It doesn’t prevent him from being a great character, though.
Episode 5 of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) introduces a new character to the party, and it’s Stark, who is Eisen’s apprentice. To quote a meme, if Frieren had a nickel for every time her ex-team members’ students joined her party, she would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird it happened twice.
Stark is a coward
When Frieren and Fern meet an old lady that tells them about Stark, she portrays him as a hero. Years ago, when a frightening dragon attacked their village, Stark was the one to protect the people. He was a fearless man brave enough to stand before the dragon. They looked at each other, and the daunting creature was the first one to yield and go away. Stark has been protecting the villagers and inspiring their kids ever since. Sounds beautiful, right?
Wrong. Turns out, Stark’s heroic deed was nothing more than cowardice. He didn’t stand in front of the dragon to fearlessly protect the people, he was scared to death by the enormous creature and couldn’t move a muscle. He thought that the dragon would kill him, but it decided to spare the man. However, the villagers didn’t know about that and called Stark a savior.
Not every character has to be a brave hero, and this is actually a good thing. If a character is a coward, they can still be an incredible character, and this is exactly the case with Stark.
He’s still a great character
Stark tries to avoid danger, indeed. And if he has a chance of having someone else solve risky issues, he’ll gladly take it. But he’s not over-the-top and annoying like some other characters (yes, Zenitsu, we’re looking at you). Moreover, when Stark has no choice and he has to actually “do the thing”, he’s capable of collecting himself and finishing the job. He’s scared and brave at the same time, and that’s what makes him such a great character.
Zenitsu comparison was inevitable since we’re talking about a cowardly character. And while he’s considered to be one of the most annoying Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) characters, Stark is not like that. His cowardice moments are lighthearted and humorous, and are not in the series 24/7. To be fair, Zenitsu does have significant character development. Stark’s journey is unfinished for now, so we can’t know for sure, but he’s already got great potential.
Zenitsu could never?
Summary:
Stark was initially introduced as a hero.
It was later revealed that he was quite a coward.
It doesn’t prevent him from being a great character, though.
Episode 5 of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Sousou no Frieren) introduces a new character to the party, and it’s Stark, who is Eisen’s apprentice. To quote a meme, if Frieren had a nickel for every time her ex-team members’ students joined her party, she would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird it happened twice.
Stark is a coward
When Frieren and Fern meet an old lady that tells them about Stark, she portrays him as a hero. Years ago, when a frightening dragon attacked their village, Stark was the one to protect the people. He was a fearless man brave enough to stand before the dragon. They looked at each other, and the daunting creature was the first one to yield and go away. Stark has been protecting the villagers and inspiring their kids ever since. Sounds beautiful, right?
Wrong. Turns out, Stark’s heroic deed was nothing more than cowardice. He didn’t stand in front of the dragon to fearlessly protect the people, he was scared to death by the enormous creature and couldn’t move a muscle. He thought that the dragon would kill him, but it decided to spare the man. However, the villagers didn’t know about that and called Stark a savior.
Not every character has to be a brave hero, and this is actually a good thing. If a character is a coward, they can still be an incredible character, and this is exactly the case with Stark.
He’s still a great character
Stark tries to avoid danger, indeed. And if he has a chance of having someone else solve risky issues, he’ll gladly take it. But he’s not over-the-top and annoying like some other characters (yes, Zenitsu, we’re looking at you). Moreover, when Stark has no choice and he has to actually “do the thing”, he’s capable of collecting himself and finishing the job. He’s scared and brave at the same time, and that’s what makes him such a great character.
Zenitsu comparison was inevitable since we’re talking about a cowardly character. And while he’s considered to be one of the most annoying Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba) characters, Stark is not like that. His cowardice moments are lighthearted and humorous, and are not in the series 24/7. To be fair, Zenitsu does have significant character development. Stark’s journey is unfinished for now, so we can’t know for sure, but he’s already got great potential.
