Favourite fictional characters

General Discussion
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A simple enough question - which fictional characters do you like the most, and why? Doesn’t have to be just one, because picking out just one is probably impossible if you read / watch a lot :slight_smile: .

Sir Humphrey Appleby
Nigel Hawthorne’s devious civil servant in “Yes, Minister” and “Yes, Prime Minister” was a brilliant piece of both acting and writing, and I’ve loved him ever since first seeing the series.

Francis Urquhart
Forget the US remake (spit) and stick to Ian Richardson’s Shakespearean performance in the original BBC version. I felt his character was weakened slightly in the two sequel series (flashbacks about the murders he’s committed haunting him etc - bah humbug!), but still a great piece of work. I love the way he draws you into his plots and makes you almost complicit in them.

Dr Marc C DuQuesne
From E. E. “Doc” Smith’s Skylark books, Blackie DuQuesne is a villain in most of the books, but is probably the most interesting character Doc Smith wrote, and the combination of his honourable behaviour, ruthlessness and oftentimes inhuman brain are a pleasure to read about.

Nadreck of Palain VII
Another of Doc Smith’s characters, Nadreck is a truly alien alien, not the cheap “bumpy forehead plus exaggerated human trait” cardboard cut-outs you so often get (seriously, I cannot recommend the Palainians enough when it comes to writing aliens as, well, alien). Lazy, cowardly, unable even to comprehend the idea of honour, he is nevertheless one of the most terrifyingly competent good guys ever to grace space opera. There’s also Mentor, but he’s more of a supporting god there to hand out advice than a regular character.

Discworld
Quite a few characters here, so I’ll just lump them all together. Lord Vetinari, Vimes, Death, Susan, Granny Weatherwax, Ridcully (sorry, “***RIDCULLY!***” …), Nanny Ogg, Greebo, Carrot & Angua are my favourites. Well, and the Luggage, though it’s not really so much a “character” as an ambulatory plot device. Of the lot, I think Death is my favourite by far.

That’ll do for now I think - what about everyone else’s favourites?

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Kirito+Asuna from SAO are both freaking awesome.
Also Light from Death Note.(yes I’ve been watching too many animes)
Additionally Dr. Who, Mal, and Kaylee are also awesome.

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Doctor Who has his moments, but I think he goes too far too often to be one of my favourites. I definitely like Kaylee from Firefly though. Mal… a bit generic in my mind (mind you Kaylee might be too, but she’s sweet so hey :stuck_out_tongue: ). Don’t know the other three though.

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Yeah, they’re all from Japanese animes.(Like I said, I watch too many…)

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So if I drop Rintarou Okabe and Makise Kurisu in here that’d be alright with you? :smiley:

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Artemis Entreri - Dark Elf Series

Raistlin Majere - Dragonlance

Tasslehoff Burrfoot - Dragonlance

Walker Bo - Shannara

Eisenhorn And Ravenor - 40k

Phone makes it hard to elaborate. Also didn’t add my show favorites…

Bill Adama - BSG

Merlin - Merlin

Book - firefly

The Doctor

… I feel like I could go forever.

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I’m pleasantly surprised to find a fellow E.E. “Doc” Smith fan. He didn’t write anything that isn’t a great read. Same for Robert E. Howard.

Ciaphas Cain
A military officer and accidental hero in the warhammer 40k universe who gets himself into more trouble trying to avoid trouble than anyone else around.

Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser
A pair of heros, of which you cannot speak of one without speaking of the other. The adventures they get into read like the ultimate D&D campaign, but most of their stories were written before D&D was ever conceived. Fafhrd is a tall barbarian that wields a longsword and dagger, but was raised a skald. The Grey Mouser is a short thief that wields a shortsword and dagger, but was first an apprentice mage. The stories cover all their adventurings, from callow rogueish youths to fell warriors to leaders of men. The best part is the sheer inventiveness with which the author embellishes their personalities and the world around them. For instance, the lands of the world of Nehwon are said to float inside a giant bubble rising through the waters of eternity. While not the only thing the author ever wrote, their story was written on and off for his entire life.

Conan
More the original character as written by Robert E.Howard than any other version of him. A man that can be deadly serious one moment and laughing the next, but always living his life to the utmost. A man that fights all the way from cradle to grave. One day a rogue, the next a pirate, the next a mercenary and an adventurer and a general and a rebel and finally the king of a great nation.

