What's the difference between a character with flaws and a flawed character?
I don't like the defense some people use that is "They're supposed to be flawed" and that's it. Every character is supposed to be flawed in some way. That's the whole point of character arcs. There's a difference between having a flaw for the sake of a journey or comedy in a less serious show and a character with flawed writing
One of Zuko's biggest flaws is his desperation for validation and he doubles-down a lot of bad behavior in hopes of winning his father's approval. The show makes a whole point about how he wasted so much of his potential chasing a goal that wasn't necessary or worth it
There's also Alma Madrigal who is a massive control freak because she's already lost her home once and is terrified that losing even the tiniest bit of control would mean losing it all a second time. The movie makes a point to show that while everything she does is for her family, she is in fact harming her family and needs to let go a little for everyone's sake including her own
Even recently, there's Raito Souda from Digimon Beatbreak. His superior complex has convinced him that he is a genius who stands above everyone else and has no empathy for those he considers beneath him. When his superiority is threatened, he becomes irrational and after a series of failures, his entire sense of identity collapses in on itself and he has to reconstruct who he is from the ground up
One of my favorite characters is Della Duck and her impulsiveness led to the biggest mistake of her life. Different family members have realistic, but fair reactions to the aftermath of her decisions and we're shown Della's remorse and her resolve to make up for lost time. Notably, she still makes mistakes, but that very first one is one mistake she always tries to avoid repeating
These flaws all exist for the sake of building character. They have to confront these flaws and change and no one around them sugarcoats how they need to grow past these flaws
A character with bad flaws is Marinette in my opinion. I understand the whole point is that she's supposed to be making mistakes, but it feels like the show won't commit to making them real flaws. Part of a real flaw is having real consequences as a result of said flaw. Not saying she needs to be raked over the coals, but Alya had good reason to be upset about the lies. Why erase her memory to just repeat the same reveal twice? Mari and Alya would've had better character growth if this is an ongoing discussion that wasn't delayed by the mind erasure
I think a good comparison here are two characters who both have the flaw of "well-intentioned goal to save the world led to them being a shitty parent and doesn't realize it until it's too late." Celine and King Rhoam both meant well and just wanted to help their child become the hero they're meant to be
However, I have an easier time understanding Celine's mistakes than Rhoam's. Celine's motto of hiding every flaw no matter what is something she forces on Huntr/x because it was something forced on her. As another foil to Rumi, Celine's inability to accept the flaws in herself and others highlights Rumi's ultimate choice to accept herself. There's more of a narrative purpose here
In contrast, Rhoam's role in Zelda's story is less understandable. I know the point is that he's too much of a king than a parent and comes to regret this, but his overall role ends up being designated asshole. Forcing Zelda to sacrifice everything else for to focus on magic training that already wasn't working doesn't make sense even in context
Celine enforces the hunters' creed because from her perspective, it "worked" for Celine during her time and appears to work for Rumi on a surface level
Rhoam enforcing the constant prayer when he has no experience to justify that it's capable of any positive outcome and Zelda is blatantly more miserable trying to make it work that way just makes him look stupid for not trying something else sooner
Celine's flaws come full circle in the narrative. Rhoam feels like "designated obstacle" for Zelda
I think the main difference between a character with flaws and a flawed character is how well it ties to the themes of the story and the consistency. Even with a back and forth, the arc's direction is clear
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