Squall: Great Protagonist, or snarky dip trout?

[Wolf Kanno]

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?

[Shorty]

I really want to like Squall, but he mostly just ends up bugging the trout out of me.

I think that if we were to see more progression of his character spread evenly and consistently throughout the game instead of it happening in stunted growth spurts, I would probably like him more. I may not be properly remembering the storyline, but I feel like he's completely dehumanized until the party splits and he decides that he needs to go save Rinoa from Abel/Esthar. After that, it continues a little bit up into space and whatnot and then ...? Where? Where does it go? I feel like that small window was the only glimpse of human emotion and pretty much the only time you got to see some real character progression and by then, it was too late in the game and I didn't care. I feel like he's far too focused on "the mission" and "the duty of SeeD" and that's boring because not everyone can relate to that.

Additionally, as cheesy and out of place as the orphanage/GF business was, he had almost no reaction to it and that bothered me because that trout would have messed with my braaain.

I think that his character demonstrates the ability to be a strong leader but not a great protagonist. I found myself unable to relate with his character for most of the game because he is excruciatingly robotic and logical and I am more of a FEEEEELINGS person.

[maybee]

I really like Squall. To be honest you really get and understand his character or you don't. I suffer from his fears and most of what he worries about. What if you loose somebody that you care about ? What if I never see that person again ?
What's the point in getting too close and personal to somebody, when they could be gone the next day ?

I also care too much what others think of me, like Squall does. Squall and I we feel like we understand each other even though Squall is just a PlayStation graphic.

I also like and enjoy how Squall is a pessimistic realist, but throughout the game he learns to become more understanding towards other people and his friends and he learns that there is some positive things in his world and you don't have to live alone in order to survive.

If only I had his bravery to step out and trust others like he begins too.

However I would like him even more if they kept in the line during when Squall is holding Rinoa on the airship and he opens up to Rinoa that he was jealous and envious of Seifer. It would just add to his character more. Don't know why they removed that line.

Additionally, as cheesy and out of place as the orphanage/GF business was, he had almost no reaction to it and that bothered me because that trout would have messed with my braaain.

He did have a reaction but his memory of the orphanage days are much better than the likes of Zell and Selphie. He remembered his childhood and him wanting for Ellone to return before the big plot-twist, so he had a less of a impact. Also he was more of ashamed of his past-self and how he acted in the past than anything else.

Also Squall is more human before Rinoa goes into a coma; he just hides it until he realizes that he took Rinoa for granted.

[Cloudane]

He was awful to observe during the early game, but I was able to identify with the reasons he "revealed" to the unconscious Rinoa later, that it can be easier to let people believe you're a cold-hearted a.hole than to face your emotions and your reliance on others. It's hard to really explain unless you were once in that sort of mindset yourself.

I'm in two minds about how quickly he changed. It was a bit sudden, but sometimes these things are. I seem to recall he's talking to some jerk in Horizon and thinks to himself "hey he sounds a bit like me.... what a jerk" and when you observe him from then on he stops being one. In other words, he got to look in the mirror, saw what he was, and adjusted accordingly. Quite admirable.
The other big turnaround being when Rinoa is put into a coma. Then he goes a bit far the other way and is all NOTHING WILL STAND BETWEEN ME AND MY LOVE GET OUT OF MY WAY
I'd say he's never quite uh, perfect. But what human is? He's realistic. All in all I like him yeah.

[Forsaken Lover]

Cloud
Ashe
Cecil
Zidane
Tidus
Firion
Squall
Lightning

I noticed upon my last aborted playthrough of FFVIII that Squall isn't really that much of a jerk. You get a decent number of chances to choose his reply and to choose to not be a total dick.

However it is not his rudeness that makes him unlikable. It is the fact he's introverted to a ridiculous extent. Almost all of his "character moments" are him thinking to himself. His reactions to others tends to be superficial and meaningless or just outright dumb. The scene where he flips out in Galbadia - the scene which NO ONE EVER MENTIONS AGAIN - is one of the worst things in any FF ever.

I do give the writers some credit in that they did a mostly okay job of showing the dynamic between him and Seifer. The whole game is essentially them heading down opposite roads of character development. Seifer was always the vastly superior character but he wouldn't be as good without Squall there as his foil.

[*Laurelindo*]

I wouldn't exactly consider Squall "unfriendly", he just has some major problems opening up to other people and this is not the same thing as being unfriendly or rude - he doesn't exactly walk around and insult people, after all.
However, he does sometimes act genuinely unfriendly, like when he refuses to shake Zone's hand.
That was rather unnecessary.

