So what is the consensus on Jiren as a character?

[WittyUsername]

We’ve known from the beginning that he would be Goku’s main rival for the tournament, and it’s especially clear now that the tournament will ultimately boil down to a second confrontation between him and Goku. With that in mind, what exactly is everyone’s opinion on him as a character?

For me, as far as his anime self is concerned, he’s pretty boring. There’s really nothing noteworthy about him, outside of his status as this impossibly strong guy who rivals the the Gods of Destruction.

[ToshioWrites]

Anime Jiren has not been fleshed out at all so I can't say he's memorable other than his power and "arrogance" which I enjoy very much but there's nothing else

Manga Jiren on the other hand is basically OP Gohan /Superman and someone that I like very much and want to see more of and even root for him

[Kataphrut]

I've seen very little strong hatred for him, especially compared to the likes of Ribrianne, Caulifla or Kale. A lot of people have expressed dislike for him, but never in a way like "oh, Jiren's the worst, he's ruining this arc for me!"

I think having such a...let's be generous and call it a 'neutral' personality works in his favour because it's hard to muster up any kind of strong feeling one way or the other. At the very least, he puts on a good show. They've committed to this stoic, intimidating character and whether you like the idea or not, it's hard to argue with the execution of it.

It'll be interesting to see how he stacks up in the Dragon Ball villain pantheon when this is all over. Super's had a good run so far. Obviously Beerus landed himself in the all-time greats from the get-go, Hit, Black and Zamasu have all gone over well. The TOP has more or less undone the damage Resurrection F did to Freeza. As for Jiren, I feel like he's headed towards becoming modern Dragon Ball's new Broly (sorry Kale). He couldn't touch the top-tier villains like Freeza or Cell with a ten-foot bargepole, and the hardcore fanbase will hate him, but among a large section of the community, he's going to be the new meme badass, the measuring stick for strength debates and muscle appreciation. And you know, at the end of the day that's not the worst thing. That section of the fanbase exists, whether we like it or not.

[precita]

Calling Jiren a "character" at this point is kinda generous, he's more like an obstacle.

How would you describe his character? Stoic, silent type? You can say the same thing for a dozen other characters. He has no real personality yet, but he can improve once we get to the climax of the arc. So nobody can fully pass judgement on him just yet.

[BWri]

Anime Jiren has not been fleshed out at all so I can't say he's memorable other than his power and "arrogance" which I enjoy very much but there's nothing else

Manga Jiren on the other hand is basically OP Gohan /Superman and someone that I like very much and want to see more of and even root for him

I like that so very much, it's perfect I'm neutral on him. He's obviously a Superman insert. My best bud always likes to say that this is Toriyama adding his two cents to the Goku vs Superman debate. I like where they're going with him in the manga. In the anime he's quite boring and poorly written IMO. His fight with Hit when he proved to be "stronger than time" just made me roll my eyes. There was no context to that particular feat, just empty hype IMO. But I did find him quite entertaining in the special and I do like the tiny bits of personality he's shown. He's still the most boring character in the franchise by a mile, only defined by his power at the moment and when that fades like it does for everyone, he will have nothing. Let's hope there's more to him.

[Jigurashi]

I don't mind him. He's a basic and shallow character at the moment in the anime and the manga, though the manga has given us some background on Jiren as opposed to the anime that's given us hardly anything (though the anime indeed give us that he too has a wish he wants to make). I personally don't mind the stoic and detached traits they've given to Jiren atm, and I'm interested in knowing more about him but I can completely see why people don't give a single fuck about him. As an adversary, he definitely sells the idea of overwhelming force and power better than any before him in Super imo.

Probably most accurate to describe Jiren as somewhat of a base-breaker. In that he isn't universally loved, somewhat hit-or-miss, but isn't really massively hated.

[NeoKING]

Years ago, in the Pokemon anime there was a character named Tobias who literally came out of nowhere during the Pokemon League tournament finals and his character was "special" because he had a legendary Pokemon on his team which was unheard of.

This character had no background, no story, no motivation. He was literally just a super tough guy in the final rounds of the tournament for Ash to fight. When Ash beat his legendary Pokemon, it turns out he had another one in tow. Again, for literally no reason. Just because he was that strong.

This is because Tobias wasn't a character per se, but more so a vehicle that the writers can use to demonstrate that Ash has a long way to go before becoming a Pokemon Master.

Jiren is literally the same medium. His character isn't what's important. It's what he represents for Son Goku. I wouldn't be surprised if the ToP is the last we ever hear of him. In fact, Jiren might be considered a Diablos Ex Machina.

[Bullza]

Any consensus seems to be that he's popular, mainly just because of how powerful he is and that he's a bad ass. What criticism I have seen is that he's not that interesting.

That about sums it up really, he's far more liked than he is disliked though.

Maybe when the finale comes around, Jiren will have more to work with and he won't be as bland. The manga version is basically Superman but that could compare good or bad compared to the anime version.

[GodVegetto91]

Any consensus seems to be that he's popular, mainly just because of how powerful he is and that he's a bad ass. What criticism I have seen is that he's not that interesting.

That about sums it up really, he's far more liked than he is disliked though.

Maybe when the finale comes around, Jiren will have more to work with and he won't be as bland. The manga version is basically Superman but that could compare good or bad compared to the anime version.

