Favorite Fictional Characters

Mine's Cloud Strife. I don't know; I guess I related more with his demeanor and general type of sh*ttiness. I decided on that when I was 15 (2007) and somehow stuck with that into my 30's, so I guess it wasn't a phase.

Second is tied Glaceon and Sylveon. Glaceon's my favorite, but Sylveon has the whole emotional companionship thing going. That's hard to argue with. Still, Glaceon's all icy and... I don't know... steadfast, in a sweet way. Argh. Hard to choose.

Third is... mm... I don't know. I guess it's a toss-up between Doom Slayer and Blazkowicz. Maybe Blazzie Boi. More human, more relatable. Killing demons and Nazis are both inarguable career paths however. Exhale... Choices...

Tough to pick one to be honest Darkboarder77. If I had to choose a favorite I think I would go with Strontium Dog. I loved that character when Carlos Ezquerra was drawing him and John Wagner was writing him for 2000AD in the early 80s. If it ever got made into a film it would be a major hit, the concept is just genius. Basically a bounty hunter in the not too distant future that has mutant eyes that allow him to see through solid objects and read brainwave patterns, limited telekinesis, and superb military skills. Just think Boba Fett but with better gadgets. Loved the story of when he was went back in time to bring Hitler to trial in the future.

My mind when to books when I first read the topic. But since I've only read like five to ten books outside of my schooling, I'm glad it's a wider scope. lol

Hard not to mention Bond, James Bond. lol

Difficult to pinpoint specific characters, as most of what I watch is fiction in some way.

I had you down picking Dexter Morgan Warrior13, I didn't know you were a Peter Flemming James Bond fan too.

I read an article the other day that said according to James Bond film rentals Pierce Bronson was the second most popular James Bond after Daniel Craig. I have to disagree, any survey that doesn't put Sean Connery either first or second after Craig is rubbish. I personally preferred Roger Moore to Pierce Bronson who I have coming in fourth place. I didn't think Pierce Bronson was believable to be honest, Sean Connery and Daniel Craig are two guys you wouldn't want to get into a street fight with whereas Pierce Bronson doesn't portray that aura in the slightest, just a pretty boy who was good at talking with a posh English accent.

Oh, yeah, definitely Dexter Morgan for me. Dennis knows me better than even myself. lol

But like I said, there are soooooooo many fiction characters I like since that's pretty much all I watch.

I think anyone who ever watched the Law & Order SVU Series would easily say Elliott Sabler was one of their favs.

« Last edited by Warrior13 on May 21st 2022 »

To be honest I've never seen the Law & Order SVU series so don't know the character you mentioned but if we are talking TV series then my favourite has to be Tony Soprano.

I've got a good amount, I thought we were talking books but since it's more broad I'll list some others.

In games, Adol Christin from the Ys series and his travel buddy Dogi are great fun. They're simple characters, pretty standard JRPG fare, but classic designs and have a simple irresistible charm to them. Kiryu from the Yakuza series is another favorite, over 7 games he's become a really fleshed out, complete character. Some others from that series as well. The trio of Sora, Donald, and Goofy from Kingdom Hearts. Soap and Price from various Call of Duty games. Sully from the Uncharted series.

In TV, Tony and Christopher from the Sopranos are probably the top 2. It's hard to find better developed characters than on the Sopranos. Ted Danson's character on The Good Place is a recent favorite since I've been watching that show. The 4 kids from South Park will always be up there, I enjoy Randy as well but the major focus on him in recent years has soured me on him a bit. In children's TV, the main cast of Avatar the Last Airbender remains unbeaten. Several characters from Dragon Ball Z were a huge part of my growing up as well.

Movies, Sauron and Gandalf from LOTR for sure. Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn is a great character but quite different from the books. Joe Pesci's character in My Cousin Vinny. Russell Crowe in the Gladiator. Bale in American Psycho. I think Colin Farrell played a great Alexander in the extended edition of Alexander. Same with Edward Norton as the leper King Baldwin in Kingdom of Heaven, the director's cut.

Book, I've got quite a few. Corwin of Amber from Roger Zelazny's classic Book of Amber. Rand Al'Thor goes through an incredible character arc over 14 books in the Wheel of Time. Jaime Lannister's character arc was ruined by the show, but in the Game of Thrones books he is an awesome character. India from Sherwood Smith's Inda Quartet. Guy Gavriel Kay is my favorite author and I could pick out characters all day from his novels, but his novel based on a fictionalized Islamic Spain, The Lions of Al-Rassan, is my favorite. Two from that book, Rodrigo Belmonte, loosely based on El Cid, and Ammar ibn Khairanm loosely based on the poet and diplomat Muhammed ibn Ammar, are probably my two favorite characters in fiction. Just a wonderful beautifully written book.

« Last edited by steelersrock01 on May 21st 2022 »

If we are talking books then hands down my favorite is Robert E. Howards Conan the Barbarian. I read all his work when I was a teenager growing up and all the books hold up over time as being some of the best sword and sworcery stories ever written. It's amazing really when you think those stories were written in the 1930s before Howard committed suicide. I could never really get into The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbitt which were written AFTER Conan. Robert E. Howard was ahead of his time.

