]

I mean, I know a couple of others, and I am planning a yugioh video next week about a certain character...

[@DarkPrince-yj1vf]

​@@MangakamenLet me guess Crow?

[@ryanaing5302]

Yeah, I've noticed that not many KZbinrs ever talk about the Yugioh anime, outside of the Yugioh-centered Youtbers. The same goes for Digimon and what happened with Ghost Game, being the trainwreck that it is.

[@mythicalclouds5731]

Now that i think about it the closest thing that was ever relevant from Yugioh was that "It should have been me" meme.

[@riotkitty]

Nah the anime hype train picked back up with Arc V, likely due to the dimension hopping aspect and sick character design. It was actually insane being in card shops and people had entire binders organized to a tee with the anime characters’ cards. So many custom mats and sleeves featuring them, booths even. Talking about the latest episodes, crazy theory videos we all saw. Not as much as Duel Monsters cause that is the OG, but still. And then it dropped back down again with Vrains and especially the Rush era Yugioh.

[@AllHailTheQueenUwU]

I really like your analysis on how to write a female character or a character in general and acknowledge that you are not a professional just someone who loves writing, drawing and characters in general, totally a subscriber now❤

[@Mangakamen]

Welcome aboard and hope you enjoy my future videos :)

[@meesaikozhi71]

Yo the person that created that tadc fan game and undertale-esk AU- the h

[@riotkitty]

Your words at the beginning remind me of Star Wars The Acolyte. At least from what I’ve seen, all of the women are stoic and inexpressive. They don’t have any human parts to them, a personality, likes & dislikes. I think that’s why the ‘strong female’ archetype has largely been loathed as of late. Cause of a lack of humanity and feeling like real people to be relatable. Hey Loona and Milly may not have the deepest characters but at least they have humanity in them, personality, relationships, etc.

[@e-122psi3]

One consistency I've noticed with Helluva Boss is how they handle the backstories. Most of the male characters get proper flashbacks, while the female ones tend to be just exposition (besides Loona's which as you mentioned was from Blitzo's POV rather than her''s). Barbie Wire isn't in any of the circus flashbacks with Fizz or Blitz either for some reason for example. It takes away a layer of humanity, sort of a 'take our word on it, WE can be trusted' from how the girls are viewing things. Now I don't know whether this is an intentional format or not, because its sister show certainly doesn't do this (see Vaggie's backstory), in fact Hazbin Hotel despite arguably having far less morally dubious females I'd argue does a much better job humanizing them and making them feel like complex vulnerable characters that are growing (Charlie's arc in particular is a total deconstruction of the supporting female, she actively TRIES to be the unhumanized messiah for everyone but has to accept she is a flawed character with her own baggage to tend to). It leaves me wondering whether Helluva just actively chooses to keep the females in supporting roles, to make it clearer it is Blitzo's show, or is planning to blindside us at some point with some big context (or alternatively wanted to but couldn't, given I've heard varying stories of personal events prevented Loona's VA performing as much as they wanted). Like Season Two is clearly more about Blitzo coming to terms with his vices, maybe after he's developed, the other characters will have their shortcomings developed more, now they can confide in a more matured Blitzo.

[@LiMe251]

Well Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel are both meant to have 4 seasons.

[@falco5148]

No Kamen, it's not about women, it's about writers sucking in general at everything in the last decade

[@anubis7457]

New writing philosophy is NO subtlety and NO nuance. One side is clearly right, and one side is a Nazi.

[@renren47618]

Yeah.

[@theshinypeliper8813]

Exactly

[@MrSpartan993]

Damn right.

[@-obamium5320]

Ya most of the writers I’ve seen cant do the basics and yet they go out of their way to make nonsensical rules and over complicated the writing process.

[@Chris-jx4ij]

12:35 It actually makes sense that Divine survives getting eaten by Ccarayhua. After all, every soul that was sacrificed to the Earthbound Immortals get restored to life once the Earthbound Immortal that has their souls inside of it pops.

[@Stinkfly3]

12:59 It was actually Carly’s Japanese voice actress who was in hot water. Akiza was affected by proxy because the writers tried to remove all cult aspects due to the controversy.

[@BeeRitual]

Good timing. Stolas is so annoying and appology tour totally vindicated his bad behavior, like, dubconning Blitz and being classist/speciesist to imps. So I cannot wait for the Stolas video. I hope you touch on appology tour too, even though it just came out

[@D_YellowMadness]

Yeah, that really annoyed me. Stola acknowledged his mistakes in the previous episode & tried to be better only for the new episode to be like "Just kidding. Everything is Blitzo's fault. See, people literally hold a house party every year to celebrate their hatred of Blitzo because he's so terrible." They even tried to make us feel bad for Verosika (a sex predator) just so we'd think Blitzo is even more awful by comparison.

[@BeeRitual]

@D_YellowMadness i disagree with your take on Verosika, I actually think Blitz is wrong about a lot and very flawed, I like that character aspect And the people he hurt at the party, like Verosika are valid. My issue is that Stolas doesn't belong there. Stolas is not an innocent party who got hurt, he actively behaved badly and Blitz treated him likewise. Then Stolas got mad that Blitz didn't Romanticize the sex he was forced to have. He is not sympathetic, Blitz is not always the victim, but with Stolas he was

[@megankissinger8269]

​@@BeeRitualI've never considered either of them victims in their arrangement. Blitz broke in and came on to Stolas while the latter was backing away and told him they shouldn't be doing this, then gave him a mercy screw for the sake of stealing the book. And he strung Stolas along knowing he has the bigger reputation to lose if they get caught. Stolas was definitely wrong to use that one night stand for monthly sex thereafter, but they've both been selfish users to each other from day 1.

[@BeeRitual]

@megankissinger8269 Blitz had to steal the book because imps are second-class citizens without the power and durability of the royal ruling class. Stolas has influence but never care about the lesser classes who suffer under this caste system. Stolas is a nepo baby born into riches and privlage while Blitz struggled and worked his whole life for what he has now. But in their relationship, Stolas isolated Blitz in his bedroom and came onto him FIRST, Blitz responded "ew" but went with it when he saw an opportunity to get the book. Stolas got nervous because he's never been with a man but at no point did he not want the forward flirting, he is like superman levels of overpowered, he could have stopped Blitz at any moment. But Blitz couldn't say no to Stolas without risking the book being withheld. I don't think stolas did that on purpose, but it's a fact none the less. Blitz doesn't know how Stolas would react to being rejected, all his knowledge about royals tells him it probably won't go good. So every every point Stolas has all the power and Blitz has none, which is why the deal is inherently dub-con and consent cannot exist in that situation

[@megankissinger8269]

@@BeeRitual While it's true imps are second class citizens, that doesn't mean he's entitled to other people's belongings. Stolas was under no obligation to let him have the book just because he's rich and privileged. It's illegal and risky for both of them. Stolas also kept backing away when Blitz was coming on to him and questioned if they should even be doing this. Blitz got him down on the bed anyway. I get Stolas has held power over Blitz and treated him like a sex object, and he owes Blitz a massive apology. Blitz has also been using him knowing he's at risk to lose everything if he gets caught over loaning out the book, and he was stringing him along after Ozzie's. The fact that he was breaking the law and didn't care about the effect on Stolas makes him at best marginally better.

