Let's talk about Love Interests!

I don't know about you, but I love to gush about my favorite love interests, and rant about the worst.
But what in your opinion makes a love interest good or bad?
Is there a specific type that you always gravitate towards, or does it change based on the story?
Are there specific traits that always appeal to you, or might win you over to a character you wouldn't otherwise go for?

Examples are great! And not just BEAUTIFUL MEN from otome games: if there's a bishoujo game character that stole your heart, please, tell me about her! A manga character? That's great too!
Want to psychoanalyze? Compare and contrast? Please do, I will be captivated by every word!
Link like crazy! Tl;dr to your heart's content, we may even get some good debate going on in here.

In other words, TELL ME ALL ABOUT YOUR LOVES! (❁´◡`❁)*✲ﾟ*

I really like responsible adult type characters (Ebi-san!) and the secretly kind and intellectual badboys, not that I've found that type too frequently in otome games.

Also, I think this would be a good place to put this-- I get REALLY squicked by the way a lot of protagonists say 'no I'm not ready yet' and yet its always sort of pushed off because the male love interests 'desire is too strong.' Like, I take these games with a grain of salt but Ebi's route was almost ruined for me at the last second because I thought he was just being too forceful with Lysa. I just-- erk.

I like the slightly socially awkward guys (Train Nerd was too socially awkward for me, sorry) who try to function in society but fail to a point. Perfect example is Suou from Shall We Date? Actor-to-be which I plan on LPing at some point because you actually get to help him in a realistic sense, not OMG I'm gonna change you into something you're not so that I can be happy with who you are and not who you were.

Ebi ❤❤ He's hard to beat. I really appreciated how well written he was as a mature, realistic romance.

I hope others will post so that it's not just me rambling about my preferences, but since it's on my mind due to recent events in the Pirates LP, I really am not fond of "playboy" types.
Even when they're charming or amusing, entering into a romantic relationship means one of two things must happen: either the guy will have to "change for love", or else (more realistically, in my opinion) he will not change and the girl will be miserable.
And then that sudden guilt for being a playboy? "We can't be together, I'm bad for you, etc etc." It seems to come up in every shoujo manga/otome game, for various types who feel like they don't "deserve" the protagonist, but it's always after they've gotten involved and caused issues for the girl. And then to just jump ship? There's got to be a better way.

Okay, getting of my soapbox.

I really like the responsible types, mostly because I feel that can really be lacking in RL men...

Mostly though, my favorite types know what they want, go for it, and preferably crack a few jokes along the way. Even stoics (I'm looking at you Noel!) can have those hilarious moments that just make you want to hug them! Also, FEELS

Ebi-chan holds my heart ❤ and guys like Noel and Train Nerd make me smile and blush!

My pet peeve is when the guys have some sort of backstory/emotional scarring that they JUST NEVER GET OVER until like the last chapter. I just want to bonk them over the heads and say "Get over your brother complex Yuzuki, I don't care if he loves me, I'm playing your route!"

Edit: Haha didn't realize my examples for best and pet peeve were both from SITSC

And this as well. I like several different love interest types but they're all RL types as well. Though I agree and think that most RL men do lack the whole responsibility deal.

Playboy types typically don't do it for me, but there have been some occasions when specific examples have worked out, when the execution of their characterization has shown - believably - that the playboy in question is using all his playing around and strings of shallow, meaningless temporary relationships as a cheap substitute for the genuine, lasting affection he truly craves but, for whatever reason, believes he cannot have and should not pursue. So what changes is not really the man himself, but his belief that a meaningful long-term relationship is not possible; once he realizes that it is, then there's no longer a need to play around because he's able to have what he wanted all along.

It's one of those things that really comes down almost entirely to the execution, because done poorly it's just the guy ~changing for love~, but it can work for me when it's done well.

This may also be closely related to my perennial weakness for male romantic leads who have all kinds of coping mechanisms built up to cover for the fact that they are secretly starved for affection and desperate for someone to love them.

