Do you prefer a "no personality" MC or a "set personality" one?

I prefer when the MC has personality. Self-insert feels so weird. Of course, the most I do is change the name, nothing more.I prefer an MC with their own personality because it fits the story better.

A set personality works best for me depending on the storyline but I find that it all depends on the storyline! I tend to make particular choices and prefer a proactive MC

I think that a "set" personallity make the MC more alive, unique, and gave more depth to a story - as long as it's used. Just giving the MC a personality, showing it at first and having the MC not make "use" of say personality for the rest of the work is worst. At that point, better have no personality...

I prefer set personality mostly because I rarely self insert in every story that I've ever read. The other reason is I really like reading the MC inner monologue and it's fun to read their thoughts.

I prefer them with set personality, I personally enjoy otome more if the mcs are interesting like even if the LIs suck as long as the heroine is good I don't really mind :v

I much prefer a set personality compared to a blank slate. With a set personality I find there's more emotional buildup between mc and LI compared to blank slate mc. But I also hold this opinion cause im not someone who self-inserts when reading otomes.

I prefer MCs who are strong-willed, which in my opinion is rare in otome games, unfortunately.

Although I am fine with either as long as I get enough choices that affect the story, I think it is better for MCs to have a set personality. It helps with establishing her as a character as well as the dynamic between her and the guys.

And to me "no personality" is actually a type of personality, it's just bland. In the end it is not possible for the player to fully self-insert because the game has limited choices based on what the writer wants to write. Unless the developer plans to add a lot of choices for every moment in the game...but that would be a lot of work and rarely doable.

I think it's more enjoyable when they have a set personality. It can make the story more interesting, as long as their decisions have an impact on the story itself. Or, if they have no personality, then it can be interesting to watch them develop a personality (like Cardia from Code Realize).

I prefer protagonists to be a character in their own right! Since I'm not particularly a self insert type of player it can really drag me out of a story if a main character is kinda a blank slate with no real traits or personality since I'll be sitting there being like "you gonna have an option on this bullshit? No? Okay moving on then…" and that entire experience is just frustrating. I also get annoyed if a protagonist changes how they act during a route or if they make decisions I deem silly and unnecessary like refusing to clarify something leading to misunderstandings or having one argument and then running away or something, it's too overly dramatic and unrealistic for my tastes

I usually prefer an MC with a set personality. A blank 'no personality' one often feels flat after a while—like they're just reacting without any real spark. When the MC has their own quirks, opinions, and flaws, the story gets way more interesting. The choices feel real, the banter pops, and you actually care what happens to them. Blank-slate works sometimes in short stuff, but most of the time, gives a stubborn or chaotic MC with a clear vibe.

First time posting, sorry for the intrusion.
I've played a lot of otome games, and I prefer ones with solid settings.
I like it when they have voice acting and default names.
I'm not the type to project myself onto the heroine; I see her as a character, so I prefer when the setting is deeply fleshed out.

i love my mcs with proper personality!!!! doesnt matter if shes shy, timid, strong or loud, i love to see my girl blend in with the world around her! however, i wouldnt say i have a problem with "no personality" mcs. i think it varies from game to game, like if a game is heavy on selfinsert and fanservice, im perfectly fine with projecting myself onto the heroine. but i still prefer to see my mc and read her own thoughts..^^!

For me, she always has to have a set personality and character. She's the most important part of a story to me so she needs to be the most compelling character that embodies the main theme of the story. This requires a personality and for her to show actual emotions and act/react in certain ways (so of course, not just any personality but one that specifically fits this particular story). The romance and relationship with the love interests is also more believable if I can believe that both members of the relationship are fleshed out individuals - that's what allows for a relationship dynamic to exist and for the relationship development to feel natural (so the love interest isn't just falling in love for no reason but in response to the ways the MC acts, which requires her to act in some way at least). Seeing how she is and seeing her act like a real human being means I can love her and understand why the love interests love her too. I just personally think a story is weaker if the main character that we're in the point of view of doesn't have anything at all to them, and barely even reacts like a real person.

In fact, this "no personality" thing is something I don't even think would help with self-inserting that much (just in my opinion), because no one acts like a literal blank slate in real life. Everyone has some sort of personality, so I don't think having an MC that doesn't have one would resonate with anyone that much. You could argue that even MCs that have "no personality" still have one, because lack of a reaction is still technically a reaction (or action) - just one that I don't think many people would relate to (because it's human to react at least in your head and have thoughts, physical reactions, etc), so I don't think it even works as a way to be a universal personality that fits everyone (because most people would probably not react like a blank slate MC - which is basically not reacting at all, I guess). There isn't a single universal way of acting that fits everyone. There are infinite ways to act but the writer cannot just generate infinite actions, even with choices. And choices, which cannot be infinite/unlimited, can't have too much variation either if the writer wants to tell a specific story (which ultimately every story has to be because no one can write infinite stories in one), because the MC will still have to take certain actions for the story to advance and unfold the intended way the writer wants, and act in a way that helps the relationship with the love interests build up in a believable way that feels like it has depth and is emotionally investing for the reader.