[@thatoneguylegit9219]

Seeing Aoi (Skye) Zaizen is so fitting. She’s a true victim of the wharf effect. She’s reportedly strong and battles big bads, but she catches so few Ws that it’s hard to not feel bad for her (especially after her face plant)

[@BurningAzure]

And hell, her overall arc outside of that makes her probably my favorite character in Vrains (I don't think her duel with Spectre regresses her character btw).

[@skyrogue1977]

29:46 I’ve been thinking for a while now that Yukako was robbed of having a bigger part in finding Kira. As he essentially almost murdered Koichi, the boy she loves and does kill Aiya, the one responsible for helping her and Koichi to get together. So it seems like a missed opportunity.

[@KirbyFrontier]

Part 4 in general seems like lots of characters were meant to have much larger roles after Kira's reveal (including a panel showing all of them together with a determined look on their face) but for whatever reason, that idea got dropped and the remainder of that series only had Josuke and Rohan as the main characters for the most part (with Koichi getting one battle vs Sheer Heart Attack and Yukako getting the Cinderalla one which wasn't related to Kira at all and that's it). Part 8, which is practically the Part 4 of the new timeline, ended up having the same issue, probably for the same reasons (likely Araki wanted a large cast of good guys like Part 4 but ended up being unable to utilize it, again like Part 4)

[@updog9567]

@@KirbyFrontier Part 4 fell into the 'villain of the week' trap after the Kira reveal, characters outside of the very main cast stopped appearing in arcs or getting more development. Okuyasu got done firty af tbh, one of the presumed main characters and he's constantly sidelined. The RHCP arc was looking good, but in the end it didn't really matter because Okuyasu's arc didn't get resolved at all, he didn't get any closure, didn't learn anything new, iirc he didn't even participate in the final battle against RHCP. Him accidentally letting Yoshihiro escape seemed like a beginning to an episode focusing on him and his insecurities about being 'dumb' and naive, but nothing came out of it. Okuyasu doesn't even get a real battle aside from his introduction arc and he barely uses The hand at all.

[@TwilightWolf032]

5:15 That Ruby slide! XD Really miss the days of Volume 1, when she was the actual protagonist...

[@Mangakamen]

I mean, she grew into becoming a protag - it's just that the writers really dragged their heels.

[@TwilightWolf032]

@@Mangakamen Too little too late, though.

[@garibaldibritann1240]

The female character trope that i don't like which isn't featured on this video is the unnecesary fanservice (this is also extent to male characters too). Like example of character having sex appeal in one scene that isn't established for the said character and downright ruined the scenery especially towards the scene that the audiences wants to be taken seriously. I'm not against fanservice i mean it's normal to have fanservices in entertainment media and it's normal to have interest with characters that don't have any sex appeal but unintentionally has it. Hell, i like characters that solely for fanservice but forced fanservice isn't for me

[@Mangakamen]

I mean, I made a video talking about Fanservice...

[@Achieme]

Its simple give them positive and negative traits, treat them like characters that folks would/can actually care about. Show how strong are but vulnerable. Give them a compelling backstory as well as a dynamic relationship with other characters that bounce around one another.

[@tintor2]

Forgot. Jujutsu's only skilled female sorcerer in season 2 ended into incest... Ugghh... There was also a bluehaired girl who seemed to have a Lot in development only to end with pseudo Geto casually breaking her weapon

[@GuiltlessGear]

I actually laughed when that fucking happened not because i thought it was funny, but because "of COURSE he'd pull some shit like this."

[@sheila19954]

Yeah he's notoriously shit at writing female characters

[@InternetSexyLoser]

What about Nobara?

[@updog9567]

[spoilers for season 2] Jjk female characters aren't as well written as people claim, after 1st season ends the Kyoto school is forgotten about and everyone either dies or fades into the background. I gotta admit the finale of s1 was great and really set Nobara apart from your typical shonen female characters, but she did nothing after that. Generally, I'd say most of the characters in JJK suffer from wasted potential.

[@Sonadourge]

I'm going to watch this and keep yugioh female characters in mind the entire time

[@riotkitty]

I think this goes for any person writing a character: make sure they’re fulfilling whatever role they’re given to the best of their ability. Minor or major. If they’re minor characters, probably don’t need complex characterization and instead is affective at conveying to the audience their impact, however minuscule. It is interesting that this video brings up Jojo’s as my favorite lady in that series is Erina Pendleton, the apple of Jonathan Joestar’s eye. I find her to be great at the roles she’s given, as a girlfriend, as a loving wife who never found another man, an equally loving mother & grandmother who acts as a stern moral compass while carrying on her husband’s legacy. She mattered & fit in the story in her own perfectly ordinary way with not much development, and that is just fine. Thats also kinda why I don’t particularly mind that Millie doesn’t really have character development, because her role in Helluva Boss fits her specifically, it doesn’t need much complexity. Loona on the other hand, while she was initially just a secondary character, as the plot focused more on her, she should’ve gotten to feel more important in her role in the story. For someone like Blue Angel, it is way more important for her character to develop as she was given a greater impression of being the female lead of Vrains. More major role, more major character, therefore there must be greater importance on development or at least being consistent instead of regressing.

[@CountShaman]

Off topic but 2:08 Oooooh a Stolas Terrible Characters video would be delicious for me to chew on. I'm inches away from grilling him on a stove and it's not even funny.

[@midnightgamer2088]

That is way funnier than it has any right to be 😭

[@greysonsammons2787]

The irony of the editor gag is that it just gave the editor more work 💀

[@Fourger14]

I feel jabaited by the title. Thought there would be some writing advice or something, but it's just plot summaries rattled off in sequence for the events surrounding some female characters from some things.

[@Alphy-l2z]

arcane on netflix was some of the best well written female characters i have ever seen in animated media the whole show is 10 out of good so if u haven't seen it do yourself a favor rly good show

[@Annie-wy5mc]

Yeah, Arcane's female characters are amazing.

