Character developments you weren't keen on.

[Casual Shinji]

The only ones I can think of right now are Caska from Berserk and Harry Potter. After Caska had her... umm... big poon-tang with a bunch of demons she was practically reduced to minor sidekick and occasional comic relief from being the main female character of the story. It didn't make her less likable IMO, but at the moment she's practically just a tag-along or a plot device.

I'd have to go with Farnase after the Tower of Conviction arc. She's basically just Orihime from Bleach now. "I need to find the courage within myself..." Ugh.

 

[lord.jeff]

I am not keen on characters that don't get much character development, unless the point of the character is mystery, you know, if the less you know about the character is what makes that character who it is.

Hmmm, one movie kind of pops into my mind. Wanted, the movie with James McAvoy in it. When I saw this movie the main character goes from complete coward to complete badass so fast it is a little against my liking. I didn't hate it though and it wasn't done all that bad, just really fast *with the use of a montage*.

Also, lest I forget how bothered I was that the movie did not follow the book at all. I was pretty annoyed at that, Wesley Gibsons character development was done much better in the book, although the book was much more fantastical.

I didn't hate the movie, it is fun, and James McAvoy did good in it, but I would have done his character development a little different.

Along the lines of things done too fast, let us not forget Eragon's combat proficiency in the titular novel.

That's a problem that plagues the creative medium as a whole not just Eragon, not sure the trope name of it but I call it the Karate Kid syndrome and it really ruins a lot of stories.

As for character changes I hate I'm gonna say the current Doctor, I loved him as a more curious almost childlike explorer, but I can't stand this someone died I'm no longer fit to play the hero mindset he has now.

 

[C. Cain]

I'd have to say Anders in Dragon Age 2. I got the DAO bundle pack which came with the what was it... Warden's Keep DLC? Eh the one where you have a castle and some cool side characters. Either way it was the first time I was introduced to Anders as a snarky, kind of world weary mage who just wants to get out from under the Templars and live however he damn well pleases. He was nice, if a bit prickly about some topics, and he liked kittens. All in all a pretty chill guy.

Aaaand then he goes nuts and decides the best way to show the templars that they shouldn't keep all the mages locked up, it to blow everyone to kingdom come. I don't hate DA2, but that was probably one of its biggest low points for me.

Andres in Awakening and Anders in Act 3 of DA2 are about ten years and a demonic melding away from each other.

Really, the whole point of his character arc in DA2 was that he was gradually losing himself, becoming less and less him with each day.

Then it didn't really work as planned, did it? He never acted like the Anders from Awakening. So there was no real character arc to begin with. Much less a gradual one.

I'm sure they could have implemented the envisioned character arc better had they simply introduced a wholly new mage character. And they wouldn't have ruined Anders and Justice in the process, either.

 

[Zen Bard]

River Song from "Doctor Who".

The premise around the character - someone intimate with a FUTURE Regeneration of the Doctor - was interesting. After all, if the Doctor can meet his past selves, why can't he meet a future companion?

But in typical Moffat fashion, the more exposition he gave the concept, the more idiotic it became. And what started out as an intriguing character devolved into a smug, self-righteous know-it-all who just became grating.

And the "Big Reveal" as to who she is, and her relation to Rory and Amy was - as my friends across the pond (pun intended) would say - "Utter Shite!"

 

[MetalDooley]

Penny in Big Bang Theory.
Well, most of the characters in Big Bang Theory, but Penny is the most irratating as of now.
She was sweet, dumb and innocent in season 1. Now she is just a dumb fat b@@@h

Fat??Really?.If you think she's fat then your idea of slim must be skeletal

did she actually gain weight?

Not even a little from what I can see

 

[Childe]

snip bip

Along the lines of things done too fast, let us not forget Eragon's combat proficiency in the titular novel.

Oh boy, everything about the Eragon movie disgusted me.

Me and a friend would read the Inheritance novels together and talk about them at great length, so when Eragon the movie was announced of course we were thrilled. After leaving the theatre I think we both needed to vomit.

Now in the novel I didn't personally find the combat proficiency done poorly. He was a practised archer/hunter at the beginning and throughout the first novel he was most comfertable using his bow, and even through all the sword combat training him and Brom did he still couldn't beat an Elf in one on one combat by the second book, not even close. I liked the magic training and sword training, I felt you could really feel Eragon struggling with everything he does and by the last book he is a pro, I liked how that was done.

The movie however was stupid, everything about it. One thing I will say about speedy character development is Saphira's aging process in the movie compared to the book. In the book she starts small and throughout the first book, although she ages fast she still ages. In the movie she is born, flies up into the clouds and is magically grown into a big dragon. Awful.

