Hi there everyone. I am back contemplating things that probably don't need contemplating but I figured I would make a topic about it anyway.

I was watching parts of the Star Wars Trilogy...okay both of them on and off and I was watching Princess Leia and I remembered that she has always been one of my all time favorite characters, not only because of her character in general but that I loved how she was a woman character that paved the way for many woman characters we see today. I am sure there were others before her and I would love to hear about them but for me she was one of the first woman I remember seeing and wanting and wishing I had qualities like from the not real world.

I think of other woman that impressed me, such as Aeris (FFVII), Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice), Buffy(Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Eowyn(Lord of the Rings) and realized that many my favorite characters have qualities that I either have or would like to have. Most are in dire situations but end up strong and take on the adversity. Plus two of these girls were extremely short like me so I say power to the little people. :P

On the men side however some of my favorite characters would not be the ideal role model per say, possibly even the bad boy but they show depth and normally have the best lines. Han Solo(Star Wars), Spike(Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

Anyhow I guess my actual question is, what characters do you think of when you think of best characters in film, literature, video games etc? Do they make a large statement? Are they just fun? Did they make a huge impression on you?

In no particular order throughout...

Literature

Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird): The ultimate hero against injustice and corruption from my ultimate favorite piece of literature. (I also loved him in the movie.)

Ivan Karamazov (The Brothers Karamazov): I always had something for characters that end up insane. And it's just so captivating the way that his intellectualism-- the only thing he has-- is what makes him lose his mind.

Charlotte (Charlotte's Web): My little vegetarian heart was captured by this wise, selfless spider who gives up everything to save Wilbur, her friend.

Professor Umbridge (Harry Potter and The Order of the Pheonix): Just as much as I like the heros, I can equally appreciate the villains. And rarely does a character make me hate them as much as Umbridge did-- and I love that.

Movies (this list might be slightly long)

Darth Vader (Star Wars trilogy): The stone-cold, evil father of the protagonist who finally achieves redemption in the end of the series. Ahh, just so great.

Nurse Ratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest): Few villains are as calculating, inhumane, and completely dark as Nurse Ratched. (I also loved her in the book.)

Michael Corleone (The Godfather trilogy): He was once a legitimate lawyer, a war hero. A man who just wanted to help his family. Watching his slow transformation to a heartless mafia head is incredible.

John Coffey (The Green Mile): He's a Christ figure, obviously, (just look at his initials) but he's one of the few that I really loved. He's so innocent, and so full of love. By the end, he wants to be rid of life because it pains him so much to see all of the horrible things that life shows him. Breaks the heart.

Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump): This is the story of just a simple man with a simple heart. And yet he achieves so much. Very inspiring.

V (V for Vendetta): I love characters that are a paradox, and V is the ultimate example. A brutish, poetic, freedom fighting terrorist.

Charles Foster Kane (Citizen Kane): One of my all time favorite movies. Why would this multimillionaire, this enigma, utter "Rosebud" as his last words? And the realization in the end of what that simple word means is what creates this character.

Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones trilogy): Okay, he's just awesome.

Dory (Finding Nemo): I fell in love with this animated fish the second she showed up on screen. Perfectly voice acted by Ellen DeGeneres.

As for video games...

I don't really play enough to designate between favorite characters and just regular characters. But I will specifically say that Sephiroth is one of my all time favorite characters in a story. Just pure evil.

Other characters I just want to mention

.Charlie Brown
.George Costanza
.Kramer
.Superman
.Doug Funnie
.Oskar Schindler (he was a real person so...)

Hm, Tyler Durden from the film and book Fight Club for me. He was such a whack job and yet he made sense in so many Nihilistic ways.

Cho Chang: Harry Potter She is probably THE MOST hated on character in Harry Potter, but I love her. We can't all be strong and perfect all the time, sometimes we can only do the best we can. She defied her parents and most of society to aid in a fast approaching war people were trying to pretend didn't exist. She's a sweetheart, but harsh fate has taken it's toll on her. I felt so bad that she was going through this mental breakdown almost, and while people were hating on her they didn't stop to think how screwed up her life must have gotten after her 4th year. She's a loyal friend, a tough witch, but most importantly she's just human.

Zelos Wilder: Tales of Symphonia He has got to be the best character in a video game ever. He's so layered, so interesting, he has some angst in his past but he's always a fun guy to be around. He can be a jerk and make some stupid desicions but he's a good guy at heart who just wants to be free. Plus, the speedo. Gotta love that speedo.

Kuja: Final Fantasy IX The only FF villian I truly love. Despite not being human at all he acted in the most human way - he wanted to live. He can range from being as poised as royalty one moment and then act like a fustrated rebellious teen the next. Not to mention, he's funny as hell, even when he is trying to kill people.

Spencer: South of Nowhere I feel for Spencer. I really do. She finally found the boy of her dreams...except not. She falls in love with her classmate Ashley and now has to suffer the slings and arrows from peers, society, even her own brother and mother. I can't imagine how much it must have hurt for her to have to hear her mother say "You disgust me" all because of who she fell in love with. Especially considering her brother is trying to kick a drug habit, yet doesn't get as much scorn. All Spencer wants is to be happy, and to have her family really be a family again...it seems she just can't get it all because of who she is.

