I'm used to liking characters who are widely disliked by the general audience, often even cast aside by the author themselves. It becomes exhausting. You can openly say you like a character in your own fandom, and immediately people start comparing them to someone else, listing baseless reasons why the other character is supposedly superior. And if you happen to ship a female character with one of these infamous figures, you can expect an onslaught of comments accusing you of romanticizing abuse, insisting that the girl "deserves better" than to be paired with someone like that.

I remember watching Alice in Borderland a few months ago, and I genuinely enjoyed the show. That said, this is my personal opinion. I never really shipped Usagi and Arisu. They were clearly important to each other, and they deserved happiness, but their dynamic never compelled me enough to actively ship them. In fact, I didn't care much about ships in Alice in Borderland at all.... until Ryuji appeared. I loved his character. His attraction to Usagi and the dynamic they shared stood out to me immediately. Watching him yearn and obsess was compelling, however twisted that obsession may have been. He defo was willing to let everything go to spend a peaceful life with Usagi. We see that in the final episode when he sees his future episode. I found myself rooting for them, even though they were never meant to end up together, which, realistically, was hardly surprising. Not too surprisingly, most people disliked Ryuji and couldn't fathom the idea of Usagi and Ryuji as a pairing. The dominant argument was always that Usagi would never choose anyone over Arisu. And frankly, I don't care. Ryuji was obsessed with her, and she clearly cared about him as well. For me, that alone is reason enough to ship them.

And ofcourse we have, Oh Inseop, our goat, who's hated by the GA, prolly will be butchered by the author (still hoping he wins in the end).

I'd like to add one more example. Defo not male, and not a yandere, but an exceptionally good villain: Makima from ChainSaw Man.

During season one, she was widely loved, and after the film's release, public opinion shifted almost entirely against her. Which kinda makes sense, she's evil af. BUT I freaking love her character. Knowing what she does later in the manga hasn't changed that for me in the slightest. She remains one of the most compellingly written characters in the series, for me. But ppl are kinda assuming that everyone hates her after what she did to Reze or the ones who still like her are only simps. Like NO. Her wrongdoings don't diminish her value as a character; if anything, they deepen it. She is a well-crafted villain, arguably one of the best in the story. Not every character needs to be judged solely on moral correctness, and not every appreciation of a character is an endorsement of their actions.

Tbh same goes for characters like Draco Malfoy (HP), Ryu Shi-o (Strong Girl Nam Soon), Akhui (Love Song For Illusion), The Phantom from The Phantom Of The Opera, Matthias from COBYB. General Audiences tend to despise these characters, but who cares tbh, I love them. Just wanted to clear the misconception that since 'a character is evil/morally grey, he/she HAS to be disliked.' cuz no, that's not true.

I appreciate this sub sm, cuz I'm sure y'all have experienced, many times, your fav ship not getting together, your favourite character getting killed off. And y'all deserve better I'm proud of y'all.

Keep loving villains and evil characters🙌🏻