Complex characters

Jul 3, 2016 4:36 AM

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Sep 2015

232

If you can fully describe them using 2-4 adjectives then they're not complex. They don't have to be insane. Insane doesn't mean complex nor does the opposite apply either. Yuno from MiraiNikki is batshit insane but not complex in my opinion.

Jul 3, 2016 6:39 AM

#52

Maksim-

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Mar 2013

904

Complex characters? I'd say Homura and Kirei.

Jul 3, 2016 6:50 AM

#53

v1talized

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Apr 2016

265

anything other than a harem protagonist.
also pretty much every character from mekakucity actors is a little complex.

currently in a state of denial

Jul 3, 2016 7:04 AM

#54

Manaban

Data Livestock

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Sep 2015

7690

A character that has blah blah blah this, blah blah blah that, whatever I like to see in a character.

To me, a "Complex character" is just one of those things that is mostly used in order to justify tastes since it makes the person saying it sound more intellectual. Dig past it and it's probably just a normal character who they happened to like. While there's a difference between trope characters and 3 dimensional characters, it's just one of those terms taken by faux-critics and hammered into the ground until it was accepted as a term that is unchallenged as an inherently good thing.

Jul 3, 2016 7:20 AM

#55

cherryblossom519

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Apr 2016

297

Someone who has a balance of flaws and good traits, possibly has questionable morals, and maybe isn't the same person he/she is on the inside than on the outside.

Jul 3, 2016 7:18 PM

#56

removed-user

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Jul 2018

561864

Defining a good character is quite simple. Every action must fit the logic of what has already been established.

e.g. Shinji was defined as whiny, weak, and immature from the start of NGE. Throughout the show he follows this character logic.

Furthermore if the character changes, it must come logically from something that is beyond his domain, and forces him to change. The best characters are those where you have defined them so well that you can create any kind of scenario and you'll know exactly how they'll react to it. Even if you gave Shinji a hyper-cannon that would be able to save the universe, he'd still be suffering from the issues he suffers from.

Complexity, then, is merely being able to follow through a wide variety of traits consistently - the same way real humans will use their entire personality to react to any situation. The masterclass for this would be the movie Still Walking by Hirokazu Koree-da. There was a scene in it where 5 or so characters were talking around and dinner table, and then a new character came in - with a personal history with all of the characters in the scene. Immediately, every single character changed their actions in order to accommodate for the appearance of this new character - based completely on their established history with this character.

Take note that complex characters don't necessarily make for better characters. Sometimes archetypes can be used and still be great characters. How you use them, though, is to put them in situations where what they represent is constantly at peril. That way you can commentate strongly on the traits that they represent.

If, for example, you put one of the super-realistic characters of a Yasujiro Ozu film into the larger-than-life settings of an Akira Kurosawa film, there'd be a plain disconnect in the mood. Seven Samurai has Toshiro Mifune play a samurai who has basically a one track personality, but then places his personality in a powerful setting in order to commentate on something greater. That's why the ending of that film is so devastating, despite the characters being simply defined.

There are some moments where character logic can be violated of course. But unless you're a great creator who has seen a stroke of genius where you can have the character go so totally off from his character logic and still maintain the suspension of disbelief - usually any action that deviates from character logic is a bad move.

I'm also certain that insanity is the exact diametric opposite of complexity. Insane people, after all, are either completely random, which means they have no character in the first place, or they're doing the same thing over and over again. The trick to writing good 'crazy' characters (e.g. Alex from A Clockwork Orange, Travis from Taxi Driver, any Dostoyevsky character, Macbeth) is not from showcasing their craziness, but from showcasing how they maintain their humanity and personality in the face of their mind breaking down (e.g. Alex's love for Music, the internal monologues of Macbeth).

Jul 3, 2016 7:39 PM

#57

Kindara

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May 2016

Complex characters are those who stand out from the rest and are difficult to understand. I suppose in a sense they keep you on your toes. Characters like Lelouch and Light fit this description since they make drastic changes through their respective stories that both drive the plot of the story and their evolution as characters. The complexity between the two are why I enjoy Code Geass and Death Note so much.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
~ George Santayana

Jul 3, 2016 9:13 PM

#58

Lap1

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Jun 2013

463

Kindara said:
Complex characters are those who stand out from the rest and are difficult to understand. I suppose in a sense they keep you on your toes. Characters like Lelouch and Light fit this description since they make drastic changes through their respective stories that both drive the plot of the story and their evolution as characters. The complexity between the two are why I enjoy Code Geass and Death Note so much.

So complex characters would be based on their inner struggles?
I don't think Lelouch did ever change though, but he kept going forward acknowledging he was killing innocent people along the way. Light easily got corrupted and sank into madness.

i don't know what could be considered a complex character, i supposed that having a lot of problems, going through a lot of hardship and being greatly self-aware makes them kinda complex.

Jul 3, 2016 9:14 PM

#59

Nyah_Chan

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Feb 2015

2083

Complex character = closest thing to a human personality... thats it

Jul 3, 2016 10:13 PM

#60

Kindara

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May 2016

Lap1 said:

Their inner struggles definitely contribute to their complexity. I suppose Lelouch didn't change that much, but I feel as if he gradually became a better person over time even though he had the same objective all along.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
~ George Santayana

Jul 3, 2016 10:21 PM

#61

OrangeJP

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Apr 2014

1143

The most complex characters I have ever seen. They're an enigma.

Jul 4, 2016 3:53 AM

#62

archaai

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Aug 2015

2010

Kaneki-Uta said:
Complex character = closest thing to a human personality... thats it

There are more generic human beings than you might think.

Jul 4, 2016 3:56 AM

#63

Isterio

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Oct 2013

4275

Bobby2Hands said:
I would say a complex character is one who has many facets to their personality.

Also just because a character is complex does not necessarily make them a good character nor does a character being simple make them a bad character.

Best answer frame this in and lock the thread. Only Bs and listing will follow from here on on.

Jul 4, 2016 10:13 AM

#64

Nyah_Chan

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Feb 2015

2083

On_the_Lam said:

Kaneki-Uta said:
Complex character = closest thing to a human personality... thats it

There are more generic human beings than you might think.

hahah I don't consider those kinda of people human... because their fake

Jul 6, 2016 8:12 AM

#65

TheBrainintheJar

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May 2015

16468

Yuno is more complex than people give her credit. She's the subversion of the clinging girl. While she needs a man for her emotional stability, she won't do anything for him. She doesn't let Yukki own her, but she owns him. She puts her psychological need above his.

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Jul 6, 2016 8:25 AM

#66

Harukei_bMaster

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Feb 2016

130

How about hisoka? Lol.
Killua and most villain in hxh. But i think the most appealing one is hisoka

Jul 6, 2016 9:28 PM

#67

dragonofmars

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Aug 2013

201

1) layers
2) flawed
3) morally ambiguous

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