Acknowledgements: Cookie Krisp (my sister), KiGaMi (who tried the test out for me), the Mary Sue Litmus Test (Google it).
To SoMeOnE: It depends on the situation. I'm really not 100% what you're asking, but I'll try to answer you anyways. If, by some strange situation, everyone in the story already has those exact same weapons and powers, then no, it's not Mary Sue (ex. everyone on Planet Normality uses a spear with water powers). If the character's weapons and powers are copies of another character's, then it is Mary Sue (ex. Alexandria May Raven Trinity uses a book that steals other people's abilities, just like Kuroro's). And if I still haven't answered your question, then just know that it depends on the strength of those weapons and powers in comparison to the strength of everyone else in the fandom. Even if the character's strength is greater than everyone else's, then he/she is a Mary Sue.
To Anonymous: I made a few changes to the part that you mentioned. I think you made a good point.
A note to anonymous reviewers: I don't mind answering your questions. However, it is rather difficult for me to do so because I cannot reply to your review. If you have an account, please log in. If you don't have an account, I will probably reply to you in the author's notes of this section. Thanks.
Cookie Krisp and Cursed Bunny's Mary Sue Guide (Part 2)
Okay, before I even start the Mary Sue Test, you should get to know your character. Here's a profile for you to fill out. This is mostly a profile that I created for myself, but I did borrow some things from other profiles. All proper credits to them. If you aren't going to actually bother answering everything on it, then at least have some idea of what most of the answers are (I'll admit that I'm too lazy to fill this whole thing out most of the time). It is essential to know your character's personality when writing your story.
Name:
Age:
Birthday:
Description:
On a scale from one to ten… (If you add them up, their total should not be greater than 20)
-Beauty:
-Intelligence:
-Fighting ability:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Good at:
Bad at:
Hobbies:
Habits (both good and bad):
Quotes (this helps you get to know how your character speaks):
Past:
Family:
Hometown:
Best friend:
Other friends:
Enemies and why:
Sees self as:
Is seen by others as:
Dominant character trait:
Secondary character trait:
Other personality traits:
Acts when happy:
Acts when sad:
Acts when embarrassed:
Acts when mad:
Acts when relieved:
Acts when frustrated:
Acts when annoyed:
Acts when normal:
Acts when scared:
Acts when safe:
Acts when in danger / threatened:
Acts in a bad situation:
Acts in a dire situation:
Acts when he/she thinks he/she might die:
Acts in battle:
Acts when a friend is in danger:
Acts after losing a battle:
Acts when a friend is upset:
Acts when scolded:
Acts when his/her friends are fighting:
Acts when insulted about him/herself:
Acts when friends are insulted:
Acts around people he/she knows:
Acts around people he/she doesn't:
After he/she's succeeded in something:
After he/she's failed at something:
When offered something (always/sometimes/never) accepts it:
When talking… (rude / polite)
Lets people know when he/she's sad… (Yes/No). Why/why not?
If he/she's provoked by someone:
He/she is… (sympathetic and caring / stoic and icy)
Does he/she get scared easily?
Does he/she like to tease tease?
Does he/she get jealous easily?
Greets people by:
Morals:
Things he/she thinks are important:
Confident / Insecure / Shy:
Sorry, I realize it's kind of lengthy. If you can answer them all, then, with any luck, your character isn't a Mixed-Up Sue. It never hurts to look over your answers though and make sure they aren't contradictory. Now hopefully you know your character a little better. Onto the test then~
The Test
This is based off of the Mary Sue Litmus Test, which can be found easily on Google. It's quite useful, and I would highly suggest checking it out. Furthermore, it has nice little checkboxes, so you don't need a calculator.
Directions: Answer all questions honestly. If you are not sure of an answer, it is better to just answer, "Yes" or "True". If you think the answer is, "Well… sort of," then assume the statement is true. If you are going to be in denial when taking this test, you might as well have not taken it at all.
Go get a calculator and add up the points as you go.
Name
Is your character named after you in any way? (This includes pen names, usernames, first name, last name, middle name, nicknames, etc) (+20)
A/N: This mostly applies to pen names because people tend to automatically assume that if your character's name is the same as your pen name, then your character is probably a Sue.