I really like these types of plots too, and from an rp standpoint, I do tend to get a lot of 'takers' for my male characters who are like this. But when I play these types of games, I prefer to chase after boys without any major issues that need fixing. I like the light-hearted romance (I'm looking at you helicopter-kun) or if there are issues, its society that causes them, not the love interest.

I think the best way to handle the playboy types is when protag-chan starts out with them as "friends", like Goemon in Tsuki no Shippo. Then, when they realize a true relationship is possible, it's been a gradual change from friends to interest to "I choose you over all those other girls".

I love the blustering guys with lots of bravado who try to swagger around but end up blushing nonstop, or the awkward and kind of dorky sort. I also like the guys who are, you know, cheerful and friendly and helpful. Especially if they're boy-next-door-looking. I hate the 90s shoujo ice queen asshole main love interest archetype and any archetype that treats the heroine like shit for 75% of the time.

I've never been into the cold-and-frigid-but-warms-up-much-later 'intellectual' type. I like discussing intellectual subjects as much as the next huge nerd, but I also like to make dumb jokes and goof off, and guys like that are too dead serious and snobbish for that kind of thing. I guess what I'm saying is that if someone is judging me constantly that's kind of a turn-off.

Token Loli. Not in the russian novel sense but in sense they are most interesting to me.
I like the sugary syrupy cavity inducing sweet kind people whenever I am able to do so.
I like the clothing of the average lolita (gothic or sweet doesn't matter to me very much).
I like the parasol. I like the sugary sweet cavity incuding kindness I often see in people.
Which may sound strange since I hate bimbos and sycophants. But fact is I love candy.
I like very much hopskotch, cookies, milk, jumprope, four square, plushies, and niceness.

As far as my preferred type is concerned... well, I can buy in to almost any type if it's done really well. I almost always gravitate first towards the aloof, uptight stoic types, though. The strict taskmaster, the tough guy whose heart is secretly made of pure marshmallow, the emotional repression case who just does not understand what the funny warm feeling in his chest is or how to deal with these strange new emotions... I eat that stuff up like candy, because it's almost inevitably so rewarding to see that self-control break, and to see the capacity for warmth and gentleness and passion hidden beneath the cool exterior.

Most of my favorites tend to fall into that category somehow. Himuro in TMGS1, Shinjiro in Persona 3 Portable, Hijikata and Saito in Hakuoki, Eduardo and Nathan in Pirates in Love, Kotaro and Munenori in Ninja Love. Shiba in TMGS2 and Ebi-chan are less extreme examples who are mostly just incredibly nice guys, but both of them have a little bit of it going on at the outset, even if in their cases it's a really thin veneer and comes down rather quickly once you've spent a little time in their company.

In broader and more general terms, I love the characters whose outward behavior is a mask for their inner feelings, either intentionally as a defense mechanism or because they're emotionally damaged in some way that makes them incapable of expressing their feelings in the usual manners. Or a bit of both. I enjoy the mystery of trying to figure out what's going on in their heads, and there's the added satisfaction of going back through from the beginning once I know what they're thinking and seeing the new light in which it casts all of their actions.

That pretty much sums up most of my ex-es who thought they were hot shots and could do whatever they wanted. Needless to say, they didn't last long *cough*twoweeks*cough*

Preaching to the choir. I've dealt with enough assholes IRL, why do they need to follow me into the vidja realm?

Agreed.

Ha! I was wondering when a thread like this would pop up.

Also, may I request that you not just namedrop but also include some Ws (who they are, where are they from, what are they like, why you like them, etc). It's hard to be interested in characters just from their names.

As for types, I don't really have a "type" that I like so much as I like it when two characters have interesting interactions. I actually find myself getting bored if you can encapsulate a person's entire character in two or three words. I enjoy a romance if it fits into the story that the game/book/movie is trying to tell. Here are some examples:

Rhett Sugden from Lucky Rabbit Reflex



Rhett is impressively three-dimensional for a character in a high-school dating game. He comes across as sarcastic and dismissive, but he's also an incredibly hard worker, and a lot of his grumpiness stems from the world simply not living up to his standards. In fact, the person he's hardest on is himself. His dialogue with the protagonist is pure gold. While he starts out not thinking much of her, he eventually develops a friendly bantering relationship with the MC and comes to think very highly of her indeed by the end of the game.