[@brayenmorrison3199]

Man, Videogame, Movie, TV-Series etc. Writers nowadays should take notes from this.

[@InternetSexyLoser]

Heck even modern Hollywood.

[@jaywerner8415]

WOW..... ya know I knew Millie and Loona where done dirty, but DAME "the other secondary characters got more development" before they have. Like hold up for a second and lets THINK, besides being "Blitz's daughter" and "Moxie's Wife" what do we really know about them? Not much. Those other characters weren't even in the FREAKING PILOT (besides Stolas)! Loona at least got SOME screen time on her own which is nice, and Millie got a SHORT with her SISTER. As noted on other videos, Hellvua boss basically has 2 stories going on: I.M.P and their relationships and 2. Stolas Family Drama. I can kinda understand ignoring Millie since if i recall she is supposed to be the only one with no Trama. But besides her being from the Wrath Ring and being a Country girl..... she just exists to BAIL OUT Moxxie from whatever shit he gets put into and Make Out with Moxxie, cus its a running joke. And somehow I doupt the episodes coming in latter half of this year are going to do her much justice. IGNORING LOONA however is just tragic. She is the only "family" Blitz has at this point since his Sister is just DONE with him. She has her moments and clearly is Loyal to and Cares about Blitz (possibly "I owe him" for getting her out of the pound), but outside of that and her Crush on Tex...... We really don't know much about her, except her age. Plus the possibly of fleshing out Octavia as well via proxy and the 2 of them have alot in common.

[@LiMe251]

It seems like we're getting Millie backstory pretty soon, trailer even has people theorizing she may have met Moxxie after Blitzø.

[@abbeybelanger8118]

Saw this comment on another video that summed it up well: "Don't write strong female characters, write strong characters that happen to be women"

[@libramoon1582]

Examples I can give for well written female characters are Katara, Toph, Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Katara took on the role of a maternal figure after her mother's death therefore she's the most responsible of the group. Over the course the story she develops into a reliable Waterbender and friend while facing her own flaws: At one point she tracks down a former Fire Nation soldier responsible for her mother's murder with the intent to kill him out of revenge until Zuko talks her out of it Toph was heavily sheltered by her overprotective parents due to her blindness and out of rebellion runs away from home, learned her style of earthbending from badger moles, and participated in an Earthbending fighting ring as reigning champion. She comes off as fiercely independent and stubborn, misinterpreting friendly gestures as an act of pity for her disability, but after meeting Iroh learns that her friends care about her as a person not as a fragile weakling her parents see her in their eyes Azula took on her father Ozai's cruelty and lust for power even in early childhood where she believed fear is what brings respect from others. Being Ozai's favorite along with her manipulative and calculating mind is what makes Azula a dangerous foe to Team Avatar. The eventual betrayal of her best friends Mai and Ty Lee, Ozai chastising her for failing to kill Aang, obsession with killing her own brother Zuko, not being allowed to participate in the siege of Ba Sing Se, belief that her mother Ursa favored Zuko because she sees her as a monster, and paranoia about possible assassinations upon being left in charge of the Fire Nation throne are factors that contributed to Azula's eventual mental breakdown after her defeat by Katara and Zuko Ty Lee grew up with six identical sisters receiving little attention from her parents leading to her running away to the circus to stand out. Mai's parents were heavily involved in politics so she was ordered to stay quiet and well behaved. Though she was rewarded for obeying her parents' wishes she developed an indifferent personality as a result which got worse after her brother was born Mai was largely ignored. They were best friends with Azula during their childhood though it was more out of fear due her intimidating nature and cohorts in hindering Team Avatar until they eventually cut ties with Azula after witnessing her vicious nature and total disregard for people becoming casualties in her conquest The other examples of badly written female characters are...Marinette and Chloe from Miraculous Ladybug.. Marinette has stalker tendencies towards Adrien, receives no repercussions for her actions that kicks off the plot of an episode, her friends enabling her obsession especially Alya being the worst offender, abusing the Ladybug Miraculous to keep other girls from getting with Adrien, mistreats Cat Noir which got worse in seasons 4 and 5, an unlikable Mary Sue, and the creator's favoritism towards the character Chloe...ooh boy was she done dirty in the show...🤦‍♀️ Earlier seasons had her as the typical spoiled brat who bullies her classmates and acting condescending towards others resulting in them getting akumatized by Hawk Moth. Starting season 3 she accidentally receives the Bee Miraculous and initially misused its power to gain attention but after getting called out by Ladybug for her selfish recklessness she learns to be a responsible superhero, thus starts the beginning of her redemption arc. Chloe was slowly developing into a remorseful person finally seeing the errors of her ways as we learn her bratty behavior stems from her neglectful mother hardly acknowledging her existence, but of course because of Thomas Astruc's hatred for the character Chloe was regressed to being an insufferable brat with sociopathic tendencies for unexplained reasons and is easily manipulated by both Monarch and Lila into being their pawn 'til they cast her aside after fulfilling her usefulness and she gets exiled to New York with her abusive mother by her father. Chloe's character assassination is infamous for being a red flag for a once popular show gaining notoriety for all the wrong reasons because of the creator's bias attitude towards his characters going too far

[@poliswag6666]

okay, this is gonna be a *wild* recommendation, but here it goes: Homestuck has one of the best written Female characters i have *ever* seen in Media

[@ArmageddonD11]

if you're referring to Vriska then prepare for Strife...

[@poliswag6666]

@@ArmageddonD11 Nooo.. not Vriska, im tired of that egghead lmao

[@D_YellowMadness]

Homestuck is full of well written female characters. Not sure how to feel about Vriska though. She was written to be awful on purpose but well... She sure is awful.

[@konradklukowski1009]

I heard somewhere: “don’t write female characters, white characters that happen to be female.” edit. I think i made a echo chamber.

[@Mangakamen]

yup

[@teslapunk5999]

Agreed

[@clamthechef2389]

Quite so.

[@undyne1]

It's not an echo-chamber, it's a mutual agreement towards *facts.*

[@MissRora]

Holds true for any other group. They should be characters first and female/gay/[ethnicity] second, if not further down the list. Unfortunately, a lot of large media companies, especially here in the West, seem to like hiring people who do the opposite in recent years.

[@ThatguycalledJoe]

Nine times out of ten - Don't write women. Don't write men. Write people. The details don't matter that much. The one time out of ten is if the story's setting makes that really, really matter, I.E. something with a historical pretense about a woman pre-women's rights. If you can't handle that, you really only have three options. Research, write something else, or just sputter in place and don't write anything at all because you don't want to write anything else but you can't be bothered to research.

