Characters that are hated by everyone but I like/Characters that are liked by everyone but I'm not a huge fan on them/Hated characters that I agree with

In every form of fiction, there are a lot of characters we love or hate and I myself have a lot of characters that I’m a fan of, some of which are well liked by others too. However, I’ve noticed that there are a few characters that are disliked by many others (referring them as The Scrappy, one of the few TV Tropes that I’m against with very few exceptions) or at best, divisive (otherwise known as Base Breaking characters with some people like them while others don’t). So I thought it would be interesting for me to discuss the characters that a lot of people seems to hate yet I like or at least find them ok. Please note that there maybe some spoilers.

Characters that everyone hates but I like (or at least find them ok)

Jar Jar Binks – Star Wars

Jar Jar Binks is the text book example of this with him being my favourite Star Wars character ever since I’ve watched The Phantom Meance since my childhood, finding him an amusing character with his clumsiness, making him the sole reason why I like Star Wars. Yet much to my dismay, I’m aware of the hate he gets with many others referring him as an annoying comic relief character and accusing him as a racist (which I’m sure it would not be the intention). 

Worst still, I’ve found out that his portrayal Ahmed Best have received so much hate that he have once considered committed suicide. Whilst it’s a good thing that he is still alive, it upsets and angers me to hear it, reminding me on how vile some fanbase/vocal minority can be. You can dislike the character but their portrayal should not receive hate because of it. The fact that his dislike is also shown in other Star Wars related media including The Clones Wars with other characters also hating him (which is why I’m against watching that show even if they did help to improve his character but it doesn’t change the fact that they were ok with the fandom hating Jar Jar even if Ahmed wasn’t directly involved) really puts more salt in the wound.

In the light of this, there were some comments regarding to Ahmed’s suicide attempts about how sorry they heard about this, saying that they have always liked Jar Jar (and a few who did hated him have apologised to him), showing that he does have fans along with showing Ahmed their support. No matter what anyone says, I will always like Jar Jar.

Patroklos – Soul Calibur V

The Soul Calibur series have introduced wide variety of characters and Patroklos is one of the most diversive, if not hated due to his jerkass attitude and his actions in his story line. I can understand that he is not the kind of character who is likeable but to me, having an actual story in a Soul Calibur game was an interesting direction for the series to take at the time and being the main focus, Patroklos have contributed to this (even at the cost of other characters).

I’m aware that he has been rude, arrogant and ungrateful to most of the characters for the first half of the story but all he wanted is to be reunited with his sister Pyrrha who he cares about which is his redeeming quality (and maybe I didn’t take him rudeness to Z.W.E.L or Viola seriously). Not to mention the fact that before reuniting with Pyrrha, he have killed innocents who thought to be Malfested but least he did realised this as revealed by Duma who’s been manipulating him.

I’m also aware that he later on abandoned Pyrrha in grief when she revealed her Malfested side while trying to protect her and later but I would put the blame to Tira who was the one who kidnapped Pyrrha, making her a Malfested and have probably set this up to tear them apart. What have probably made him even more hated is when he killed her but that was when he realised the errors of his ways and resolve to set it right. Likewise, I would pin the blame on Elysium who manipulated him into this.

I am not saying that I’m letting him off the hook that easily. Maybe he could have been written better but I say that he doesn’t deserve all the hate he gets plus his character development as Alpha Patroklos during the second half of the story was enough to redeem him in my eyes (as late it have taken place), especially during the last parts of the story from his resolve to make amends with Pyrrha to his confrontation with Elysium, showing how far he have become. I hope that he does make a return in a future Soul Calibur instalment with his jerkass behaviour toned down and focusing on making amends to give him another chance (maybe in a similar way as Haseo from .Hack Gu who is similar to Patroklos in a couple of ways and happened to share the same voice actor).

“We've made so many mistakes, and we must make amends for the rest of our lives.”

On a similar subject, the other Soul Calibur character I liked but is apparently unpopular is Yun-Seong due to his idiocy and replacing Hwang but he is one of the characters who I’ve started off with on Soul Calibur 2 (which was my first Soul Calibur game). He does have some good intentions involving protecting his home land and often involved in comical situations.

