Why Erenville succeeded as a character where others did not

[Iscah]

they made him hot because we already liked him so much.

At this point it's feeling like a bit of a pattern that as soon as the fandom likes a "cool old guy" character, he gets swapped out for being younger and the new version doesn't necessarily work as well.

Hyth does make sense as a younger version of the shade we meet in Amaurot, who feels more mellow and reflective, but it's still a bit of a jump in personality.

The Exarch was well-liked and we ended up with young G'raha instead - not that I am personally complaining, but he's clearly somewhat divisive among players.

And now we have Erenville, who in Endwalker seemed very much to me like he was supposed to be a confident veteran gleaner who only appeared young because Viera are like that. And suddenly he becomes popular and now he's suddenly a young prodigy and still in his brooding teenager phase.

I do need to replay Endwalker with Dawntrail in mind and see if it still adds up, but I really suspect it wasn't the intention.

[Cleretic]

At this point it's feeling like a bit of a pattern that as soon as the fandom likes a "cool old guy" character, he gets swapped out for being younger and the new version doesn't necessarily work as well.

Oh god, I think you might be right. Emet-Selch damn-near exactly fits this mold; the audience absolutely loved when he was a dark but intriguing figure haunted by his past and of somewhat debatable morality... and then Endwalker comes along and goes 'oh, you liked that, well you're gonna love meeting him before any of the defining moments in his life that led to him becoming who we know him to be!'

We need to keep an eye on Sphene; it'd be a weird instance, since Sphene isn't exactly 'old' so much as 'ageless and unchanging', but it might be the closest example to see if they do this to a woman too; they could bring in the true, non-Endless Queen somehow.

[LilimoLimomo]

We need to keep an eye on Sphene; it'd be a weird instance, since Sphene isn't exactly 'old' so much as 'ageless and unchanging', but it might be the closest example to see if they do this to a woman too; they could bring in the true, non-Endless Queen somehow.

Similar but different, when they first introduced Hydaelyn the framing suggested that she was a giant crystal. Later on they present Hydaelyn instead as a young woman, whom we know is distinct from the Mothercrystal since it continues to exist after the death of Hydaelyn. They really gijinkaed that rock!