Is your character's name an unusual spelling of a more common word/name? (+1)
Is your character's name a noun or adjective that is not normally used as name? (+1)
Does your character have a nickname or pseudonym? (+1)
Appearance
Did your character score a 7 or higher on beauty in the profile above? (+2)
He/she works hard on his/her appearance. (-1)
Other characters/ the narrator/ the author often describe him/her as beautiful? (+4)
Was it in the first paragraph of your story? (+3)
Was it on the first page of your story? (+2)
The first thing other characters notice about the character is his/her beauty/sexiness/handsomeness. (+2)
Other characters feel jealous of the characters beauty. (+1)
The character regularly describes himself/herself as beautiful/handsome. (-3)
The character dresses impractically for the world (ex. Alexandria May Raven Trinity is taking the Hunter Exam wearing a mini skirt). (+2)
Do you find this manner of dressing to be particularly sexy/cool/pretty? (+1)
The character has multiple hair colors (ex. Alexandria May Raven Trinity has blue hair with orange highlights or hair that changes color depending on her emotional state). (+2)
The character has a hair/eye/skin color that cannot be described in just two words. (+1)
The character has a scar, birthmark, tattoo, or other marking that makes him/her more beautiful/cool. (+1)
If it's a tattoo, it's the Phantom Troupe's symbol. (+1)
The character has a scar or other marking that makes him/her ugly. (-3)
The character is overweight for the majority of the story. (-10)
The character is described as "skinny enough to be anorexic but isn't", or something along those lines. (+1)
The character has a huge weapon but nowhere to keep it. It tends to randomly appear out of nowhere. (Ignore this if it is materialized). (+1)
The character weapon is a strange piece of jewelry. (+2)
It's a pendant. (+1)
The character has wings, mermaid fins, animal ears, an animal tail, or anything of the sort. (+5)
The character is so gorgeous that canon characters are automatically attracted to him/her? (+3)
Even if the canon characters already have a love interest. (+1)
The character appears younger than he/she is. (+1)
The character is ugly, and remains ugly, throughout the entire story. (-15)
Character
The character is family of a canon character. (+1)
He/she is part of the Kuruta clan. (+2)
He/she is the sibling of Gon, Killua, Leorio, any of the Spiders, etc. (+1)
He/she is the child of one or more of the canon characters. (+2)
The character is the child of two already established and well-known hunters. (+1)
They're triple-stars. (+2)
He/she inherited one or more of their talents. (+2)
The character is any kind of royalty. (+3)
The character scored a 7 or higher on intelligence on the profile above. (+1)
The character scored a 7 or higher in fighting ability on the profile above. (+2)
The character likes to kill people, and it doesn't matter to him/her whether they are or are not innocent. (-2)
The character always tries to save everyone (even the bad guys). (+2)
The character really couldn't care less what the right thing is and always does what is most beneficial to him/her. (-3)
The character is in a parallel circumstance to one of the canon characters (ex. Alexandria May Raven Trinity's tribe was killed by the Spiders but she wasn't a Kuruta). (+2)
The character was banished from his/her home. (+1)
The character has amnesia. (+2)
If, for some strange reason, he/she doesn't remember any of his/her lost memories. (-2)
The character has an angsty childhood/past. (+2)
He/she was sexually abused/raped. (+5)
Multiple times. (+15)
He/she was abused/tortured by parents. (+3)
He/she grew up in poverty. (+1)
He/she was the only survivor of a disaster/massacre. (+3)
His/her parents died while the character was still young. (+1)
He/she was born/forced into slavery or thieving. (+2)
He/she had some sort of disease/illness that prevented him/her from doing what he/she wanted but now, for whatever reason the author may choose, he/she is now able to overcome that disease/illness (+2)
He/she is always held back by the disease/illness (-3)
The character feels incredible guilt over a past event. (+1)
He/she caused it to happen. (-2)
He/she believes it was his/her fault, despite the fact the situation was out of his/her hands. (+3)
The character considers his/her beauty/talent/skill/etc to be a curse. (+3)
It actually does get in his/her way and causes him/her lots of problems. (-4)
The character has a faithful pet. (+1)
It talks. (+2)
It has special powers. (+3)
The character learns difficult skills in short amounts of time. (+3)
The character is a beautiful singer/wonderful cook. (+3)
The character has a physical limitation that fails to ever get in his/her way. (+5)
The character is always weak throughout the entire story and therefore holds back the other characters. (-10)
The character has a physical or mental limitation that always hinders him/her throughout the entire story. (-4)
The character has flaws that never seem to get in his/her way. (+3)
The character has flaws that continually get in his/her way. (-3)
The character has any of the following abilities:
Teleportation (+1)
Telepathy/Mind-reading (+2)
Telekinesis (+2)
Anything elemental (+3 for each element [ex. Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, etc])
Prophecy (+3)
Healing (+3)
Animal communication (+1)
Empathy (+1)
Shapeshifting/Transformation (+1)
Invisibility (+2)
Invulnerability (+4)
Flight (+3)
The ability to pass through matter (+2)
Manipulation of another person (+2)
Seeing/talking/manipulating ghosts/the dead (+3)
Anything to do with time/space/dimensions (+4)
Stealing other people's abilities. (+8)
The same ability as a canon character (+8)
Anything overly powerful that upsets the balance of nature (ex. Anything you wish becomes true). (+10)
The character has more than one ability (ex. Alexandria May Raven Trinity can both summon bombs and manipulate puppets). (+5)
The character's nen type is specialization. (+1)
The character's ability could actually fit under another category. (+2)
The character has a nen type that does not match his/her personality (You can look up nen abilities online. If you want to know some places to look, just ask me). (+2)