Korekiyo Shinguji – Danganronpa V3

As a heads up that there’s going to be other Danganronpa characters mentioned for each parts of this article. Anyway, Korekiyo has always been an interesting Danganronpa character to me even if he has become hated by others. Of course, I do not condone his actions including killing two other characters and his incestuous relationship with his sister but even so, I can’t find myself disliking the character with his calm yet twisted personality that makes him an entertaining character in a dark twisted way. His campy voice provided by Todd Haberkorn has helped with that. Even with his actions, I still find him an interesting character in a love to hate kind of way.

Clippit

For those who have used Microsoft Office Windows from version 97 to 2003 will remember the Office Assistant Clippit (and others). A lot of people have found him annoying, pestering them for random tips. I actually don't really mind having Clippit to keep me company while I use Word. He makes the tips interesting to read as if he's saying them and I liked his animation as he moves, making Microsoft Word alive. Guess I've taken him for granted as it wasn't until later on when I've found out that he's been removed for later versions and disliked by many including for needless to say his creators. Whilst I can manage without him, I can't help but to miss him every now and then and to feel sorry for the flax he gets.

On the base breaking side:

Anakin Skywalker – Star Wars

Anakin Skywalker is the other Star Wars I liked who also received a lot of flak. Actually, it’s the Hayden Christensen portrayal that I liked, admittedly due to finding him hot and attractive. That aside, a lot of fans have said that they disliked his portrayal that made Anakin a Wangst (though it has been suggested that it's to do with the script). In all fairness, whilst I’m the kind of the guy who normally dislikes characters who complains a lot, it’s the kind of characterisation I would expect or at least more used to for Anakin with him struggling against the Dark Side (and I would blame Palpatine for his actions involving Revenge of the Sith as he was the one who lured him into the dark side). Plus to me, it makes sense for this characteration as Anakin have gone through a lot of hardships that would have taken a toll on his mentality including being raised as a slave, being separated from his Mother and trying to protect his wife (while often hiding his emotions a lot, something that a lot of men tends to do which is rather unhealthy) and Hayden was the right kind of actor to play this version of Anakin as explained in this video I’ve found below:

I suppose I would have to give credit for the aforementioned The Clone Wars for making him more likeable and heroic to many with Matt Lenter’s portrayal (even to admittedly my jealously for that reason). On the flipside, at least Hayden does have fans with fans cheering for him during the 2017 StarWars Celebration and still a huge fan of Star Wars even after all the hate, something of which I'm glad that he's able to handle it himself as shown when given advice to KellyMarie Tran who also have to deal with the vocal minority.

Lisa Simpson – The Simpsons

You either loved Lisa Simpson or consider her as a base breaking character which would vary depending on which season of The Simpsons you are watching or which country you are from (including Japan and Europe as she is apparently more popular there than in America). For me, I have always liked Lisa for her intelligence that sets her apart as the only sane character comparing to mostly other idiotic characters. As someone who cares about the environment, I do find that she does make a lot of valid points that you can’t take a blind eye to. I guess I am aware that she can be preachy and self- centered in some episodes but you would have to understand that she is often an outcast with only a few who are supportive to her in regards to her beliefs and interests. Maybe it could be the reason for her to fight for her causes to a fault. She does have some good intentions and I often find myself rooting for her or sympathies for her whenever she’s going through a lot of hardships and trauma, making her among my top Simpson character any day.

Perfect Peter - Horrid Henry

Whenever you feel sorry for Peter or find him annoying would vary from person to person. I'm often in the former group. Whilst he maybe bratty at times, I do admire on how he tries to be good and finds his tattle-telling on Horrid Henry justified for the abuse he have to put up with. It's sometimes satisfying to see how he's able to stand up for him at times, especially for when he gets the main focus during his stories.

Brian Griffin - Family Guy

A lot of Family Guy characters tends to be divisive (as with the show itself though I'm more of a casual Family Guy fan, only watching the show on the occasion for some guilty pleasure) and Brian tends to be one the most notable one as you either love him or hate him. I tend to like Brian as the only sane character in the series and one of the most developed one as well as his interactions and bromance with Stewie. I'm aware that has been more dislikeable in some seasons with his jerkass and preachy behaviour though I say he's no different or worse than other Family Guy characters. And of course, I was one of the many who is shocked by his death but thankfully, it's only for a fairy brief amount of time as Stewie went back in time to save him (though looking back, I wondered if the creators have purposely written his death-reborn arc for the reactions as suggested by the responses). Regardless, it's good that Brian is here to stay and whenever I watch Family Guy often or not, he would be the character that I would often root for. 

