Don't Sue, Please
Hey there fandom-at-large, I think it's about time we clarified things once again: specifically, on the matter of Mary Sues. The term is thrown around a lot, waaaay more than I even think is necessary, and I think the definition has gotten so warped that by now, people are quite honestly confusing the symptoms for the illness.
So what IS a Mary Sue, exactly? A Mary Sue/Gary Stu is any character that causes any canon character they are interacting with to behave OOCly, or who changes canon to specifically suit their individual needs. 90% of the time, they are intended (consciously or not) to be a stand-in for the author, and 99.9% of the time the story is poorly written because of the OOC nature of it. That is all there is to it.
Wielding a Keyblade, even a super-amazing one? Having special hair, eyes or physical appearance? Having extraordinary powers? These DO NOT automatically make a character a Sue or Stu. What they often are is symptoms of a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is LIKELY to have the special powers, looks or weapons, because it provides an easy way for the canon characters to take notice of them. But you can most definitely be a Sue without them. Consider the infamous "Anna" Mary Sue: she did not have special powers, and I don't think her appearance was even mentioned for awhile. But that character is still considered a Mary Sue. Why? Because she forces all of canon and its characters to revolve exclusively around her; for canon characters to behave OOC. That is ultimately what Mary Sues do, and what makes them annoying. And no, none of the canon females fit the definition:
Kairi? Not a Sue. Her friends care about her and the bad guys want to use her powers for evil, the same way they do for Sora and Riku and etc. She's treated ICly.
Namine? Not a Sue. Friends and foes alike treat her ICly the same way they do their own friends and foes.
Xion? Not a Sue. The others in the Organization all behave ICly when around her; the only people she makes friends with are the two Nobodies actually wanting to have friends in the first place.
Aqua? Not a Sue (as far as we know). She kicks ass, looks good and uses a Keyblade, and that does not equal Sue.
And let's not even get into the "Sora is a Gary Stu" business. I have strong dislike for the term "Canon Sue" anyway, but that's me. Nearly EVERY major character in this series has super-mega-awesome-powers with hugenormous weapons and gem-adjective-colored eyes, and if you just can't get past that fact, then you're proooobably in the wrong fandom. So please, fandom-at-large, STOP crying "MARY SUE MARY SUE" at every character, canon or original, that pops up with a Keyblade and sparkly blue eyes. It's not about what they're capable of doing, it's about how canon characters react to that.
So what IS a Mary Sue, exactly? A Mary Sue/Gary Stu is any character that causes any canon character they are interacting with to behave OOCly, or who changes canon to specifically suit their individual needs. 90% of the time, they are intended (consciously or not) to be a stand-in for the author, and 99.9% of the time the story is poorly written because of the OOC nature of it. That is all there is to it.
Wielding a Keyblade, even a super-amazing one? Having special hair, eyes or physical appearance? Having extraordinary powers? These DO NOT automatically make a character a Sue or Stu. What they often are is symptoms of a Mary Sue. A Mary Sue is LIKELY to have the special powers, looks or weapons, because it provides an easy way for the canon characters to take notice of them. But you can most definitely be a Sue without them. Consider the infamous "Anna" Mary Sue: she did not have special powers, and I don't think her appearance was even mentioned for awhile. But that character is still considered a Mary Sue. Why? Because she forces all of canon and its characters to revolve exclusively around her; for canon characters to behave OOC. That is ultimately what Mary Sues do, and what makes them annoying. And no, none of the canon females fit the definition:
Kairi? Not a Sue. Her friends care about her and the bad guys want to use her powers for evil, the same way they do for Sora and Riku and etc. She's treated ICly.
Namine? Not a Sue. Friends and foes alike treat her ICly the same way they do their own friends and foes.
Xion? Not a Sue. The others in the Organization all behave ICly when around her; the only people she makes friends with are the two Nobodies actually wanting to have friends in the first place.
Aqua? Not a Sue (as far as we know). She kicks ass, looks good and uses a Keyblade, and that does not equal Sue.
And let's not even get into the "Sora is a Gary Stu" business. I have strong dislike for the term "Canon Sue" anyway, but that's me. Nearly EVERY major character in this series has super-mega-awesome-powers with hugenormous weapons and gem-adjective-colored eyes, and if you just can't get past that fact, then you're proooobably in the wrong fandom. So please, fandom-at-large, STOP crying "MARY SUE MARY SUE" at every character, canon or original, that pops up with a Keyblade and sparkly blue eyes. It's not about what they're capable of doing, it's about how canon characters react to that.