Rand, Mat, or Perrin: Pick your favorite

[Inveli]

So, tell me, who is your favorite? Why?

[Thanatos]

Definitely Rand.  Just the way his character has progressed from the beginning of the series to where he is now is awesome.  I feel it is so realistic.  I think anyone being put in his shoes would develop the same way.  Mat is a great character and so is Perrin, but in shear power and ability, they just don't stand a chance against Rand. 

 

Mat's a great general, but his weakness is that he hasn't lost a battle yet, so he hasn't learned from a mistake.  Rand "lost" to the Seanchan in PoD, and it made him realize how easily a fight can get away from you if you make a mistake.  I think this makes him not make another mistake in battle. 

 

All in all Rand is a badass.........

[The Asha man]

Definitly mat, i just think hes the most badass of all, and he has lost, not him, but the memories in his head, i mean he remembers dying, id say thats a loss

[Arath Faringal]

Mat's a great general, but his weakness is that he hasn't lost a battle yet, so he hasn't learned from a mistake.

 

Mat hasn't lost personally, but he remembers dying in several lost battles in his borrowed memories.  They probably have the same effect.

[Liam_1993]

 

Mat's a great general, but his weakness is that he hasn't lost a battle yet, so he hasn't learned from a mistake. 

 

I disagree insides mats head is all the mistakes some of the greatest generals to live so mat is probbally the best ever general + his incredible luck          mats clearly the best  but perrin is close then rand

[Balefire to da face!]

Perrin.

 

People like Mat a lot for his rogue-ish personality, but that's just not my thing. And Rand, while I totally understand he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, rarely goes a chapter without annoying me about something.

 

Perrin, I can totally relate to. I always liked his character, but the scene in The Dragon Reborn when he spends his free time at the forge, just kind of letting himself zone, letting the work relax him....love that scene. Unlike a lot of people I like his relationship with Faile. A lot of times it can also get frustrating with every scene in a book about this manipulation, or that manipulation going on. It's always nice to read about Perrin because he rarely goes for that stuff. He is a straight talking kind of person, and his character has become strong enough where he holds his own even for his uncomplicated personality.

[dholm]

I like all three, but Mat takes the cake without a doubt. His personality is quite simply the one I like the most. In the early books he is by far the weaker character, but as soon as we got into his head, he was my favorite.

 

Prior to that, it was Perrin.

[buckeyebull64]

I'd say Rand is always interesting, especially once the madness starts up.  mat on the other hand is fun because there is always humor in his POVs, even in dire situations.

 

Perrin I liked til book 4, then he went downhill.  After that, he becomes a character that never has a positive emotion not associated with Faile, i can't connect with that.  I get that he's in love, but being unable to to appriciate any moment without her seems unrealistic and a little creepy.

[Trebor Nadroj]

I will always vote for Rand. That guy is getting damaged physically and mentally like no other WoT character  that I can think of, and wrestling with immense powers that threatens to rip his soul to shreds. I think also he's the character that has evolved the most since the beginning. There is basically nothing left of the farmboy we met in The Eye of the World.

 

But who would I trust most to reveal my deepest secrets to in trust that it would stay with that person forever?

 

The answer: Perrin

I've always seen Perrin as a man of principle. That if he gave his promise I'm sure he would not break it. The fact that he's prepared to die to save the one he loves the most shows he is prepared to go the length. And he will now do so for Rand and Mat too. He's a character who's got depth we've yet not seen. Remeber how he battles with himself that time when he cut of that Aiels hand and threw the axe away.

 

As for Matrim

I've never been able to identify with him on a personal level because he's so unlike me. He's not the brooding type as much as Perrin and Rand and them I can relate to. But I do not dislike him at all and my favorite moment with him is when he beats the crap out of Gawyn and Galad in TDR. And I like the excitement of all that dice rattling in his head.

 

---Besides the point---(If there is one other character I think have suffered immensely it would be Padan Fain. Remember that Fain was quite normal in the beginning before the Dark Ones treatment and the Mordeth thing. How many of us could in the beginning have imagined what that character would become?)

 

[White_star]

I love Rand. 

He is intelligent(at least he is a reader), a logical thinker, responsible, and very loyal to his friends but understands that for the greater good, sacrifices need to be made.  He is a gentleman, and a true shepherd (despite everything, the shepherd is still there hidden under a facade). He is the best example of Both, Servant of All and Guardian of All. His best quality is his self-sacrificing spirit.  His every thought is for others; everything he does is for others.  His only worry is for those who must pay the price with him.  He has been my favorite character since the beginning of the series in TEOTW.

 

Mat

I liked him in TEOTW, and before Rand took the #1 spot after Whitebrigde, he was my favorite character. But from TGH to TFOH his whining and complaining got on my nerves. I found him to be a drunken womanizing sicko.

I guess I'm with Balefire to da face! who said:

People like Mat a lot for his rogue-ish personality, but that's just not my thing.

 

As for Perrin:

I'd have to agree with buckeyebull64 who said:

Perrin I liked til book 4, then he went downhill.