[@cathygrandstaff1957]

I don’t think Millie and Loona lack motivation. Millie is a working girl, her motivation is earning a paycheck while she coincidentally gets to work alongside the husband she adores doing a job she’s good at and coincidentally keeping him alive. You can argue that’s not a very interesting character because she’s already achieved her immediate goals and that’s fair but that doesn’t make her a badly written character. Actually she’s rather refreshing next to the drama llamas the series likes to focus on.

[@Mangakamen]

"You can argue that’s not a very interesting character because she’s already achieved her immediate goals and that’s fair but that doesn’t make her a badly written character. Actually she’s rather refreshing next to the drama llamas the series likes to focus on." You do realize you don't need to make her into a drama llama to make her a compelling character, hell, I'd argue the fact that she's got nothing going on other than a paycheck is actually pretty boring, and to say that it's 'refreshing' shows a lot more issues with the series than just her. And I noticed that you didn't say a thing about Loona, even though you brought her up.

[@ShadowSkyX]

Sometimes, having a character that doesn't change much is a good thing, even a character driven story. People like them exist. They get by, and are happy enough with their lot and no outlying goals to push themselves or motivate them enough; if they are satisfied, there's no need. Not everyone is overtly driven once they reach a certain point. Though i think it helps when other characters acknowledge that the static character becomes a kind of grounded stability to those who's lives are in upheaval. Like "oh thank goodness this place/person is still the same." The consistency and familarity is comforting, even if it can be seen as frustrating to some depending on the personality. You don't have to be surly and rude to be tough. Some of the nicest people are the stoic ones, who know others count on them and rely on them in varying ways. You don't always need personal tragedy to have empathy or give good advice.

[@aldwych285]

I was actually surprised that Pomni became calm and relatable to gumigoo. It's like she had only 2 episodes of character development.

[@Annie-wy5mc]

Or that she was trauma bonding with him, maybe Pomni has been like that from the start, she's just panicking. And you can't think straight when you're panicking

[@aldwych285]

@@Annie-wy5mc I guess so. But don't you think it's kinda weird or odd that a character (more specifically the main character of a show) gets like 2 episodes of character development? Like I'm aware that some characters in a show need development but don't you think it's a little too fast to develop?

[@R.W.P.]

@@aldwych285What else was she supposed to do? She’s atleast been there for a ‘day’ at that point wouldn’t you be able to get over yourself for a moment? She didn’t stop being stressed or anxious. She just was sort of calm for a heartfelt connection.

[@Zetact_]

Yu-Gi-Oh's issues arguably largely stem from the influence of Yoshida Shin, who basically took the mantle as the main creative director after Takahashi retired from the franchise. The guy outright admits he is uncomfortable with writing female characters and he obviously has issues with playing favorites. As soon as the Bridge series started they came out swinging with a whole lineup of great female characters and the largest complaint that can be hedged against the Bridge anime on a character writing perspective is that it has so many characters that are worth following it's really hard to balance out the screentime.

[@BurningAzure]

Hell, there are actually some male characters I think get thrown under the bus more than Aoi in Vrains.

[@brunosanto3488]

Funny, but I feel like SEVENS had that problem more than GO RUSH. SEVENS had a bigger cast and several of them, who are important, had to be left aside or put in the background since the focus had to be placed on the Main Group (see Goha Siblings) GO RUSH does not have a very large cast, but it knows who its Main Characters are and who its recurring Supporting Characters are. The rest is a complement or is in the background.

[@starbird3939]

I feel the issue I have with female characters is that they are usually forced to be a Love Interest. Their plotlines is revolving around romance, their partner, or something bad happens to them to affect their partner. They are the wife, the girlfriend, the lost lenore, or the love interest. It be nice if they can do stuff not related to romance.

[@suncoxk]

I like donuts is that good enough of a comment?

[@VoltFall]

Ngl that's a good opinion Plain or?

[@jacktyger5436]

Yes I like donuts too

[@suncoxk]

@@jacktyger5436 cool👍

[@andresvargas119]

Yes it is my guy

[@StiffyBallz]

just had a s'mores donut dude that shit was so good

[@SariyaJohnson-pr8vv]

How to write a female character: Step 1: Write a character Step 2: Make it female

[@125friends8]

Step 2 optional

[@CatboyyyX3]

Every women in TADC is well written. I love TADC.

[@1001johny]

I'm going through Lost Judgment myself at the moment. I want to mention that there is an Eastern approach to writing female characters that is different to Western writers. That is what is feminine is a little different. Recognizing what both are helps raise awareness for feminine traits to write women. I think you'd have made a stronger point if you had focused on what's feminine about these women. For example had Jolene have been a boy, what would be different about being in prison? What feminine strengths benefits Jolene character now that she's in this tough situation?

[@corereal111]

as a woman I can confirm that writing women is very easy just it's same process as writing man. sure someone gender could influence their story/habits but it's not something to overthink if that don't happen

[@mimicray]

reasons that I suck at writing women: 1. I suck at writing

[@darkkwaknight]

A new Mangakamen video *YES*

[@FenrirToboe]

In the case for Luna, her voice actor had to take some time off because her boyfriend had died, so luna didn’t get a lot of screen time, which doesn’t help with her character development

[@draccqueen1770]

This is a common misconception. These were recorded before that happened. Her being left out was mostly to save money.

[@tster]

That's an excuse. There's to much time that passed to use that as an excuse.

[@RheaMainz]

Aoi Zaizen's written like a normal woman. She doesn't suck as a character!

[@bomb1515]

3:16 I haven't tried catching up to Helluva Boss, but I think in Millie's defense, she doesn't need any more goals than to be with Moxie and live her life that way she loves it to. I dunno much about Loona's character though so yeah.

[@Mangakamen]

Yeah, and that's kind of a problem - There are NO goals.

[@Mangakamen]

"I think it's already a goal for a character to have a good relationship and to live life in a way that makes them happy. If a relationship isn't considered enough of a "goal" then that would mean that all romance/slice-of-life stories are "bad"" Alright... Then why? Why do they want that goal? What is the motivation to get that? Not to mention, when there's an attempt to characterize a character, it's best that they not just be reliant on another character. Otherwise, they just become a tool for the other character. Also... Millie already accomplished that goal. You seem to be ignoring that part. "This really comes off like an extremely narrow way of looking at characters and stories overall." That's called projection

[@bomb1515]

I meant that Millie has an in-character reason not to be ambitious, she is content with what and who she has. Again, I only left off on Season 2, Episode 2 and my lazy bum doesn't want to bother catching up, so I could be very wrong. Maybe Millie has goals that flew under my radar.

