Spotlight Character: Kariya Matou (Fate/Zero) MAL Character Information Page: Kariya Matou MAL Favorites: 86 For the next week I would like to have everyone familiar with Kariya Matou discuss what they think makes him an exceptional character. What attributes make him stand out in the ocean of interesting characters that exist in the realms of anime and manga. Unlike the other two subjects I will not force this conversation to fall into any set structure. Characters that are nominated typically get here because they are adept at breaking the existing character molds and defying definition. Because of this freedom I encourage everyone to do their very best to stay on topic and keep any and all debate civil. Have fun and I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say about this character. |
NavyCherubJul 13, 2012 7:59 AM
| "My tables-meet it is I set it down That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain." |
| He had some potential but ultimately I felt like Gen was just using his character to inflict one bad situation after another, something that is common in his characterization but as a result something that also unfortunately becomes a bit of a cliche or trope. Likable, perhaps, but very little was done with his character in the anime aside from his obvious defiance towards his heritage and all the sacrifices he makes to save Sakura. I haven't read the light novels so maybe some more depth and detail is shed on him there but as it stands he'll definitely be receiving a no from me. A decent character but that's about all that can be said. |
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| In all honestly, Kariya was probably the character who struck me as being the most interesting out of all of F/Z's cast. He wasn't driven by any overblown dreams or fuelled by selfish desires like some of the other masters. Kariya's goal can be seen as being the most "humane" out of all the characters. He simply wanted to protect someone dear to him and would literally sacrifice his flesh and blood to do so. When we look at him like this, Kariya may seem like the most admirable character out of F/Z's cast. However, it was also quite evident that he may have only been doing this to win Rin's mother's affection and extract revenge on Tohsaka. In a way, this conflict makes Kariya the most human character in the show; he had a just goal, yet was ultimately driven by his own selfish emotions. If we look solely at Kariya's initial model, then he definitely seems like a fairly complex character. And while this is true to some extent, the rest of F/Z unfortunately didn't do enough to develop him past this mold. For one thing, Kariya was rarely the focus in the external conflict and spent most of the episodes off screen. When he was around, a lot of his screen time was spent showing the pain and suffering he was going through in order to reach his goal. As a result, his character's personality wasn't really fleshed out enough. It wasn't until the end of the second half of the show that any reasonable changes actually occurred in Kariya's character. Sadly, these changes were caused by the events of the plot rather than the strength or will of Kariya's own character. For a character who's initial story carried a lot of emotional impact, the "resolution" to Kariya's tale was overall underwhelming. Due to him being manipulated by Kirei, Kariya was almost forced into more and more suffering. When he was finally betrayed by Rin's mother and lost the rest of his humanity, he also lost his purpose in the story and was given the axe. Kariya's story had the potential to show him giving up his humanity for someone he loved and ultimately falling victim to his own emotions and desires. However, due to his development hinging on one main event and the fact that it was entirely plot driven, completely nullified the role of Kariya's character in the matter. The fact that very little attention was given to aspects of Kariya's personality beyond the introduction makes it difficult to effectively emphasize with him. Instead, such emotions were meant to be artificially provoked from us due to numerous scenes of him suffering. In short, Kariya's role in the whole story was to literally be manipulated. And while it may be entertaining to watch a character suffer, I see very little reason to justify an induction. Thus a "no" from me. |
Don_Don_KunJul 14, 2012 9:52 PM
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| My problem with Kariya, in the anime adaptation at least, is that how much you sympathize with him depends too much upon whether you've read the fate/stay night VN or the light novel. Concerning the VN, you have to know the future consequences of Sakura's crappy life in order to truly understand the gravity of Kariya's mission. People who haven't read the light novel, VN, etc. often complain that Kariya lacks screen time in comparison to the multitudes of other characters in F/Z, and so in the end, they didn't really care that much about his storyline. Even that aside, in the second season in particular, Kariya is basically reduced to a senseless crazy man. This is one aspect of Kariya's character that I've always disliked, that whenever he does something illogical or flat-out stupid, one can defend his actions by stating that he's long lost his marbles and thus you can't expect him to be a match for Tokiomi or Kotomine or anyone else. In the end, despite how interesting Kariya's predicament and motivations are, he as a character just doesn't measure up. |
bellpickleJul 15, 2012 10:09 AM
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| I'll see if I can watch the second season before the voting, or else I'll just abstain. |
 Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
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