Why is Hinjo so likeable?

[kpenguin]

Why do we like Hinjo? He doesn't have any interesting character flaws. He isn't really all that funny. He isn't a badass fighter. He's mostly... nice. He should bore me, but I like him. WHY?

[Setra]

Compared to everyone else, he's just likable.

Normal can be refreshing, at times.

[SITB]

Because he was set up as a contrast to Miko, a "nice" paladin.

[Gez]

Why do we like Hinjo? He doesn't have any interesting character flaws. He isn't really all that funny. He isn't a badass fighter. He's mostly... nice. He should bore me, but I like him. WHY?

He is a bit funny. He was joking around when we first saw him (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0265.html). He is kinda badass. He smites evil shooting "nobody hurts my dog!" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0453.html) And he does have some character flaws, notably troubles telling the odds (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0467.html), but, contrarily to some, he does listen to differing viewpoints and he can change his opinion.

[eilandesq]

What makes him interesting is that he's got two jobs he has to reconcile: being a paladin and being the ruler of a huge city with hundreds of thousands of people living in it. He's a topnotch paladin as far as living up to the code without being insufferable goes, but he's still learning about being a leader, and he has to deal with the distinct possibility that being a good leader might well get in the way of following the paladin code (what Leo Durocher would have called the "nice guys finish last" problem). On the other hand, he's clearly not horrified by the concept of using atonement as a means of dealing with code slippage, and he'll have clerics at his disposal to do the honors assuming the city survives. He'll be all right, I'd guess--but in the meantime he's got a bit of a conflict.

[mockingbyrd7]

Although he isn't totally badass, Hinjo has potential to be an action-hero-straight-man type. Overall, he is a light-hearted, laid-back, but definitely loyal and reliable guy, young, has strong morals. Very likeable. It helps that he is a very refreshing contrast to Miko; compare:

Miko: Zealous, bloodthirsty, "Chosen-One Syndrome" (basically includes her jumping to conclusions, her taking signs from the gods, etc. etc.) borderline psychotic, insanely annoying to many readers

Hinjo: Religious - but not fanatical - calm, controlled, laid-back, young, strong, charismatic, fairly wise

That is why he's so likeable. He may not have any bursting character flaws, like Miko (insane violent murderer) or Belkar (insane violent murderer) or Haley (greedy, and the "hiding" thing before she hooked up with Elan), but a character doesn't need to be a basketcase on the fringe of madness or someone suffering from brain damage-amage-amage-amage to be an interesting character. It's refreshing to have someone somewhat normal.

[Roderick_BR]

Because he was set up as a contrast to Miko, a "nice" paladin.
Good paladin, Bad paladin?

But yeah, he's "normal", and like Roy, he contrasts with the others.
He's not boring, because the Giant makes him appear only when necessary, when someone needs to point the way, and to move the plot. If he were a main character, and were in the spot light all the time, then yes, he would be boring, but as I said, the Giant's Storytelling skill is epic level.
And I'd add that his troubles trying to keep the city and the groups together makes him a more "human" character, ya know, readers can identify with him easier than some others characters.

[Lavidor]

Because he's got an 18 Charisma.
Joking aside, it's because he's such an easy character to relate to. No wierdo madness, no overzealousness, just the personality of a normal person (plus 1 kingdom).

[Emperor Ing]

I think i know what

Hinjo is not human, hell he isnt even a paladin! He is a being that feeds off of others. Miko is hateable because hinjo absorbed all of her coolness and likeability. When Shojo died, its very likely that Hinjo ate his soul (you lucky bastard! :smallbiggrin: ). Hinjo is unkillable because he ate so many souls of NPCs that he has been promoted to PC status, lowering his chances of dying in stupid, unplotrelated deaths. So now, Hinjo is a coolness-devouring and soulhungry monster! To the Order: RUUNN!!!