[@saltyhalla]

@@Mangakamen Wait do you think that characters should come vacuum packed and neatly labeled, devoid of all relations or something? like what? Characters *are* tools, to each other and to the story itself. Characters are build out of friction that happens in relation to the other characters and the story that's being built. They build off of each other. Think about Jessie and James, Yami/Atem and Yugi. Hell, even Kaiba and Yami/Yugi are reliant on each other. Kirk and Spock, Scooby and Shaggy. Who's the tool for who? It's a moot question, they are tools for the story to exist. There is no one without the other, their shared narrative would cease to exist and along with it, what they bring to the narrative, regardless of storytelling depth. Imo, looking at a goal *is* a narrow way to look at characters. How do you get there, is the goal something that can be kept or even achieved? Should they even get to have it? All of these things are things that a goal simply existing cannot answer- the narrative does. Unless the story ends in the spot that a goal is achieved, there is also a during and an after. Sometimes the empty space after a goal is also meaningful. A relationship between characters is a fine goal, but it's something that must be maintained. It's not something to *get* it's something to *hold* . Millie's goal is something that must be kept, cherished and maintained. It must be protected along with the other participant- which is exactly what Millie does. Its a goal that doesn't have an end, not really. As long as the story keep going.

[@sirensoulegaming4158]

Yeah, characters don't have to be chasing goals all the time (or even ever, in some cases) to be good characters. There are many people in the real world who are fairly low ambition and just want to get by. Such characters can make the setting itself more real than if everyone is chasing some ambition or goal, and that can make the character worth more than if you tried to make them more (ironically). Like I'll be honest I'm not a massive fan of Helluva Boss's writing, and in fact seeing how some of the Fandom react to Blitz's and Stolas's relationship makes me outright uncomfortable, but I don't think there's anything wrong with Millie. Not all character's need to be fully fleshed out or outstanding. I do agree with the presented Criticisms of Loona's background however.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Kamen. Given the topic of this. I think it's going to be considered one of the most controversial videos you've ever made. Not that I'm complaining.

[@Roseylovesgaming]

I suck at writing. It has nothing to do with gender

[@MsUnamusedNerd]

Honestly, I always look at Ripley from alien as the best example of a good female character.

[@michaelurmo7984]

Always found it interesting that you use the colors red and blue in thumbnails. Pretty certain in Eastern media (Anime for example), red is used to represent the good and blue represents the bad. Now that might not be always the case, but you can see it happening in multiple anime, a big example being Naruto (Naruto is red while Sasuke is blue).

[@stormtellier3804]

same with Ichigo and uryu from bleach just with the hair Ichigo is a red head and uryu has blue hair if you haven't seen the thousand year blood war it kinda makes sense

[@steampunk-llama]

Dungeon Meshi has some fantastically written characters, particularly Laios Izutsumi and Marcille

[@MagicalMaster]

This never seemed hard to me. Don't write female characters. Write an entire character and give them female traits. The important part is an entire character, motivations, histories, flaws, strengths and things they're just kinda meh at. All of this is needed for a full fleshed out character, male, female or whatever the hell they are.

[@aedaniammx7559]

EXACTLY, this is always how I’ve done things no matter what character I’m writing. First comes the purpose they serve in the most general sense, then comes their personality and how they act, react, and interact with the world and characters around them, and THEN comes less impactful details like gender, sexuality, and visual design, because they aren’t as important to the character themself, they’re nuances to what should already be established

[@Catherine32-tf4fy]

The way I write female characters, and just characters in general, is to first start with who they are as a person and their goals. Once you got that, you can decide what gender you want said character to be and have that play into the character as an important, but not primary, trait. Same goes for other important but not primary traits such as sexuality and nationality. Like for example, one of the characters I am writing in my story is someone who has struggled through their early life having very few connections because their mother died when they were too young to even remember her, their father means well but struggles to keep up with their needs as a single parent who needs to make enough money so they can surivive, and the other children their age in the village find her weird and pick on them because they struggle with social cues and have an intense obsession with magic (due primarily to stories their father told them). This forms their main character traits of struggling in social situations, suffering from loneliness, and constantly doubting themselves whenever anything good comes their way. Then, you add the secondary traits. This character is a young woman, and that has shaped her as well. She struggles to get the same opportunities that males get in a society that is naturally prejudiced against women. She struggles to find a mage who is willing to take her as an apprentice due to this perceived notion that men are simply better at magic and make for more successful apprentices. The point is that the character's gender does matter, but it should never be the main important thing about them (same obviously applies to their race or their sexuality). You write compelling characters first, then shape them by how being a certain way changes the way they experience things. The second step is what turns a fairly good character into an outstanding one.

[@l0stndamned]

In fairness to Holly in JoJo she was written to be a deliberately bad example to parody how the editors wanted Lisa to be in part 2.

[@ohahmystical2976]

How I usually write characters is that I think about their society and how that affects the characters, gender usually can pop up from the start all the way to the end depending on how much it affects the story it would affect the character and make it more interesting. Example 1: I have two twin characters in a noble society, one girl, one boy. Their gender affects their life due to their society’s view of heirs, the girl is neglected as she is not viewed as a proper heir, to her father she’ll he handed away which causes her to act out for the attention she lacked for most of her life but she’s not actually a mean person she just acts like it because to her, being nice gave her nothing cause in reality, she’s actually rather sweet and easy to talk to. Her brother is raised to be the face of the company, he hates being the centre of attention and hates being something he isn’t. He is two-faced, one side of him is what he shows publicly, a friendly charismatic man who wants the best for everyone and a cruel side of himself who talks behind peoples backs with very little care to how it affects them as he never cared to begin with except towards his siblings as he believes they are the only ones that understand him. Basically, their true personalities are swapped on how they act publicly. Here their gender plays a very important role in their lives, if the first twin was a boy she’d be the face so she’d be content with her life as she’d be getting what she wanted, if the second twin was a girl he’d be left along by his father and could do his own thing. Example 2: In another society, gender plays no role as their society evolved from survival so most of their society will not care. Nobody will care if the lady wants to beat people with a mace, neither will they care is the man wants to do makeup and become fashion designer. Here, I can just use a coin and go with it because their gender plays very little in their stories (Also holy crap I went on a long rant, my habit of yapping is obvious here)

[@RaiginAnimator]

8:44 IM BEING deadass this is my favourite YU hi oh series

[@DoctorVoni]

I honestly believe that Indie writing has a lot less excuses than mainstream for being poorly written, they don't have any strict deadlines, they don't have any censors to worry about, they don't have any expectations out the gate so they can take their time.

