Board 8 > I rank 75 fictional characters by how good a friend they would be [ranking]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Next writeup is a big milestone: it's our first character to score at least a 5 in every category. Wow!

-

51. Monica (Monica and Friends)
@firefdr

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/23d7c9f1.jpg
Just Monica. (And Samson.)

Monica is a young girl who lives on Lemon Tree Street in Brazil. She is often the recipient of her friend Jimmy Fives pranks, mostly involving the stealing or ear-entangling of her stuffed bunny, Samson. She also must frequently fend off Jimmy Fives attempts to unseat her as ruler of the street, which seems to be a thing only in Jimmys head. Monica has super strength and can dole out punishment even when shes not hiding a brick inside Samson (yes seriously).

I hopped around the internet for a solid 45 minutes looking for any sort of scan of any sort of issue before finding a YouTube channel with fully scanned issues. I also read a few Wiki articles. Monica is something of a cultural icon in Brazil certainly in the top five most worldwide iconic characters in the ranking so I was shocked at how little information I could find. Contrary to popular opinion, she is not Monica Geller from the TV show Friends.

Activity: 7.5. Seems to live an idyllic suburban life: watching TV, going on picnics, hanging out with friends. She has a cute cat she dotes on. Her days arent limited to normal activities though, as she rubs shoulders with angels, genius inventor kids who can build time machines, Santa Claus, cameos from other seriestheres a lot of weird stuff in Monicas world, and if youre her friend, youll probably get to see a lot of it. She also justdoesnt age? Which is a consequence of living in a fixed timeline. The only reason her A score isnt higher is because Jimmy Five always seems to follow Monica around, and hes kind of an annoying little shit. Whatever youll do with Monica, hell probably be there, plotting to become wuler of the stweet. Monicas not good at getting rid of him either. She always seems to get entangled in his messes. One story I read involved her attempting to get Jimmy to do something chivalrous and literally resulted in her being stuck to her neck in quicksand. So that docks her quite a few points.

Backup: 6.5. Very headstrong. Its one of her main defining character traits, along with the buckteeth. Do not get on her bad side because she will beat your ass down (seriously she keeps a BRICK inside that stuffie, not that she needs it). I didnt actually see any examples of her defending other people, just herself, but I acknowledge that my sample size was very small compared to the sheer body of work of Monica and Friends. So I can safely assume that shed back her friends up. I mean, Samson is a friend, even though hes a stuffed animal. Docked a few points for personality, as shes such a spitfire shes probably liable to turn on her friends should they cross her.

Conversation: 5. Seems to have no problem talking to anyone, kid, grownup, or animal. Shes a little kid, so her topics of choice will probably not be very sophisticated. In the issues I read she mostly talks about little kid stuff: playing, animals, food, getting back at Jimmy Five. I didnt see any comics with the Gang at school, but I feel like those probably go about the same way as the others do. She doesnt strike me as an especially good listener, often daydreaming about things that dont happen.

Demeanor: 7. This ones tricky! I think it can be summed up by saying that Monica is a perfectly nice, friendly kiduntil you cross her, at which point you better run. If you were Monicas friend, you might run into her rage anyway (see B), but you also will probably be fine so long as you dont insult her teeth or her weight, or if youre not around when someone else does. Which is likewhy would you do either of these things when half this cast has buckteeth and she isnt drawn any rounder than anyone else. But I cant speak for what goes on in Jimmy Fives brain (not much, presumably).

Effort: 6.5. This ones tricky too. I didnt see any effort that Monica goes above and beyond to maintain her friendships. If anything, her status as ruler of the street means she doesnt have to exert effort; people will follow her because shes strong. But based on what I read about Monica, she seems like the type to appreciate her friends. She often plays with them, visits their houses, and goes on picnics with them. In one story, she visits a dream realm full of paranormal creatures and has a great time, and she makes every effort to tell them she wants to come back. So her E isnt exceptionally high, but for a little kid, its pretty good! Certainly better than Jimmy Fives would be. What a tool.

Total Score: 65.

ATTENTION: Topic Readers
We have reached the top 50!

The remaining 2/3 of the friends are going to fill out the top 1/3 of the possible scores - #50 will be at 66/100. I told you I got a lot of strong nominations! Heres a graph that breaks down the remaining scores.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/29319c9f.png

More importantly, here is a revised roster with the top 50 remaining characters!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c0319410.jpg

In the Friend Zone:
707 (Mystic Messenger)
Alisaie Leveilleur (Final Fantasy XIV)
Andrew Martin (Bicentennial Man [1999 film])
Arthur (The Journeyman Project)
Barry Wheeler (Alan Wake)
Bingo Heeler (Bluey)
Bowser (Mario series)
Chiaki Nanami (Danganronpa)
Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)
Claire Redfield (Resident Evil)
Connie Maheswaran (Steven Universe)
Doraemon (Doraemon)
Doreen Green / Squirrel Girl (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl)
Emilie-Sophie de Belmond (CrossCode)
Frog (Frog and Toad)
Giovanni Potage (Epithet Erased)
Goofy Goof (Mickey Mouse & Friends [90s Era])
Hadrian Blackwater (Riyria Revelations)
Hank Scorpio (The Simpsons)
Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie novels)
Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes)
John Coffey (The Green Mile)
Joker (Persona 5)
Kugrash (Dimension 20: The Unsleeping City)
Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards)
Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)
Mako Mankanshoku (Kill la Kill)
Missile (Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective)
Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
Nightmare Knight (Cucumber Quest)
Olivia (Paper Mario: The Origami King)
Otis "Cookie" Figowitz (First Cow)
Pan (Stray Gods)
Pearl Houzuki (Splatoon)
Reyn (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Rob (An Outcast in Another World)
Robo (Chrono Trigger)
Ruby Rose (RWBY)
Sailor Moon / Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)
Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)
Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings)
Silk (The Belgariad)
Sly Cooper (Sly Cooper)
Spark the Electric Jester (Spark the Electric Jester)
Sylveon (Pokemon)
Tintin (The Adventures of Tintin)
Victor Sully Sullivan (Uncharted)
Vincent LaGuardia "Vinny" Gambini (My Cousin Vinny)
Vyse (Skies of Arcadia)
Zagreus (Hades)

