The Importance Of Side Characters / Secondary Characters In Manga Stories
Summary
TLDRThe video script from 'Monitor Comics' YouTube channel discusses the importance of creating well-written side characters in comic, manga, and webtoon projects. It emphasizes that side characters, also known as secondary or supporting characters, are crucial for world-building and plot progression. They can serve as foils to highlight the protagonist's traits, or take on roles such as mentors, romantic interests, or comic relief. The script advises giving side characters their own unique traits, backstory, and development to avoid them feeling flat or like mere plot devices. It also warns against common mistakes like letting side characters overshadow the protagonist or introducing too many without clear purpose. The video encourages treating side characters with the same depth as main characters to create a rich and dynamic story world.
Takeaways
- 🎨 **Importance of Side Characters**: Side characters are crucial for world-building and providing context in a story, often taking on roles like crewmates on a spaceship or knights in a medieval kingdom.
- 🚀 **Role in Plot Development**: They help move the plot forward, motivate the protagonist, and can serve as foils to highlight the protagonist's qualities.
- 🤔 **Distinction from Background Characters**: Side characters are more than just world fillers; they have opinions, beliefs, and points of view that interact with the protagonist's journey.
- 🧩 **Foil Characters**: Foil characters are designed to emphasize another character's strengths or weaknesses, either through opposition or support.
- 🌟 **Supporting Character Types**: Side characters can be sidekicks, romantic interests, henchmen, mentors, best friends, rivals, or comic relief, each serving a unique purpose in the story.
- 🌱 **Character Growth**: Like main characters, side characters should grow and evolve over time, adding depth and realism to the narrative.
- 📚 **Backstories and Personalities**: Well-developed side characters have detailed backstories and personalities that influence their reactions and decisions within the story.
- 👥 **Unique Traits for Recognition**: Giving side characters unique traits, appearances, or mannerisms helps readers distinguish and remember them.
- 🎭 **Agency and Motivation**: Side characters should have their own goals and fears, acting with agency rather than merely as plot devices.
- ⚔️ **Strategic Usage**: Not all side characters need extensive development; some can be combined or used as one-off characters to maintain focus on the main narrative.
- 💥 **Purposeful Character Exits**: When side characters are written out or killed off, it should serve the story's progression or character development, not just for shock value.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of the video?
-The primary focus of the video is to discuss how to create well-written side characters for comics, manga, and webtoon projects.
What is the importance of side characters in storytelling?
-Side characters are important because they complement the protagonist and/or antagonist, help move the plot forward, motivate the protagonist to act, and add context and life to the world of the story.
What is a common mistake made when developing side characters?
-A common mistake is unintentionally making side characters more interesting than the protagonist, which can steal the spotlight and detract from the main story.
What is the role of a 'foil' character?
-A foil character is used to highlight or draw attention to the qualities of another character, emphasizing their strengths or weaknesses.
How can side characters be used to enhance the world-building in a story?
-Side characters can establish context for the world, provide information and guidance, and reveal key details that define the story setting.
What are some types of side characters?
-Types of side characters include supporters, antagonizers, informers, sidekicks, romantic interests, henchmen, mentors, best friends, rivals, and comic relief.
Why should side characters not be static or flat?
-Side characters should not be static or flat because they should grow and evolve over time, just like main characters, to feel three-dimensional and believable.
How can a side character be distinguished from a background character?
-A side character is distinguished from a background character by having a more significant role in the story, including their own opinions, beliefs, and point of view, while a background character only exists to fill the world of the story.
What is the recommended approach to learning new skills for creating comics and manga as mentioned in the video?
-The video recommends using Skillshare, an online learning community with classes ranging from photography, illustration, graphic design, animation, freelancing, and more, to learn new skills and improve in creating comics and manga.
What is the significance of the '28 day drawing challenge anatomy for illustration and comics' class mentioned in the video?
-The '28 day drawing challenge anatomy for illustration and comics' class is significant because it provides a simplified understanding of human anatomy tailored for comic artists, which is beneficial for improving anatomy drawings in comics, manga, and webtoon illustrations.
Why is it important to give side characters a unique trait or physical appearance?
-It is important to give side characters a unique trait or physical appearance to make them easily distinguishable and memorable for the readers, especially when there are numerous side characters in a story.
What should be the goal of side characters in a story?
-The goal of side characters should be to push the story forward or to influence the main characters in some way, whether it's through their actions, decisions, or the information they provide.
Outlines
🎨 Introduction to Creating Side Characters
This paragraph introduces the topic of creating well-written side characters in comics, manga, and webtoon projects. It emphasizes the importance of side characters in storytelling, their role in world-building, and how they can influence the protagonist. The video also mentions the different types of side characters, such as foils, sidekicks, and mentors, and the need for them to be dynamic, with their own beliefs and growth. The paragraph concludes with a sponsorship message from Skillshare, an online learning platform with classes on various creative subjects, including comic and manga creation.
