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How do you feel about Kaladin?

NameIess

By NameIess
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How do you feel about Kaladin?  

81 members have voted

  1. 1. Is he:

    • Your favorite character in any series!
      20
    • Your favorite Cosmere character!
      9
    • Your favorite character in the Stormlight archives!
      13
    • Awesome!
      25
    • good
      10
    • meh
      1
    • kinda annoying
      2
    • really annoying
      0
    • terrible
      1
    • The worst character Brandon has ever written
      0
    • The worst character you have ever seen, in any series.
      0

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NameIess

NameIess

Posted
Posted

Kaladin is my favorite character. In any series. Ever. He was already my favorite Stormlight character after The Way of Kings, and after Words of Radiance, I moved him all the way to the top spot. I was a little sad that he didn't get as much time on-screen in Oathbringer, but his return to his home and subsequent trip with the Parsh remains one of my favorite scenes.This brings me to my question: How do you feel about Kaladin? Since coming onto the 17th Shard, I have seen people who love Kaladin and those who don't find him all that intersting, or even find him a little annoying. This has made me curious: has Brandon Sanderson made a character who, if not universally loved, is at least universally not-hated? If you do hate Kaladin please comment and explain your reasons, do you find him badly written, does his character just not work for you, or is there some other reason? Feel free to comment no matter your opinion on Kaladin, I would love to "hear" your opinion.

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Pathfinder

Pathfinder

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Posted

I put good because I enjoy the character for who and what he is. I have nothing against him. He is not my favorite, and there are other characters I find more interesting, but that doesn't mean I think anything negatively regarding him. 

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Frustration

Frustration

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11 minutes ago, Nameless said:

 Since coming onto the 17th Shard, I have seen people who love Kaladin and those who don't find him all that intersting, or even find him a little annoying. This has made me curious: has Brandon Sanderson made a character who, if not universally loved, is at least universally not-hated? 

Hoid.

 

My personal Fantasy favorite charecters goes like so

  1. Tom Bombadil
  2. Hoid
  3. Lift
  4. Szeth
  5. Kaladin
  6. Dalinar
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Frustration

Frustration

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5 hours ago, IcaroRibeiro said:

Szeth which I truly hate

We fight and we fight now.

How dare you!! Szeth is my favorite non-comedic character ever.  

56 minutes ago, Eluvianii said:

He's great though I tend to struggle a bit reading him (a lot during WoR). In WoK, I don't know what I would have done without Shallan's chapters to balance things out.

I had the opposite problem I needed Kaladin to make WoK worth reading , I might have died if it was Shallan all the way.

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Isilel

Isilel

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I wish there was an "alright" option in the poll. Kaladin is the most stereotypical "fantasy protagonist" of the PoVs, even though done well, and as such was a little boring  to me. He hogged too much limelight in WoR, IMHO, and his "saving the day in the nick of time" schtick was a bit overdone there. I liked his story arc and page-count in OB more  (even though his fight with Amaram was silly and fan-servicy, YMMV) and I would have preferred it if he didn't become more prominent again. He had his book and a big chunk of WoR - let the other characters get their time in the sun now. Alas, it is not to be...

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Goatbringer

Goatbringer

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Kaladin's depression can be a bit much sometimes - but in that sense, I kind of get it. When you're in the throes of a depressive episode it tinges everything you do, everything you see, every comment that's made... so in that way I think he's relatable. 

But the thing that really gets me is the fact that he's a surgeon who has kind of chosen a path of destruction that constantly makes him at odds with himself. I loved his storyline in Oathbringer probably more than any other character since it seemed so grown-up: he couldn't distinguish friend from foe on the battlefield and just wanted people to stop. It's a very adult way to look at fantasy fiction, as opposed to a stalwart protagonist who is always assured in each thrust of his sword that he is the man in white killing the monsters in black. 

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Daughter of Tanavast

Daughter of Tanavast

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As someone who has struggled with depression (although considerably less than Kaladin), I have to say that his struggles feel so real. I get where some people are coming from by thinking that he's too dark and dreary, but I have to say that all of his struggles make sense to me. The sequence in OB where he couldn't swear the fourth oath almost made me cry, because we almost never see characters who fail to save the day at the last minute. I dunno, Kaladin just makes sense to me. 

Also I really love his hate-to-friendship relationship (at least that's how I see it) with Adolin. Like a lot.

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Goatbringer

Goatbringer

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1 minute ago, wishiwasstormblessed said:

we almost never see characters who fail to save the day at the last minute

1000%. I was absolutely devastated in that moment, but it was absolutely perfect. 

Can't wait for all those kinds of moments in Rhythm of War. 

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The Awakened Salad

The Awakened Salad

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Posted

I’ve never really felt all that attached to Kaladin. To be honest, I don’t really care about him. I’d be sad if he died, but I don’t think it would affect me too much. I’d just probably go “oh... no....”, take a moment, then keep reading. I don’t think he’s a badly written character, I’m just not very invested in him. 

