User blog:Fedora Lord Para 348/A Guide To OC's

Alright, guys. We've all seen the massive increase in OC's. And to be honest, not all of them are very good. There are a lot of different things you have to consider when making an OC, and a lot of people seem to skim by that just because they like their characters. But people who actually create the official characters we know and love put a lot of time into their characters and their personalities, their abilities, their mannerisms, etc. Why? Because it's the simple things like that that make a character.

This is going to be divided into two categories: One for original fiction (i.e. Eden, Akihiro Dragoscale, and Matt Reed) and one for fanfiction (i.e. Nkstjoa Sonic OC, Samson Aran, and Majin Dee). Trust me, there's a LOT to cover.

In-Universe Rules
Alright, so this is honestly something that a lot of people get nitpicky about, but it stands nonetheless. There are a lot of different rules one has to follow when doing something like this, because a lot of people seem to have this idea that making their fanfic characters better than the main characters. So let's think of some examples:

Sonic the Hedgehog:

I'm not going to get too in-depth here, but let's consider some things. For the sake of originality, your characters should not be faster than Sonic if it's a Sonic OC. If you did create a faster-than-Sonic OC, then there should be a good explanation for it. And to be honest, I have no clue what one could be. If you can come up with one, kudos to you. Also, try avoiding making characters too similar to the canon characters in this regard. Your hedgehog shouldn't have Silver's or Shadow's abilities, and in terms of appearance it REALLY needs to be more than just a recolor. Saying this character is a clone does NOT help your case. It's just lazy.

Basically, just as long as you avoid having stupid echidnas who are super strong, smart foxes with TWO TAILS (just putting it out there that Tails' twin tails are a genetic mutation and as such should be extremely rare), or fast hedgehogs, you're good to go in this sense.

Dragon Ball Z:

If you have DBZ OC's, there are a LOT of things you need to take into consideration. First off, almost all the Saiyans were killed off. A long-lost brother or sister is highly unlikely, and one that's a descendant of a canon Saiyan most likely isn't going to be 100% Saiyan. I know that Xenoverse changed some of those rules in that regard, but please, for the sake of originality and consistency, make your Saiyans make sense.

Namekians also are asexual and gender-neutral. A "female Namekian" is not a thing. Also, hybrids between Namekians and humans or Namekians and Saiyans need to be genetically-engineered. There's literally no way for Namekians and Saiyans to breed naturally.

As for humans, just remember that the strongest human there is, is Krillin. Again, Xenoverse changed some things, but no DBZ OC that's human should be Goku or Beerus levels.

One Piece:

Devil Fruit users can't. Swim.  End of story. Don't even try explaining a Devil Fruit user swimming.

RWBY:

Faunus are hunted down and targeted by humans. They also all have clearly visible animal parts somewhere and an animal instinct or mannerism of some sort.

For example, Blake is a cat faunus. She devours fish in seconds and gives into her cat instincts until that fish is off of her plate. Sun has monkey-like movements. A faunus without some sort of animal instinct or visible animal part is breaking canon to a degree.

Pokemon:

No Pokemon has more than two types, is part of a four-stage evolutionary line not including Megas, or learns every single move (Even Smeargle with Sketch can't learn every single known Pokemon move).

Pokemon should not get access to any already-existing exclusive move. Attacks like Dark Void, Origin Pulse, Precipice Blades, Roar of Time, Spacial Rend, V-Create, and Judgment are exclusive to their users for a reason. Giving your Fakemon those moves trivializes those attacks and their users completely.

Also, no Pokemon should be stronger than Arceus/Dialga/Palkia in power. Just don't. Arceus created all Pokemon, and Dialga/Palkia created time and space.

Avatar:

Your character is not the Avatar. If you do make your character the Avatar in a future timeline (think way after A:TLA and LoK), then they should not surpass Aang/Korra. If they do, they really shouldn't surpass them significantly.

That's just a few examples, but just keep this all in mind when creating a character. Keep it within the context of whatever series you're doing a fanfiction on. Your OC's are not supposed to be better than the main characters.

Traits, Looks, and Backstory
Alright, this should be fairly easy to do: don't make your characters essentially clones of existing characters. Saying the characters are clones does not help your case.

Dragon Ball Z:

DBZ is one of those series where it can make sense for characters to act a certain way because of their species alone, but there are still a huge number of things you need to consider.