River Tam: Firefly River brings out the heart of everybody on board Serenity. She's broken, but she becomes whole again because these people love and accept her. River never fails to tug at my heartstrings - I was literallly brought to tears by her in "Objects in Space". She funny, adorable, a kickass psychic, and a little crazy.

Batman: Batman HOW CAN I NOT LIST HIM. He's badass, slightly insane, and not the kind of guy you want to piss off. But somehow, he's our hero.

Ellen Ripley: from the Alien series. She started many things by that character: strong female heroine in an extra terrestrial survival horror movie. No matter how graphics become more realistic in cinema in the future, nothing beats Ripley's "Stay away from her, you BITCH!!!" scene with the alien queen while riding a robot. She deserves the word pawnage, in every sense of the word.

Sherlock Holmes: Yes, IMHO he is quite boring as heck, but the way he cleverly pieced together evidences from crime scenes and the like, he really draws you in, and it makes me think on the "who did it" scenarios.

Peter and Susan Pevensie: My childhood heroes. Peter for being the levelheaded leader who looks out for everyone and Susan for acting as the maternal pessimistic character. I also love how the Pevensie siblings would argue among themselves... like siblings usually does.

There's a lot of videogame characters to put in, so they're the ones I'll list here.

Well, the thing is is in some movies/books, it's based on a real person that really leave a mark on me, like Elizabeth Wurtzel, Slyvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. But anyway, I think Holden Caulfield from the Catcher in the Rye and Esther Greenwood from Slyvia Plath's the Bell Jar, and Romeo & Juliet definitely are some characters that will always stay with me.

As for movies, Christian and Satine from Moulin Rouge. They always manage to make me cry. Leon from The Professional. And Sherry from Things Behind the Sun.

And in video games, of course Cloud and Aerith. But also Tifa, Cid Highwind and the Turks (haha). I love a lot of other FF characters, but as much as I do, they didn't really affect me like some others did. Neither did any other game characters from other series.

Definitely. Schindler's List is such an amazing movie.

You guys may not know him but...

Cooro - +Anima: Ah, Cooro, Cooro, Cooro. The lovable crow +Anima. He's one of the 'naive' type characters, but he made it even more adorable. He's child-like, means well and isn't prejudiced, having innocent views of the worlds despite being a +Anima. His naivety can be extended to taken things seriously, like when Shadow was upset that Cooro can fly while trying to make his glider work, therefor told him to 'go away'. Cooro did and really need a good push to help his friend, even after being told off.

However, Cooro's also have insights to him, like knowing the danger when resorted to stealing for example.

Plus, who wouldn't love seeing him being happy for just having yummy food?<3*give him apples*

Gatts [Anime/Manga] [Berserk]
IMO the most bad ass character ever created. He's a very simple character, so it's easy to understand his feelings and why he does what he does.
**spoils**
He's a strong willed human that takes everything head on. He's cursed with a tattoo that attracts monsters towards him 24/7, he has to take on Gods, the majority of his friends all died, his girlfriend got raped by his best friend who at the time just turned into a God, and to top it all off he lost an eye and an arm in battle against monsters. So now he travels the world in search for a way to stop the curse and to kill his best friend/a god.


Ippo [Anime/Manga] [Hajime no Ippo]
Basically a reincarnation of Rocky Balboa, the ultimate underdog boxer. Works hard, simple minded, strong...



...Guess I like the strong, simple kind of characters... >_>

I'd have to say, the character that I am best suited to is Cloud... He and I seem to have the same feeling toward our loved ones, such as the guilt we feel for letting something happen, though in truth, it wasn't entirely our fault... Such as, how Cloud couldn't forgive himself for Aerith's death, and he felt that, after that had happened, he couldn't help anyone. I haven't exactly gone through something like that in my life, but I feel the same way toward the little things. Such as if something were to happen to my friends or family, I'd always have something in the back of my mind telling me that I could've done "this" to help, or I could've done "that" to help... I never seem at ease with these thoughts always lingering, and I tend to develop this depressed sort of manner... and feel like I can't help anyone. I've always been one to try and be there for anybody, no matter what, and if I can't be there for any reason, I always drag along this guilt with me, even if there was nothing I could do about it in the first place, no matter what it is. That's the reason I think Cloud is the best character suited to me.

For another character that is my favorite, I'd have to say Cho Hakkai from Gensomaden Saiyuki. I've been compared to this character to many of my friends, and I wasn't sure why at first. But when I got deeper into the anime, I realized that we are alike in a lot of ways. Hakkai is the sympathetic kind of guy who always wants to be there for someone in their time of need, and would do anything to make sure that person would be alright in the end, whether it means sacrificing himself or not. I've been the same way in my life, always caring for whoever needs it, and putting myself last... That always gives me the most comfort, knowing that that person is going to be alright in the end. That's why Hakkai is one of my favorite characters.

Other than that, I'm not sure... I've always acknowledged Squall as one of my favorites (Of course, he comes from my favorite game of all time lol!). I don't care for his rude and abrasive personality, or the almost non-existent social life he held with others, but the one thing I liked most in Squall was his inner-strength, and his inner-leader... The way he becaome the leader of the SeeD's at a moment's notice, and led them to the charge against the Galbadian force (given, he was basically thrown into the role of being leader). To be able to lead the entire Balamb SeeD force against the Galbadian army was admirable to say the least.