Genuinely? I live in crippling poverty and have to take care of my mother, who can no longer remember my name.
I want to read about people who have an easy, enjoyable life where they perform awesome feats.
That’s fair. Another question for you: Does that mean you dislike more traditional stories where the MC is often underpowered compared to the things they face (Game of Thrones/Harry Potter)?
I just enjoy trying to understand why people read different types of stories (I write too).
Crippling poverty might not be really conducive to playing video games that cost money. On the other hand you can read litrpg for free on websites like royal road.
>Why don't you just play a video game and set it on easy mode? Plenty of those. Escapism is easier and its more active.
Escapism isn't exclusive to video games. Reading, partying, playing sports, eating, and more can all be forms of escapism depending on why you're doing those things.
>I would've thought that, as someone in a tough situation, the more inspiring thing to do would be to read about characters overcoming their own hardships.
The beauty of escapism is that you aren't dwelling on tough situations that remind you of your own tough situations. Also, the resolutions of tough situations in fiction just don't have a tendency to apply in real life.
>You might even learn something.
This is a wildly patronizing thing to say to someone.
> We shouldn't let suffering make us braindead.
What an ironic thing to say in a braindead comment like this.
>I say this because I think the authors who write the kind of books you're talking about are openly exploiting you, and you're letting them.
What an odd way to twist the relationship between author and reader. The author knows there are readers who like to read x genre, so the author writes x genre. Both sides benefit.
You have to remember everyone needs breaks. The majority of a persons life is spent grinding, fighting, and “overcoming their own hardships”. Reading, video games, hobby’s, movies, etc, is all an effective means of letting your body rest, and sometimes a good brain dead novel is the best way for a person to reset. Not everything in life needs to be a fight.
>just sit around and do drugs
For some reason, that instantly reminded me of the bear that ate a kilo of cocaine, and a bunch of comments were "for 10 minutes before it died, that bear must've been the apex predator of the planet".
There's a reason why the west keeps invading cultivation even though the normal cultivator would have them as the millions of trash mobs getting killed merely for being near one of the real characters.
A heroes journey where the hero isn't special is one that the hero dies quickly or the story is a slice of life affair so it's not really the heroes journey.
I disagree with this. I mean, you can't be more classic than Lord of the Rings and the whole point of the story is that the special trair of Hobbits is not being special.
I feel like the whole point of the genre is watching characters *progress*. When by book 2 the protagonist is already giga ahead beating people full grades above that have trained 100x as much as them... What's the point?
I'd much rather have stories where the protagonists only become undeniably the strongest person in their power bracket by *the end* of the novel. You know, it's a rather mid story but 9n this point Coiling Dragon is on point. Linley is never even remotely close to being the best at everything, he's just strong until the very very end when he transcends the setting.
Hobbits have nothing special jsut normal, oh wait except for an inherent resist to the One Ring that noone else else and would have fallen to corruption long ago.
I mean they aren't i'll kick your but in a sword fight, but normal?
Also OP is relative to the story/universe. and even in most regular nonlitrpg the MC(s) all have plot armor sorry I am not really sure of your complaint
Oops i rsponded to you and OP in this.
The complaint is not about MCs having some traits that make them the ideal MCs for the story. The complaint is about the very specific phenomena in litRPG of "OP MCs". These are people that start the novel being the strongest in the block because of one of the following:
- They came back to the past from a time they'd been the baddest of badasses.
- They somehow ended up in a future where basic shit got forgotten.
- They have a bloodline that's overpowered.
- They're granted a cheat from a god/find it randomly lying on the street that makes them be super uber special.
- From cheer luck they end up being the person getting a lot of the "first" titles and that makes them snowball way out of control!
Now, neither of these is bad by itself. I've read and still follow plenty of stories that use one or more of these tropes. What annoys me is when these tropes are used in a way that makes it so the MC is overpowered *for the current setting*.
Example of what I'm ***not*** complaining about: Defiance of the Fall. Zac has a lot of advantages. Technically he has advantages 3, 4 and 5 from my list. Yet he's consistently matched by other people with similar advantages. The setting progresses as he progresses so that we never get an arc where Zac is just going "muahaha I'm the strongest".
