Character Flaws

[coyotecraft]

I've already forgotten where I read this, but I've heard that Japan's cultural expectations of a "good" character is someone who tries their best in everything. There was a word for that but my brain doesn't retain foreign words very well.

Compare that to here, I always hear a good character has flaws.
So I started looking at the main characters of jrpgs and anime, looking for flaws. There are some I can point out and say with certainty they have flaws. But a lot do not; at least not what I would consider character flaws.

Is being an overlooked everyman a flaw? Poor? Single? A lowly apprentice? They're definitely limitations and can be endearing when overcome. But not every story is going to be about wish-fulfillment. In a game especially, a character's social status is kind of a non-issue.
What do you think?

 

[coyotecraft]

Like, does "Childish" count as a flaw when the character is in fact a child?

 

[Juan J. Sánchez]

There's always some personal growth in JRPGs but after a while it all starts to look the same. For example, Dagger from FFIX and Agnes from Bravely Default. They're both mages that are naive since they have been shielded from the world and experience growth by learning to mingle with common people.

 

[coyotecraft]

See that's another thing. Naivety for a princess is more of an endearing trait than a flaw. It's almost ideal.
I guess I just think the point of a "flaw" is to make them seem real (with imperfections) but also to avoid ideal concepts that might make a character the perfect victim for example. There are believable flaws, and then there are convenient ones.
Maybe I'm struggling with a different writing concept here. I don't think you're suppose to manufacture a character to fit a role, outside of children's fiction anyways, because then it becomes too obvious and predictable. You know?

And I believe not all flaws need to be explored or exploited. They're there for depth, or at least to suggest it. Like a character can have an addiction that's mentioned in passing. They don't need to grow out of it, or fall into trouble because of it. But it brings you a little closer to a character when you imagine another side to them you can't see.

 

[Juan J. Sánchez]

You're right. Now that I think about it, the things I was seeing as flaws are not really flaws. Nonetheless, I can think of a few examples. For instance, Cloud at the beginning of FFVII is a selfish prick. But in most cases, characters really are "perfect" and good.

 

[Perihelion]

Flaws make characters seem more real, yes, but even more importantly, they're there to create story conflict. Flaws are a great source of conflict, and it adds a lot of rich texture to a story when those flaws create problems for the characters. They also allow for the protagonist to be proactive in more interesting ways. Basically, an interesting protagonist is proactive and takes charge of the plot, so why don't they immediately fix the problem? Well, either they need something they get over the course of the story (information, power, whatever), or they can't because they're too flawed at the beginning to make the right decisions or take the right actions, or preferably both. Having your characters make mistakes because of their flaws is a great opportunity for growth, which is very satisfying for the audience. You can't have a character arc without something wrong to start with.

So give your characters flaws, yes, but don't tack them on just for the sake of adding flaws or making characters seem more real. They should be an integral part of the story, especially for your protagonist. Every story needs both external conflict (the main plot with the antagonist, or what the protagonist wants) and internal conflict (the lesson the protagonist is supposed to learn from the story, or what they need, i.e. to overcome their flaws).