Writing What type of MC do you wanna see?

[LuceLucky]

I'm writing a webnovel that can be vaguely described as: solo-leveling + showbiz + hunger games + omniscient reader's viewpoint + the s-classes I raised + kenichi: history's strongest disciple. (I know it's a mouthful, but I haven't developed the world enough yet to give an accurate summary so I hope the general vibes/aesthetic are enough lol)

My protagonist is a male mc and I'm debating which 'archetype' he should be. What personality should he have? I want it to be something different from the usual litrpg mcs but also something that's interesting, rare and makes you root for him.

I know y'all like your edgelords, your perverts and your idiot mcs so pls no suggestions like 'cold and ruthless'. I'm looking for suggestions like 'zuko from avatar' or 'would die for his kid' or 'gets awkward when people tell him they appreciate him'. Maybe even quirks like 'doesn't look people in the eyes even though he's super strong and respected' or 'spicy food gets the best of him'. I'd probably laugh if you tell me to write 'kakashi hatake but he reads shoujo and his lateness excuses are 100% true' but I'll still write it down. Just go wild, I don't mind specific details/backstory.

What male mc do you wanna see in a setting where dungeons appear all over the modern world, there are ranks, game-like stats, and it's all treated like showbiz to please the gods and the rich?

 

[Jemini]

My advice, you're going down the wrong path already if you're asking a question like this.

1st off, a character that can be described in the snippet phrases you gave in your 3rd paragraph there are not things that make a good character. Even less so if it comes from a 3rd party and not from you, the author. That's just not set to turn out well.

What you want to have in a character, and I mean ANY character, is someone who feels like a real person. You want to minimize over-stated things like the crazy perverted stuff you see in most anime. If you're dealing with a pervert, just have their gaze linger in the wrong places for a little too long, maybe have them make a single comment about something they'd like to do, but ABSOLUTELY NONE of that perverted nosebleed or drooling stuff.

Ultimately though, the kinds of phrases that would be more useful are things like "Down to earth" (A person who has a really pragmatic and realistic perspective and takes the kinds of actions they think are most likely to allow them to keep their life for today and the next day, they do not dream big and are not overly ambitious.) Fatherly/Grandfatherly (A kind person who is supportive of younger characters in a way which a father/grandfather would be.) "Looking for a fight" (A person who is upset over some way in which they are lacking, so they just have to insult everyone and are a nasty person. They like to talk big in order to compensate for their insecurities, and on a subconscious, or maybe even a conscious level they are just hoping one of these people they insult will try and sock them one so that they can fight back.) Or "Child-like." (Is constantly filled with enthusiasm and is nice to everyone around them, always having supporting words and trying to encourage people. They come off as naive, although it's up to individual interpretation whether or not they are ACTUALLY naive, and it is difficult to dislike them.)

Those are the phrases that work better for characterization, but only if you actually understand what they mean as I just laid out there. Most people have just heard them tossed around, but are not so familiar with the real meaning behind them that it has for character. The important point is that you have someone with real character motivations, such as "I just want to live my life, I don't want anything crazy to happen" or, given your general premise you're setting here, "I'm trying to get some accomplishments, then I'll be famous and get some money and people will like me. My life will be good." Ultimately, the central theme that motivates just about every human being in real life is 1. Wanting to have positive things happening in their own life. And, 2. Wanting to climb the social/economic ladder in order to better their position in life. Any character you come up with should somehow incorporate those two things in their own unique way.

 

[ludagad]

Someone socially awkward - can be alright in person, as long as he doesn't have to speak a lot, cause then he'd start using wrong words and jumbling his sentences. But he'll google strange phone numbers instead of answering the calls. 'Oh, as long as they don't send a message, it was probably an ad anyway...' He leaves his phone at home because he doesn't like feeling on a leash 24/7. So basically, you can't find him unless you hunt him down physically.

