By: Cait Marie
If you’re anything like me, you love a good fictional character. Characters, in my opinion, are what make or break books. Regardless of how amazing the plot is, if the characters are dull, I probably will not enjoy the book. That being said, most of my favorite characters in a book or series are not the protagonist, or even the antagonist.
It never fails: I’m reading about these kick-butt, intense, awesome heroes/heroines when the best friend or the sibling or the next door neighbor is introduced and I no longer really care about the protagonist. I mean, yeah, I still care about them, but what I really want is more interactions with the other character. This doesn’t happen every time, but not every book has a Rhysand… Okay, no other books have a Rhysand, but that’s a whole other discussion.
Now, I am particularly fond of the humorous, cocky, best friend in a story. The sassier the better. But I also have a soft spot for underappreciated characters, who sacrifice and fight just as much as the hero/heroine without the credit. So, without further ado, here are my top five favorite “side characters:”
1. Neville Longbottom – Harry Potter series
If you know me, this isn’t a surprise (see photo at the end). Neville is not only my favorite side character but one of my favorite fictional characters in general. He deserves so much more credit than he receives. Longbottom is the true hero of Harry Potter, and I will always argue that. The prophecy could have been about him; he always stands up and fights for what is right, even when he isn’t the “best” at fighting or casting spells. I plan on writing a more in-depth article just about him in the future.
2. Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood – The Mortal Instruments (and all other series)
I don’t know if they technically count as “side characters,” but they’re definitely not the main character, so I’m going with it. Like I mentioned earlier, the more sass the better, and Magnus Bane is not lacking in that department. Also, Alec is my favorite shadowhunter. That’s right, I said it. I’ve always just felt more of a connection with him. Plus, hello, Malec is the ultimate ship! (Excluding Feysand of course)
3. Kenji Kishimoto – Shatter Me series
Kenji is the greatest best friend. He is the definition of friendship goals. His humor in any situation and his honest caring makes him perfect. Apart from Hermione Granger, if I had to pick a fictional character to be my best friend, it would absolutely be him.
4. Isaac – The Fault in Our Stars
Much like Kenji, Isaac often faces difficult situations with a sense of humor. When faced with cancer, surgery, and becoming blind, he sat in the hospital with Hazel Grace and made jokes about it. While you don’t get to know him well enough, in my opinion, you get a glimpse at how great of a friend he is, and that’s something I will always admire.
5. Finnick Odair – The Hunger Games series
Finnick was an arrogant, cocky, “is he good or bad” character in the second THG book, Catching Fire. And if that doesn’t perfectly describe most of my favorite characters… (still lookin’ at you Rhys). However, in Mockingjay, we get a closer look at who is and why he acts the way he does, and he becomes a character you can’t help but love. If you haven’t read this series or seen the movies SPOILERS…………..
He dies. He dies helping Katniss, Peeta, and the rest of the gang escape the mutts in the tunnels and it is beyond tragic. It wrecked me harder than any of the other deaths in the series. He deserved so much more. Also, I’m just really sick of seeing Sam Claflin die. Please stop, I love him.
So who are some of your favorites? Do any of these make your list? Let me know below!
Photo mentioned at the top:
I went to Comic Con, primarily to meet Matthew Lewis (aka Neville Longbottom). He had to pull out of most of the schedule, so I wasn’t going to be able to meet him after all. Long story short, he saw my tweet about being upset and he left this there for me with Oliver and James Phelps (Fred and George!)! It was the best day ever; I cried so hard.
*All GIFs from giphy.com
Functionally Fictional 