I just wanted to ask this to get better insight on this as well as generate a good discussion. Recall all of your favourite characters in books, television, movies. and video games. Why do you like these characters?

I feel that a good character represents a certain trait that everyone has, but I know that's not all. How does one convey thoughts, opinions and feelings through a character. Basically, I want to know what makes a lovable/relatable/respectable character, just to get better insight on this.

Depth. That's why books like A Song of Ice and Fire or The Godfather appeal to me because there's no sinister moustache twirling big bad or white knight on his white steed. It's all a varying shade of grey. You might have an antagonist, but that antagonist has a plan and wants to succeed for his own reasons, not just because mwahahahaha evil.

Characters with a little third dimension is a must.

Characters going above and beyond the call of duty modern warfare* also make for a good hero.

*

Passion.

The protagonist from Shadow of Colossus perfectly shows what I like in a character. Character doesn't need a giant backstory or some super power. Just needs to be likeable and mostly silent. Silence is bliss. Link from Legend of Zelda would also fall into this catergory.

No character can appeal to everyone I guess.

I tend to like the characters better when the author doesn't take them too seriously. If they are only Hero and Cool (or Antihero and Cool, or Hero and Tragic etcetera) they become a bit hard to swallow.

I prefer when they occasionally do something stupid or have some little funny quirk. There are also some personality traits that I like more or less in characters, so it's not only about how many dimensions they have. Such as... Dune is a very interesting universe with complex characters, but there's hardly any character that I like in the books.

I like characters of both genders, and different ages, but there is a tendency towards male characters who are thinkers and keep people at distance, probably because they are more like myself. I also tend to prefer characters that are a little older, weathered and experienced to the young and pretty ones. I'm not too fond of characters that have six with anyone and all, unless it is written in a humorous way. I also tend to get annoyed when they fall in love with the wrong person, and romance is often something I tolerate rather than appreciate.