[Ronsian]

He's like Roy, with no flaws. He's more of a straight man, who is nice, calm, and collected. The protagonist of most movies. He is also a foil to Miko.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Hinjo is likeable because he is such a contrast between himself and Miko, and the personalities behind the characters:

Miko: The DM's control-freak girlfriend. You have to play the game "her way," or she will give her boyfriend a hard time. Which makes everyone at the table uncomfortable.
Hinjo: The good friend who "sort of" suprised everyone by going to seminary school. You know he goes to church every Sunday, but he only asked you once, then let you be.

Miko: Reads the rules, follows them to the letter, while ignoring the spirit.
Hinjo: Also reads the rules, but looks for the meaning underneath. Sees that if a paladin messes up, it's not game over.

Hinjo (player and character) doesn't come to the table with a hidden agenda. He doesn't try to convert you, or preach at you. The offer is there, but it's your offer to take up, or not as you choose.

Hinjo actually has charisma, Miko (player and character) doesn't, but makes up for it with the rules.

[skyclad]

I dunno. I just find him boring. To be honest his personality feels a bit shallow, at least what we've seen so far.

[Green Bean]

He's like Roy, with no flaws. He's more of a straight man, who is nice, calm, and collected. The protagonist of most movies. He is also a foil to Miko.

I agree with you about the two characters being the straight man, but not about Roy having no flaws. Roy's sarcastic, bull-headed, selfish to an extent, looks down on those dumber than him, etc. That's part of what makes Roy so interesting; learning to overcome these flaws (which incidentally, he seems to share with his father) has been a large part of his personal growth during the comic.

[sun_tzu]

Why do we like Hinjo? He doesn't have any interesting character flaws. He isn't really all that funny. He isn't a badass fighter. He's mostly... nice. He should bore me, but I like him. WHY?

Who says nice characters are boring? Atticus Finch, Optimus Prime, Superman when written right (no superdickery jokes, please) and scores of other highly popular characters were very nice, and that only added to their appeal.

[Emperor Ing]

Who says nice characters are boring? Atticus Finch, Optimus Prime, Superman when written right (no superdickery jokes, please) and scores of other highly popular characters were very nice, and that only added to their appeal.

HK-47!! Nice characters are boring or annoying when they shove their rules and morals up their own ass (im looking at you Kreia!). Be careful how you do your comic relief or it could kill the story (im looking at you Jar-Jar!)

[SITB]

...Nice characters are boring or annoying when they shove their rules and morals up their own ass (im looking at you Kreia!)...

Since when Kreia was nice?

[Alfryd]

Miko: The DM's control-freak girlfriend. You have to play the game "her way," or she will give her boyfriend a hard time. Which makes everyone at the table uncomfortable.
It seems highly unlikely that either Miko or Hinjo is a Player Character. It would also be premature to assume that the character's personality is the same as the player's personality.

Why do we like Hinjo? He doesn't have any interesting character flaws. He isn't really all that funny. He isn't a badass fighter. He's mostly... nice. He should bore me, but I like him. WHY?
What strikes me about Hinjo is that he is almost unnervingly calm and collected. His uncle died, most of the senior members of his organisation died (on his express orders,) his city has fallen overnight, and he just pushes it all down and keeps his head with a resigned sigh. I can't tell if he's emotionally repressed or just damned cold.

[Setra]

What strikes me about Hinjo is that he is almost unnervingly calm and collected. His uncle died, most of the senior members of his organisation died (on his express orders,) his city has fallen overnight, and he just pushes it all down and keeps his head with a resigned sigh. I can't tell if he's emotionally repressed or just damned cold.
I'd say he's just good at repressing his emotions.

I make characters who can do that often.

[TreesOfDeath]

Hes the antidote to Miko in like every way.
Hes valiant and does try to be a genuinely good Paladin without being foolish or an ass.
Hes nice.
Hes new enough that he still feels novel and fresh.
Rich's a great writer

[Woof]

Cause he's got an adorable puppy :smallbiggrin:. Add to that all of the points mentioned before.
Kind of sad when a character who's "only" nice is considered to be boring though. I don't think I'd feel that way about good characters. Of course, I also wouldn't expect him to be as fleshed out as the PCs. He is an NPC, after all.

