1. Wushi Legend

    Wushi Legend New Member

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    Popularity mystery...

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by Wushi Legend, Jan 21, 2021.

    • Harley Quinn (DC)
    • Jinx (League of legends)
    • Himiko Toga (My hero academia)
    • Mileena (Mortal Kombat)
    What do these characters have in common? (Besides the fact that they all are kind of crazy.)
    They are so damn popular!
    My question is... Why? Why are they so popular? Are they somehow grab the audience's attention or what?
    I always wanted to find the answer to this question.
     
  2. Wushi Legend

    Wushi Legend New Member

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    Nobody interested to reveal the mystery to me?
     
  3. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    Maybe none of us know. We're writers, not gamers or Manga followers, or whatever.

    But for the future, take note that thread bumping isn't allowed, so make sure to phrase your question so all can understand what you're asking and maybe include a frame of knowledge we can relate to. Any books that include these characters? You might have a better chance of finding people who can answer your question on a forum that carters to that specific genre/type of story.
     
  4. NWOPD

    NWOPD Administrator

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    I’m not familiar with the later three characters, but I’ve heard of this Harley Quinn character.

    She’s female, a villain/trickster. She also has a colorful personality a lot of characters lack, which I think makes her more likable and perhaps relatable.

    Are all of these characters you listed female? I feel like there are a good amount of female heroines, but are there many female villains? Are all these characters you listed female tricksters? I looked up Jinxx and she might fit the same description.
     
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  5. alw86

    alw86 Active Member

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    I only know Harley out of that list, but a quick google suggests that the other three are in the same mould. I think people probably just like a zany, unpredictable, colourful, possibly dangerous female character, when this is not something female characters often get to be.

    It probably doesn't hurt that they all seem to be smoking hot, very skimpily dressed and in media aimed largely at teenage boys and young men (not exclusively of course, I'm female and I enjoy Harley in some of her iterations)! I would imagine that for a subset they play nicely into bedroom fantasies a little 'spicier' than the more common girl next door trope.
     
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  6. J.T. Woody

    J.T. Woody Book Witch Contributor

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    Sex appeal.

    All 4 also have obsessive tendencies and are loose cannons (though that goes into "kind of crazy").

    But in terms of sex appeal... With the exception of Himiko Toga, they were made by males for males (and in the case of Harley, romanticize by females)
     
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  7. Wushi Legend

    Wushi Legend New Member

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    The reason I made this thread because I wanted to know that secret recipe of crazy popular characters. Sorry if I offended someone.
    I'm just a writer who wants to write a good story.
     
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  8. Wushi Legend

    Wushi Legend New Member

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    Yes.
    All of them are villains.
    Yes...
    That's great explanation. I'll note that down. Thanks for the reply!
    Not sure if it's only sex appeal which made them so popular... :confused:
    Then my question is, why people are like these kinds of characters? I mean, unpredictable and dangerous ones.
     
  9. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Lol, well you could keep doing that forever! :p I'd say the answer is because predictable and safe are boring, but I don't think another "Yes, but why?" will get any farther toward answering. There comes a point when there are no more meaningful 'whys' behind the answers, it just is what it is.
     
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  10. alw86

    alw86 Active Member

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    My guess is because it gives them a vicarious thrill which they can't (and wouldn't want to) experience IRL. The fantasy of running around with a girl who at any moment might take you on a bank robbery or to decapitate that one guy who looked at her funny last week is exciting, even though in reality it would be horrifying.

    Edit: Why does this topic interest yiu do much?
     
  11. Cephus

    Cephus Contributor Contributor

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    That's much of the case. They were made specifically to appeal to their target demographic and sex appeal is a huge part of it. They don't dress Harley like that for no reason.
     
  12. marshipan

    marshipan Contributor Contributor

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    I think women like Harley because she's a sexy woman allowed to be as crazy as she wants and gets to be with a well-known villain (villain romance is a "thing"). She gets to wear her emotions on her sleeve, be feminine, and go psycho when men piss her off. There are a lot of women who have their emotions questioned and their sanity judged. It's a fun fantasy to imagine just "letting go" to be the uber crazy bitch of your heart's content (and also sex up the bad boy villain who is no doubt, bad for you).
     
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  13. J.T. Woody

    J.T. Woody Book Witch Contributor

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    Its not enough to just be crazy, you're right.
    They have back stories as to why they are like that. Im not familiar with Jinx and Himiko tbh... By Mileena is the twin sister to the heroine, Kitana. Mileena is literally her opposite. Harley was a "good girl" psychiatrist who fell for a patient and snapped. There is more to them than this, obviously, but their full back story is what gets people to love/hate them
     
  14. zoupskim

    zoupskim Contributor Contributor

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    I dunno about those other characters, but I liked Harley because she was the Joker's heavy, which is itself hilarious because she's this stringy little therapist. Joker would come in and say, "I'm going to steal all the fish in Gotham. Harley!"

