The Weekly W: Who? Characters from Canon to Fanfiction and Beyond

This week's W is Who.  Sometimes anime does a fantastic job of exploring characters and developing them and their backstory.  Other times, this is sidelined for the all-important plot (which is perfectly okay if done well).  I find that in many cases, the characters that stick with me the longest are the ones I've read at least a little bit of fanfiction about.  Let's take a look at how fanfiction helps to further develop characters.


Character development is serious business.  It's the reason we find some characters so overwhelmingly sympathetic despite their questionable actions.  It's the reason we cheer for them to get back up and keep fighting for their dreams.  It's the reason we are waiting for their relationship problems to resolve, even though the "main story" has ended.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that proper character development is required for success, but I think it certainly helps. 

This is not the character development we're looking for.

Now for the real question.  What can fanfiction do for character development?  It's not even canon.  Truly, fanfiction is often a branching off from the host material, and sometimes the only thing resembling the original are the names of the characters.  I find that despite this disconnect between the true "canon" and the "fanon" (things that are not in the original material, but are widely assumed to be correct), in many ways, the "fanon" adds a lot of depth to the character development. You're
probably thinking right now something like "But Sarah, fanfiction isn't going to override the original material."  Dear reader, you are correct.  The reason fanfiction has the potential to add depth is not in the widespread reading of a specific work, or even in the quality of the works individually.  The power lies in the volume of presented works. 

Multiverse Theory - Each small change or decision creates a new dimension, one for each possible result
Imagining that each fanfiction is a different dimension, we can determine "who" a character is by comparing
them across the many possibilities to get a better idea of their "true self" regardless of their circumstances.

If an idea gets heard once, it doesn't usually leave much of a lasting impression.  Hear that idea repeated in different ways every day for a few weeks, and it will certainly leave some sort of memory behind.  This is where the power of fanfiction comes to play.  Each story serves as a variation on the central theme (canon).  Each written work presents another option for how things could have gone.  Alone, the argument is not compelling enough to compete with the original work.  If instead of having just a few works, now imagine a couple hundred or thousand.  Certain things will change from story to story, and some may be coming from left field, but certain characteristics, events, and

These are all butterflies even
though they are different
colors.  Fanfiction can help
us to see what characteristics
are intrinsic to characters.

consequences will be fixed points.  The variations on the theme are key for creating a mind open to the many possibilities.  The unalterable truths that come about repeatedly regardless of what else has been changed around them is where the interesting observations can be made, especially about the characters.  If we ignore everything that can vary, we are left with the core set of characteristics that define a person.  Their defining beliefs, desires, and actions are made even more pronounced when compared with the many other options of what could have been. 

Fanfiction has a huge benefit when compared to other types of works: there is a basic understanding of the world, the plot, and the characters, and a lot of stuff can be omitted since it is considered common knowledge. Instead of spending episodes worth of time rehashing the key elements of the series, a fanfiction can take 100 words and show a scene from the perspective of another character, add a missing scene, or give a character some time to react to an event.  Each individual story may not have a big impact on how people see a certain character, but the whole collective of them can give us some interesting insights and new perspectives on what truly makes each character them. 

As with everything, Sturgeon's law applies.  Some fanfiction is fantastic. Other pieces are absolutely terrible.  Sometimes this is a matter of fact, and others a matter of opinion.  Fanfiction offers many things, from exploring other possible plot twists, expanding on character development, or bringing a sense of humor to a situation.  There are so many possibilities that can be elaborated on with fanfiction, and that is truly a wonderful thing. 

Hope Burns Bright