[Kamen Rider Lucha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matrixbeast

Ian losing his cool facade, breaking down and weeping over the loss of a leader, a mentor, a friend, and an ally is emotional growth. Daigo standing with resolve is not because that's what he's always done. Daigo has never changed. He's not grown as a leader, he's not grown as a team mate, and, worst of all, he's not grown as a character. Daigo "Is what he is," and that's an unsympathetic, infallible titan who spouts "Bureivu" constantly and acts like that's what makes a character.

The Daigo hate is because he's an immovable statue in terms of character. He's literally perfect as stated by the series, and when explicitly stated that his only character flaw is that he's held back because he's too perfect for his team, then there's a problem.

I don't disagree with you, but I'm going to say his lack of development isn't much of a problem for me.

Not all characters need to change over the course of a story. This is a lesson I learned from watching Doctor Who and reading super hero comics.

To illustrate my point: The Doctor rarely changes or grows as a character over the course of a story. Instead, he acts as a catalyst that inspires growth and change in those around him. That's why Moffat and others have said that Doctor Who is actually a show about the companion -- because the companion is the one going through an observable character arc. (A couple quotes from Moffat: "We don't often do good character episodes for the Doctor. He's usually the one who catalyses other people's big emotional moments. We never see him when he's alone, he's always with his human friends." And, "Well, in a way, Doctor Who is almost more the story of the companion. It’s her take on the Doctor. It’s the adventure that she goes on with the Doctor. That’s the story that we tell. The companion changes more than the Doctor ever does.")

I think super heroes like Batman act in a similar way. His revolving crew of supporting cast members are allowed to go through drastic character changes while Batman stays more-or-less the same. His heroic certainty and dedication provide inspiration for the characters who surround him. They go off to bigger and better things, while Batman sticks around in Gotham and gathers new companions who he inspires in similar ways.

Getting back to Kyoryuger, I think Daigo plays a similar role in that series as The Doctor and Batman play in their own. He's delivered to us as a pre-packaged, perfect, sparkling hero -- someone to look up to -- and that perfect heroism inspires change and growth in the other members of the team. I feel like this is emphasized best in the episode where all the Kyoryugers have to face their flaws to elevate their powers -- but Daigo can't access those powers because he has no flaws.

So yeah, while I do think you have a point in Daigo not really changing much, and I respect that that sort of character doesn't resonate with you -- I think he still serves an important, deliberate part in the series' overall narrative arc.