[@KaiserShounen]

GET YOUR GAME ON, KAMEN

[@Catpuff818]

I think a good counter argument for Millie and Luna just being secondary characters is in the character of Ragatha and Gumigoo(boy went through ten fold the character development in ten times less time than either of Millie or Loona so it really is because the girls don't get the focus they need rather than them not having enough time). I love Millie and Loona and generally feel like they are well written characters but it is a little sad that triciary characters like Fizz and Oz have had a lot more focus in time and significance to the story and to their development than both the girls. I'm not too mad cuz i love what they've done with them and I actually enjoyed Unhappy Campers as it gave a little bit of focus on Millie and Moxie's dynamic and then a little more with Hell's Bells but it still stands that both her and Loona don't seem to have any big character driven goals which would help them be more fleshed out and more interesting to watch. I think Millie would be fine without some big overaching goal but Loona would definately benifit form one and should have something given how important she is to Blitz. Millie doesn't need a big goal to be a deep character she just needs a little bit more of the limelight to herself for an episode or half where it's really about her overcoming or dealing with a challenge. I see her akin to Ragatha who has a not so subtle goal in TADC. Ragatha's goal is to make everyone but especially Pomni feel included and cared for. She really wants Pomni to feel she has a friend she can rely on in her and that is clearly shown in her actions and sets up a lot of intigue for the show to come. What makes her stronger than the gorls from Hellava is that her desire runs into conflict many times both from outside forces and from the person she's trying to help. I don't think this would work the same way with a character like Millie since it would make her feel very tragic; for example you take the fact she's always protecting others but then the writting changes so she constantly can't. It would make her character more agnsty but i don't think that's the purpose of her character. But perhaps a secondary goal that has more emotional stakes rather than life threatening ones would work for her to be something she develops towards.

[@necrosteel5013]

being "human" is cringe, it's being compelling that matters. they can be as simple as a one note gag or as complex as a full blown philosophical perspective. you can have a character that is outright inhuman, but they have to have something compelling and they can easily become good.

[@Skelet0nCatBlake]

For the point at 5:00, you can also use Ragatha as a good example. She's not the main character, but she also has a strong personality and goals. She feels like she has a large influence on the plot and relationships between the other characters. As for the point on how Ozzie and Fizz got more attention, yes. Vivzie said that Helluva Boss' main focus is on the male leads while Hazbin Hotel's main focus is on the female main leads, but that isn't true in the slightest. We get far more from Angel Dust, Alastor, and even Lucifer over Vaggie. You know, THE GIRLFRIEND OF THE MAIN CHARACTER? I feel like she's hardly established at all, and got shoved to the side in favor of the "more interesting" characters. But she COULD be a more interesting character if we got more from her. I've seen a lot fan stuff about how we could get more Vaggie through Lucifer, with him taking on that father-in-law role of connecting with her because she's a fallen angel like him. But the problem with what I just said is that I said we'd get it through Lucifer. She doesn't really get her own characterization through herself at any point. It's through Charlie, through Adam, through Carmela. And that's the issue people have with Millie and Loona. It's ok to favor writing characters that are a specific gender over another, I understand that bias. But it can't excuse the issue that so many people have: which is writing female characters specifically through the lens or relationship of a male character. Just discovered your channel, love it, keep it up!

[@jamalshelton5746]

Mr. Cake is really moving up in the world. From living in the dumpster to an abandoned house in Detroit. Clearly Mr. Cake has culture.

[@TailsClock]

I've created many female characters lately, as I've come to learn a bit more about myself. As such I was terrified all the way through this to imagine what you'd say about my writing. It's tough for me to even think about as for one, she has had quite a lot go on in her life that her being a woman really takes a backseat, until she ends up pregnant. Something she's not at all thrilled about because she doesn't want anything getting in the way of her adventures, but her boyfriend really sees this as so positive, due to their opposing ways of being brought up. I don't think I'd say she's mannish and her boyfriend is girly, but I can see this thought being had when you look at it from a simplified perspective. I don't know if this means I'm writing her well, or not, because she's just not very girly... But she absolutely deals with things only a female character can. Then there's the character who as I was writing, I realised I'd made a trans woman. Probably not a good sign I didn't notice it instantly as the writer, but yeah, she's trans, and because I did not plan it out her story makes me cringe a little. You can see the path the leads her to where she is, it makes sense, it shows what drives her and I really like how I wrote her. But she has a lot of problems, mostly intentionally, the flaws you WANT in a character you know. So like, I guess I shouldn't feel bothered that her upbringing and her being trans falls into the rougher parts of her life. Yet I can't help but feel guilty that it IS there, right next to her trust issues, her anger issues... It's a... flaw. It's hard to know how I should handle it from here. I don't think anyone would be happy if I treated it as roughly as her other qualities. Writing female characters is absolutely writing on Hard Mode. It might help if I knew any women, but despite over 30 years of life, I constantly cannot find any women who have any interests in art, writing, or anything else. They've all been... Oh god. They've all been poorly written caricatures who only cared about their looks or money or popularity. Oh no. I'm wracking my brain to think of even ONE who goes against this. But every creative place I've been to has been barren of women. The only odd one outs that come to mind was an 'artist' who had a sparkledog OC, and a goth girl who baked cupcakes until she vanished to become a young teen mother. Ugh... If I drew from experience then half my female characters would be young mothers... Wait does my first character count as that?! This is the worst moment of overthinking ever.

[@bobowon5450]

the worst issue i tend to see with people writing women is just writing men but with boobs. Turns out women are slightly more complex/different.

[@phill3684]

GET YOUR GAME ON!

[@aptheweirdone]

In terms of side female characters being written well in relation to the Helluvaboss situation, Hikari from Digimon Adventure is written well and does not take away from Sora or Mimi. She is loyal as hell to her brother Taichi and will fight no matter how weak she is or how strong the opponent is. She leaves a lasting memory after the first season. I don't how bad Tori Meadows fan service was in Zexal as I stopped watching yugioh once the series got started, but Nene Amano from the Digimon Xros Wars manga got major service and she is to believed to be around the same age as Tori. Good video

[@ryanaing5302]

Isn't Digimon Xros Wars one the more controversial Digimon series that turned off a lot of fans and afterwards the series after that era just became mediocre?

[@aptheweirdone]

@@ryanaing5302 Yes from what I heard. When I watched as it was airing I enjoyed though the Sequel boys leap through time was messy. It didn't have traditional evolution methods and the power scaling was all over the place. I will do more research on why it was hated.