[hanzo66]

Well, Hinjo's no true Paladin. He doesn't have the Stick up the Ass Class Feature!

Still, he's got something of a likeable nature. He follows the rules but does not try to be a zealot about it (judging everyone else inferior if they don't follow the rules exactly). He's basically the model crusader but without being smug or arrogant and generally keeping a down-to-Earth style.

[Kioran]

I think Hinjo is popular in-game and out game because he is very straight forward and friendly. Mainly because he lacks the intelligence necessesary for sarcasm, indirectness or multi-layered madness. He is much better suited to the Job of Paladin than, say, Miko because of that. Intelligence is dump-stat for a reason. Unfortunately, Charisma and force of character without real intelligence make you only a second tier leader.
I don´t like him that much. I´m rather indifferent where he´s concerned and think of him as an ambulatory plot device......

[Duke of URL]

Because he shows that you can be a Paladin without having to have a giant stick up your backside.

[Setra]

Because he shows that you can be a Paladin without having to have a giant stick up your backside.
The problem is..

The stick tastes like honey, so most Paladin's opt for it.

[Lord Zentei]

HK-47!! Nice characters are boring or annoying when they shove their rules and morals up their own ass

If they do that, they are not "nice". :smallwink: Unless you count protecting other people from the excesses of amoral characters as "shoving rules up the ass".

Anyway, how is HK-47 a rebuttal to the examples listed?

[teratorn]

He's popular by contrast to Miko and because he hasn't done anything paladinish in this whole story arc. I'd say one other reason people in this forum like him is because he hasn't tried to kill Belkar... yet.

When he'll start being a paladin and telling the order what to do we'll see.

[Alfryd]

When he'll start being a paladin and telling the order what to do we'll see.
This has already occured.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0412.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0438.html

He just does so in the politest possible fashion. To the extent you may not even notice.

[delguidance]

I like that he's easy going, confident, and realistic.

[teratorn]

This has already occured.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0412.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0438.html

He just does so in the politest possible fashion. To the extent you may not even notice.

Good catch. More than being polite or cold, Hinjo has a lot of self-control. The way he let his prisoner insult him the previous strip... Miko would have chained and gagged the halfling on the spot.

[Scatman]

He has a cool cape.

[Basha]

I agree with you about the two characters being the straight man, but not about Roy having no flaws. Roy's sarcastic, bull-headed, selfish to an extent, looks down on those dumber than him, etc. That's part of what makes Roy so interesting; learning to overcome these flaws (which incidentally, he seems to share with his father) has been a large part of his personal growth during the comic.

Hey, I that is what I think of it, too; although I do not see him as overly selfish. Rather I think, he overestimates himself from time to time and that is fun to watch (#332, for example).
Hinjo makes the impression of someone who is ready to accept that some antagonists might be more clever than he is. He is just somebody trying to live up to the ideals of leadership.

[Alfryd]

The way he let his prisoner insult him the previous strip... Miko would have chained and gagged the halfling on the spot.
Right, because she consistently reacts to personal slights, aggravation and not-so-veiled insults with instant incarceration. Such as here:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0202.html
And here:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0204.html
And also here:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0213.html
Not to mention here:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0220.html
Will her iniquities never cease? Here:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0225.html
And here:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0246.html
And, naturally, here:
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0250.html

(Yes, I know she led them away clapped in irons shortly afterward. But not on the spot, and at least ostensibly not because they insulted her.)

[Chronos]

He's popular by contrast to Miko and because he hasn't done anything paladinish in this whole story arc.You're missing the entire point of the characters of Miko and Hinjo. Hinjo has done plenty paladinish in the story arc. Almost everything he's done has been paladinish. Miko is the one who hasn't been acting like a true paladin (as evidenced by, I dunno, the fact that she fell?). Compare, for instance, their interactions with Belkar.
Miko: Belkar is evil! Therefore it obviously falls upon me, as Judge, Jury, and Executioner of the entire world, chosen by the gods, to cut him down on the spot!
Hinjo: Belkar appears to have done evil. Therefore, he shall be arrested and brought to trial, and if found guilty, shall serve the sentence decided by that court.

