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Thread: Squall: Great Protagonist, or snarky dip trout?

  1. #16
    tech spirit
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    Mirage Askai (Sargatanas)

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    I think he was a pretty believable character. Being a bit of an introvert myself, I can easily see where he's coming from.
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  2. #17
    Fortune Teller Recognized Member Roogle's Avatar
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    Roose Dorvauldar (Gilgamesh)
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    I think he was a believable protagonist. The game does not explain why he is like that until much later in the game, giving people that did not finish the entire game a bad impression of him. His attitude makes a lot of sense given his upbringing.
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  3. #18

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    I have only ever played two Final Fantasies so I maybe shouldn't be commenting but, the relationship between Squall and Rinoa was, I think, extremely pure. OK, Squall was awkward, but so am I. He wasn't your typical hero character, but who in the real world is?

    He was quiet, he was probably a stereotypical emo-type but.. in my opinion, I have never come across a truer love story than this one.. and I'm quite soppy!

  4. #19

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    I really like Squall, he's the character I feel the closest to in FF8 by a long shot. That said, his whole "baaaah hah hah I don't wanna be alone cause I'm scared" shtick during his flashbacks as a child was absolutely grating and I didn't care for it in the slightest. And yes, both him and Lulu from FF10 aren't nearly as mean-spirited as people tend to say they are.

  5. #20

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    I didn't have a problem with Squall as a protagonist. He was far from a perfect lead character but I always kept in mind, the kid is 17. He's far from a mature adult. He's in a military academy that could be looked at as some twisted version of high school. In high school, I wasn't vocal either. Most everything I experienced were thoughts in my head. So this was believable to me when watching Squall do his thing.

    And as other have mentioned, as the game progresses he starts to soften a little and come out of his shell. Considering what Squall has to do and at the age he's doing it, I'd say he's doing a decent job. Being forced into a leadership position when you're introverted like that is not the easiest thing to deal with.

    So all in all, I still find Squall to be a great protagonist all of these years later.

  6. #21
    Being Pooh. Chris's Avatar
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    I think Squall is a great leader of the party, but just not a great protagonist. I don't he progresses enough for anyone to really gain any kind of sympathy for him in any way. I remember playing the game for the first time, and towards the end, I felt as indifferent to Squall as a character as I did in the beginning of my playthrough, and that is not what I'd like to experience when I play the game.

    I think Zidane is the best protagonist of the entire series. He may not be the best leader, but he is certainly the most likeable and the easiest to gain attachments to.



  7. #22
    What the bliff Recognized Member
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    Snarky dip trout. As soon as he said talk to a wall I wanted to take control of Quistis and bash his head in to a wall several times. Talk to that you wannabe goth/emo eye liner wearing freak. The whole anti-hero thing is annoying when they make the character such an unlikeable prick.

  8. #23

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    It depends on your bias. I look at atmosphere first, editing second, then content/plot third. That's one argument in itself trying to figure out a personality for a character.

    I'm not surprised at the responses here because they don't feel planned. Even if they are it means you want to talk something different about it.
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  9. #24
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    Mayrissa Fablestay (Sargatanas)
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greatermaximus View Post
    It depends on your bias. I look at atmosphere first, editing second, then content/plot third. That's one argument in itself trying to figure out a personality for a character.

    I'm not surprised at the responses here because they don't feel planned. Even if they are it means you want to talk something different about it.
    Okay, so now that you've told us how you look at things - what do YOU think of Squall as a character? By this I don't mean badly using Foucauldian constructivism to tell everyone else how they came to their own opinions, I mean - what do YOU think of Squall as a character?


  10. #25

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    Unique like the others. Unless you expect me to believe he's more important.
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  11. #26
    Newbie Administrator Loony BoB's Avatar
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    Loony Bob (Twintania)

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    Unique isn't a description of an opinion, really. Did you like him? Did you not? What did you think of his notable personality traits? What of his story, his development, his style?