Once he married "Faile" his character totally went downhill.  And when he kept criticizing Rand about the Aes Sadi(sp?) my like for him fell to just above Egwene's  level which is at the bottom.  The only reason he is #3 on this thread is because I couldn't go any lower with the choices.

[sheikh chilli]

my faves have changed as the series progressed. currently it has to be mat. perrin is a total wuss and has his man cred baten out of him by faile and rand is just a emotionless lunatic

[Inveli]

my faves have changed as the series progressed. currently it has to be mat. perrin is a total wuss and has his man cred baten out of him by faile and rand is just a emotionless lunatic

 

I love you, I love you, I love you!!! You actually said something simple and true about Rand without going on about how he is "not a savior/he should die/I hate him/he needs to be spanked". You made my day.

 

Anyway, I still kind of a like Rand mainly from the innocent, kind-hearted shepherd to that tough, experienced, hardened, crazy, handicapped manipulator we all know and love(kind of). I suppose his situation is what really keeps me on hook. I liked Perrin and Mat equally till Tuon came along. It's like this kind of:

 

 

Matrim Cauthon: I have bold Seanchan queen for a wife that I totally knocked out and treated like shit at first that I married by accident who controls a whole Seanchan empire. Yay me!

 

Perrin: Saldaean noble. Yay...

[Muad Cheade]

Perrin is definitely my favorite with Mat a close second behind. Rand's a pretty good character also though.

 

Perrin is a man of duty (no toilet jokes please) and Mat is a man of his word. Both admirable qualities.

 

Personally, I think Perrin is the most dangerous of the three in battle (sans the One Power). The battles he's in (and leads) are amazing.

 

I actually like his relationship with Faile. She's there for him and he tries to do the same. The scene where he finds out he's an orphan and she helps him cope with it is awesome.

 

Call me weird but in terms of personality I put Mat at the far right because he's the most "merry," Perrin in the middle because he's solid but some times slips into the dark side and Rand at the far, far left because he's.....Well, you know how he is.

[CTM]

I like Mat. He knows how to laugh and cry. I don't think Perrin or Rand have learned that yet.

 

 

 

[Mr Ares]

perrin is a total wuss and has his man cred baten out of him by faile

Man cred?

rand is just a emotionless lunatic

Well, the second part is right.

[Inveli]

Looks like Mat and Rand are head to head.

[Liam_1993]

mats going to win  :D cleary  *nods*  ;)

[LedZepMan]

My favorite has to be Mat. I love his rogueish personality. As most people have said, he has the most comedic value of the three. What I enjoy most about Mat though is his sense if honor. He will be an irescapable rogue when he gets the chance, but when push comes to shove, he is the man to have around. He has been the rescuer many times over. The two favorite parts of mine concerning Mat is 1. In TSR, after the whole Rhuidean scene, when Mat and Rand are walking back, in Rand's PoV, it says that Mat will whine for the most trifle pains, and since he was silent he must be in real pain. 2. In TDR, after Mat gets done delivering the letter to Morgase and hearing Rhavin tell the one fellow to find and kill the girls. Matt and Thom are gonna head off to Tear to help them. Matt tossed master Gill a purse, and when he asked what the money was for, Matt said ' Gaebril doesn't know it yet, but he and I have a wager, and I never lose" His determination to do the right thing at the right time, combined with his willingness to be a rogue and gambler, make him the best and most likeable character.

 

That said, I realize that I relate most to Perrin. I am head over heels for my wife as well. I understand every thing that he has ever done concerning his wifes capture. His willingness to make a deal with the DO to get her free is something I relate with. If that was my wife, I would have knelt to one of the Forsaken if need be. He has always been a well balanced character, and as was mentioned before, the scene with him chilling in the forge and working is breathtaking. I am the same way. The peace and quite, with job to do is far more preferable than a life of chaos.

 

All in all, Mat is definately the sort of character that is preferable to me.

[Inveli]

Perrin Aybara is far behind. Matrim Cauthon is in the lead by one point.

[Jameric]

Matt and its his unique POV that makes it that way. His internal monologues makes each of his chapters great. I have never found myself dreading looking at the next chapter and seeing Matts name. ALot of the same can be said for Rand, but Matt seems to have more life and Rand really cant afford to be that way with what lies in front of him. Just my opinion.

[solarz]

My favorite has to be Mat, at least written by RJ. His POV are always fun to read, I can't recall a single passage that involved Mat that I didn't enjoy. Yes, even Crossroads of Twilight.

 

I like characters that I can relate to the most. In the first 2 books, Rand was the typical "young hero in training", and I liked it. Starting from book 4 (since he was largely absent in book 3), he became more and more unrelatable, a larger-than-life anti-hero (yes, anti-hero). He was still interesting as a character, but not one I could relate to any longer.

 

By contrast, Perrin's character was rather subdued in the first 2 books, only starting to come into his own from book 3. When I first read the series, my favorite book was book 3, just because of how awesome Mat was in that book. However, as I grew older, started a family, had children, book 4 began to resonnate better than book 3.

