Originally Posted by
Takara
I think what makes Kain so popular among a lot of the fans is that he's so, well, human compared to a lot of other characters from the Final Fantasy franchise. He's a good guy deep down, but he's also really flawed. It's probably easier for a lot of players to relate to him as opposed to, say, Cecil, because he's not perfect.
Sure he's jealous of Cecil because he's more successful, Rosa loves him, and the King is more fond of him, but brainwashing from Golbez aside, he still shows some traits that can be seen as admirable. He shows remorse for his actions and accepts responsibility for them instead of blaming them on Golbez's control. He even out rightly tells Cecil and Edge to not hesitate to kill him if he gets controlled again, because he knows that Cecil and friends are the last hope of the Blue Planet against Ze(ro)mus and him becoming someone's puppet again could be disastrous. That takes a lot of courage to admit, wouldn't you say? The ultimania also explains how he basically single-handedly restored the Dragoons corps after his father's death, and how he turned down the King's proposal to train as a dark knight too for it. Okay, sure, that only helped fueled his jealousy toward Cecil afterwards, but when you think about it, that was a pretty... well, I wouldn't say it was selfless, but it was SOMETHING alright. "What's that Your Majesty? You are offering me money, success, and more power? No thanks. See, the Dragoons, a long-time Baronian military tradition, have been suffering since the creation of the Red Wings and stuff, so I'll just follow in my old man's footsteps and try to get more recruits in and get the corps rolling again, plzkthx".
Also he's kinda hot, but I've been a rabid Kain fangirl since 1993 or 1994 so that's probably my bias talking here. >_>
As for Rydia, my opinion is that people prefer her because they often completely misinterpret Rosa's character. I think they are both strong female characters, even if they both have their damsel-in-distress moments and their emotional moments. But I think people focus more on Rosa's weaknesses than her strengths because she is the designated love interest, and instead focus more on Rydia's strengths than her weaknesses.