Oct 2016
15 / 107
Oct 2016
Dec 2019
Quinineer
Oct '16

Make sure to obviously indicate the main character is special! They must either be tremendously popular, or an extreme, edgy loner(no in between!).

Also, if there is fighting involved, give every character incredibly impractical outfits, such as rainbow, neon capes, ten different swords strapped on their back, and bikini armor.

60SixAn Actual Shark
Oct '16

That design you've had for your main character since middle school? No need to update it, it's already perfect.

Pandastrophic
Oct '16

Everyone is a high school student, no need to include any adults or teachers!

Devika
Oct '16
  • To save time, use the same face and eye shape for all your characters! People can tell the difference just by the hair and clothes!
  • Make sure your big boobed ladies don't wear any support at all, especially if they'll be jumping around and fighting. A small triangle bikini top is enough. Maximize that bounce, baby!
Shiori_Saku
Oct '16

Here's one!

Make the design for your character so RIDICULOUSLY complicated that you can not redraw your character without:
1: Forgetting an "important" element of their clothing or costume
2: Changing their age
3: Chaining their hair length (or type!)
4: Spending more than 12hrs on the line art for ONE PANEL just to have it be so crowded you have to rearrange the whole page!

mayday
Oct '16

If you have multiple protagonists, make sure they all have equally super traumatic pasts (Giving one or two a bad past but making the other's contrast? Ridiculous!). Bonus points if those backstories aren't connected in the slightest!

Give all your female characters huge amounts of cleavage and way oversexualize them while making sure your males are always covered and realistically dressed!

Make sure to NEVER use diversity! Other races are too hard to draw!

Alternatively, make your POC so white looking that no one even knows that they aren't! That way you can say it's diverse without actually making it so!

mayday
Oct '16
NickRowler

if this ain't the realest thing for young writers though lmao

Tamanegi
Oct '16

If it's an evil villain, go crazy with the double chins and ugliness. Think Ursula from The Little Mermaid as your example. Being unattractive on the outside ALWAYS assumes the same on the inside.

indagold
Oct '16

don't forget to make them always wear SS uniforms! That way you know they are evil.

indagold
Oct '16
J.Z.Castillo

or a scar that makes them look cool and not at all disfiguring.

mayday
Oct '16

Especially if that scar is never explained/addressed and has no significance to the character outside of their appearance!

Quinineer
Oct '16

I've got another one; CAT EARS! For no reason! Because it's kawaii!
Also, give them human ears as well! Not like it matters, right?

NickRowler
Oct '16

-You don't need to research Japan or anything, you know enough from all that anime you watch.
-But then again, you really don't know everything about Japan, so make up a fake Japanese town and do whatever, so no one can get mad if it is not like the real thing.
-If you can't write a personality or decent jokes, just make them super kawaii
-Adult women should look like teenagers. Teenager girls should look like little girls. And young girls should look like babies (and act like them too).
-Handsome men don't have facial hair or body hair, that's only for the old and uglies
-Teenage girls and adult women acting like toddlers or cats is adorable.................(gag)

BlackMantaStudios
Oct '16
  • Diagnose them with every mental/personality disorder listed on DSM-5
  • Clumsiness will never affect them adversely except when falling right into their love interest's arms!
  • Their eye colors must change with their moods!
  • So he/she's a fighter, huh? Good! Make sure to equip him/her with sensible battle gear! Accouter them with frilly dresses, long skirts, neckties, helmet horns, and all other bling that definitely won't put them in danger!
  • Make them homosexual for no plot-related reason at all except for fanservice
  • Give them super-long names that only you can pronounce
  • BAWWWW NO ONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT THEY'RE GOING THROOOUGH

TACOBERTO
Oct '16

I've got 4 words for you that will totally change your idea of good character design for the better.
It's simple:
Spiky
Anime
Protagonist
Hair

mayday
Oct '16

Remember that males and females have the exact same face type! just add long eyelashes and BAM! It's a girl. You're welcome.

AnnaLandin
Oct '16
  • Your character used to be morally upstanding and good, but now they've gone evil? Better trade in that fancy goody-two-shoes outfit for skintight leather and fishnet stockings! Everyone knows that skimpy clothes barely disguise an evil heart!
  • Is your character an Asian girl in a cast full of white people? Give her an edgy haircut and make sure to dye some part of it with a streak of bright colour, like blue or purple of green. This will surely make her unique and memorable, and not at ALL like the literally hundreds of other Asian female characters in multiple franchises.
  • Everyone knows that fat people exist only for one reason; to be laughed at. Your main character can only be fat if she gets bullied for it, and works hard to get rid of that weight, just so she can knock the socks off her former bullies by being pretty. Additionally, it's okay if a character is fat and stays fat, as long as you make sure to signal to your audience that they are a.) mean and evil, or b.) pathetic.
  • All female characters who aren't your lead girl in a romantic story have to be either a.) less beautiful than your lead girl, or if they ARE as beautiful they must b.) be your lead girl's bitchy, personality-less rival in love.