What do you guys think about "hot-headed" character?

[Chocolate]

Hi guys!
So I've never created a hot-headed character before and I wanted to make a comic about said character. See here, the thing is; most of the hot heated character I've come across in media, is really dislikable. I really don't want to spend my time on something that may result in a disaster, but I like myself a challenge! What do you guys think of the tempered character? Do you have any webcomic suggestions for me to study? How can I make my character at least bearable if the hot headed characters are generally disliked? Thoughts and comments are appreciated, thank you!

[Pandastrophic]

I personally think you can make any 'character type' work as long as you don't strictly stick to their stereotypes and sort of make the hot headed thing more like a PART of their personality and not the only thing that defines them. Maybe they're hot headed but they also have another side to them, they pretty chill and tell lame puns whenever they're with friends (random example).
You could also make them relatable to readers, maybe they're hot headed due to stress or anxiety- were the reader can at least see why the character might feel this way.
Comedy is also an option if it matches the tone of your comic, you could always make them comedically hot headed, I've seen it done a lot so consider putting your own spin on it.

[Kayke]

I have a character who is quick to anger and I'd say she's arguably the most liked character in my comic and my readers always root for her. I think it depends on where the anger comes from. Like if your character is just angry all the time for no reason, that's annoying, but if they have cause to have an attitude, then that's okay. Also, it shouldn't be their only/defining trait.

For instance, my character gets mad because she feels like no one listens to her or includes her in things. She's smart and funny and caring, but she can go from happy to pissed off really quick if she feels like she's being ignored.

[Thesleepypencil]

I honestly have a thing for hot headed heros. Which probably spawned from my Manga/anime years where i loved characters like Inuyasha, Kyo from fruits basket, and syaoran from card captors. There are two things I need with hotheaded characters. First.I think what I like most with hot headed characters isn't as much that they are hotheaded as much as their character development. They all soften in someways as they grow, become less angry at the world. It gooey and mushy but i love it.
and second. Hot headed characters work best with a Not hotheaded characters as a partner. Someone around to calm them down and be that nice contrast. Example, my all time favorite hot head is Kurogane from Tsubasa chronicles. But he had four other characters to instigate him and help him and calm him down or rile him up. And i wouldn't watch or read anything if it was just a story of him Running around yelling at people.
(Another good example is Zuko from Atla. I personally didn't like him in the first three seasons at all. And if his uncle wasn't around at that base for him. I'd probably like him even less)

I have two hot headed characters in my comic and they go through that process, they are still hot headed at the end but less than at the begining. And in wip comic my main hero is the biggest little hothead.

To end this post i just love hotheads.they are fun to write and fun to watch in media

[efdvorsky]

I like them, a lot, but it depends if their hot-headedness is an excuse for the character to do dumb things to get the plot moving (word of advice, don't do that...unless ->) or their motivation is just too great for them to think logically for a bit but are fully aware they screwed up later and try not to do the same mistake again.(Unless they're terribly prideful, but then this should also have its own consequence to not make the audience feel cheated or that the writer refuses to let the character grow)

A character feels more human if it responds to what happened and maybe they choose to try and get better but moving on from an attitude like this takes time (not just one chapter either). In other words, if you're doing it, make it feel real. It's not a trigger word, but rather a part of their personality and WHAT is causing the conflict. (Example, Zuko from A:TLA and his frustration to restore his honor and father's affection)

Bad example: Calling Marty McFly a chicken destroys all reasoning for the character even when people say no.
(He ends up doing dumb things like racing his car which eventually leads to his life-changing crash despite people AT THE TIME pleading no. Yet he falls for it again in the 2015 timeline. It's incredible he didn't learn a lesson by then.)

The problem with this trope for some writers is that the characters don't seem to learn from this and continue to stumble upon the same mistake time after time. It isn't something for the character to learn from, but rather just a running gag for the plot to either have a throw-away moral or be able to leech off of it.

Good example: Gin and Miyuki from Tokyo Godfathers, they're both very hot-headed and fight throughout the entire film, but as it so happens it also grows as a father-daughter relationship. They learn from their mistakes even if they stumble on them again from time to time. Miyuki's hot headedness is even crucial to the plot around the end, but not something for the plot to leech out of, just her impulsiveness to do something right for once.

Doesn't have to be any negative consequences like Tragedy of Impulsiveness either.

I have a hot-headed character in most of my comics (even the one I'm publishing here), but also because I tend to be a little hot-headed myself at times, not gonna lie, haha...so it's just fun to write for me.

[Vikiro_Hop]

Pretty much how I feel about all tropes, if done the right way and not used as a boring fill in the blank template you can make it work out beautifully. A lot of how people will perceive the character whether that be in a positive or negative light will depend on the context you present them with. Just be careful because the readers won't know that your hot headed character is really like deep down right away, and may not want to stick around to find out if they are obnoxious.