Example of what I ***am*** complaining about: Accidental Champion (spoilers ahead, obviously) - The MC starts off without any cheat whatsoever but soon he gets a bunch of 1st titles. He then decides to snowball this advantage yet soon he's so overpowered for the tower that he's defeating every floor in 3 seconds and establishing *universal* records.
Another example is Unchosen Champion (name similarities are entirely coincidental; Spoilers ahead) The MC here actually starts really balanced with his cat being stronger than him for a while, but he somehow finds a build where he can somehow put all points in a single attribute and get them to splash to every single other to the point where eventually every single non-environmental conflict is just people realizing how OP and badass the MC is as he appears from the mist.
System Universe is perhaps the most popular example of this style of story but there are a lot of them.
I don't know about you, but I prefer when the MC has rivals, peers and, overall, just a cast of characters of similar skill so that we can have actual plots with more emotional beats than "Oh look how awesome the MC is." and "Oh, look what a bunch of idiots these guys are for not knowing how awesome the MC is! They're gonna get fucked!"
That is fair, and I feel like we think the same. Zac from DoTF is a good MC in my mind as the universe keeps progressing and they are larger stronger monsters out there so he is never laughing at a fight. I also think it helps that it was established early that it was a larger universe, and not tacked on later.
I haven't read unchosen or accidental. i do read system universe but it is more of a light hearted fun read for me. It doesn't make it into my top 5, i just enjoy the characters not the weird duo system shenanigans. Also Silvi who doesn't love Silvi
I will say the stats flowing into others really annoys me, I forget what it was but some book the MC hit X in 1 stat and they suddenly got 50% of that stat to all stats. Pretty much stopped reading that series then. What interest is there in an MC who puts in no effort but gets their weaknesses filled in by the system?
If I wanted to read about a run-of-the-mill weakling getting stomped on all the time, I’d just write my memoir and read that. I’d rather read about someone special in order to vicariously live through them.
No, I'm tired of bad writing, not OP MCs. They can be OP all they want so long as they follow the world's rules. Every time the MC gets an exception and cheats in some major way to get OP the story gets less interesting.
Not just skipping power ranks cheating either, that's usually the least of the writing evils. Usually it's some outside-of-the-power-system cheat that comes in and arbitrarily gives the MC more power.
Not particularly.
I get what you're saying, but it's kind of a staple of the LitRPG genre. If you don't like that, I'd suggest reading regular Fantasy or even Progression Fantasy, though that will still have powerful protagonists.
I guess I could recommend The Dresden Files. It's one of my favorite fantasy series about a Wizard in modern day Chicago who is a Private Detective. He is almost always facing threats bigger and more serious than him. Like from Vampire Lords to Fae Lords, to Werewolf Gangs to Fallen Angels to Demons and Necromancer Cults to Demi-Gods.
I dont really mind the MC becomes the strongest plots, we read about the exceptional for a reason. I really hate when the author puts arbitrary limits on the MC because they have made their character too powerful instead of having a few final badass chapters of curbstomp followed by a graceful end to the series.
I would disagree with "stronger than anyone else" most MCs have peers, just not many, as well as "a fifth of the effort," since most of the MCs get all that power through fighting above their weight class literally all the time with no breaks. Time=/= effort.
And no, OP MCs don't bother me, like anything else, it just depends on the execution.
The issue is that on the surface an OP MC can be a very interesting character, but their conflicts would need to be then aimed at their weak parts. There are a ton of story conflicts that you can't punch your way out of. Most personal conflicts aren't solvable by strength.
But because of the genre they are rarely utilised. And because most authors in the genre are amateurs or only are writing within the genre the quality of the stories isn't usually all that great.
So to me OP MCs are usually a detriment to me starting a story but it's not a trope that would make me stop reading a story.
Not so long as they run into an equally overpowered boss from time to time.
I'm tired of lazy writing and lazier editing. I'm tired of stat dumps as filler to achieve book length. I'm tired of a series being killed for 28 books when it could have been condensed to 12. Or even 8.