In the Fried Zone:
51) Monica (Monica and Friends)
52) Joey Mallone (Blackwell series)
53) Figaro (The Barber of Seville / The Marriage of Figaro)
54) Tear Grants (Tales of the Abyss)
55) Harry James Potter-Evans-Verres (Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality)
56) Konata Izumi (Lucky Star)
57) Yotsuba Koiwai (Yotsuba&!)
58) Gritty (Philadelphia Flyers)
59) Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
60) Saga Anderson (Alan Wake 2)
61) Charlotte La Bouff (The Princess and the Frog)
62) Legoshi (Beastars)
63) Venom Symbiote (Spider-Man)
64) Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
65) Bob Bell (Sam & Max series)
66) Wooper (Pokemon)
67) Malos (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)
68) Roxas (Kingdom Hearts II)
69) Crake (Oryx and Crake)
70) Penelope Vesuvius (Vigor Mortis)
71) Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
72) Kuuki Yominashi (KY-kei JC Kuuki-chan)
73) Clippy (Microsoft Office)
74) Kain (Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain)
75) Eric Sparrow (Tony Hawk's Underground)

Now that youve seen a bunch of these writeups, do you have a better idea of whos going to do well? Or do the swirling mists of friendship still refuse to part? There are still plenty of surprises left in store stay tuned!

yeah go my Sylveon, don't let that inevitable low conversation score hold you back.

hombad46 posted...

yeah go my Sylveon, don't let that inevitable low conversation score hold you back.

I have a Sylveon plushie and I talk to it all the time

Paratroopa1 posted...

I have a Sylveon plushie and I talk to it all the time

But does it talk back to you? Because if it does I will be concerned

I'm holding out hope for Silk, Alisaie, Hobbes, and Mako.

so I initially predicted John Coffey doing poorly in B because he's basically a pacifist, but going by the writeups it seems like it's not just physical backup and more generally supportive in whatever way they can be, so guessing that'll be bumped up higher than I initially expected

Ya go my Doraemon.

Also yeah I forgot somebody nominated Monica. Actual her comics got translated into Indonesian too so I'm pretty familiar with her and the gang.

Also I think she was one of the youngest human characters remaining. She's the same age as Mabel as it turns out.

Raka_Putra posted...

Ya go my Doraemon.

Also yeah I forgot somebody nominated Monica. Actual her comics got translated into Indonesian too so I'm pretty familiar with her and the gang.

Also I think she was one of the youngest human characters remaining. She's the same age as Mabel as it turns out.

Oh nice, I'm glad somebody knows her. I don't think Monica and Friends was ever big in the US.

I thought about keeping track of everyone's ages but that gets very complicated very fast from a number of angles. How old do I say the Pokemon are? What about the robots? What about somebody like Pan or Zagreus, or a ghost like Joey? How old exactly are Frog and Toad supposed to be? It would be a mess.

I think of characters with given, definable ages, Bingo is probably the youngest, at 4 or 5 throughout the series.

Personally don't have anyone I'm really pulling for. Plenty of characters that I know about but I'm not passionately rooting for anyone really haha. Think I'm gonna predict a Samwise win.

rwlh posted...

I think of characters with given, definable ages, Bingo is probably the youngest, at 4 or 5 throughout the series.

Yeah I looked it up and it seems like Bluey characters have roughly the same developmental age as humans (as opposed to dog age).

I think Missile is 2 years old, which would make him an ADULT dog, but still would take the youngest spot.

how did bowser get this high lol

PrinceKaro posted...

how did bowser get this high lol

I'm guessing he has a high activity score from all the Mario side games he's in. I could see him having relatively high Backup and Effort too.

Bowser doesn't seem so bad if you're on his side.

Yeah, Bowser has a lot of loyalty to his underlings and so forth in several of his appearances.

Underlings being the operative word there, he's loyal if you're subservient to him. Not sure that would make him a good friend. Does he count as a mass murderer? I guess not because his invasions are technically bloodless >_>

Aside from my personal nom, I'm rooting for Missile, Reyn, and Samwise!

50. Spark the Electric Jester (Spark the Electric Jester)
@Plasman

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c9fc0f8a.jpg
Probably top ten in the ranking for "characters you'd like to share a drink with."

Spark is an electric jester. Literally he couldnt get a job after college, so he found work as a jester. At least he did until Fark showed up. That robot stole his shtick and his job! Spark sets out to find Fark and reclaim his paycheck. Things get complicated when he becomes involved in a robot uprising, using his electric powers to become a hero.