Pokemon Anime Characters

The Pokemon Anime has introduced a lot of characters that are either well liked, not so well liked or somewhere in between. I personally liked a couple of them and there isn’t one who I outright dislike. Here are some who happens to stand out:

I’ve always admired Ash Ketchem as a trainer who strives to be the very best like no one ever was even if a lot of fans find his characterisation inconsistent at times. He may act foolish at times but I find that those times are meant to be for fun and amusement and not to be taken seriously. What I admire about Ash is not the amount of battles he wins but for his compassion towards his Pokemon and friends and how he often comes up with amazing strategies that he comes up with to turn the tide of the battle. Whenever he wins the league or not, I’ll always be rooting for him.

Team Rocket have always been entertaining to me as comic relief villains yet have at times sympatric moments (especially ones involving James) that makes them third dimensional. I however disliked their portrayal during the Unova season as they become generic serious villains which ruined their characterization (and there weren’t any episodes that focus on their redeeming moments or backstory). Actually looking back, I can understand what the writers were trying to aim for by taking a different direction. But I guess they were the wrong kind of characters to do so (and maybe it would be better left to original villains). At least they became balanced out as of the Kalos seasons.  

Some may consider Max as the annoying younger brother to May but I find him alright plus when he does have episodes focused on him, I’ve been rooting for him including ‘Do I hear a Ralts?’ which was one of the best episodes in the Hoenn season, ‘Maxed out’ which was on the funniest in the series and the movie Jirachi Wishmaker.

Likewise, some find Iris’ habit of referring Ash as a kid annoying but I find it amusing or at least tolerable. She does have some redeeming traits and a decent backstory to balance her.

Some weren’t keen on how Lillie was different from her gaming counterpart but I say that it’s good that she differs from the games with her well written backstory as the darker aspects of the Aloha seasons that makes her one of the most tragic companions. She have also given a flak for her treatment to her mother Lusamine who is nicer though some of these moments are meant to played for laughs plus I would understand her resentment for Lusamine not being there for her when she was attacked by Nihilego plus her being cruel to be kind was able to rescue her from Nihilego’s control. Some also find her English Dub voice acting odd for her but I say it suits her as someone who is mature and elegant with a mysterious past.

There were a lot of blacklash with Alain winning the Kalos league against Ash but I say that it actually fits in with the story with Alain realising that he has been used by Lysandre which makes it harder for him to deal with whereas Ash’s victory would have been taken away by the entire incident. Even so, I liked on how the writers took a different direction for Alain involving the Mega Evolution arc (even if he wasn’t as likable from the start but I did felt sorry for him later on) along with his interaction with Ash (with the battle awesome in its own right).

Cameron is considered idiotic (least in America apparently) but that what makes him amusing to watch plus it was a refreshing take to introduce another rival after Trip’s development even if he appeared late in the series. Even with his antics, you got to admit that he can be a competent trainer as shown for his gym battle and his league battle with Ash (yes I know it have costed Ash but it was an enjoyable battle for both sides).

Virgil is the ensemble dark horse in Japan while he’s unpopular in America. For me, I like Virgil as an Eeveelution trainer and liked the episode he was introduced in. I do agree that I would like more episodes involving him including his league battle against Ash or Cameron.

Dawn’s Piplup is often considered a brat but I find his antics amusing or tolerable. Either way, you got to admit that he have made some contributions in regards to Dawn’s contest performance including the Wallace Cup where he single handily won.

The Mewtwo in the Genesect movie had a mostly lukewarm reaction for not being the same Mewtwo as the first movie and having a feminine voice but I don’t mind this change. I did liked Miriam Pultro’s portrayal, especially near the end when it reasoned with the Red Genesect on how the world is beautiful even for them. Other movie based Pokemon that I was fine with but were disliked by Western fans includes Shaymin and Manaphy.

Misty’s Togepi is so cute.

And Ash’s Pikachu needs no explanation as he is, well Pokemon’s mascot afterall.

Sonic Characters

Likewise, Sonic The Hedgehog have introduced a lot of characters with fans accusing them for contributing to problem with the series. For me, I’ve always find them an interesting bunch with none of them I find myself disliking and find it empty with some recent games giving them less focus, making it refreshing for some of their involvement in Sonic Forces after being on the sidelines for a while.

I’ve always liked Sonic for his cool, brash personality with a heart of gold, making him my kind of hero. There are some who gives him a flak for seemingly handling his captive in Sonic Forces well. But this is the Sonic we’re talking about. Maybe he could be masking his feelings but I would give him praise for having a nerve of steel.

