Pink Fur Comics

The Complexity Even in Secondary Characters

Added 2025-06-09 01:40:45 +0000 UTC

It’s hard to talk about my secondary characters without touching on spoilers… Though honestly, I don’t even know if I can call them spoilers — so much can change before I finish every page. But one thing never changes: each of them has depth and complexity.

When we talk about “flat” or “round” characters, we’re referring to how predictable their behavior is in different situations. Flat characters are easier to anticipate — we know exactly how they’ll react. Complex characters go through changes and inner conflicts that make us constantly rethink what we thought we knew about them.

That doesn’t mean flat characters are bad or round ones are automatically better, they’re just different narrative choices. Flat characters work in shows like The Simpsons, where each character has maintained the same traits for decades: Bart is mischievous, Lisa is studious, Marge is cautious, and Homer… well, he’s always being Homer.

The same happens in anime. We have iconic examples like Usagi from Sailor Moon, always tearful, or Naruto, who wants to become Hokage, or Luffy from One Piece, always chasing adventure… that never really changes.

Loving or disliking these stories is personal, but there’s no denying they’re huge successes.

On the other hand, “round” characters are full of nuance, contradiction, and meaningful transformation. A perfect example is Walter White from Breaking Bad, who starts as a timid teacher and becomes a terrifying mafia boss.

My stories are deeply inspired by my life experiences and what I observe around me, even secondary characters end up layered. And that already shows through the comments on Webtoon and Tapas.

Helena, Fern’s mother, appears for barely more than two pages in Warm, and yet many readers have commented on her expressions. Some see worry, others coldness… maybe affection, or apathy. The truth is — spoiler alert — even I don’t fully know who Helena is.

Life is complex and multifaceted. We don’t get spoilers of our life for tomorrow, only plans, and even those can change. All we can do is take things one day at a time, trying our best every single day.

And you? How was your day?

Pink