Hello Everyone! Welcome back to another Classy Critique! This time, we talk about characters that either are not unique or are just overpowered, and we will also talk about general “design crazes” in the community! This is one of my efforts to encourage more original characters in the community!

The topic of today’s Critique is Unoriginal/OP characters, and trends!

Oh boy, this one might be a bit of a doozy, so buckle up!

First Off, What is an Unoriginal Character and an Overpowered Character?

First of all, an unoriginal character is any character that isn’t… well… Original. It’s a character that takes heavy inspiration in terms of design, personality, storyline, etc. based on ANOTHER character. Basically, instead of a creator taking another creator’s design and making something new with it, they will essentially recreate that one character but add minor differences. Unoriginal characters are cliche and they don’t bring anything new to the table. An example would be someone making a new character that is exactly like YoYo, but has a different name and a different color. Unoriginal characters essentially copy an existing design and replicate it with some changes. Unoriginal characters also don’t need to completely copy a design, but they can take so much inspiration from one to the point of where it isn’t really a new character, but an edited version of an old one. Unoriginal characters can also be characters that don’t copy off others, but instead are incredibly generic and dull. Basic powers, basic personality, basic goals, a literal personification of lukewarm. They don’t copy off a specific character, but rather off a general trend of characters. These characters don’t have a “spark” to them. They’re uninteresting and boring.

On the other hand, an Overpowered character is a character who has little to no competition in strength and power. Essentially they outshine all the competition because they are simply too powerful to have a fair fight. Now, this isn’t always necessarily a bad thing, since Overpowered characters can actually be very beneficial to a storyline or character arc. This specifically focuses on DUELISTS that are Overpowered. Duelists and characters that are specifically created to fight other characters typically have set rules they must follow in order to be considered fair. Some people create their duelists to be extremely Overpowered, resulting in an unfair fight that isn’t fun to watch at all, and that is assuming the duelist even gets accepted in the first place. Overpowered characters are typically boring and unfun to watch unless they’re contributing to storyline, and they have a likable personality. (This doesn’t necessarily mean a do-gooder, just a character that people can find interest in.)

What is a trend?

A trend, in terms of the StickNodes community, is a specific fashion of the time. The design in the community that is currently the “craze” and whatnot. Some specific trends in the past have been scarf figures, demon forms, and super saiyans. Trends are problematic because, while they may be cool at the time, many members of the community will try to imitate that style. Such trends will quickly become overused, and therefor unoriginal because of the community. Because of this, demon forms are generally looked down upon, super saiyans are ignored, and scarf figures are treated with disgust. Only a couple of people can actually pull these off well, but the general community has taken these trends to a direction where it’s hard to use them without criticism.

Why are they a problem?

The problem is this: if we keep following the “popular” trends and not stick to our own original and unique ideas, the creative aspect of StickNodes will decay. This is a slightly over-complicated example, but it suits the topic well. Think of all the character creation like scientific research. One scientist finds something interesting and makes a theory on it. Everyone loves the theory, and they think it is very interesting. However, instead of using the theory to reach new places and boundaries, many other scientists just make their own theories that paraphrase the original. Essentially, they state the exact same thing in a different way. Without anyone exploring new methods and theories, no discoveries will be done, and no interesting findings will be released. That’s just what op/unoriginal characters and trends do to the community. Instead of making cool and interesting characters, many creators simply follow the trend to get popular instead of branching out and making something new. And if there’s no one to keep the creative juices flowing, if there’s no one to keep searching to make something new…

The StickNodes Community will die.

Let me explain why. New ideas are supposed to be refreshing and original. They push the generations forward. They instill thought into the minds of others. If people just keep creating unoriginal characters that are dull and offer nothing new, the creative energy that drives a community forward decays. If something decays too much, it dies. StickNodes was so successful because it brought something new to aspiring animators. It brought a new form of animation software that was easily accessible to those who were interested in animation. This created a bubbling community of new ideas and characters, and many individuals rose to the top to become iconic faces of the StickNodes Community. (Fearless, Kaido, Me lel) New role models and inspirations now existed for animators. However, many took the trends of these popular animators and instead of using their example to create new, interesting characters, they simply copied styles and trends. The Scarf meme is well known across the community for a reason. However, I digress. The main point is that we MUST continue the stream of creativity and interesting characters, or else the excitement of this community will fade away, and the StickNodes Community will die. We need old ideas being taken to new lengths and new directions, not just copies off of the original.

What can we do to stop this?

Simply create new and original characters with your imagination, and create duelists that aren’t overpowered. Come up with your own designs instead of basing them off another character. Be original. Be fresh. That’s basically it. Such an important problem can be solved by such a simple solution. However, I’ll go into detail about how exactly you can help with this. Remember that a stickfigure is not just a character, but a template, an empty slate. You can create whatever you want, whoever you want, all starting off from a black stickfigure. Branch off, spice it up, be unorthodox! This figure is your oyster, so make something new with it, make what YOU want to make of it and not what the trend is.

