Talk:Rito Yuuki/@comment-26804024-20151231023311/@comment-7948498-20160103060216

By first season, do you mean the first anime series? And OVA 4, do you mean the OVA between the first anime and Motto To Love Ru?

While reading the manga, I actually recognize that Rito has changed. But he struck me more as whiny and panicky than actually being mean and angry all the time and would scream out with a goofy giant-mouthed anime face. I don't remember what he was like in the first anime, though I do remember after reading the manga, I thought that anime was total crap. I guess my biggest problem with Rito is his progress since the beginning of Darkness and that he basically stopped there.

He sure is nice now, but I'm not so sure he would not have been so nice to him if they had approached him earlier, though more likely Rito would have been too nervous and awkward to talk with them. We really don't know how he would relate with a girl as normal as Haruna whom he would not have a crush on, but the closest he had were Risa and Mio.

Ugh, don't even mention Makoto from School Days. The best improvement of his character is his brutal end.

I'm not all that annoyed by Rito, but I'll try to justify my criticism by comparing him to other characters. I've never watched The Walking Dead, so can't comment its characters. I have watched Dragonball Z but not Dragonball. In Dragonball Z, while his character largely remains the same, Goku does get some maturity, but he largely gets a pass for lacking development because of several reasons.

Goku had a lot of initiative. He always had enemies to fight, people to save, always something important that he needs to take seriously and focus on. Much of the series is a lot of different missions and journeys from place to place, and in an action anime/manga, you really want to watch the hero win and grow stronger a little more than you want to watch them mature and grow up.

Goku had a lot of personal struggles that he had to overcome. At the start of the series, he was still new at being a father, and immediately had to save his son from his evil brother. He learned about his evil alien heritage. He watched his friend Krillin die. Etc.

Also, a large amount of the series shared focus with other characters, giving them some character development and action for themselves, like the Frieza arc focused a lot on Gohan and Krillin, and after that arc, more Saiyans kept coming in. And by Dragonball Z, Goku was already an adult and an almost fully established character, and any other character development for him, besides the next powerup, is becoming a better team with his friends and winning the next battle.

Rito had few of these. His personal struggle was being able to talk with girls, and though he overcame that, he still showed issues. He had only one thing he wanted, now doesn't know what he wants, and doesn't look like he's on his way to know. And most of his interactions with other girls are mere distractions which give Rito little personal growth.

Remember, character development doesn't have to mean a character becomes a new and different character, but an improved version of yourself.

That's my take, anyways. Hope it wasn't too long.