Who is your LEAST favorite character in the Cosmere?

[Patar Artifabrian]

Whenever I get on these forums, I always see several posts about how great the characters in the Cosmere are. I was a bit curious to see who your LEAST favorite character is. I know it may be hard to pick one since all of Brandon's characters are so well written, but I'm making you chose anyway. And please, don't get mad if someone says they don't like your favorite character, it's all opinion.

 

By the way, Sadeas and Amaram are off limits

[natc Mistborn]

Nalan?

He's a jerk. Self-righteous yet somehow completely apathetic. Says nothing is above law yet seems to routinely exploit every loophole in the system. Murders awesome people.

Edited August 6, 2015 by natc

[Mailliw73 Dawnshard]

Honestly, one of my least favorite central characters is Vin. I just don't like her character much. I'm not even sure why. :/ THe same goes for Vivenna, for the most part. Ooh, and Iadon. He's despicable and so is Lin Davar.

[phattemer Elantrian]

Awesome people. I see what you did there...

[The Sovereign Mistborn]

This one is tough, characters in general would probably be Dilaf or Hammond.

For PoV characters I would probably go with Vivenna.

[Mailliw73 Dawnshard]

This one is tough, characters in general would probably be Dilaf or Hammond.

For PoV characters I would probably go with Vivenna.

Ham?? Why, if I may ask?

[tobar14 Oldblood]

Shallan.  Can't really pinpoint why, but every chapter that focused on her was difficult for me to read.  I think she reminds me of my sister, and I do not like my sister.

[The Sovereign Mistborn]

Ham?? Why, if I may ask?

He always annoyed me, I think it was his penchant for philosophizing while never really seeking answers/truth.

[tobar14 Oldblood]

He always annoyed me, I think it was his penchant for philosophizing while never really seeking answers/truth.

Philosophy = Many Questions + Few Answers

 

I didn't dislike Ham at all, but he was also one of my least favorite characters.

[Peng the Just Listener]

Most of his characters, even the antagonists, are very well written. After reading about them, the reader HATES Ioden, Amaram, Sadeas etc. but at the same time understands them. My least favorite to read was Eshonai. I don't feel like her character was relatable.

[Kobold King God Beyond]

Most of his characters, even the antagonists, are very well written. After reading about them, the reader HATES Ioden, Amaram, Sadeas etc. but at the same time understands them. My least favorite to read was Eshonai. I don't feel like her character was relatable.

 

Well she was a humanoid crustacean from a wholly alien society.

 

 

I wouldn't class any of his villains as my least favorite characters solely on their evil, as I do enjoy a good villain. However, I didn't really care for Zane in The Well of Ascension.

 

It kind of felt like the Bandersnatch was teasing a nonsensical and kind of trite love triangle with him. I was intrigued by his character from the beginning, but by the end I was just reading along thinking "Kill this guy already! He's nothing but trouble, and he's getting in the way of a perfectly good and non-cliche romance."

[The Sovereign Mistborn]

Philosophy = Many Questions + Few Answers

 

I didn't dislike Ham at all, but he was also one of my least favorite characters.

Agreed but by nature philosophy is still trying to find the answers, I don't know if it is just the way I read Ham but it always seemed to me he had never even tried to find questions. I always envisioned him as asking philosophical questions to hear himself talk and it annoyed me.

[Edgedancer Hero of Ages]

Well she was a humanoid crustacean from a wholly alien society.

 

 

I wouldn't class any of his villains as my least favorite characters solely on their evil, as I do enjoy a good villain. However, I didn't really care for Zane in The Well of Ascension.

 

It kind of felt like the Bandersnatch was teasing a nonsensical and kind of trite love triangle with him. I was intrigued by his character from the beginning, but by the end I was just reading along thinking "Kill this guy already! He's nothing but trouble, and he's getting in the way of a perfectly good and non-cliche romance."

Then there's also how Eshonai

was heavily influenced/contoled by Odium. Altering her character for the later parts of the book

 

Oh Zane

you and your rubish "love triangle" only worked because of one thing anyway, namely Vin not noticing you were manipulating her with emotional Allomancy. Which I personally find to be ridiculous.

[Matrim Bloody Cauthon Misting]

definitely Jasnah. I don't know why I just hate the chapters about her. Shallan is a close second.

[Zathoth Tarachin Superstar]

Funny, Jasnah and Shallan are probably my favorite characters (After Kell, of course), also I really like Ham, eminds me of myself, always asking questions.

 

Out of the viewpoint characters I was incredibly annoyed by Vivenna for about the first half of Warbreaker. Self-rightous, cant dont what she needs to do because "It is ostentatious", cant wear clothes to blend in because "It is ostentatious" cant learn to awaken when it would greatly help her because "It is ostentatious".

 

It is so frustrating... funny thing is I love her character after she goes through all that development. Which is one of the reasons I really look forward to Nightblood.

