 |
| Two minds, one journey |
Controversial characters: A subject that has been a thing since writing existed. It seems to be a long winded debate as to whether or the the character is actually good or bad, and what they represent as a whole in not only video games, but the medium as well. What it represents is a character who in the eyes of some, simply isn't good, but in the eyes of people like me, they have potential, or possibly met it when you failed to notice.
Here is why I consider them great for a storyline.
 |
| Shinon is a huge asshole, but there is no denying that he was needed to develop Ike |
- Their actions make the plot progress. Whether or not their actions are questionable. This is a simple one, as a plot needs a protagonist/antagonist to do questionable or downright stupid stuff to make the story progress.
- Their personality. Take Hector from Blazing Blade. He's highly controversial due to his brute attitude. But when you think about it, FE7 would not be FE7 without the guy being that: a brute. Without him, Eliwood would have been killed numerous times, and without him to save Eliwood, there would be no plot. His relationship with Eliwood and Nils are like a brotherly bond as you can tell, Hector deeply cares about both. And it's that friendship dynamic that makes the plot a fun story to read in general.
- Their appearance: This actually is a weird one, but some great characters tend to have weird designs as a whole (Pegasus Knights wearing garterbelts, Milady wearing a miniskirt while wearing armor above, whatever Chrom is wearing). Appearances can be deceiving, and it forces the player/reader to like the character for their personality, then outfit second.
We need controversial characters. We need characters that can stir up alot of debate because without them, what do we even have? A huge array of people agreeing with a character being too good/too bad, and honestly, I don't like when a character gets way too much praise/too much hate. I like when a character is able to stir up multiple debates.
What he does in Conquest is kind of stupid, but Ryoma was put in a very dangerous situation with no way out.
Characters like Shinon, Hector, Serra, Ryoma, Eirika, Gharnef. Without them, the journey would not be the same. The journey wouldn't feel like an investment like it once has because there isn't another mind conflicting with the protagonist/side character/antagonist.
Going outside the FE series, we have characters like Sephiroth, Handsome Jack, Kratos (both God of War and Tales of Symphonia), Akuma, Kain (FF4), these are characters that have controversial personalities but are loved because of how controversial they are. And whether or not the viewer/player will hate them will be justified because they did some really shitty things to accommodate what their general role in the story is.
So to wrap things up: We need these types of characters to evolve what storytelling represents. Variety can be the spice of life (though that can be a terrible argument sometimes), but when it comes to controversial characters, that definitely is the case. As the characters not only make a huge impact on their stories, but gaming in general.
The woes of a dragoon going through hell because of his selfishness
