Well, let’s try to write something meaningful here.
First of all, focusing on VNs, I use three criteria to identify if I like a character or not. This is neither rigid nor weighed…
-How the character behaves by itself. I usually tend to prefer believable (considering that it’s fiction and almost all the situations can’t be translated to real life) characters, who behave coherently, and usually if they can’t be categorized as a trope and can take different “roles”.
-How the character interacts with the rest of the story (other characters and other routes). Again, we’re reading stories, so for me, being able to make meaningful contributions to other sections of the story is a plus.
-Subjective criteria: this is a mixed bag. Several things can show up here. For example, when something that affects to the character reminds me of something in my own life, or if the seiyuu is particularly good, or if I like the design…
Considering these criteria, there are quite a lot of Key characters that could be ranked very high in my hypothetical list. Yukito and Hijiri in Air; Nayuki in Kanon (maybe her mom, Shiori and Mai too); Kotomi, Tomoyo and Sunohara in Clannad (plus several others); Riki, Rin, Kyosuke, Yuiko and Mio in LB! (I absolutely loved these 5); Shizuru, Yoshino, Nishikujou and Esaka in Rewrite (to be fair, almost the entire casting), but my favourite isn’t here. My favourite Key character (and, under my point of view, the best character that they’ve ever done, their pinnacle) is…
Hint: look at the pic
Senri Akane
Subjectivity is a heavy factor here, so every opinion is arguable, but I can’t find a better Key character than her. I know she’s a well liked Key character, probably the one with most fans in Rewrite, but not typically considered more than that. She’s not a main character, her role is large but not so important in some sections of the story, maybe she doesn’t show up in some of the absolutely memorable moments which caused that a lot of people loved other characters in different Key works, as Misuzu, Kyosuke, Nagisa…, but she may be the best all-around Key character. Based on the former set of criteria, the reasons for my opinion. This last part won’t be so long, I promise.
-Character by itself: she has a solid background story, is well written and has a defined personality, much more multifaceted than usual in this kind of works. She’s not just a trope, she has a quite complex personality, developed quite logically from her background. Along the story we see her as a comic relief, a “puppet” of a larger being, mysterious, pessimistic, pragmatic, depressed, maniac, and even slightly romantic.
-Interactions: she’s an important part of the whole story and the different routes, and the way she interacts can vary drastically. When she shows up, she makes herself the most important element of the scene (for example, Chihaya and Shizuru endings)
-Subjecticity: most important criterion. Her “personality” clicks me. With her strange humour, cynicism and geekiness, she’s the kind of person that I end up befriending or liking in real life. She improves the interactions with the rest of the cast. Last but not least, in fact it might be very important. Her seiyuu is just amazing! It’s a voice that can sound, for the same character, as a sexy young woman, a cynical rich girl, a pessimistic but powerful woman and a deeply broken and depressed misfit. That’s not easy at all! I still remember, during Chihaya’s route, the way she sounded when Kagari showed her the “dark past” of the world, the way she broke. Goosebumps. That’s ridiculous, what an impressive VA!
Wow, sorry for writing so much. Rereading Rewrite makes you notice even more the amazing character that Akane is.