I am curious to hear your opinions on Eragon's combat proficiency in the novel however. I never found it rushed or anything, after all the characters were on the run and everything was done in a rushed manner. I liked how the first time he used magic it was by accident and he thought the word he was using was a curse word.

Lol as i have always said the only things the movie kept from the book were the names of the characters and the very very basic plotline. They changed everything else.
I think the dragon speed change was to save time. There were more important things to have shown than saphira growing up so they just sped that along, probably the worst change in my opinion. Eragon is completely and utterly pathetic in the movie, so cocky and arrogant ... shudder. I almost want to see him tortured to death by Durza lol.
Combat wise i also liked the way that the book did it. He wasn't automaticley great at everything and he wasn't a genius. Even in the fourth book he was still learning.

 

[infinity_turtles]

Like, why is he still clinging to Britannia? At all? They've shown time and again that they give zero fucks about him or his goals and aren't looking to change. They're also just straight up dicks.

I think it was pretty well established in Season 1 that his plan was trying to change the system from within over time and that he was clinging to the current system to try and make sure the whole thing with his father wasn't in vain. I agree that he was a worse character in R2, but the reasoning for him staying with Britannia was pretty well explained. I might also argue that part of their mirror was that Lelouch was a planning manipulator where-as Suzaku was a Soldier/Attempted Hero and so him having no plan, not knowing what to do once the Revolution majorly fucked his one plan and goals, and just his breakdown in general works within' the context of the story, even if it was rather horrible for his character.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Like, why is he still clinging to Britannia? At all? They've shown time and again that they give zero fucks about him or his goals and aren't looking to change. They're also just straight up dicks.

I think it was pretty well established in Season 1 that his plan was trying to change the system from within over time and that he was clinging to the current system to try and make sure the whole thing with his father wasn't in vain. I agree that he was a worse character in R2, but the reasoning for him staying with Britannia was pretty well explained. I might also argue that part of their mirror was that Lelouch was a planning manipulator where-as Suzaku was a Soldier/Attempted Hero and so him having no plan, not knowing what to do once the Revolution majorly fucked his one plan and goals, and just his breakdown in general works within' the context of the story, even if it was rather horrible for his character.

It might just be me, but personally at some point in Season 1 or early R2 Suzaku should have just said "fuck it" and hopped on the Lulu bandwagon. There's clinging on to something to make it better, then there's Suzaku who is essentially using a small bucket to get water out of a sinking ship and the ship's captain is actively trying to poke holes in the bucket.

[sub]Fuck me, that's a terrible metaphor[/sub]

The amount of times I went WHY DO YOU CARE?! during this series is beyond measure I swear.

 

[Erja_Perttu]

I just watched a film called Pitch Perfect, and the characters are almost universally awful. My big problem was the main character Becca.

Spoiler: I'm meant to be rooting for her? Sheesh.

She's a spoiled brat, her daddy pays for everything for her and she hates him because she blames him for her mother leaving. She never tries to find friends, but people seem to like her anyway, she refuses to compromise with people even when it would do her good.

She's an absolute asshat, but good things happen to her in the end because she gets her way and watches the film The Breakfast Club right to the very end.

The only reason to root for her at all in this movie is that she's marginally less awful than all the other awful leads in it.

Also all the character development past season five of Supernatural annoys me. All the decisions that get made on that show are so damn stupid, writers and characters alike. I swear if those boys weren't so damned pretty I'd have given up long ago.

 

[Oroboros]

For TV shows, Lyta from Babylon 5, in the fifth season. I was sympathetic towards the plight of the rogue telepaths up until the Byron story arc. By the end I felt myself more sympathetic towards Psycorps than the telepath underground. Bester and his thugs were horrible, horrible people, but the actions of Lyta and Byron's terrorist cult validated the reasons that psycorps was created in the first place. It's bad writing when Bester comes off looking better than the 'good guys'.

Um...that was the point of Byron and his people.

I don't think so, and if it was, it was completely mishandled. The problems are that none of the main characters seem to realize how messed up the rogues are, and sympathize with them more than anythign else. Heck, even Lyta gets off basically scott free after mind-controlling an entire bar-full of people. (non-consensual psychic contact has been lieked to rape in the series before, if I recall correctly).If anything, the way everything is set up it seems that the intention was for the audience to view Byron as some sort of tragic figure, and that the rogues were acting the way they were only as a last result. The arc all but shoves in the viewers face how great and awesome byron is-it's obvious who we are *supposed* to root for...and it just feels increadibly ham fisted and out of character.

 

[EHKOS]

Walter White. Tragic what happened. It just doesn't work either, he just does the stupidest shit to keep with the plot now.

 

[Thedutchjelle]

Artemis Fowl from the bookseries of the same name.

I thought the arc he had in the first 3 books was alright, although I loved the character the most in book 1. The last 3 books (or 4? I dunno) he's just meh.

 

[Dfskelleton]

Here's a big one:
Smoking Man from the X Files.

He started off very dark and enigmatic, and he had a very strong screen presence. However, once they began revealing more about him, he started devolving and devolving, becoming sillier as the series went on, and...
You know, I think pictures describe it better.
He started off like this:

Spoiler

And finally ended up like this:

Spoiler

Then again, the entire series just kind of lost it's way towards the end of it's lifespan.

I just watched a film called Pitch Perfect, and the characters are almost universally awful. My big problem was the main character Becca.

Spoiler: I'm meant to be rooting for her? Sheesh.

She's a spoiled brat, her daddy pays for everything for her and she hates him because she blames him for her mother leaving. She never tries to find friends, but people seem to like her anyway, she refuses to compromise with people even when it would do her good.

She's an absolute asshat, but good things happen to her in the end because she gets her way and watches the film The Breakfast Club right to the very end.

The only reason to root for her at all in this movie is that she's marginally less awful than all the other awful leads in it.

Oh God, this. So much this. I took a close friend of mine to see it for her birthday, and while I didn't want to express my opinion about it in front of her; after all, she picked the movie, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but afterwards, I began wondering where I could purchase some amnesia-inducing medicine, to erradicate that god awful movie from my mind. Every character in that wretched film was like nails on a chalkboard.

 

[Traun]

I don't think so, and if it was, it was completely mishandled.

They were punished at the end, it's obvious that we aren't supposed to cheer for them.

The problems are that none of the main characters seem to realize how messed up the rogues are, and sympathize with them more than anythign else.

Because every one of them hates Bester and the Psycorps. The psycorps are not the "good guys" in this case, however the moral of the story is "They exist because those rogues exist." They are by no mean a perfect solution, in fact there is a reason for the change later on. But they do exist for a reason.

Heck, even Lyta gets off basically scott free after mind-controlling an entire bar-full of people. (non-consensual psychic contact has been lieked to rape in the series before, if I recall correctly).

To be fair, in fiction, main characters and recurring characters are rarely punished severely.

 

[Infernai]

The only ones I can think of right now are Caska from Berserk and Harry Potter. After Caska had her... umm... big poon-tang with a bunch of demons she was practically reduced to minor sidekick and occasional comic relief from being the main female character of the story. It didn't make her less likable IMO, but at the moment she's practically just a tag-along or a plot device.

I'd have to go with Farnase after the Tower of Conviction arc. She's basically just Orihime from Bleach now. "I need to find the courage within myself..." Ugh.

One thing that bothered me alot is her pyrophilic tendancies just...disappeared. I don't think they ever really address it after the conviction arc, but she seems to just lose interest in that stuff as if it was never there. Then again, i never really cared much for Farnese out of Guts' current repetoire of new companions and it has been a while since i read the conviction arc, so it might have been addressed but i don't remember it happening...it just seemed to disappear as she turned into, as you said, Orihime from Bleach
.

 

[Casual Shinji]

The only ones I can think of right now are Caska from Berserk and Harry Potter. After Caska had her... umm... big poon-tang with a bunch of demons she was practically reduced to minor sidekick and occasional comic relief from being the main female character of the story. It didn't make her less likable IMO, but at the moment she's practically just a tag-along or a plot device.

I'd have to go with Farnase after the Tower of Conviction arc. She's basically just Orihime from Bleach now. "I need to find the courage within myself..." Ugh.

One thing that bothered me alot is her pyrophilic tendancies just...disappeared. I don't think they ever really address it after the conviction arc, but she seems to just lose interest in that stuff as if it was never there. Then again, i never really cared much for Farnese out of Guts' current repetoire of new companions and it has been a while since i read the conviction arc, so it might have been addressed but i don't remember it happening...it just seemed to disappear as she turned into, as you said, Orihime from Bleach.

I freaking loved her. She was just so wonderfully fucked up. And then all of a sudden... she wasn't anymore. I'm fine with her personality changing over time, but when you masturbate while imagining people being burned alive at the stake (which she did), then those are some pretty hefty issues you got there that you don't just lose overnight.

Then there was the whole part where she just learned magic like it was nothing. It would take a normal person more time to learn to play Mary had a Little Lamb on the guitar. It kinda makes Schierke's magical prowess and experience not mean much if just anyone can do it.