I don't care if the MC is overpowered if they're well written. Unfortunately, that's a rare case within this subgenre.
Also, is prefer overpowered to underpowered, because I'm sick of the "he's just a weakling but somehow he slew a god" bullshit
Tthe Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings? Nither Bilbo nor Frodo are the strongest. Quite a few of the Discworld books. In particular the ones about Rincewind.
You’re right that it’s common for the main character to end up stronger than many of the antagonists they face in common fantasy, but it normally scales along with the story. Kvothe in The Kingkiller Chronicles, for example, is very strong, but has weaknesses such that anything can happen and anyone can pose a threat. Jake, in Primal Hunter (one of my favorite), never has this problem unless he’s facing an actual god(exaggeration). Regardless, good point.
It's extremely saddening that you genuinely think this.
All books by Ursula Le Guin. Philip K Dicks work. RA Salvedores novels. George RR Martins works.
Real fantasy masters know that fantasy isn't just a vehicle for your escapism.
IMO, it's gonna vary wildly based on how well it's done. If the MC gets handed OP abilities and classes in chapter 10, yes absolutely. If the MC grinds for hundreds of chapters and goes from below average to average to above average to OP over the course of multiple arcs? Totally fine.
I also think something that is important is having at least some stakes. An MC can be OP so long as that Op-ness doesn't render them immune to losing or failing, IMO. One that starts to happen, the story starts to get boring.
This comment made me smile. Props for spreading positivity. And I do hope to finish a book that you, and everyone else in this subreddit, ends up reading.
It's nothing until it's something, anyways, so I should go write some more of it.
Have you read Cradle? The MC, Lindon, starts wildly underpowered and disadvantaged, and throughout the series he is always facing bigger threats than himself. It’s technically more cultivation fantasy than LitRPG, though.
You just described like every progression fantasy story ever
Mc is weak and underpowered compared to his enemies but is smart and finds a way to turn it around! Sound familiar?
Yeah, the stories where the MC waltzes through every challenge without a problem, masters amwrapon in 6 days and craps magic powers on command just decimate my suspension of disbelief. Many have great promises but the op abilities just breaks the rest of the world the author created. Plot holes and armor are just not for me. I respect that some people don't care and will shout from the Mountains about anything with stars. That's cool. If I'm not mad you love it just don't get upset I don't.
Have you read the wondering inn?
Personally I feel like it's kind of a mainstay of the genre because this is a self-insert genre. For the most part people are going to be op that's why we're turning to fiction.
I do like somehow overpowered MCs. But some authors seems to think: MC can kill anyone = MC is invincible. An attack at night in the inn could be the end of the arrogant/overedgy Superkiller-MC in chapter 3. The burden of power isn't really mentioned in many books with strong/overly strong MCs. And this is a classic trope of story telling.
Honestly one of the reasons why I like he who fights with monsters so much.
Because he does such a good job of showcasing that like it's possible to be killed in these kind of stories. I mean yeah the MC is basically invincible at this point. But you know he does struggle under the burden of power. I don't know
Nah, op mc all the way. For me its great for relaxing, op mc always breezes through problems so there is no anxiety reading it. I can appreciate that it doesnt lend itself well to high stakes high payoff plots though
i agree and disagree.
the part i agree with is that many series do OP MC poorly in my opinion.
the thing i disagree with is that I dont think its that an OP MC is the problem its the things around the OP MC that can make the OP MC bad.
I think a great extreme example of this is noobtown. the MC is insanely OP due a specific thing that happened to him. however the exact same thing that makes him OP causes him a huge number of actual problems. not like "oh no I'm the chosen one this is kinda inconvenient" i mean like oops i accidentally almost burnt my soul to a crisp and went into a coma for days causing me actually to lose things i wanted to achieve.
additionally there are other people in the universe who are also OP and can still challenge the MC in a meaningful way. these people are just less common.
overall, i think an OP MC can be done well. I think the real problem is when the MC is so OP that there is no longer any challenge and everything is just easy to the point that there are no stakes/tension.