Now, time for something different…

Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen, because here we go. I’m going to be offering criticism on existing character tropes and stereotypes that are particularly popular currently. I’ll be listing some examples. Please don’t take offense to any of this, thanks 😀

There are specific rules I have made in order to prevent the creation of Unoriginal and Overpowered Characters. If you want help with making an original and balanced character, try following these rules. Know that they aren’t set in stone.

Rule No. 1: NEVER EVER have your character belong to an already existing show/movie unrelated to Stickfigures.

Let me explain. Do not have your character belong to a species/group/universe that exists in an already functioning popular TV Show/Movie. Common offenders would be making your character a…ugh…Super Saiyan. It’s the easiest way to have an unoriginal character, because you aren’t even making the basis of your own character, but you are taking that basis of another pre-existing trope. A good character would be an origami master who could construct paper shapes and turn them into weapons and creatures. A bad one would be a character wielding a Death Note. A good character would be a bone-manipulator who could control the corpses of the deceased around him. A bad character would be related to Sans and have all his abilities. Don’t relate your character to an already existing popular series. Seriously, I’ve seen too many Super Saiyans who are somehow related to that Goku dude. (I don’t watch that show, it’s all about yelling tbh) If the origins and universe of your character aren’t original, there’s a major chance your character won’t be either. This is referring to things outside the StickNodes universe. If a character is a member of the dojo or something like that, that’s pretty much fine.

Rule No. 2: AVOID EXTREMES.

What do I mean by extremes? Well, basically anything that takes a power up to a super high level. It usually indicates an Overpowered character. Firing a lazer as a final ability that is “as hot as the sun” is seriously overpowered, as it would destroy all life on earth very quickly. Final forms with infinite/unknown stats are not only unoriginal, but they are also lazily made, boring, and overpowered. Conflict creates drama, and having that power makes the fight boring. Having a sword that can cut through absolutely anything is WICKED OP, since any and all defense is completely negated on a whim without sufficient explanation, and it’s a major minus to characters that specialize on defense. Some of the worst are with speed and defense. Impenetrable armour is completely IMPENETRABLE. Nothing can pierce it. No attacks work. Incredibly OP. Being as fast as light is SUPER OP. I don’t know why I’d have to explain why, but some people don’t think that’s Overpowered. Light can travel across the earth 4 times in a single second. If your character can travel as fast as light, nothing can catch him. It doesn’t even matter how weak he would be if he got hit, nothing can hit that character. God forms are simply unoriginal and overpowered beyond belief. They should provide a cool storyline aspect if a god form will be pulled off correctly, but that usually never happens. Immortality is a less Overpowered power than other powers, but if it isn’t pulled off correctly, it’s just Overpowered and boring. Also, having your character be millions of years old is just… not cool. I understand that you’d want to make the character wise and all that, but the millions of years old shtick is far overused and is just plain. If you are gonna use that, you BETTER have a compelling storyline that takes place during that time. Balance characters out. Of course, they can specialize in specific aspects, like some characters being brawlers, others being tanks, etc. However, don’t have characters go all in on specific qualities and be lackluster on all others. That will most likely lead to an overpowered character for duels.

Rule No. 3: Original Design is Key!

Unoriginal characters don’t necessarily have to have the same powers and personality as another character. Their design alone can make something unoriginal. It doesn’t matter if your character is completely different in personality from all others. If your design and visual appeal is the same as another character, it just seems copied and unoriginal. This has happened multiple times with the StickNodes Community in the past. People like trends and latch on to them, resulting in unoriginal characters. The primary example was the constant use of scarves. They were the good stuff during the early days of StickNodes. Man, I remember those days. Anyway, people LOVED putting scarves on their characters. (I dunno why people like scarves, they just look dumb and get in the way imo, only a few are pulled off correctly) This design got overused, and scarves became the sign of unoriginality. Tails were also a thing back during those times too, though not as popular. Then, Demon forms. Oh man. I call it the “Age of Edge.” Demon forms became extremely popular, and some credit of this can be attributed to YouTubers like Kaido Mation and SMX. People loved the dark powers and stuff like that, and it practically became a meme once everyone realized how overused those forms were. There isn’t a clear design trope right now, though I’ve seen a couple tophat wearing characters running around (hehe) but there’s not much around for tropes, which is good. One thing I’ve noticed is that people like making robots/cyborgs with no emotion and feeling. That’s becoming a bit of a thing now. The point of all this is: try to stray away from the norm. You don’t have to be 100% original with the design, as inspiration is certainly ok, but don’t completely copy designs. Detailed designs can also be used, as they typically are harder to replicate and can solidify your character’s image. Simple designs can be just as effective in storytelling and image, but it takes a lot more work to give them presence and importance to viewers. Just remember the differences between detailed designs and simple designs: detailed designs are harder to create and make characters more memorable, while simple designs are easier to make but require more work to make them memorable. Either design can become a great character in the hands of a great storyteller.

Rule No. 4: Storyline and Personality ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF A CHARACTER!

