A person of good character

It's almost always all about the characters. We can forgive a cliché story if it has characters we engage with. We more rarely forgive a story, however great, if the characters are bland or barely brushed.
The characters make us care. We identify with them, we reject them sometimes too, we recognise ourselves in them or aspire to be more like them. Because there are great characters, then we're ready to follow them wherever the writer leads them. With time, some become associated with moments in our lives and become a part of us.
It's all about the characters.
So here are some of our favourites characters in science-fiction and fantasy and what makes them special to us, in no particular order.
Warning: may contain traces of Pratchett and Tolkien characters.

Art by John Howe.

Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Eowyn was both a revelation and an inspiration. When we meet her, she is left at home taking care of her uncle. She does it partly out of love and duty, but partly because that is what the womenfolk are expected to do. They stay home and take care of others. Eowyn's eyes are turned outwards, though. She feels confined, but her dreams are bigger. Enter Aragorn, and Eowyn falls for him. I suspect that she loves what he stands for, rather than him, but she is not defined by this. She does not become a simpering girlie girl, she does not weep and gnash her teeth and hide away. Without her, the tide of battle may not have turned. No living man was fated to kill the Lord of the Nazgul. "But no living man am I. You look upon a woman." No matter how often I read this, I cheer every time. This woman is courageous, bold, unafraid of pain or death and someone I admire greatly.
Leigh.

Fan art by dauntingfire, published on DeviantArt.

Arthur Dent in The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

As for favourite character in The Hitch Hiker's Guide, that has changed a lot over the years I have read it (and since 1979 I have reread it most years). When I was younger it was Zaphod Beeblebrox or Ford Prefect, the colourful and indifferent alien cousins. For the longest time it was Marvin, the Paranoid Android. But now, it's probably Arthur I most identify with. No doubt because like he, I too am middle-aged, being dragged through life without really knowing what's going on, and wondering when and where the next cup of tea will come from.
Ian.

Fan art by Blackbirdink, published on DeviantArt.

Agnes Nitt, in Lords and Ladies, Maskerade and Carpe Jugulum, by Terry Pratchett.

When I heard of Sir Terry Pratchett's passing, the first character I grieved for wasn't Sam Vimes nor Granny who I've always considered my favourites, it was Agnes.
Agnes is a witch, she's also a young woman whose only thing people can kindly say about her appearance is that she has good hair.
She is the fat girl at the back no one gives a care about. She is the fat girl who is so sensible that she cannot fit in a world where everyone likes to put on a show. She is the fat girl who has her own inside slim and arrogant girl who is also a bit stupid.
She is, in short, the person a lot of women, not aspire to be, but can recognise themselves in.
C.

Art by John Howe

Gandalf, in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien.

Although he now symbolises the archetypal wizard, at the time of reading, aged 6, I had never come across a character quite like him. He was grumpy, funny, unpredictable and despite seemingly being the main character, was barely in the books. He was a force of nature who despite being obviously powerful, didn't actually seem to do much other than manipulate others into dangerous quests. I still remember how shocked I was when he apparently died in The Fellowship of the Ring - lead characters just didn't do that sort of thing! And then delighted when he came back, even if he wasn't quite the same.
Ian.

Art by Josh Kirby.

Death in... Well, almost every Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels!

Death wears black, carries a scythe, speaks all in capitals and rides a horse called Binky. What I love about him is his eternal effort to learn more about those he reaps, how they experience life and the world. Humanity is a constant source of fascination for him, but he does not really understand it. He tries working, goes to the pub for a drink, develops a fondness for cats and curry. Over the course of the series he becomes almost humanised, even without a full understanding of what makes people tick. He is eternal - been there since the first life emerged and will be there until the last life ends. He has a wickedly dry sense of humour, a certain unexpected charm, and he looks great in black.
Leigh.

Fan art by Jessmcnoodle, published on DeviantArt.

Nighteyes, in The Farseer and The Tawny Man trilogies by Robin Hobb.

I love both trilogies but weirdly enough I'm often annoyed by the main character, Fitz. I much prefer Nighteyes and the Fool.
Nighteyes is a wolf, bonded with Fitz by an ancient magic that enables them to share their thoughts. Where Fitz is often angsty and moping, Nighteyes is sensible, full of dry wit and always brave. He may have been intended only as a secondary character by Hobb, but he's an essential part of the plot and makes a fantastic counterpoint of the more traditional character that Fitz is.
C.

Author unknown, 1925 edition.

The time traveller in The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.

It's probably one of the first scifi book I read, but the character of The Time Machine got me interested in science fiction. He was always a mystery and yet we were seeing things from his perspective, the way he tried to figure out what he was seeing through a sociological and well as an evolutionary vision. Without me even realising it, I was being exposed to socialism at an early age. Overall I think the character and the book left me very interested in scifi: the potential of our future... And wanting to take his place to see what the future would be like!
And I guess planting a seed in my heart for another certain Time Traveller!
Azzie.

Art by Paul Kidby.

Sir Samuel Vimes, in Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, Night Watch, Thud!, etc. by Terry Pratchett.

Oh, another Pratchett character, how... ahem... predictable! Sam Vimes is a man who came from the gutter and rose to a prominent position but he always remained good ol' Sam Vimes from Cockbill Street and watches himself carefully to remain so. He's also a good man while being gruff, a former drunk, cynical but a straight man who would arrest the leader of the city if it was what needed to be done, often with a bad temper and always fighting his own prejudices. In short, he's one of the most amazingly true to life character because of his many layers that are all entirely cohesive and believable.
C.

Cover art for the SF Masterworks edition.

Gulliver Foyle in The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester.

Gulliver is a man who undergoes transformation in more ways than one. Gully's first transformation is into a man set on revenge. He also comes into contact with a cult who tattoo a tiger's face onto him, taking him further down the path of transformation.
I hesitated in choosing Gully, for despite enjoying the character, he is not a nice man, far from it. He does some things which I cannot condone. I would not actually like to meet him in the real world, and he belongs in prison, without a doubt. I am fascinated by his single-mindedness, though, the lengths the man will go to to right a perceived wrong. When I cannot decide what book to read next, The Stars My Destination is one that often calls me back.
Leigh.

Art by Paul Kidby.

Granny Weatherwax, in Wyrd Sisters, Lords and Ladies, Maskerade, etc. by Terry Pratchett.

Possibly the strongest female character ever written. And it's not until I came to think about my answers that I realise that Granny is very much the Discworld's answer to Gandalf: another force of nature who despite being the strongest and most capable character in any story, is on the peripheral, seemingly doing little but ultimately directing the action. Also despite both being immensely powerful magic users, neither barely cast any actual spells and mostly rely on their own forms of 'headology'.
Ian.

What are your favorite characters? What makes them special to you?