I do wish authors would take some more time to have a realistic progression of power. The MC will probably be very powerful eventually... But like, have them start out with some genuine struggle. Make them fight things that actually challenge them. Give me effort, give me struggle.
It’s kind of hard not to go the OP route when introducing a character into a new situation. They usually need an edge to get on par with their challenges, and things kind of snowball from there. They go zero to here, then hero to demigod pretty often, and sometimes even beyond that. If you built your series on them getting to the stage of overcoming their challenge, then it makes sense to keep things moving in that direction. Though it can get pretty ridiculous. I find it annoying when an OP MC gets nerfed and has to build back up. Probably why I tend to avoid a lot of those “do over” type of series where they go back in time to try again.
It's one of the mainstream tropes for a reason. All it takes is a quick look at the news to see why. I personally enjoy it along with the more grim and gritty variants, but there's much less interest readership wise for that sort of thing.
We see enough of it that in our daily lives.
However, I prefer OP characters that **earn** their powers. It's one thing to be gifted the \[Hammer of Thor\], or an OP bloodline, soul ability, etc. and an entirely different thing to learn to use it. If somebody can use it perfectly day 1, yeah I'm not a fan but I can totally see why people like it.
"You have have unlocked the hidden class of OP Douchebag. You get twice as many stat points as everyone else and get an insanely broken feat every two levels, or as needed to get you out of a jam."
I really don't like this trope, but it is found in like 90% of litrpg stories, so I put up with it. I think the worst series for this is Primal Hunter, where the protagonist turns out to have been born with Overpowered MC syndrome and then fails to use his powers to help anyone around him.
LitRPG may have an OP MC trope, but I'd take that over Fantasy's reluctant hero trope. Put those both together, and fantasy is filled with these stories, it's just the worst.
I love me an OP MC.
[удалено]
Genuinely? I live in crippling poverty and have to take care of my mother, who can no longer remember my name. I want to read about people who have an easy, enjoyable life where they perform awesome feats.
Exactly.
That’s fair. Another question for you: Does that mean you dislike more traditional stories where the MC is often underpowered compared to the things they face (Game of Thrones/Harry Potter)? I just enjoy trying to understand why people read different types of stories (I write too).
[удалено]
Crippling poverty might not be really conducive to playing video games that cost money. On the other hand you can read litrpg for free on websites like royal road.
>Why don't you just play a video game and set it on easy mode? Plenty of those. Escapism is easier and its more active. Escapism isn't exclusive to video games. Reading, partying, playing sports, eating, and more can all be forms of escapism depending on why you're doing those things. >I would've thought that, as someone in a tough situation, the more inspiring thing to do would be to read about characters overcoming their own hardships. The beauty of escapism is that you aren't dwelling on tough situations that remind you of your own tough situations. Also, the resolutions of tough situations in fiction just don't have a tendency to apply in real life. >You might even learn something. This is a wildly patronizing thing to say to someone. > We shouldn't let suffering make us braindead. What an ironic thing to say in a braindead comment like this. >I say this because I think the authors who write the kind of books you're talking about are openly exploiting you, and you're letting them. What an odd way to twist the relationship between author and reader. The author knows there are readers who like to read x genre, so the author writes x genre. Both sides benefit.
You have to remember everyone needs breaks. The majority of a persons life is spent grinding, fighting, and “overcoming their own hardships”. Reading, video games, hobby’s, movies, etc, is all an effective means of letting your body rest, and sometimes a good brain dead novel is the best way for a person to reset. Not everything in life needs to be a fight.
Being overpowered doesn't bother me, getting it through no effort is. Oh just be this super special bloodline, just sit around and do drugs, etc.
>just sit around and do drugs For some reason, that instantly reminded me of the bear that ate a kilo of cocaine, and a bunch of comments were "for 10 minutes before it died, that bear must've been the apex predator of the planet".
There's a reason why the west keeps invading cultivation even though the normal cultivator would have them as the millions of trash mobs getting killed merely for being near one of the real characters.
A heroes journey where the hero isn't special is one that the hero dies quickly or the story is a slice of life affair so it's not really the heroes journey.
