I'm a little surprised there isn't a thread like I have in mind yet. At the very least, I'd expect a "favorite character" thread. There is a party leader thread, but your party leader could be different from you favorite character. Either way, to make this thread not just a "favorite character" thread, I'd like to discuss all of the party members in the game; your thoughts on them, etc.

First, the main character: Lightning. For like the first few hours of the game, I thought she was a total bitch. First of all, kicking Sazh off of her (It is a little weird when a man grabs a woman like that, but that was a little harsh.) Then repeatedly punching Snow in the face for being too hopeful, and blaming him for something that was out of his power to prevent. And finally, the way she wanted to toss Hope aside (though I didn't care much for Hope at that point and he's still probably my least favorite character, but I'll get to that.) Halfway through the game, she has redeemed herself a lot, though she still isn't exactly my favorite; she's still got some residual ice queen behavior that hasn't totally thawed away yet. I guess this is because she is a strong woman, but Fang is also a strong woman, and she doesn't really exhibit any ice queen behavior.

Second, my current favorite: Snow. (I say "current favorite" because I haven't beaten the game yet-as of this post, I've just obtained Hope's Eidolon on Gran Pulse-and I'm starting to have second thoughts.) I love his determination and positive outlook, no matter what happens. I will admit that he is a bit of an idiot on occasion, and I don't really understand why he did some of the things he did (like throwing Serah into the Pulse Fal'Cie thing in that one flashback. Afterward, it appeared like he hadn't intended for that to happen, crying out "Serah!" and trying to grab her back when she started to phase through.) I also thought he was pretty melodramatic in places.... but he's my favorite! Maybe. I switched him in as party leader as soon as I could, at the very least.

Playing through the beginning of the game, seeing his mother die, of course I felt sorry for Hope. Then, he wanted to catch up with Snow for some reason, and I was like, "Okay... so he wants to find out what his mother's last words were, or something?" It didn't occur to me that he actually blamed Snow for his mother's death until I read one of those story summary things, and then, I was like, "...what? That totally wasn't Snow's fault. Your mother choose to fight, and died as a consequence." And then he was acting like a little emo kid for most of the game and wanting to kill Snow. There was the fight with Odin, though, where Odin was pummeling the crap out of Hope and leaving Lightning mostly untouched, and I felt a little sick to my stomach for the kid. Not just that battle, though; a few others, too. He's gotten better, but I'm just not a fan of the "normal kid turned superhero" stereotype that he falls under.

Sazh is my second favorite, and might become my favorite. He was the one I thought I might like the best before the game came out. The very beginning of the game, due to his somewhat pessimistic personality, I wasn't sure about him. Then, when the story followed him and Vanille, I started to like him a lot more. He was essentially taking care of a kid whilst missing his own son, and then when he found out about Vanille's involvement in Dajh's fate, he made the right choice, in my mind (and he had a much better case than Hope. Then again, he's an adult, while Hope's a kid... eh.) I love his weapons and battle poses; they pretty much kick ass.

I like Vanille a lot, too. At first, I thought she was gonna be another annoying young girl, but she didn't kick anyone in the nuts or steal anyone's materia, and she has such an upbeat and cheerful personality, I'd find it hard to dislike her. Plus, she's hot (how old is she supposed to be, though? Jail bait?) My current party consists of Snow as the leader, then her, then Sazh.

Then there's Fang, and she's also pretty cool. I dunno, though; I think I don't like her weapon, maybe. I don't really have a lot to say about her.

So that's my take so far. I was a little disappointed that all the characters were introduced so early on, and there's only six to choose from (no different than XII, I suppose.) These characters are alright so far, though. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, and their melodramatic moments. Oh well. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom