21 Fictional Characters Who Actually Learned Something

The point of a story is usually for a character to learn, grow and change. After all, “a guy has a nice time that doesn’t significantly alter his world view” wouldn’t be a very interesting story. It’s not required by any means — one of cinema’s greatest characters, the T. rex in Jurassic Park, is functionally incapable of such behavior — but it does tend to enhance the narrative.

In fact, some of the best character arcs leave their targets in a completely different place from where they found them. A tough guy learns to show his softer side, a total dumbass wises up, a T. rex steps up to defend humanity against a shared enemy, etc. (Hey, maybe she experienced some growth after all.) That’s why user Dexdeathbell asked r/AskReddit, “What character had the best character arc?”