[Something Wicked Spearman]

I personally can't stand Shallan. She is so self pitying and yet thinks everyone, particularly Adolin and Kaladin, is beneath her. She describes Adolin as being absolutely gorgeous but wholly unintelligent. She also describes Kaladin as being an angry little spearman (not that that is totally inaccurate) for most of the second book, and demanding ridiculous things of him (like his boots). Plus the fact that she seems to be betraying the very people who are saving her family and helping her survive. The only reason she is even remotely interesting to me is because of a personality disorder.

[SmurfAquamarineBodies Soulcaster]

Kaladin. I find him to be a little whiny baby, who is hugely prejudiced when only 3 lighteyes actually harmed him. ( Amaram, Roshone and Sadaes )

[kaellok Truthless]

I personally can't stand Shallan. She is so self pitying and yet thinks everyone, particularly Adolin and Kaladin, is beneath her. She describes Adolin as being absolutely gorgeous but wholly unintelligent. She also describes Kaladin as being an angry little spearman (not that that is totally inaccurate) for most of the second book, and demanding ridiculous things of him (like his boots). Plus the fact that she seems to be betraying the very people who are saving her family and helping her survive. The only reason she is even remotely interesting to me is because of a personality disorder.

I feel that you and I must have read completely different books. You read the one where these things happened, and i didn't, with the exceptions of Kaladin, who you freely admit really was an angry Spearman. And the boots thing, it was supposed to be ridiculous just so that he would focus on that instead of the real lie.

Then again, Elend is my least favorite important Cosmere character. The only reason i cared about him at all is because Vin did, and i still don't understand what she saw in him besides liking to read.  I get that, but lots of people like to read, and it's not something I'm innately attracted to in and of itself (although someone who doesn't read is a turnoff, so there's that.)  So, when bad things happened to Elend I felt bad only because I knew it would hurt Vin.

 

Edit: Explained things in 2nd paragraph a little better utilizing the amazing power of a computer, rather than the convenience of a phone.

Edited August 7, 2015 by kaellok

[maxal Dawnshard]

I personally can't stand Shallan. She is so self pitying and yet thinks everyone, particularly Adolin and Kaladin, is beneath her. She describes Adolin as being absolutely gorgeous but wholly unintelligent. She also describes Kaladin as being an angry little spearman (not that that is totally inaccurate) for most of the second book, and demanding ridiculous things of him (like his boots). Plus the fact that she seems to be betraying the very people who are saving her family and helping her survive. The only reason she is even remotely interesting to me is because of a personality disorder.

 

To be frank, she never said Adolin was unintelligent, but she tends to be full of herself and she has started to think herself a bit too smart for her own good. I wager she will have it coming in book 3.

 

My least favorite POV are Szeth and Eshonai. I am not overly found of Rysn, not because I dislike her, but because I just do not care all that much for interlude characters. I always just want to get back to the main story.

 

Vin was OK, I alternated between liking her and finding her boring. I guess she simply was not my kind of person. Elend was fine, I liked him well enough. He was a sweet geeky guy.

 

Vivienna was ups and downs but so was Warbreaker in general. Vasher took a long time to become interesting. Something was just weird about the pacing of that book.

 

Stormlight Archive interludes is what I dislike reading about the most. I find enjoyment in every other POV characters.

[Comatose Tarachin Superstar]

For my least favourite viewpoint characters, I'd have to say: 1) Kaladin, and 2) Vivenna.  Vivenna I tolerate more because she was supposed to be unlikable (especially compared to Siri who I adore).  

 

I'm not sure what it is about Kaladin.  Part of it is that a detect a similar amount of self-righteousness in him as in Vivenna, but it seems like the book intends for Kaladin to be in the right.  I liked him a little more on my second read through, and in WoR when he was no longer the focus, but mostly he just does nothing for me, and I like all of the other characters in SA (especially Adolin, Shallan, and Jasnah) way more.  I'll also admit that part of what I didn't like was Kaladin's plot line, since I found the narrative of the depressed slave rising up and becoming a leader in the face of adversity to be a tad over done, but I have to say I didn't like the character much either, and I will be sooo disappointed if he and Shallan end up together .  

 

Oooo, and Wax and Marasi!  Can't say I really enjoyed either of them, so I'm excited that it looks like Steris (who I love) will play a larger role in future books.  As for Wax and Marasi, I was mainly just bored with both of them.  They didn't surprise me.  

 

I have to say, it feels kind of wierd to talk like this about books I absolutely adore, so I will add the caveat that these are my least favourite characters, and aside from Kaladin I do enjoy aspects of all of them, and understand how they might be favourites for other people.  

[maxal Dawnshard]

For my least favourite viewpoint characters, I'd have to say: 1) Kaladin, and 2) Vivenna.  Vivenna I tolerate more because she was supposed to be unlikable (especially compared to Siri who I adore).  