Hinjo's actions there are both Good (protecting the innocent from Belkar, and trying to reform him as well) and Lawful (seeing to it that his rights are still respected, and that he's tried by a legitimate court), just as a paladin should be. Miko's actions aren't particularly good examples of Good nor of Law.

[Snipers_Promise]

Rich's a great writer

I think that covers it.

[Gaelbert]

Hinjo is likable because after Miko, he shows all the good sides of a paladin. Like Argent.

[Lady_Orc]

I find Hinjo likable because unlike Miko, I think he acts like a paladin should. He makes a nice contrast to her, which is exactly what I think he was created to be.

[Porthos]

Let's see:

He leads by example, not by dictate.
He not only listens to the advice of others, but actively seeks out council.
He refuses to wear his religion on his sleeve.
He has empathy toward others.
He tries to see the best in others.
He actively seeks to fight evil head on.
He is a Man of the People, and genuinely wishes for their well being.
He will overlook things that personally aggravate him when he knows the situation demands it.
He has a sense of humor and is often seen smiling.
He has a keen sense of justice.
He is willing to give people a second chance at turning around their lives.
He is passionately loyal to his county.
While he can be merciful, he extends no quarter to opponents who do not deserve it.
As much as a Lord of the City can be, he seems genuinely humble.
When he is dressing down people for breaking rules, he still tries to do it in an nonjudgmental way.

and finally.....


He has a Damn Cool Ride. :smallcool: :smallcool: :smallcool:

In short, he is everything a Paladin is supposed to be. I don't think it's exactly a surprise that the Paladin Done Right is so popular on these boards. Especially after experiencing Miko for so long. :smallwink:

[teratorn]

Compare, for instance, their interactions with Belkar.
Miko: Belkar is evil! Therefore it obviously falls upon me, as Judge, Jury, and Executioner of the entire world, chosen by the gods, to cut him down on the spot!
Miko was only going to kill Belkar after he murdered the guard. Even during her second fight by the road she let him live. Miko has enough faults, you don't need to build a strawman.


Hinjo: Belkar appears to have done evil.
"Appears"? Your bias is showing. Come on, 'fess up, you're a belkarite. Roy explains that thing rather well. Your example has nothing to do with being lawful or good, just with the fact that Hinjo didn't know the halfling.


Right, because she consistently reacts to personal slights, aggravation and not-so-veiled insults with instant incarceration.
Yes, I know that, I was exagerating. It's just the way he accepted an insult like that without putting the halfling criminal in his due place. A ruler doesn't behave like that.

[The Wanderer]

I agree with you about the two characters being the straight man, but not about Roy having no flaws. Roy's sarcastic, bull-headed, selfish to an extent, looks down on those dumber than him, etc. That's part of what makes Roy so interesting; learning to overcome these flaws (which incidentally, he seems to share with his father) has been a large part of his personal growth during the comic.

I think what Ronsian meant is "he's like Roy, but without Roy's flaws", not that Roy is without flaws.

[happyturtle]

He's strong, kind, brave, and doesn't take himself seriously. He puts his people first. He's probably going to have a hell of a meltdown as soon as he gets on the junk and into his own cabin. And then he will pick himself up, put himself back together, and return to his duty.

He reminds me of my husband. :smallredface:

[teratorn]

He reminds me of my husband. :smallredface:
You win the thread. Best reason yet.

[The Wanderer]

*points to tetratorn*

What he said. :smallsmile:

[Green Bean]

I think what Ronsian meant is "he's like Roy, but without Roy's flaws", not that Roy is without flaws.

Ah. That makes a lot more sense. :smallredface:

[sealemon]

Because his dog pwns.


Seriously, most of the reasons have been covered: He was introduced as a foil to Miko, and thus seems much cooler by comparison. I think he would have come off as somewhat bland if Miko had never appeared.


What strikes me about Hinjo is that he is almost unnervingly calm and collected. His uncle died, most of the senior members of his organisation died (on his express orders,) his city has fallen overnight, and he just pushes it all down and keeps his head with a resigned sigh. I can't tell if he's emotionally repressed or just damned cold.