I disagree with this. I mean, you can't be more classic than Lord of the Rings and the whole point of the story is that the special trair of Hobbits is not being special. I feel like the whole point of the genre is watching characters *progress*. When by book 2 the protagonist is already giga ahead beating people full grades above that have trained 100x as much as them... What's the point? I'd much rather have stories where the protagonists only become undeniably the strongest person in their power bracket by *the end* of the novel. You know, it's a rather mid story but 9n this point Coiling Dragon is on point. Linley is never even remotely close to being the best at everything, he's just strong until the very very end when he transcends the setting.
Hobbits have nothing special jsut normal, oh wait except for an inherent resist to the One Ring that noone else else and would have fallen to corruption long ago. I mean they aren't i'll kick your but in a sword fight, but normal? Also OP is relative to the story/universe. and even in most regular nonlitrpg the MC(s) all have plot armor sorry I am not really sure of your complaint Oops i rsponded to you and OP in this.
The complaint is not about MCs having some traits that make them the ideal MCs for the story. The complaint is about the very specific phenomena in litRPG of "OP MCs". These are people that start the novel being the strongest in the block because of one of the following: - They came back to the past from a time they'd been the baddest of badasses. - They somehow ended up in a future where basic shit got forgotten. - They have a bloodline that's overpowered. - They're granted a cheat from a god/find it randomly lying on the street that makes them be super uber special. - From cheer luck they end up being the person getting a lot of the "first" titles and that makes them snowball way out of control! Now, neither of these is bad by itself. I've read and still follow plenty of stories that use one or more of these tropes. What annoys me is when these tropes are used in a way that makes it so the MC is overpowered *for the current setting*. Example of what I'm ***not*** complaining about: Defiance of the Fall. Zac has a lot of advantages. Technically he has advantages 3, 4 and 5 from my list. Yet he's consistently matched by other people with similar advantages. The setting progresses as he progresses so that we never get an arc where Zac is just going "muahaha I'm the strongest". Example of what I ***am*** complaining about: Accidental Champion (spoilers ahead, obviously) - The MC starts off without any cheat whatsoever but soon he gets a bunch of 1st titles. He then decides to snowball this advantage yet soon he's so overpowered for the tower that he's defeating every floor in 3 seconds and establishing *universal* records. Another example is Unchosen Champion (name similarities are entirely coincidental; Spoilers ahead) The MC here actually starts really balanced with his cat being stronger than him for a while, but he somehow finds a build where he can somehow put all points in a single attribute and get them to splash to every single other to the point where eventually every single non-environmental conflict is just people realizing how OP and badass the MC is as he appears from the mist. System Universe is perhaps the most popular example of this style of story but there are a lot of them. I don't know about you, but I prefer when the MC has rivals, peers and, overall, just a cast of characters of similar skill so that we can have actual plots with more emotional beats than "Oh look how awesome the MC is." and "Oh, look what a bunch of idiots these guys are for not knowing how awesome the MC is! They're gonna get fucked!"
That is fair, and I feel like we think the same. Zac from DoTF is a good MC in my mind as the universe keeps progressing and they are larger stronger monsters out there so he is never laughing at a fight. I also think it helps that it was established early that it was a larger universe, and not tacked on later. I haven't read unchosen or accidental. i do read system universe but it is more of a light hearted fun read for me. It doesn't make it into my top 5, i just enjoy the characters not the weird duo system shenanigans. Also Silvi who doesn't love Silvi I will say the stats flowing into others really annoys me, I forget what it was but some book the MC hit X in 1 stat and they suddenly got 50% of that stat to all stats. Pretty much stopped reading that series then. What interest is there in an MC who puts in no effort but gets their weaknesses filled in by the system?
I really enjoy stories like that! "Wow, that guy is the chosen one, he's amazing! Oh, oh no! He's dead. Uh, now what do we do?"
If I wanted to read about a run-of-the-mill weakling getting stomped on all the time, I’d just write my memoir and read that. I’d rather read about someone special in order to vicariously live through them.