 

[HURGMCGURG]

Here are a couple of good character options:
Crowd pleaser: He makes a show of everything, riles up the audience, and tries to garner favor with those watching.
Quiet plotter: He stays out of the limelight and does his best to guide others to his preferred outcome. It takes a while for people to notice his importance, but they won't stay hidden forever.
Crazy man: He doesn't care about logic or what's smart. If he wants to do something, he'll do it, even if it's self destructive.
Determined fighter: Unbreakable will, never backing down, just desires to overcome every obstacle from the front. He can be a bit flat though, so be wary.
Reluctant Savior: He will save people and do the right thing while always being angry at himself for making things more difficult for himself. He acts like he doesn't care, but he actually does care but wishes he wouldn't.
Arrogant Hero: He'll help you and try his best to do what is moral, but he'll always praise himself and loves it when others praise him. He's not a bad person, just an annoying one.
Remorseless Killer: Anyone's a stepping stone to him. If there's a problem, kill it. If it can't be killed by himself alone, then he'll use other people.

 

[LuceLucky]

Here are a couple of good character options:
Crowd pleaser: He makes a show of everything, riles up the audience, and tries to garner favor with those watching.
Quiet plotter: He stays out of the limelight and does his best to guide others to his preferred outcome. It takes a while for people to notice his importance, but they won't stay hidden forever.
Crazy man: He doesn't care about logic or what's smart. If he wants to do something, he'll do it, even if it's self destructive.
Determined fighter: Unbreakable will, never backing down, just desires to overcome every obstacle from the front. He can be a bit flat though, so be wary.
Reluctant Savior: He will save people and do the right thing while always being angry at himself for making things more difficult for himself. He acts like he doesn't care, but he actually does care but wishes he wouldn't.
Arrogant Hero: He'll help you and try his best to do what is moral, but he'll always praise himself and loves it when others praise him. He's not a bad person, just an annoying one.
Remorseless Killer: Anyone's a stepping stone to him. If there's a problem, kill it. If it can't be killed by himself alone, then he'll use other people.

F yeah this is the answer I'm looking for. Thanks!

 

[AliceShiki]

... Do whatever you'll enjoy writing about?

 

[CupcakeNinja]

My advice, you're going down the wrong path already if you're asking a question like this.

1st off, a character that can be described in the snippet phrases you gave in your 3rd paragraph there are not things that make a good character. Even less so if it comes from a 3rd party and not from you, the author. That's just not set to turn out well.

What you want to have in a character, and I mean ANY character, is someone who feels like a real person. You want to minimize over-stated things like the crazy perverted stuff you see in most anime. If you're dealing with a pervert, just have their gaze linger in the wrong places for a little too long, maybe have them make a single comment about something they'd like to do, but ABSOLUTELY NONE of that perverted nosebleed or drooling stuff.

Ultimately though, the kinds of phrases that would be more useful are things like "Down to earth" (A person who has a really pragmatic and realistic perspective and takes the kinds of actions they think are most likely to allow them to keep their life for today and the next day, they do not dream big and are not overly ambitious.) Fatherly/Grandfatherly (A kind person who is supportive of younger characters in a way which a father/grandfather would be.) "Looking for a fight" (A person who is upset over some way in which they are lacking, so they just have to insult everyone and are a nasty person. They like to talk big in order to compensate for their insecurities, and on a subconscious, or maybe even a conscious level they are just hoping one of these people they insult will try and sock them one so that they can fight back.) Or "Child-like." (Is constantly filled with enthusiasm and is nice to everyone around them, always having supporting words and trying to encourage people. They come off as naive, although it's up to individual interpretation whether or not they are ACTUALLY naive, and it is difficult to dislike them.)

Those are the phrases that work better for characterization, but only if you actually understand what they mean as I just laid out there. Most people have just heard them tossed around, but are not so familiar with the real meaning behind them that it has for character. The important point is that you have someone with real character motivations, such as "I just want to live my life, I don't want anything crazy to happen" or, given your general premise you're setting here, "I'm trying to get some accomplishments, then I'll be famous and get some money and people will like me. My life will be good." Ultimately, the central theme that motivates just about every human being in real life is 1. Wanting to have positive things happening in their own life. And, 2. Wanting to climb the social/economic ladder in order to better their position in life. Any character you come up with should somehow incorporate those two things in their own unique way.

Lotta that shit mainly applies to more traditional stories tho. Specifically im thinking about western stories. It isnt required in asian light novels, at least. In those, exaggerations are common and they work because they are usually used in comedic situations.

Well, they dont ALWAYS work and can be annoying.