I watched all of the relevant cutscenes from Spark the Electric Jester 1 and 3. (Spark isnt in 2.) I also put this song on loop, which doesnt tell me anything about Spark as a character, but its an amazing song that I wanted to share anyway:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Fb9KJwqcyU

Beware of spoilers, specifically for Spark 3.

Activity: 7.5. While we never see Spark doing any actual jesting, we have to assume hes decent enough at it to get the job in the first place. Time spent with Spark probably results in some sort of goofery or chicanery, and that puts him in the upper realm. His degree in electrical engineering could also lead to some applied fun activities. He just seems like an affable dude whod be up for a good time (see D for more).

Backup: 4. Complicated. Here come the spoilers for Spark 3: so Spark is busy sieging Farks base after Fark shut down the worldwide internet. Out of the goodness of his heart, he decides to help a girl named Float along the way, bringing her toward Farks base. Unnnnnfortunately, this triggers a sequence of events that traps every sentient being in the world inside a simulation for thousands of years. Yikes! Now, Spark certainly didnt intend for that to happen, but it did, and he was at least a little responsible, so weve got to dock him some points. For more direct things: he likes to do the hero thing in both games, defending innocent beings from tyrannical robots, so thats something positive; he fights for his friends and the whole planet. Still, thats a pretty big black mark on your recordhis world-saving activities in Spark 1 bring this score up a little, especially since the Spark 3 stuff isnt really his fault.

Conversation: 7. Has easy banter with the bosses, even Fark, who he cant stand (at first). Seems to be a good listener: he takes in all the complicated information about the simulation, though its clearly very painful for him to hear. Hes encouraging to Unit 0, a robot he meets in Spark 1, even going so far as to try to get him to team up on their journey.

Demeanor: 7.5. Spark is very, very chill. His easy banter with the bosses in Spark 1 proves this: their taunts and digs seem to roll off him. He doesnt want to fight them to the death, but if he has to, thems the breaks! Theres a gag where his wallet gets stolen but then the boss reminds him that hes not wearing clothes, and instead of being bothered or embarrassed by this (as would be the case in other games) hes just like Oh yeah. Anyway. He does have a bit of an emotional breakdown in Spark 3 wouldnt you? but then he recovers, even saying things like Im a crappy copy, got it and moving on. He gets intense in fight cutscenes wouldnt you? but then hes back to being chill again. (Also, as a sidenote: in Spark 3, he has very expressive eyebrows. This made watching the cutscenes kind of fun!)

Effort: 8.5. Also complicated! So remember how he inadvertently got everybody in the world trapped in a simulation? Well, he manages to make up for it: he merges with the AI running the simulation and intends to shut it down, freeing everyoneat the expense of his consciousness. Fark doesnt let him go through with it, but the fact that Spark is willing to give up his essence to free everybody is big. Maybe this belongs in B, but it feels more Effortymaybe its because it directly concerns Fark, who Spark explicitly considers a friend now. But I have to dock him some E points from his interaction with Unit 0. After suggesting they team up, another robot shows up and, after Unit 0 pleads for mercy, this robot just straight up kills him and runs off. And Sparkdoesnt really do anything? No dialogue, no threats of revenge, not even a reaction. The next stage just starts. Kind of a shitty non-reaction to somebody he was just being friendly with! Finally, he gets some points back for this weird tangent he goes on at one point, where he uses female pronouns to refer to a robot and then wonders if robots can be female. Do robots have genders? he asks. Then, Does it even matter? I did not expect progressive gender politics in this random indie game, but hey, good job, Spark!

Total Score: 69.

PrinceKaro posted...

how did bowser get this high lol

No more high than usual lol well maybe a little ( i thought you said he was high not his score being high lol)

I didnt really get far enough into Spark for story, but I can confirm Spark 1 has a banger soundtrack and plays like a good Sonic game with Kirby powers.

PrinceKaro posted...

how did bowser get this high lol

In the games at least he is actually pretty cool, loyal, and encouraging to his forces. He's also surprisingly a good dad if that is a factor

Isquen posted...

I'm holding out hope for Silk, Alisaie, Hobbes, and Mako.

Silk! Alisaie! Hobbes! <3

Here's another fun Spark song. I thought this one was pretty good, but then I watched a playthrough for the ranking, and I like it a lot more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rKYsKDkfBY

something something nice

Cool to see Spark pretty high lol! Well, ranking-wise, he isn't really, but honestly I'll take it and I wasn't exactly expecting him to get super high anyways lol. What I love about him most is that he's not, like, a born hero like most protagonists. A lot of the other characters in the Spark games (namely Fark) sorta are put in a situation where they're already at the forefront of this world-impacting story, but he's really just a layman who happens to be so dogged that he forces his way into the story anyways - even if this works against him the second time. It makes him very relatable, and yeah I feel pretty similarly to what's written down here, he has definite flaws, but I'd be friends with him, so that's all that matters, haha. Thanks for the review, rwlh!

