How To Create The PERFECT ANTAGONIST For Your Comics, Manga, And Webtoons

Summary

In this informative video, the creator of 'Monitor Comics' delves into the art of developing compelling antagonists for graphic novel projects. Antagonists are pivotal in driving the narrative, as they oppose the protagonist and create the central conflict. The video outlines five tips for crafting great antagonist characters, touching on the importance of their unwavering motives and the impact they have on the protagonist's journey. It distinguishes between different types of antagonists, including villains, conflict creators, and the protagonists themselves when facing internal struggles. The video emphasizes the need for antagonists to be multifaceted, realistic, and to have a backstory that explains their transformation into the story's opposition. It also stresses the importance of the antagonist's presence being felt throughout the story, regardless of when they appear, and the necessity for them to be a worthy adversary to the protagonist. The summary concludes by encouraging viewers to engage with the content, share their favorite antagonists, and support the channel's growth.

Takeaways

• 🎨 **Defining Antagonists**: Antagonists are central characters who oppose the protagonist and create the main conflict in a story, like M from One Piece or Frieza from Dragon Ball.
• 📚 **Five Tips for Creation**: The video shares five tips for creating compelling antagonist characters for graphic novel projects.
• 🌟 **Skillshare Promotion**: Skillshare is an online learning community with classes on various creative subjects, including comics and manga creation.
• 🚀 **Social Media for Creatives**: The speaker took a class on social media for creatives, learning about growing a freelance career and the benefits of different platforms.
• 🤝 **Protagonist and Antagonist Dynamics**: Protagonists and antagonists are essential, pushing the plot forward in opposite ways, with the antagonist often personifying the conflict.
• 😈 **Types of Antagonists**: There are three main types of antagonists: villains, conflict creators, and the protagonists themselves who can be their own worst enemies.
• 👹 **Villains as Antagonists**: Not all antagonists are villains, but villains often commit nefarious acts for self-benefit, such as Sosuke Eisen from Bleach or Blackbeard from One Piece.
• 🛡️ **Conflict Creators**: These antagonists have goals conflicting with the protagonist's but are not necessarily evil, often leading to a change in their relationship over time.
• 🧘 **Internal Conflicts**: Sometimes the protagonist is their own antagonist, with insecurities or fears preventing them from achieving their goals, like characters from The Legend of Korra or Death Note.
• 🔥 **Complexity in Antagonists**: Well-written antagonists have complex personalities and motivations, often driven by emotional pain or a strong desire for power.
• 🌐 **Antagonist's Impact on the World**: Antagonists should shape the world around them, with their actions and presence felt throughout the story, influencing the plot and character development.

Q & A

What is the role of an antagonist in a story?

An antagonist is a central character who directly opposes the protagonist, creating the main conflict in the story. They push the plot forward in ways that are opposite to the protagonist.

How does the antagonist help in character development?

The antagonist's opposition allows the protagonist to reveal their personality, desires, fears, and beliefs. Through this interaction, readers can better understand the protagonist's character.

What are the three main types of antagonist characters?

The three main types of antagonist characters are villains, conflict creators, and the protagonists themselves (when facing internal conflict).

Why should an antagonist not be purely evil for the sake of being evil?

An antagonist who is purely evil may not hold the reader's attention and risks being unrelatable. Well-written antagonists have complex personalities and motives that make them more engaging and multidimensional.

How can an antagonist's backstory enhance their character?

Exploring an antagonist's past can provide insight into how they became the character they are in the story, allowing readers to understand their motives and actions more deeply.

Why is it important for an antagonist to be a worthy adversary?

An antagonist who is a worthy adversary raises the stakes of their encounters with the protagonist, creating tension and making the story more engaging for the reader.

What is the significance of the antagonist's presence being felt throughout the story?

The antagonist's presence should be felt everywhere the protagonist goes, showing the impact of their actions on the world and connecting with the protagonist's journey.

How can conflicting personalities between the protagonist and antagonist contribute to the story?