I've read a few of the Howard Conan short stories and it's incredible how well they still hold up. A lot of stuff from that era and even much later like the 70s and 80s really doesn't read too well anymore but I was really surprised how enjoyable Conan still it. I'm not sure if it's the short story format leading to a more brisk pace or what, but I had good fun reading a few of those stories.

The Hobbit is still really readable, being a kid's book, but LoTR can be a little tough at points. Tolkien writes in a very different way than most modern authors and I can definitely see where people don't really get on with it.

Narnia is another series that I think really holds up. A lot of people dislike the strong Christian allegory these days but it doesn't bother me.

« Last edited by steelersrock01 on May 22nd 2022 »

You are dead right about the Conan stories not dating, I didn't realise they were written in the 30s when I first read them in the 80's. I was initially attracted to them by the fantastic Frank Frazetta covers. Makes you wonder how big Conan could have been if Robert E. Howard hadn't committed suicide.

The other books I love reading which literally take me back in time to the 70s and 80s because they are so great in the way they describe things that were about during that period of time are the Stephen King books. Those early books of his are masterpieces. I'm talking Salem's Lot, The Shining, Pet Semetary, and It.

« Last edited by Sanzano on May 23rd 2022 »

Frank Frazetta has done some really awesome fantasy covers. Not a popular style these days but really distinctive stuff.

I really like a lot of the early King stuff as well. I haven't read a ton of his newer stuff except for 11/23/63 which was excellent, but the old stuff is gold.

Mike: I do not know any of those characters from the games, nor anything about the Sopranos. South Park is awesome. Avatar was awesome (Korra ended up be sh*t). DBZ is awesome. Cannot say anything about your movie characters either, except for My Cousin Vinny. Dude, I fn love how you said Joe Pescis character from Vinny, as I was able to laugh because his character is My Cousin Vinny. lol I am also lost on your book characters.

I literally have only read like 5-10 books outside of schooling. I have read so little that it is hard constructing a Top 5. lol

It's crazy how each of us have read things which the others have never heard of. Not knowing who Tony Soprano or Conan the Barbarian (forget the movies) is blows my mind and makes me feel kind of sorry for you not having had the opportunity to experience the brilliance of those characters. Yet on the same note you each mention things which I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about and makes me wonder what I am missing out on.

steelersrock01, I can't read Stephen Kings later stuff, he lost the magic after 1986 and It. All his stuff after that started becoming a bit repetitive and tedious for my liking.

If you want a good book to read then I recommend William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. The film was great but the book scared the hell out of me. I didn't realise the story was based on true events that happened in the late 1940s in suburban Washington, D.C. with a family named Hunkeler and their 13-year-old boy who was despondent over the loss of his beloved Aunt, a spiritualist who?d taught him many things including how to use a Ouija board. Scared me even more when I found this out.


« Last edited by Sanzano on May 24th 2022 »

warrior - you should really get into reading man. Great hobby, and really good to do right before you go to sleep at night. It really helps clear the mind. My sleep has gotten so much better since I started reading for ~30 minutes a night.

Dennis - I feel ya on King. He's just a factory now. A book you might like that I read last year is Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix. It's a really interesting history of horror novels from the 70s and 80s.

I am more of a writer than a reader. ;)

That said, I will say two of Top 5 are Tale of Two Cities (probs the only required school material that I enjoyed, well at least the more I got into it) and the Black Dahlia by James Ellroy (movie was absolutely horrible).

Sure, but they do say one of the best ways to be a better writer is to be a big reader.

steelersrock01: That does look like an intresting book, I remember seeing the covers to those books when they were initially published. In the early 80s I used to go to a shop in London called The Forbidden Planet and spend hours looking through the shelves and shelves of horror and sci-fi books they had there. What I soon found out was that in most cases the best part of the book was the cover. I used to love the Graham Masterton novels like the Devils of D-Day and the Manitou. James Herbert was also another of my favourites.

I just find it difficult to read novels now, it's too easy to sit in front of a computer and google whatever takes my fancy at the time.

Mike: Yeah, but I am very picky. Plus, my brain sometimes starts thinking What Would I Do / Have Done when reading certain stories or watching tv. I probably have more fan fantasies brewing in my head than total books I have read. lol

« Last edited by Warrior13 on May 25th 2022 »

I found that reading stories and seeing films that were fiction were a lot more fun when I was younger and my mind was more forgiving and would let things slide and go with the flow. An example of this is Star Wars, when I saw that when I was 8 in 1977 I thought that was the best thing ever and literally collected anything to do with the movie. Now I watch the movies they are just ridiculous, how everyone is related has just ruined it for me.

I'm looking forward to the new Predator movie 'Prey'. Set in the world of the Comanche Nation in 1719, skilled female warrior Naru fiercely protects her tribe against a highly evolved alien Predator. I like the sound of this movie, I did some research recently on red indians and the weapons they had where lethal, they were no slouches at armed combat. I didn't realise the Predator franchise was a part of Disney.

I don't think it's always been part of Disney. I think Aliens and Predator were 20th Century Fox but they got acquired by Disney a couple years ago,