The beauty of weak characters

[NinaWrites]

I think I started 8 different stories, and I realized... damn all my main characters are weak as shit! I know the general trope is to have a weak character and then they basically get OP... later on.

I want to know how people create a balance of giving character growth to become OP without it being so Mary/Gary Sue. I never been a fan of - oh, you just happened to come across Excalibur because it's fate trope. I may be the minority on this.

I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this matter!

[IndigoShirtProd]

Make them suffer. Emotionally. Physically. Mentally. Make it difficult in some way for them to reach their goals. And inform the reader on how those struggles shape how they handle their new found power. Do they abuse it? Use it for good? Is it overwhelming or easy to handle? Through those struggles the characters should be able to learn more about themselves, their limits, and what they're willing to sacrifice to attain that power. Their efforts should have an effect on the plot, if you want them from being a Gary Stu/Mary Sue.

[joannekwan]

Since most of my stories don't deal with magic or superpowers or 'chosen one' scenarios, I look at weakness in a different sort of way.

Strip away any sort of external power or special abilities and examine the character's personality and how they function as a character.
Do they let other characters make decisions for them in the story? Does the plot just drag them along for the ride? Do they have any sort of agency? Do they choose to change their circumstances and figure out solutions to their problems? Do they acknowledge their own faults and work to overcome them?

Thinking about these sorts of questions can help one develop a character and figure out their development/character-arc for the story. I guess the simplest arc would be for the character to start passive at first (weak) and then gain confidence in themselves to be more active (become stronger).

[rmdooley]

I like characters that are the underdog or at the natural disadvantage. It allows for small conflicts to have higher stakes, and I'm always more invested in characters who are punching up or above their weight class.

A good example of a character who is comparatively weak to the faces he threats is Alex Verus in the series written by Benedict Jacka. He's a diviner so his magic is nonphysical in a world of mages who can summon, fire, ice, or kill you with a touch. All he can do is see the future and has to compensate for the power differential for the majority of the series.

It's a good example of a character having a 'weak' ability but by no means being a weak character.

[TheOddFungi]

Here is my personal experience with my own MC and this might be a little spoiler-y but I want to share it in case it helps anyone. Due to a lot of gaslighting and mental abuse my MC doesn't believe he is strong even though from the outside looking in we can see that he is strong physically and has the capability to be powerful and it is alluded to that he has supernatural abilities from the start.

He started out as a Gary Sue several years ago and I really had to dig in and figure out what exactly made him powerful though. I had to find what his weaknesses were, why they were there...etc. So basically, as the story progresses and he learns more about himself and heals he becomes more aware of his potential because he understands that he already is strong and powerful, he just wasn't able/allowed to see that.

So my advice is: find out what makes your character powerful and where it comes from. If it was given by chance, it is highly unlikely that they will just immediately be able to control it well. If they were chosen, then why were they chosen? What are their weaknesses?

In terms of my character, the mental battle within himself is his biggest struggle, not the physical fighting he has to do. One could view him as weak/the underdog due to his inability to just see that he has the power to change everything around him in an instant, but that's how scary mental manipulation can actually be.

[DiegoPalacios]

I want to know how people create a balance of giving character growth to become OP without it being so Mary/Gary Sue. I never been a fan of - oh, you just happened to come across Excalibur because it's fate trope. I may be the minority on this.

There are many ways of making this growth a satisfying and believable experience.....

-Many people mentioned that it often involves a struggle and effort. The growth in power can be gradual, involving training and hardwork. Perhaps the hero needs to learn how to properly use a sword, even if he was lucky and found excalibur, or he needs to study magic to catch up with people who developed powers naturally and so on....

-Another satisfying way to make a character gain a boost in power is by making them work smart: Maybe their magic is not that powerful, but they may figure many clever uses for basic spells or a game breaking spell combination for example......

[kitkatxk]

This is what I am doing. Suffering causes growth, its hard and painful and our characters don't want to go through it. But in life thats what makes people admirable.
If you heard about someone who sat around having someone feed them hand and foot, giving them their every desire and then they are mean rude people. You don't care about their story. But if you hear about a boy who was hurt locked up in a dark corner. Told they were worthless and then they become someone who is strong enough to be there for others and not afraid to ask for help when they need it. That is a strong character. Strong enough to save themselves, strong enough to be there for others. It makes them someone worth standing with. Someone you can get behind. Someone you want to cheer for.

[monotone_ink]

Weak characters don't have to become OP for a good story

[WistyWrites]

Make them suffer. Emotionally. Physically. Mentally. Make it difficult in some way for them to reach their goals.

