Everything You Need To Know About Fan Characters

What’s a Fan Character?

First thing’s first: definition time!  Fan characters are original creations made by fans. They exist within the context of an established fictional universe. In other words, they’re OCs for a pre-made storyline. Plus, they’re carefully crafted to fit into pre-existing lore. They can be self inserts, sonas, kinsonas, or any other type of character! 

Honestly, most people just make fan characters for fun. It’s a great creative outlet! Plus, it’s easy to build on something that already exists. Especially compared to building a whole universe from scratch! Just because they’re fun doesn’t mean they can’t have impact, though! Me-Mow is a fan character of the show Adventure Time. He was made by a young Gunnar Gilmore, a fan of the show. He sent in his fanart, and the Cartoon Network team fell in love. Soon enough, Me-Mow went from fan character to canon character! So, don’t be scared to create fan characters. You never know what they may become! 

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What’s the difference between an Original Character and a Fan Character?

Original characters are usually totally unique. Fan characters, though, often live in an already existing fictional universe.  This isn’t always the case, though. People who create characters are super creative. So, they find ways to think outside of the box all the time! Fan characters can start out as OCs, or vice versa. After all, Fifty Shades of Grey was originally a Twilight fanfiction! 

How to Create a Fan Character!

Here’s a general guide on making fun fan characters. Making characters can be a unique process for everyone. So, don’t think of this guide as a rulebook! You can do the steps backwards or out of order. (Or, however you find works best for you!) 

1. First thing’s first: inspiration! You have to be in a fandom to be able to make a fan character. Don’t worry, it’s not hard to join a fandom! All you have to do is enjoy a series, and BOOM! You’re in! So, for this example, let’s hone in on the Annoying Orange franchise. We can all probably agree that there’s not really a lively fandom with this one. That doesn’t mean we can’t make something fun, though! This is also a great time to mention something important about fan characters. The most important part of making fan characters is having fun! So, that’s exactly what we’re going to do with this example!some text
   1. When you make your fan character, remember to consider their universe. You don’t want to create a character that wouldn’t fit into canon, right? (By ‘canon’, I mean the ‘reality’ of a fictional world.) So, study your reference material. We want our character to look like they belong in the show, too! Here, I’ve highlighted some important parts about this character to integrate into our fan character.

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2. Next, it’s time to make an OC. This part can be as in-depth or surface level as you want! We’re going to keep it simple. For this step, it’s important to keep the fundamentals of character design in mind, too.  For this character, I chose a round fruit: a tomato! Firstly, the roundness of the character tells us that she’s pretty harmless. Second, the fact that she’s a tomato is a bit out there. So, her personality is a little quirky to match her looks! Keeping these simple ideas in mind are a quick way to elevate a silly character. some text
   1. If you like, you can write an explanation for why your fan character isn’t in canon. For this example, we can say that this character isn’t accepted in the fruit community. She’s sorta quirky and different from the rest, personality-wise. Beyond that, some people don’t even think she is a fruit! *Insert dramatic gasps here* 

3. So, we’ve got the design and personality down. Great! All we have to do now is create. From here, we can write fanfictions, fan comics, or any other fanwork imaginable! The options are truly endless. So, we won’t go into all of them! You probably have some great ideas on what you want to do next. 

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Is this Legal?

Anything is legal if you don’t get caught! But, seriously. You can’t just drop different colors on Sonic and expect to not get slapped by copyright! Let’s make sure you won’t be behind bars for a cartoon before jumping into making a fan character.

Do You Know You Have Rights? The Constitution Says That You Do! 

Look, we aren’t lawyers. This isn’t meant to be taken as legal advice. If you’re looking for something more in-depth, check out the laws themselves! That’s truly the best source, if you want to be super safe. This section will give you a general idea of some common legal concepts. Knowledge is power!

• Copyright: A legal protection given to creators of original works.  (Like books, music, movies, and, in this case, art!) It ensures that only the creator has the right to use, distribute, or sell their work. This protection starts as soon as the work is created and fixed in a tangible form. (Like being written down or recorded!) Copyright doesn't protect the actual ideas. Instead, it focuses on the specific expression of those ideas. For example, two authors can write different books based on the same idea.  Plus, each book would be protected by copyright! 
• Fair Use: A legal concept that lets people use copyrighted material- without permission! Only in certain situations, though. (Those situations are usually things like criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, and research). Fair use helps encourage freedom of expression and the sharing of ideas. Whether a use is considered fair depends on four factors. The purpose of the use, the nature of the work, the amount used, and the effect on the work's market value. Each case is unique and must be evaluated individually. 
• Public Domain: Creative works that are not protected by copyright. So, they can be used by anyone without permission! Works enter the public domain in a couple ways. The copyright may expire. Or, the creator may waive their rights. Orrrrr, the work may not meet the criteria for copyright protection at all! Examples of public domain works include music by Beethoven and novels by Jane Austen. Once a work is in the public domain, it belongs to everyone, and anyone can use it freely. 

What is Art Theft?

