Is there a fictional character (movie or book) that you genuinely admire? Who and why?

Ok ok ok, I’m going to get bagged out for this, but Harry Potter.
Yes, he can be an annoying little shit in a couple of the books but really, I’ve loved him all along. No parents, bandied about by everybody, and he still gets the jobs done, while passing school as well. Though I couldn’t really say Harry without including Hermione and Ron. I don’t believe you can separate them. Harry is who he is because of the people around him, and that’s one of the important messages of the book. You don’t need to do everything on your own, you don’t need to be perfect, it’s ok to ask for help. That’s what makes him my favourite.

Also, Samwise Gamgee. In my opinion, he is the true hero. Loyalty, bravery, perseverance, strength of character. Frodo basically failed, Samwise and Aragorn are the heroes. And they aren’t perfect either, but they overcome their troubles for the sake of the ones they love. They keep going. They don’t give up, no matter how hard it gets. I wish I could be like that.

And one more I just remembered: Lyra Belacqua from His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman. She is an ordinary girl, a tomboy, a feral. Then she gets the weight of the world thrust on her shoulders. There is so much depth to these books and all of the characters that I hardly know where to start. Again, the not perfect aspect appeals to me, she must perform a great act of betrayal to continue her quest and she must break her own heart to save the world, after falling in love for the first time. She tells lies to get by and when this doesn’t work for the first time she must reassess who she is. She is the strongest female character I have so far read of.

Holmes. Brilliant, funny detective. Wish I was more Sherlock-like.

Gus from Lonesome Dove. He did what had to be done, had a little fun along the way, and kept to a code of honour. I like all the smart-alecky good guys.

Indiana Jones.

I like the fact that he can woo women, shoot Nazis, give lectures, and look good in anything from khakis and leather, to a tuxedo, to a vintage NCO uniform. Yep. That’s pretty much me.

Sailor Moon. Totally had a crush on her for the longest time throughout my teenager years. She is kind hearted, ditsy, is a superhero (kinda), and is just really funny. I vowed to find a lady like that throughout my adolescent life.

Robert B. Parker’s Spenser(character).
He’s smart, tough, articulate, loyal, brave, independent and a smart-alec.

The perfect man.

Oh…and the Japanese masseur, Zatoichi!
Not often you see a blind man whip somebody’s ass.

The Doctor. He has such a beuatiful and sad story. He is the last od his kind in existance, the mmighty empire that hispeople had all destroyed by war, and how lonely he is. Every time he actually loved someone he loses them, such as with Rose and the maid on the titanic, and yet he still keeps going, in hope of maybe finding someone, and saving the universe bit by bit. I really can’t describe what I feel about it properly, it’s too much for words.

I admire Jean-Luc Picard. He is wise, courageous, strong, passionate and yet disciplined, intellectual and imaginative, fair-minded and diplomatic, a man of taste and discernment, good-humored, seeking the best in others and yet not afraid to call error and misdeed to account, and he makes being old look sexy. * sigh *

Ender from Ender’s Game. He wasn’t always the biggest or the strongest, but he was able to beat opponents with much more experience and skill because he was able to think outside the box, and wasn’t afraid to get his ass kicked.

Don’t have much time to comment at the moment, but Esther from Bleak House is my secret heroine. She’s so genuine and selfless. In my mind, anyway.

@Jeruba I saw a video at a Star Trek convention of Captain Picard singing and dancing to “I’m Too Sexy for my Hat” and doing a fine job of it.

I forgot Roland Deschain, the ultimate bad ass.

So shoot me for liking a Stephen King series :P.

Naota Nandaba. He actually swings the bat. I’m still trying to do that, yadig?

Kenshin. He fought for what he believed in, then when he was betrayed by the one he loved, he didn’t hold a grudge, rather, decided to use his skills for a greater good. He protects the ones he loves with all he has, and yet, remains gentle and fun loving. I wish i had his strengths..

I really admire Rocky Balboa. He is full of courage, and has a lot of wisdom and strength. He is very loyal and caring to everyone around him. He also has a deep love for his wife, that any woman would kill to have. I think he teaches great lessons about beating the odds, and anything being possible with dedication and hard work.

Can I pick Yoda? If so, then it’s mainly because he can have all this power and wisdom, yet he chooses to pick for the right and correct time to use it.But you would also never suspect it, in some ways he is very well balanced I think.

Le petit prince.

I would love to be as naive as him.
But I am still looking for my little fox.

God has to be admired for pulling the greatest con on humanity ever.

pikachu…i loved that little yellow bastard when i was little. He was so not afraid of any of the other pokemon. GQ!

I’m too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts. La la la.

@Zen_Again

Well let me end your pain…

__,_____
/ __.==—”
/#(-’
`-’

:)

I’ve always liked Rorschach, seeing the world as it is…without trying to hide anything. His views may be very right-wing, but he stuck to them, and that’s more than I can say for some people I know. Rorschach valued his views and his word over his life, and I think it is kind of special, to have a man that is so “pure” in a sense that he would never commit hypocrisy.

