Discussion How to make a good OP MC story?

foods and lolis...

 

Shiba Tatsuya is the definition of the best OP MC.
So please add cool-headed/intelligent/irregular MC to the poll.

 

Omg no. I actualllyhunted down this chapter.
https://wwyxhqc.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/修真世界-world-of-cultivation-chapter-575/

 

About the whole character development and flaw thing. There's always certain flaws that an MC has that would be good or bad for the story. It's like about having a flaw that isn't irredeemable and super bad as well as the flaw being something that is relatable or likable to have even if it's a harmful one. Like when it comes to the "have the weigh of the whole world on his/her shoulder" flaw. It's a nice flaw to have since the character would be like hero, but it's bad since he won't want to ask for other's help. I like the flaw (like with Harold from Death Flags) due to how well it makes the character appear. The relatability and sympathy coming from them dealing with the expectations and wishing to be free those responsibilities and expectations(like with Lazy Swordsman) is really nice. Are there any other "flaws" you wish was done more in novels? What flaw would you like to see done?

All Hail the One True God Tatsuya!

 

No cliffhanger ?

 

I'm fine with a smart, low-key OP MC, though it's not common in chinese novels apparently.
Also, not one with the EQ of a clam.

 

I think Overlord is a great example of how to write an OP MC.

The novel has the best character interactions I've read. Everything is believable in the context of the story. There is no show up and instantly have a shitload of friends or crap like that.

It has absolutely fantastic world building. What good is any MC in a poorly built and explained world. No good!

It doesn't solely focus on the MC, the novel doesn't neglect it's side characters... even if it is just to lead them to their death. Another mistake authors make is to have the MC the absolute sole focus. We need to know other characters well too.

The MC has an insane level of power for the world he is in and compared to everyone we have met so far. But we are always reminded he isn't invulnerable and can be killed.
One of the biggest mistakes authors who write OP MC make is to make them completely invulnerable. If we know there is a chance of risk to the MC we can connect way more to them. Get far more engrossed in the story.
He is still OP as hell but not invincible.

 

I don't think any of the options on the poll are the right ones...

Slice. Of. Life.

That's the key to make a good OP MC story, OP MC is good to make fights get over with quickly and then go back to the Slice of Life parts, anything else will usually make it a bland story IMO.

 

I like MC's that are OP to not be afraid to use their powers to full effectiveness and at the same time not tell everyone of what can they do. Basically don't show off everything and have a spine to defend themselves. As well as not being afraid to show their OP powers when occasion arises.

 

Gosu the manhwa has good op character

 

Kind of hard to say. There are all kinds of OP MCs, there is the kind that is OP from the beginning which are mostly the "feel good" kind.

And then there are ones which build up over time.

As much as I like the "feel good" ones, unless it is a pure comedy, they tend to go stale quickly.

For my novel I chose to go with an OP MC that develops over time, gave them multiple OP abilities, and then threw them into a harsh world(I say harsh but in reality its more closer to real world) with virtually no plot armor. I also got rid of all NPC characters (I don't mean there are no side characters or other people, I mean there are no characters that act like wikipedia for the MC). So MC has to learn things the hard way and do their best, sometimes even trading in important stuff for common sense information simply because every time MC asks, they just treat them as a moron but don't actually say the answer. So even with their OP powers, the MC struggles to learn how to use their powers, and learns about things the hard way. Of course there are situation where they get help, but in other times they get at short end of the stick.

I think a lot of people don't realize that many OP stories not only have an OP character but a super easy world where everything goes their way. First person they find in new world is generally the "encyclopedia" who pretty much provides a crash course. Then they deal with nobles who are upfront about everything instead of you know, plotting things in the shadow.

I'm hoping that by having an OP MC people can emphases with, once they do become strong and totally OP to beat everyone, people will have a deeper understanding of the character. (Which is also something OP from the start doesn't get much of, the fact that you can't really judge their values. When you can beat everyone easily that is one thing, but are you willing to suffer to save someone or the like? You know actual valuation of people)

I'm staying away from romance... but I do want to develop friendships. (To be honest I kind of like ones like Dragon Maken War where MC gets a real friend to joke and play around with. In most others friends are treated as either tools, just there, or non-existent because all they have is harem. More novels need real friendship... and no I don't mean shounen jump friendship, spare me that horror. I mean people who can joke around with each other and not MC picking on the 2nd male trope either nor the 2nd male being the dashing guy MC envies trope either)

No, anything but that! That is the worst thing for OP MC! Just like Kansutoppu! where they made MC super OP, but every other enemy is a ghost so their attacks don't work. That is super frustrating.

OR like Inu Yasha where Miraku has that suction thing and every enemy afterwords has poison that harms him. OR how every time he needs new sword upgrade cause suddenly all opponents can now use barriers.

I'm all for making MC struggle, just don't make something like reoccurring weaknesses. I don't mind if you pull it once maybe twice but when it becomes a trend...

 

I like it when the character settings of the MC stays consistent and by that I mean no random harems if the MC is going for anti-hero/villain route or a sudden NTR when a MC is going for hero/positive route are some the examples I have.

 

in my opinion 6 things are needed for a good cultivator story
-good writing skills (most obvious one)
-character development (pretty important)
-world building(how does the world look like, if i think about the world can i imagine something reasonably concrete)
-character interaction (there should at most about 7 characters at any given time more and it starts to get hard remembering all of them, make them more than just 2-d templates)
-good pacing (rather obvious too)
-good plot (whats the goal?, how does he reach it?)

 

It's simple really, give him sharingan coz it's awesome, make a modern world + magic apocalypse. Pick a talented guy, not some loser who got lucky coz it's the author imagining himself, no harem. Let MC be badass playa who falls in love in badass heroine and write of their adventure and their funky friends. Also forget about RPG sheets, do game elements or no elements, everyone is sick of the blue boxes and brackets for skills, items, even fking speech... ok the latter is all me.

 

This reminds me of the lazy king

 

How about a MC with realistic morals for example instead of getting a slave harem how about putting an end to sex/force slavery, or instead of forcing technology how about advancing magic, finally instead of killing all low level criminals use them as crime slaves.

 

The best type of flaws for any OP character to me has to do with the Seven Deadly Sin in someway or form and is magnify due to themselves or external environment. As they humanize the character because despite being godly powerful or awesome, they are still no different then humans in end.

Shiba Tatsuya is an odd example for this because he is strip of these flaws from childhood, but is one little sister death away to total insanity and destroying the world.

 

Oh? Vandelieu(?) falls somewhere in here, right? Fueled by rage, he wishes to kill the ones who killed him and then the ones that killed his mother. But, held back by not only societal rules and logical reasoning, there are also his comrades and subordinates that try to make him the best in everyone's eyes, not just their own.

It has this strange sense of everyone coming together to build their very own magnificent king and ruler.

Death Mage doesn't want a fourth time

 

Giving the Mc a bad history, like family being massacred and driven by revenge.

Or giving him a dumb shit luck and he stumbled upon a chest stone. But I prefer the first better..

 

For an OP main character, you NEED to focus on the side characters and world-building. The author has to convince the reader that this OP guy needs and wants to get involved. In a way, he serves as plot armor for the characters he likes, so making it seem natural that he'd help them out is important. Alternately, he serves as a plot device to resolve a situation... but you need to make it natural that he'd get involved in the situation.