📚 Developing Three-Dimensional Side Characters
The second paragraph delves into the development of side characters, discussing the need for them to feel as real and complex as the main character. It outlines the different roles side characters can play, such as supporters, antagonizers, and informers, and how they can challenge or guide the protagonist. The paragraph also stresses the importance of giving side characters unique traits and backstories to distinguish them and make them memorable. Additionally, it addresses common mistakes made when developing side characters, such as stealing the spotlight from the protagonist or creating too many secondary characters without clear purpose.
🌟 Balancing Side Character Roles and Impact
The final paragraph focuses on the strategic use of side characters in storytelling. It discusses how to avoid overshadowing the main character and the importance of assigning specific roles and locations to side characters to maintain narrative clarity. The paragraph also touches on the use of side characters to advance the plot, influence the main characters, and the potential for their removal or 'killing off' to serve the story's purpose. It concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage with the content, subscribe to the channel, and share their thoughts on side characters from various series or their own projects.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Side Characters
💡Foil Characters
💡Plot Devices
💡Character Development
💡Supporting Characters
💡Antagonizers
💡Informers
💡Unique Traits
💡Agency
💡Killing Off
💡Character Backstory
Highlights
The video discusses the importance of side characters in comics, manga, and webtoon projects.
Side characters are crucial for world-building and providing context within a story's setting.
Examples of well-known side characters include Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan and Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist.
Skillshare is recommended for classes on creating comics and manga, with a focus on anatomy for illustration.
The class '28 Day Drawing Challenge: Anatomy for Illustration and Comics' by Jazza is highlighted for its simplicity and applicability to various mediums.
Foil characters are introduced as those that emphasize another character's strengths or weaknesses.
Supporting characters can take on roles such as sidekicks, romantic interests, mentors, or comic relief.
Side characters should not be static; they should grow and evolve over time.
Three types of secondary characters are identified: supporters, antagonizers, and informers.
The importance of giving side characters unique traits or appearances to distinguish them is emphasized.
Plot devices should be used carefully to avoid clichés and maintain reader immersion.
Side characters should have their own backstory, fears, and goals, similar to main characters.
The concept of killing off side characters for plot advancement is discussed, with examples from popular series.
Common mistakes in developing side characters include stealing the spotlight and creating too many secondary characters.
The video advises on how to avoid these mistakes by ensuring each side character has a specific role and purpose.
The narrator thanks the viewers for watching and encourages engagement and support for the channel.
Transcripts
[Music]
how's it going everyone welcome back to
monitor comics the channel will recreate
comics and manga if this is your first
time checking out my youtube channel
that i hope you can check out some of my
other videos after you are finished
watching this one we have already
covered a ton of cool comic making
tutorials such as how to create power
systems and shown in manga how to create
unique character designs and how to come
up with the perfect names for your
original characters in today's video we
will be discussing how to create
well-written side characters for your
comics manga and webtoon projects by the
end of this video you will know the
importance of side characters and how to
properly implement them into your
graphic novel projects but first let's
hear a word from today's sponsor this
video is proudly brought to you by
skillshare skillshare is an online
learning community with thousands of
online classes for anyone who loves
learning and wants to explore their
creativity skillshare is the perfect
place to get inspired learn new skills
and put them to work in impactful ways
skillshare classes range from
photography illustration graphic design
animation freelancing and more for my
audience i highly recommend you check
out skillshare's classes focused on
creating comics and manga there are so
many great resources for improving your
manga artwork and storytelling abilities
right now i am taking the class 28 day
drawing challenge anatomy for
illustration and comics by popular art
youtuber jazza throughout this class
jazza demonstrates how to draw human
anatomy in a way that is super simple to
understand this class is ideal for
beginner and intermediate illustrators
but will benefit anyone looking to
improve their anatomy drawings you can
follow along with your medium of choice
on paper or digitally even if you're
working with different tools jazz's tips
and techniques will still apply to your
process what's cool about this class is
it's catered towards comic artists
unlike traditional art classes taught in
school jazz's class shows you how to see
the basic shapes of the human body and
how to simplify it for comics manga and
webtoon illustrations by the end of this
class i definitely gained a better
understanding of how to draw the human
figure on screen you can see some figure
studies i illustrated while taking the
class what i love about this class is it
breaks down all the different body parts
arms legs torso and back into separate
lessons this allows you to focus on one
body part at a time jazza also provides
insight on the general muscle structure
and function of each body part giving
you an even better understanding of what
you are drawing and why it bends the way
it does if you are an aspiring comic
artist manga artist or webtoon creator i
highly recommend you check out this
skillshare course skillshare is ad-free
so you can stay in the zone while you
are exploring new skills new premium
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always something new to discover on
skillshare if english is not your first
language skillshare's entire catalog is
