Having a good storyline and awesome worldbuilding is great, but the truth is, legendary stories are carried by their lovable (mostly) main characters. 

It’s those characters that the audience connects deeply to. And they keep reading or watching because they want to see how things unfold for the character. Sometimes they’re rooting for them. Other times, they’re worried for them, or even inspired by them. They want to see how whatever happens affects this character they love. Or how the character will handle it.

This deep emotional connection not only keeps your audience in your world but gets them talking about your story for generations to come.

How then do you craft such compelling and lovable characters?

You know over here we learn from the greats. I have analyzed and broken down the invisible patterns for dreamers like you and I to learn and implement.

Many factors influence how a fictional character is perceived and accepted. For example, appearance. The general trope is to make main characters good looking, so whether in film, manga, novels, or anime, the audience instantly finds them likeable.

But factors like that don’t have the lasting effects we’re talking about.

The only thing you need to make your MCs (main characters) lovable and unforgettable is emotional connection.​

And no one gets emotionally connected to looks.

What people connect to is personality and story.

How did you come to like that one friend or colleague? How did you come to form emotional bonds with them?

Personality and story!

Something in their life’s story resonated with you, or you like the way they think or behave.

I’m going to share 4 personality types that have made some of the most lovable and compelling characters across fantasy fiction media.

The goal is that you can draw from this to inspire and craft your main or supporting characters, who will carry your story to new heights.

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First,

Let’s adjust your lenses by defining what personality is.

Personality refers to the enduring, unique patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that distinguish one individual from another. It includes consistent behavioral traits, moods, and attitudes that shape how a person interacts with the world. It is often described as a blend of inherent and acquired characteristics.

It has 3 main layers:

• How a person interprets the world - Thought Patterns

• What they feel most easily - Emotional Tendencies

• What they consistently do - Behavioral Patterns

4 ready-to-use lovable personality types

1. Flawed and growing

Examples:  Naruto Uzumaki, Klaus, Zuko, Harry Potter.

This personality type describes a fictional character who doesn’t have things figured out. They’re battling both inner and outer demons and trying to struggle their way through to the life they want. They are far from perfect. Often lacking in something, but are working on it. 

For example, Naruto: from his tragic backstory, Naruto became someone who desired the acknowledgement of others. On top of that, he wasn’t very strong/skilled. He kept trying and failing. Wanting to be acknowledged by the same ungrateful people around him should have been annoying (for lack of a better word), but it was authentic and human. 

Not everyone is so emotionally stoic as to have no need for acknowledgement in a world where you have no one. He was flawed but continued to grow. This is the important part of this personality type. 

Your fictional character can have their authentic, relatable flaws, but must be on a journey of relentless growth. Naruto grew stronger, more mature, and reached his goals. The audience loved him for this, and his character was an inspiration to many.  

2. Sacrificing rebel 

Examples - Eren, Sinners brothers Smoke and Stack, Lelouch, Itachi, Katniss, Paul Atreides.

You have to be heartless to love and connect to these guys. This personality type describes fictional characters who have seen an injustice or false structure and are willing to pay a personal price to change it. 

They are the ones who do what no one else is willing to do. They are ready to endure consequences, smear on their good name, and be the sacrifice for others to benefit. This character is deeply selfless and loving. 

Their sacrifice is for those closest to them and then for the greater good. 

Usually, in using this character type, we get to see their journey from before they make a drastic decision or turn to become a sacrificing rebel. I like to think this character type is some sort of fictional empath. They feel too deeply, hence the drastic decision.  

Audiences usually connect to them before the sacrificing rebel turn. Because the audience gets to understand their pain and how each thing that happens shapes them. They’re kind of heroes in the eyes of the audience. Someone everyone wishes they could be but are not brave enough to. So they mourn them and their loss from the world.

3. Pure and quirky 

Examples - Anya Forger, Monkey D. Luffy, Tanjiro, Peter Pan, Alice.

These fictional characters are loved for being a breath of fresh air. They are emotionally open, socially awkward, always sincere, and have zero strategy to their kindness. They make you forget the world is a sh*tty place. And that is precisely why they are unforgettable to an audience. 

The anime Spy X Family literally owes its success to this one character type. Everyone loves and roots for Anya. A child. A child character. That shows you how powerful this personality type can be. But it’s also tricky to build this character. 

Many authors and creators try but fail. For the audience to connect to this character and to make them truly lovable, the character must be as natural as possible. It shouldn't feel like the writer is forcing this character to seem pure and quirky. 

Everything about their development has to be authentic to this personality type. From the food they eat to the decisions they make and the people they interact with. 

I would suggest watching the anime or reading the books with this character type to gain a good understanding of how they are.

4. Unapologetic strength

Examples - Gojo, Killua, Witcher (portrayed by Henry Cavill), Levi, Black Panther.

This describes a fictional character that is strong and doesn’t apologize for it. They use their strength to get what they want and protect those they love. A lot of these characters are also empaths. Others are loyalists. 

When developing this type of character, it's important to not hold back but stay within reason. Their strength is overwhelming, but there is a logical explanation behind it. 

Audiences love and connect to this character in an aspirational sense. They admire them and can relate to the things they stand for. They represent a shift away from victim tropes and the good guys often being weaker than the bad guys.

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There you have it, 4 ready-to-use lovable character types for fantasy fiction characters that will be remembered in years to come.

If you’re working on the character development for your fantasy fiction work, I recommend this bestselling workbook to ensure you craft truly believable characters.

GET IT HERE

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