One last thing I'd say to cap off my Spark rant is that I acknowledge that Spark 3's story is wacky and not very well-paced lmao, it's definitely not for everyone, but regardless of story I think it's got the most fun traversal of any 3D platformer I've played, still great music, and some awesome stages, I'd (maybe obviously but still) recommend it 100% if you like those and especially Sonic ones. Or even if not, I'd suggest checking out the final stage of Spark 3, Utopia Shelter, as it's super cool to me and probably one of the most unique stages in any mascot platformer (Or just skim, at least, it's Eggmanland-levels of long lol): https://youtu.be/sMjY07r5vy0?feature=shared&t=208

Edit: Level starts at 3:28, idk why timestamps don't work on gamefaqs lol

49. Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards)
@NFUN

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/b8f1567e.jpg
Fanart of the Gentleman Bastards. Clockwise from center: Locke Lamora; Bug; Jean Tannen; and Calo and Galdo Sanza (or is that Galdo and Calo Sanza?).

In the city of Camorr, Locke Lamora leads a gang of con artists called the Gentleman Bastards. Operating in secret, they conduct elaborate schemes to steal large sums of money from Camorrs wealthy elite, mostly for fun. However, dark tidings are coming to Camorr. The capa who controls the citys gangs is being targeted by a mysterious individual known as the Gray King, and Locke finds himself swept up in thingswhether he wants to be or not.

I read The Lies of Locke Lamora, the first book in the Gentleman Bastards series. Beware of spoilers.

Activity: 7.5. Locke received some of the finest education in Camorr from his mentor, Father Chains, who taught him, as the book states, virtually every accomplishment known to man, including history, food, and, of course, combat. Locke and the other Bastards use these skills to aid in their long cons, but they also take care of themselves too, taking pride in their elaborate meals. Everything Locke does is primarily centered around stealing, so if you dont like that, youre probably not going to have much fun, but he is very gregarious with spending the money he accumulates, so hed probably show you a good time if you wanted.

Backup: 2. Locke is the 25th character Ive written up for this ranking. Of all the characters thus far, Lockes B score is the most complicated variable Ive encountered. There are three parts to it that roughly correspond to different phases in the book. First, theres the undeniable fact that Locke cares for the Gentleman Bastards. He loves them like brothers (which he outright states several times). Theyve grown up together, they have each others backs. If given the choice between their lives and his sizeable fortune, he tells the Gray King, he would easily choose their lives. So why the low B? Well, thats the second part: it is also an undeniable fact that Locke is arrogant. So arrogant that he assumes hes cleverer than literally everybody else. This results in some pretty sloppy decisions that put the Bastards at risk and ultimately result in three of their deaths. Now, the book seems to take the position that Locke is at least in part to blame for the Gray Kings plot going awry, a position I dont really share; they were getting screwed no matter what in that circumstance. Its more that Locke kept other cons going so long that it made it next to impossible for them to escape. He didnt have contingency plans in place for what if they were found out, what if everything fell apart; he was paranoid, but not so paranoid that he thought he could ever be outsmarted. (He also needlessly antagonizes one of the bad guys multiple times, which probably didnt help much.) Thus the Gray King discovers their fortune, schemes to take it, and winds up leaving a trail of blood and bodies directly at Lockes feet. So while, again, I dont think Locke is directly responsible for the tragedy, the fact remains that he was their leader, and he led them all off a cliff, and some of them even died for it. But then we get to the third part: Lockes revenge. He avenges the Bastards deaths and then some, perhaps realizing too late the value of the bond he had with them. While he makes great pains to harm their murderers and even sacrifices his fortune as an offering in their remembrancedoes it really count for B if theyre already dead? I dont know. A number seems inadequate here, given all the complications, but Locke is at least in part responsible for the deaths of three of his close friends, so that sort ofdocks him a few points?

Conversation: 9. Can speak on virtually any subject in his world; very knowledgeable about virtually every area. Excels at charming people into doing damn near anything. This is often through bribes, though sometimes he doesnt even need them. Even at the climax, when hes desperately trying to convince the nobility that hes telling the truth for once and he resorts to his normal voice, full of colorful swearing, hes very persuasive. The thing is, hes always lying. Like, basically always. Even in that climactic moment he slips in a few lies! He doesnt seem to lie to the other Bastards; I suspect thats partially out of respect, and partially because they know him so well that he knows he cant bluff them. If you were Lockes friend, youd certainly be taken in by his cleverness and conversational skill, but youd need to always be on guard for his lying.

Demeanor: 6.5. As I said in C, hes so charming. Yet in D, we see the added wrinkle of his arrogance. Locke firmly believes hes cleverer than everyone (its literally in the Bastards rallying cry) and that he can therefore outsmart everyone. To the rest of the world, he uses a deferential tone, often stammering with Ahs. But his natural state, beyond all the artifice he projects to others, is calculating and crafty. As fellow Bastard Jean puts it, Youre one-third bad intentions, one-third pure avarice, and one-eighth sawdust. Whats left, Ill credit, must be brains. Hes also got a really foul mouth in private. Like foul even by this books standards. In summary: you rarely know what youre getting with Locke, but theres always some sort of machination brewing beneath the surface.

