This is an extensive post about the importance of the unlikable heroine. It starts with talking about something that many women can relate to, the tendency to apologize for everything and to resist showing anger. If a woman shows anger she is immediately labelled a “bitch” and told to “smile”, or “calm down”. Women are always expected to please everyone. This brings us to the importance of “unlikable” or “difficult” female characters in stories:
Some more “unlikable heroines” include:
Jessica Jones (Jessica Jones), Emma Swan (Once Upon a Time), Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars), Temperance Brennan (Bones), Mary Jane Watson (Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy), Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop), Korra (The Legend of Korra), Asuka Soryu (Evangelion), Haruhi Suzumiya (Haruhi Suzumiya), Nadia (Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water), Ryuko Matoi (Kill La Kill), Rin Tohsaka (Fate), Sakura Haruno (Naruto), Sakurako Kujou (Sakurako’s Investigation), Iris (Pokemon: Best Wishes), Lina Inverse (Slayers), Akko Kagari (Little Witch Academia), or even friggin’ Tomoko Kuroki (Watamote), Nancy Botwin (Weeds), Yuno Gasai and Minene Uryuu (Future Diary), Revy (Black Lagoon), Misa Amane (Death Note), C.C and Kallen Kozuki (Code Geass), Excel Excel (Excel Saga), and Yuri Nakamura (Angel Beats).
Terry Pratchett made this an art form in itself. Almost every book he wrote has at least one ‘unlikeable’ main character – most notably Granny Weatherwax
That way well be the best written stupid idea I’ve ever seen. If you think a HERO/HEROINE who stands up for themselves is unlikable, you’re why society is such a shambles.
It’s amazing how often people will make this argument and then provide as examples either characters that don’t match at all or otherwise just go about making the argument that honey maybe you really are just an unlikable bitch.