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take this opportunity to invest in
yourself and your goals by becoming a
skillshare member today thank you again
skillshare for continuing to support the
creative community now let's get back to
the video side characters also known as
secondary characters or supporting
characters are characters in a story who
compliment the protagonist and or the
antagonist character think of popular
side characters such as levi ackerman
from attack on titan kamina from gurren
lagann and roy mustang from fullmetal
alchemist a side character is commonly
used as a tool for world building they
allow you to establish context for your
world think about it if your story takes
place on a spaceship there have to be
crewmates on board to man the spaceship
if your story takes place in a medieval
kingdom there have to be knights and
kings secondary characters are
characters who are not your protagonist
or your antagonist think of parents
friends co-workers bosses or minor
villains side characters should not be
confused with background characters
characters who only exist to fill the
world of your story secondary characters
are essential to every good story they
help move the plot forward and motivate
the protagonist to act side characters
should have their own opinions beliefs
and point of view that complement or
contradict the protagonist they should
push the protagonist to make certain
decisions or perform certain actions
secondary characters can also stand in
opposition to the protagonist making
them rethink their reasoning or action
secondary characters who bring out the
best or the worst in your protagonist
are known as foil characters foil
characters exist to highlight or draw
attention to the qualities of another
character the term foil comes from a
jewelry photography technique where you
set a gem on a foil base to enhance its
shine foil characters don't necessarily
need to create opposition or conflict
some foil characters can even be a
friend of the character they are
designed to draw attention to the main
purpose of a foil character is to
emphasize another character's strengths
or weaknesses since loyal characters may
have different values and motivations
they may make different decisions than
the protagonists creating what-if plot
lines some examples of foil characters
in anime and manga include naruto and
sasuke from naruto lelouch and suzaku
from code geass tai and matt from
digimon adventure hinata and kagayama
from haiku kyonden haruhi from the
melancholy of haruhi samia and rey and
asuka from evangelion aside from foils
supporting characters can also be
sidekicks romantic interests henchmen
mentors best friends rivals and comic
relief a supporting character needs to
ground your story and act as a reference
point for the reader while your
protagonist is someone your reader
should see themselves in a side
character is someone who needs to add
context to the world side characters add
life to the world your story takes place
in making it feel more believable an
easy way to think about this is in an
isekai series the reincarnated main
character must rely on a supporting
chaos to learn more about the fantasy
world the power system and their role in
the story secondary characters reveal
key details define a story setting and
motivate or foil the protagonist it is
important to note that supporting
characters should not be static or flat
they should grow and evolve over time
remember your side character should feel
as three-dimensional as your main
character your secondary cast doesn't
have to be purely good or purely evil
all of the time they could be morally
gray there are three types of secondary
characters supporters antagonizers and
informers side characters who are
supporters act as safe spaces for the
main character they are the person your
main character confides in allowing us
to see how they are truly feeling or
thinking about a certain situation
supporters side characters can challenge
the protagonist by questioning their
judgment offering alternate solutions
and convincing them not to make certain
decisions examples of supporter type
side characters include karma akapane
from assassination classroom kilauea
from hunter hunter and rem from re-zero
secondary characters who are
antagonizers challenge the protagonist
in a negative way these characters are
minor antagonists and should not be
confused with your story's central
antagonist it is important to recognize
that antagonizer side characters are not
necessarily villains while some can be
some characters may oppose your main
character for non-villainous reasons
some other antagonizer side characters
may oppose your protagonist
unintentionally through a
misunderstanding or an accident examples
of antagonizer side characters include
kampachi from bleach itachi from naruto
and sedokaiba from yu-gi-oh supporting
characters who are informers act as
informational sources for your main
character their role is to provide
information and guidance it is important
to remember that side characters are not
just plot devices even a character like
an informer should be fully fleshed out
and three-dimensional examples of side
characters who are informers include
reagan from mobs like a 100 goju from
jiu-jitsu kaizen and master roshi from
dragon ball in real life our
personalities are the result of nurture
and nature our life experiences
influence the type of person we become
as an adult the same should be true for
the characters in your comics manga and
webtoon stories when writing side
characters you should take into
consideration their upbringing lifestyle
and experiences the author should
understand the character's hobbies
quirks and obsessions so that you are
able to understand how they react to the
events in your story examples of side
characters with fleshed out backstories
include todoroki shoto from my hero
academia mikey from tokyo revengers and
bishomon from norigami while there might
only be a few main characters in your
story you may encounter hundreds of side
characters throughout the course of your
comic for a reader it can be difficult
to remember every tom dick and harry for
this reason you should make it easier to
distinguish side characters by giving
them a unique trait or physical
appearance you could also give them a
unique verbal trait or personality trait
maybe make your side character speak in
a specific way or wear a unique outfit a
plot device or plot mechanism is a