    I could say Seymour and Red XIII are both unique characters, but that doesn't tell you what I think about them, that just tells you that they are not the same as other characters. I detest Seymour as a character and I love Red XIII.

    As for me, I liked and disliked Squall for various reasons. I disliked his mopey emo attitude at first, particularly his anti-social behaviour... but I liked him in the long run and even grew to like those parts of him after getting a better understanding of why he was that way. Him not opening up at the start to anyone also meant that when he did open up to people, it was a more notable development.
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  12. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno View Post
    Where do you stand on Squall, he's seems to be either hated or at least respected for for the way he was written. Is he a emo-loser with an attitude problem that makes him completely unlikable or do you like his contrast of dialogue and internal monologue help to make him one of the most intimate characters in the series?
    I'll describe my interpretation of the original questions.

    >>> First sentence.

    Drawing conclusions though it might fit what people say about him. That doesn't mean we're fully qualified to make a judgment about something we don't know fully. We can only base it on what the author reveals to us and what's expected to be believed.

    >>> Second Sentence.

    You're only giving a diverse forum two choices. This might still be drawing conclusions. A better way to ask imo is to ask at what point is Squall a more intimate character.

    There might be something in him that could say 'When I want to be' if the situation called for it. I'm even trying to stay in an authors perspective too. As a character I wouldn't know if he'd say that but the game gave you choices.

    My conclusion is that fiction is trying to imitate reality. Characters and situations are based on mortality. It means it could develop biases, idioms, emotions that are rational/irrational? Depends on the real persons interpretation.

    That's a conclusion I've drawn. And I'm not the one who asked.

    Edit-the kicker is if you believe your interpretation is better than mine/going to be, then why bother asking?

    Wouldn't it be fair to say any character/situation can be all it can be when it wants to be. Not when it has to be?

    I knew philosophy would ruin this.
    Last edited by Greatermaximus; 06-17-2013 at 12:10 PM.
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    Terra..................Fight
    LV99...................Morph
    HP9999................All Magic
    MP999.................Item

    Vigor 45................R-Hand: Illumina
    Speed 90..............L-Hand: Genji Shield
    Stamina 40...........Helmet: Oath Veil
    Magic Pwr 110......Armor: Minerva
    Bat Pwr 255
    Defense 216.........Relic: Ribbon
    Evade 75
    Magic D 184.........Relic: Economizer
    Magic B 87

  13. #28
    Newbie Administrator Loony BoB's Avatar
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    Loony Bob (Twintania)

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    How about my questions? So far you still haven't shown us any detail as to what you think of Squall as a character.
    Bow before the mighty Javoo!

  14. #29

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    You're asking a questiong without a definite answer. It's technically fictional and open to interpretation. I don't even know enough about Terra to form a complete opinion. My bias puts her besting her group in a fight.

    The last technical answer is all based on game mechanics. To have my own perhaps unique and dull that he wasn't half esper or special in some sense. But why should that matter when a competent character can contribute. Regardless of their background/scene appearance.

    Because we can't draw a definite conclusion someone can keep objecting/sustaining.

    His personality is dull but he's good with gunblade. Maybe a little of both good and bad. If that's the case why debate it?
    http://www.youtube.com/Greatermaxim

    Terra..................Fight
    LV99...................Morph
    HP9999................All Magic
    MP999.................Item

    Vigor 45................R-Hand: Illumina
    Speed 90..............L-Hand: Genji Shield
    Stamina 40...........Helmet: Oath Veil
    Magic Pwr 110......Armor: Minerva
    Bat Pwr 255
    Defense 216.........Relic: Ribbon
    Evade 75
    Magic D 184.........Relic: Economizer
    Magic B 87

  15. #30
    Newbie Administrator Loony BoB's Avatar
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    Loony Bob (Twintania)

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    My questions were...

    Did you like him (Squall)? Did you not? What did you think of his notable personality traits? What of his story, his development, his style?
    I don't think I mentioned Terra. =x

    But yeah, I wasn't debating, I just find it interesting to know what other people think. It's more discussion than debate.
    Bow before the mighty Javoo!

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