Who do you usually root for - the bad guy or the good guy?

16 years ago
Posts: 179
Hey guys 😀
Recently while reading Skip Beat!, it occurred to me that I'm somewhat a serial 'routing for the loser' (haha). What I mean is in the stereotypical love triangle of two guys and one girl, I'm finding myself constantly routing for the guy who doesn't end up with the girl. You know, the one that from the start you sort of suspect won't end up with the girl in the end, the character set up as the 'bad choice'.
For example, in Skip Beat!,
I found myself subconsciously routing for the 'bad guy' (Sho Fuwa), over the 'good guy' (Ren Tsuruga), even though it's clear to me that Kyoko will most likely end up with Ren in the end (for those who haven't read the manga, I really recommend it btw!)
Another example of my preference is Zero Kiryuu in Vampire Knight.
! While in the beginning, it's clear that I should prefer Kaname Kuran as Yuuki's love interest, I was always routing for Zero throughout the series (it's gotten a little odd now with the incest relationship though, hasn't it? haah :p )
Anyway, I was wondering if I was alone, or if anyone else usually picks the 'bad guy'? Opinions?
😳 Mell xx
So far, I think in most of the manga I've read, I always root for the bad guy 😀
It gets irritating after awhile since I'm always mad that she won't choose him, or even give him a chance 😔
Sometimes, I stop reading the manga just because I know that the girl won't end up with the guy I want her to end up with 🙁

16 years ago
Posts: 179
Quote from hira1994
So far, I think in most of the manga I've read, I always root for the bad guy 😀
It gets irritating after awhile since I'm always mad that she won't choose him, or even give him a chance 😔
Sometimes, I stop reading the manga just because I know that the girl won't end up with the guy I want her to end up with 🙁
Ahh, yes, me too! It's like the story of me and Vampire Knight, haha! Why doesn't she ever pick the bad guy 😕 🤣

16 years ago
Posts: 248
Well with me it varies from story to story.
I agree with you on Zero though i still think he has a petty good chance of ending up with the girl.
Words to live by: "Let sleeping dogs lie"
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Ahh, yes, me too! It's like the story of me and Vampire Knight, haha! Why doesn't she ever pick the bad guy
Ahha...this is the only reason I'm getting annoyed with Vampire Knight . I'm always like choose Zero ! Yet she goes to Kaname all the time 😢
I think I tend to like the bad boys more 🤣 But it all depends on how they were characterized. I mean, in Uwasa no Midori-kun!!, Tsukasa is just too much of a bitch that I find it so hard to like him. When the bad boy is just too much, and not so real anymore (bad boys can only go so far in real life, you know) I obviously root for the good boys
Heehee, I'm just biased, methinks 🤣 😁

16 years ago
Posts: 3888
I don't choose by bad guy or good guy.
I just root for the guy that's not likely for them to end up with~
I WOULD LOVE TO READ A MANGA LIKE THIS BTW.
I've only read one...which was great.
You don't know how bad I want her to end up with Haibuki. <333
♪MONSTARR~ will eat all your cookies and steal your bishies~♪ Φ_Φ

16 years ago
Posts: 1230
Quote from StarlightDreams
I don't choose by bad guy or good guy.
I just root for the guy that's not likely for them to end up with~
I WOULD LOVE TO READ A MANGA LIKE THIS BTW.
I've only read one...which was great.You don't know how bad I want her to end up with Haibuki. <333
I also want her to end up with him <3
For me, I root for the most likable character. Mostly to my standards, those who I would want to end up with. Kind of silly in a realistic sense, but I don't think it can be helped. One tends to put themselves in the situations the characters are in, at least I do when I read anything.

