Is your main character likeable?

[AngieVX]

Mine are likable, but sometimes I try to show them in a different way. Also I try to give them some bad-boy(girl)-vibe, though it's hard to see in the first chapters. XD

[whydocowsfall]

I'm that rare example of a terrible person who, nine times out of ten, likes the main character best... Everyone has different opinions, but personally for me I can't stand characters who are just downright mean or spend too much time whining about how sad they are and how horrible their life is, as it just gets me really down too. I do like characters to be "nice" but, as most people would agree, that can be pretty darn boring if that's their only personality trait.

My main character... Well, almost everyone who's voiced an opinion seems to like Polyphemus so far! But I think that's because nobody's seen much of him yet so for now he's just "adorable" or "cute", and that's the only thing for people to judge him on. I don't know what people will think as the story continues? I think there's definitely potential for people to think either way, but I hope most people continue to like him. I certainly do. :')

[Kayke]

I personally like all my main characters? They've got flaws, sure. They can be a little hot headed or selfish depending on the situation... and one of them has some issues with respecting other people's personal space, to be honest... but I think all in all their hearts are in the right place and they want to help people.

I've had a few readers say they don't like/trust some of the characters, but so far they have all kept reading, so I don't know if likability of the main characters and entertainment/interest of the reader are directly related.

I also don't know if being likable is directly related to being nice or a good person. Like in Howl's Moving Castle almost all of the characters have moments when they are extremely bratty and selfish and even mean to each other... but I still love them all a lot?

[kazukitakamura126]

I believe the protagonists I write are likeable for the most part. Zethero, the protagonist of Seishin Patona will help others even if he is a target of ridicule. I also gave him a silver tongue where can talk back to authority.

No matter if a protagonist is good or bad as long as they are protrayed as humanly as possible while have redeeming qualities can make for a good character.

[Vikiro_Hop]

I try to base my character "Hop" on all the bad parts of myself or just things I don't really care for. I'm really into self deprecating humor and it's kind of cathartic to make light of my own flaws. People seem to relate and enjoy that.

I think for the most part likable is sort of a broad statement and doesn't have to depend on whether or not the characters behavior is "good." I think people like to have a character that they can relate to the most, and that is what makes them likable. I'll identify with a misanthropic asshole much more easily than a saint who barfs sunshine and rainbows.

Character development can go in so many ways, there are plenty of times where people end up rooting for the villain by the end of everything, or you find that the main character was a terrible person all along. In the end it is the tone that largely decides how a character will be received. That being said an authors narrative can take on a life of its own and they will find that the characters they created to throw away becoming integral to the plot.

[BraveHeartTatsumaki]

Hmmm depends. I'd say probably people will get mad at my Main character because she's kinda a coward and a crybaby, and people mostly don't like that, though, there's a purpose of why I do it, and like someone said up here, I'm also trying to show them as human as possible so I'm like "how this character would react to this..." then I got it.
But usually depends, because a person can like, relate with a character for something of the past or such, but if the chara acts in a different way or in a way the person who relates would never do, the person would dislike the character, even if relate to him/her. Or something like that, i'm bad explaining xD
Many of my characters got a sad/terrible past, but they all act differently because of that, so it will depend in what people want to see in a character too. In the end everything depends in how we show our characters. A chara who's a jerk with a terrible personality can become likeable if it's written correctly, for example.

[Kecreed]

There have been plenty of times when I just can't watch a show at all because of the main character. No matter how good the story is, no matter how great the side cast is, if that main character ticks me off to no end I'm gonna stop watching it. That said. so far my character designs are not really solid so I'd say that Chris the Sheep is like-able because of his design but in terms of personality? That's a mystery to me how people perceive him. I try to make him an average guy that meets interesting characters along his way.

[Aetherwing]

I tend to purposely design my main characters to be jerks in the beginning, but develop into more likable people later on. I also like to balance this by having multiple main characters (one that has more likable traits to foil the other one.)
I would say Azora from my comic Aetherwing does not start out as very likeable. She's rude and uppity, but I balance this by showing these traits in a comedic light at times. Also the story's other main character, Marcel, is intended to be a lot more endearing.

I honestly don't have a problem with main characters that have unlikeable traits as long as they aren't boring. I also tend to enjoy side characters more than main characters, so if a series has a protagonist that I don't like, I'm usually okay with it.

[Wishjacked]

I feel like my main character is the kind of person you either love or hate. She's obnoxious and headstrong and can be a total brat. That said, she's very pro-active and there's never any doubt about her heart of gold, and those two traits have seemed to win over pretty much anybody initially bothered by her exuberance. I'm pretty excited to begin posting it online and hearing other people's opinions on her.

And yeah, I have certainly stopped reading a story just because I didn't like the main character. Even some stories with fantastic side characters seem to have bland main characters, and that really bugs me. I think the blandness is actually the main problem I see: I'd rather read about someone I actively dislike than someone who bores the daylights out of me. Wishy-washy mayonnaise MCs drive me nuts.

