The duality of putting limits on characters vs straight over-the-top powerups

[NotaNuffian]

I would not lie and say I don't miss the days when MC would had to pick an evolution path and eschew himself from becoming an all rounder.

Though from my myopic view in CN, MC will ultimately converge to High Strength High Defense/ Constitution bruiser tank with a negligible debuff in Speed/ Dexterity. The only one time with Strength vs Dexterity with MC being the fast but fragile fighting against a bruiser was at the very start of Omniscient God of War. Though in the endgame, he turns into bruiser tank himself.

The same with So What If I'm a Spider, initially she goes for classes more suited for her stealthy venomous playstyle, but ultimately she just becomes good in everything.

Nowadays it is different. MC no longer has one or two benefits he has against his foe. He outrights outstat them even though the guy might have higher level than him.

Or the author is cheeky by having MC never face off a stalemate with someone would is the opposite of their build.

I think what I am trying to say is that I missed MC facing pushbacks, to have to stare at his own weakness and ask himself, is it better to try to strengthen his weakest link now or to keep on making himself into a one trick pony that can overcome any and everything in the short run.

I say short run because in the end, long run will have MC becomes an all rounder.

 

[Daydreamers]

worse than power, every side character is weak writing-wise; I don't get it

 

[NotaNuffian]

worse than power, every side character is weak writing-wise; I don't get it

Because of main character effect.

The other characters are not people, they are set pieces.

 

[Valmond]

Because of main character effect.

The other characters are not people, they are set pieces.

@Envylope

They are onto you, Side Character.

 

[Placeholder]

> Though from my myopic view in CN,

... read more broadly?

 

[NotaNuffian]

> Though from my myopic view in CN,

... read more broadly?

No

 

[Placeholder]

1. The End - Master, This Poor Disciple Died Again Today -- Complete!

Bam! The blue sedan slammed into a tree. Glass shattered as the cinderblocks sitting in the front seat smashed through the front windshield and tumbled (...)

www.royalroad.com

 

[Deleted member 84247]

@Envylope

They are onto you, Side Character.

Im the side character vampire queen.

 

[AYM]

Virgin cheat genius assassin-doctor regressor vs Chad breakthrough bottleneck mid-combat orphan

 

[RepresentingWrath]

No

based and redpilled

 

[Alski]

I think what I am trying to say is that I missed MC facing pushbacks, to have to stare at his own weakness and ask himself, is it better to try to strengthen his weakest link now or to keep on making himself into a one trick pony that can overcome any and everything in the short run.

They are never smart enough to stop and use critical thinking on themselves because they used their mental stats as dump stats (or suffer from author retardartion)

 

[CheertheSecond]

I would not lie and say I don't miss the days when MC would had to pick an evolution path and eschew himself from becoming an all rounder.

Though from my myopic view in CN, MC will ultimately converge to High Strength High Defense/ Constitution bruiser tank with a negligible debuff in Speed/ Dexterity. The only one time with Strength vs Dexterity with MC being the fast but fragile fighting against a bruiser was at the very start of Omniscient God of War. Though in the endgame, he turns into bruiser tank himself.

The same with So What If I'm a Spider, initially she goes for classes more suited for her stealthy venomous playstyle, but ultimately she just becomes good in everything.

Nowadays it is different. MC no longer has one or two benefits he has against his foe. He outrights outstat them even though the guy might have higher level than him.

Or the author is cheeky by having MC never face off a stalemate with someone would is the opposite of their build.

I think what I am trying to say is that I missed MC facing pushbacks, to have to stare at his own weakness and ask himself, is it better to try to strengthen his weakest link now or to keep on making himself into a one trick pony that can overcome any and everything in the short run.

I say short run because in the end, long run will have MC becomes an all rounder.

Luckily, my mc and my novel didn't fall into this problem. :3

 

[Valmond]

There is a fun little thing that you won’t often think about. A side character, but important themselves. Is the protagonist’s mother.

You understand that they are such a threat, that the main antagonist had to go about a really roundabout way to get rid of them, and even that wasn’t fully intentional, but a ripple effect.

The protagonist’s mother for a small scene is shown to be able to bend reality to a space without time.

This is an ability the main learns very late into the story, though have displayed a resistance to time manipulative abilities. Hence directing to them.

Anyway, all you see is their mother only used what is referred to as level one, and took down a devil that was even a threat to the gods at the time.(The devil ends up becoming the main’s father).

Now, how did the mother die? She traded her life to save the main from an incurable illness when they were a child.

Though, from the Countdown to Ruin. The starting set is more around the main style of fighting. This is Stage 1 to 4. Stage 4 to 7 reflects their father’s way of fighting.

Stage 8 to 9 reflects their mother’s way of fighting. Stage 10 is a combination of both.

Anyway, given that there are so little scenes on their mother. What you do see, is that for a side character, they are insanely powerful. The only reason they are not alive, is because they traded their life for their child’s own.

Late in the series, the main learns a certain ability their mother knew. Which is able to bend reality and time itself. However, the conditions are pretty high to meet.

Though, it opens up the possibility to use multiple execution level of abilities, which is normally too dangerous to use in a group effort.

However, only one set of abilities cannot be used in this realm, due to how dangerous it is. The realm may not be able to contain it, hence why it must always be used alone. The only exception is version III.



Unfortunately, version III will never be used again. Its debut was the series finale. And even then, the conditions are so absurd, you’d have a better chance of winning the lottery, while getting struck by lightning at the same time than getting that off.

 

[beast_regards]

It was always this way.

The shounen anime / manga protagonist was a nominal underdog, yet he always won against the enemy not by some clever tactics, but by the last minute power-ups or transformations, whichever was applicable.

The anime / manga isekai protagonists were always overpowered after the genre entered the escapist phase. (before this, it was learning the life lesson, but that was never about power or intelligence, and aimed at different audience, so irrelevant to the discussion)

Generally, the eastern works like to see their protagonist generously rewarded.

It's western works who like their protagonist "smart" or "competent"...

... but even then, it usually ends up being "only one who got the manual" or "sees the future" or "is miraculously good in everything". Usually all the above.