[@ryanaing5302]

​@aptheweirdone Probably has something to do with how Bandai is producing and promoting the shows and the whole structure and story of Fusion/Xros Wars, both sub and dub. Let's not forget the atrocious recent series, Ghost Game, a more polarizing show that have people argue over serialized vs episodic that has gotten annoying after that ended.

[@natexeon9957]

Man, the shots at Zexal will never not bug me, but the one about Tori is something I agree with. Well, that's what opinions are, as its my third favorite yugioh series its characters and Yuma, in my opinion, having some of the best growth out of yugioh protags. But hey, great video as always Kamen. Honestly, this was a nice topic of discussion, cause at the end of the day, male and female characters are just that. They're characters, concepts, and just like a fine piece of art, it takes effort and care to make something that's not dull or super poor. Be it protag or side character, just a bit of effort goes a long way into making a character feel less one note. It might not be the best end, but that's okay, there's always room to improve as long as you try, just as long as you put the care and love into make it something you can be proud of. And honestly, if you're worried about fudging something, asking for help or opinions is still an option. Not the wisest of words but this is what i believe for anything you enjoy doing honestly.

[@esteban8471]

As a Zexal fan, I agree with this comment. Zexal had such good characters and storylines that the dub just butchered. It was so bad that people treated Zexal like a plague for years. In a weird twist of irony, the show that was about an underdog fighting the overwhelming cosmic odds stacked against him because an underdog in the franchise.

[@lpfan4491]

​@@esteban8471The underdog is moreso the Yu-gi-oh IP itself outside the physical card game. It very much vanished from public contiousness after 5DS and the audience is more interessted in saying it sucks period than to give it a chance of a proper comeback. Though more specifically on Zexal, it is at least very popular in japan, so that is something at least.

[@sirensoulegaming4158]

Unfortunately there's 2 major factors working against Zexal's favour, namely: 1) Out of all the Yugioh Franchises, it starts out the worst. The opening Season of Zexal is a massive stain on a show that would eventually become rather compelling. 2) Power Creep in the actual card game was accelerating quite rapidly, and XYZ monsters in particular were a highly noticeable power jump. The issue here comes with that alienating people who liked playing AND watching the show. The most unfortunate thing is that the XYZ mechanic itself isn't inherently unbalanced, but it was the start of many cards (both XYZ and non-XYZ) getting bloated effects. It's not entirely justified hate, since really Blackwings and Infernity (both 5ds archetypes) paved the way for power creep before XYZ, but it was just there right out of the gate. For me, out of the first 6 Yugioh Anime (not including the rush duels duels stuff), Zexal sits firmly in 5th place, only being ahead of Arc-V. That's not because I hate it, but more because getting through it DID feel like I was forcing myself to watch till it got good.

[@esteban8471]

​​@@sirensoulegaming4158Respectfully speaking out of curiosity, would that first argument not make GX worse? At least with Zexal it took a dozen or so episodes for Kaito to show up, and by extension the plot to start. In comparison, most of GX's first season was fluff and filler with the only interesting thing being Chazz's character arc before we were finally introduced to the Shadow Riders, with the only interesting among them being Camula.

[@sirensoulegaming4158]

@@esteban8471 Been a long time since I watched Zexal and I don't really want to erroneously comment on things about it that grated me more than GX. From what I do remember though, Zexal was trying to be more light hearted humour while wasting absolutely no time in introducing Astral and him talking about Yuma needing to get the number cards and there's this sense of greater destiny. It's a bit weird and a dissonant mix on my mind. Conveniently he's lost his memory too (which unfortunately is one of my most hated plot devices of all time, it's so cliche, like they already did this in the first yugioh with pharaoh Atem and I wasn't a fan of it then either). I remember not being a huge fan of these things. Will not speak more on this since I don't remember too much of how Zexal started, only how it ended. Meanwhile Yugioh GX didn't pretend to be much more than a light hearted anime about card games when it first started. Just some kids going to a school, playing games and at worst the stakes for losing might be expulsion, or something. It SLOWLY started to get more serious until eventually we get the whole arc with the shadow riders, but prior to then it was more focused on what personalities the characters had and how they related to eachother. The fact that it's really light hearted fun at the start ends up being an important juxtaposition for the existential life-threatening/World-ending Jaden/Judai would eventually have to endure. Instead of us needing to be shown any of this in a flashback, we don't need it because we've already experienced it. Arc - V also tries to do this thing where duels at the start are relatively low stakes and then later talks about the whole "dueling should be for fun" thing but fails to do this where GX succeeds, although I think it's clear to anyone who has watched arc-V why exactly they get it so wrong. Critiques of shows aside, GX also happens to be a personal weak spot for me because it was one of two yugioh shows that was airing while I was really within the target audience (the other show being 5ds). Regardless of this I still place it 4th because in hindsight there's still plenty of things wrong with it, like for instance the protagonist getting way more screen time and share of duels than in any other yugioh franchise, leading to missed opportunities for other characters (ALEXIS should have been the one to duel nightshroud and save Attticus, not Jaden, just one example of a missed opportunity), and also because GX started the trend of releasing new cast members late into a show which take time away from original cast that still needed development (Bastion and Alexis both deserved way more than they got, and season 3 in particular gave us the 4 new exchange student duelists, who it felt like damn near sidelined the entire original cast once they were introduced). It also didn't help that when I rewatched it as an adult and being better at steategising and the actual card game, that many times the characters will comment on part of a duelists strategy flat out erroneously and the audience is supposed to just buy this (biggest example of this I can think of is when Jaden and Syrus Duel the Paradox brothers. The amount of flack syrus gets from other characters in that duel irritates me no end, if he didn't play the way he did they would have lost that duel for sure). Kid me didn't care of course, it's only in hindsight I really care lol.

[@BEEGTHEBEEG]

"My written women are purposely bad because it is part of the plot. Get rekt critics!" - some guy purposely writing women wrong because it is part of the plot.

[@InternetSexyLoser]

They also use demographic like shonen as an excuse, look like one piece has well written females so WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE!?