The character's nen type is reinforcement. (-2)
The character has no restrictions on his/her abilities. (+3)
The character has three or more restrictions on his/her abilities. (-2)
These restrictions are significant (ex. If Kurapica disobeys his pledge, he will die). (-3)
The character is a supernatural being (ex. An angel, vampire, elf, shinigami, etc). (+5)
He/she is from 2 or more different supernatural species (ex. ¼ Angel, ¼ Fox demon, ½ Vampire) (+2)
He/she is from 4 or more different supernatural species (+4)
The character is has a stronger sense of smell than Gon. (+1)
The character is a better assassin than the Killua/comes from an even more famous clan of assassins than Killua. (+2)
Animals like your character just as much or more than they like Gon. (+1)
The character is smarter than Kurapica/Shalnark. (+1)
The character is a better doctor than Leorio. (+1)
The character is even more genius at nen than Gon and Killua. (+3)
The character is better at cooking than Menchi. (+2)
The character has no mouth like Satotsu. (Lol?) (-10)
The character is physically stronger than Ubou. (+2)
Plot
The character is automatically accepted by Gon, Killua, Kurapica, and Leorio as part of their group. (+2)
The character is a member of the Spiders. (+2)
The character is a chimera ant. (-1)
But still has a human appearance. (+4)
The character has already met Ging at some point in his/her life. (+2)
The character, a normal resident from Planet Earth, is magically ended up in the Hunter x Hunter world. (+3)
Because of that, he/she already knows what will happen. (+2)
The character knew nen already during the Hunter Exam. (+2)
The character falls in love with Milluki, Bonolenov, or Maha. (-10)
The character is super strong (and probably knows nen) but Hisoka seems completely oblivious to her during the Hunter Exam. (+2)
At least one canon character has already started to have romantic thoughts about the character by the end of the 2nd Exam. (+3)
They've kissed. (+5)
A/N: You know, at that point, they've probably known each other for less than 24 hours… please be realistic.
The character and his/her love interest have kissed by the end of the Hunter Exam. (+2)
The character is oblivious to the feelings all of those who are in love with him/her. (+2)
The character becomes a boy/girlfriend of a canon character. (+1)
Do all the major characters like him/her? (+3)
One or more of the major characters dislikes him/her. (-2)
The character causes other characters go become OOC. (+3)
It is because the character is so beautiful. (+3)
The character often saves the day. (+2)
In doing so, he/she has stolen the spotlight from the canon character that originally saved the day in the actual story. (+2)
The character rarely makes mistakes. (+3)
When he/she does make a mistake, he/she is easily forgiven (ex. Gon makes a naïve decision, causing everyone else to suffer the consequences. Everyone apologizes and all is well). (+2)
The character dies at some point of your story. (+2)
The character dies to save his/her love interest. (+3)
The character is greatly mourned by all the other characters, including the bad guys. (+3)
The character becomes a legend because of his/her noble death. (+5)
The character comes back to life. (+10)
The character dies and comes back to life more than once. (+15 for each time he/she does so.)
You and Your Character
You and the character share more than three hobbies. (+1)
The character is everything you want to be. (+5)
You stubbornly insist that your character is not a Mary Sue and get angry whenever someone points out otherwise. (+2)
If you could meet your character, you would want to be friends with him/her. (+2)
You sometimes pretend to be your character. (+1)
You and the character share a lot in common (both in personalities and hobbies). (+3)
Results
Zero and below: The Anti-Sue. This is no better than a Mary Sue, and your character could probably use a little bit of spicing up. Anti-Sues are pretty much useless, and so they just annoy the reader. Or maybe you were just lying when you answered the questions. That is, unless your character scored this because he/she had no mouth (or fell in love with Milluki, Bonolenov, or Maha).
01 - 15: The Non-Sue. Your character is doing quite well. He/she does not have too much or too little Sue-ness, so he/she is well-developed. This is the best category to be in because it represents the happy medium.
16 - 30: The Borderline Sue. Be careful because Mary Sue Land is right in front of you. Some people may think your character is a Mary Sue and others may not. Fine tune the details a little bit, and your character should be just fine.
31 - 45: The Mary Sue. Do some major polishing to fix your character. At this point, he/she may still be salvageable.
46 + : The Super Sue. Chances are she is incorrigible. You probably want to scrap him/her and start over.
As stated previous, there are circumstances outside of this guide. Therefore, this should not be your rulebook. In math, you would probably call it an approximation. But I'm pretty sure that all of you have decided calculating your score was enough math for the day, so I'll stop talking math.
Also, please don't take whatever score you got personally. I am not trying to insult you or your character. I might not have even read your story. However, if your readers often tell you (or even hint) that your character is Mary Sue-ish, you should probably take their opinion into consideration.
Something to keep in mind: Characters are like cake. They aren't good with too little sugar (Anti-Sues), but they can be sickeningly sweet with too much sugar (Mary Sues). What you want to do is find a happy medium somewhere in between. A little bit of Sue-ness won't hurt your character.
In other words: Just because I stated that something is Mary Sue-ish in this guide, it doesn't mean that it should be avoided like poison.
PS: I've checked the scoring of this test over with several characters, but I'm still not 100% sure of its accuracy. Feel free to tell me if you think point values should be higher or lower and whatever else, but also try to explain why. I'm also open to things that I have failed to include. Review with questions, comments, etc~ =3