Conflicting personalities can create dynamic interactions and contribute to the protagonist's character development, even if the antagonist is not the main source of conflict.

What is the role of the central antagonist in a story?

The central antagonist is the final boss in the story, and all events should work towards confronting this one opposing force.

Why should an antagonist's motives be unwavering?

Unwavering motives make the antagonist a consistent obstacle that the protagonist must overcome, driving the story forward and creating a compelling conflict.

How can the antagonist's backstory be used to make them more relatable?

By revealing a bad childhood or severe circumstances, an antagonist's backstory can explain their actions and provide a deeper understanding of their character to the reader.

What is the importance of the antagonist's effect on the world around them?

The antagonist's effect on the world shapes the environment and situation the protagonist faces, reflecting the antagonist's flaws, fears, and ambitions, and making their presence significant in the story.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Creating Antagonists in Graphic Novels

The video begins with an introduction to 'Monitor Comics' and the topic of creating antagonist characters for graphic novel projects. Antagonists are central characters who oppose the protagonist and are essential in driving the story's conflict. The video promises to share five tips for creating compelling antagonists and starts with a sponsorship message from Skillshare, an online learning community. Skillshare offers classes on various creative subjects, including comics and manga creation, and the speaker recommends a class on social media for creatives. The video then delves into the importance of antagonists in storytelling, explaining their role in creating the main conflict and how they can be a single character or a group, with examples from popular series.

05:02

🚫 Understanding the Different Types of Antagonists

This paragraph explains the three main types of antagonists: villains, conflict creators, and the protagonists themselves. Villains are the 'bad guys' who commit evil acts for their own benefit, but not all antagonists are villains. Conflict creators have goals that conflict with the protagonist's, yet they are not necessarily evil and may end up as allies. The third type, the protagonist as an antagonist, refers to internal conflicts within the protagonist that hinder their progress. The paragraph also discusses how antagonists and protagonists are two sides of the same coin, with opposing beliefs and goals that create conflict. Examples from various series illustrate these dynamics, emphasizing the complexity and depth needed for well-written antagonists.

10:02

🤔 The Importance of Backstory and Relatability in Antagonists

The paragraph emphasizes the importance of an antagonist's backstory in making them a well-rounded character. It discusses how exploring an antagonist's past can provide insight into their motivations and actions, making them more relatable and less one-dimensional. The text uses the character Griffith from 'Berserk' as an example of an antagonist with a compelling backstory that explains his transformation from a hero to a villain. The paragraph also stresses that antagonists should be multifaceted, experiencing setbacks and challenges, and that they should be connected to the protagonist in some way to drive the story forward.

🌐 The Impact of Antagonists on the World and Story

This final paragraph discusses how an antagonist's presence should shape the world around them and connect with their flaws, fears, and ambitions. It provides examples of antagonists with a significant presence and impact on their respective stories, such as the Anti-Spirals from 'Gurren Lagann' and the Pain from 'Naruto'. The paragraph also highlights the need for an antagonist to be a worthy adversary to the protagonist, neither too weak nor too powerful. It concludes by reiterating the antagonist's role in creating conflict and propelling the plot forward, helping the reader understand the protagonist's beliefs and goals through their interactions with the antagonist.

Keywords

💡Antagonist

An antagonist is a central character who directly opposes the protagonist or main character's goals in a story. They create the main conflict and are essential for driving the plot forward. In the video, antagonists like M from One Piece and Frieza from Dragon Ball are mentioned to illustrate this concept.

💡Protagonist

The protagonist is the main character in a story who embodies its theme and through whose perspective the story is told. They are often in direct opposition to the antagonist, and their journey and growth are central to the narrative. The video discusses how the protagonist's character is revealed through their opposition to the antagonist.

💡Conflict

Conflict is the struggle or opposition that drives the plot of a story. It can take various forms, including self-doubt, fear, or a physical force like an antagonist. The video emphasizes that conflict is the backbone of every story and is what pushes the main character to grow.

