Unrelated Question about Characterization in Story

Feb 6, 2025 2:30 AM

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Apr 2022

Sorry since I don't know where to ask. I just watched a film called Inception, I see the side casts except for Cillian Murphy didn't have much depth themselves, but the film's still remained a great one. So the question is: Are side characters need to have depth or being a plot device is already enough. Thanks a lot.

Feb 6, 2025 3:08 AM

Gonkillua216

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Dec 2024

it depends i feel like with a film being so short that the side characters wouldn’t need to much depth compared to a show like attack on titan which is much longer and would need some depth to keep it interesting

Feb 6, 2025 3:16 AM

Nobef

Febon The Felon

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Oct 2023

347

joeyargent said:
it depends i feel like with a film being so short that the side characters wouldn’t need to much depth compared to a show like attack on titan which is much longer and would need some depth to keep it interesting

yeah,and you cant add that much to a film anyways

Re:Zero is Peak Fiction

Feb 6, 2025 3:29 AM

Altieee

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Aug 2020

101

yes as someone said, it definitely depends on the length of the show

Feb 6, 2025 3:59 AM

Zarutaku

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Sep 2016

24660

Not needed, but if there's time to give them depth, it's an improvement.

*kappa*

Feb 6, 2025 4:17 AM

Sadboihype999

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Jun 2023

this also depends on the type of story you're watching, One punch man doesn't have that type of details to a character, whereas (I believe) Kaguya sama side character detail are more deeper than AoT

Feb 6, 2025 5:22 AM

kujo_jotaro_ora

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Oct 2020

I think that all characters should get whatever amount of depth they need in order for that depth to serve something to the plot (not necessarily just them being a plot device, but also feel real, which is the hard part). That's done well in Attack on Titan, but a movie doesn't have enough time to do that, so perhaps fewer characters work better imo.

Feb 6, 2025 5:51 AM

MediaDabbler

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Dec 2022

417

Depend really, but a character not being as deep as main cast character like mc, deuter, triantagonist, antagonist isnt the end of the world and is perfectly fine. Inception is my second favorite nolan film, glad you liked it and yeah its a very good example of side characters just being cool and doing their role well while not being the deepest or complex. But the films point isnt abt being a character study, just a very interesting theory of human mind being explored and what it can do to people as shown by main cast characters.

Ps lot of people mentioned length but tbh I dont think it matters that much, I seen characters have like 8 ep screen time have more depth and memorability for their nuance than some characters that are in 100 episodes. It’s really about the pacing and substance exploration.

Feb 6, 2025 9:38 AM

AnimeQira

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Oct 2024

116

GoneFront said:
Sorry since I don't know where to ask. I just watched a film called Inception, I see the side casts except for Cillian Murphy didn't have much depth themselves, but the film's still remained a great one. So the question is: Are side characters need to have depth or being a plot device is already enough. Thanks a lot.

Wouldn’t it be better to ask this on some Reddit or something like that?

Anyway I agree with the first user that commented.

Feb 6, 2025 10:12 AM

#10

JoeChip

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Feb 2024

3486

I just dropped to say I don't think Inception is a good film, it's average at best.

Feb 6, 2025 1:22 PM

#11

SKILIFT26

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Aug 2019

348

if AoT was only about Eren, i probably wouldn’t like it tbh. Reiner’s development in Season 4 was totally unexpected to me and i went from hating him to him being one of my favorite characters.

i do think AoT could be even better though if Mikasa, Connie, Sasha, Bertholdt etc were more developed. the side characters are good but not perfect.

Feb 6, 2025 1:23 PM

#12

SKILIFT26

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Aug 2019

348

WeebQira said:

Wouldn’t it be better to ask this on some Reddit or something like that?

Anyway I agree with the first user that commented.

why not here? i think MAL is as good a place as any for discussion, and Reddit is an insufferable echo chamber lol

Feb 7, 2025 2:58 AM

#13

riqmoran

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Feb 2024

320

My impression of AoT is that its characters are underdeveloped and its dialogue is bland, but that's ok. So to asnwer your question, yes a story can still be great even if its cast is not, provided that they fulfill some sort of basic narrative purpose. AoT has a sufficiently interesting plot that unfolds in a satisfying way that makes up for what I consider a mediocre cast.

Sometimes you have stuff where it's the other way around. The plot is uninteresting and just meanders, but the characters are written exceptionally well and are fascinating to watch. That can also be fine.

Feb 7, 2025 3:06 AM

#14

SoloNecromancer

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Mar 2021

933

side character depth is very important for the main story line and also it depends on the story or a scale of production, cuz the side character's plays very imp role in a bigger world building (larger than life) stories ,small stories doesn't need one
and one more thing and it also depends on how close they are with plot and story protagonists or main character's

SoloNecromancerFeb 7, 2025 4:48 AM

Anime Rules the world

Feb 7, 2025 4:29 AM

#15

IAmVento

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Nov 2015

216

Think of the important aspects of a story: plot, characters, and visuals

If a story has a really good plot, you might be willing to overlook some poor character writing here and there. However, some stories don’t have a super intricate plot, but the characters are super deep and well written.

In proper writing, each character should serve a purpose to the plot, however each author has different strengths and weaknesses. Some stories are carried by character writing, while some are carried by plot or visuals.

Feb 7, 2025 5:15 AM

#16

Rayane-47

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Aug 2021

1114

Well...With Inception, The Side Were Already Established So They Didn't Really Need Development, Cillian's Character Was New And The Film's Main Plot Point Kinda Revolves Around Him Hence The Character Development(LOVE That Father Scene), But As Most People Said, It Comes Down To Length

Feb 7, 2025 5:41 AM

#17

Guilmon1

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Apr 2024

2380

Side characters are there to support the story and the themes
If the story's themes require side character development it's needed
If the story doesn't need they don't

Feb 7, 2025 8:52 AM

#18

Laplace_kun

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Nov 2019

2728

just don't give unnecessary side characters screentime, if you have to, just write them in a way that the audience would like to see more of them in the future.

The success of many big franchises rely on this.

For a standalone movie, it's just about perfecting roles.

"All truth is meaningless. In the end, 'meaning' comes from the mind of each individual human. Even when there is a single truth, it can mean different things to different individuals. The truth has no meaning in itself!" - Erika Furudo

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