If the character loses their temper easily try and have a good reason underneath or let it benefit someone somehow. If someone is quick to anger because they are looking out for everyone else that can be seen admirable. Versus if they lose their shit over small inconsequential things all the time that will be viewed as a personality flaw.

Not super related but some of my favorite characters are the morose misanthropes (everything sucks I hate everyone) Authors who use that for comedic affect or as a point of sympathy have been able to make likable characters despite them being pretty negative.

[shazzbaa]

I think the big thing that makes a hot-headed character annoying is if they are The Hot-Headed Character -- when that's their defining trait, it tends to feel like a person losing their temper for no reason, and it's frustrating.

"Loses temper easily" is something you can really flesh out in a bunch of different directions. Do you have an assertive, protective character who refuses to take any crap from those who would hurt others? Do you have someone hurt and defensive who lashes out at others to protect themselves? Do you have someone who just feels every emotion at 110% and is explosively enthusiastic, whether that's to encourage or to fight? Do you have a perfectionistic, control-freak character who browbeats people who are Doing It Wrong?

Once you make "hot temper" more specific than just a hot temper, it's a lot easier to see what can be appealing about a character. The protective character is going to be a pain when they're starting fights for no reason, but they're also going to be courageous defenders who aren't afraid to rock the boat when it comes time to stand up for someone oppressed. The hurt, defensive character is going to be harder to get close to, but they're also going to have a lot of emotional depth and can be one of the most intriguing. Even the perfectionistic character is someone with high standards who won't compromise what's right -- which is obnoxious when you're arguing about how much sugar to use in a recipe, but suddenly becomes admirable when they're refusing to compromise with the guy who thinks they should cheat to win.

Generally speaking, any time we can nod along and say "I can imagine getting mad at that," or "I think it's fair to be mad about that," we're going to be more sympathetic to a character -- the protective character raging against an oppressive empire is gonna be a lot more sympathetic than the protective character defending his honour against a dude that shoulder-checked him in the hallway.
We're also gonna be more sympathetic to characters who understand their own flaws -- the character who knows they have a temper and maybe even apologises sometimes when it gets out of hand is way more sympathetic than the character who thinks their actions were PERFECTLY justified every time.

In the end though, like any character with a personality flaw, the audience decides whether they can relate or not. Be really careful about insisting that your character is justified in an outburst, and be equally careful about painting them as unreasonable, since audiences always react badly to being told how to feel. Just know where your character is coming from; it'll be a lot easier to see them as a real, likeable person if you do, too.

[winglesscomic]

One thing that pisses me off about the hot-headed trope is when they abuse all their friends either because GRR IM ANGRY ALL THE TIME or for the lelz yet those people still associate with that character and are friends...?? ok then, masochists. which is why I hate the "tsundere" bullshit.

[phen]

Hot-headed characters certainly find their audiences regardless of what "flavour" they are but yeah, @shazzbaa makes excellent points about short tempers within reason. And I totally agree with @winglesscomic about the trope being abused with "friendships". It's just exhausting to watch a character unrelentingly mad at everyone and everything -- that being said, the Dan Vs cartoon was really fun to watch simply because the main character was mad at everyone and everything, barely managing to keep one friend.

A character flaw should be approached sensibly -- make the protagonist a total jerk and show the ramifications as they would play out in real life so that the reader can follow along, too. Sympathy and empathy are great tools to manipulate when writing hot-headed characters and it keeps it real enough. Unless the entire idea is at its core absurdity, then I guess the sky's the limit!

[VermillionWorks]

It's just exhausting to watch a character unrelentingly mad at everyone and everything

This. Hot-headedness can certainly be a fun character trait and I'm even drawn to characters with a temper like that, but there is only so much of it I can take seeing before it goes from interesting to just irritating. So I definitely agree to give them traits beyond just "GRRR". Note that not all hot-heads are necessarily angry people, either. They can be mostly friendly but still have a short fuse.

....though that can kind of go for any trait, not just hot-headedness. Like an angsty character: unrelenting angst would get on my nerves just as much, they should have other traits too!

.....unless of course they're Eeyore.

[chiharu_j]

I mostly agree with everyone else. I mostly like the idea of a hotheaded character but they should be hot headed with good reason, my main female character is a little hot-headed mostly everyone around her drives her insane especially her parents who are over-the-top but she mostly tries to contain her destructive anger most of the time due to past experiences.

One of my other characters is a total punk who thinks he's cool, funny and is also a loudmouth, all this mostly because he has a bit of Napoleon syndrome since he tends to be a little smaller than his male counterparts. Even so, Kouta is actually a sweetheart who get's embarrassed easily and he's super protective of those around him. So while he initially comes off as a hothead who's always looking for a fight at first, he has other sides to him as well. The ironic thing is that his elemental power is fire XD

Everything has a reason, I really like gloomy characters too but not gloomy ones who are always on the "woe is me" tip for no reason, just like I enjoy hotheaded characters so long as they're not just airhead idiots who get angry about anything and everything and never enjoy life at some point.