Shadow has been an interesting character with a tragic backstory. I understand that his self titled game was flawed but it was an interesting way to expand his character arc and backstory (along with the multiple paths that affected his story).

Silver is a personal favourite of mine who have an interesting plot and characterisation. He may act hostile to others at times but maybe it’s something to do with his insecurity regarding to saving his future. Regardless, he’s still my personal favourite Sonic character along with Team Chaotix with his unique traits.

Some may find Amy’s crush on Sonic annoying but least she is capable of fighting back.

I like Big for his gentle, good hearted personality though he has apparently gained more popularity over the years.

On contrast for the next part of this article, I’ve also noticed that there are a fair number of characters that everyone seems to like yet I find myself not being a huge fan of them so I’ll talk about the ones that stand out. Note that it is not my intention to bash them or those who like them as I don’t outright dislike them, for most part.

Characters that everyone likes but I’m not a huge fan of them

Ivy – Soul Calibur

A lot fans love Ivy for her design giving them sex appeal. For me, I don’t mind her as a character with her sympatric back story yet I’m one of those who’s not into revealing female designs. I find that her revealing outfit rather off, out staying its welcome and would rather focus on her character though with her sex appeal, I guess I have to respect that fact that it’ll be here to stay.

The other Soul Calibur who's popular for the fan service is Taki. I can't say that I find her personality as memorable or interesting comparing to most other characters.  

Another character who is well liked with a similar concept is Poison from Final Fight/Street Fighter series yet I find her more obnoxious and annoying.

Gary Oak – Pokemon

Now I have mentioned about characters from the Pokemon Anime before on how I generally liked most of them including those that are unpopular or divisive. But here’s a character who is well liked by most of the fandom but I’m not as keen on; Gary Oak. He is Ash’s original rival who gets the appeal with his trolling. But I prefer most other rival based characters including Gladion, Alain, Stephan, Virgil, Cameron and Sawyer with most of them having more screen time or for some cases, more character development. As for Gary, we didn’t even get to see his full Pokemon battle until Ash’s eighth badge and had very few appearances during the early season. So all he did was brag about his accomplishments without doing as much during his few appearances and developed late in the series. Still, least he had more appearances during the Johto Sega where he was more nicer to Ash (and helps him for some of the Sinnoh Sega) along with his backstory involving how they meet have explained which made their final showdown worthwhile. But I still say that he’s overrated at best with me again preferring most other rivals.

On a slightly similar subject, I’m surprised to hear on how other jerkass rivals including Harley, Burgundy, Georgia, Ursula and even Paul are popular by the fandom.

Waluigi – Super Mario

I actually used to hate Waluigi a lot as I’ve find him obnoxious and annoying but over time,  my hate for him have been toned down a bit, just finding him ok. It might have something to do with the Scrappy Trope that I’m usually against. But even so, you don’t find me demanding Waluigi to be added to Super Smash Bros Ultimate having already accepted him as an assist trophy character (as I remembered from the first Smash Ultimate conference if I remembered right). I’m willing to bet that he would be included for the next Smash Bros game with all of these demands but until then, I prefer to request for other characters or stick with the ones we have.

Frank Grimes – The Simpsons

I’ve his episode appearance ‘Homer’s Enemy’ a handful of times and actually didn’t think too much of it. Over the times however, I’ve read that the episode was a lot darker to many people than I originally remembered. This is mainly due to Frank Grimes being portrayed as being the only sane man with a rough life who was driven to killing himself due to his resentment of Homer’s stupidity. All of this is what made him an Ensemble Dark Horse and sympathetic to some. Now don’t get me wrong here, I am a nice guy who do have sympathy for those going through difficult times. However, having a difficult life doesn’t always justify having a bad attitude and taking it out on others and I’m at the point of my life when I’m done dealing with people who have a poor attitude to life.  For Frank’s case, I wouldn’t consider him as a sympathetic character with his jerkass behaviour. At one scene when Homer invited him to his home for dinner, he compared his life to Homer's and I happen to be allergic to toxic people comparing their lives to others. There are some who blame Homer for Frank’s death yet Homer wasn’t even malicious to him and was trying to be nice to him. So it was really Frank himself who have led to his own demise.

Miu Iruma – Danganronpa V3

Miu is among my least favourite Danganronpa character who I find slutty and annoying, often saying mean things to just about every other student. There are times when she is meant to be sympathetic but I’ve found them to be shallow at best and take more noticed on her selfishness on prioritising her own life over others. I actually thought that she would be the kind of character who would murder someone which would give me another reason to hate her.