[@mmicb0b]

as a former yugioh fan this thumbnail gave me ptsd (Now Aoi's mistreatment wasn't the only ISSUE I have with VRAINS let alone the only issue with the franchise but her mistreament represents the BIGGEST problem with VRAINS any time it had the chance to do ANYTHING interesting it chooses to put everyone on a bus so a gary stu who is an unlikable asshole with no traits other than I'm an asshole can solo everything Aoi's arc sounds amazign on paper but nope)

[@thatman666]

Yusei 2.0, surely fans would love... (gets outclassed by Ai who's a better character)

[@mmicb0b]

@@thatman666 I genuinely don't know whose worse Yusei or Yusaku both have a lot of the same issues but Yusei has almost no personality beyond generic good guy where as Yusaku is an asshole

[@WarmLillie]

I will be taking notes, because it is a difficult balance. As someone said to me, you aren’t just one personality. I like your perspective on writing especially the yugioh girl series. The thing I usually hold them back is not role I will try not use Lillie, but has a goal to help Nebby and later grow to be a trainer for hereself, changing to help her mother. She isn’t a lead but a secondary protagonist. Another character I love, it is not Yugioh Zexal… #Cathybetter But 5D, the opposite signer Misty Tredwell Her goal (in the dub) may have been one note as minor antagonist, all of her act from wanting her brother back to her. Later move on and befriend with Akiza after realizing she is not the true culprit and go someone else All that hate soon become wanting to atone surrender All I can say, Get your game on!!! Also hmm… Can I be Aka Lil Blue Soda Girl now

[@Will-uv9kx]

Ive seen good and bad women and men in literature but it seems like those who make an attempt in the name of taking a stand for women or a male feminist often fall super flat plus it comes across sad. There are tonnes of great women characters from before this was even a concept. Take casca from berserk. Excellent charachter in a male dominated world who still is strong without it coming over forced...

[@D_YellowMadness]

Until the writer had her get SA'd & basically become a feral animal even though none of the male characters became feral animals when they got SA'd. All for the sake of the character arcs of Guts & Griffith.

[@dmvs-bt1hk]

@@D_YellowMadness Exactly lmao, I was surprised to see Casca here because apparently a woman being a knight is a qualification enough to be an 'excellent character'/'great woman', when in reality we never see her actual combat prowess as it's often overshadowed by guts with a lewd moment or whatever and the entire story places her as a plot device to drive forward the tension of guts and Griffith, of which Griffith raped Casca and would "enjoy it" even without the god hand (author's words), Casca basically tries to pursue Griffith all along the story and decides to get with Guts after realizing she can't. Basically a non personality that encapsulates the chasing damsel who is constantly rescued also when she was mindfucked until she eventually got repaired with Guts' help.

[@MR.Foxtrot-2008]

My rule of thumb is making A character with A personality & story. Their gender, race, and sexuality are second. :3

[@Holly-khore-levina]

Ah, Poor Aoi. The eternal jobber. Like honestly 2/3 of the problem is that the writers of the story kept pitting her against characters the plot won't let lose (in the case of Spectre he was the first other Lost Incident child, and therefore narratively it makes sense to have him and Playmaker go up against each other, so god cards forbid he lose up to that point)

[@sirensoulegaming4158]

Indeed, her entire purpose is to be the punching bag to show off the power of whoever the new antagonist is (major or minor). It really sucks because there was definitely a compelling character in there somewhere.

[@LunaTheUmbreon322]

tbh... would be intrested to see a video on the downfall of yuzu and serena from arc v, as holy hell, i would say they had more potental then all the other yugioh girls, double for serena, as she is (to my information) the only yugioh girl who does not rely on a man in any way shape or form

[@BurningAzure]

I don't think Blue Angel vs. Spectre backtracks the former's character at all. If you really want to see backtracking in the same series, Go Onizuka (George Gore if you're a filthy dub watcher) in Season 2 is pretty much a textbook example of this. Go Onizuka: *Learns to focus on what he cherishes over his own personal fame* Also Go Onizuka: *Becomes a bounty hunter to catch Playmaker and reclaim his fame*

[@ryanaing5302]

It still felt insulting that she lost like that and is still an issue. You think there's any other way they could've gone with that?

[@thatman666]

I used to think Aoi and Go would be great successors to Yuzu and Gongenzaka respectively. Nowadays, I'm baffled how the formers aren't Lost Incident kids and Gongenzaka is an underrated character.

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

Yeah, I can't write female characters, or indeed any characters at all. Being both autistic and sheltered, there's no way I can hope to write about a fictional character's hopes, dreams, desires, goals, likes, dislikes, history, and relationships,when 90% of the time, I couldn't even tell you what MY hopes, dreams, etc. are, and the other 10% of the time my answer is "Why is that important?" I can't write characters, only hollow shells, because I myself am a hollow shell.

[@princetonwilliams9522]

500 more likes, we can do this, get ya game on!!!!

[@samflood5631]

Here’s a list of shows/anime/video game series better written female characters Cartoons 1. Avatar the Last Airbender 2. Castlevania 3. X-men 4. Gargoyles 5. Justice League Anime 1. Chainsaw Man 2. Spy x Family 3. Zom 100 Bucket List of the Dead 4. Delicious in Dungeon 5. Loser Ranger 6. Jujutsu Kaisen 7. Hell’s Paradise 8. Durarara 9. Inuyasha 10. Tokyo Ghoul Video Games 1. Dragon Age 2. Fire Emblem 3. Baldur’s Gate 4. Persona 5. Divinity Original Sin 6. Final Fantasy 7. Tales of Series 8. Nier 9. Legend of Dragoon 10. Legend of Zelda 11. Ghost of Tsushima 12. Sly Cooper 13. Dragon’s Dogma 14. Assassin’s Creed 15. God of War 16. Mass Effect Trilogy

[@P-P-Panda]

Kirby and sonic :b

[@samflood5631]

@@P-P-Panda And which female characters are the best in both franchises?

[@koshetz]

Cassandra from Dragon Age is one of the best "stoic knight strong woman" characters to ever exist. I love her so much.

[@billcipher8645]

Zelda from BOTW is one of the cutest (in a good way) female characters I have ever seen, I love her so much. They made her nerdy without making her a stereotype

[@omgman5745]

How are the female characters in nier good? They are extremely fan servicey and their creator is a sexist.

[@5ammy1205]

Personally i dont really write diffrent based on female or male, because what im writing is action packed so i dont really care if they are a male chacter or a female chacter im writing as long as they have a good backstory and cool power

[@arthurndongmeza8922]

i watch a 40 minute video just to get a lesson that i already form after your first exemple... it made for a good laugh still the exemples you showcase were interesting to explore

[@alessandroaleman4512]

I think i was staring at pomni in the thumbnail a little too much 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

[@Oceane1803]

I don't see how that's hard. If you're a good writer, you know how to make a good character. If you can make a good character, you can make it fleshed-out and interesting regardless of its gender.

[@WeebGuru6]

Get your game on

[@lucyarmy8879]

It's funny how you uploaded this video when the new episode of helluvia boss came out