As part of our Otome Game feature on common and popular character archetypes, we now bring you Part 2!
In our earlier feature (Part 1), we introduced the perky and fiery genki redhead, the all-so-reliable childhood friend, the too-cool-for-you-dude, the psychotic yandere and the adorable, fluffy shota. With the growing market of otome games, 5 common character types will never be enough to satisfy the refreshingly wild imaginations of fans.
After all, what better way to keep fans entertained than a relentless list of good boyfriend material?
In the diverse landscape of otome gaming, developers constantly develop diverse and rich landscapes, coupled with increasingly wild plots and intriguing characters to engage their audience. While one-dimensional character types may have worked their appeal in the past, players today are no longer easily satisfied.
Besides plot, the appeal of characters can be beefed up by overlaying multiple character types, in a simplified over-generalisation of achieving character depth. Upgrade a megane (“glasses”) character with a cool dude factor, and you instantly get more material to work with. Perhaps a yandere onii-chan? Or a flirty tsundere, an instant formula for success. How about a shota ore-sama to balance some overbearing ore-sama antics with a hint of cute?
The possibilities are endless…but maybe a flirty, glasses-touting, cool ossan (“uncle”) who turns out to be a yandere might be slightly overdoing it.
![otoge2-amnesia_kent]()
6. The megane
No game is ever complete without the megane (“glasses”) guy.
Although not a personality type, the humble pair of glasses has evolved into an essential part of every game and anime series out there. Perhaps born from fetishism, the appeal of the megane has spread far and wide,spawning fans who swear by the megane character.
The megane guy is typically cool, stoic, soft-spoken, studious and maybe a little geeky. He may be a lot of things, but definitely possesses the uncanny ability to raise the temperature of a room by just pushing his glasses up his nose bridge. More than a receptacle to correct questionably bad eyesight, the megane also serves to keep his overflowing charisma in check.
Upon removal of the megane, limitless charm is unleashed onto us mere mortals, who are weak in the face of megane moe. More often than not, the megane also provides a refreshing change of image to non-megane characters.
Often combined with: The cool dude
Almost never: none, the unassuming megane image is all-encompassing
![otoge2-brocon_kaname]()
7. The flirt
Ahhh..the flirt, a quintessential character in any game. Playfully seductive at times, the flirt engages in cheekily inane banter. Often gets dangerously close to your face, but hardly feels you up (sexual harassment is not tolerable in boyfriend material!).
Threatens to shatter the wine glass held between his deft fingers when he speaks in his characteristically sexy baritone voice. Always a good bet that he will be voiced by Suwabe Junichi. Although deceptively shallow and annoying at first glance, the flirt is usually just a defensive mechanism hiding a vulnerable, sensitive soul.
If you can withstand the garish pick-up lines and cliché courting gestures, shatter that defensive shell and you will be rewarded with a charming, honest, down-to-earth man for keeps!
Often combined with: The ossan
Almost never: The shota, the genki redhead
![otoge2-brocon_masaomi]()
8. The “pedophile” ossan
You know you’ve seen it. The middle-age “uncle” who hovers in the background of your game in his long coat. Real-world common sense tells you to run in the opposite direction if he comes your way, but game-world sense tells you to look up at his chiselled-with-age features and swoon freely.
The ossan is always reliable, making all the mature adult decisions that the other character types fail to see (kch, kids!). His biggest mistake, of course, would be to fall in love with you.
He toes the line between beautiful forbidden love and being marked as a pedophile. Disturbingly, he often takes the form of a teacher, responsible for instructing you in the ways of life, but also failing to instill in you the dangers of frolicking with middle-aged men.
However, since otome gamers are not all teenagers themselves, feel free to love a highly dependable and hot ossan, especially when you tire of all the childish antics of teenage boys.
Often combined with: The megane, the flirt
Almost never: The shota
![otoge2-diabolik_ayato]()
9. The ore-sama
Loud-mouthed and narcissistic by nature, the ore-sama can be a earful to handle.
The ore-sama may draw his overflowing arrogance from being obscenely rich or talented in various areas. This persona may also serve well as a loud and distracting cover for an inferiority complex. At first glance, the ore-sama may be a pain in the neck, but if you can deflect the insults and attitude, resist the urge to wring his neck long enough to reap the benefits.
After all, what can beat the thrill of beating (figuratively) such arrogance into submission? Once completely smitten with you, twist him around your little finger and expose all the insecurities. Go character development!
Often combined with: The ossan
Almost never: The genki redhead, the cool dude
![otoge2-gekka_wabisuke]()
10. The onii-chan
Preceded by the childhood friend, the onii-chan is an upgraded version of that role.
With unrivaled childhood familiarity and shared memories, the onii-chan represents the promise of eternal bonds from cradle to grave. Throw your inhibitions and concerns aside, as most PG-rated onii-chans are not related to you by blood. With your inhibitions on incestuous implications out of the window, the onii-chan represents the ultimate guardian angel.
If the relationship starts out cold, no worries, because your biggest conflict is probably confused feelings and familial intervention. If your relationship starts out and stays warm and fuzzy, beware!! You may soon find yourself on the yandere onii-chan route, which will probably end up with you gasps dead or imprisoned for life, all in the name of brotherly love.
Who said that love is not lethal?
Often combined with: The yandere
Almost never: every other character
With this, we wrap up our short feature of common and popular otome game character types. While we cannot possibly cover every character personality or archetype out there, we hope this was an amusing read for some. If you liked this, tell us what you think!
Dating simulation games were first developed for the male audience in the form of bishoujo games, or typically referred to as “galge” (short for gal game). The female counterpart, the otome game, was developed around a decade after.
As with dating simulation games, the general objective of the game is to establish relationships with the characters in the game, to trigger specific character scenarios, or just to move the plot forward in visual novel style. In the few otome games with less focus on the “romantic” or “dating” aspects the decisions made by the protagonist triggers different aspects of the overarching story for you to explore.
Image credit © Otomate (http://www.otomate.jp), Amazon Japan (http://amazon.co.jp)
The post [GAME] Otome Game Character Types: The Common and Popular (Part 2) appeared first on AFA Channel!.