I think he simply understands that his duty to his people is more important than his personal feelings. I'm sure he's dealing with his grief and stress in the way that a ruler should: in private. Showing public weakness now is simply not an option.

[Nevermore]

I like him because he's a damn cool character

[Ampersand]

Hinjo is likable because, aside from occasionally manipulating and insulting Roy, he is nice to the protagonists. If he ever raises his voice to one of them or is short with them the forums will be filled with calls for his blood.

Personally, I like Hinjo because he seems to have inherited his uncle's knack for taking subtle shots at Roy.

[Alfryd]

Miko: Belkar is evil! Therefore it obviously falls upon me, as Judge, Jury, and Executioner of the entire world, chosen by the gods, to cut him down on the spot!
That's more or less what paladins exist for.

Good catch. More than being polite or cold, Hinjo has a lot of self-control.
Of course, I find 438 ironic in light of his calling Miko 'teacher.'

Personally, I like Hinjo because he seems to have inherited his uncle's knack for taking subtle shots at Roy.
And being distinctly economical with the truth.

[Sigbru]

Why do we like Hinjo? He doesn't have any interesting character flaws. He isn't really all that funny. He isn't a badass fighter. He's mostly... nice. He should bore me, but I like him. WHY?

Because he don't like Miko :smalltongue: :smalltongue: :smalltongue: :smalltongue:




Well, i like him because he just nice... WHO else is nice(who ins't stupid) in this comic ?

[basilisk 89]

I like him cause he's different from Roy. I hated Roy, and I though he was the most annoying character. Worse than Miko. I rejoiced when he died.

Yeah, I went there.

[teratorn]

I like him cause he's different from Roy. I hated Roy, and I though he was the most annoying character. Worse than Miko. I rejoiced when he died.
Aren't you the guy who cries for the nameless NPC couple? Roy also had a sweetheart! Think of Celia.

[Chronos]

"Appears"? Your bias is showing. Come on, 'fess up, you're a belkarite. Roy explains that thing rather well. Your example has nothing to do with being lawful or good, just with the fact that Hinjo didn't know the halfling.Allow me to clarify that. We, the readers, are in on a lot more than most of the characters are. From our perspective, it's pretty easy to see that Belkar is evil. But neither Miko nor Hinjo has seen as much as we have. Miko, based on what she's seen, jumps straight to the conclusion that Belkar is evil, and needs killin', right here, right now. Hinjo, meanwhile, has nearly the same evidence that Miko has, but does not jump to conclusions on that basis, instead seeking to arrest Belkar (and his notion of "arrest" is very different from hers), so that he can be brought to trial, and all of the facts brought to light before coming to a final decision. As it happens, Miko is right in her conclusion, in this case: Belkar is, in fact, evil. But her method is wrong, as illustrated by the fact that the same method also led her to the incorrect conclusion that she needed to kill Shojo.

[cavalier973]

He's got a phlegmatic personality, and they usually can get along with the other personality types.

Choleric: Lion: Extrovert, focused on projects
Sanguine: Otter: Extrovert, focused on people
Melancholy: Beaver: Introvert, focused on projects
Phlegmatic: Golden Retriever: Introvert, focused on people

[David Argall]

What makes him interesting is that he's got two jobs he has to reconcile: being a paladin and being the ruler of a huge city with hundreds of thousands of people living in it.
While that might make him interesting, it wasn't a part of the story until 467 and we have had Hinjo lovers for at least 100 strips.

More directly, such a theme requires he stay here at the city. He can leave briefly, but any idea of wandering off to the next gate is simply neglecting any duty to the city.


(what Leo Durocher would have called the "nice guys finish last" problem).
Actually Durocher didn't say that. It was a misquote. The actual statement "was" [the Dodgers were] nice guys. [But they were going to] finish last. He was saying that being a nice guy was not enough to win, not that being a nice guy was a handicap, and like most of us, he didn't bother saying the parts of the statement that were obvious to all [which can cause problems when they turn out not to be so obvious.]

