I'm not going to forgive the anime for not developing Jiren personality earlier, but at least I'm glad we will got an explanation to what Jiren did to gain that level of strength.
To win, you need to adapt, and to adapt, you need to be able to laugh away all the restraints. Everything holding you back.Yeah, all I can think is that it’s way too late to start caring about Jiren’s backstory now, especially since given that the arc is ending in like five episodes it’s just going to be a cursory thing before the end anyway. There’s no time to start pretending he has a personality.
I stopped caring about the characters’ backstories in the TOP and such ages ago - since we lost Universe 6, really - mostly because the way they introduce them is flat and repetitive, and nothing has been coming of them anyway.
edited 10th Feb '18 12:09:25 PM by KnownUnknown
Hit hasn’t been around for several dozen episodes or had repeated encounters with the main characters at the time they fought. It was a hint of him, followed by a formal introduction and then the fight: very solid.
Meanwhile Jiren has, for better or for worse, has been a relatively active character in this arc. Which means the audience has already come to know him with the characterization they’ve given him. “Lacking in personality” is who he is at this point, and they can’t really change that - we can learn stuff about him that can alleviate it somewhat, but to a point.
edited 10th Feb '18 12:20:06 PM by KnownUnknown
Not really. We don’t have anytime to get to know this supposed true personality, because the series is about to end/hiatus/be replaced with the next DB series/etc. It would be more of an Informed Quality, or at best a Hand Wave, because he obviously hasn’t showed this personality exists before this point.
![]()
![]()
And again:
The length of Hit’s first appearance wasn’t what made him work. The way his first appearance was handled is. His characterization across he U6 arc is written quite differently from the way Jiren has been.
edited 10th Feb '18 12:32:22 PM by KnownUnknown
Hit vs Goku was about two episodes, to my recollection. But yeah, the difference there is that Hit is really just waiting on the bleachers aside from the part where he bodies Frost. Once he gets in the ring, he's kind of terse and straight to business, but it's because he's an assassin. He's not terribly interested in martial arts and is just there for the transport vessel.
Jiren is presumably there to save his universe, but has done a poor job displaying he wants to do so. He also has ulterior motive, which hasn't been hinted at in the slightest. Even his teammates day nothing about him other than "Wow, he's soooo strong, you guys. You're so dead, U7."
Yeah, and that can be good. But does it really need to be explained to you why some people might not care about finding out about him at this point? Super is almost over; insight into him would be nice, but if most of Jiren's time has spent with him being blank an episode or two to flesh him out isn't going to be enough to make him a character to care about for a lot of people.
edited 10th Feb '18 1:13:24 PM by LSBK
*sigh* No, it does not need to be explained to me why some find him unsalvagable, don't condescend. I have the same complaints you do about his flatness, it just doesn't bother me as much. I think Jiren getting a suitably compelling backstory and motivation could flesh him out enough to be great, I understand why you don't though.
I'm not particularly bothered by Jiren, actually. I just get why other people are, and don't feel the need to tell people "give it a chance!" or something. Presumably everyone here is still going to watch the episode, if they like what they see, fine, if they don't, that's it.
edited 10th Feb '18 1:24:59 PM by LSBK

I've noticed a trend for anime to throw in flashbacks to a character's past when it can't develop their personalities properly, as a sort of substitute.
"And when the last law was down and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, the laws all being flat?"