First off, Saiyans usually live to fight. Is your Saiyan someone who jokes around a lot, acts stupid, and is generally a nice, peacekeeping guy? If so, try to do something to differentiate this character from Goku. Vegeta acts like a typical Saiyan, so creating a character that acts like him is usually acceptable. Just don't make your Saiyan a basic clone. Namekians and Majins generally act the way they usually do, so a Namekian that acts like Piccolo and a Majin that acts like Buu could be justified.

One Piece:

The characters in One Piece all have colorful, imaginative abilities. Giving your character stretchy arms or the ability to wield three swords is a no, not just because you're blatantly ripping off Luffy and Zoro, but because it's really out-of-context for One Piece to begin with.

RWBY:

Again, this is a series where every character thrives off of originality in terms of abilities and weaponry. No scythes. No gauntlets. There are many different types of weapons out there and I'm sure you could think of some.

Same with Semblance. Speed, cloning, kinetic energy manipulation, etc. have already been done. Think of something else.

Pokemon:

A lot of people make the very same mistake with Pokemon OC's (not Fakemon, but trainers): they have the same stories as the protagonists.  In the games, manga, and anime, just look at the starting towns. They're tiny compared to the others. There's no reason that some trainers wouldn't start in a different town in a region.

This is even acknowledged in Pokemon Gold, Silver, Crystal, Black 2, and White 2. In all of those games, you return to a region seen in previous titles. And you battle some of the same gym leaders as you did in previous games, sometimes in different orders. There's not really much reason that some Gym Leaders wouldn't have different teams based on how many badges your character has. If you give your character the classic Red story, then your character feels like a blatant Red expy. Also, a lot of trainers don't start their stories wanting to be Pokemon masters. Maybe your character is trying to impress someone. Or catch a rare legendary. Or this character has a vendetta against another character. Whatever the case, the generic "kid trainer goes and catches them all, then takes on the league and wins" story is getting really tired. Please don't give your OC's that story.

Also, hats are overdone. It's okay to give your character other types of hats, like fedoras, beanies, or cowboy hats. But baseball caps and whatever hat Brendan wears are a no-go.

Powers
Powers are a tricky thing sometimes, but in many cases, a character's abilities can be creative and fun to see in action. But there are still some rules to consider to make sure that no character's abilities are too overpowered.

Sonic the Hedgehog:

Teleportation has only been done via Chaos Control and the like. Chaos Control either requires a Chaos Emerald or connection to the Chaos Force. If your character has neither of those, you better have a really good explanation as to why the hell your character can teleport. Psychokinesis and Pyrokinesis are abilities we've already seen in the series, but those can be used correctly. How? Look at Silver and Blaze. Use of those abilities consumes their power and requires physical ability. I suggest you do the same with any other sort of physical or elemental ability.

Also, Super Forms cannot be attained without a sort of power source, be them the Chaos Emeralds, Master Emerald, Sol Emeralds, Power Rings, or hell, even whatever artifact you come up with. It's much better than just transforming for no apparent reason.

Dragon Ball Z:

Remember: There's a BIG difference between ki and magic. Some fighters use both, but they cannot be used to accomplish the same things.

Also, Instant Transmission does NOT equal speed. Anyone that uses IT needs to concentrate first and it requires use of ki.

Speaking of ki, there's only a finite pool of it found in any DBZ character. Yes, it's self-regenerative, but is not something that can be spammed forever. Dragon Ball Z characters have limits.

And please, do NOT come up with more Super Saiyan forms. To be honest, they really should have stopped at Super Saiyan 3. Super Saiyan 4 or Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan should be as powerful as any Saiyan transformation can be. By that same note, no villain should have more sheer power than Omega Shenron or Whis.

RWBY:

Semblance can be pretty hax, but remember that characters are limited to one semblance ability. Also, remember to be reasonable with their semblances. Crazy things like turning into huge dragons, mind-control, using Stands (yes, this was a thing and I'm so glad I can't find it anymore), and time-travel are far beyond what semblance has been shown to be capable of.

Relations to Canon Characters
Now, a LOT of different things can go wrong here. A LOT. In roleplays, this can get REALLY, REALLY OUT-OF-HAND, but fortunately Death Battle works differently than RP's. So here, you can get away with a lot more than you could on other Fanon Wikis. Still, some things to keep in mind.