Rasho from Summon Night: Swordcraft Story



The brash and impulsive king of the demon world of Silturn, Rasho is your guardian beast (should you choose him) and battle partner who aids you in your quest to become the new Craftlord of Iron. He alternates between being the voice of reason and egging you on, and while he may put on a show of unconcern he actually deeply cares for the MC.

Garrus Vakarian from the Mass Effect trilogy



While Garrus may look like a scary dino-bird-man in power armour, he is one of the sweetest guys in the universe. From the very first Mass Effect game, he is there for Commander Shepard (the main character), watching her back during both hopeless-looking firefights and tricky diplomatic negotiations. In the second game when you nearly lose everything and you feel like you don't have a friend in the universe, Garrus once again shows up to help you. Why does he do this? Because you need him, and he's you're friend, and that's a good enough reason for him. This is also the game where you can form a romantic relationship with him. But even if you don't that doesn't change the fact that he's willing to follow you anywhere, through thick and thin, to the end of the universe and back. I really cannot stress how profoundly wonderful I find this relationship. Garrus unconditionally trusts and supports you. Even when he objects to something you do, he's always ready and willing to listen to the reasons why. So yeah, Garrus is the funniest, most supportive, and most badass bird-dino-boyfriend ever.

Gig from Soul Nomad and the World Eaters



Gig is an interesting character. At the beginning of the game he's an amoral, megalomaniacal death god who is bent on destroying the world for shits 'n' giggles. However, things don't go as planned and he's sealed within an ancient sword. After 100 years the sword is given to the MC by the very person who sealed Gig in there in the first place. Now trapped within the protagonist's body, he becomes her unwilling companion on a quest to destroy the very world eaters that he used to try and destroy the world. Gig experiences a lot of character growth over the course of the game, and he eventually grows very close to the MC (his "soulmate" as he sarcastically calls her) while they learn the truth about their origins and the true purpose of the world eaters.

Black from Jigsaw (no image this time because Black is a character from a text adventure game)

Jigsaw is a fascinating game. The basic premise is that you are pulled into an adventure which spans the course of the 20th century after you follow an attractive stranger during a new year's eve party celebrating the millennium. Black is that attractive stranger, and much of the game is spent chasing Black through time in order to prevent history from being changed. Black is alternatingly endearing and infuriating; a brilliant scientist, and yet comes up with the worst plans ever. You can understand the motives behind Black's actions, and admire the fact that Black is taking steps to try and change the world for the better, but it ends up being your responsibility to fix things when Black inevitably messes them up. My favourite thing about this relationship is that no matter what you do, Black never really gets mad at you. The two of you share a sort of bond by virtue of being the only two time-travellers in existence, which makes for a sort of companionable rivalry that's a lot of fun to experience.

By the way, I'm doing an LP of Jigsaw at this very moment (supplemented by commentary and images).

'scuse me just gonna watch this like a creeper to help gauge interest in LIs in my two personal games don't mind me.

I SEE YOU LURKING OVER THERE. :D

Aw, c'mon, I'm interested to hear what you have to say. I'm fascinated in what other people like with regards to love interests. You don't have to do a tl;dr wall of text like I did.

Well, I don't really have a type. Mostly. I do have one deep unrequited love because the game is in Japanese still and I cannot Japanese or even work the translators.

Which game is it? Who's the character? And I hate it when I happen upon an interesting-looking character and the game is untranslated. *sigh*

PLEASE hahah give me a bad boy with an intellect. Or lots of characters who are smart. I get really frustrated when all the LIs and protags are really simplistic/easily duped, and it drains the enjoyment from the game for me.

Oh, and more nerds/nerdy hobbies! I'd LOVE to see one of the guys playing a cardgame, or into MMOs, and still be hot.

Sorry thats just two things I really miss in otome games...

dmagdjfhs how do I explain.