I have several fictional heroes.
I admire the Tenth Doctor for his style.
I admire Osaka for always being herself even if she’s such an oddball.
I admire Picard for his ever wise judgement in conundrum after complicated conundrum.
Sportacus is just generally awesome, even if he’s a bit naive. And he lives in a blimp.
And Courage Wolf never fails to inspire me.
Might be an incomplete list.

Fun fact: if “movie or book” is a formal requirement, each of these is invalid.

Many, but a character who comes to mind immediately is architect Howard Roarke in ‘The Fountainhead.” (See the movie version with Gary Cooper if you never have. Fabulous!).

So deeply did Roarke believe in himself, his work and his values that he would not bend to any man, committee or government, even if it meant suffering poverty and public scorn. In fact, so determined he was not to compromise, that when he saw the mess a committee of “architects” had done to his masterpiece, he bombed it.

Dakotah in E. Annie Proulx’s Tits-Up in a Ditch. I could not have borne what she went through. When life gets hard, I think of her.

Y.T. in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. She’s simply…awesome.

Scarlett O’Hara. She did whatever she wanted and didn’t care about the consequences. I admire strong women.

Lt. Ellen Ripley from the Alien universe. She’s a hero and a leader in a male dominated environment, and she looks mighty fine wielding a flamethrower.

Marge Gunderson from Fargo. She is a strong, intelligent, respectful, kind, funny and genuine woman with a great marriage. She is just a very likable person. and that accent!

Tyler Durden from Fight Club
Sherlock Holmes
Ulysses
Superman.

Atticus Finch from “To Kill A Mockingbird”.What a guy;)

Boba Fett! Star Wars. I’m not sure if it’s an admiration or an obsession. Either way, he’s so awesome. He’s got a really awesome ship, a jet pack, he’s got flamethrowers and rocket darts built into his armor and he’s a bounty hunter. UM. What more could you want?
Plus, he’s a special clone.

Carrot Ironfoundersson from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. He is, in actuality, a king. But he would never tell you, he doesn’t put on airs, he has a great sense of justice and fairness, and he does his job as a captain of the Ankh-Morpork Watch with diligence and sensitivity. He’s smarter and cannier than most people notice, which is a good thing, especially for his job. And even though his beloved is a werewolf, he’s making it work.

The other person is also in the Discworld series, Granny Weatherwax, a witch. She comes off as this flinty old crone, but she also has a passion for setting things right, dispensing common sense and helping people discover the magic that they’ve always had inside themselves anyway.

@rangerr
I’ve been told that, more importantly than his gadgets, Boba Fett’s personality is completely badass. Arguably even too badass to fit in the series.
I hear he escaped from the Sarlacc’s stomach of physically and psychologically paralysing digestive fluids through sheer power of will.

@Fyrius I was trying to keep it simple and stick to the main series, for the non-obsessed.. Haha. His personality IS badass though. He doesn’t have to say anything and he’s the best character in the series IMO. Plus he’s got a way with the ladies Jabba’s Palace in ROTJ.

@rangerr and @Fyrius ‘s Boba Fetish

@Faye Lurve for Gus! Lonesome Dove is one of my all time favorite books and I’m not a big fan of Westerns even. Gus is so funny and smart. I really wanted to name my first child Augustus but my husband wouldn’t have it. Well, and it turned out to be a girl!

@Ansible1 I saw that when it aired (Yeah, I’m a geek) and cried from laughing. Fetish would be the Star Wars burlesque videos.

edward cullen omgod so dreamy and brave and such a perfect vampire screaming faint AAHHH

Noren from Sylvia Engdahl’s Children of the Star.

“Noren was a heretic. He defied the High Law and had no faith in the Prophecy’s fulfillment. But the more he learned of the grim truth about his people’s deprivations, the less possible it seemed that their world could ever be changed. It would take more drastic steps than anyone imagined to restore their rightful heritage.”

He’s a wonderful character.

@rangerr @Fyrius I heard that he flew into the (who evers’s) stomach in the second movie just for the fun of it. Wanted to go out on top, so when he made it out later he’d be more of a badass. Or so says Robot Chicken…

Meg from A Swiftly Tilting Planet (and the whole Wrinkle in Time series, really, but that one’s my favorite). It’s been my favorite book since the first time I read it many many years ago, and a big part of the reason is that I really admire Meg’s character. She starts out a quiet, bookish girl who’s trying to awkwardly navigate her way through the world, and she grows into this amazing, strong, loving woman who knows who she is and is proud of the life she’s made for herself. I’ve always identified with Meg and seen her as someone to aspire to be like – she holds a very special place in my heart.

That said, I have to agree with @qashqai about The Little Prince too – a part of me has always wanted to stay that young and innocent…

Psyche from C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces. The passion and revelation that marks her journey lends itself to a character that at once points to universal truth and private redemption. I admire how she fights, stands, and acquiesces to truth. There is nothing simple, neat, obvious, or gentle about her path, yet she still manages to find it.