 

[Infernai]

The only ones I can think of right now are Caska from Berserk and Harry Potter. After Caska had her... umm... big poon-tang with a bunch of demons she was practically reduced to minor sidekick and occasional comic relief from being the main female character of the story. It didn't make her less likable IMO, but at the moment she's practically just a tag-along or a plot device.

I'd have to go with Farnase after the Tower of Conviction arc. She's basically just Orihime from Bleach now. "I need to find the courage within myself..." Ugh.

One thing that bothered me alot is her pyrophilic tendancies just...disappeared. I don't think they ever really address it after the conviction arc, but she seems to just lose interest in that stuff as if it was never there. Then again, i never really cared much for Farnese out of Guts' current repetoire of new companions and it has been a while since i read the conviction arc, so it might have been addressed but i don't remember it happening...it just seemed to disappear as she turned into, as you said, Orihime from Bleach.

I freaking loved her. She was just so wonderfully fucked up. And then all of a sudden... she wasn't anymore. I'm fine with her personality changing over time, but when you masturbate while imagining people being burned alive at the stake (which she did), then those are some pretty hefty issues you got there that you don't just lose overnight.

Then there was the whole part where she just learned magic like it was nothing. It would take a normal person more time to learn to play Mary had a Little Lamb on the guitar. It kinda makes Schierke's magical prowess and experience not mean much if just anyone can do it.

I admit i didn't dislike her, and she had enough to be memorable ("Riding" the Dragonslayer anyone?) but i didn't really view her as my new favorite character or anything. But, her losing all her old 'crazy' traits so suddenly did feel very jarring too me. It's as you said, you don't just suddenly lose issues like that overnight and more often the not they do take some time to change. Not that there's a problem with character development, but..well when we've had Guts (Who had some really great character development), for her to get such a sudden change just seemed very lazy on the authors part.

From what i gathered about Farnese's magical prowess: I think if i remember she only had access to some very basic stuff, except for that part with the lions which i remember was Schierkes doing with that ring she gave her. But, i do admit she is starting to learn it a bit quickly isn't she?

 

[Lev The Red]

I was pretty unhappy with the Mako-Korra-Bolin (i refuse to use the stupid portmanteaus that "shippers" use) romance ended in the Legend of Korra.

Spoiler: Legend of Korra spoilers

For the better part of an episode, it looked like LoK was going to defy traditions and have the comic relief character (Bolin) end up with the the main Female character (Korra), only to at the last second say "NOPE," and continue with the tired tradition on the "cool guy" character (Mako) ending up with her.

this, combined with the fact that Bolin (his brother) is very clearly interested in her and Mako is already dating someone (Asami, i think her name was), caused the season finale to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

the Legend of Korra is great, and you should watch it, but this really bothered me. LoK and LoA were great because they pushed the (perceived) limits of what could be done in what is being aired as a children's cartoon, but i think they dropped the ball in this case.

 

[Erja_Perttu]

I just watched a film called Pitch Perfect, and the characters are almost universally awful. My big problem was the main character Becca.

Spoiler: I'm meant to be rooting for her? Sheesh.

She's a spoiled brat, her daddy pays for everything for her and she hates him because she blames him for her mother leaving. She never tries to find friends, but people seem to like her anyway, she refuses to compromise with people even when it would do her good.

She's an absolute asshat, but good things happen to her in the end because she gets her way and watches the film The Breakfast Club right to the very end.

The only reason to root for her at all in this movie is that she's marginally less awful than all the other awful leads in it.

Oh God, this. So much this. I took a close friend of mine to see it for her birthday, and while I didn't want to express my opinion about it in front of her; after all, she picked the movie, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but afterwards, I began wondering where I could purchase some amnesia-inducing medicine, to eradicate that god awful movie from my mind. Every character in that wretched film was like nails on a chalkboard.

Same situation, I saw it with some cousins of mine, it's not my kind of thing at all. I couldn't believe I was meant to be rooting for these people who had no real redeeming features and learned absolutely nothing throughout the entire thing. I was boggled. It was contrived, and predictable and I think I would have dosed off if I wasn't mildly amused by Rebel Wilson.

OT: Thinking about it I wasn't a fan of the tenth Doctor's character development come the end of it. It all seemed a bit angst ridden, forced and pointless, and I was almost glad to get a fresh start with the new fella he was getting on my nerves so much.

 

[The Hero Killer]

Itachi from Naruto really working for the good guys instead of just being Sasuke's evil brother.

Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII defrosting from her early ice queen persona.

Kratos from God of War learning virtually nothing from all 3 games and still being the same sadistic monster he started out as.