💡Villain

A villain is a character type of antagonist who is typically considered the 'bad guy' in a story. They often commit evil acts for selfish purposes. The video clarifies that not all antagonists are villains, and sometimes villain characters can be protagonists, as seen with characters like Light Yagami from Death Note.

💡Conflict Creator

A conflict creator is a type of antagonist whose goals are in direct conflict with the protagonist's but does not necessarily embody evil. They serve to present an opposing viewpoint and can sometimes become allies with the protagonist. The video uses examples such as Chrono from Soul Eater to illustrate this character type.

💡Internal Conflict

An internal conflict refers to the struggle within the protagonist that prevents them from achieving their goals. This can be due to insecurities, fears, or personal beliefs. The video mentions characters like Korra from The Legend of Korra, who face challenges due to their internal struggles.

💡Character Development

Character development is the process by which a character's personality, abilities, and other attributes evolve over the course of a story. The video discusses how antagonists play a crucial role in the protagonist's character development by providing opposition and conflict.

💡Backstory

A character's backstory provides the history and context that shapes their current behavior and motivations. The video suggests that exploring an antagonist's backstory can add depth to their character, making them more relatable and complex, as illustrated with Griffith from Berserk.

💡Emotional Pain

Emotional pain refers to the psychological distress a character experiences, often leading to significant character development or a descent into villainy. The video posits that well-written antagonists act out of a place of emotional pain so profound that it impacts their actions and decisions.

💡Worthy Adversary

A worthy adversary is an antagonist who is a formidable and credible threat to the protagonist, possessing skills and intelligence that match or challenge the protagonist's abilities. The video emphasizes that the antagonist should be neither too weak nor too powerful to maintain tension and believability in the story.

💡Character Motivation

Character motivation refers to the reasons and desires that drive a character's actions and decisions. The video discusses how antagonists should have clear and compelling motivations, often seeking power or driven by a significant event in their past, which adds depth and complexity to their character.

Highlights

Antagonists are central characters who directly oppose the story's protagonist, creating the main conflict.

Well-written antagonists can take various forms, including villains, conflict creators, and even the protagonist's own internal struggles.

The protagonist and antagonist should be two sides of the same coin, with opposing beliefs or goals that cause conflict.

Antagonists should not be purely evil; they should have complex personalities and relatable motives.

The antagonist's backstory can provide depth and explain their transformation into a character of conflict.

Every great antagonist is the protagonist of their own story, believing they are the hero of their narrative.

Antagonists often act out of emotional pain, which can drive them to commit heinous acts.

The antagonist should be a genuine threat, providing a worthy challenge to the protagonist.

Skillshare is recommended for classes on creating comics and manga, with a focus on improving artwork and storytelling.

The class 'Social Media for Creatives' teaches how to use social media platforms to grow a freelance career.

Antagonists can be connected to the protagonist through inherent opposition, aiding in character development.

The presence of the antagonist should be felt throughout the story, even if they are not immediately introduced.

Antagonists with a major presence, such as those leading armies or causing large-scale destruction, shape the world around them.

The antagonist should not be a joke or cartoonish figure; they must be taken seriously as a real threat.

Dio Brando from 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' is an example of a villain used for world-building and introducing plot elements.

The antagonist's existence should shape the world around them, reflecting their flaws, fears, and ambitions.

Viewers are encouraged to share their favorite antagonists from comic, manga, or anime series in the comments.

Support for the content creator is available through Patreon and social media engagement.

