Balancing Power and Likability · 4:48pm Jun 11th, 2021
Well, after a five month adventure fill with ups, downs, forwards, backwards and sideways, I saw the conclusion to the Displaced Crossover 'The Displaced Tournament - Presented by Hetap.' Alongside the heroes of other displaced fics, my character Shiva, alongside a couple of my other OCs, made her way through a mighty tournament alongside several mighty heroes, dealing with insanity, internet memes and a dark twist at the end.
However, it raised an interesting question to me about the balence of power with story potential:
You see, I've often read criticisms on movies like 'Star Wars: the Last Jedi' or 'Captain Marvel' that the reason many audience members had trouble relating to Rey or Captain Marvel is because they were too powerful, and nothing was able to really threaten or challenge them.
And one of my OCs in particular, Blazy Blue, might risk falling into that trap, as she displayed a power level that allowed her to match both Katakuri and Ryker, the most powerful members of the Displaced Tournament. Granted, she's not a protagonist; in fact, her role in both 'Of Scales and Fur' and 'Wolves of Equestria' is that of an anti-villain and therefore an obstacle for my heroes to overcome. But I also intended for her to have some sympathy points, as she's not overtly malicious, and is mostly just looking for friendship or a small bit of order to spice up her chaotic lifestyle.
Will it still be possible for her to be liked by readers despite being immensely over-powered? Or is she at risk of becoming like Rey from Star Wars or Captain Marvel from the MCU?
Hm... I have a LOT of overpowered characters so I can't really relate. HOWEVER! Because it is a female many would assume that Ms. Blazy Blue is a Mary Sue, I think... It's worth the risk. Make Ms. Blazy Blue great again.
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Exactly what I'm worried about; if Blazy can take on Katakuri and fight Ryker to a standstill, what chance do any of my other OCs have against her?
It'd be like in Uncharted 4, where every time Nathan Drake went up against Nadine, he got his ass kicked.
Yet, at the same time, I'm worried that if I have Blazy get beaten by someone, it'll downplay how strong she was against Katakuri and Ryker.
Right now, my compromise has been that the one who stands the best chance against her is another ignis-drake like herself (See my blog on Rocket here for an example).
Since Rocket is another ignis-drake, that means she's capable of doing everything Blazy can. And since Blazy is an antagonist in Rocket's story, Rocket can have a path of development where she slowly gets stronger and better before managing to prove herself to be Blazy's equal.
I'm worried this is a little cliche, but I think it could work.
Thanks for responding.
To be honest, making a OP character CAN work if done right and still be likable, however you would be appealing to a different audience. Like Saitama, Goku, Superman, etc.
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Hmm... good point.
Thanks for responding. I'll consider that going forward.