Characterization in 10 Dimensions (in fiction)

A way to categorize characterization is by complexity, the amount of things you can think and talk about a character. The way to separate complexity in categories is by seeing it as dimensions, with each one serving a completely different purpose. More dimensions doesn’t mean better characters, it only means more food for thought. In fact, anything past 4 is overkill and usually works against the integrity of characterization, but for the sake of discussion I will mention all of them.

A zero-dimensional character is like a dot, he has no complexity about him or a way to separate him from any others of his kind, since all dots are the same. This is why such characters are usually identically dressed or drawn, as if they are mass cloned, and their loss means nothing since they can be replaced just as easily as they are killed. They have no distinctive personality, they do not affect the plot, they do not make you care about them, and they serve the role of background crowds, stunts, or cannon fodder. Although seemingly worthless, they are necessary for purposes of scope. They make a setting feel alive by being populated by countless people other than the main characters. They make a ruler or a boss to show he has authority by controlling vast armies of unnamed soldiers. They make a contestant in a tournament to feel like is indeed talented if he managed to be better than thousands of other contestants. They are the little guys who allow the major characters to be important by making them stand out in the crowd.

Unlike the previous category, a one-dimensional character is defined, by personality traits or gimmicks, but only one of them. Everything revolves around that one thing, and repeats itself like a running joke. They are what we call one-note characters and can get boring pretty fast if situations repeat too often. Although seemingly passable, they are easy to write if you are an author, or remember if you are a reader, thanks to their simple behavior, and can make any message very clear thanks to their straightforward attitude. They are also excellent material for fan fiction, since you can flesh them out in any way you like without contradicting their close to no complexity in personality. If you are dealing with comedies, fairy tales, or low effort otaku pandering, this is the ideal category.

Two dimensional characters are defined by two opposing traits, such as good versus evil, or generosity versus greed, with many grades in between. Unlike 1D, they are not static in their behavior, since depending on circumstances they can move from one trait to another, such as turning from villains to good guys, or from polite to rude. Their ideals are challenged and their opinions change, but only in a linear way. This is what we call cartoony characters, because, just like in traditional comics, any grey mentality they might be showing can only be between two opposing traits. If you are making a low expectations story, this category is a fine building block.

Three dimensional characters are defined by several traits, which do not have to be relevant with one another. For example, a character can like videogames, be a Buddhist, write with his left hand, none of which need to be directly related. It’s about fleshing out someone by giving him a personality that is not limited to a couple of things and having each of his activities not affecting the rest in the same volume. Having a multitude of interests makes him feel closer to a real person, as well as making the outcome of his actions not that predictable because he has multiple side quests or goals. Slice of life series tend to have a lot of 3D, since they focus on the mundane aspect of life, instead of an obsession with just sports, hobbies, or fighting, which is the trademark of 2D.

Four dimensional characters are about change and progress. It’s character development in the form of seeing someone acting or thinking differently as time goes by. This can be very tricky to do right, since many changes are not developing a character, or they don’t offer actual progress. Getting older for example does not mean someone will automatically become smarter or more mature. Other examples include power ups, better gear, different clothes, and everything that is purely cosmetic. The change needs to be internal, not external.

And even when it is internal, there are still lots of cases when it’s pseudo-development.

• Changing behavior for awhile before resetting back to how he was at first is also not development, because it’s not a permanent change. This is what we call character regression, often found in series that want to maintain the status quo no matter what.
• Rewriting someone’s personality for the sake of plot is also not development because it contradicts how he normally reacts to situations. This is what we call a bipolar character, often found in schlock series that do not care about consistency.

Fifth dimensional characters are about parallel character development. Time flows seemingly in a linear fashion when there is only one universe or one reality. In case the story includes parallel dimensions, then you can have the same character developing differently because of the different outcomes caused by his actions. What makes this category intriguing is thinking of “what if scenarios” and figuring out how things would play out if the actions were different. It’s mostly food for thought and doesn’t really make someone more deep or complex.

5D characters are not interacting with other versions of themselves from different realities. In case they do, through dimensional portals or time travel, then they are sixth dimensional. The different “what if scenarios” happen in-series by the character redoing something, or preventing certain events from ever happening. I don’t like this category at all, it’s heavily based on time resets which render plot completely meaningless. What is the point of changing one reality when there are an infinite number of them? You are not even helping out the same people because it’s a different dimension. Let’s be honest, this is just a gimmick for making it seem like there is no plot armor because major characters are dying all the time. It fools the superficial mind to consider this tension when in reality nobody stays dead permanently and there is an infinite number of retries.