But Hinjo is writen as a likable sort. That is fine for his role, but he is quite unsuited for long term party membership. His very niceness will make him boring long before he reaches the 200 comic mark the members of the party have. Miko at least had real staying power that way. We could have really used her in a lot of material. But Hinjo is just a straight man and Roy fits that job a lot better.

[mockingbyrd7]

I'd say he's just good at repressing his emotions.

I make characters who can do that often.

Hinjo is secretly a vulcan!

Lol, kidding.

[mockingbyrd7]

Let's see:

He leads by example, not by dictate.
He not only listens to the advice of others, but actively seeks out council.
He refuses to wear his religion on his sleeve.
He has empathy toward others.
He tries to see the best in others.
He actively seeks to fight evil head on.
He is a Man of the People, and genuinely wishes for their well being.
He will overlook things that personally aggravate him when he knows the situation demands it.
He has a sense of humor and is often seen smiling.
He has a keen sense of justice.
He is willing to give people a second chance at turning around their lives.
He is passionately loyal to his county.
While he can be merciful, he extends no quarter to opponents who do not deserve it.
As much as a Lord of the City can be, he seems genuinely humble.
When he is dressing down people for breaking rules, he still tries to do it in an nonjudgmental way.

and finally.....


He has a Damn Cool Ride. :smallcool: :smallcool: :smallcool:

In short, he is everything a Paladin is supposed to be. I don't think it's exactly a surprise that the Paladin Done Right is so popular on these boards. Especially after experiencing Miko for so long. :smallwink:


My feelings exactly. I'm starting to think more and more of him; he's becoming one of my favorite NPC's. (He's already passed Durkon and possibly Roy for me.)

[teratorn]

Hinjo, meanwhile, has nearly the same evidence that Miko has,
Miko spent a lot of time with OOTS before having them in chains. Hinjo only saw Belkar when Shojo was killed. He's basing his like/dislike of Belkar on him being with Roy and the order.

Give Belkar some credit, there's no paladin he can not drive insane.

[Ampersand]

And being distinctly economical with the truth.

Let's hope he takes more ranks of Improved Paranoia, though. And the Common Sense feat, so he realizes that large open doors aren't conductive to secret meetings.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

It seems highly unlikely that either Miko or Hinjo is a Player Character. It would also be premature to assume that the character's personality is the same as the player's personality.

True, but unfortunatly I'm basing my opinion on real world tabletop. A good game, ruined by a player misinterpretating a character race. I read the Dragonlance books, thought the kenders were pretty cool. Played in a game with a player who took "childlike" to mean "childish." As in "spike every drink, steal everything not nailed down, steal the nails." I quit playing D&D for several years after joining a second group with a kender with an identical attitude as the first...

And yes, I've met the control-freak girlfriend playing a paladin... Left quite a bad taste in the mouth...


What strikes me about Hinjo is that he is almost unnervingly calm and collected. His uncle died, most of the senior members of his organisation died (on his express orders,) his city has fallen overnight, and he just pushes it all down and keeps his head with a resigned sigh. I can't tell if he's emotionally repressed or just damned cold.

Hinjo is a professional. When the fight is at hand, you have a mission to accomplish. Once the mission is over, you have time to shake, greive over lost friends and relatives, and possibly have a meltdown. But not until AFTER the battle. During the battle will not only get you killed, but your buddies as well.

[Nerd_Paladin]

If the Order of the Stick characters were real people, Hinjo would be the one I would be most comfortable interacting with personally.

[basilisk 89]

Aren't you the guy who cries for the nameless NPC couple? Roy also had a sweetheart! Think of Celia.

I don't care about the couple, I just like no-name NPCs a lot. I don't care if they break so long as they live.

And Durkon will have raised Roy before Celia's winter breal. Even though I'm betting on a hobbo stepping on her talisman and her coming and saving Roy before Haley and Belkar get there.

[Pvednes]

Hinjo's the cool kid that everyone liked in high-school, and the blond one that always gets machine-gunned against the dramatic music in the old war films.