Also a big anime fan, but my mind is drawing a bit of a blank on truly “favourite” characters atm.

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HOW DO YOU NOT LIKE RINCEWIND???

Artyom and Hunter-Metro 2033 and 2034

Any Discworld character as they are ALL amazing!

,Leman Russ, Loken, Logan Grimnar and Darnath Lysander 40k

I have WAY more, Let me get back to you on this.

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Marvin from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy : )

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All QX at this end, so I need to do a flit. Clear ether!

:smiley:

[quote=“Tuhalu, post:7, topic:7825, full:true”]Ciaphas Cain
A military officer and accidental hero in the warhammer 40k universe who gets himself into more trouble trying to avoid trouble than anyone else around.[/quote]
Throne! This is what I get for writing my list so late at night - I forgot Ciaphas & Jurgen :open_mouth: !

Never read about the two middle characters, though I’ve read a few Conan stories. Not sure he quite makes it onto my list though.

Because he’s a one-trick pony (which is, IIRC, the reason Pratchett doesn’t do more with him).

TBH much as I have an enormous pile of 40K books (and e-books) here, there aren’t many I’d consider having favourite characters. I mean, I like most of Dan Abnett’s work in the setting for example, but most of it basically boils down to a sort of easy-to-read Michael Bay script ;D .

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Then you probably should! The author was Fritz Leiber and the series is called Lankhmar.

Thinking about Nadreck reminds me of another series I really liked. The Uplift Wars books by David Brin. It gets a little silly in the final book (of 6 set in the same universe), but the whole set of stories lets you get inside the brain of a lot of strange aliens (and some not so alien).

It probably says a lot about me that the character of the world building is what I like best in most fiction. The actors in them are loved and lost to memory, but the world in which they act remains.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t remember the names of the actors… Kimball Kinnison, Mac and Worzel for instance. But I’m just as likely to remember the Wheelmen, the Valerian Space Marines and the Lens as any individual.

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Ok my favorite charecters is:
Hoid.
From the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson.
Also because i like the concept about him

Ender wiggins
From the Enders game series (Don’t remember the name right now)

Richard
from looking for group

Elda and Derk
From The dark lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones

Stephen Leeds
From Legion by Brandon Sanderson

Who don’t love Raistlin?

This one too :slight_smile:

Also quite a lot Discworld characters

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fantastic thread… :smile: :+1:

just a few of my favorites that spring to mind:

  • Rand Al’thor from The Wheel of Time series
  • Richard Rahl from The Sword of Truth series
  • Tavi and Fidelias from the Codex Alera series (winks at @sdee)
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I will probably get flame for this.
But…
Edward Elric of Full Metal Alchemist. That anime is dope yo.

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Although I don’t have the time to make a nice list as I should, I just had to comment one of my favorites. . .

Mikasa Ackerman

Mikasa-Ackerman1.jpg1191Ă—670 141 KB

Her personality is one that has struck me harder than most other fictional characters. With the “warriorish” livestyle and training I grown up with, I’ve kinda of grown a blunt view on life and the world that I’ve always found difficult to describe myself, but is perfectly described by the quote by Mikasa in the picture above. I’ve always been kind of a loner but I have those friends that mean an awful lot to me. Her personality is the perfect balance between cold and emotionless yet her feelings for her friends keeps her grounded. She’ll keep going no matter what the cost and with protect her friends to the end.

If I can’t, I die
But if I win I live
I can’t win unless I fight

What’s not to love?

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She was the best thing about the anime. Nice post man.

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WOOHOO!!! Go Attack On Titan!

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Only like 8 months until season 2

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Cordelia, Aral, and Miles Vorkosigan. All of Bujold’s heroes are really well grounded in their cultures and family relationships. Their novels explore what heroism and epic deeds look like from the inside, which makes for inspiring and uplifting reading. :slight_smile:

Also, of course, Garrus, Liara, and Tali from Mass Effect, and Isabella, Aveline and Varric from Dragon Age. A hero’s got to have good friends along when they’re saving the world!

I loved this book, but mostly because it reminded me of this one. Out of print, but amazing if you can find a copy.

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Ah, I remembered another one.

Druss the Legend from the Drenai series by David Gemmell. A curmugeonly badass.