Why is Tyrion everybody's favorite?

[The Reckoner]

I enjoy Tyrion for his ruthlessness, wit, and fallibility, especially his journey in ADWD.

[Forelver]

I was drawn to him from the first because of his friendship with Jon, his making the saddle for Bran, his standing up for Sansa against Joffrey's beatings. I like his humor as well and his tending to outsmart his way out of trouble-but it was his identifying and standing up for the underdog that I liked the best. I was very disappointed when he became a double murderer but not enough to give up on him. I think by the end of Dance he was starting to return to form. I agree he's definitely done some very bad things and some things I hate-but so have some of the other favorite characters in this series like Theon and Jaime. I think in this series very few people are pure heroes, you have to take the good with the bad and that's one of the themes of the books.

[Woman of War]

Sigh,those threads come up regularly

here is the link to another like or hate thread:

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/118124-hate-for-tyrion-danaerys/page-6#entry6299834

[JonCon's Red Beard]

I like him because he's very human. Those who have never done or wished something bad upon those who had hurt them, then go ahead and throw the first stone at him.

[Annara Snow]

I don't know if he's my favorite, but I like him as a character. Why? Because he's the only "intellect" character who you get their POV. Because he was an interesting foil for Cersei. Because there are many things that make him a sympathetic character. Because he's something of grey character, which makes him more interesting. He's well written and he can be quite funny.

He's a really interesting, complex and well written character, he has lots of great lines, he has funny lines but he also has a heartbreaking backstory, and he is at least partially sympathetic. There are more than enough reasons that he is one of the most popular characters. That, however, doesn't mean that everyone likes him or that he's absolutely the favorite character of book readers - Arya and Jon came up on top in several polls.

I also don't know many fans who want him and Dany to become a couple. Dany/Jon is the more popular ship, but many dislike that one, too.

And to think, our very own GRRM wants to be him! :o

GRRM must be very masochistic if that's what he'd like, considering Tyrion's life, emotional issues and everything GRRM put him through!

I think he just wishes he was as witty as Tyrion IRL.

I don't know what's worse, the whitewashing he gets in the show, or the blackwashing he gets around here. :rolleyes:

He gets both whitewashed and blackwashed on this forum, by different groups of fans.

[Witch]

I used to like him until ADWD. After that he became unbearable. He's a good character nonetheless.

[Lord Lannister]

I haven't been here very long, but yeah... nearly every thread where Tyrion gets brought up results in raving or bashing over him and arguments over his morality.

I don't know why everyone makes such a big deal about the morality of the characters in this series. Nearly every POV character would be institutionalized in society today after all, this setting isn't a moral world.

[Seaworth'sShipmate]

Cuz he's awesome! He is a ladies man and loves to drink wine!

[Faydra]

His chapters are good and the character itself is very well developed. Why I can't like him is because despite his wits, he is, I don't know if these are the proper words, a child internally.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

He's a misfit , not totally evil but definitely amoral . He truly seems to care about bastards ,whores , orphans and broken things. He is like a more likable Tywin .

[Robb_Warged]

I like him. He's one of the greats in the series. Objectively the most popular. I like a number of characters more though. When it comes to the Lannister family, Jaime is my favorite

[MissMatchedEyes]

Well I can't speak for everyone but I like him because he's shown kindness to almost all the Starks in some way or another even though Cat had him arrested and I like him because he's hilarious :)

[scotcat]

He isn't everyone's favourite. But the character speaks to a wide range of people.

[Winterfell Resident]

I am not a Tyrion fan. I am hoping Sansa Stark finds a way to have that marriage annulled. I can't picture Tyrion having any power in the North. Can't see it. In fact, I won't have it.

But to answer your question, I think it's because he was raised in a family that most readers despises. And Tyrion understands what his family is and without abandoning his family he tries set things right with people that have been wronged by his family as well as tries to straighten out his family members at the same time.

Tyrion is a character you kind of want to root for because he is in between a rock and a hard place. Da*%ned if you do and Da*%ned if you don't.

And because Tyrion is treated by 99% of his family like he is a cancer lends well to people rooting for this guy.

I guess it's a case of "The Enemy of my Enemy, is a Friend".

[Jasta11]

I like him because he's very human. Those who have never done or wished something bad upon those who had hurt them, then go ahead and throw the first stone at him.

I think that's a very good way to put it. I mean, I like my Ned and my Brienne and my Davos like everyone else, but let's face it, people who are as constantly nice and altrustic as them are an exception, not a rule, and goody two-shoes can remain interesting only for so long. Tyrion is just deeper than those characters, with the juxtapositions of his good acts with his less good acts, and later on his outright atrocities.

Now, that doesn't excuse everything he did by a long shot, the rape most notably. But, being dealt the hand he was given, I wonder how many people would remain on the moral high ground. Not very many, I'd wager.

As someone else said, while I wouldn't want to live with him I'd certainly share a few half-drunken conversations with him.

[Danelle]

I don't know what's worse, the whitewashing he gets in the show, or the blackwashing he gets around here. :rolleyes:

As a Tyrion fan, I find both to be amusing and slightly irritating.

[RoamingRonin]

He is an ill-made, devious, disobedient, spiteful little creature full of envy, lust, and low cunning. I wish GRRM would kill him already and stop living through him.

[thisistherevolt]

Team Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things. I'll just leave that here...

[marsyao]

Because he is suck a likable person, next time I see him, I will rub his head hard and hope that will bring me some luck

[Blackfyre Gateau]

He's complex and beautifully written, with fascinating character flaws. He's also usually placed around the intriguing action, and coupled with his witticisms, his chapters are generally enjoyable to read.

That being said, I strongly dislike him. As a literary character, I can't imagine the story without him, but as for his "person," I think he's loathsome.

Agree with first half of your post. I don't think his underlying personality or his actions are loathsome loathsome - he's a product of his environment and of the dynastic real politik of the times and the family he was born in. He tries to exercise compassion, reason and - yes - self-restraint throughout the first 3 books but for various reasons he makes choices that don't look great in the cold light of day. I don't believe he's a cruel, or vindictive man. He tried to rule diligently as Hand and to date has shown more concern for the smallfolk and middle-ranking citizens of KL than any ruler/ Hand we've yet seen close quarter or heard about. His murder of Shae - and yes that is unequivocally what that is in the book and for me even in the TV series - damns him in the sight of many readers. I think it's going to be interesting to see what Unsullied are saying and writing about him come Season 5. I think he'll have enduring popularity in the series because D&D are wise to the backlash connected to his wallowing "where do whores go" persona across ADWD. We're not going to have quite such a "pathetic" TV Tyrion on our hands, and that's no bad thing.