- Aug 18, 2025
- 291
- 87
For me, being attractive is definitely not enough. No matter how handsome an LI is, if he has a terrible personality or treats the protagonist badly, I'm not going to like him. That applies both to fictional characters and real life.
But at the same time, I can't really say that personality alone is enough either. If I genuinely don't find a character attractive at all, I probably won't fall for him romantically, no matter how nice he is.
I think what matters most is that he has some kind of distinctive charm that separates him from the rest of the cast. It doesn't necessarily have to be conventional physical attractiveness. Sometimes it comes from the character's experiences, worldview, personality, wisdom, or the depth of their character.
For example, Sou Moutoku (曹操) from Sangoku Rensenki is based on the historical/literary figure Cao Cao from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He's such a deep and multifaceted character, and there's something about his experiences and the way he thinks that makes him incredibly charismatic to me.
The art in Sangoku Rensenki isn't exactly the most polished or visually stunning compared to modern otome games, but somehow I ended up finding Sou Moutoku extremely attractive anyway. At some point, my brain just went, "Well, he's handsome."
So if every LI had exactly the same level of physical attractiveness, I think I'd choose the one whose personality, experiences, worldview, and overall presence make him feel like a genuinely unique person. That kind of charm can make a character become attractive to me even beyond their actual character design.
But at the same time, I can't really say that personality alone is enough either. If I genuinely don't find a character attractive at all, I probably won't fall for him romantically, no matter how nice he is.
I think what matters most is that he has some kind of distinctive charm that separates him from the rest of the cast. It doesn't necessarily have to be conventional physical attractiveness. Sometimes it comes from the character's experiences, worldview, personality, wisdom, or the depth of their character.
For example, Sou Moutoku (曹操) from Sangoku Rensenki is based on the historical/literary figure Cao Cao from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He's such a deep and multifaceted character, and there's something about his experiences and the way he thinks that makes him incredibly charismatic to me.
The art in Sangoku Rensenki isn't exactly the most polished or visually stunning compared to modern otome games, but somehow I ended up finding Sou Moutoku extremely attractive anyway. At some point, my brain just went, "Well, he's handsome."
So if every LI had exactly the same level of physical attractiveness, I think I'd choose the one whose personality, experiences, worldview, and overall presence make him feel like a genuinely unique person. That kind of charm can make a character become attractive to me even beyond their actual character design.