Effort: 10. When azu and I were discussing the Alphabet System, he said that he felt like B and E were strongly correlated; this proved true in the Genshin Impact character friend ranking he did in the nomination topic, where they often overlapped. Yet here, with Locke, I have about as wide a disparity between B and E as you can get near the bottom for B and the tippity top for E. How does that work? Well, Locke may have fucked up and contributed to the deaths of his friends, but boy did he treat them well when they were alive. They followed him, but they didnt do so without good cause; they all loved to steal, loved the game of the long con. It gave them all purpose. They died doing what they loved up until their last gig, which was more evil political intrigue than con and Locke was responsible for that. He always split the profits; he always included them in every step of the process. Hes arrogant, but he knew he couldnt do it alone, and he also knew that it wouldnt nearly as fun even if he could. Theres a bit of a running theme with Lockes relationship with Jean. Jean was always the superior fighter, and when they were kids, Locke decided that it was his job to hold his rivals in place, taking as many blows as he could, until Jean showed up to finish the job. Locke always puts himself on the front lines of every con, not just because hes the best, but because thats his role: he can take any punishment, so long as it prevents the others from being hurt. When hes being psychically tortured, Locke keeps a stiff upper lip, up until the bad guy starts threatening his friends; his reaction is literally No! Not them! (Shame he doesnt take that threat all that seriously, but what are you going to do.) This overlaps somewhat with B, but its different to me because Locke is going out of his way to keep everyone rested, fed, and happy. Hed do the same for you if you were his friendthough hed probably steal your wallet first.

Total Score: 70.

Been wondering where Locke would drop.

Definitely a complicated character for this.

I think it would be a lot of fun to hang out with and be friends with Locke, until it gets you killed.

seeing as i nailed my guess for the writeup for B, I think it should be raised based on the information from later books I gave you!

Welp. Planning on reading the books someday so not reading that writeup!

That is a weird book to me. I've only read the first, and while flawed, I probably would've kept going with the series if not for the fact that I soon after had a pretty major falling out with the person who recommended me the book. It also corresponds with a point in my life where, for various reasons, I less and less wanted to curl up with a book that, frankly, doesn't have any interesting female characters in it. That colors my thought of Locke a lot too: a great person, if I want to be in a boys' club.

Though it did have some good lines. Here's one of my favorites, which has nothing to do with Locke but is still pretty damn badass:

"Those prancing little pantswetters come here to learn the colorful and gentlemanly art of fencing, with its many sporting *limitations* and its proscriptions against dishonorable engagements.
"You, on the other hand, you are going to learn how to kill men with a sword"

dowolf posted...

That is a weird book to me. I've only read the first, and while flawed, I probably would've kept going with the series if not for the fact that I soon after had a pretty major falling out with the person who recommended me the book. It also corresponds with a point in my life where, for various reasons, I less and less wanted to curl up with a book that, frankly, doesn't have any interesting female characters in it. That colors my thought of Locke a lot too: a great person, if I want to be in a boys' club.

Though it did have some good lines. Here's one of my favorites, which has nothing to do with Locke but is still pretty damn badass:

"Those prancing little pantswetters come here to learn the colorful and gentlemanly art of fencing, with its many sporting *limitations* and its proscriptions against dishonorable engagements.
"You, on the other hand, you are going to learn how to kill men with a sword"

The girl Locke won't stop moping about eventually shows up, and she's pretty great

yes, Locke would not stop telling me how great she is.

NFUN posted...

The girl Locke won't stop moping about eventually shows up, and she's pretty great

But her appearances are still limited. She doesn't become a main or super prominent character from what I remember.

failgirlema posted...

haven't been saying much but HAVE been reading the writeups intently. still SO good

This! ...and am very quiet in general, but probably will have more to say once my nominee drops.

Maniac64 posted...

But her appearances are still limited. She doesn't become a main or super prominent character from what I remember.

she's there more than anybody else in the series but Jean and Locke

48. Alisaie Leveilleur (Final Fantasy XIV)
@Not_an_Owl

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/5/56f147b5.jpg
It was genuinely hard to find fanart of Alisaie that wasn't AI-generated. Sheesh...

Alisaie is an Elezen who, along with her twin brother Alphinaud, gets swept up in the Warrior of Lights journey. Though not as gifted as her brother in most forms of combat, Alisaie proves a helpful ally through spellcraft and healing. She takes it upon herself to find a cure for Enthrallment. She has a complicated family history, one that plays out across several generations. Ultimately, she seeks a way to stop the Final Days from happening.

I read three Wiki pages, watched a few cutscene videos, and talked to a friend who plays the game. Disclaimer: theres a lot of lore that I had to sift through to piece together this character and I still dont really understand some of it, and most of those Wikis are not casual newbie friendly, but I did the best I could. Beware of spoilers.

Activity: 6.5. Seems to be part of a noble family, or at least the equivalent of such in her old society. Excelled in school, indicating a high level of knowledge and education that could translate to fun activities. That said, she spends most of her time questing, attempting to save multiple worlds, and curing magical maladies, which arent exactly friend friendly zones. She also spends a lot of her time guarding the Inn at Journeys Head, protecting people before they become sin eaters, but she doesnt seem to do too much actual, well, socializing. Alisaie strikes me as somebody whos willing to throw down her life for a stranger (see B), but would loathe the idea of doing something fun with them.

Backup: 9. Is a close ally of the Warrior of Light, and would do anything for them and for the noble cause they represent. Shes literally sacrificed her life on at least two occasions! So she can definitely hang with the upper tiers in B. Shes not higher for two reasons. One, her emotional backup is decidedly lacking due to her blunt personality (see D). Two, in battle, shes more prone to hotheaded tactics than group strategy. For example, shell always use her limit break right when it becomes available, even if it makes more sense to save it. Also, shell always keep an eye out for Alphinaud, her twin brother, healing him above all else, so if youre not her twin brother (which you wouldnt be), you wont be as high a priority.

