Line #12 AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/HaruhiSuzumiya


1	''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' practically ''invites'' you [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation to do this.]] Haruhi and Kyon are extremely discussible characters.
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3	* Haruhi herself is perhaps one of the most controversial characters in recent memory. There are valid points for every camp, yet there's ''no'' common opinion even within the respective camps, which includes:
4	** A cruel, selfish {{Jerkass}} and SociopathicHero that cares about nothing beside her own welfare and enjoyment. Note that most of the people that feel this have only watched the anime and were incredibly off-put by her initial {{jerkass}} behavior [[HypeBacklash and the fact that everyone seemed to love her]].
5	** An absolutely random nutjob that can be either cruel or benevolent, never because of moral convictions but rather because she's just in the mood for it. Usually put together with RebelliousSpirit.
6	** A textbook egocentric JerkWithAHeartOfGold with a dash of sociopathy, who never really learned to socialize with other people, is utterly disenchanted with the world as a whole and therefore "is just what she is". So amoral that she simply doesn't see the "evil" in things like blackmailing and molestation. Due to CharacterDevelopment, she gets pushed to be a more empathic and kind person.
7	** {{Tsundere}} or not? Even that is highly debated. Some say she hits every aspect of a Tsundere. Some disagree completely, saying she's the {{jerkass}} and ''Kyon'' has more tsundere tendencies. There's also the opinion that she's an ''inversion'' of a Tsundere, being abusive when she's happy with people and silently affectionate when she's ''boiling'' inside. Still, some also say she's not so much tsundere as "Genki Yuutsu", meaning [[MoodSwinger she flips between]] GenkiGirl / TheEeyore, rather than between violent/affectionate. From how the article states it right now, this wiki seems to rather disagree with her being a {{tsundere}}.
8	** ''Even her sexuality is questioned''. Is she hetero and molests Mikuru just for fun? Is she really bisexual and, well, lets her lust speak for itself? And who knows, maybe someone thinks she's a full-fledged lesbian too. People have been saying "she's just Haruhi", which would seem best because it's [[RuleOfFunny hilarious]].
9	** In one of the later light novels we get to see what's effectively another Haruhi, who's actually a rather sweet girl simply because ''there's already a Haruhi around''. Basically, this girl agrees in every significant way with Haruhi's philosophy and takes the discovery of Haruhi and the SOS Brigade to be "setting background" absolutely proving that she really is the protagonist of a story lovingly crafted to validate her own existence and satisfy all her desires. It's shocking how much more social, easygoing, affectionate and happy she is compared to Haruhi: the former isn't feeling pressure to dominate every aspect of her relationships and environment because she can trust there's already somebody doing all that work for her benefit. Of course, whether this really represents an insight into the real Haruhi (with the implication her antisocial, manic and reality-denying habits exist as an alternative to melancholy) is debatable.
10	* Kyon has a bunch, too.
11	** One interpretation (at least for the anime) is that he simply feels that Haruhi is annoying and has no feelings for her (not even friendship) whatsoever, but can't actually ''say'' this because it could destroy the world. This can be supported by his attitude towards Mikuru, among other things, but the best evidence is if you take the anime's conclusion into consideration: [[spoiler:despite being an intelligent guy, he ignores everyone's hints that he should kiss Haruhi for an absurd length of time, the only thing that drives him to it is the possibility of spending eternity alone with someone who annoys him as much as she does. After that, his attitude towards her does not change at all, as if he was pretending to like her as a way of keeping the world from being destroyed, and would rather forget the whole unpleasant thing.]]
12	** Looking at the other side of it (and especially the light novels), however, Kyon shows more fondness and trust (if still seemingly apathetic) for Haruhi. In the novels (and [[strike:season 2]] [[strike: 3]] TheMovie of the anime) he even [[spoiler:goes completely out of his way to revert the world back to normal after it is re-written as a result of ''someone'' hijacking her powers]], when it would have been far easier for him to just work with what he had if he truly disliked Haruhi. There are also many other, smaller things he could have done to discreetly avoid her if he really wished to.
