1) Ran Fan, of Fullmetal Alchemist (manga). Pictured in my icon. She's a bodyguard to a prince, and incredibly, fiercely loyal. She earned my eternal respect when, after being injured she cut off her own arm and tied it to a dog to mislead the supernatural creature that was hunting her. Then she walked through a sewer to get away. Later she replaces the arm with a mechanical one and jumps right back into the fight. She's quiet, but endlessly determined and I definitely admire her, even if she's a relatively minor character. Another contender for this spot is Riza Hawkeye from the same series, excellent sharpshooter, top-notch manager, and sharing many of the same qualities of determination and loyalty.
2) Raoden from Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I read this book a few weeks ago, and I find it still frequently occupies my thoughts. Raoden is the sort of innately good character who might seem a bit unbelievable in other stories, but somehow I end up impressed by him instead. He's a great leader, excellent at turning terrible situations to his advantage, and very inspiring to those around him. Also, he and his wife Sarene are one of the few couples I've really rooted for in recent memory.
3) Rogue from the X-Men. Rogue has never really been my favorite character in these stories, but she certainly has my sympathies. I always thought her treatment in the movies was a bit odd, especially the third one with the "mutant cure" subplot. Honestly, if my superpower meant I couldn't touch anyone, ever, or they would probably die... I'd probably go for a cure, too. I'm not sure why all the other characters were so surprised at her choice. And considering that a lot of her storylines feature her going crazy from absorbing too many people/memories or just being stuck with really confusing and complicated family/friend relationships, I'm not sure why they don't do a "cure" storyline more often. She deserves a break from all that misery.
4) Dr. River Song. She's awesome. I wish more female heroes were presented this way-- strong, witty, intelligent, and supremely confident in her own abilities, but not afraid to be feminine, either. I loved her when she was introduced and the backstory she's gotten in recent seasons has only made her more interesting, even if the timeline of her life is so convoluted it gives me a headache thinking about it. She presents a good foil for the Doctor and I hope we get at least a few episodes with her as the official companion in the future.
5) Rory Williams - I wasn't going to put two from the same series on here but Rory is awesome enough I think he deserves it. It's just so, so nice to see a happy, working relationship on TV. Rory is softspoken and quiet but he's not a wimp and he's not wishy-washy. He's sweet and nurturing when he needs to be and badass when the situation turns dangerous. He's okay with calling the Doctor out when necessary and he never, ever gives up if Amy's in trouble. Like River, I would like to see more male characters presented this way-- not an exaggerated compilation of male stereotypes but just an average guy who is awesome despite being "average."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 07:03 pm (UTC)1) Ran Fan, of Fullmetal Alchemist (manga). Pictured in my icon. She's a bodyguard to a prince, and incredibly, fiercely loyal. She earned my eternal respect when, after being injured she cut off her own arm and tied it to a dog to mislead the supernatural creature that was hunting her. Then she walked through a sewer to get away. Later she replaces the arm with a mechanical one and jumps right back into the fight. She's quiet, but endlessly determined and I definitely admire her, even if she's a relatively minor character. Another contender for this spot is Riza Hawkeye from the same series, excellent sharpshooter, top-notch manager, and sharing many of the same qualities of determination and loyalty.
2) Raoden from Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I read this book a few weeks ago, and I find it still frequently occupies my thoughts. Raoden is the sort of innately good character who might seem a bit unbelievable in other stories, but somehow I end up impressed by him instead. He's a great leader, excellent at turning terrible situations to his advantage, and very inspiring to those around him. Also, he and his wife Sarene are one of the few couples I've really rooted for in recent memory.
3) Rogue from the X-Men. Rogue has never really been my favorite character in these stories, but she certainly has my sympathies. I always thought her treatment in the movies was a bit odd, especially the third one with the "mutant cure" subplot. Honestly, if my superpower meant I couldn't touch anyone, ever, or they would probably die... I'd probably go for a cure, too. I'm not sure why all the other characters were so surprised at her choice. And considering that a lot of her storylines feature her going crazy from absorbing too many people/memories or just being stuck with really confusing and complicated family/friend relationships, I'm not sure why they don't do a "cure" storyline more often. She deserves a break from all that misery.
4) Dr. River Song. She's awesome. I wish more female heroes were presented this way-- strong, witty, intelligent, and supremely confident in her own abilities, but not afraid to be feminine, either. I loved her when she was introduced and the backstory she's gotten in recent seasons has only made her more interesting, even if the timeline of her life is so convoluted it gives me a headache thinking about it. She presents a good foil for the Doctor and I hope we get at least a few episodes with her as the official companion in the future.
5) Rory Williams - I wasn't going to put two from the same series on here but Rory is awesome enough I think he deserves it. It's just so, so nice to see a happy, working relationship on TV. Rory is softspoken and quiet but he's not a wimp and he's not wishy-washy. He's sweet and nurturing when he needs to be and badass when the situation turns dangerous. He's okay with calling the Doctor out when necessary and he never, ever gives up if Amy's in trouble. Like River, I would like to see more male characters presented this way-- not an exaggerated compilation of male stereotypes but just an average guy who is awesome despite being "average."