That pretty much sums it up. Good analysis on it. I agree.

[precita]

I want to know why his design is literally based on an alien. Like...a real life alien.

[Michsi]

I don't know about him being popular, other new characters seem to have made a way bigger impression than him. People are intrigued because he is powerful, and are curious to see how the tournament will end, but don't seem particularly taken with him as a character. With good reason, there is little about him to like.

[sintzu]

He has nothing going for him in the anime, I think we could count on one hand how many sentences he's spoken up till this point.

In the manga he seems more interesting so if he continues to be written this way then he'll easily surpass his anime counterpart.

[puar]

He has nothing going for him in the anime, I think we could count on one hand how many sentences he's spoken up till this point.

In the manga he seems more interesting so if he continues to be written this way then he'll easily surpass his anime counterpart.

No he dosent. Hes predictable and lame in the manga. Hes bad ass in the anime for the reason that he bearly talks. More talking = less interesting

[JazzMazz]

He has nothing going for him in the anime, I think we could count on one hand how many sentences he's spoken up till this point.

In the manga he seems more interesting so if he continues to be written this way then he'll easily surpass his anime counterpart.

No he dosent. Hes predictable and lame in the manga. Hes bad ass in the anime for the reason that he bearly talks. More talking = less interesting

His the main antagonist of this arc, how is giving him a personality, motives, principles, and establishing a genuine mystery around him make him lame in comparison to a character that literally know nothing about, and don't care to learn anything about?

[SupremeKai25]

I despise anime Jiren. He lacks personality, he lacks any real piece of backstory whatsoever, he doesn't have any particular motive for the Tournament. He is just a plot device for Goku to unlock Ultra Instinct.

Manga Jiren, on the other hand, is far better, as we can see his personality, his reasons to fight, his benevolence too! Because he doesn't want to destroy other Universes, and we know what he's going to do if he wins the Super Dragon Balls.

It would've been much better if they had devoted 1 episode or 2 prior to the beginning of the Tournament to flesh-out Jiren. Show us some traits of his personality (like the manga did), his relationship with the other Pride Troopers, his backstory, his species, his homeplanet, etc...

My biggest gripe with Jiren is that we don't know why he has that power. And the anime isn't even trying to explain that! To put this in perspective, the villain of the previous arc, Zamasu, was fleshed-out much more; we explored his origins as an apprentice Supreme Kai, we saw him develop a hatred for mortals that would ultimately lead him to his demise. His power is explained in a very elaborate and in-depth way: the search for the Super Dragon Balls to switch body with Goku, the origins of Super Saiyan Rosè (the Super Saiyan Blue transformation mixed with 'pure' God ki - which Fused Zamasu also had), the immortality, the ascension to become the very fabric of the Multiverse. -EVERY- single technique Zamasu has is extensively explained and there is a reason behind his massive power.

Jiren is a major character in this arc, he has been featured extensively on every teaser for the arc and even appears in the new intro, yet Toei isn't trying to write a compelling character with a personality, goals, and flaws. They're just writing an 'OP' character who has the power that rivals a God of Destruction because... reasons.

I wouldn't hate Jiren so much if we knew how he got that power, if we knew what his species is, how he became a Pride Troopers, etc... basically, if he had a backstory. And yes, the vast majority of characters in the ToP don't have a backstory, but they are not nearly as important to the plot as Jiren.

Still, i can understand why Jiren is not nearly as hated as Ribrianne or Universe 4. Because he is actually interesting to watch for most viewers. He adds some degree of tension to the Tournament. He is not a waste of screentime.

[Generico Garbagio]

I think Jiren is kind of OK. He doesn't seem like he "needs" to be anything. He has to be the "don't care, let me meditate" type.

Of course if you ask me, I would've loved if he was exactly the same BUT said random puns all the time. Like "Ribrianne? More like RIB RYAN??" but hopefully not as bad.

And then some badass could tell him: "You know what? I think that Jiren asshole!"

[Lord Beerus]

Not much flavour in terms personality, but more than makes up for it with how much of a presence and threat he is in battle.

[pacz360]

Not much flavour in terms personality, but more than makes up for it with how much of a presence and threat he is in battle.

Same in terms of personality it's the same as Hit but more basic
I feel like he'll show more of it in his rematch with goku
His fight with Hit was a start

[Lord Beerus]

Not much flavour in terms personality, but more than makes up for it with how much of a presence and threat he is in battle.

Same in terms of personality it's the same as Hit but more basic
I feel like he'll show more of it in his rematch with goku
His fight with Hit was a start

I think the anime are going for the slowburn reveal of Jiren's true character so they can play it off as a huge twist. (I hope.)

[puar]

He has nothing going for him in the anime, I think we could count on one hand how many sentences he's spoken up till this point.

In the manga he seems more interesting so if he continues to be written this way then he'll easily surpass his anime counterpart.

No he dosent. Hes predictable and lame in the manga. Hes bad ass in the anime for the reason that he bearly talks. More talking = less interesting

His the main antagonist of this arc, how is giving him a personality, motives, principles, and establishing a genuine mystery around him make him lame in comparison to a character that literally know nothing about, and don't care to learn anything about?

you dont need to know anything about him.