Discussion Unique or well-built main character

As the title implies, I would like your opinion about the novels that have developed extremely well-built main characters.

What do I mean by that ? In short, characters that were defined in a certain way at the beginning of the novel (or on the final evolution of their personality after a few chapters), and whose author has preserved the criterias throughout the story. The character's personnality is so distinguishable that one can predict to some extent certain turning points in the story or reactions. These characters are unique and recognizable among all.

Characters that are not included : those that oscillate between their defined way of thinking and a symptomatic shift towards generic behaviors. The personality defined at the beginning disintegrates at the convenience of the author who reacts according to the difficulty of his own story (by laxity, or incompetence). In two words : Clay dolls.

PS : The list has nothing to do with the idea that a novel is good or bad. Some good novels are not in this list simply because their main character has no behavioral specificity that would make them unique.
Or because I have not yet read them all.

Liste :
- A Will Eternal : the well known comic character who's always innocent !
- Emperor's Domination : dominant and almost omniscient character who always makes sure to look at all the world from above, otherwise he will puck blood.
- I Shall Seal the Heavens : cannot live without ripping off others.
- Legend of the Cultivation God : the innocence of a child who discovers the world and doesn't suddenly become an absolute genius who knows all about cultivation.
- The kind Death God : a fool who is too kind for his own good but that's also what makes him so pure inside. Especially the way he reacts and grows while facing the evil and sadness of the world.
- Undefeated God of War : a really simple character whose reactions and way of thinking make him stupidly honest, childish and barbarous but also likable. His attraction for profits is quite funny and gives us the impression to look at the progression of a child who's growing in a twisted way (probably because of Bing).
-> Conquest has some similarities.
- Zither Emperor : Simplicity and honesty. A character who has grown untouched by the impurity of the world and is now discovering socialisation and reality.
- King Shura : a non combative type character who's looking at the world in a unique way. Calm and intelligent, but also weak physically.
- Martial Emperor Reborn : unique in a despicable way.
- Perfect World : A brat in body and mind. Really refreshing but also annoying at some times. That makes his reactions quite abusive.
- Ascendance of a Bookworm : a character who is physically weak, tiny and sick. She is very obsessive to the point where she can mentally break down and cry when she is too frustrated by her own powerlessness (probably because she is in a weak child's body while being an adulte inside, the fusion between her adult soul and her child body is twisting her original personnality).
- Katahane no Riku : a girl who is broke inside because of her family's betrayal and who has developped a cold, decisive and obsesionnal personnality that needs to believe and to be needed by someone (# Leinvein). We can already see what will happen if Leivein betray her expectations.
- Everyone Else in a Returnee : a character who has lost all sense of mesure and is a little irrational after experimenting 1000 years of lonelyness. He is really childish and has difficulties to interact with others because he couldn't socialised and developped himself inside.
- Akuyaku Tensei Dakedo Doushite Kou Natta : a reincarnated girl who has lost confidence in herself and look at the world with fear and caution. Because of her situation, she can't lean on anybody and has the impression to be hated by everyone. This fact is clouding her mind and making her behaviour cold. She bears a permanent guilt that makes her ruthless and hollowed inside.
- Genius Doctor : Black Belly Miss : a lone character that has never socialized with anybody, making her silent, cold and decisive. She is kind with kind persons, ruthless with ruthless persons. And she is quite innocent for some matters. In fact, she is a little emotionless.
- Meow Meow Meow : a cat who has to learn what it means to be human. That makes her really childish inside.
- The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor : I don't think I need to developp. Everybody's know this character who will do anything to earn profits and who is like a child when discovering things like love. (really hillarious)
- World of Cultivation : I don't remember too much but this character was quite special.
- Zhu Xian : the more emotional story that I have read until now.

Honorable mention to Taint : an original story where the character has lost its humanity and is rediscovering the world after 300 years of struggle in a terrifying place.

 

Dungeon Defense.

 

Leylin from Warlock of the Magus World has a consistent personality and throughout the novel so far act similarly. Because he's a warlock he has some influence from his bloodline however so there's an arc dedicated to solving his emotional instability.

 

well built? IDK about that~ I do agree I recognize some of them cuz they do have unique trait when first time I read time that novel of course it compared to other novel at the moment I read that novel~
what I think as well built is when a character show development it can turn to bad or good with hmm reasonable cause from story~
~ Kurometsu from Hikaru he slowly change his opinion about girl even start to falling in love
~ Lyle from Sevens steady change his whimpy character, Mr Lyle and Lyle slowly integrate
~ Cheng Chan Sheng from Ze Tian Ji he slowly adapt his view toward thing around him
I can only think that atm~

 

Tower of karma . A psycopath that seeks vengence and redemption..

 

World of Cultivation !

Zuo Mo's love need for jingshi is a constant trait of his throughout the story.

 

Ye Xiu - The King's Avatar

 

This thread reminds me of some critics of modern art.

 

I'm not sure you understand what an extremely well built character is considering your examples, but I do have a few novels with such character : Zetianji, Demon's Diary, World of Cultivation and Fenling Tianxia novels.

 

Everyone Else's A Returnee - He was removed from contact from other humans for 1000 years so he has hard coded social issues

 

Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukokusaikenki -souma kazuya: always use philosophy in his action

 

Hm, your list already includes several series that I would have recommended. Well then, adding:

• The Grandmaster Strategist: I haven't caught up yet, but even just starting, I'm quite surprised at how well-written this is. The author obviously has some level of culture, and incorporates all sorts of cultural stuff in there. The protagonist himself is low-key and seems to adhere to confucian values.
  
• The Experimental Log of the Crazy Lich: Oooh, his personality sure is unique. His whole family of 'gentlemen's' personalities are unique. This MC is always scheming and the multiple reincarnations resulted in way too many loose screws, something that apparently is contagious. But despite all that, the series actually has quite a solid and complicated plot, and I'm getting the impression that it's starting to develop the side cast.
• Youjo Senki: The protagonist is quite consistent in his (her?) goal of wanting to get a safe career away from the dangerous front lines. Sadly, everybody else misinterprets her aspirations. xD
• The Girl Who Ate a Death God: She may seem a bit flat at first, but she maintains her personality and her interactions later become quite interesting.
• Single Player Only: I'm not sure about consistent or well-built, but the protagonist acts surprisingly like a real person. As in, a person who'd freak out when someone supernatural happens, who tries to use his brains to resolve things (even when it's obvious that he's no genius), who is scared of blood etc. It's actually interesting in its own way.
• The Legend of the Sun Knight: Certainly unique. All of the characters in the series are two-faced.
• Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? - Her character is certainly unique and recognizable. It's not 'rounded', but she maintains her personality even when the situation changes a lot. And she's funny. You've included several funny MCs, so that's that.
  
• Running away from the Hero: Another scheming-type hero. Not very deep, but quite funny.

 

Demon's diary has a stereotypical character.

 

DE's ji ning anyone? Since the beginning he's always been modest, level headed and caring for his loved ones.. At least so far, let's hope he stays consistent

 

Rakuin no monshou

 

Already in the list. ^^

 

His personality is classical. Not a unique type of character.

 

my wife is a beautiful ceo
skyfire avenue
xian ni - ruthless and calculative
and all those novels with tag "strong from start" cause they have already seen world and developed personalities.

 

I was hesitating to put him on the list. He seems too have a defined behavior but can also be neutral. The author is quite prudent in his developpement, not that daring enough.

 

Definity watching this thread. I like this post and the time and thought you put into it, thanks for sharing.