I was discussing with someone online about my dislike for “angsty” people and heroes, and how it’s overdone nowadays, when I started thinking about some of my favorite games. It was then and there that I realized that Cecil from FFIV was the first really “angsty” hero. I have no idea what to think now, since one of my favorite characters is a member of a archtype I hate so much.
Hmm… how to placate the situation…
Well, you could claim that Cecil’s “angst” comes from real pain rather than a generic idea of “bad-assness” or lonerness that plague other anti-heroes. Additionally, although Cecil does have internal problems, he still remains true to his beliefs and his goals. Once he’s made his decision, he doesn’t stop and say “But I’m a Dark Knight! I have this cool armor!”.
I didn’t really see him as angsty or i just don’t remember, but i would think he would have reason for some angst. To me its natural to not like everything about a character at least sometimes. What are some other angsty characters? Cloud? I’ve heard Squall is but i havent played ff8. Just curious as what other characters people feel are this way.
I try not to think of characters in terms of archetypes or cliches. Even if they fit into one, they’re still individual characters. As long as they have a reason for being that way and there’s at least something unique about them, I don’t have a problem with it.
Squall is the poster boy for angst 
I feel the the same way Resh. I’ve always believed that everyone is different even if a stereotype is place on them. You look at them as an individual first, stereotype/bias second.
Cecil had angst? Guess I didn’t notice, what with the bright purple hair, yellow armor and all around ability to land planes with his armor.
Cecil was only really angsty in the beginning until he turned palidin and that basically changed his whole outlook. Angst isn’t too bad though it’s overdone because paydirt was hit with angst. Basically, categorize the character by the character, not his sterotype as everyone else said. You can’t hate a genre because it’s a genre because there are exceptions to every rule.
I dont think it was really overdone. you have to think about the fact that each game was in a different world so they have to have characters from each stereotype for the world to flow more realisticly. there has to be characters from the, bouncy-energetic-ditzy-scary-happy, social characters to the, i rely on no-one, loner characters.
Val, Cid has got it right: There’s a difference between being grim because bad things have happened to you, and presenting a grim exterior because that is a way to keep people from being too close to you. That’s why characters like Squall don’t impress me- he wasn’t really “badass” he was just trying to not care about people, because, you know, caring about others is a RISK, there’s always the chance theyll fail or betray you. He wasn’t really tough, he was vulnerable and just covered it up. Cecil was really hurt by the things that happened to him, and they kept him from achieving his full potential- which is why he had to face “himself” in order to become a Paladin.
Wilfredo Martinez,
unlicensed psychologist
(or is that psycho?) :mwahaha:
That is somewhat of a contradictory statement because by covering up his vulnerability he became tough and therefore was tough. he was actually one of the more “human” characters because its the natural human reaction to care more about yourself than others most of the time. and you made it sound as if he had no reason for his lonerness. As far as he storyline goes for FF8 he was more or less abandoned twice at a very young age which would distort just about anyones veiw on the human world and life itself.
Griever has a point I think. Because of Squall’s childhood, it is not very surprising that he became untrusting of people. Yet he was not a badass, like he wanted everyone to believe.
Anyway, Celis? Angsty? I must admit I never really saw him that way. But I suppose it is possible.
I agree with Griever as well, there was a context to his behaviour. I don’t think it’s necessarily bad to have an angsty character, as long as there’s a reason behind why they behave like that.
That is not a contradictory statement. Pretending not to be vulnurable does not necessarily make one tough.
My opinion on angsty heroes: melodramatic angst is bad, genuine angst is acceptable depending on portrayal.
That’s a matter of interpretation. The way I see it, he isn’t pretending not to be vulnerable as much as he’s forcing himself not to be vulnerable.
People often might be contradictory, though my theory is based on how i am a little bit.
Believe me, guys: it’s an accepted concept of Psychology that the human mind has at least two parts, the Conscious and the Subconcious. The first is the part we show the World, the way we want others to see us as; the other is the one we REALLY are. That does NOT mean they have to be different; but often they are. And honestly, isn’t it more interesting to see characters with different sides to their personality? Squall may have been antisocial at first, but the point of FF8 was that he found someone he cared for enough to eventually open himself up.
i agree with that. the Conscious and the Subconcious are normally different and characters portrade as such are more human.
Yar, i agree. Squall and Seifer were both little kids subconciously. Why do i keep wanting to spell Seifer with a ph instead of an f ? REally strange…
Cecil ya cant really call angsty, because he isnt a teenager acting off of raw emotion. He knows what he is doing is wrong, and makes a choice to repent from his sins and try to fix some of the many wrongs he has made. to me, this doesent classify as angst.