13	** And don't forget the fact that Kyon is not a reliable narrator in the least - he never truly gives us a definitive picture of his inner workings. We only ever see his reaction to it, whether faked or not. This adds to the confusion as to who/what ANY of the characters are truly like.
14	** He may also be a person that just doesn't care about the whole "Universe at stake"-plot and tries to make the best out of it. Conversely, his concern for ''persons'' is incredibly high, as opposed to Haruhi's view of persons as mere "things" and her inner, rational AgentScully. While Haruhi is incredibly intelligent and secretly rational, which makes it even easier to solve [[spoiler: the second "fake murder-game"]], Kyon has an almost magical ability to read others' true emotions.
15	** Some people also view him as a JerkWithAHeartOfGold with a dash of male {{Tsundere}}. Look in the {{Tsundere}} article for this.
16	** Considering that Kyon and Haruhi [[spoiler: have suspiciously similar interests, and that he has an unexplained connection to just about everything in the series, Kyon may be in fact the true bored dreaming creator of the universe being placated by his own creations so that he does not become bored or suspicious in his own role in their creation, instead of Haruhi, who could be an embodiment of his lost interest in the world.]] This would give a plausible explanation to many of the coincidences.
17	** Then there's the question of why, exactly, he even bothers to stick with the SOS Brigade, since he doesn't seem to ''want'' to hang around and no one's really forcing him to stay. Is he just around to drink Mikuru's tea and ogle her various costumes, as [[UnreliableNarrator he seems to want us to believe]]? Does he actually ''[[TrueCompanions like]]'' the other Brigade members and just [[SugarAndIcePersonality doesn't want to admit it]]? Does he worry about what would happen to Haruhi's mental state ? and, as a result, the universe - if he left? Is he, in a Haruhi-esque manner that supports one of the above theories, simply bored? Is it Haruhi's willpower that keeps giving him reasons to come to the Literature Club room every day? Is it simply habit at this point? Maybe he's actually hoping to become involved in more of the supernatural occurrences Haruhi causes, in spite of his insistence that he gave up on having anything other than an ordinary life after entering high school? Does he - in spite of his insistence that this isn't the case - actually have a thing for Haruhi and just isn't willing to [[UnreliableNarrator let the audience know]]? Or has he simply come to the conclusion that Haruhi would force him to come back if he tried to leave, as she has proven on more than one occasion that she is fully capable of dragging him to the club room if she finds it necessary (and probably more than that)? Because [[CharacterDevelopment he realizes]] [[spoiler: [[TrueCompanions he really likes both the people in the SOS Brigade]] [[CharacterDevelopment and the wackiness that Haruhi brings.]] ]]
18	** There is a case to be made for treating Kyon as a full accomplice for most of Haruhi's crimes. He's demonstrated time and again that he's the one person who can moderate her actions. Yet frequently he doesn't bother. Not because he's afraid it would destroy the world or thinks it would fail, but because it would personally inconvenience him. That's right, Kyon would rather stand by and watch as Haruhi commits theft, kidnapping, and felony than do anything about him, because it might annoy him! He is doubly guilty of this when it comes to Haruhi's treatment of Mikuru. Unlike in the anime, in the novel he’s the one to actually take the blackmail pictures of [[FrameUp the Computer Club President and Mikuru]]. Though he claims to have done it on instinct and without thinking, it’s understandable if [[UnreliableNarrator the reader doesn’t believe him for a second]].