    And she be all like, "Yes Mr. J?" Like she's his secretary or something.

    And he'd say, "Do be a dear and give the Mayor his copy of the receipt."

    "Right away Puddin'." then she'd shove a fish into the Mayor's mouth.

    Then Batman breaks through the skylight and lands on the Mayor's desk and glares and shit and says, "Jokee-e-er."

    "BATman!" Joker would reply.

    "Joker-r-r!" Batman would reiterate.

    "Batman!" Joker would repeat.

    "Harley!" Harley would say, then clobber Batman in the side of the head with a giant mallet, loosing her balance with the follow through of the swing, but still knocking The Bat off the desk onto his ass.

    Classic.
     
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  15. Wushi Legend

    Wushi Legend New Member

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    There is always a reason behind everything ;)
    Sooner or later, I'll find out the secret recipe.
    Noted. Pretty good explanation.
    Well, I already mentioned it before... I want to know the secret recipe of what made those characters so crazy popular.
    But in the franchise where they belong, there are a lot of attractive females as well. The problem is that they are not so popular.
     
  16. Malum

    Malum Offline

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    Weeb appeal.
     
  17. Cephus

    Cephus Contributor Contributor

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    You have to remember that in the case of Harley, she was created on an animated TV show and she gained her popularity for acting crazy and sexy. It's why most superheroines dress as they do and why so many superheroes are muscular and dressed in skin-tight clothes. They know their audience. Most of it is wish-fulfillment.
     
  18. J.T. Woody

    J.T. Woody Book Witch Contributor

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    In the case of comic books,, the female villains are more seductresses/temptresses. For example, in DC comics....all the female bad guys always try to seduce Batman (they are the "Lilith" to the hero's "Adam"). Poison Ivy, Harley, CatWoman, Cheetah, Talia (literally has a kid with Batman), etc.
    Morally loose... Scantily clad.... Slightly (or entirely) crazy... All of which were dangerous to men at the time of their creation.

    Pretty sure its the same way for videogames too. At least for Mileena, even though she is the villain to her sister, "she is shown to be extremely flirtatious as well, utilizing her "beauty" to manipulate men to her advantage" (mortal kombat fandom)

    And Himiko wants to kill the guys she likes to drink their blood.

    So again, the whole Lilith/Adam corruption thing
     
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  19. WritingInTheDark

    WritingInTheDark Active Member

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    Horikoshi is male too.
     
  20. J.T. Woody

    J.T. Woody Book Witch Contributor

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    I mean her look. Her look wasnt made FOR males. Though she was created by a male, she wasnt drawn through the "male gaze".
     
  21. WritingInTheDark

    WritingInTheDark Active Member

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    I'm not sure I buy that. Her powers require her to repeatedly be naked and covered in slime.
     
  22. Naomasa298

    Naomasa298 HP: 10/190 Status: Confused Contributor

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    Big... umm... assets always helps.
     
  23. J.T. Woody

    J.T. Woody Book Witch Contributor

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    [​IMG] vs [​IMG]vs [​IMG] vs [​IMG]

    (one of these things is not like the other)
     
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  24. J.T. Woody

    J.T. Woody Book Witch Contributor

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    when you search "Himiko Toga" there are zero pictures of her "naked and covered in slime" (at least on my search engine)
    the focus is either her dressed like the above, or with a mask. so it is my assumption that her "nakedness" is not important. her sexuality is not important, unlike the other characters mentioned. Himiko is the only one who is not sexualized... her boobs arent big, no makeup, she wears a baggy shirt sweatshirt, etc. her body is not the emphasis.... and you can see this a lot in anime that are for a broader audience, and not just boys
     
  25. WritingInTheDark

    WritingInTheDark Active Member

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    I've watched the anime. It happens multiple times. First when she's disguising herself as this lady and is flirting with the protagonist repeatedly using this body while naked: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/bokunoheroacademia/images/5/51/Camie_Utsushimi_Anime_Costume.png/revision/latest?cb=20180913235056
    https://memestatic1.fjcdn.com/comments/So+like+was+there+a+rule+of+removing+the+target+_dcf3af3b2fcfeaeffe07e3cc2f16a96e.jpg

    And other times just when she's shedding her shapeshifting "costume" and revealing her true form.
     

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