[Chocolate]

Woah!!! Thank you for all of the detailed and helpful advice. Lol I didn't think that I would get so many encouraging feedback. They really do wonders in my character creation process!!

[KSlinger]

It's just exhausting to watch a character unrelentingly mad at everyone and everything

That's the only real danger I see with hot-headed characters. I picked up a book once where the main character was a Mary-sue in every respect (don't even get me started) and whose only 'realistic' quality was her horribly foul temper. The book itself was unbearable to read. I don't want to follow the story of someone I don't respect or admire in at least some way, and with hot-headed characters there's a balance that needs to be struck. If they're jumping to conclusions, being rude and obnoxious, inserting themselves into situations that aren't their business, all just because they're angry, it really tarnishes my view of them from a personal/reader standpoint.

Shrek is a good example of an angry character with more going on. He is always shouting, banging round and losing his temper but it's very rare that his fury has genuine meaning. Often it is used to lighten tension, or simply dissolves when he becomes confused or startled. He is also extremely patient and kind with certain characters, like his wife and kids. It's also made very clear to the audience when his anger is heart-felt, and often those moments are the ones he regrets and spends the rest of the story trying to repair.

Hot-headed characters can be done well and you should certainly give it a go - just consider what argument their most loyal defender would put forward when given the chance to explain HHC's temper. If you wouldn't buy it, the readers probably won't either.

[zjwestbrook]

@ScampiCub and @VermillionWorks make good points. Any emotion being unrelenting is bound to get irritating. Kaylee from 'Firefly' is incredibly well-handled, despite Mal saying nothing could stop her from being cheerful. Yes, cheerful is her default, but we see her mood shift when conflicts arise.

Hot-Headed is a conflict response. If they're just angry at dinner because anger is their thing, it seems petty (on a character level) and it sucks all of the drama out of it (on a story level). My favorite hot-head is Idris Elba's Luther. He spends most of the show at a low level of grumpiness, but it isn't until he's pushed that he lashes out. When he's not being pushed, he's focused, intelligent and reliable. You never question why his estranged wife is still drawn to him, even after he punches a hole in the wall. The loyalty he inspires in his fellow officers never seems misplaced.

I think the key to making a hot-headed character likable is to think of them as a wish-fulfillment character. Introduce the temper at times when most people would kind of wish they had the guts to yell and throw things. Make it cathartic for the audience, THEN throw in those times when it's damaging to relationships and show the person trying to mend those relationships. So, the first time we see the temper we're like "yeah, that's appropriate" and the next "that's a bit too much, but I get it", then "I get it, but that was a bit too much". Building up to the "whoa! You need to stop!" moment. In between those flare-ups, give us a reason to believe this guy is beneficial. As long as we're convinced that the other characters need this guy and that he does love and like and enjoy normally, we'll take the temper.

[TrustyShamrock]

i dont have a huge problem with hotheaded characters as long as its not the main character. but they can be annoying sometimes when they cause problems for everyone else aaaall the time cuz of what a ding wad their being. i think theyre ok if they can be wrangled in tho

[elixiadragmire]

continuously confrontional characters grate on me in general. And that doesn't mean they're hot headed either. I'm reading a story with a contrary character who's so disinterested in the adventure and wants nothing to do with its other characters or the plot that I'm getting exhausted/frustrated reading it. They're a super strong character but to a point where their physically fighting the narrative, the two aren't working in tandem.

[Luie]

From what I've found, the most likable types of hot-headed characters are ones who are genuinely trying to do something right but are held back by their own pride. The internal struggle is between admitting defeat and asking for help or remaining stubborn and risking failure. The pride also has to be rooted from somewhere, most likely the character's history, so that readers can understand why it's so difficult for the character to change.
Speaking from personal preference, I like to see a character's struggle with other emotions besides anger. Usually a person unable to control their own anger will also not be able to deal with other emotions in a healthy way. They don't understand what they're feeling and how to deal with it. While hot-headed characters normally hide their other feelings as much as possible, this makes for a bigger internal struggle with their own emotions. At some point the character will slowly learn that their internal and external problems get better with outside help, that the help can be genuine, and that the world isn't full of cynics despite their past experiences.

Another thing to note about hot-headed characters is that their anger is used as a front to hide emotional pain, which is something they're extremely sensitive too. They won't draw attention to themselves in a fit of anger and explode just because they anger easily. There are much more subtle ways to show their anger, and it will be done in such a way where it seems like they want to disassociate from the situation. They will only lash out if they feel they are vulnerable or that they need to for the sake of their reputation. The only exception is if their emotional pain exceeds a certain threshold and they are unbearably stressed. Depending on how social they are (some hotheads feel a need to surround themselves with people) they will have different sets of buttons to never push and different levels of consequences when they are.

[shaylafarley5]

Just what Pandastrophic said, the only hot head character I can think of right now is bakugou form hero academia.