16 years ago
Posts: 4030
Depends. But I usually find myself rooting for the guy who obviously won't get the girl.
However, I hate it when the mangaka introduces a new character just so the "loser" won't end up alone. Or pairing the "leftovers" if it's a love square or something. >__<
I guess I just love unrequited loves~

16 years ago
Posts: 179
Quote from MasamiAkane
For me, I root for the most likable character. Mostly to my standards, those who I would want to end up with. Kind of silly in a realistic sense, but I don't think it can be helped. One tends to put themselves in the situations the characters are in, at least I do when I read anything.
Ah, I agree. I also tend to put myself in the situation the characters are in haha
😀
Depends. But I usually find myself rooting for the guy who obviously won't get the girl.
However, I hate it when the mangaka introduces a new character just so the "loser" won't end up alone. Or pairing the "leftovers" if it's a love square or something. >__<
I guess I just love unrequited loves~
Ah, I hate this too! Especially in the anime version of Itazura Na Kiss, it has quite a number of 'leftover' pairings (haha).
Glad to see I'm not alone with liking the 'bad' guys haha 🙂

16 years ago
Posts: 17
Usually I pick the bad guy, (who's not really bad, but more misunderstood because of various events in his unfortunate past), such as Domyoji over Rui in Hana Yori Dango, Zero over Kaname in VK, Sano over Nakatsu in Hana Kimi, Souchiro over Nozumu in Hadashi de Bara wo Fume (even though Nozumu ends up being just...messed up o.o i preferred Souchiro even when Nozumu was nice), etc.
Basically, I'm a sucker for cold-hearted bishies with sad pasts 🤣
But, if the guy is really just a jerk, like Sho in Skip Beat!, then I'll root for the other guy (like Ren, who is nice but also reserved and mysterious because of his past 😛 ). In the case of Skip Beat! I also think it's cute how Ren falls in love with Kyoko and she's totally clueless 😀 . One of my favorite parts is when Kyoko gives Ren advice in her chicken suit and he has no idea that its her 🤣
Funny how all of us posted that we root for the bad guys, but more people voted for good guys than bad guys.

16 years ago
Posts: 991
Neither, since I root for whomever the heroine likes the most. Whether he is a good or bad guy doesn't matter. I just go along with the flow, trusting the author's judgment. If the manga turns out to be poorly written, I will stop reading regardless of who ends up with whom.
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16 years ago
Posts: 179
Quote from xcyanide
But, if the guy is really just a jerk, like Sho in Skip Beat!, then I'll root for the other guy (like Ren, who is nice but also reserved and mysterious because of his past 😛 ). In the case of Skip Beat! I also think it's cute how Ren falls in love with Kyoko and she's totally clueless 😀 . One of my favorite parts is when Kyoko gives Ren advice in her chicken suit and he has no idea that its her 🤣
Funny how all of us posted that we root for the bad guys, but more people voted for good guys than bad guys.
Ah, I know Sho's a jerk, I honestly don't know why I keep subconsciously rooting for him 😔
It's really quite bizarre. I did hate him at the start!
I think I'm giving him too much credit for being 'misunderstood', y'know, in the part where it goes back to the past and he doesn't know how to comfort Kyoko when she's crying? Oh, who knows, I must just have bad taste in men.
Ah, that's one of my favourite parts too, ! I love how Kyoko gives Ren advice about 'going for it', not realizing that she's actually encouraging him to fall in love with her. Ah, the irony haha.
Quote from Odette
Neither, since I root for whomever the heroine likes the most. Whether he is a good or bad guy doesn't matter. I just go along with the flow, trusting the author's judgment. If the manga turns out to be poorly written, I will stop reading regardless of who ends up with whom.
That's fair enough, describes my relationship with quite a few manga actually! Ah, really good manga series can be hard to find sometimes!

16 years ago
Posts: 2964
The one where the heroine has the most chemistry with. (In my opinion at least. Haaah.) But it's really a "in-the-moment" thing. I switch back and forth a lot - depends on the series.

16 years ago
Posts: 18
Bad guy as in the one the heroine doesn't end up with or the one you think she won't end up with? 😕
I don't know, I see those as completely different things. Like you're rooting for the guy she doesn't end up with, which was my case in Hana Yori Dango. Or when you think she won't end up with the other guy but still does ('other guy' being the bad guy). The latter I've only experienced with two series: Moe Kare!! and Shinshi Doumei Cross, which may be bad examples here.
Like Odette, I usually just root for the one she has more chemistry with, whether he's the good guy or the bad guy.