[williamjbowles]

There's a difference between 'likable as a person' and 'likable as a character'.
A 'likable character' can (and usually does) have flaws and weaknesses, or even actually bad characteristics to the point of knowing that you wouldn't like to meet them in real life (i.e. one of my main protagonists is pretty racist towards humans, and a meeting between us would not end in a bright new friendship).
On the flip side, there are many really good and delightful people in real life who are 'likable people' who would not be very engaging or interesting characters in a book or comic, despite being great friend material.
In fact, I'd even take it to the extent of talking about likable villains. You may hate them as a person, but they could still be great characters to read about, or even feel sorry for. I do love a good sympathetic villain, but they're hard to do well.

[Kura]

I don't intentionally try to make my main character likable or unlikable. Though for the most part the readers seem to enjoy them so far.

[amoritacouret]

I don´t know. I usually ask my proof readers if they are enjoying the characthers and why. And I always try to match their personality with their age (if the characther is an adolescent, they will be a bit more selfish, if the characther is a kid, they will be more innocent).
But sometimes it all comes to the consecuences of the characther´s actions. Scott Pilgrim worked because he eventually had to realize he was an asshole, Woody was called out a lot by the other characthers, Rorschach from Watchmen is another example: he is a misogynist, homophobic creeper who breaks the fingers of anyone who resembles a thugh, but the comic frames him as exactly what he is and the other´s threat him in a realistic manner; that´s the reason everyone still finds him likeable.
If Rorschach acted like this, AND was framed as a knight in shining armor and no one ever questioned him, he would be remembered just as another emo characther, and not by the fact that he is still a man who cares about justice and is looking to protect everyone he can (even if he has a lot of hate for society).

[shazzbaa]

The Dirty Old Ladies podcast mentioned kind of a cool, like, guideline on their character episode -- "Proactive, Competent, Likable -- pick two for a strong character." You can have a competent, proactive character who is an utter monster and people will probably be fascinated by them anyway. You can have a character who sucks at everything, but as long as they're proactive and likable they won't grate horribly, etc etc. It's sure not a SET IN STONE RULE but it's a neat thing to keep in mind!

[Marton]

My main character is clumsy and not good at much, but he tries.

[Miokka]

Well...She's not the bravest but the's getting there... otherwise a rather innocent and gentle being

I guess that's making her both likeable and hateable...
But aren't all characters ?
I don't know one character that doesn't recieve both hate and love

[AffectedMind]

My main character is a douche, but many people like him xD
The main can be a villain, but if she/he is charismatic and interesting, readers will like him.

[Pandastrophic]

Judging from the comment I get on my comic people seem to really like the main guy Mihai who's a bit of a dork and doesn't know how to handle social situations and it sort of doesn't match the way he looks. I get lots of comments about how they can relate to him, which I'm glad for since he's sort of ment to be relatable in the socializing aspect at least. On the other hand I got some mixed reactions for the main girl, which I find is good actually since you're ment to understand her slowly as the comic progresses.
Although I feel like the comic is just starting so I'm not sure what people would think of either of them later on.

[whistlebird]

Mihai is super loveble, no worries there. He'd have to do something really terrible for me to dislike him.

[WhatAHero]

I have two series that's meant to test how likeable a character can be with different personalities:

World At Strife was written with a young, cheerful, and funny try-hard of a person as the main character. Bit more of a traditional "boy on an adventure" story but with some subtle changes like the fact that he's pansexual, in his early twenties, and has no ambition whatsoever other than to find out who he is.

Scumbag Heroes (ironically a perquel to World At Strife), however has a complete asshole for a main character. Has somewhat the same cheerful demeanor as his successor but is completely aware of his wrongdoings and doesn't care unless it affects him directly. He's meant to be a mix between Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes and Handsome Jack from Borderlands: a fight-loving egotistical prick with a heart of gold.

I honestly love writing Scumbag Heroes' main character more because there's more freedom with his personality.

[jacintawibowo]

That's actually not true! And I can explain why :]

At the core of what a reader wants from a character: they want them to change and learn something by the end of their story. Their personality (or how likable they are) is irrelevant to that process!
This means that often the more screwed up the character, the more we actually like them. Because they have a lot of room to develop and become better. Their story can go into different directions, depending on the facets of the character that we want to tackle. They're ripe for stories.

This is why we often like characters that are screw-ups, the under-dog, the average loser, and jerks (well-meaning jerks especially break people's hearts). We can like nice characters who are good at what they do and have pleasant personalities, but if they don't have a flaw in some way (usually the flaw is naivety, being "too nice", over-working, etc) to develop out of, the reader won't like them. Some poorly written characters that are just "nice" for the purpose of being "likable" actually starts to creep people out.