I've actually learned to love FFXIII a lot over the past few years and Sazh is a big part of that. Next to Lightning (I have a bit of a soft spot for her), Sazh is definitely my fav. The pain and growth that guy goes through during the game's plot is handled pretty well in the first game.

It's a bit of a travesty that they sideline him in the sequels. I mean, he does have his own dlc for XIII-2 but it's just dlc so a lot of people probably haven't even played it. Also, although kind of fun, you just play slot machines and cards most of it. I guess he has a mission centered around him in "Lightning Returns" but it's pretty much only counted as a low reward mission (despite both the impact for the character and emotional value it has) whereas it probably should have been a main story mission.