19	** There's also the theory that Kyon is actively in love with Haruhi, knows that she loves him, and he's willfully denying it because it bothers him on some (or multiple) levels. This frequently plays off of the "male Tsundere" theory above, and then further fragments as to which reasons Kyon may have for this: simple denial, fear of being subjected to Haruhi's whims, general immaturity regarding romance, frustration that someone closer to his type (like Yuki or Mikuru) isn't the focus of his emotions, fear that Haruhi would reject his feelings even if she feels the same way... due to the UnreliableNarrator situation, all of these and more are quite plausible. It's worth noting than most people overlook the situation he's in when commenting on his feelings for her. Assuming the above theory is true and he does love her, perhaps he feels morally wrong acting on his feelings while lying to her about her powers. Not to mention, being her boyfriend would probably mean a lot of pressure on him. On the other end of the spectrum, if Haruhi truly does have godlike power, she could be aware of Kyon's feelings but afraid he would only act on them to prevent the end of the world. Perhaps she's even subconsciously preventing him from acting on his feelings due to this. He also might just realize that realistically-borderline-insane Haruhi needs someone who can play her down safely without causing the end of the world ''more'' than she needs a loving boyfriend right at this moment.
20	* Mikuru has her share of this as well.
21	** One prevalent interpretation is that the seemingly [[CuteClumsyGirl clumsy and helpless]] aspects of her personality are merely an act to endear to Kyon, who her superiors know is a major influence on Haruhi. This is even suggested by Itsuki, though--as with most of his theories--he never makes it clear if he was seriously suggesting this or not. The fact that her older self seems to have an unexplained agenda and is apparently somewhat devious (even Kyon, as much as he is clearly attracted to the younger Mikuru, is suspicious about said older self) lends some credence to this.
22	** Don't forget how "The Melancholy Of Asahina Mikuru" revealed a much more vulnerable and insecure sight of her which, again, leaves room for any kind of theory. Maybe she's hiding it from Kyon because she's so self-sacrificing? It certainly seems to affect her much more than the daily difficulties Haruhi puts her in. That makes her either weird, stupid or brave. Then again, one could argue how unfair it is of her to lie and use Kyon like that.
23	** It's also worth noting that unlike Nagato, Kyon and Itsuki, she's hasn't had a moment where she declares the SOS Brigade, Kyon or her friends more important than her boss or implied that this is so with her actions. Her loyalty and motives are still more for her job. This can even fit with her personality being genuine or faked; the faking part is obvious, but if that's how she really is it could help explain some of her stress.
24	** Given her boss is [[spoiler: an older version of herself from a stable timeloop]] it is unlikely she will ever end up having to declare the SOS Brigade, Kyon or her friends are more important than her boss or implied that this is so with her actions.
25	* Finally there's Itsuki Koizumi:
26	** He's a self-admitted ConsummateLiar who regularly says he is kidding after espousing various complicated theories. That puts everything he says into question, from whether or not he thinks Haruhi is God, to his loyalty to the SOS Brigade, to whether or not he is a StepfordSmiler (he hinted that he is, but who knows). Then there is the organization he works for, which seems to have it's hands in almost every aspect of their lives. That just brings up the question of how much they are manipulating all of the events surrounding the SOS Brigade, and whether their motivations are as benvolent as Koizumi says they are, and even Koizumi's loyalty to them. The only thing fandom seems to agree on is that Koizumi really likes flirting with Kyon, despite Koizumi's insistence that it is only FauxYay.
27	** His devotion to Haruhi can be interpreted differently as well. Imagine this: you are a seemingly [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent ordinary middle school student]] and suddenly here comes a [[RealityWarper teenage girl]] who gives you esper powers. Awesome Right? Wrong. You can only use said esper powers when said girl's mood gets unstable. No problem, as long as I can still use my powers however I want when she is moody right? Wrong. You must use those powers to stop monsters InvisibleToNormals. If she grows too unstable those monsters will cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. So whenever you do not have esper powers you have to keep the teenage girl happy and when you do have powers you can only use them to stop the invisible monsters from destroying the world. So you and others like you will devote your entire lives to keeping the girl happy effectively losing any chance of an [[IJustWantToBeNormal ordinary life]]. So you practically make your [[StalkerWithACrush self fall in love]] with this girl because if she's happy the world doesn't end. ButWaitTheresMore! After 3 years of devotation to the girl she starts to fall for someone else. What do you do? [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy Smile]].