It's Jun Watarase from the untranslated (originally H-game) Happiness!. I can't help it he's adorable. I'm gonna go hide now.

...I am literally making a game based near-entirely around an MMO. All four love interests are dedicated players. So. /thumbs up

Nebty - as usual, our taste in men overlaps a ton. I'll have to check out the guy on your list I don't recognize.

/highfive!

Which one don't you recognize?

I share your taste with Rhett, Rasho and Garrus (of course!), and I have heard about Black (through you), but never Gig. Oh Nebty, what other love interests should I investigate?

Listen to me, I drank a bunch of rum. ;D

*gasp* But nobody ever knows about Rasho! <3 you, Gertrude. You have impeccable taste.

Well you should definitely check Gig out because he is awesome. He's also voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, a.k.a Yosuke from P4, Sasuke from Naruto, and a whole bunch of other characters.

As for other love interests, here's a rundown off the top of my head (some aren't fully-fledged love interests, but screw it I love them anyways). Not gonna do huge summaries like I did before 'cuz I'm tired.

Ryoji Mochizuki from Persona 3 (FES, Portable)



I love him because [SPOILERS]. Yeah, it's pretty hard to talk about him without spoiling the whole damn game. He's also voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.

Luka Redgrave from Bayonetta



I love him because he's goofy and adorable. Who says that Bayonetta only has eyecandy for the guys? He's also voiced by Yuri Lowenthal (I'm sensing a pattern here...)

Double H from Beyond Good and Evil



I love him because he's freaking hilarious and sort of nuts when you first acquire him, but he's actually quite sweet and very loyal (oh god it sounds like I'm describing a dog XD).

Atton Rand from KOTOR 2



I love him because he's always got your back. Plus, he's one of the few characters in KOTOR 2 that isn't all doom and gloom and super-seriousness all the time, which is very welcome.

Valentine from Mirrormask (okay, it's a movie not a game but whatever)



I love him because he's crazy-awesome. Emphasis on the crazy. And he has a sweet mask. And a tower. He's a very important man, you know.

I like characters who are interesting. I don't really have a type beyond that, to be perfectly honest. I've made jokes about how I'm a sucker for tsunderes, but there's nothing inherent in that type that appeals to me. In theory I like bookish shy guys with glasses, but if he's boring, then it's a no-go.

I can't even say that I like characters who are complex, because one of my favorites is Tobias from Cinders. There's really nothing complex about him, but he's a nice person with strong beliefs who doesn't mind some hanky-panku with his childhood best friend, and that's what makes him interesting.

I like character who subvert expectations without having "twists", who treat the protagonist with affection and respect. I like characters who have back stories and personalities that are out of the ordinary or have something special about them, something I couldn't get from any other VN. And I especially love it when there are Los of interesting characters who play off each other (which is why Mute and Hyun-ae are my favorites and don't try to talk sense into me I'm not changing my minds). I also tend to prefer female love interests but that's just personal leanings.

When it comes to dating games or anything with females in the cast, I've always favored towards cheery girls who are mostly upbeat and enthusiastic. It's just fun to be around them and makes me wanna be cheery too. In that sense, any conflict that turns them less then happy tends to make me instantly go "Oh crud, this is important" and gives me the drive to help because I want to return the good feelings they gave me. Well I have a few actually two or three examples, the most recent in my mind is Emi Ibarazaki from Katawa Shoujo, whose route involves... more or less exactly what I described above spiced with a nice life lesson.
Maybe this is a little generic, but I tend to also really like those characters who fit the "Girl Next Door" or "Best Friend Since Whenever" archetype. They're usually just genuinely friendly, fun to hang around and even the small conversations like "What you'd do last week" feel very... what's the word? Sincere? Feel-at-homey? Whatever it is, I like it :| Strangely, most examples I can think of are the protagonists of otome games... huh.
I have mixed feelings for tsunderes. I mean, if you can expect them to consistently treat you like a friend or at least acquaintance, then I can find their switching between modes to be kinda cute. Of course, if they treat you like some poor village runt, then I find their switching modes to be a sign of psychopathic tendencies or poor writing.

