This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nanyang Tech chapter.

Step aside boys, other boys are attracting girls left, right, and centre. Fictional male characters have made their way into our hearts for generations. We take a look at some of the most beloved male fictional characters in recent decades to find out what makes us prefer them over men in real life.

While watching a movie or reading a book, we may read about chivalrous, charming male characters that get you thinking “how will I ever find a guy like that in real life?” With that said, bring on the heartthrobs:

1. Edward Cullen – Twilight

The Twilight Saga Edward and Bella — Summit Entertainment

Where do I even begin? You either love him or you don’t. Amassing legions of teenage girls during Twilight’s golden years, Edward remains as one of the most raved about fictional male characters in history. Apart from his head start of being a vampire, his chivalry and gentlemanliness inducted him into the list of heartthrobs. His loyalty and love for Bella motivates him to go to the extremes in order to protect her. Her safety is his top priority. Coupled with his Adonis-like looks, he might arguably be the most perfect fictional character written in this decade.

“Dream happy dreams. You are the only one who has ever touched my heart. It will always be yours. Sleep, my only love.”

– Edward Cullen (Stephanie Meyer, Twilight)

Throughout the books, Edward ultimately puts Bella before himself. He loves her wholeheartedly and doesn’t hesitate to protect her when the situation calls for it. Already aware of his fierce loyalty to Bella, we are comfortable with his character. The social media user would say: “guys like Edward don’t exist anymore”. His chivalry and ‘ancient’ mindset of abstinence till marriage reflects his gentle personality that would be attractive to most girls.

2. Mr Darcy – Pride and Prejudice

This Pride and Prejudice gentleman stole the hearts of girls through his stoic, cold appearance beneath a warm and loving personality. Despite his initial “lack of courtesy” to Elizabeth, we later discover that he fell in love with her through their encounters with each other. Playing into the whole tsundere mood that some people dream about, Mr Darcy, a walking definition of tsundere, manages to pick up some hearts along the way.

“You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever.”

– Mr. Darcy (Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice)

What gives Mr. Darcy our preference for him as a fictional character (fantasy boyfriend)? He risks it all for the woman he loves. Elizabeth Bennet remains in the dark about the lengths in which he took to save the Bennet family’s fall from grace. He also takes no for an answer, whereby if Elizabeth rejects his feelings and advancements, he would drop the matter entirely. A great family man, respectable, and a top tier gentleman? No wonder he’s been loved and admired by girls even after over 200 years.

3. Jung Joon Hyung – Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

A marvelous swimmer who might have set the standard for girls who love athletic boys, Joon Hyung couples that with his unique and caring persona. He isn’t afraid to be himself and although he seems a little immature at times, he can be serious when the situation calls for it.

“Who will love you when you’re that ashamed of yourself?”

– Jung Joon Hyun, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

This is a guy you know will keep his girlfriend grounded. You can count on him to give you a motivational talk, a wake up call, and match your silly antics. Always concerned about his girlfriend’s welfare and being her biggest fan in her pursuits, he definitely sets the bar high for others to follow.

4. Patrick Verona – 10 Things I Hate About You

Working that rebellious, faux bad boy persona, Patrick certainly has girls wondering if they’re going to die alone (all in good fun). Beneath that bad boy exterior, he actually holds a sweet and sensitive side to him.

“See, first of all, Joey is not half the man you are. Secondly, don’t let anyone, ever, make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want. Go for it!”

– Patrick Verona, 10 Things I Hate About You

The way he treats his friends also provides girls with a good gage of his personality. Initially standoffish to Cameron, he ends up warming up to the younger boy and even provides great life advice. He is distressed after Kat found out about the deal he made and constantly ponders about it. Eventually, he gives in to his feelings and the film ends with a happy ending. This journey with Patrick’s persona and thinking gives us an in-depth understanding of his character, moving us to form attachments to him.

5. Troy Bolton – High School Musical

The original fictional heartthrob of Millennials and Gen Z’s earlier arrivals. Troy is the captain of the basketball team, he’s East High’s star basketball player, he can sing and dance, he’s friendly and outgoing, what’s there not to love?

Gabriella Montez: In my other schools, I was the freaky Math girl. It’s cool coming here and being… whoever I wanna be. So, you wanna do the callbacks?

Troy Bolton: Hey, just call me freaky callback boy!

– High School Musical

His non-judgemental demeanor puts everyone around him at ease. He is also an extremely relatable character – he has a mental breakdown song in every single movie (beat that). His loyalty to his friends and affections for Gabriella assures us that he’s all-round agreeable and caring, stealing the hearts of girls in hopes that their future boyfriend will possess some of Troy’s traits.

6. Kim Shin – Goblin

K-drama fans, you are not forsaken. Goblin remains as one of the most successful Korean dramas of its time.The slow, budding romance and overall melancholic tone was a hit both in South Korea and internationally.

“Every moment I spent with you shined. Because the weather was good, because the

weather was bad, and because the weather was good enough. I loved every moment of it.”

– Kim Shin, Goblin

His great manners, sense of justice, and impeccable fashion sense points him out from the crowd. He deeply treasures his love, Eun Tak, even getting momentarily jealous when her eye strays to other guys. The best part? He appears right after you blow out a flame (talk about timeliness at its finest). Girls wish for a boyfriend to be as caring as Shin, and have someone to take nice strolls and teleport through doors with.

Why do we prefer them?

These guys make you feel happy that you’re single because you won’t feel guilty about falling for a fictional character. All these characters display at least one personality trait which we empathise with, or are looking for in a guy. When you meet someone in real life, you are inevitably self-conscious about the way he might perceive you. Contrasting this to fictional characters we love, we aren’t afraid of them judging us because we get to know them so well when reading or watching a movie. We ultimately form certain emotional attachments to them that would make us prefer them to the guys we encounter in real life. You put more trust in these fictional men as compared to real life men because you don’t know the latter’s personalities as well.

If we’ve paid attention to every nook and cranny of the story we are reading or watching, we get a very real sense of what the characters are like. We become so aware of how the character moves, talks, and reacts to situations that we’re completely at ease with them. Compared to the guy we pass on the street, or even a friend, we won’t be as aware of their personalities as we are towards our favourite fictional character. We know that these characters can’t break our hearts, that they’d take us on nice dates, and that you would have nice long conversations with them.

Hyperreality

These characters are sometimes written to be perfect. In the case of Edward Cullen, he is written to be extremely handsome. So this perception of looks would make you imagine how he would look according to you (without watching the movie). Other times, the guys would be written according to the fantasy of girls. They are the epitome of the “perfect boyfriend” that we dream about. Most times our favourite male character is the love interest of the protagonist. That is precisely why we like him. He is written to be likeable and appealing to the protagonist and more widely, the viewer. Of course there will be obvious flaws that we notice, but it wouldn’t outweigh his good attributes.

We wish to have an escape from reality while reading or watching movies, so when a handsome, well-mannered guy appears on screen, possessing the qualities of a perfect boyfriend, we immediately accept him. Because of that, we have a pre-existing standard and so every guy that we encounter would be under the scrutiny of our ‘fictional character meter’. This might be an exaggeration, but having these standards and opinions may not be a bad thing; for one, you know what you’re looking out for. But ultimately, you’ll have to create space for reality.

The It Boys: Why We Love Fictional Characters