this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2025
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By "favorite fictional character" I don't mean "favorite character of your favorite fiction", consider the media itself to be irrelevant.

Just consider the character itself and how it changes throughout whichever segments of its timeline, regardless of how the world moves around it (unless it's relevant);
the show / book / comic / game / political campaign itself may be absolute trash, but you love some character from that more than any other character from anything at all.

Like Magnifico from Wish, or the driver from Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing.

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[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Nanny Ogg from Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett.

I just really want to get drunk with her, it would be fucking hilarious I wish I lived in a universe where I could actually get wasted and be totally ridiculous with Nanny Ogg.

[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 5 points 1 month ago

I usually can't decide which is my top pick.

Esme is awesome, the picture of uncompromising competence.
Lord Vetinari, doesn't like how the world works, but works the world until it is better.
Sam, has such a great character arc.

[–] Jonnyprophet@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Nanny Ogg is amazing, with Greebo and her scumple (made from apples).

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 4 points 1 month ago

Well, mostly apples.

[–] DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hands down, Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation.

He's a libertarian who firmly believes in his right to self-determination, but doesn't force that view on those around him; he lets them live their own lives and is there to help them whenever they may need. I do somewhat envy his ability to ignore the meaningless bullshit around modern life, how he paddles his own canoe and strives not to be in anyone's way.

But most importantly, he's fond of pretty, dark haired women, and breakfast food, and who can argue with that?

[–] Niquarl@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago

God I loved that character. And the actor seems pretty lovely too.

[–] Didros@beehaw.org 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Soka from Avatar the last Airbender. Rare fir characters to be openly shitty and learn their lessons and improve.

[–] Sonotsugipaa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I had a feeling A:TLA would be mentioned, I would've sworn Zuko would be the guy...

I think they underused Sokka tbh. Such a good character yet his role in the gaang wasn't shown as often as I'd like.

[–] Didros@beehaw.org 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Considering how much time was spent on Zuko I always felt that Sokka was the stronger character

I don't know about Zuko being less strong, he did betray his father (and temporarily abandon his girlfriend) just to follow his moral compass; his runtime (and his first faux-turnaround at the end of book 2) highlight how difficult it was for him.

Sokka only had do smarten and humble himself a bit, which is no easy feat either, but easier by comparison.

... which is why if I had to pick a favorite from A:TLA, I'd choose Iroh.
Zuko was never really evil, but, where he took his time to look at his moral compass, Iroh had to experience geomagnetic reversal and made it out alive.
WITHOUT a kind uncle nudging him in the right direction.

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Mercutio from Romeo & Juliet is an all-timer. Just a clown who nobody takes seriously, but is liked by everyone. Then while he's being stupid playing with swords (but trying to patch up a blood feud at the same time) he gets killed, triggering a revenge murder that spirals into the deaths of the teens. Sorry for spoilers.

Sounds like me tbh, being a bit silly and causing trouble for people around me with no ill will
(though ~~un~~fortunately I'm still alive)

[–] janus2@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Probably the Doctor of Doctor Who because he's basically a large handful of characters in one, but with an overarching spirit of curiosity, adventure, and trying to do the right thing

William Hartnell is my favorite

[–] hbar@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

This is my answer too. I think each version of the doctor shines in a fun unique way. My favorite was my first (Christopher eccleston) but they are all wonderful.

"Never be cruel, never be cowardly. Hate is always foolish…and love is always wise. Always try to be nice and never fail to be kind"

[–] CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
[–] CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Yeah that was my first thought too! I think Steven Moffat summed up the appeal pretty well:

It's hard to talk about the importance of an imaginary hero. But heroes ARE important: Heroes tell us something about ourselves. History tells us who we used to be, documentaries tell us who we are now; but heroes tell us who we WANT to be. And a lot of our heroes depress me.

But when they made this particular hero, they didn't give him a gun--they gave him a screwdriver to fix things. They didn't give him a tank or a warship or an x-wing fighter--they gave him a box from which you can call for help. And they didn't give him a superpower or pointy ears or a heat-ray--they gave him an extra HEART. They gave him two hearts! And that's an extraordinary thing.

There will never come a time when we don't need a hero like the Doctor.

