The thing is, having a "Mary Sue trait" does not turn a character into a Mary Sue. You can have a character with strange eyes without them being a Mary Sue. You can have a character who in a single month surpasses someone who has put years of hard training into a skill without them being a Sue. You can even have a character who has several "Mary Sue traits" without them being a Sue. Being a Mary Sue or not has less to do with the character and more to do with how they're written.
If a character is always shown as being right, loved by everyone even if they have to act wildly out of character to do it, and causes the plot to bend over backwards for them, you've probably got a Sue, even if they're the most uninteresting character in the world. On the other hand, if you've got a kung-fu using, time-travelling, magical, super intelligent, rich girl who's descended from the main character and has come to the past to change the future, you might not have a Sue depending on how they're written. Granted, the second character is much more likely to end up being a Sue than a run of the mill extra who got ahold of the spotlight, but as long as they're well written and don't completely hijack the plot, it's possible to avoid turning them into a Sue.
The list of "Mary Sue traits" is ultimately meaningless. It isn't a checklist, it's a mentality. The mentality that one needs to be the center of attention at all times and everything that goes on exists solely to serve said center of attention.
Fanfiction I hate.
There are a lot of variations on a Mary Sue.
What is your take on them? Do you think you have successfully avoided this trope? Is it possible to write a fan fic without succumbing to at least one Mary Sue trait?
Akira Toriyama (April 5 1955 - March 1, 2024).