When it comes down to it, my favorite characters are always the main leads. They’re the protagonists for a reason, and it’s very rare that I feel the same way about the rest of the characters in the story. But even though I don’t put ’em in my non-existent Hall of Fame, I find that these characters are equally important to the grand scheme of things.

I remember that sometimes when I read a novel, there is always a lack of characterization with the other characters, especially those best friend stereotypes in YA romance stories. Like, they were programmed to support the friend and cheer her up, and once the female lead dated the main male lead, that was the end of her part. She was gone and relegated to the sidelines because her part was simply over! Even the non-romance-centric stories I’ve read in the past tend to dismiss these characters quite easily. It’s the same thing I feel about villains in general—this was always something that was missing in books. So when I came back to manga reading, it was a breath of familiar air.

Of course, I didn’t mean that manga is free from this kind of criticism or flaw, but since manga tend to be longer, there is more than enough time for exposition, something that novels tend to sacrifice (I think) to move the plot along. And it’s a shame, really. These characters aren’t an embellishment or device to only benefit the protagonist/s. Just like villains, they too have important narratives to share. It’s just that the focus isn’t on them, so disregarding their existence or not giving it a proper characterization is very unfortunate. When I read about other characters that weren’t properly developed, I sense a heavy air of regret. I want to see their importance in the story, not just to boost the character quota or the main characters’ egos. They aren’t sidekicks to me; they are their own person, who like the MCs has lives to live and stories to share…

If a story has a diverse set of characters and it only heavily focuses on the main leads (which obviously will happen because duh! ), If they are the MCs, then it’s a shame; what a waste of an opportunity. To me, the secondary characters are characters out of the spotlight that are equally important; it’s just a matter of balancing their parts.