we should form opinions about fictional characters as if they were work of fiction. Yes, they simulate real life human experience but an enjoyable Character / good character is not the same as a real life good person/ enjoyable person.
This is a facile argument. Characters are analyzed on multiple axes. We are not in any way obligated to analyze every character purely on the dispassionate intellectual basis of how well or how poorly the character works within a piece of fiction. Especially since this isn't academia and nobody here is doing anything other than giving their thoughts about a work like a neighborhood book club.
Indeed, part of analyzing how well or how poorly a character works within a piece of fiction involves the emotional reactions that character produces within the audience. Dolores Umbridge was a fantastic villain who expertly served her specific literary purpose within Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. And part of the reason she worked so well is because people absolutely hated her. She provoked a strong emotional response within the audience, and that is usually the sign of a well-written character. If she had been a bland character to whom people were mostly indifferent, she wouldn't have worked nearly as well.
So the idea that we can't react to a character as though they were a real person is abject nonsense. Nobody turns off their emotions when they engage with media, not even you.
We need antagonists, we need villians, we need fictional characters that manipulate, that we cant trust, that we disagree with so that the story becomes interesting, so that there is room for development and conflict and to keep us on our toes.
Yes. And that's exactly what happened. Kishi gave us a character that is unlikeable and untrustworthy. So, not surprisingly, a lot of readers don't like her and don't trust her. Insert ShockedPikachuFace.jpg here.
If the author himself (implicitly) says "you can't trust this character", well, who am I to argue?
If he changes his mind (which he seems to have done as the overall tone of the comic has become softer) and is willing to do the heavy lifting to change mine (which he is mostly doing with her interactions with Mask), then I'll change my mind.
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