This is what I like to see. Honestly, be as brutal as possible, and then, I don’t know, the world get better, but they are still suffering. If a loved one dies, show off their weak side, and let them be selfish, mean, and unhelpful, because of their grief. Or, you know, just make them go through some trauma.

[WistyWrites]

Agreed! I like to have a little balance by having weak and OP characters, but maybe that’s just me.

[SleepingPoppy]

I love an underdog, so yes to beautifully weak characters, and just generally struggling against impossible odds~

I think the way to avoid Sues has more to do with making sure the character is dimensional, has flaws, has problems that can't be solved by being the most powerful or most beautiful person in a room.

Though personally I can't think of any of my own OCs where the story involves a character going from a weak power level to a stronger one. Changes tend to be more about addressing flaws, growing as a person, finding something that's missing. For me, I think you're more likely to see a weak character finding inner strength, or a strong character revealing vulnerability or struggling with a flaw.

[DiegoPalacios]

Another way to make weaker characters satisfying is by them relying on strategy and wits over raw power.

[Kuma]

Characters shouldn't be too strong they can solve anything they encounter with ease or so weak that you need a Deus Ex Machina to save them 90% of the time. They need to be strong enough to face the challenge and weak enough for it to be challenging.

Is a narrative tight-rope but is worth the effort.

[rajillustration]

I like having weakness there as a restriction, so that way it helps funnel my story towards a goal better. If my characters can do everything, then it's hard to decide where the story is even going. Too many possibilities. So, kinda like how in art we put in restrictions like limited palates and medium restrictions...I think it makes storymaking just a lot easier when I don't have to juggle as so many different possible threads bouncing around in my brain.

[Beppobear]

Honestly, I love when other characters hate the weak MC and bully them. It feels soooo good to read how their asses get kicked or how the MC gets stronger and just doesn't spare them a glance because they're the better person.

As for the sudden growth of strength, instead of eating All Might's hair, maybe they're born with some attribute that seems boring or useless but they wield it differently and thus utilizes every single use of it, potentially making them the 'strongest' just because they are the only one able to do something as crazy as that. You get where I'm coming from?

Like keep them weak, that's the plot. The charm comes from how differently the MC thinks compared to the normies who are already strong. The MC is just intellectually built different.

[Flug]

joanne and monotone mention an important aspect - humans are dependent on being a team from the first to the last minute - and especially in those minutes. This IS their superpower and in times also their super crisis, no matter their personal strengths or weaknesses. The drugged young man diving the sky near London in a burning machine has only limited influence and insight into the drama he is part of.

[oshirockingham]

The beauty of weak characters.
They're more relatable to readers than powerful characters who beat enemies without sweating a bit.
Just like a generic bully scene, more audiences will relate more to the victim than the bully.

[Jwebtoons]

I personally enjoy seeing a character grow in terms of character development and their powers. Getting more creative or increasing their raw power. There is just something amazing and fun about it. Kind of like a video game. You spend the entire time trying to improve your character to take on obstacles because it's fun, so reading about a character is a similar experience. Basically you are enjoying a journey with them.

Watching a character be op can be less interesting because nothing feels like a threat, so any sense of danger or high stakes will vanish. I've seen stories that have an op character with no flaws and can basically just snap their fingers to defeat their enemies. The protagonist is most likely not scared or concerned, so why should the audience be? If they're is no conflict then what is the purpose of the obstacles.

It's okay to have an op character as long as the conflicts they face are something they can struggle with. Whether there is a rule stopping them, some form of trauma, or the new threat is just stronger in some way, as long as it is not something that can be easily solved then all is good.

[IamKeeks]

Personal Opinion
Depends what you mean by weak. I personally prefer variety in the character's interactions. I'd recommend gradual growth and strengthening. Sudden and immediate growth can be really fun in comedies, but I personally can't stand it in action or more dramatic series.

One of the tropes that I don't love, but find reasonable, is when they accidentally tap into some power or ability and become unable to access it later. It's usually proceeded by an arc of figuring out how to access that power. It's kind of boring and predictable, but it's a reasonable move for character development.

I prefer when the character is shown that he's not the "strongest." Occasionally tossing in a parallel rival that can be a villain or anti-hero who appears inconsistently and frustrates the endeavors of the MC.

Another option is to emphasize non-traditional strengths. The character uses knowledge, faith, friendship or another quality that becomes their identifying strength.

It would help to know what genre you're writing because unless you're doing some kind of battle tournament novel your options are pretty endless.

[R.n.P]

what he said @NinaWrites