What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[tokinokanatae]

If the point is to appeal to the most players, then I’m not sure why G’raha Tia is under so much fire? He’s the most popular living character right now, so it only makes “logical” sense to use him as much as they can and avoid gruff and/or masculine types, as the player base doesn’t respond well to them.

Luckily, while we’ll probably be seeing a lot of G’raha Tia in the future, I don’t think the popularity of him or others of his type will stop them from making characters like Hien (or Gosetsu) should the plot call for it. Just like a wilderness zone doesn’t mean we will never set eyes on a castle ever again.

[aveyond-dreams]

If the point is to appeal to the most players, then I’m not sure why G’raha Tia is under so much fire? He’s the most popular living character right now, so it only makes “logical” sense to use him as much as they can and avoid gruff and/or masculine types, as the player base doesn’t respond well to them.

Luckily, while we’ll probably be seeing a lot of G’raha Tia in the future, I don’t think the popularity of him or others of his type will stop them from making characters like Hien (or Gosetsu) should the plot call for it. Just like a wilderness zone doesn’t mean we will never set eyes on a castle ever again.

Because he no longer behaves as the Crystal Exarch many of us enjoyed during the 5.0 MSQ and his slice-of-life stories make for absolutely nothing of substance. He is quite literally a comfort character that is still here because they did not want to go against the twitter community who would have absolutely moved on to the next available "pretty boy" the moment they stepped onscreen.

The degree to which a character is aligned with masculinity or feminity also influences how people receive them, both in appearance and behavior. Estinien and Hien are both masculine in their mannerisms and appearance and while Aymeric leans more towards pretty in his appearance, he is nevertheless a chivalrous knight-type character whose mannerisms aren't unusual.

Contrast this with G'raha Tia, who is a Face 3 catboy with hair that vaguely resembles that of a pre-school girl, with socially awkward mannerisms and general clinginess. This isn't the Exarch I enjoyed seeing on-screen in Shadowbringers anymore. He's a strange character who I am eager to leave behind.