[Pumpkin]

I actually really liked Squall. I like how you got to see his thoughts and what he was going through. To me, he was actually more personable than a lot of protagonists. He was kind of a rude jerk at first, but he warms up and opens up and you find out why he is the way he is and I really liked him. The more times I replay the game, the more I like him. He also has some good outlooks on life, like the good and evil are objective thing. It's just two sides of the same coin. I agreed with that. Things aren't always black and white. You see that in a lot of games, like Suikoden II for example, and it's nice to have a hero who's not all like EVILBADBAD at the enemy sometimes. Although I will admit that the plot in VIII, is pretty straight cut: wants to save world vs. wants to destroy world. I also like how his relationships develop when through the game. I think the Seifer and Squall relationship was very well done and a good example of the good vs evil thing. Seifer doesn't think he's the bad guy. Seifer wants to be a knight, a hero, he wants to make a difference and to him, Squall is the bad guy. Squall can acknowledge this. They are working towards opposite goal, but they still have things in common and things they can relate to each other with.

[black orb]

>>> The guy kicked ass and had a gunblade, winning combination!!. Who cares about his troutty personality? not me atleast..

[maybee]

The scene where he flips out in Galbadia - the scene which NO ONE EVER MENTIONS AGAIN - is one of the worst things in any FF ever.

They most likely would of thought that it was best to leave him alone. People grieve in different ways, and they most likely assumed since they believed that a ally at that stage died that it was Squall's way of grieving and since he's shown to be a personal person already that it would of been best to give him some space.

Plus a few seconds after that everybody is slammed with the mission to kill Edea and Irvine's random squeeze into the group. It would of been hard to say " Hey Squall are you okay " ? When they already have so much put on their shoulders at once already and the way Squall acts when he's emotional wouldn't of helped him much.

However, he does sometimes act genuinely unfriendly, like when he refuses to shake Zone's hand.
That was rather unnecessary.

Meh. He avoids to shake and greet Zell so he deserves it. Plus he nods his head.

[*Laurelindo*]

However, he does sometimes act genuinely unfriendly, like when he refuses to shake Zone's hand.
That was rather unnecessary.

Meh. He avoids to shake and greet Zell so he deserves it. Plus he nods his head.

When is he refusing to shake Zell's hand?
I don't remember anything like that.

[Forsaken Lover]

During the Garden Festival or whatever it was when Squall and Rinoa have their dance, Squall is being a total one of us and hanging out on a wall drinking. Zell runs up to him and sticks out his hand as congratulations on them both passing the SeeD exam. Squall promptly just takes a sip of his drink and Zell gives up.

People not shaking Zell's hand is a bit of a running gag. I think either Zone or Watts did it too? And maybe one or two other people.

[Cloudane]

I remember at least one instance of that.

Isn't Zell's handshake animation "wipes the (probably snot) off his hand onto his clothes then extends his arm"? I think that probably puts them off

[maybee]

Isn't Zell's handshake animation "wipes the (probably snot) off his hand onto his clothes then extends his arm"? I think that probably puts them off

Ewwwww.

But if it's snot then yeah, no wonder. But I think it's because Squall is just a anti-social twit at the beginning of the game and Zone is bit dodgy being really into pornographic magazines and he most likely had lust for Rinoa and Selphie. But he shook Squall's hand because he was the leader only. Maybe.

[Skyblade]

Why are the two options mutually exclusive?

Squall has his annoyances, yes, but I found him to be a fairly well written and understandable character, with solid motivations and development arc.

[shellbuff21]

Squall's my favorite male protagonist in FF series. But I will like him more if SE will give him a chance to develop his character in a positive way and in a new story lol. I guess his personality is an effect of what they call "childhood trauma?" I'm no expert in psychological cases lol but I think it's one of the valid reasons. Let's admit it when we were kids (ok, not all of us) we are so emotionally vulnerable to almost everything that we are afraid to lose something or someone like our lives depended on it. Be it a toy, a candy or a pet. I guess that's what pushes Squall to create his "own world" when he learned that her Sis Ellone, who had been his source of emotional support and comfort had been taken away . He doesn't want to show anyone any signs of weaknesses and that's why he is misinterpreted as an introverted jerk and eventually had difficulties interacting with other people as he grew up.

But ofcourse like what his friends are trying to tell him, he'll never be understood by other people if he refuses to speak what's on his mind. He belongs to some of the "what's his problem?" and when he speak "ah, that is why" case.