Though, to be fair, I’m not the type of person to love every character I come across. There are very few fictional characters that I truly love (you know, those characters that when they walk into the room, the whole scene just becomes amazing). 

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NameIess

NameIess

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51 minutes ago, The Awakened Salad said:

Though, to be fair, I’m not the type of person to love every character I come across. There are very few fictional characters that I truly love (you know, those characters that when they walk into the room, the whole scene just becomes amazing).

Like Kaladin?

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NameIess

NameIess

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9 hours ago, The Awakened Salad said:

Like Kelsier. (Though I like him more for his massive personality. He’s just so fun to read about. Even then, he’s not one of my top favourite characters of all time.)

So like Kaladin, but not as good? I get it. I am the opposite about characters. I don't hate characters easily. Only the most evil of characters can get me to hate them: Umbridge and Sadeas are the only people that come to mind.

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Bliev

+Bliev

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Kal is a well-written character whom I enjoy reading about. But he's not my favorite--I don't identify with him as much, I am not as invested in him as much as other characters in SA or in the Cosmere writ large. Shallan/Jasnah in WoK hooked me, and I admit I skimmed so many Bridge 4 chapters in WoR that I had to go back and re-read just because of guilt lol. I just don't like the typical reluctant hero with all the angst trope as much, even if written as well as Brandon writes him. With that said, I would be upset if he weren't around because the story would suffer without him and Kadolin is the best ever (Adolin is growing to be my favorite character in all of SA on my 4th re-read of OB and his relationship with Kal is so perfect). 

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Eluvianii

Eluvianii

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3 hours ago, Nameless said:

So like Kaladin, but not as good? I get it. I am the opposite about characters. I don't hate characters easily. Only the most evil of characters can get me to hate them: Umbridge and Sadeas are the only people that come to mind.

Same. Right now I can't think of anyone besides Umbridge who I find easy to hate.

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Ashspren

Ashspren

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Posted

I think Kaladin is–– as Lift would say–– awesome! No, he's not my favorite... that Honor honor goes to Jasnah. That being said, Kaladin is a very well-written character with a whole lot of development left to come. He's intelligent and quick-witted, going toe-to-toe with Shallan all the time, while also having a lot of internal problems that he's going to have to face. Overall, I just love his character. :D

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The Awakened Salad

The Awakened Salad

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6 hours ago, Nameless said:

So like Kaladin, but not as good? I get it. I am the opposite about characters. I don't hate characters easily. Only the most evil of characters can get me to hate them: Umbridge and Sadeas are the only people that come to mind.

I don’t hate Kaladin, it’s more that I’m indifferent towards him. I still like reading about him, but I’m not incredibly attached to him. I don’t hate that many characters either. I don’t really hate Sadeas, Amaram or Moash. I don’t like them, but whenever they appear in a scene I’m not mad at them or anything. 

Edited by The Awakened Salad
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NameIess

NameIess

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16 minutes ago, The Awakened Salad said:

I don’t hate Kaladin, it’s more that I’m indifferent towards him. I still like reading about him, but I’m not incredibly attached to him. I don’t hate that many characters either. I don’t really hate Sadeas, Amaram or Moash. I don’t like them, but whenever they appear in a scene I’m not mad at them or anything. 

I wasn't implying that. I was just saying that while you don't love characters easily, I don't hate them, or even dislike them, easily. I also tend to like whoever the first character on-screen is the best, so that might have something to do with my like of Kaladin.

Edited by Nameless
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Frustration

Frustration

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7 hours ago, Nameless said:

So like Kaladin, but not as good? I get it. I am the opposite about characters. I don't hate characters easily. Only the most evil of characters can get me to hate them: Umbridge and Sadeas are the only people that come to mind.

I can't even hate villans that easily like even Vyre I don't hate. This is one of the few things I will give to J.K. Rowling Umbridge is hateable, even if I don't have anywhere near the level of hate for her others do.

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Khokh Linil

Khokh Linil

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Kaladin's character is in my opinion very well done all around. The real hook for he is how he struggles and how close he comes to completely giving up just to pull himself back and start winning again. The Way of Kings is made incredible by delving into his character, how he came to be brought as low as he was shown at the start, and then how he came all the way back. The Words of Radiance was just a continuance of this. My favorite lines from both books are his taking the oaths of the Knights Radiant, how it builds slowly but surely to that point is fantastic. And though the time in Shadesmar was a bit of a disappointment for me it still made sense I think ultimately and it hopefully will result in an even greater climax for his character to come.

I would say that I also enjoy how there is some similarities in how Dalina and Szeth work and love both of their characters too.

However, all in all I find Kaladin's story the most endearing somehow...

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