The BEST original characters have amazing storylines and likable personalities. This aspect is somewhat underlooked by creators at times, since people focus more on how the character looks and their effects instead of what drives the character or what the character has been through. While design of the character is important, THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF A CHARACTER ARE THEIR STORYLINES AND PERSONALITIES! You could have a cool character with amazing abilities be as interesting as a piece of chewed-up gum under a desk if the character doesn’t have a good backstory and personality. Villains can be super cool-looking, but without a compelling story and personality, they become corny and edgy. There are some specific behaviors that I see all the time with Unoriginal StickNodes characters and the way they interact in fights. Example one is the “smile whenever anyone does anything.” It’s really overplayed. Ever seen this scenario before?
“Opponent charges at Hero. Zoom in on hero mouth. First a frown, then turns to a smile. Hero counterattacks.”
I bet you have, because SO MANY PEOPLE DO THIS. It’s unoriginal, and a poor way of expressing personality. In addition, the whole “unknown storyline” approach is pretty much horrible. Storyline is IMPORTANT for a character, and to have that storyline pretty much nonexistent is not only lazy but detrimental to the character. Amnesia is pretty generic too. What a character does in a story defines that character and their actions. Personality adds to that as well. When creating a character, you should really delve into the mindset of such character to build it up better. Any character with the most detailed armor and badges or the most smoothly animated powers can be an uninteresting character if you don’t focus on storyline and personality. Really build up the worlds the characters live in.

Rule No. 5: Generally avoid Forms!

When I talk of forms, I mean different phases that a character can go through to give them different power levels/abilities. These are rather overused, and can be severely overpowered. Stray away from too many forms for just one character, because it just becomes confusing and dull. Then, different super-powerful forms can be incredibly overpowered as well, and are extremely unfun to watch. This isn’t saying that forms can’t be pulled off well though. In general, however, keep forms to small levels and don’t have their powers be seismic. Of course, forms can contribute to storyline, so this section pretty much applies only to duels.

Rule No. 6: GIVE YOUR CHARACTERS PRESENCE.

When a specific moment in an animation is supposed to be powerful or striking, one of the deciding factors for the impact on the audience comes from the character itself. In order to make a specific character seem incredibly powerful, something needs to be done for the character in a build up for that action. Don’t just make the character important for the story; make the character important to the audience. Give them a real “wow” movement. Either when a villain shows his true powers, a hero gets serious and tackles evil head on, an individual sacrifice to save a group, the list goes on. In order to really get that impact, characters need buildup. They need to connect with audiences. The same heroic sacrifice in a series can be “meh” to an audience in episode 5, but absolutely devastating to them in episode 18. Give your characters time to develop, challenges to overcome, tough decisions to make. Give them “presence.” Design them so that the audience doesn’t just see a character’s importance, but make them feel it too. In these moments, the best characters shine. It’s very hard to do indeed, but if you can pull it off, your audience will get hooked, and your character will be truly incredible. Remember not to overdose on the wow, though. If every moment is a wow moment, it will all seem mediocre in comparison. Build up to events through the characters, then execute the events in a flourish of emotion. This certainly isn’t needed to create a unique/original character, but it can definitely help you make a truly awesome one.

Example from Popular Media:
A character that really speaks creative and unique yet awesome and destructive is Nox, the Mad Xelor. Originating from the TV series “Wakfu,” Nox is a destructive antagonist who ruins the lives of the heroes at practically every turn. His design is incredibly awesome, and visual look just screams “powerful.” Nox is a Xelor, a type of magician skilled in the powers of space and time. Though such powers may be hard to execute without looking edgy, Nox hits the mark spot on. His powers are so cool, but he is also incredibly interesting as a character. Nox is building a clock that, once it garners enough “Wakfu” (the World’s energy), he will be able to reverse time and stop a specific event. He is called “The Mad Xelor” for a reason, as he is practically insane. This portrayal is pulled off near-perfectly, and his intentions for his evil actions even make the audience feel sympathy for this murderer. At many times while watching the show, I was so entranced by the effect of this character that, at many times, I wanted him to win the fights. Nox is a sinister villain with “Presence.” Whenever he is in combat, whenever he is even seen, whenever his friggin NAME is said, the audience is affected by it! Through the experiences of the heroes, the audience comes to fear Nox as well, but also somewhat sympathize with him. He is such a well-designed character. I recommend anyone reading this to watch the show “Wakfu.” It’s on Netflix, and it’s an astounding show. The style of animation is very anime-esque, but it is actually a French Cartoon. Don’t let the “Cartoon” part fool you though, there’s a ton of action. I’ve included a photo of Nox just in case you’re curious, and a video of one of his major fights. (If you’re interested in the show from my description, maybe don’t watch it cuz it has some spoilers and it would probably be cool to see it after watching all the episodes lol) Yea, sorry to go on about Nox and whatnot, but he’s such a good character that I had to include a description to show what a good character is like. This won’t be the last time I do something like this, and I won’t stop at TV shows either. There’s a specific game (COUGH COUGH HOLLOW KNIGHT) that tells storyline rather well, and I might use it as an example for future critiques on wow moments and storytelling.

Nox Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KOH2Ocy778&t=230s

And that’s all, folks! Tune in next time to Classy Critiques, where we tackle a different topic: storyline! I encourage discussion in the comments as long as it is appropriate, and I also encourage you to ask any questions if you wish! Thanks everyone!

Stay Classy!