Seventh dimensional characters are about reboots and remakes. While 6D requires the character to jump in space and time, 7D doesn’t have to do that because it is a self aware retelling of the same story. Everything is different in this version because someone else is the author or the director, and presents the story with a different mindset. The problem with this category is how it makes the story derivative for being chained to an older version. It will always be compared unfavorably to the original, and it will even actively bet all its money on nostalgia by making references and in-jokes about what it’s based on. This tends to make the characters seem like imitations who on one hand try too hard to be like the older ones, and on the other to have an updated style about them, which tends to alienate the fandom for not being exactly the same as before.

So far, each character is limited to his personal story. If for whatever reason he crosses over to the story of a completely different character, then he becomes an eighth dimensional character. It’s the concept of the multiverse, where seemingly stand-alone stories can now interact and flavor one another with new ideas and mechanics. The problem with this category is how it is often no more than fan service, a gimmick done for the sake of increasing the sales instead of offering something actually new. And in case it does offer something new by affecting characters and universes, it makes things convoluted by blending ideas that were seemingly fine on their own. When an author needs to resort to cross-overs for flavoring his characters, then he’s basically telling you he ran out of ideas and needs external aid to keep going. So basically, it’s something you do when a story gets stagnated and can survive only by getting bastardized with irrelevant concepts.

Ninth dimensional characters saturate this concept even further. So far, characters were limited to the same franchise and were following some sort of logic and consistency. 9D disregards that and brings together seemingly irrelevant universes with characters that follow completely different in-series universal laws. It almost always has to do with fictional versus battles, and has very little consistency. I consider them pointless, and it’s not because you’ll never see characters from completely different series fighting each other in canon. Everybody wants to see two powerful personas fight, yet very few care about the fairness of the duel. There are hundreds of variants that decide the outcome in actual fights, and these duels are simplifying everything down to raw power and speed.

The environment must not favor anyone, special attacks must not make it one-sided, stealth is not allowed, knowing the main weakness of the opponent is out of the question. Stripping away all these things for the sake of a balanced duel, makes the battle completely boring because this is not how these characters normally fight. Can you imagine Superman fighting without a yellow sun or Batman fighting without his utility belt? Where is the fun in that? Actual battles are never meant to be fair, you are supposed to win by using any means necessary. If you have to upholding sportsmanship, you don’t have a battle, you have a sport or a friendly spar. If everything comes down to how strong someone is in a direct confrontation, you might as well decide the winner by scouting their battle power. No actual fighting is required. Tactics and trickery are used to increase the chances of success; if you can’t use them, what’s the point of fighting?

There is also the issue of how two characters who use completely different laws of physics in their respective series can fight each other in the first place, since they are using different rules altogether. You can’t even have a balanced duel to begin with. And that’s without even considering how almost every story with superpowers doesn’t have steady rules and rewrites them all the time for the sake of tension. Finally, you should also take into consideration how many characters were made to be overpowered and to always win. If losing is not an option, what is the point of fighting? You know the outcome. This is extra unfair for characters who are conceived as flawed, and improve from their defeats. Of course and these guys are going to lose if they take on any of the made-to-win characters. It’s part of who they are. So again, what is the point of fighting? You know the outcome.

Finally, we have the tenth dimensional characters who are no more than guest stars in any random story for any random reason. If 9D was specifically about two different characters fighting, this can be about any action that is not shared by both characters. Anything can happen in any crazy way you like it. It is imagination and creativity at its peak, since you don’t have to keep them in character or use their powers with consistency. And since it’s complete randomness, it means these characters are no longer characters but excuses to make any sort of parody or statement. It is usually very disrespectful to them, and extremely cringy since it mutates them into any grotesque idea an artist has in mind. This category can be seen as brainstorming and free expression but it still falls under copyright rules, so it’s better to be used only for non-profitable satire, or as a template for creating your own original characters.

And since all characters begin from simple concepts that are fleshed out as you go along, the whole concept of original characters loops back to 1D and the procedure starts all over again. And that is how characterization goes full circle based on 10 dimensions.