General & Others One Piece Writing: Developed Characters vs Developing Characters

[Xione]

So in the previous thread I made about One Piece Top 5 written characters. I asked people in the poll their main criteria for judging character writing. Below were the results from a total of 41 people.
https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/forum/threads/top-5-written-characters.40938/

The results were 1st place being character development, and 2nd place being thematical consistency.

Now this is essentially a build up question or rather questions on the above poll. When most people think about character development they think about the changes the character has gone through from start of the story to the end. With that in mind, it's not possible really outside of very few character to be going through development through the series. Some if not most characters are already introduced as developed characters, they might go through some minor changes when interacting with the MC or due to actions of the MC.

1st. What is character development to you? (If its different from the commonly applied definition)

2nd. Does a developing character automatically get the nod over a developed character?

3rd. How do you judge the writing between a Developed Character vs a Developing Character?

If you would like to add on more to the above questions for clarification or just how you judge character writing in general, please feel free to do so, I'd be quite happy to read how folks are looking at things contrast to me.​

 

[Monster Zoro's Tesla Supplier]

Following. Also stop dodging me on my profile you asked a question and I gave an answer for it.

 

[RoronoaZorro]

To me character development is when the author gives more details to a character in any aspects, to make that character more realistic.

For example:
- showing strength and weakness
- explaining likes and dislikes
- expanding backstory and current actions
- making them exhibit more expressions & emotions

This is why One Piece is several levels above most manga in character development, because Oda gives a lot of info & details about everything related to the SH (and other char).

 

[CensoredbyWG]

To me character development is when the author gives more details to a character in any aspects, to make that character more realistic.

For example:
- showing strength and weakness
- explaining likes and dislikes
- expanding backstory and current actions
- making them exhibit more expressions & emotions

This is why One Piece is several levels above most manga in character development, because Oda gives a lot of info & details about everything related to the SH (and other char).

 

[uyuu]

Can you merge point 1 and 6? Since i think those 2 have similar meaning/concept...

 

[Garp the Fist]

Character development is when something new about a character is learned by the reader. That’s it. It does not have to be some grand new information. To use an example of a ccharacter in OP continually said to hwve the most character development

-in Jaya we find out Sanji is scared of insects
-in Zou we find out Sanji is the royal scion of a family of killers

Both are character development

 

[Herrera95]

Your poll choices are hard to understand and doesn't cover enough points so I voted for my bias.

Character development is working on the aspects of your character. Giving him traits, explaining this traits and possibly showing him growing up to traits that he desire to have. For example, Zoro dialogue with Luffy at Punk Hazard saying that now is serious and they are not playing pirates is a good development for both characters but Oda kind of shit on this later on.

Depends whether the character being developing already had more development or a better one than the character already developed. For example Kyros is a character already developed while Rebecca still need development and Kyros is a better character. But Cobra and Vivi are similar with Vivi being a better character.

I judge if the development is making sense or not. Sanji development makes no sense at all. Neither Luffy. Zoro development still makes sense although he has very few development lately. Mihawk is also a character that lacks development and honestly is not doing great with the little that he has.

 

[RoronoaZorro]

Sanji development makes no sense at all. Neither Luffy.

Which part tho?

 

[Warchief Sanji D Goat]

From your poll, I think the most important aspect of a story is conveying the themes throughout the story from start to end and what it means for the audiences.

Character development and the consistency of the story followed in second.

 

[Phoenix D. King]

To me character development is when the author gives more details to a character in any aspects, to make that character more realistic.

For example:
- showing strength and weakness
- explaining likes and dislikes
- expanding backstory and current actions
- making them exhibit more expressions & emotions

This is why One Piece is several levels above most manga in character development, because Oda gives a lot of info & details about everything related to the SH (and other char).

crazy that larrot got none of those

 

[Herrera95]

Which part tho?

Oda trying to portray Sanji as someone kind when he is only kind to women and people that are hungry. All that out of no where issue with his family and at the end he doing everthing to save them. And power wise he was portrayed as superior to everyone but at the end he potrayed him inferior because he didn't used raid suit.

And Luffy is the same since chapter 1. Oda gave him some moments to grown but he actually didn't. He do the same stupid shit, have the same temper, same kind of decisions and stuff like that. Zoro speech to Luffy that New World is not playing as pirates is irrelevant since he doesn't change because of it.

Funny enough, pre-timeskip although Luffy got prisioned some times he is much more saving others than being saving. Post-timeskip he is the opposite. It is kind of development backwards.

 

[Devilbat]

Well, I'm a bit basic,so I picked "like or not like", but if I were to rank my preference why I may or may not like certain mangas, those are the following:

- likeable main cast + char development (if I hate the MC, I'll drop)
- story consistency
- art (with all my love to OP, I stick to Murata's version and not just One's)
- consistent releases xD

I like exploring new things, so it's easy to make me read something, but the question is whether I'll keep reading. In some cases it could happen that the story quality drops, but I keep reading because I already spent too much time on it and want to see how it ended, but most of the time I'm like "nah, don't like it anymore, out".

 

[Lor D. Coast]

Is this development?

 

[RoronoaZorro]

Is this development?

Yeah. It's more about new things related to a character and less about whether fans like it or not.

If it's a character Oda likes, you get female Law during versus against Blackbeard Pirates.
If it's a character Oda dislikes, you get that pic above.

 

[Bisoromi Bear]

I'd vote for
Thematical consistency of the piece from start to finish and how the piece does in getting it across

and
Visual telling of the story in how the artist arranges their panels and character actions

if this poll were multiple choice