How to Write Side Characters in 3 Steps
Direct Answers
Why are side characters important in a story?
Side characters are important because they make your story world feel real and believable to the audience. When writers ignore them or treat them like unimportant video game NPCs, the overall story suffers.
Getting hung up on a character's looks or personality first creates weak characters that clog the narrative with unnecessary scenes and interactions. Instead, giving side characters a specific purpose guarantees that they add value to the plot while stripping the fat off your story.
A strong side character actively assists the hero, deters their progress, or shapes the environment around them in a meaningful way.
What is the function of a side character?
The function of a side character refers to the specific actions they take to move the plot forward in a story. Every side character needs a dedicated job, which typically falls into one of three categories.
They can assist by actively helping the hero or villain achieve their goals with resources, knowledge, emotional support, or physical aid. Alternatively, they can deter the main characters by creating obstacles, slowing them down, or forcing them to rethink their plans.
Finally, they can shape the environment by influencing the world around the hero or villain and forcing them to adapt to new circumstances.
How do you determine the role of a side character?
You determine the role of a side character by evaluating how important their specific actions are to the overall plot. Not every side character needs to be critical to the story, but knowing their level of importance helps prioritize where they show up.
Crucial characters are essential, meaning major events would not happen and the plot would collapse without them. Somewhat important characters contribute to the story and create ripple effects, but the narrative could continue without them.
Neutral characters provide background realism without helping or hurting the hero, while not important characters are simply extras used to populate the world.
What relationships can a side character have with the main character?
A side character connects to the main character through a specific relationship dynamic that defines their interactions. These relationship categories include peers, rivals, enemies, best friends, friends, acquaintances, elders, mentors, family members, father figures, mother figures, lovers, community leaders, role models, and redeemed foes.
Assigning one of these relationship types grounds the side character in the story and establishes exactly how they interact with the protagonist. Furthermore, these relationships do not have to remain stagnant.
A side character can start as an enemy and evolve throughout the plot to become a redeemed foe or even a best friend.
The Problem with Unimportant Side Characters
If you are working on a manga, comic, or webtoon project, your main character is probably getting most of the attention. However, your side characters should not be ignored.
A good side character makes your world feel real and believable. A bad side character is similar to a video game NPC, where they are present but completely unimportant.
This happens because writers get hung up on a character's looks or personality first. This appearance-first approach creates weak characters and clogs your story with unnecessary scenes and interactions.
Instead, we are going to create side characters with purpose using a simple framework. This framework has three core elements: function, role, and relationship.
The function refers to what actions a character takes in the story. The role refers to how important those actions are to the overall plot, and the relationship establishes how they are connected to the main character.
Creating characters this way guarantees that they add to the plot and strips the fat off your story.
Step One: Determine Their Function
The first step is to determine their function. Ask yourself what actions this character takes in the story.
Every side character needs a job to move the plot forward. They either do one of three things.
They can assist, meaning they actively help the hero or villain achieve their goals. They provide resources, knowledge, emotional support, or physical aid.
They can also deter. These characters create obstacles for the hero or villain, slowing them down, challenging them, or forcing them to rethink their plans.
Lastly, they can shape the environment. These characters influence the world around the hero or villain, forcing them to react or adapt to new circumstances.
Questions to Ask About Your Character's Function
If you are creating a side character that assists, ask yourself what specific task they help the hero or villain complete. Consider if they give advice, tools, or training.
You should also ask if they are willing helpers or if they have ulterior motives. Think about how their assistance changes the situation and if the hero could succeed without them.
If your side character is meant to deter the hero or villain, ask what obstacle this character creates. Consider if their interference is accidental or intentional.
Determine if they act out of fear, jealousy, misunderstanding, or malice. Think about how their interference tests the hero or villain's abilities or resolve.
If your side character changes the environment in your story, consider how this character changes the world or setting. Ask if they control resources, rules, or other people that impact the hero or villain.
Determine if they are aware of how their actions affect others or if they are oblivious. Think about how the hero or villain responds to the changes caused by this character.
Step Two: Choose a Role
Once you figured out what your side character does, think about how much they matter to the story. Not every side character needs to be critical to the plot.
Some exist just to fill out the world, but knowing their level of importance helps you prioritize where they show up in the plot. First are the side characters that are crucial.
These characters are essential to the story. Without them, major events would not happen or the plot would collapse.
Next are side characters that are somewhat important. These characters contribute to the story, but are not irreplaceable.
Their actions ripple through the plot, but the story could continue without them. Next are side characters that are neutral.
These characters do not help or hurt the hero or villain. They are part of the background, filling out the world, or providing minor interactions.
Lastly are side characters that are not important. These characters are extras who do not speak, interact meaningfully, or influence the plot.
Step Three: Determine Their Relationship
Now that we know what actions our side characters will take and how important they are to the story, we need to connect them to the main characters. We do this through a specific relationship.
Your side character can fall under one of several relationships. They can be peers, rivals, enemies, best friends, friends, acquaintances, elders, or mentors.
They can also be family, father figures, mother figures, lovers, community leaders, role models, and redeemed foes.
Real Life Example: Bon Clay
Let us use the framework on a popular side character like Bon Clay from One Piece. First, we examine his function.
Initially, his function is to deter the hero Luffy and the Straw Hats as an antagonist. Later, during the Impel Down and Marineford arcs, his primary function shifts to profoundly assist the hero in escaping prison and saving Ace.
He also actively shapes the environment by creating crucial diversions, disguises, and opportunities. These actions directly change the immediate circumstances and enable progression through otherwise insurmountable obstacles.
Next, we look at his role. Early in the story, Bon Clay is somewhat important as an obstacle.
However, his importance skyrockets to crucial during the Impel Down and Marineford arcs. Without his courageous sacrifice to hold open the gates of justice, the entire Marineford arc would have been completely impossible.
Lastly, his relationship with Luffy evolves dramatically. He begins as an enemy, acting as a high-ranking Baroque Works agent actively opposing Luffy.
By the Impel Down and Marineford arcs, he has become a redeemed foe. He sacrifices himself for Luffy and becomes a best friend, embodying unwavering loyalty to a degree rarely seen.
Refining Your Framework
As you can see, side characters do not have to be stagnant. They can have multiple functions, and their function, role, or relationship can change throughout the plot.
If you want to create the perfect side characters, use this three-step framework. First, determine the function to find out what actions they take in the story.
Next, determine the role to see how important those actions are to the plot. Lastly, determine the relationship to figure out exactly how they are connected to the main characters.