 

I'm not sure what it is about Kaladin.  Part of it is that a detect a similar amount of self-righteousness in him as in Vivenna, but it seems like the book intends for Kaladin to be in the right.  I liked him a little more on my second read through, and in WoR when he was no longer the focus, but mostly he just does nothing for me, and I like all of the other characters in SA (especially Adolin, Shallan, and Jasnah) way more.  I'll also admit that part of what I didn't like was Kaladin's plot line, since I found the narrative of the depressed slave rising up and becoming a leader in the face of adversity to be a tad over done, but I have to say I didn't like the character much either, and I will be sooo disappointed if he and Shallan end up together .  

 

Oooo, and Wax and Marasi!  Can't say I really enjoyed either of them, so I'm excited that it looks like Steris (who I love) will play a larger role in future books.  As for Wax and Marasi, I was mainly just bored with both of them.  They didn't surprise me.  

 

I have to say, it feels kind of wierd to talk like this about books I absolutely adore, so I will add the caveat that these are my least favourite characters, and aside from Kaladin I do enjoy aspects of all of them, and understand how they might be favourites for other people.  

 

I agree Kaladin does come from an overly used trope. However, it was an effective one, for me, in WoK. I'll admit I started to want to read other things but the end of WoR, hence my undying love for Adolin whom I find unbelievably refreshing for a fantasy book character. Shallan and Kaladin are another trope I cannot stand, so yeah I am with you, but I still like to read about both characters, just not together.

 

Wax and Marasi I rather liked, but I was disturbed by people shipping them together... She is 18 years old and he is 40. This, is just too much for me. So no. Big huge no. Steris has potential. I wanted to read more about her after Alloy of Law. There is nobody I l disliked in Alloy of Law though Wayne was me favorite.

 

Oh it is not because we have criticisms we disliked the book. I mean, these are very minor criticisms.... 

[Mailliw73 Dawnshard]

 

To be frank, she never said Adolin was unintelligent, but she tends to be full of herself and she has started to think herself a bit too smart for her own good. I wager she will have it coming in book 3.

 

My least favorite POV are Szeth and Eshonai. I am not overly found of Rysn, not because I dislike her, but because I just do not care all that much for interlude characters. I always just want to get back to the main story.

 

Vin was OK, I alternated between liking her and finding her boring. I guess she simply was not my kind of person. Elend was fine, I liked him well enough. He was a sweet geeky guy.

 

Vivienna was ups and downs but so was Warbreaker in general. Vasher took a long time to become interesting. Something was just weird about the pacing of that book.

 

Stormlight Archive interludes is what I dislike reading about the most. I find enjoyment in every other POV characters.

I agree with most of this. I find the interludes interesting, but none of them are my favorite characters. And Szeth's alright, but I didn't really like Eshonai much.

 

For my least favourite viewpoint characters, I'd have to say: 1) Kaladin, and 2) Vivenna.  Vivenna I tolerate more because she was supposed to be unlikable (especially compared to Siri who I adore).  

 

I'm not sure what it is about Kaladin.  Part of it is that a detect a similar amount of self-righteousness in him as in Vivenna, but it seems like the book intends for Kaladin to be in the right.  I liked him a little more on my second read through, and in WoR when he was no longer the focus, but mostly he just does nothing for me, and I like all of the other characters in SA (especially Adolin, Shallan, and Jasnah) way more.  I'll also admit that part of what I didn't like was Kaladin's plot line, since I found the narrative of the depressed slave rising up and becoming a leader in the face of adversity to be a tad over done, but I have to say I didn't like the character much either, and I will be sooo disappointed if he and Shallan end up together .  

It seems like most of the fandom is on one extreme or the other concerning Kaladin. Some, like me, adore his character, and others detest him. The same seems to go for Shallan, except that there seems to be more of a middle ground for her. 

[Kipper Steel Inquisitor]

I would have to say Kaladin and Vin.

Kaladin I find a bit easier to tolerate than Vin. He is stereotypical, I think, and it is hard for me to engage with him mentally. He is arrogant and condescending as well.

Vin has always been my most disliked character. I don't what it is, but I just don't like her. The chapters that focus on her and her thoughts are my most disliked of the series.

[Mailliw73 Dawnshard]

Vin has always been my most disliked character. I don't what it is, but I just don't like her. The chapters that focus on her and her thoughts are my most disliked of the series.

I thought I was alone in not liking Vin, but apparently not even close.

[maxal Dawnshard]

It seems like most of the fandom is on one extreme or the other concerning Kaladin. Some, like me, adore his character, and others detest him. The same seems to go for Shallan, except that there seems to be more of a middle ground for her. 

 

Last poll we had on "Who is your favorite character" in the Stormlight Archive section had Kaladin being the uncontested favorite. I'd say, he is very popular.