28	*** In an alternate universe created by Nagato, he and Haruhi were in an unhappy relationship that even he admits could end at any moment. Alternate Koizumi was loaded with bitter, passive aggressive hatred toward Kyon because of how quickly Haruhi's interest turned to him. Whether this is a reflection of his true feeling in the real world is entirely up for debate.
29	** One of his standard disclaimers is that he isn't high enough in his organization's hierarchy to be sure about its broad goals or relationships. Some of his confederates seem convinced he's his organization's founder and does the main work of holding it together. It's possible these statements are all true.
30	* Is the SOS Brigade the universe's first line of defense against Haruhi or its biggest threat? Consider: Most of the times Haruhi almost destroys the world it's because she has no idea she's doing it and even if she did, she wouldn't know she can stop it. It could be argued that the Brigade members regularly endanger the universe because they don't trust their friend not to destroy it, despite knowing she wouldn't really wish someone dead.
31	* Are the Anti-SOS Brigade really as evil as they're made out to be?
32	** Kyouko, for instance, is a WellIntentionedExtremist at worst who is convinced that allowing Haruhi to have powers is endangering the universe, and wants to prevent that. Also, consider that she may or may not be indoctrinated into her way of thinking.
33	** Even [[JerkAss Fujiwara]], who appears to have no sympathetic qualities whatsoever, has some noble motives, (namely, trying to ScrewDestiny to allow humanity free will), though the fact that he is not a pleasant person who is [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans fine with murder to achieve his goals]] is denied by no one... [[DracoInLeatherPants hopefully.]] His faction definitely comes off more sympathetic if the previous AlternateCharacterInterpretation for Mikuru's organization is used, even if he himself does not. After all, isn't free will an admirable thing?
34	** And of course, Kuyoh Suou may be an AxeCrazy psychopath who makes [[PsychoKnifeNut Ryoko]] look sane, or she could [[BlueAndOrangeMorality honestly not know that what she's doing is wrong.]] Come to think of it, the "good" aliens ([[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch save Yuki]]) could have the same problem, considering the events of the tenth novel.
35	** And then there's Sasaki. She's either an insufferable SmugSnake who doesn't have the willpower to make her associates go away, or a kid who gives in to peer pressure to retain the closest things to friends she has. This assumes she's an InnocentBystander; perhaps the reason she lets the Anti-SOS Brigade hang around her is because [[AffablyEvil she agrees with them and is really a mastermind who will stop at nothing to regain her powers.]] At this point, it's hard to tell. Sasaki expresses no interest in being the god of the universe, and tries to actively undermine Fujiwara. It hardly even makes sense to declare her part of the Anti-SOS Brigade, since she's essentially at cross-purposes with every other member of the group. (In fact, the group isn't even united on whether Sasaki should keep the powers after taking them from Haruhi.)
36	** And then there is the occasional fanfic (generally of the [[CrackFic comedic variety]]) which just Flanderizes the whole group into {{Card Carrying Villain}}s who are actively planning to [[EarthShatteringKaboom destroy the world]] or [[OmnicidalManiac the universe itself]].
37	* Ryoko Asakura is open to some alternative character interpretation herself. [[spoiler: Especially in "Disappearance". Is she a devoted friend to Yuki, who just wants to protect her from futuristic space-gun-wielding Kyon, a yandere knife-nut who wants Kyon out of the way, or just a glitch in Nagato's programming that got personified when she recreated the world. Who can say?]]
38	** The two most definite parts to her are that she was created and exists to be Yuki Nagato's backup (with the caveat that neither of them might understand exactly what that's intended to mean) and that even when her goal really is to help Kyon she'll still find a situation where her most direct route for doing so remains trying her hardest to put a knife in him. It makes it hard to get data on her using his perspective.

Context AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / HaruhiSuzumiya