On the otome side of things... Now I'm straight as a curved STEEL ruler but I do have opinions on what kind of guy I'd date if I was female.
Now I suppose the equivalent of the cheery girl would be the shota but maaaaaan do I feel weird about romancing a guy who acts like a little brother high on candy. Same goes even if they aren't a head shorter than you.... Actually I think it'd be even weirder if they did look pretty mature but acted like that.
All that stuff I said about the "Person Next Door" archetype is the same here, though. Too lazy to go into any small things I expect differently between genders.
Now I can totally understand and get behind a guy just being aloof or slightly cold towards you (God knows I've been there) and then slowly or occasionally warming up to you, but if a dude's default setting is being just a plain antagonistic jerk towards you, then I hate em. Seriously, how are you expect to befriend someone like that, let alone date them? Any suggestion that they are in love with you makes me roll my eyes...

What the heck! I did not intend to type that much >_> Forgive me for this wall. OTL

Individual love interests that I developed strong attachments to:

Alistair from Dragon Age Origins. Because he's adorkable, yes, but also because he's so tied into the main plot that I saw interesting things happening with him even though he was not the love interest I'd chosen on my first playthrough. I wanted to be closer to him and be able to support him through the stuff he was going through. So I actually tried to switch to him but it was too late in the game by that point and I had to back up in order to romance him properly... (I am by this point less enamored of him than I was because there are aspects of his character that I don't care for. But at the time I was definitely all dokidoki.)

Yasumi from Aoi Shiro and I can't really say much about her because there's a LP just started on the other side and I don't want to spoil. She is the essence of moe, but not completely passive or useless moe, despite being a weak Ill Girl... she's stubborn and determined and it's so adorable. I suppose "You're cute when you're mad" is a slightly stupid thing to say, but she is! Also, I'm a sucker for being able to be protective of a girl while playing a female protagonist.

Fenris, my other deep Dragon Age crush but this time from the sequel. Like Alistair, he was not my original choice. In fact, on my first playthrough I had to kill him. I'd been romancing Anders and had been trying to placate Fenris respectfully rather than challenge him about his beliefs, which is the wrong thing to do in a Bioware game, so Fenris and I had to fight and I felt pretty bad about that. Doing Fenris after Anders just made it abundantly clear how much better in every way Fenris is (sorry if there are Anders fangirls around). He respects you and your skills. He doesn't patronise you or lie to you to further his goals (that I recall). Considering the crap he's been through, he's much better adjusted than Anders. He's capable of talking about things other than his issues and even has a sense of humor. Also, he's sex on legs. The man can still make me swoon.

Well, I don't have exactly a type, but I usually tend to be interested in characters that are the exact opposite of me or very different from me anyway.
You see, I can say I'm very similar to Morimura of TMGS1: bookworm, gentle, shy, sensitive... that's why I probably hate him so much >_> So I tend to like guys that are sporty, cool, dependable, the perfect exemples are Shiba and Masaki from TMGS2. Even a dumb jock could be interesting for me, I would be the smart one of the couple :P

On the other hand I can't stand strict characters, that are usually the megane ones (Hikami, anyone?)

Alright, a few posts back I brought up Suou Karanadeshiko as one of my favorite LIs in a game and this is why that comes with an awesome picture too


He is one of those guys who has a passion for what he does and wants to help others with the same passion, but he doesn't really know how to interact with other members of society that well. Often he comes across as condescending or snobby. I'd tell you more but then I would spoil the route.
I had a lot of fun doing his route in Shall We Date? Actor To Be because of his somewhat social awkwardness and because his route is not about making him fall in love with you. That is pretty much a side-effect of Suou and Protag~chan's interactions and it is beautiful.

All of my yes to all of the Garrus mentions. That man is a hero.

This is the guy I'm currently romancing:



I know SWTOR isn't popular, but I sure love the romances. Especially this one.

A few of my other favorite love interests/almost love interests:

Tatsuki Midoriya from Morenatsu because everyone expects him to be on my list. Also, he is the most adorable fat dragon to ever exist, Seriously, he spends five years fixing a plane with scrap parts just so he can take you flying.