Art theft isn't just about big-time heists.  It can also mean stealing someone's ideas. This happens when an artist copies another's unique style or concept without permission. Common examples include tracing, use of AI, recoloring, or removing watermarks. Some people believe art theft is a victimless crime. The truth is that it is not. Firstly, the creator misses out on the credit. Without credit, fans of the art will not know where to see more. So, the creator misses out on a whole new fan! This could even lead to lost revenue. Another problem with art theft is that sometimes, it happens by accident. So, it’s great to be educated about what art theft really is. Then, you can avoid doing it! 

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Tracing is a two sided tool. On one hand, it helps artists learn and improve their skills. Many beginners trace to understand shapes and proportions. Plus, tracing the shape of a figure can help build muscle memory. So, tracing can be okay! If it’s done privately, or for practice, there’s really no issue. The problem with tracing comes when someone claims that they drew someone else’s work. It’s like using a mold to make something. Then, not telling anyone you used a mold! When artists trace others' work and claim it as their own, it becomes theft. The key is intent - learning versus stealing.

It’s perfectly fine to use existing artwork… as long as you’re honest about it! Don’t claim it as your own in any way, shape, or form. That means that traced or recolored have to usually be kept private. If you’re extra careful, you can share it and credit the original artist. Most people won’t have an issue with that. Many artists use these techniques to practice their skills. Or, to create something new from existing art. However, if you decide to share your work online, be very careful. Always give credit to the original artist. Plus, you need to make it clear that your piece is based on someone else's work. This way, you respect the original creator and avoid any misunderstandings.

Finding a Community

Fan characters are all about fan involvement. So, get involved!  Fan characters can be fun to share, make headcanons about, or more. All you need to do is cannon-ball into your fandom of choice! 

Creating is Fun in A Community!

Joining a creative community has a ton of benefits. First, you’ll find a bunch of people in the same niche as you. Plus, some communities host events for you to participate in. Some enjoy to create OCs for games of Dungeons and Dragons, or even create campaigns together! Whatever your fandom is, you’re destined for fun. 

It’s always great to keep safety in mind, too. If you’re under 18, this is especially important. Remember to report weirdos to a trusted adult, or to a cyber tip line. (It’s anonymous!) You might have to deal with haters or trolls, too. It’s important to remember that the opinion of these strangers do not matter. Listen, millions of people followed an egg on Instagram. People on the internet aren’t always being the smartest. So, don’t pay trolls any mind!

Joining the CharacterHub community guarantees a ton of forms of fun. Using CharacterHub, you can actually create fan characters. They can even be based on someone else’s original content! On top of that, you can also be featured in an article like this one! In the next section, we’ll show off some awesome fan characters from our community. Thanks for your submissions!

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Examples of Fan Characters!

Hekireki Arashi by justafsh:

A fan character for Demon Slayer. 

“Hekireki Arashi is a next generation demon slayer. Recruited to ensure that demons don’t come back, Hekireki uses thunder breathing. He is normally quite laid back and enjoys playing shogi with others. He has very little connection with the main cast, but does hear all the tales of them and uses them for inspiration to keep fighting for humanity.”

Zenith by idkimjusthereno:

A Wings of Fire fan character.

“Zenith was born in the royal SandWing court, the result of a love affair between the SandWing queen, Atacama, and a NightWing named Manifest. Raised as a dragon who was somewhat disrespected by other dragons of the stronghold, Zenith embraced a very nonchalant and almost blissfully ignorant personality to prove that they belonged in the stronghold just as much as any other dragon. They never let others push them around, and will often push back if anyone tries.

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Zenith has a sister, older by two years, named Diamondback. Unlike Zenith, Diamondback was left in the desert, and in all her years of being away rose to the infamous name of the Hybrid Assassin.”

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Roy Orchid by Monocoven:

A fan character for Welcome Home, a horror Alternate Reality Game (ARG). 

"Roy Orchid is the resident plant lover in Welcome Home, especially since he's a mantis. Roy can be a bit timid and shy around the other neighbors, but he's always willing to share his vast knowledge on all things plant related. Trustworthy, passionate and humble, Roy's goal is to use his botanist skills to look after all the different plants around Home."

Enoklar by SeiKittea:

An Invader Zim fan character.

“A demolitions expert, once loyal to the empire, he is now wanted and on the run with his life mate as they evade capture and try to live a new life together.”

Remanu by RiverRainStudio:

A Pokemon fursona fan character!

“Remanu is a Koraidon that has lived for 2000 years, after having a diet of only herba mystica growing up he has become immortal. Now he tends to the herba mystica in a deep cave, the only question is is he there to protect the herba mystica? Or to protect pokemon from immortality.”

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Zach by GalaxticArtz:

A Gravity Falls fan character! (He’s an alternate universe (AU) version of Dipper!)

“A Version of Dipper Pines from the 7B2-Universe. Found out about too much, and left his universe for good. Now, [he’s] an Anomalie Exterimantor. [Canonically] has the Book of Bill.”

 Using CharacterHub

If you’re interested in creating any type of character, you gotta check out CharacterHub. Seriously. It’s the best place for all things OC: profile creation, roleplay, sharing art, and more! Sure, you can make tons of totally customizable OC profiles there. BUT! You can also create fanfictions, fanart, fan characters, or any other kind of fanwork for another creator’s content. You won’t regret giving it a shot! Share a fan character today by clicking here.

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