Before moving on the next part of this article, I just wanted to bring up this honourable Mention: Bandana Waddle Dee. A lot of people are really hyped for this character and wanted his inclusion for Smash Bros. Maybe it’s because I have little experience with Kirby games but I’m one of the few who don’t dislike him but don’t really get his popularity. To me, he’s a generic Waddle Dee with a Bandana. Guess I’m the kind of person who never have been a fan of ‘minor enemies as playable characters’ as shown in Mario Kart until the inclusion of Piranha Plant for Smash Ultimate. I’m not outright against the idea of Bandana Waddle Dee as a potential playable character for Smash but I would need a lot more convincing (and maybe more exposure with Kirby games in general) until then.

Another honerable mention in mind is Squidward Tentacles. I've only watched a handful of Spongebob Squarepants though I am aware of Squidward's character. From what I've heard, a lot of fans have found him relatable with him being funny, snarky, cynical and a jerkass with sympathetic moments. For me, I can be funny yes, snarky maybe with some good intentions but definitely not cynical and a jerk. Whilst I get that he can be sympathetic which makes him third dimensional at times, I don't take a blind eye on that he have caused some questionable, selfish actions with a snobbish attitude, making it questionable for me if he should be considered a good role model or an accurate realistic portrayal of humans.  

Now, here are a few characters that are often hated that I also hate and among the few exceptions that I’m fine with them being label as The Scrappy.  

Characters that are hated that I agree with:

Hiyoko Saionji – Danganronpa 2 (for American fans at least)

Hiyoko is an obnoxious bully who often gets away with it, making her my worst Danganronpa character. Apparently, she is popular in Japan for which I don’t understand with her being a self-centered bully (especially since I find most people in Japan polite during my holiday there). Hiyoko is also hated because of her character development in regards to redeeming herself was cut short due to her being murdered at chapter three but by that point, I didn’t care for her. She was, to an extent an asshole victim for bullying Mikan so she did had it coming (even if that wasn’t the reason why Mikan killed her). There is one point however when she made a shrine to honour her friend Mahiru’s death which was admittedly nice but even so, that’s not enough for me to like Hiyoko, nor that I would sugarcoat it.

Tina Mclntyre – Coronation Street

According to TV Tropes’ Your Mileage May Vary for Coronation Street page, Tina have became a Scrappy after her jerkass actions including cheating with Peter and reporting Rob and Tracy’s illegal merchandise out of malice as well as over exposure. I have my own reasons for hating Tina. I felt that her relationship for David Platt (who’s my favourite Coronation Street) was a Jump the Shark, espcically since their relationship have gone downhill. Then there was the time when she was unfair to David’s Mother Gail, accusing her for murdering her father, getting her convicted and banning her from his funeral. She may have been hurt with the lost of her father but we saw that it was an accident with Gail being innocent, making this out of proportion. There was also one time when she refused to believe that David has passed out during his court session, making me hate her even more. Sure she has got into a fight with David but this has made her no better (and David was suffering from epilepsy, causing him to accidentally run over Graeme).

Due to this, I wasn’t too keen about her portrayal Michelle Keegan’s guest appearance on the Mcfly show (as much that I wish no ill will to her), finding her insult to Danny Jones offensive and not funny (which adds more salt to the wound for Danny’s lost for Danny Jones is not a loser).

Jud – Kes/A Kestrel for a Knave

I remembered studying A Kestrel for a Knave for my English lessons at school and boy; Jud is a huge jerk who is mean to his younger brother Billy. If that wasn’t bad enough, then near the end, he killed Billy’s pet Kestrel Kes just because Billy didn’t get him the betting tickets. As an animal lover, killing animals is a low in my books. The film adaption was even worse with it just ended soon after Jud killed Kes. I remembered I left the class quickly to avoid myself crying. This makes Jud among the worst offering among hated characters and one of the few characters that deserved the hate. 

On the flipside, there are plenty of characters that a lot of people like that I like too. Of course, there are too many to mention.

So this goes to show you that some may have different tastes when it comes to liking or disliking different characters. Not every hated character are necessary hated by everyone while others may not be into the same character that most people really like. Of course, there maybe some characters where there’s a split opinion among the fandom as long as they are kept healthy or when just about everyone comes to an agreement for really dislikable characters.