Conversation: 3. Yeah good luck on this one buddy. Its explicitly stated that Alisaie rejects the diplomatic approach of her brother, preferring direct action. This means she can be pretty darn blunt! Not just blunt, but outright hostile, even to members of her own party and her brother. When Alphinaud makes a crack about how irritating Alisaie was as a kid, she responds by grabbing his collar and shaking him. Shes harsh, man! Like there are some harsh characters on this list but shes pretty rough. I will say she gives a mean inspirational speech in Endwalker, even though its to herself, haha.

Demeanor: 7.5. Maybe inconsistent compared to the other ratings Ive given her, but I do think theres a kind person underneath all the hostility. Shes harsh, yeah, but she when she lets her guard down, she shows she has a caring, sensitive side. I think if I were Alisaies friend, Id really get to see that side. She is pretty funny, with a lot of sass. Also, shes matter-of-fact. She will tell you whats on her mind. It can be good to have a friend like that, someone who values openness and honest communication.

Effort: 10. There are two reasons I have for giving Alisaie a perfect E score. One is her efforts to find a cure for Enthrallment. She starts down this path when a little Kobold named Ga Bu gets Tempered. Despite not knowing Ga Bu previously, she makes it her mission to find a cure for his condition. She spends time in the First protecting Tempered folks from monsters and standing guard at the Inn at Journeys Head; she devotes a lot of time to finding a cure. Again: she doesnt know these people. Shes so moved by their condition that she works tirelessly on their behalf. Now imagine if you were her friend and you needed help? Think of how much shed do for you then. The other reason for the 10 is in Endwalker (spoilers!), when Alisaie confronts Zenos about his obsession with rematching the Warrior of Light. She puts him in his place, calling out his nihilism and basically telling him, in no uncertain terms, that the Warrior dont got time to play with him. She stands up for her friend against somebody whos seeking to kill them. Shes rough around the edges, but get past the edges and you might find somebody wholl do everything she can to maintain your friendship no matter what.

Total Score: 72.

rwlh posted...

It was genuinely hard to find fanart of Alisaie that wasn't AI-generated. Sheesh...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/dfcbb021.jpg

You act as if I'm looking beyond Google Images!

rwlh posted...

The other reason for the 10 is in Endwalker (spoilers!), when Alisaie confronts Zenos about his obsession with rematching the Warrior of Light. She puts him in his place, calling out his nihilism and basically telling him, in no uncertain terms, that the Warrior dont got time to play with him. She stands up for her friend against somebody whos seeking to kill them.

Isn't this more of back-up?

FFXIV spoilers abound that were already discussed.

I'm glad her conversation part is so low. She *can* be eloquent if the need arises, but words are always Alphinaud's weapon more, and she knows full well he's better at them. She basically went to the FF version of Ivy League, after all - and spent the majority of ARR throwing an extended tantrum because politics were happening and she basically gave up on Eorzea's leaders and tried to find out what happened with her grandpa.

Activity, I'm inclined to agree also, or possibly even a bit lower if you're not into adrenaline-junkie behavior. She's a bit battle hungry, *jumping off the side of a building* when she was just complaining of boredom at the end of Shadowbringers when she had basically spent the better part of a year or more (First-time ran different than Source-time, which gets explored again in Dawntrail) doing that Inn at Journey's Head apocalypse vigil mentioned throughout. I dunno about you, but if I had just lived through what's essentially a zombie plague and cured fantasy cancer, I'd probably want to lay off the calisthenics a bit and just do something a bit LESS exciting. And then Endwalker happens and, after laying down her life at one point, decides to spend the remainder of her time afterwards in Fantasy Frozen Chernobyl as an aid worker. Truly a fun thing to do.

Until Dawntrail, anyway, where she's just kind of there for Wuk Lamat to do her thing. Seriously, did Alisaie accomplish anything there that would be construed as a friend activity other than the transcontinental boat ride?

Also, the Twins have got to be in their 20s by now with time's passage. How have they still not hit the late Elezen growth spurt? Yes, canonically they are just 16, but that was *five expansions ago*. Just venting, but yeesh.

Credit for not being extremely stuck up with the family she's from, though. The Levellieurs are *loaded.*

Isquen posted...

Also, the Twins have got to be in their 20s by now with time's passage. How have they still not hit the late Elezen growth spurt? Yes, canonically they are just 16, but that was *five expansions ago*. Just venting, but yeesh.

The official explanation is that everything that takes place between ARR and EW happens in the space of one calendar year. With Dawntrail we're finally into the next year. Yes it's stupid, but that's what they're going with.

Anyway yeah, I think that's a fair evaluation of Alisaie. I personally would give her a 10 in Backup but depending on how the rest of the nominations fall out there I can see bumping her down. I do think you're underrating her Conversation just a little bit - she's well educated and knowledgeable by her world's standards, though that really only comes out when talking with her friends or planning how to save the world. A lot of the time her hotheadedness does take over - she is by nature a shoot first, ask questions later kind of gal.

I enjoy seeing the slightly different takes on Alisaie! It's nice to know I mostly hit the mark with her. She was a real toughie to research...

47. Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
@FakeAccount3000

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/05e6f699.jpg
*TWINKLE*

As a young boy, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of setting out to sea as a pirate! Going wherever he pleased on endless journeys of adventurethats the life for him. However, Luffy has eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit, which grants the ability to stretch his body like rubber, but at the cost of the ability to swim! Will Luffy ever become the fabled King of the Pirates?

I read the first two volumes of the manga, from the beginning of Luffys journey to right before his fight with Captain Buggy. Anything after this has not been considered. I didnt even look at the Wiki! All I did extra was talk to Maniac64 about interpreting the character. I dont pretend to know if this is an accurate writeup of Luffy by the end of the series, let alone from volume 3 onward. You knew what you were getting into with this one.

Activity: 7. Early-series Luffy has kind of a shitty setup. He doesnt have a proper boat. He doesnt even know how to navigate he gets sucked into a whirlpool immediately upon setting off. His only real acts of piracy so far are actually saving normal townspeople from the navy or other pirates! While Luffy isnt keen on stirring up trouble, he wont shy away from trouble if it comes; in fact, he relishes getting into fights and clobbering bad guys. Its a pretty unglamorous look at Luffys dream, at least to start. Buuuuut you still get to travel around and see the world and interact with all sorts of people and, yes, pick fights. To the right person, this life would be very appealing.

Backup: 8. Luffys support to newfound friends Zolo (Zoro?) and Nami is conditional: they need to pledge to join his pirate crew first. Once they do that, hell work with them. Beyond his new crew, however, Luffy exhibits more unconditional Backup. He wholeheartedly supports the dream of Koby, who was captured by and forced to work for pirates, to join the navy; to that end, he encourages Koby, protects him from hostile threats, and even stages a fight with him to convince the navy that Koby isnt friends with a pirate. Luffy also gives terrific Backup to Chouchou, a fiercely devoted dog guarding an abandoned pet food shop. When Luffy learns about the dogs backstory, he becomes enraged and clobbers the man who burned down the store (notably, Im pretty sure this is the angriest he gets in the first two volumes, at least when hes not a little kid anymore). Basically, Luffy has a good heart and he will intervene if he deems it necessary its just that sometimes its not his first reaction.

Conversation: 2.5. lol this ones funny. Luffy has many redeeming qualities, but his conversational skills are not one of them. He is blunt; he often mixes up details of anything that doesnt interest him; he can be very single-minded in focus. It wouldnt surprise me if he was on the autism spectrum in some capacity. He tends to watch most events coolly, only becoming excited or agitated when something very big happens. This sometimes makes him come off as cold or uncaring, like when Nami yells at him for sitting by and watching an injured Zolo fight a duel, when in actuality Luffy is doing Zolo a favor by letting him have the duel all to himself.

Demeanor: 8.5. This one might be a little controversial! As stated, Luffy can be tough to deal with, or even to get a handle on. Both Zolo and Nami dont know what to make of him at first, but he wins both of them over with his earnestness and good heart. This is especially notable because both Zolo and Nami are very opposed to pirates at first. Zolo is a bounty hunter who only hunts pirates, and Nami is a thief who only steals from piratesyet Luffy convinces both of them to join his crew and, in Zolos case, pledge his loyalty to him (I assume Nami does the same, I just didnt get that far). Luffy inspires them to change their minds not only about him, but about pirates as well. Also, Luffy gets a lot of bad rep for being your average clueless shonen manga hero, but hes no Goku: there are multiple times in the first few volumes where Luffy correctly figures out the right thing to do socially, albeit in his own way. Theres the aforementioned fight with Koby, where he pretends to goad Koby on to provoke him so the navy wont think he and Luffy are friends. Granted, he clearly enjoys punching Koby a little too much, but he gets the intended result. He also passes on the message from a captured Zolo to a little girl whos befriended him that Zolo ate all the destroyed food she made for him; Luffy correctly figures out that Zolo asks him to tell the girl it was delicious to spare her feelings. I have to dock him points for his bluntness and his too-carefree attitude at times, but there can be no denying that Luffy inspires others and gets results through sheer positivity and determination. Which brings us to the last piece of the puzzle

Effort: 10. Once Monkey D. Luffy sets his sights on something, he wont stop until he gets it, whether thats a new crewmate, a map of the fabled Grand Line, or even the title of King of the Pirates. He is relentless. He wont leave Zolo alone when Zolos tied up, insisting that hell untie him only if he joins the crew. Hes so easygoing, but if you get in his way, he will knock you on your ass. He isnt really out for justice in fact, hes very self-serving most of the time but he will absolutely do the right thing if given the choice. And often the right choice is whats best for his friends. Luffy is absolutely somebody you want in your corner, poor C score and all; whether hes your captain or your chum, hes a great guy.

Total Score: 72.

As a big FF14 fan you did great with Alisae, pretty much nailed her characterization and what scores she should get.

I think Luffy is fairly accurate even if this is early in the series.

Yeah, I knew Conversation would drag Luffy down. Everything else seems pretty on point.

I'd give him a 10 for Backup because of later events, but still. I mean declaring war on the entire world to save one friend is one of the best moments in the series.

I'm glad he got that 10 in Effort. Not many would deserve it more than him.