Hm. The more psychological aspect of that works tho. The analysis of why the character is the way he is and says what he does. But anyway i just dont see much realism or realistic aspects in most novels we would read from asian countries. Not that there arent any or they cant work, but me? I like the exaggerated aspects most of the time.

Alls im saying is that if i want to read a more realistic approach to characters and story, i probably wont be reading an asian work. And even if i am reading one thats more serious i wont think of them as real characters either.

Cuz i dunno about you, but for some reason, if its an asian work im always imagining the characters in anime style. If the story is even posted to a site based sround asian works, too.

So if i wanna imagine a real character i gotta read a western novel. Like Game of thrones stuff sort of works. But not as dark and fucked up, normally.

I like the descriptions you gave for each phrase, by the way. I cant picture you writing works based on asian novels and their tropes, but i can totally imagine you as a legit western novel author like Sanderson or Brent Weeks.

Anyway that aside, my suggestion to OP

I'm writing a webnovel that can be vaguely described as: solo-leveling + showbiz + hunger games + omniscient reader's viewpoint + the s-classes I raised + kenichi: history's strongest disciple. (I know it's a mouthful, but I haven't developed the world enough yet to give an accurate summary so I hope the general vibes/aesthetic are enough lol)

My protagonist is a male mc and I'm debating which 'archetype' he should be. What personality should he have? I want it to be something different from the usual litrpg mcs but also something that's interesting, rare and makes you root for him.

I know y'all like your edgelords, your perverts and your idiot mcs so pls no suggestions like 'cold and ruthless'. I'm looking for suggestions like 'zuko from avatar' or 'would die for his kid' or 'gets awkward when people tell him they appreciate him'. Maybe even quirks like 'doesn't look people in the eyes even though he's super strong and respected' or 'spicy food gets the best of him'. I'd probably laugh if you tell me to write 'kakashi hatake but he reads shoujo and his lateness excuses are 100% true' but I'll still write it down. Just go wild, I don't mind specific details/backstory.

What male mc do you wanna see in a setting where dungeons appear all over the modern world, there are ranks, game-like stats, and it's all treated like showbiz to please the gods and the rich?

You know Mirage from Apex Legends? If not, look jim up. Dude is perfect for a world where dungeons are used as entertainment for gods. Mirage is a showman through and through. He'd be partying and bamboozling all day, son

 

[gaylolis]

to me, the most interesting MC might be those who could solo a Demon King with a fidget spinner, eats babies for breakfast, and have sex with cactus and trees every single day.

also like to fap to the picture of golden gate bridge and has a living toilet companion, where he sacrifice aborted fetuses, and have a special magic to grow nipples on anything.

i could go on to more details but you get the idea.

 

[BenJepheneT]

You know Mirage from Apex Legends? If not, look jim up. Dude is perfect for a world where dungeons are used as entertainment for gods. Mirage is a showman through and through. He'd be partying and bamboozling all day, son

Dude, I've been telling people about Apex Legends' lore and how it's a cut above most games like Overwatch. Thanks for putting this under the light dude.

 

[wandering-beast]

I'm writing a webnovel that can be vaguely described as: solo-leveling + showbiz + hunger games + omniscient reader's viewpoint + the s-classes I raised + kenichi: history's strongest disciple. (I know it's a mouthful, but I haven't developed the world enough yet to give an accurate summary so I hope the general vibes/aesthetic are enough lol)

My protagonist is a male mc and I'm debating which 'archetype' he should be. What personality should he have? I want it to be something different from the usual litrpg mcs but also something that's interesting, rare and makes you root for him.

I know y'all like your edgelords, your perverts and your idiot mcs so pls no suggestions like 'cold and ruthless'. I'm looking for suggestions like 'zuko from avatar' or 'would die for his kid' or 'gets awkward when people tell him they appreciate him'. Maybe even quirks like 'doesn't look people in the eyes even though he's super strong and respected' or 'spicy food gets the best of him'. I'd probably laugh if you tell me to write 'kakashi hatake but he reads shoujo and his lateness excuses are 100% true' but I'll still write it down. Just go wild, I don't mind specific details/backstory.

What male mc do you wanna see in a setting where dungeons appear all over the modern world, there are ranks, game-like stats, and it's all treated like showbiz to please the gods and the rich?