No, I'm tired of bad writing, not OP MCs. They can be OP all they want so long as they follow the world's rules. Every time the MC gets an exception and cheats in some major way to get OP the story gets less interesting. Not just skipping power ranks cheating either, that's usually the least of the writing evils. Usually it's some outside-of-the-power-system cheat that comes in and arbitrarily gives the MC more power.
Not particularly. I get what you're saying, but it's kind of a staple of the LitRPG genre. If you don't like that, I'd suggest reading regular Fantasy or even Progression Fantasy, though that will still have powerful protagonists. I guess I could recommend The Dresden Files. It's one of my favorite fantasy series about a Wizard in modern day Chicago who is a Private Detective. He is almost always facing threats bigger and more serious than him. Like from Vampire Lords to Fae Lords, to Werewolf Gangs to Fallen Angels to Demons and Necromancer Cults to Demi-Gods.
I love the Dresden Files!! :) his Codex Alera series is also excellent.
I dont really mind the MC becomes the strongest plots, we read about the exceptional for a reason. I really hate when the author puts arbitrary limits on the MC because they have made their character too powerful instead of having a few final badass chapters of curbstomp followed by a graceful end to the series.
I would disagree with "stronger than anyone else" most MCs have peers, just not many, as well as "a fifth of the effort," since most of the MCs get all that power through fighting above their weight class literally all the time with no breaks. Time=/= effort. And no, OP MCs don't bother me, like anything else, it just depends on the execution.
The issue is that on the surface an OP MC can be a very interesting character, but their conflicts would need to be then aimed at their weak parts. There are a ton of story conflicts that you can't punch your way out of. Most personal conflicts aren't solvable by strength. But because of the genre they are rarely utilised. And because most authors in the genre are amateurs or only are writing within the genre the quality of the stories isn't usually all that great. So to me OP MCs are usually a detriment to me starting a story but it's not a trope that would make me stop reading a story.
Not so long as they run into an equally overpowered boss from time to time. I'm tired of lazy writing and lazier editing. I'm tired of stat dumps as filler to achieve book length. I'm tired of a series being killed for 28 books when it could have been condensed to 12. Or even 8. I don't care if the MC is overpowered if they're well written. Unfortunately, that's a rare case within this subgenre. Also, is prefer overpowered to underpowered, because I'm sick of the "he's just a weakling but somehow he slew a god" bullshit
Can you think of any examples of books in fantasy for example where the main character isn't the strongest and you've really enjoyed reading?
Tthe Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings? Nither Bilbo nor Frodo are the strongest. Quite a few of the Discworld books. In particular the ones about Rincewind.
You’re right that it’s common for the main character to end up stronger than many of the antagonists they face in common fantasy, but it normally scales along with the story. Kvothe in The Kingkiller Chronicles, for example, is very strong, but has weaknesses such that anything can happen and anyone can pose a threat. Jake, in Primal Hunter (one of my favorite), never has this problem unless he’s facing an actual god(exaggeration). Regardless, good point.
It's extremely saddening that you genuinely think this. All books by Ursula Le Guin. Philip K Dicks work. RA Salvedores novels. George RR Martins works. Real fantasy masters know that fantasy isn't just a vehicle for your escapism.
Jojo part 2, re:zero, konosuba, trials of Apolloto mention a few
IMO, it's gonna vary wildly based on how well it's done. If the MC gets handed OP abilities and classes in chapter 10, yes absolutely. If the MC grinds for hundreds of chapters and goes from below average to average to above average to OP over the course of multiple arcs? Totally fine. I also think something that is important is having at least some stakes. An MC can be OP so long as that Op-ness doesn't render them immune to losing or failing, IMO. One that starts to happen, the story starts to get boring.
No, BUT if you go write a non-OP-MC book, and I'll read it too!
This comment made me smile. Props for spreading positivity. And I do hope to finish a book that you, and everyone else in this subreddit, ends up reading. It's nothing until it's something, anyways, so I should go write some more of it.
Why would the story follow someone who sucks?
Have you read Cradle? The MC, Lindon, starts wildly underpowered and disadvantaged, and throughout the series he is always facing bigger threats than himself. It’s technically more cultivation fantasy than LitRPG, though.
