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.