 

The first 3 books were about coming-of-age. The first two were about Rand's growth, while the 3rd book, at least in part, was about Mat's growth. It's no surprise that those resonnated more with me when I was a teenager. Book 4, on the other hand, was about taking up responsibility, which resonnates more to me now that I'm in my thirties.

 

I see a lot of people take issue with Perrin and Faile's marriage, but their relationship has always felt the most realistic relationship to me, far better than Rand and the Wonder Girls, or Mat and Tuon. Contrary to what many think, Perrin is not "brow-beaten" by Faile, he's just going through typical marriage troubles. In most fantasy, following the tradition of fairy tales, marriage is the conclusion of the romance. After marriage, they "live happily ever after". In real life, however, marriage is only the beginning. It takes a lot of work, some times screams and tears, to keep a romance going through all the ups and downs of life. Perrin and Faile's romance story didn't end at their wedding in the Two Rivers. Berelain wasn't an obstacle that they had to overcome before marriage, she was a recurring theme. Like many of the problems in a marriage. You work things out one day, and some time later, you realize that you're fighting over the same thing again.

 

The best thing about the depiction of Perrin and Faile is that, just like in real life, it's not the "big" problems that threaten their relationship, it's the little things. Trollocs invading the Two Rivers, Perrin needing to fight Aes Sedai to save Rand, Faile being captured by the Shaido, all those things only serve to reinforce their love of each other. It's the relatively "harmless" things, like Berelain trying to seduce Perrin, Faile getting angry for no reason (at least none that Perrin can understand), Perrin trying to do things the Two Rivers way while Faile expects him to do things the Saldaean way, that threatens to tear them apart.

 

That's what makes Perrin one of the best characters in the series.

[Sabio]

Depends on the book, the first few books I found Mat reall annoying, but as the series went on Mat became more likeable.  Rand I liked early on but never could really enjoy the dark angry Rand.  Perrin was just dull from start to finish.

[Guest]

My favorite has to be Mat, at least written by RJ. His POV are always fun to read, I can't recall a single passage that involved Mat that I didn't enjoy. Yes, even Crossroads of Twilight.

 

I like characters that I can relate to the most. In the first 2 books, Rand was the typical "young hero in training", and I liked it. Starting from book 4 (since he was largely absent in book 3), he became more and more unrelatable, a larger-than-life anti-hero (yes, anti-hero). He was still interesting as a character, but not one I could relate to any longer.

 

By contrast, Perrin's character was rather subdued in the first 2 books, only starting to come into his own from book 3. When I first read the series, my favorite book was book 3, just because of how awesome Mat was in that book. However, as I grew older, started a family, had children, book 4 began to resonnate better than book 3.

 

The first 3 books were about coming-of-age. The first two were about Rand's growth, while the 3rd book, at least in part, was about Mat's growth. It's no surprise that those resonnated more with me when I was a teenager. Book 4, on the other hand, was about taking up responsibility, which resonnates more to me now that I'm in my thirties.

 

I see a lot of people take issue with Perrin and Faile's marriage, but their relationship has always felt the most realistic relationship to me, far better than Rand and the Wonder Girls, or Mat and Tuon. Contrary to what many think, Perrin is not "brow-beaten" by Faile, he's just going through typical marriage troubles. In most fantasy, following the tradition of fairy tales, marriage is the conclusion of the romance. After marriage, they "live happily ever after". In real life, however, marriage is only the beginning. It takes a lot of work, some times screams and tears, to keep a romance going through all the ups and downs of life. Perrin and Faile's romance story didn't end at their wedding in the Two Rivers. Berelain wasn't an obstacle that they had to overcome before marriage, she was a recurring theme. Like many of the problems in a marriage. You work things out one day, and some time later, you realize that you're fighting over the same thing again.

 

The best thing about the depiction of Perrin and Faile is that, just like in real life, it's not the "big" problems that threaten their relationship, it's the little things. Trollocs invading the Two Rivers, Perrin needing to fight Aes Sedai to save Rand, Faile being captured by the Shaido, all those things only serve to reinforce their love of each other. It's the relatively "harmless" things, like Berelain trying to seduce Perrin, Faile getting angry for no reason (at least none that Perrin can understand), Perrin trying to do things the Two Rivers way while Faile expects him to do things the Saldaean way, that threatens to tear them apart.

 

That's what makes Perrin one of the best characters in the series.

 

My favorite character is Rand. 

 

I really like your analysis of all three men. But, the analysis you did for Perrin and Faile was just about spot-on perfect. For me, the Perrin and Faile scenes are some of the favorite in the series. The only Faile story line that I really did NOT like was the many chapters spent detailing her time with the others in Shaido captivity. 

[Occams whiskey bottle]

All three are really good characters, but their faults lie mainly in the pacing of the series. Rand got too powerful too quick, and RJ had to come up with reasons why he didn't take matters into his own hands sooner. Perrin also got to the end of his arc sooner than the rest, and that was the main reason for his multi-book siege for Faile. I still hope, and everyone here hates the idea, but a reediting of the entire series that lines all the storylines up and have them all climax at nearly the same time. You would need to cut out certain story lines, and rewrite others, but I think it would end up with a tighter story.