[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Commander Samuel Vimes, hands down.

His arc goes from zero to a million over the course of the Discworld series; even when he just has a slight Cameo he steals the scene because you get to see how terrified people are of him.

[–] Sonotsugipaa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That's the second mention from Discworld, I guess Pratchett really knew how to write his characters

[–] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 month ago

He was knighted, for services to literature....so yea, he was one of the greats.

[–] ashenone@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago

Vivi from Final Fantasy 9 is my all time favorite. Little dude just wants to belong and finds his rag tag group who accept him for who he is. Plus bro drips swag

[–] eldavi@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

jubal harshaw

he's a character by heinlein that appears in several of his novels and he's also the same benevolent never-do-well & know-it-all that aids each novel's protagonist and represents (for me) a cantankerously endearing bullshit-killer that i wish i could be.

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Probably the G-man, from Half life. Complex, interesting, and definitely not human, despite outward appearances.

He radiates the same aura as Randall Flagg in Stephen King's book, titled The Stand. But he isn't wholly evil.

He also has incredibly good monologues.

https://youtu.be/J-Zb7YbfOwM

[–] Sonotsugipaa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Nice pick, personally if that was my answer I would attribute it to how little we know of him.
Without any doubt, they really put a lot of effort into making him look and sound like... whatever he is.

Thanks for the link too, although it feels like that animation is too... expressive? I think the g-man would have less pronounced expressions, like, not going full >:3 when talking to Alyx.

[–] Wahots@pawb.social 2 points 1 month ago

Yeah, too expressive. Though I'm counting the smile at the beginning as canon, considering he was finally able to regain control over Freeman for the first time since he was foiled by the vorts at the beginning of EP1. I love that smile.

[–] hungrythirstyhorny@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Elizabeth, from Bioshock Infinite,so helpful, so powerful, cute, tough ,badass for me, one time she was dancing at dock, other times shes just killing enemies, other times she just full of sorrow, i dont understand her, but i really need her, from my experice of played the game..

pardon my english

pardon my english

If I had a nickel for every time I used bad English grammar I'd have two nickels, which is not a lot because my country has very high income taxes.

Keva Lagos from The Last Emperoux by John Scalzi. Brilliant, profane, and aggressively sex positive. She steals the attention from every page she's on.

[–] Devanismyname@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Captain anderson from mass effect. He's always in shepherds corner. Always there to back him up. He's the ultimate father figure and leader. Garrus is cool and my best friend, but something about anderson...

[–] Sonotsugipaa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Solid choice, he is a bit flawed in the first game (obsessed with pointing fingers at Saren (admittedly only being 1.05% wrong about him)); but he and Hackett are the OG superiors that have your back rather than constantly second-guessing you.

The latter even set his foot on a terrorist-owned ship, imagine the favors he had to pull in order to do that discreetly just to talk with you in person...

[–] Devanismyname@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Mass effect had a good line up of really amazing characters.

[–] Sonotsugipaa@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Controversial opinion, but I feel that all games after the first one were only held up by the characters and worldbuilding - hell, ME2's plot IS the characters

[–] Devanismyname@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

There's a ton of worldbuilding and character development but the gameplay and exploration is cool as well.

Maybe it's because I played them all several times (the original ones, not the LE), but the gunfight mechanics are extremely okay enough to me - oddly enough Andromeda was the one I most enjoyed shooting in (though I didn't finish it due to hardware problems).

Exploration as in sightseeing, yes you're right, I forgot about it - though I don't remember there being much actual exploration in 2 and 3? Granted, I either missed some things in 2, or they were included with some DLCs I didn't have at first.

[–] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 2 points 1 month ago

Reid Malenfant

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifold_Trilogy

https://www.goodreads.com/series/297804-world-engines

Great character, through 2 trilogies, both trilogies written years apart.

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Flinn from the Tainted Sword - it's an obscure old dragon lance novel about an old knight fallen into obscurity and a determined squire that still echoes the knight's old glories. Flinn is deeply flawed but goes through extremely realistic growth during the story. If you have the opportunity to read it I'd highly recommend it.

[–] Devanismyname@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 month ago

Just being able to go to all the different planets and stuff. Thought it was good. I thought me2 was the best of the 3.