Transcripts

[Music]

how's it going everyone welcome back to

monitor Comics the channel where we

create comics and manga in today's video

we will be talking about how to create

antagonist characters for your graphic

novel projects antagonists are Central

characters who directly oppose your

story's protagonist think of characters

like M from One Piece Frieza from Dragon

Ball and matara Uchiha from Naruto by

the end of this video you will

understand the elements that Define a

well-written antagonist character make

sure you watch this video in its

entirety because I'll be sharing five

tips for creating great antagonist

characters but first let's hear a word

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get back to the video in storytelling

the antagonist is the opposing force

that is working against the protagonist

or the main character's goal as a result

the central antagonist creates the main

conflict in your story an antagonist can

be one character or a group of

characters think of antagonist

characters like father from Fullmetal

Alchemist Brotherhood all for one from

my hero Academia and muzon from Demon

Slayer all three of these characters

serve as the big bad or the main

antagonist in their respective series

minor antagonists known as Arc villains

include the homunculi from Fullmetal

Alchemist Brotherhood the league of

villains in my hero Academia and the

demons and Demon Slayer they serve under

their respective series main antagonists

your central antagonist should be the

final boss in your story all of the

events in your comic manga or webtoon

should be working towards confronting

that one opposing force protagonists and

antagonists are both essential

characters in any story they push the

plot forward in different and opposite

ways the backbone of every story is the

conflict conflict is what will drive

your main character to grow into a

better character the source of conflict

can take the form of self-doubt

self-loathing fear of the unknown debt

and a physical Force such as the

antagonist you should think of your

antagonist as the personification of

conflict usually the protagonist

represents the theme of a story the

antagonist's opposition is what allows

the protagonist to reveal their

personality desires fears and beliefs as

a result the reader is able to see the

theme that your protagonist represents

through the opposition of the antagonist

think about it if the protagonist wants

something and it is easy to get there

will be no Story the main role of the

antagonist is the opposure protagonist's

character this concept of opposing can

take on many different forms there are

three main types of antagonist

characters including villains conflict

creators and the protagonists themselves

a villain is defined as the bad guy in a

story it is very important to note that

all villains are antagonists but not not

all antagonists are villains villain

characters tend to do quote unquote bad

things for evil purposes villains can

serve minor roles or be the main source

of conflict in your story examples of

popular villain characters include

sosuke Eisen from Bleach ragyokirion

from Kill la Kill and Blackbeard from

One Piece what all these characters have

in common is they commit nefarious acts

that will benefit themselves they

manipulate others and get their hands

dirty to achieve their goals villain

characters don't always have to be

antagonists sometimes villain characters

can be the protagonist of a story

remember a protagonist isn't necessarily

a quote-unquote good guy a protagonist

is just a leading character who takes us

through the events of the story

characters like Aaron Yeager from Attack

on Titan let Yagami from Death Note and

Lelouch V Britannia are all examples of

this as the viewer we find ourselves

understanding and supporting these

villains decisions because they are the

series protagonist we see the world

through their eyes and spend the most

time with them if you are looking for

more information about creating villain

characters please refer to my how to

write villain characters in comics and

manga video after you're finished

watching the S1 the second type of

antagonist a conflict Creator is the

character whose goals are in direct

conflict with the protagonist's goals

this type of antagonist doesn't

necessarily have to be a quote-unquote

bad guy the purpose of a conflict

Creator is to show an opposite Viewpoint

to the protagonist examples of conflict

Creator antagonists include Chrono from

Soul Eater taraki hanazawa from mobs

like a 100 and oi Toto from Jiu Jitsu

Kaizen while these characters may have

challenged the protagonist at some point

or another it doesn't mean that they are

bad guys in fact many of these

characters would end up finding common

ground with the protagonist and becoming

an ally the third type of antagonist the

protagonist himself is an internal

conflict that results in the protagonist

standing in their own way this can be

executed through a protagonist's

insecurities fears or outlook on life

dictating how they react to certain

situations while this type of antagonist

isn't necessarily A Bad Guy character it

is an opposing force that prevents your