I think you should do someone like lelouch vi Britannia/code geeas/lelouch of the rebellion

or if you want a new kind of character one that is diff from all others try someone like Escanor of the seven deadly sins loves someone and will do anything for them extremely op has a weak side suuuuuuuuuuper arrogant and is attached to that person they love

 

[Elohimiel]

Awkward OP mc that does things in the shadows

 

[SquadCammander354]

I'm writing a webnovel that can be vaguely described as: solo-leveling + showbiz + hunger games + omniscient reader's viewpoint + the s-classes I raised + kenichi: history's strongest disciple. (I know it's a mouthful, but I haven't developed the world enough yet to give an accurate summary so I hope the general vibes/aesthetic are enough lol)

My protagonist is a male mc and I'm debating which 'archetype' he should be. What personality should he have? I want it to be something different from the usual litrpg mcs but also something that's interesting, rare and makes you root for him.

I know y'all like your edgelords, your perverts and your idiot mcs so pls no suggestions like 'cold and ruthless'. I'm looking for suggestions like 'zuko from avatar' or 'would die for his kid' or 'gets awkward when people tell him they appreciate him'. Maybe even quirks like 'doesn't look people in the eyes even though he's super strong and respected' or 'spicy food gets the best of him'. I'd probably laugh if you tell me to write 'kakashi hatake but he reads shoujo and his lateness excuses are 100% true' but I'll still write it down. Just go wild, I don't mind specific details/backstory.

What male mc do you wanna see in a setting where dungeons appear all over the modern world, there are ranks, game-like stats, and it's all treated like showbiz to please the gods and the rich?

You know what archetype I'd recommend? If your character was clearly an otaku; and he just thrives in that field. One example I'd give would be Seiji Haruta in NEET Recieves a Dating Sim. He understands characters, the category they fall under, and he's still a gentleman. He knows that a girl likes him, he's not dense, and knows how to get along with people or even mess with them.

I'd recommend giving the story a read if you haven't, just remember to take notes if you are trying to do something.

 

[Himekawa]

I'm writing a webnovel that can be vaguely described as: solo-leveling + showbiz + hunger games + omniscient reader's viewpoint + the s-classes I raised + kenichi: history's strongest disciple. (I know it's a mouthful, but I haven't developed the world enough yet to give an accurate summary so I hope the general vibes/aesthetic are enough lol)

My protagonist is a male mc and I'm debating which 'archetype' he should be. What personality should he have? I want it to be something different from the usual litrpg mcs but also something that's interesting, rare and makes you root for him.

I know y'all like your edgelords, your perverts and your idiot mcs so pls no suggestions like 'cold and ruthless'. I'm looking for suggestions like 'zuko from avatar' or 'would die for his kid' or 'gets awkward when people tell him they appreciate him'. Maybe even quirks like 'doesn't look people in the eyes even though he's super strong and respected' or 'spicy food gets the best of him'. I'd probably laugh if you tell me to write 'kakashi hatake but he reads shoujo and his lateness excuses are 100% true' but I'll still write it down. Just go wild, I don't mind specific details/backstory.

What male mc do you wanna see in a setting where dungeons appear all over the modern world, there are ranks, game-like stats, and it's all treated like showbiz to please the gods and the rich?

More suffering. Not just suffering for the RPG mechanic growth, but more tragedy around him. I also want to see MC that can fail a lot, and sometimes don't succeed when he was needed to. I honestly am bored with the superhero mary sue types.

 

[Nononoke]

Quentin- that dude you know he is a kind gentleman, he understands people, he is empathetic, charitable and merciful. He is also the biggest perv I have ever seen... and dude I tell you not the closet perv that play it nice and get a nosebleed the moment he see a nipple no he is a completely honest and open pervert, the other day I saw him telling a man that he felt some affinity with his wife asking him if he was open for some swinging. Obviously that man said no but I'm sure he will reconsider. Why you ask, well you know that dude he is like a hot chick magnet, they all flock around him for some reason ah but don't be jealous dude you know if you are a friendly and open hearted with him he may share some of that puss with you, you see he is very charitable with his less lucky bro.