If there is still dialogue, some sort of personality is shown through no matter what, even if it sounds "boring," because that's still a way of acting - even if the MC is silent and says nothing, that's still a choice of the MC that does actually show a certain personality/aspect of her character (that she's quiet and doesn't speak much? etc). I don't think it's physically possible for an MC to truly have no personality of her own - unless I guess if you're talking about MCs that have absolutely no inner monologue, no thoughts and no dialogue. But again, not doing/saying anything (or even thinking) is technically still a way of acting, but one that I think most people would not be able to relate to and seems bland to me because there are no thoughts for us to resonate with or identify with (regardless of if we self-insert or not imo).

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Actually, I'd like to elaborate on this. It's super long, sorry (as if everything before wasn't long enough...), and only my opinion. In my opinion, stronger characterisation helps with being able to empathise with, and thus better identify with the heroine (as she will seem more human, with many aspects to her that people can relate to, and the more there is to her, the higher the chance for something to be relatable to someone - compared to a blank slate that wouldn't really feel real/human and has nothing much to them, so therefore has nothing that can be relatable imo although others can disagree), which I feel may actually potentially help with self-inserting for some of the people who do it. Showing more of her personhood (feelings, etc) would make her feel more like a realistic person, allowing people to understand her psychology, which I feel would make her more relatable as one would be able to identify with the universal human emotions underneath, and so identify with her more easily overall. Giving her character an emotional journey and character arc that's shown would also imo help emotionally lead us through the story in her perspective and prime us to feel what she does throughout it, which I think would help people be able to feel like her or like they're in her position, helping you see yourself as her if you wish.

Even if she is not the exact same as us, we'll still be able to understand, and thus relate to her thoughts and feelings if the narrative allows her to have them and explains them in detail. And even if her circumstances aren't the same as ours, we can probably still relate to the underlying human feelings behind them. Perhaps a heroine dreams of being a fashion designer. Even if we do not have this dream, we'll probably still be able to relate to the feeling of having a dream or something we really want (to achieve or have). In my opinion, the narrative respecting her as a human being with feelings and hopes and dreams and thoughts, as well as showing and explaining these things in detail, only helps make it more easy to empathise and to see yourself in her (if you want to self-insert). Therefore, I personally think characterisation makes the MC more compelling and helps people resonate with her, and I believe that this could possibly still be the case regardless of how you view her. Either a more compelling independent character, or a more compelling character to self-insert into (and that you want to represent you) because it may make it easier to feel her emotions and see yourself in her and thus as her, possibly. But again, this is only what I believe and I don't claim that this is the case for everyone - I don't want to sound like I'm speaking for everyone because that's definitely not my intention (it's just that I feel like this surprisingly could actually be the case for some people).

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In short, I see otome games as narrative-driven games that have the goal of telling a generally set narrative, so, I believe the elements (characters, world, etc) still have to be defined and written a certain way to some extent, in order to go from Point A to Point B (sequence of events to the ending, even if not fully linear) and convey the story/themes the writer wants to tell. And I think the more defined the writer can make it, the stronger they can realise their themes and intended emotions, resulting in a much tighter narrative that is cohesive and emotionally fulfilling. I think as such, I prefer the MC to be well defined to allow for this to happen (for the story to at least be able to be told), and to allow for her character and the story to have more emotional resonance with the reader.

For most otome games, I don't self-insert into any character. I turn on the MC's portrait, and if there's voice acting, I'll enable that too—I enjoy the story as an observer. So far, the only games that have given me a strong sense of immersion are Love and Deepspace and Love with AI.

A set personality obviously, i rarely self insert and mostly judge the LI's personality from the MC's perspective. Cause honestly, having a bland and had to choose to determine our personality feels exhausting.

Both are fine. It entirely depends on whether the game's story is good enough. With a good script, even if the main character is full of personality, I can still immerse myself in it. But a hollow main character in an unengaging script will also bore me.

I prefer when MC have portrait,voice and her own personality. I rarely change name. But same time i like character castomization .But I get stuck there for a long time haha ^^;

I usually prefer the MC to have a personality, as I don't self-insert unless there's plenty of customization and personality-defining choices to make it 'worth it'.
So basically, unless it's somewhere close to Our Life in terms of "do what you want, it's your life", I'd rather the MC have a personality, name, and maybe even voice.

I prefer MCs with personality bc they make the storyline and interactions more polished, and they clearly show the dynamics in relationships

i need my story depth so the more well written the mc the better plus personally i can still self insert with a mc with a set personality it just gives more character dynamics to work with

I like both of them as long as the plot and the characters are good

I prefer MCs with set personality and default name, character portrait and voiced lines are even better. I never self insert in visual novels, since I can't really see myself in the setting, it feels weird and distracts me from the story.

In games geared toward self inserters with customization I'll try to match my character to the current LI I'm pursuing personality and looks wise.

TurtleLover said:

I'm a bit of a mix myself. I self insert in all of them that I play, so if the personality is too far from what I'd imagine myself doing, then that makes it much less enjoyable for me. But at the same time, a set personality in certain stories can make the entire story better designed, if that makes sense. The "no personality" or ones where they offer customization fix this issue, but sometimes from my experience it can lead to less deep stories in some cases. I'd like to hear what everyone else prefers!

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i like mcs with a personality and complex backstory, i like putting myself in the place of the mc, especially if it's at a emotional moment