protagonist from achieving their goals

examples of characters whose internal

conflict prevented them from achieving

their goals include quora from The

Legend of Korra Noriko sonazaki from

kizz niver and reki Kyan from skate the

infinity all three of these characters

had an instance where they gave up on

themselves because their insecurities

became too much to handle your

antagonist and protagonist should be two

sides of the same coin their opinions

and beliefs or goals should oppose one

another causing them to get in each

other's way your antagonist's motives

should be unwavering making them an

obstacle your protagonist needs to

overcome an example of a protagonist and

antagonist pair with conflicting beliefs

is senku ishigami and Tsukasa shishio

from Dr Stone both characters are reborn

in the Stone World while senku wishes to

revive every human that was turned to

stone su casa only wants to revive the

uncorrupted use maybe your antagonist

isn't a bad guy people and characters

with incompatible personalities Clash

all of the time conflicting

personalities is not a strong enough

motive to be the base of your story's

conflict but it may play a role in your

protagonist's character development an

example of a protagonist and an

antagonist for conflicting personalities

is metaria izuku and kosuki bakugou from

my hero Academia while bakugou May

literally have the personality traits of

a villain he has an unwavering dream to

become a hero he constantly clashes with

miria creating conflict but he is not

the main antagonist of the series this

character Dynamic is very popular in

comics manga and webtoons and

antagonists may have a perfectly

legitimate reason to want the same thing

as the protagonist but goes about it in

a different way remember the only reason

we root for the protagonist is because

we see the story told to their point of

view a great example of this Dynamic is

Sora and Riku from the Kingdom Hearts

series both characters travel to many

different worlds to figure out a way to

save their friend Kyrie while Sora

happens to become the keyblade's chosen

one Riku decides to give his heart up

the darkness in order to get stronger in

the end both characters are essentially

chasing the same goal but they

constantly Clash because they disagree

with the others methods some stories

present a nasty situation that could

literally affect the entire world rather

than a simple goal an immediate need is

created causing characters to take a

hard stance on the issue in these

circumstances the protagonist and

antagonist might simply just have

different opinions about what the best

course of action is an example of this

can be seen in Attack on Titan season 4

with the threat of Marley wiping out

parody Island Aaron Yeager took it upon

himself to flatten the world in order to

protect his people while many of the

characters oppose this decision Aaron

believes it is the best course of action

because of this characters who were once

allies of Aaron become enemies stand in

his way trying to stop him when an

antagonist is completely evil for the

sake of being evil the story might not

hold your reader's attention having a

character like this might also run the

risk of being too unrelatable to the

audience while relatability isn't a

necessity it definitely helps the reader

understand a character's motives and

actions more your antagonist shouldn't

be just a character you love to hate

they should also be someone you hate to

love rarely do villain characters do

evil things purely for the sake of it

the reason for this is because it's a

Surefire way to create a flat

one-dimensional character the best

characters have complex personalities

hidden depth and moments of sympathy

take the Joker for example he has one

clear and defying goal to create chaos

every act committed by him and every

Twisted social experiment was intended

to cause Havoc create the vision and

spur Discord despite being mentally

unhinged he had a point to make and an

objective to me if a character like the

Joker is able to establish a goal then

any villain character can your

antagonist should be multifaceted and

realistic they should experience

setbacks and Roblox that knock them off

of their established path remember your

protagonist and antagonist are two sides

of the same coin they should both face

the Prospect the failure and gather the

strength to push forward towards their

goal giving your reader some insight

into your antagonist's backstory is a

great way to flesh them out as a

character as with real life criminals a

bad childhood or a severe set of

circumstances can explain an

antagonist's downward spiral by

exploring your antagonist's past your

reader will be able to see aspects of

the character before they became an

antagonist in your story remember every

great antagonist is the protagonist of

Their Own Story in their mind they are

the hero doing the right thing to them

the protagonist standing in their way is

the antagonist most well-written

antagonists act out of a place of

emotional pain so great that it hijacks

their humanity and ability to empathize

with others your antagonist wants

something usually it's power and they

will do everything they can to obtain it

an example of an antagonist with a

well-written backstory is Griffith from

berserk as a child Griffith comes from a

humble origin being born poor and having

to work his way up to become a noble

Griffith dreams of becoming the next

king and ruling his own kingdom he was

remarkably determined charismatic and a

great leader Griffith becomes a villain

after suffering the consequences of his

own actions the pain he endured while

being arrested and tortured turned him

into a husk of the former hero he once

was though Griffith was partially

responsible for his arrest the

unbalanced punishment he endured led to

a loss of a great protagonist Griffith

would later develop into an antagonist

that commits some of the worst

atrocities in the series the best

antagonists are those who were unable to

be separated from the protagonists they

should Aid in the protagonist's

character development through their

inherent opposition to them there has to

be some sort of threat that connects

your protagonist to the antagonist an

obvious example of this can be seen in

the Harry Potter franchise Lord

Voldemort murdered Harry Potter's

parents when he was a baby and left the

lightning-shaped scar on his forehead

this magical scar intrinsically connects

the two characters throughout the story

it is also a symbolic reminder of the

connection between the two characters it

foreshadows at the fates of the

protagonist and the antagonists are

dependent on one another even if your

antagonist doesn't show themselves until

much later in the story their presence

should be felt everywhere the

protagonist goes in many Comics manga

and webtoons the main antagonist has an

army of subordinates that serve as minor

antagonists wherever your protagonist

turns the aftermath of your antagonist's

actions should always be on display your

aunt antagonist should have an effect on

the world around them how big or small

this effect is will depend on the scale

of your villain and the type of story

you are trying to tell no matter the

scope of their abilities Your

antagonist's Existence should always

shape the world around them in some way

this manifestation should connect with

your antagonist's Flawless fears and

Ambitions examples of antagonists with a

major presence include the anti-spiral

from Gurren lagon the sixth pass the

pain from Naruto and The Wretched egg

from dead man Wonderland in Gurren Lagan

the anti-spyro literally throws galaxies

around during their battle with Simon

causing wide-scale collateral damage in

Naruto the sixth Paths of pain lead the

Akatsuki and notorious group of Rogue

ninja who regularly commit crimes during

the Payne's assault Arc the sixth Pass

the Pain obliterate the hidden Leaf

Village and murder many of its

inhabitants in dead man Wonderland The

Wretched egg caused the Great Tokyo

earthquake which destroyed 70 of Tokyo a

good antagonist should be a worthy

adversary to your protagonist they

shouldn't be weak and easily beaten like

a villain character from a children's

cartoon they also shouldn't be so

powerful that they can only be defeated

by random chance having a villain who is

in many ways equal in skill and

intelligence to your protest agonists

will raise the stakes of their

encounters it also creates tension as

your antagonist has the potential to

defeat your protagonist unless you are

writing a gag comedy series your

antagonist should never be just a joke

cartoony antagonists such as Plankton

from SpongeBob and the Ice King from

Adventure Time exist to Kickstart the

plot of each episode in some way the

audience knows that they don't stand any

real chance of Victory against the

series protagonist in order for the

reader to take your antagonist seriously

you need to establish that your

antagonist is a genuine threat an

example of a Villain Like This is Dio

Brando from the series JoJo's Bizarre

Adventure Dio isn't just the overarching

antagonist of the Joe star Legacy he is

also a tool used to World build and

introduce new plot elements we literally

witnessed Diaz descend to Darkness and

part one of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure as

he moves into the Joe star home this

gives us an immediate connection with

the character and gives us a lot of time

to follow his aspirations and dreams

seeing how nice the Joe Star Family was

to him you can't help but laugh when

watching the ridiculous language that

Theo would go to ruin their lives and

steal their fortune in conclusion an

antagonist is the character who most

stands in the way of your protagonist

achieving their goals they create

conflict and help propel the plot

forward by interacting with your

antagonist your reader is able to better

understand your protagonist's beliefs

insecurities and goals that's gonna do

it for this video if you got some value

out of it please leave this video a

thumbs up and subscribe to my channel if

you haven't already drop a comment down

below telling us about your favorite

antagonist from any comic manga or anime

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everyone I'll see you all in the next

one

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