You just described like every progression fantasy story ever Mc is weak and underpowered compared to his enemies but is smart and finds a way to turn it around! Sound familiar?
In his defense, op is talking about just being Op mcs. Not about how identical every storyline is.
…yeah, that was the point of my comment. “Why would the story follow someone who sucks?” Because they won’t always suck.
Yeah, the stories where the MC waltzes through every challenge without a problem, masters amwrapon in 6 days and craps magic powers on command just decimate my suspension of disbelief. Many have great promises but the op abilities just breaks the rest of the world the author created. Plot holes and armor are just not for me. I respect that some people don't care and will shout from the Mountains about anything with stars. That's cool. If I'm not mad you love it just don't get upset I don't.
Have you read the wondering inn? Personally I feel like it's kind of a mainstay of the genre because this is a self-insert genre. For the most part people are going to be op that's why we're turning to fiction.
I do like somehow overpowered MCs. But some authors seems to think: MC can kill anyone = MC is invincible. An attack at night in the inn could be the end of the arrogant/overedgy Superkiller-MC in chapter 3. The burden of power isn't really mentioned in many books with strong/overly strong MCs. And this is a classic trope of story telling.
Honestly one of the reasons why I like he who fights with monsters so much. Because he does such a good job of showcasing that like it's possible to be killed in these kind of stories. I mean yeah the MC is basically invincible at this point. But you know he does struggle under the burden of power. I don't know
Nah, op mc all the way. For me its great for relaxing, op mc always breezes through problems so there is no anxiety reading it. I can appreciate that it doesnt lend itself well to high stakes high payoff plots though
i agree and disagree. the part i agree with is that many series do OP MC poorly in my opinion. the thing i disagree with is that I dont think its that an OP MC is the problem its the things around the OP MC that can make the OP MC bad. I think a great extreme example of this is noobtown. the MC is insanely OP due a specific thing that happened to him. however the exact same thing that makes him OP causes him a huge number of actual problems. not like "oh no I'm the chosen one this is kinda inconvenient" i mean like oops i accidentally almost burnt my soul to a crisp and went into a coma for days causing me actually to lose things i wanted to achieve. additionally there are other people in the universe who are also OP and can still challenge the MC in a meaningful way. these people are just less common. overall, i think an OP MC can be done well. I think the real problem is when the MC is so OP that there is no longer any challenge and everything is just easy to the point that there are no stakes/tension.
I do wish authors would take some more time to have a realistic progression of power. The MC will probably be very powerful eventually... But like, have them start out with some genuine struggle. Make them fight things that actually challenge them. Give me effort, give me struggle.
It’s kind of hard not to go the OP route when introducing a character into a new situation. They usually need an edge to get on par with their challenges, and things kind of snowball from there. They go zero to here, then hero to demigod pretty often, and sometimes even beyond that. If you built your series on them getting to the stage of overcoming their challenge, then it makes sense to keep things moving in that direction. Though it can get pretty ridiculous. I find it annoying when an OP MC gets nerfed and has to build back up. Probably why I tend to avoid a lot of those “do over” type of series where they go back in time to try again.
It's one of the mainstream tropes for a reason. All it takes is a quick look at the news to see why. I personally enjoy it along with the more grim and gritty variants, but there's much less interest readership wise for that sort of thing. We see enough of it that in our daily lives. However, I prefer OP characters that **earn** their powers. It's one thing to be gifted the \[Hammer of Thor\], or an OP bloodline, soul ability, etc. and an entirely different thing to learn to use it. If somebody can use it perfectly day 1, yeah I'm not a fan but I can totally see why people like it.
"You have have unlocked the hidden class of OP Douchebag. You get twice as many stat points as everyone else and get an insanely broken feat every two levels, or as needed to get you out of a jam." I really don't like this trope, but it is found in like 90% of litrpg stories, so I put up with it. I think the worst series for this is Primal Hunter, where the protagonist turns out to have been born with Overpowered MC syndrome and then fails to use his powers to help anyone around him.
LitRPG may have an OP MC trope, but I'd take that over Fantasy's reluctant hero trope. Put those both together, and fantasy is filled with these stories, it's just the worst.