Shinjiro Aragaki from Persona 3 because of (SPOILER) and his awesome Social Link, one of my favorites in the entire game. Koromaru's Social Link is very dear to me as well.

Your partner in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2. Though this one isn't romantic, it might as well be - your partner pretty much has an obvious (man)crush on you no matter what you do, and it's the most adorable thing ever.

Mordin Solus from Mass Effect 2 and 3 is officially one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise, along with Garrus and Wrex. He had an amazing character arc, too. I was bummed out when he rejected my accidental advances.

Mr. Kippei Ebihara from In Your Arms Tonight is now one of my favorite otome love interests, ever since I read that fabulous LP. He's just so sweet and kind after you prick through his hard-ass boss disguise, and because the protagonist has an actual personality this time around this works really well.

Shiba from TMGS2. I don't really like actually playing the TMGS games myself, because they tend to drag on after you've gotten all of your stats right, and every date feels the same. Shiba, however, is downright adorable during every date. And it never gets old.

Probably more to come.

HIIIIIII~~~~

IM PUTTY IN THE HANDS OF STOICS, RICH TSUNDERES, HOT OLDER MENTORS, NICE GUYS, SARCASTIC TYPES, MISCHIEVOUS PLAYFUL ONES, SECRETLY EVIL NICE GUYS, PASSIONATE LOVERS, OLDER GUYS, KUUDERES, MATURE TYPES, HOT PSYCHOTIC CHARACTERS, SEENSSSEEIISS, DEFINING BACK STORIES AND QUOOTEESS

AND
AND
AND everyone in the hatoful cast

i'm not into shotas. The young cutesy types. Weird eh? *cough*



Pokemon never looked so good.

Yeeeeeeeesss!!!!!!!
Currently playing this. Why can't you romance Junpei????? Working on Akihiko but I'm also gonna do Shinji and Ryoji!!!!
Would totally LP this but I can't get my PSP to do what I want it to so I can screenshot it. -.-

Junpei actually had a romance, voiced and everything, but it was cut from the final product.

Obviously spoileriffic:

Ayato Kamishiro from Love Revo if I have to be brief.

HOWEVER, like Joie I generally like the strict, serious taskmaster and rules rider with the hidden heart of gold. The way I generally use a dating game, though, I will usually end up liking whoever had the most interesting story to tell me. My type is often associated with what's pulled off most convincingly - I can even like the icy kuudere with the asshole tendencies and the heartwrenching secret provided it's pulled off with more imagination than OH I THINK EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU SUCK, GO AWAY, GO AWAY, I HATE YOU, DIE IN A FIRE, OKAY I LOVE YOU, THE END. I'm generally not fond of the (verbally) abusive jerk route every game seems to love to include.

As Anders taught me in DA2, though, my angst-tolerance can get pretty low, too. Dude, YOU were the one putting me in a flirt trap and now you're constantly telling me "OH NO, YOU MUSTN'T DATE ME, OR I WILL BREAK YOUR HEART!" and if I date anyone but you, you get catty and insult them. Fenris' route has plenty angst on its own, but that's handled a lot more delicately and a lot less with Fenris making you want to smack him. Like it was said earlier, too, Fenris will always treat you with respect and unlike some others, he won't ever lie or try to manipulate you for his own ends. I find I like that in his character, too. (And I have still completed Anders' romance more time than any of the others. I must be in love with misery).

I admit it, I love the yanderes.I don't know why. I'd never go for a yandere in real life, but it just works in games.
I also like characters who are cute on the outside, but hide a dark side. Examples being Momoki from Shall we date - Konkatsu, or Toki Arazome from Shall we date - Actor to be.

The "classic" stereotypes (except for tsundere; I like those, too) do nothing for me. Especially the studious megane-type is something I can live without.

whereas I have taken to

I quite like your way.

WHY IS THIS NOT IN THE GAME?!
WHY???

Same, but I'm a little scared to do Toki's route. I wish the Kurumi was romancable...