Discussion Perfect MC

I've seen many threads that talk about what kind of MC is horrible, so I wanted to ask what kind of Main Character does everyone want?

Edit: When I requested for 'everyone' I meant every person's individual preference.

 

I’ll save you pages of nonsense responses and say the perfect MC is ourselves. Whether we like it or not we project our strengths and weaknesses to the MC so when the MC acts in a way that deviates to far from that we start hating.

Edit: Just look at responses about evil/anti-hero MCs like Leylin in WMW or some beta/naive MC in a JPN, most people’s biggest gripe is MC is too evil or psychotic or MC is too wimpy on the other end. It’s people simply projecting their personal selves and being dissatisfied with the MCs choice they would have done better or differently.

 

depends on the story and how well the character interacts with the environment, settings, other characters, etc.

 

I like CCS from Ze Tian Ji. Or Cillin from Star Rank Hunter. They feel more unique compared to others out there~

Most people don’t really like themselves so I’m not sure how right you would be in saying that~

 

There is no such thing as an MC that everyone wants

 

The redeemer.

 

You already answered that on another poll kinda, but just to clarify are you asking for our own individual preferences or in general?

I personally like a character that is well developed in the sense you can observe his/her goals, is rational, consistent, and has character development that is realistic. It's like meeting another person for the first time, asking questions to develop a relationship: Who are you? What do you do? Why should I care?

For most poorly characterized characters, we are always given the answer to "what do you do" and only that.

 

Most people will see themselves in their favorite MCs, or at least some ideals they have for themselves. Personally, I'd like to see MCs conquer current problems without incurring future ones. That's a very common way for authors to develop a story, and can get old quickly. Should the MCs be able to do this, they often have a few other attributes I like: foresight, intelligence, cunning/guile, and the ability to remain low-key.

I like flashy MCs at times, but those aren't usually the ones that I'll pick up and re-read about. It's the low-key and cunning ones that have the unique plots involved with them because the author has to put more thought and can't often let them be attached to plot armor.

 

I think it would still stand. Liking a MC/MCs the exact opposite of yourself still gets the job done. You still project yourself as the person you could never be as the MC you are reading about. Most people probably don’t do it consciously but they very much do.

 

Depends, but what I care the most about is that the MC's actions and thoughts actually match up.

I prefer some personalities over others ("evil" > "good"), but at the end of the day I care much more about the MC not being hypocrites.


I don't have a problem with dumb MCs per se, but what really pisses me off is that all to often the author writes the stupidest shit and makes the MC do the dumbest and most illogical action possible, and then somehow tries to pass him off as a genius...

Or how about showing how "great" and "nice" the MC is by saving some slaves, when in just a chapter earlier MC just watch on as people get slaughtered and not care a whit.

Or "selfish" "loner" MC who doesn't care about anyone else and wouldn't help unless it would benefit him goes out of his way and do all kinds of things because of some random girl he just met...


Like again, I don't have a problem with the actions per se, it's just when they do something and it doesn't match up with their reasoning at all that it really sucks.

 

Taking into account poorly written, wish-fulfillment web novels, good main characters are a minority. Nevertheless, they come in all shapes and sizes. The perfect main character depends on the type of story, whether you want to explore the character through the world or vice versa. Konosuba's Kazuma explores his world in his numerous adventures and makes us laugh along the way. Oregairu's explores Hikigaya's growth through the trials he faces.

However, for your particular question, I believe you're referring to a certain type of main character for a certain type of story I like call an epic. Epics essentially do both of the aforementioned. They have interesting worlds and interesting characters and explore both. The criteria we use to evaluate the main character is one of morals. We are a generation of amorality. We do not believe in an objective set of ideals, principles, or beliefs called good. Therefore, we judge an individual not by the common sense of the masses or society's values but by the individual's own inherent ideology forged by their own unique experiences. When presented with such a main character, we ask: What do you believe in? And what do you THINK you believe in? The answers to these questions provide two sets of beliefs. If they contradict each other, then the main character is a hypocrite. Are they aware of this discrepancy? If not, then they are an oblivious hypocrite, which is bad. The worst offenders are those immature teenage adolescents dropped in a fantasy world and given the hero status and significance they do not deserve.

The perfect main character is either one whose actions are consistent with their core beliefs or not but the character is aware of it.

 

The perfect MC is decided by the audience, not the author. The author might see it as their best try but there will be readers who could tear it down without a glance.

 

That would be an MC that fulfills two criteria: MC is perfectly developed by the author to fit the story in a general sense and connects with someone on a personal level. The first is rare enough while the second will obviously never happen for everyone for whatever the reason might be. Morals, intelligence, all kinds of reasons.

 

I would like to hear everyone's indivisual personal preferences, like 'I like a MC to have a combination of such and such in such a world'. I know everyone has their own tastes in novels, so I assume they would have their own taste in MCs as well.

 

Gosh, I agree. Some readers absolutely trash some MCs

 

For me, the MC doesn't really need to be perfect. Just like the other people above said, it depends on his/her action and thoughts. Also it depends on how the author written the story. No matter how good the mc's character but if the story is not well written well or the story is too much cliché, then I don't think a lot of readers would want to read it.

Recently, I've became very picky reader and always avoid this type of MC:

1. The MC is too dumb to the point where the MC keep falling in someone else trap, and never learn a lesson or keep misunderstand the love interest because of some psychopathic love rival.
2. RAPIST. I avoid this kind of MC the most. They are one of the most disgusting creature I don't want to see.
3. PEDOPHILE. I seemed to see MC like this even though they claim that they aren't. Hypocrite much.
4. I hate MC who killed people whom I think doesn't deserve to die. Yes, they did some bad stuff, but I don't think its too the point that the MC should kill them.
5. RACIST
6. Harem-seeking
   
7. Sometime, it's not just the MC the reason why I would give up or avoid the story but because of the love interest--one of the example here is that the male lead keep abusing the heroine because he thinks she's a bad person and always believe in his white moonlight. Too much dog blooded drama can make my brain cell explode.

 

His white moonlight..? lol

 

his first love

 

Ohhh ok, got it.

 

I think the perfect MC is like @Svalinn .

He loves doggos and has a mug of coffee on his desk at all times. He's like some chill MC who casually just manages to finagle his way out of situations.

Like for example, if there was a King named @Blitz who had the town under loyal hypnosis, @Svalinn would wait until @Blitz fell asleep before claiming that he was actually the true King. He would then rouse the town to kill the "false" King @Blitz. Sneaky sneaky...

Is he a hero? Is he an anti-hero? Hard to say.