Maybe you’ve heard the saying that quiet people are the scariest when angered. Well, in this month’s OC Analysis, let’s look at some generally good-natured characters and talk about what pushes their buttons -- and let’s just say you would not want to tick these guys off!
Let’s start this edition with Shūichi (Eternal Rain universe), who isn’t scary, per se, but you still wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. Overall, he’s outgoing, down-to-earth and even-tempered. He highly values trust and honesty, so the quickest and surest ways to tick him off are to lie or go back on a promise, especially if the dishonesty hurts one of his friends. He doesn’t go around yelling or throwing punches when he’s angry, but he does become very harsh and rigid. Once a person breaks his trust, that trust is extremely difficult to build back up.
Also on the freeze-out end of the anger spectrum, Nikkō (Eternal Rain universe) does a 180 from sweet and gentle to unnervingly icy and sharp-tongued when anyone threatens his father’s Key or his teammates, Kaori and Hideo. This smiley little kid normally wouldn’t harm a fly or utter an unkind word, but when he switches into protective mode, he can be startlingly scary.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Hikari (Search for the Sky) is also a switch-flipper, only he’s way more unpredictable. He’s normally easygoing to the point that he seems like he would grin and bear anything; but catch him in one of his moods, and his temper can flare seemingly without warning. As referenced in Adventures in OCdom and a previous post, Hikari has several “landmine” topics that can set him off -- some of the touchiest being the subjects of his past and his family. Michi and Joel learn the hard way that pushing those topics can make Hikari downright aggressive -- even physically if pushed too far.
Finally, Shay (Pet Projects) is a huggy and affectionate mother hen to her found family, the L&F. She has an incredible soft spot for kids, and what really sets her off is when she sees a person picking on someone who is smaller or weaker than him/her. That’s when her kid gloves come off and she reverts to the fearsome fighter that she was raised to be in her old gang. Shay doesn’t like hurting people, but she’ll rush headlong into a fight without hesitation if she sees someone being victimized.