Oh, and this is basically what Luffy's Backup is like

https://youtu.be/hBRom_368Lw?si=pzFanFeO3Xtooa5T

Oh my goodness I love Alliseie. There's a moment in the game in the later stages of Endbringers, where (being oblique to avoid spoilers) a character sums up the growth that all the party members have undergone over the course of the last decade. To Allisele she says "You dream of power, but possess only a fraction of what you desire. Yet when your weaknesses tormented you, you knew your hero, your paragon, would still show you the way." That sums her up so perfectly. She dreams of being the Warrior of Light, but isn't. Yet she keeps trying anyways, and in the process pulls off more than she could ever dream of. Later on, during the whole end of Endwalker, there's another quote, a bit more spoilery this time: "Everything around us is so unbelievable, I keep expecting this to be a dream I'm about to wake from. / I'd awaken a student once more. I'd see Grandfather's face. I'd look back on the dream, reminisce on the hell we've been through, and then just go back to the life I had before I'd ever lost anything. / I feel like I should want that, that that's happiness... But you know what? I don't. I don't want to pretend that none of this happened, no matter how much it hurts."

And is there more there than just admiration? Well, here's something the WoL literally says in Dawntrail: "So long as you're holding the gate, Alliseie, I know I'll be safe." Yup I'm taking that as far as it can go.

As for Dawntrail... I don't disagree with what Isquen said, but I also think Dawntrail's plot is just complete trash (how this is the same series that has Shadowbringers, which might be my pick for the best JRPG plot of all time, is mindblowing) and refuse to hold that against her.

For Luffy... Backup honestly seems low. The man literally declared war on the world government for a friend.

rwlh posted...

50. Spark the Electric Jester (Spark the Electric Jester)

Backup: 4.

No, it sounds like he backed everyone up to the cloud, didn't he...

I will just say as far as Backup is concerned, if you ever manage to see the Water 7/Enies Lobby arc of the manga, Luffy does some stuff that would absolutely be cause to have that point bumped up a bit more.

If ya know, ya know.

wholeheartedly agree with Luffy having 10 backup later in the series

rwlh posted...

When Luffy learns about the dogs backstory, he becomes enraged and clobbers the man who burned down the store (notably, Im pretty sure this is the angriest he gets in the first two volumes, at least when hes not a little kid anymore).

Don't mess with people's dreams or treasures in front of Luffy. He really hates that.

The only thing I would say you are missing (other than what has already been mentioned) is that you haven't seen what a party with Luffy is like. Dude loves a party and they are a long fun filled time. Even wild wolves can't help but join in and dance around the bonfire. Would probably boost his activity score.

46. Pan (Stray Gods)
@azuarc

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/c/c27cb1b7.jpg

College dropout Grace has been accused of a strange crime: killing the last muse, of ancient Greek fame. She must prove her innocence to the remains of the Greek pantheon. Fortunately (maybe?), the satyr Pan comes to her aid (maybe?), helping Grace develop her singing powers, inherited from the last muse. Pan, however, is a trickster god, and has his own agenda the question is, can Claire use him the same way hes using her? (You get to decide that every playthrough.)

I watched a handful of YouTube videos and read some Wikis and analysis elsewhere. This one was tricky because of the variable nature of each playthrough; the number of choices at each juncture ensures youre unlikely to have the same experience more than once. I tried to focus on things about Pan that were relatively consistent across the choices. Beware of spoilers.

Activity: 8. Do you like hedonism? If you do, Pan is the friend for you. Hes a god of mischief, after all. You can romance him in Stray Gods, during which he entreats Grace to live a little, throw caution to the wind, that sort of thing. Hes only not rated higher because hes always scheming, so youd always be wondering about some ulterior motive. He has lots of favors he frequently refers to that he can call in at any pointbut if you dont care about that and just want a good time, sure, give Pan a call! Also, if you want to go beyond friends, Im sure he is about as kinky as you could imagine. This probably would still qualify as friends, albeit of the with benefits variety; Pan doesnt strike me as a monogamous kind of god.

Backup: 5. Believe it or not, despite his trickster ways, Pan supports Grace. He is often, depending on your playthrough choices, the first to come to her defense at her trial, which is, likehuge for him. That said, he likes playing games with people a little too much to get much higher. He openly admits hes used Grace and that he uses everyone, asking, Is this not the way the world works? Definitely not somebody whos big into Backup.

Conversation: 9. Smooth and silver-tongued, like any good trickster god. Capable of flattery and seduction. Is immortal and has been around quite a while, so can speak (and sing!) on any number of subjects. Seems to enjoy the art of conversation as a bit of a competitive sport, weaving in and around sentences with grace. Even if you spurn his offers of help, hes got to be among the most fun conversational partners in the ranking.

Demeanor: 8. To me Stray Gods really plays up the idea of making Pan analogous to the biblical Satan, what with the horns, his seductive speaking style, and his overall deal with the devil Demeanor. He approaches Grace when shes confused and needs some help with her Idol powers, and he can (in some playthroughs) become more persuasive than Graces friend, who cautions her about siding with him. Hes very good with people, if not openly manipulative (see B for his philosophy on how the world works), and this is true even if his intentions arent often pure. Hes slick and wears fine clothing too, putting out a hypermasculine image of success and power. But hes always friendly and light, belying his true manipulations.

Effort: 6. Fundamentally loyal to himself above all else, but hes more than willing to aid anyone that can help him too. His constant scheming means hes always coming up with ways that can benefit himself, which in turn means ways that can benefit other people who are caught in the schemes. Hes very much a wildcard, but hes one you absolutely want in your corner.

Total Score: 72.