What's your analysis on MC's character? They're (for fun) seen as bratty, lustful, selfish and in need for attention but it seems to me that they don't want to feel the loneliness they felt after their creation and before they got summoned to Tokyo
WALL OF TEXT WARNING. Yeah, I'd personally agree with the idea that MC's entire character revolves around friends due to some kind of loneliness. I'll elaborate further in a moment though. For now I'll list certain details I noticed about them.
-Recklessness: MC doesn't particularly seem to care about what happens to them and they'll always throw themself into danger for the sake of others. It's like they lack any self-preservation skills.
-Insightful: I mentioned this before ofc, but I'll bring it up again. MC is lacking in general knowledge because they're an amnesiac in an unfamiliar world, but they're still smart and insightful in a different way. They're great at reading people and situations. They could see through Hermes' act in Christmas Showdown, they saw through Sandayu's act in the MQ and Kabukicho Night Festival, they pick up on Oniwaka's intentions in his CQ even when it likely wasn't apparent to players, and they consistently see through the World Representatives' bullshit and can point out exactly where they messed up in their relationships with the exiles or exactly what the exiles wanted.
-MC's Only Interest Are Their Friends: I have mentioned this before too, but MC doesn't really have any canon or consistent interests or desires. Sure, you can occasionally pick an option stating that they can or can't cook, dance, draw, etc, but they don't stick throughout the game. The most I can think of is that MC consistently plays video games without the player's influence, but that doesn't seem like something they'll do on their own and it's more of a group activity thing. MC just does whatever their friends are doing or whatever the plot requires at the moment. Even all the school associations they're involved in such as being the baseball team's manager, being a member of the mountaineering club, or being a member of the cleaning committee is because of other characters. It's not something they'd go out of their way to do on their own. Honestly, it seems more like they're just a jack of all trades, capable of doing anything, but they don't particularly want to.
And when it comes to gifting MC won't express much interest in a specific item like most people. Of course they'll accept whatever physical item is given to them such as homemade gifts like Takemaru's and Lucifuge's Valentine Gifts or trinkets such as Andvari's ring or Chernobog's bracelet, but they won't say "I want [jewelry, books, food, video games, etc]. They'll always just say they want some kind of relationship (familial, friends, romantic) with the person asking or to spend time with whoever is asking. You can see this specific thing in Mugen Tanka's SQ as he worries over not knowing what to get MC before being informed that just spending time with him is enough for them.
-Forgiving No Matter What: In Chapter 9, Hephaestus mentions that MC likely isn't bothered by anything done to them in previous loops due to some kind of safety mechanism, but it really goes beyond the loops. They won't even get genuinely angry at people like the World Representatives despite the bullshit they put MC through. Annoyed maybe, but genuine anger? No. Even Hermes points this out in Christmas Showdown when he questions why MC isn't mad at him for tricking everyone and he doesn't believe them even if they insist they are. It's odd because it's not like they're completely incapable of it, but their anger is over what most would consider arbitrary.
-An Exception: Zao seems to be the only one who MC is consistently antagonistic towards regardless of the player's decisions and it makes sense when focusing on MC's traits. During Zao's event, he leaves MC behind to traverse the mountain on his own, which angers them enough for them to track him down to punch him. Zao thought he was doing something good because he was protecting them, but it's actually the ultimate slight towards them. MC values being with others above anything else, so being left behind like that is practically abandonment in their eyes.
To summarize: MC is someone who puts bonds and potential bonds above anything else, including themself. It's odd to explain, but it feels as if MC isn't even a person to me. They're just something acting like one. Of course this can be written off as a consequence of them being a blank self-insert protagonist, but I think it's completely befitting of them in regards to the narrative.
If LWs chooses to go the 4th wall break route: then you can equate MC's behavior to a video game character being puppeteered to complete a game. They don't need to require any actual substance to their character. They just need to progress the plot to win. Every friendship they develop or problem they get into is just another task to complete the game 100%.
And it also fits in the case of my personal theory. To reiterate something I explained in another post: if the character selection process is canon in the story then the paper that shows up at the end with all of MC's information must be the papers Mononobe references in Chapter 1. It's even stated to be written in MC's handwriting. So you'd have to question why MC was even filling out those papers if they're an unwilling participant who was randomly summoned against their will. That's why I and others like to think that MC was either created for the game or volunteered for it.
In the case that they were created for the game, then it's like they're just a program completing whatever objective they've been given. They don't need any interests, they can't get upset due to a safety mechanism like Hephaestus mentioned, and their only goal is to form relationships. That's it.
If MC volunteered to be the game's trophy then it fits in with the fact that they used to be a wyrm, the loneliest of demons and explains why they're so obsessed with relationships. Joining the game would've been the perfect opportunity to make friends, so they wouldn't be alone anymore. And their antagonism towards Zao could be explained by their potential fear of abandonment and loneliness since being left behind would bring up bad things for them. I personally like the volunteer theory ta!
Also, I'll mention this before anyone brings it up: Yes, I'm aware that earlier chapters referenced MC coming from a different Tokyo, but they no longer mention it. Now when characters like Tvastar or Macroich ask about their past in recent events, they simply say they remember nothing.
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