Sonic the Hedgehog:

For starters, Knuckles is the last of his tribe. Don't try to bring up a "long-lost relative". Also, Shadow's only biological relative was the Biolizard. Characters without much backstory like Silver, Amy, Espio, etc. can have siblings, however.

Dragon Ball Z:

Again with the whole Saiyan thing. Any Saiyan you come up with is almost guaranteed to not be a full-blooded Saiyan. If you break that, you're being inconsistent with canon.

RWBY:

I shouldn't have to say it, but PLEASE. No. Long-lost siblings. Of Ruby and Yang.

Other than that, not too much else to say. Just make sure that your characters don't conflict with canon. Otherwise you create plot holes and whatnot and it's just a mess.

Original Fiction
This one is a bit harder to do, since there aren't quite as many "rules", so to say. If you look at any guidelines for how not to make a character a Mary-Sue, then already you'll be able to create a decent character. Still, some things to keep in mind:

Drawing Inspiration
Drawing inspiration from characters is not bad whatsoever. Case in point: Maka Albarn and Ruby Rose. Astro Boy and Mega Man. Superman and Goku. Dio Brando and Sakuya Izayoi. Pretty much any character you'll see from Marvel or DC.

However, there comes a certain point where it feels like some characters blatantly rip off of others.

For example: Let's say you have a teenage schoolgirl living in Japan who hates her life because she fails tests and is too lazy for her own good, then she finds out she's an incarnate Goddess and needs to save Japan from evil all the time, alongside some friends of hers. And she hates fighting evil at first, until- wait a minute, this is sounding awfully familiar. Sailor Moon, is that you???

However, to draw some inspiration from Sailor Moon isn't a bad thing whatsoever. Otherwise characters like Madoka Kaname, Ryuko Matoi, and hell, even Steven Universe wouldn't exist (no, seriously). If a character draws inspiration whether it be from backstory, powers, or personality it's fine. Just as long as that character isn't a blatant ripoff. Try to create something rather original for your characters. Or draw inspiration from a variety of sources.

For example, instead of a teenage schoolgirl living in Japan, why not make this character an adult vampire hunter living in England, and instead of fighting evil because she has to, she fights because they're after her all the time? And she still has typical Magical Girl powers?

A vampire-slaying Magical Girl? Why not? There's lots of different directions you could go with any characters.

Powers and Weapons
Here, because it's a character and series of your own creation, there's a lot of different leeway you have. The power is really yours here.

However, it really should all make sense. Let us know just what a character is capable of doing, and don't just give a character an ability for the sake of it "being cool". Give your universe rules.

For example: Akihiro Dragoscale has the powers and abilities that he has because he's the prince of a dragon-powered kingdom. He also was granted many of his different abilities by virtue of Diment, the god of his universe.

Another example: It is made clear that the characters in Darklight can use the powers they can because anyone has the potential to use light and dark powers. No one really goes above a certain limit without explanation.

But, say, you give your character the ability to control every single element, twenty-two different swords without any explanation of where they go and how this character gets them, mind-reading, flight, and toonforce. This is a ridiculous amount of abilities, and unless most characters in this story have similar abilities, it's going to raise some eyebrows.

Also, your original characters were not created for Death Battle. Do NOT give your character the ability to work around certain abilities or an immunity to different powers just because you want your character to beat Superman. Take a look at almost any power seen in any hero or villain across fiction. Chances are, they have that ability because they need to use it in-universe, not because the creator wanted his/her character to beat Superman.

For example, giving your character a magic sword that can cut through anything and is resistant to heat and also made up of a similar material to Kryptonite just so that he can beat Superman is, honestly, rather stupid. Unless this character needs to ever use that not-Kryptonite magic sword to take down another character seen in-universe, that is pointless.

Limitations and Weaknesses
This is a BIG one. As in, a REALLY big one. A lot of people seem to forget that there's a reason this exists.

Every character has a limit or weakness, no exceptions. You need to give your character flaws of his or her own. Whether it be a weakness to a certain material, or a crippling personality flaw, or a bad habit that comes back to bite a character where it hurts the most, this is required on every character. Even Superman has weaknesses.

Also, a weakness to an overly-specific substance but being almost invincible against anything else doesn't cut it. It needs to be something some character could reasonably exploit somehow.

Just keep this all in mind and you'll all create decent characters. I believe in you.