Tyler- Ooh and that dude you know he is the dude you don't want to meet but the dude he is always here always a step in front, always here when stuff happens and always get something from it. He is the biggest douche you will ever meet, as arrogant as he is multi talented. It's always the same he come and unleash a storm of shit that fuck up everyone but him. But you want to know actually inside he is kind and soft hearted, he always regret what he does, lot of internal monologue I tell you. Haa and no one knows that since he is always acting like total shit, he just can't help it. Why? I don't know daddy issues, a godly curse, a sealed demon... Only God knows.

 

[Jemini]

Lotta that shit mainly applies to more traditional stories tho. Specifically im thinking about western stories. It isnt required in asian light novels, at least. In those, exaggerations are common and they work because they are usually used in comedic situations.

If you think so, I would suggest checking out literally any adapted-to-anime light novel (other than SAO, which was the ice-breaker before the genre was well established) that ever got a 2nd season or some form of continuation such as a feature-length film. You will find that the overwhelming majority of them such as Overlord and Re:Zero have fully developed and complex characters that feel like real people.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

If you think so, I would suggest checking out literally any adapted-to-anime light novel (other than SAO, which was the ice-breaker before the genre was well established) that ever got a 2nd season or some form of continuation such as a feature-length film. You will find that the overwhelming majority of them such as Overlord and Re:Zero have fully developed and complex characters that feel like real people.

I never said that there arent realistic characters in asian stories tho. I just said its not a strict requirement and that exaggerated stuff like nosebleeds and perving out are more common.

Its more or less common depending on the type of story tho.

But i dont ever really find too much exaggerations like that in western novels, which is why i mentioned them. Theirs a pretty clear difference in terms of how the authors of both western and asian stories write. Western writers, even in fantasy, are much more grounded than asian writers, i've found. The same rules for a good western novel dont seem to always apply to asian stories. Note the "always" since im just saying they can depending on the story.

Again, i just never, or at least not often, see western writers using the same exaggerated character traits or actions or even speech as asian writers do.

They dont use nosebleeds for pervy characters, or have the whole "straight man" routine where the characters get easily worked up. That stuff, you know?

 

[DalangTala]

What male mc do you wanna see in a setting where dungeons appear all over the modern world, there are ranks, game-like stats, and it's all treated like showbiz to please the gods and the rich?

Interesting setting. Please give me a link if its out, hehe.

This might not be what you're looking for but I hope this helps. This is from a perspective of a reader who don't prefer reading male MCs:

• MC don't treat their friends as henchmen but comrades. He can use people as tools, but if its a bro, you gotta treat them as bro.
• Goal driven and has character development
• Not hypocrite when it comes to harem. It's either he likes it or don't like it. I don't prefer much harems but I read them, too. For example, A Step into the Past. MC is a stud horse and from the start, he likes to fool around many women. But later on, he thinks its troublesome to have so many women but he loves the women he already had. And e doesn't want to add anymore because women are a handful bunch. And each woman has their own merits, not just decoration with similar personality. I don't really like the harem in Transcending the Nine Heavens because the start is all about the regret from causing the death of his 'beloved' but he 'accidentally' attracts women who will eventually be part of the harem.

 

[Jemini]

I never said that there arent realistic characters in asian stories tho. I just said its not a strict requirement and that exaggerated stuff like nosebleeds and perving out are more common.

Its more or less common depending on the type of story tho.

But i dont ever really find too much exaggerations like that in western novels, which is why i mentioned them. Theirs a pretty clear difference in terms of how the authors of both western and asian stories write. Western writers, even in fantasy, are much more grounded than asian writers, i've found. The same rules for a good western novel dont seem to always apply to asian stories. Note the "always" since im just saying they can depending on the story.

Again, i just never, or at least not often, see western writers using the same exaggerated character traits or actions or even speech as asian writers do.

They dont use nosebleeds for pervy characters, or have the whole "straight man" routine where the characters get easily worked up. That stuff, you know?

My point there was that the GOOD Asian webnovels (with the test for good Vs. bad being whether or not they got an anime adaptation that was, in turn, good enough to earn a second season) are all well grounded and don't use those exaggerated portrayals. This would imply that sort of stuff really does drag your writing down and lower the quality, thus the advice to make your character more grounded and realistic with some proper depth is all around good advice to follow. Just because you can get away with crappy writing techniques doesn't mean it's a good idea.

(Yeah, you need those qualifiers, there are some isekai webnovel-to-anime adaptations that were never going to be any good because the source material was bad to begin with, but they got adapted to anime anyway because the studio wanted a quick cash grab. It's whether or not the anime managed to earn a second season that is the actual marker of whether it was good or bad. As for SAO, that was the ice-breaker into the genre both for webnovels and for the anime adaptations alike. That's the reason why, despite being pretty bad, it still managed to get a strong enough following and multiple anime seasons.)

Things like perverted nosebleeds and over-the-top reactions of various sorts were an animator short-hand so they didn't have to work so hard to portray the actual depth of the subtlety in the character perving over a woman. They later became a standard, but it was never actually something that was liked by a viewer. That's why anime and webnovels that don't use these techniques just do better, and also why you see less and less of it in modern anime, was low among the successful webnovels to start with, and is something generally just lightly "poo-pooed" by a lot of anime reviewers.

EDIT: You will notice it was right around the advent of the internet that these over-the-top reactions started rapidly going out of style among animators. This is because the internet allowed the animators to get in touch with the fans for the first time, and this is when they discovered just how disliked that old trope was. It was always something the fans just tolerated, but never really liked. Wasn't something that really turned them off of the show, but they would prefer it not be there. So, it never sparked enough of an outrage to start a letter writing campaign, but it was enough to get a light "by the way" style complaint while on twitter or something.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

My point there was that the GOOD Asian webnovels (with the test for good Vs. bad being whether or not they got an anime adaptation that was, in turn, good enough to earn a second season) are all well grounded and don't use those exaggerated portrayals. This would imply that sort of stuff really does drag your writing down and lower the quality, thus the advice to make your character more grounded and realistic with some proper depth is all around good advice to follow. Just because you can get away with crappy writing techniques doesn't mean it's a good idea.

(Yeah, you need those qualifiers, there are some isekai webnovel-to-anime adaptations that were never going to be any good because the source material was bad to begin with, but they got adapted to anime anyway because the studio wanted a quick cash grab. It's whether or not the anime managed to earn a second season that is the actual marker of whether it was good or bad. As for SAO, that was the ice-breaker into the genre both for webnovels and for the anime adaptations alike. That's the reason why, despite being pretty bad, it still managed to get a strong enough following and multiple anime seasons.)

Things like perverted nosebleeds and over-the-top reactions of various sorts were an animator short-hand so they didn't have to work so hard to portray the actual depth of the subtlety in the character perving over a woman. They later became a standard, but it was never actually something that was liked by a viewer. That's why anime and webnovels that don't use these techniques just do better, and also why you see less and less of it in modern anime, was low among the successful webnovels to start with, and is something generally just lightly "poo-pooed" by a lot of anime reviewers.

EDIT: You will notice it was right around the advent of the internet that these over-the-top reactions started rapidly going out of style among animators. This is because the internet allowed the animators to get in touch with the fans for the first time, and this is when they discovered just how disliked that old trope was. It was always something the fans just tolerated, but never really liked. Wasn't something that really turned them off of the show, but they would prefer it not be there. So, it never sparked enough of an outrage to start a letter writing campaign, but it was enough to get a light "by the way" style complaint while on twitter or something.

Hm "good" is entirely subjective but i see your points. Personally i dont mind them. The nosebleeds in particular never did much for me even comedy wise unless it was a female character perving out for a hot dude and trying to pass it off as something else, like falling to use that as an excuse to cver it up. I find that kinda funny, even used it myself once haha.

But the other exaggerated traits, well i think anime and manga and light novels just wouldnt be the same without them. I cant recall anymore specific eexamples outside of comedy, but im sure i'd recognize them as they pop up. Things that can only really happen in an anime.

Actually i think there are videos on that topic, things that can only happen in anime. I should look it up.

Cuz as i said it feels there is a pretty clear difference in how anime, manga and light novels in asian countries are written when compared to western nations.

 

[Discount_Blade]

Avoid tsundere for the love of the gods. I hate them. They are unrealistic. I'm sorry but if a dude or woman constantly beat me, I'd have to return the favor. Fuck how they feel about me deep inside. They are awful characters and I have NEVER understood the popularity of them. They are toxic and nothing excuses their actions.