technique used to move the plot of your
story forward be careful when using plot
devices a cliche plot device may annoy
your reader and an arbitrary plot device
make a fusion reader by misusing plot
devices you can break your reader's
immersion and negatively impact their
reading experience an easy way to avoid
making your sia character feel like a
plot device is to treat them like you
would a main character your side
characters should have their own
backstory fears and goals each
supporting character in your story
should want something out of whatever
situation they are put into they
shouldn't just mindlessly do whatever
the protagonist tells them to do
examples of supporting characters with
agency include paul greyrat from ashoka
tensei kokuchi oma from danganronpa v3
and shinobu kocho from demon slayer
let's face it some side characters are
going to be more important than others
some secondary characters may only
appear briefly while others may stick
around for an entire story arc the goal
of your side character should be to push
the story forward or to influence your
main characters in some way pick and
choose which side characters to flesh
out so you don't get distracted by
details that don't really matter you can
avoid creating unnecessary side
characters by combining characters
together during the rough draft phase
you can also get rid of potential side
characters by making them one-off
background characters unlike your main
characters side characters can easily be
put into dangerous situations or killed
off the term killing off doesn't always
have to literally mean killing off a
character it could relate to a character
who has to move or go away for some
reason it is important to remember that
your side character should be written
off with purpose shock value is not a
good enough reason it is a side effect
by writing off side characters you can
push the plot forward a secondary
character's death may motivate another
character or help the main characters
achieve their goal if your main
characters are in a dangerous situation
it might be realistic for several side
characters that die or be injured you
can easily remove side characters that
are no longer necessary to your story
and give their sacrifice purpose spoiler
alert please skip ahead to this point in
the video if you did not want to hear
examples of side characters whose desk
greatly enhanced the plot of their
series
character deaths like marco bolt from
attack on titan ace from one piece and
uriah from naruto left a huge impression
on the main characters and the readers
alike their deaths led to interesting
plot developments and substantial
character growth here are a few common
mistakes writers make when developing
side characters mistake number one
stealing the spotlight one common
mistake when writing side characters is
unintentionally making them more
interesting than the protagonist think
of characters like yuno ghazai from
future diary l from death note and
makima from chainsaw man these
characters are debatably more popular
than their series protagonists an easy
way to run into this problem is by
focusing too much on a side character's
backstory or character arc you should
always be asking yourself if your
secondary characters add to the moral of
your story or take away from it another
way of running into this problem is by
creating a secondary character who is
more powerful or cooler than the
protagonist remember your main character
should be the focus of your story things
can get messy if you let more powerful
side characters handle every conflict an
easy way to resolve this is to give your
side character a specific reason for why
they are accompanying your protagonist
maybe they got caught up in a situation
where they are unable to use their full
power forcing the main character to take
back the spotlight a good example of
this can be seen in the shonen manga
series boruto borito is the sequel
series to naruto an incredibly popular
manga series that used to be published
in weekly shonen jump naruto finished
its publication with 72 manga volumes as
you can imagine many characters have
achieved tremendous feats and acquired
powerful abilities by the end of the
story so how could the new characters in
boruto a sequel series about the next
generation of characters compete with
the pre-existing characters in naruto
the answer is by creating circumstances
where the more powerful adult characters
are unable to use their full power or
are unable to take part in the battle
while this may feel like a cheap gimmick
especially for the devoted fans of the
original series it creates an
opportunity for the kids and boards to
take the spotlight and tell their own
story mistake number two is creating too
many secondary characters it is very
easy to create more side characters than
your story actually needs as previously
stated each supporting character should
have a purpose they should be playing
some role in a story to help move things
forward or develop your main characters
if you take the time to explore each and
every character's backstory and
character arc your story could easily
become drawn out and confusing to follow
an easy way to fix this is to assign
each side character a specific location
in your story what i mean by this is
your specific side character should only
show up when your protagonist is in that
specific location instead of having side
characters randomly visit your
protagonist have your protagonist travel
to that one designated location to see
that side character doing this will
allow your reader to easily remember
your side character because they will
have created an association between the
character and the setting in conclusion
supporting characters are essential for
every story without side characters the
worlds in your comic manga and webtoons
will feel empty lifeless and static your
main character needs to be able to
interact with many different types of
people to grow and evolve creating
secondary characters adds context to
your story and helps develop your main
cast it is important to treat them with
just as much respect as you would give
your main characters thank you so much
for taking the time to watch this video
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characters in any comic manga or anime
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project tell us about your side
characters down in the description below
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