You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Character introductions are important, as they can establish a character as a funny comic relief character, a caring or warm hearted individual, or simply establish the person as someone you don't want to mess with. If done well they can sum up the characters personality immediately, and immortalize them in the minds of an audience. Feel free to skip the novel.
Sephiroth
General Grievous
Elfen Lied (STRONG graphic content warning)
The question then is simple. What are character introductions that were striking to you, and guaranteed that you would remember the character forever. That summed up their personality, and established them as a boone or as a threat. And why do you think the scene was so effective?
Sephiroth
The first one I'll mention is sephiroth. Now, he's been overexposed at this point, and a lot of people are rather tired of hearing about him. But many individuals forget just how intriguing he was at the time, as the game kept him shadowed in mystery for the entire first part of the story. We hear his name whispered by Cloud, and by President Shinra, who seem to hold him in reverence. We don't know who this man is yet, but it's clear that he's important. When he does show up, it's one hell of an introduction. Cloud and friends were easily captured by Shinra, and thrown in jail. And yet, when you wake up, the power to the entire building has been wiped out. There's blood everywhere, and if you follow the path of destruction he's left in his wake, you find his sword sitting in the back of the man who, at this point, was the primary antagonist. Where you failed, sephiroth walked in and achieved his goal effortlessly. Bare in mind, we haven't even seen him yet. This is importent, because the game spends a massive amount of time building up his reputation before introducing him to us.
When we do meet him in the flashback, he's a cold but decent human being. We get to know his strengths and weaknesses, and sympathize with him as a person. When he cracks, the game delivers the scene flawlessly. The music is low and sinister, but it builds upon itself as you get closer to the burning of nebelheim. Finally he lays waste to the town, and we're given one of the greatest moments in gaming history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrX7aFlSZBQ
The game then continues to build him up. After facing the midgar serpent, an enemy that's unbeatable at this point in the game, we see it killed and displayed as a testament to Sephiroths glory. The game uses the mechanics to emphasize the power of the enemy we're dealing with. It spends a lot of time and care establishing its villain before we ever get the opportunity to actually speak with him. This adds to his aura and characterization, and, love him or hate him, his introduction is nearly flawless.
When we do meet him in the flashback, he's a cold but decent human being. We get to know his strengths and weaknesses, and sympathize with him as a person. When he cracks, the game delivers the scene flawlessly. The music is low and sinister, but it builds upon itself as you get closer to the burning of nebelheim. Finally he lays waste to the town, and we're given one of the greatest moments in gaming history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrX7aFlSZBQ
The game then continues to build him up. After facing the midgar serpent, an enemy that's unbeatable at this point in the game, we see it killed and displayed as a testament to Sephiroths glory. The game uses the mechanics to emphasize the power of the enemy we're dealing with. It spends a lot of time and care establishing its villain before we ever get the opportunity to actually speak with him. This adds to his aura and characterization, and, love him or hate him, his introduction is nearly flawless.
General Grievous
I'm talking about the cartoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IrsE7nRQGE
As bad as the prequels were, I do believe this scene has merit. A new character kills off a host of established, skilled fighters. He does it in a psychological, brutal fashion, and he always seems to have a trick up his sleeve as the series progresses. He's a monster, but he's incredibly intelligent and dangerous. When he arrives, it's clear that major characters are going to die, and the audience realizes that the plot armor is gone. Though he was ruined in the films, I do believe his introduction here was one of the most memorable I've seen for a character.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IrsE7nRQGE
As bad as the prequels were, I do believe this scene has merit. A new character kills off a host of established, skilled fighters. He does it in a psychological, brutal fashion, and he always seems to have a trick up his sleeve as the series progresses. He's a monster, but he's incredibly intelligent and dangerous. When he arrives, it's clear that major characters are going to die, and the audience realizes that the plot armor is gone. Though he was ruined in the films, I do believe his introduction here was one of the most memorable I've seen for a character.
Elfen Lied (STRONG graphic content warning)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFvhKxWumcc
I love this scene. It does so many things right, and even though the script had its problems, the execution is damn near perfect. First of all, it sets the tone immediately. The scene starts off silent and methodical, giving you time to think. Lucy begins to hum, which both sets the creepy atmosphere for the scene and foreshadows her relationship with the protagonist, who she's been desperate to see for several years. The nature of the show is also set by the graphic nudity and violence. Now, while there is certainly fanservice in this series, and it should have been cut out, I don't believe this is the case in this scene. The helmet dehumanizes her, and the nudity connects the sexuality and violence in such a way that it acts as a visceral attack on the audience, similar to the nurses in Silent Hill 2. She also bares resemblance to a classical painting I once saw of a naked angel wearing a helmet, preparing for revelations. This may be a coincidence, but it did capture my attention, and we know from the intro that the creators appreciate classic art. It's not really an erotic scene (unless you're into that kind of thing). Rather, it's psychological and alienates Lucy's character from the audience and humanity in general. The horrible violence that follows establishes her character. She kills dozens of people without any effort or remorse, and even seems to take mild pleasure in torture. However, this introduction serves as a narrative misdirection, as it turns out that she was actually a very caring individual at one point, and in some ways still is. This makes her fall from grace all the more potent.
I love this scene. It does so many things right, and even though the script had its problems, the execution is damn near perfect. First of all, it sets the tone immediately. The scene starts off silent and methodical, giving you time to think. Lucy begins to hum, which both sets the creepy atmosphere for the scene and foreshadows her relationship with the protagonist, who she's been desperate to see for several years. The nature of the show is also set by the graphic nudity and violence. Now, while there is certainly fanservice in this series, and it should have been cut out, I don't believe this is the case in this scene. The helmet dehumanizes her, and the nudity connects the sexuality and violence in such a way that it acts as a visceral attack on the audience, similar to the nurses in Silent Hill 2. She also bares resemblance to a classical painting I once saw of a naked angel wearing a helmet, preparing for revelations. This may be a coincidence, but it did capture my attention, and we know from the intro that the creators appreciate classic art. It's not really an erotic scene (unless you're into that kind of thing). Rather, it's psychological and alienates Lucy's character from the audience and humanity in general. The horrible violence that follows establishes her character. She kills dozens of people without any effort or remorse, and even seems to take mild pleasure in torture. However, this introduction serves as a narrative misdirection, as it turns out that she was actually a very caring individual at one point, and in some ways still is. This makes her fall from grace all the more potent.
The question then is simple. What are character introductions that were striking to you, and guaranteed that you would remember the character forever. That summed up their personality, and established them as a boone or as a threat. And why do you think the scene was so effective?