>>83963 Jiren is the most interesting character of the entire franchise.
Where to begin? Perhaps we should start with Jiren's design. On the surface, it appears very simplistic and possibly even generic, a passe take on the popular conception of what extraterrestrials may look like. This, of course, is the outlook of those less learned and knowledgeable of Dragon Ball: to create powerful characters with simplistic and and basic designs is Toriyama's hallmark, and, upon closer scrutiny, Jiren's rather unremarkable design perfectly reflects his character: a simple warrior with but one goal–to achieve ultimate strength. He isn't interested in recognition and fanfare; he has no time for flashy transformations and techniques that merely imitate growth. No, it is his personal desire to FACILITATE growth: spiritual growth, physical growth, and intellectual growth. A rather straightforward and simple goal, much like his overall design. Those with genre savvy or a sharp enough intellect could immediately glean various aspects of Jiren's character simply by laying eyes on him.
Too, his color scheme reflects his inner virtues: crimson, symbolizing his passion for and unwavering belief in attaining his goals (and sharing its color with his aura) and black, obviously symbolizing the bottomless void and never-ending journey of bettering oneselfa journey that never truly ends. Even his gray skinfar from simply being a ripoff of the grays that were so popular in the 50s–symbolizes his ultimate neutrality, being itself a neutral color. He's not interested in fame, fortune, conquering, or dominating: like gray symbolizes, Jiren seeks only to achieve his goals without the burden of interpersonal ties or outside distractions.
Now, on to the meat of this fascinating character. At first glance, Jiren seems standoffish, stoic, and perhaps unfriendly and selfish. Upon the revelation of his backstory, we learn that his master and family were killed by a villain that Jiren was powerless to stop. His masterthe man who instilled within Jiren his passion for and love of martial arts and the cultivation of pure, inner strengthwas taken from him by an evildoer, and in that moment Jiren realized two things. One: Caring about ANYTHING is meaningless without wielding the requisite might to protect it, and two: Living a life unfettered by close emotional ties serves to protect one from pain and minimizes distractions that seeks to deter one in their quest for personal growth.
In layman's terms: Jiren is heavily afflicted with PTSD. His trauma, while it doesn't fully control him, certainly plays a part in his overall nature and how he holds himself. He has formed a group of do-gooders with like-minded individuals, but he isn't close to any of them, nor is he close to any of those he saves beyond the usual "hero-victim" relationship. What appears to be a simple rude and standoffish character is eventually revealed to be yet another aspect of his complex and dual natureJiren WANTS to be free from the burden of the past, he WANTS to blindly place faith and trust in his friends and make that a part of his power as Goku does, but he can't. He simply cannot. And this is why he's so angered by the Saiyan's mere presence, as well as the reason behind his attack on the stands upon realizing he was losing their battle. Jiren wasn't lashing out at Goku's friends: he was lashing out at his own insecurities, trying to destroy his past demons in the only way he knows howby brandishing the immense strength that was, ironically, cultivated as a result of those same demons.
Now then. As detailed previously, Jiren's character and motivations center around the attainment of absolute personal strength at the cost of completely doing away with strong interpersonal ties, as Jiren believes these are simply a distracting and hindrance to reaching his goals as well as a way to inadvertently open oneself to emotional trauma, to which Jiren is no stranger (remember, he shows classic symptoms of PTSD after seeing his master and parents slaughtered).
So, then, what sort of people flock to a character like Jiren, becoming diehard fans and singing his praises even when they are ridiculed for it? To put it simply: they are folks who look up to Jiren, and see a measure of themselves in him. Not what they ARE, but what they COULD be. Jiren's deeds and adherence to a warrior's code, his strict refusal to allow anything to hamper his quest for cultivating the absolute best self he can bethese are things that Jiren's fans aspire and look up to, things that ring true to them, for they know they have the potential to do great things and become great men no matter how steep the costmuch like Jiren himself. Even instilling admittedly silly monikers into Jiren's nameCHADren, GODren, and the likeonly serves to show that his fans are as confident in their prowess and personal growth as he, but still retain the ability to laugh and maintain a sense of humor. They use Jiren's strengths AND flaws as a way to further cultivate their own growth as men, and it is for this reason why many people see Jiren fans as almost fanatically loyal, insane zealots who live and breathe the object of their admiration.
But this is not so. Jiren fans simply understand the value of the lessons Jiren's characterization teaches, and genuinely believe that by attempting to teach those lessons to people who DON'T understand that they are making the world a better place. I, for one, agree with them.
What, then, would drive a person to denounce and decry Jiren the Gray's immense popularity and positive effect on those who are able and willing to take his lessons to heart? At first glance, it may seem that Jiren's naysayers are many–broad in scope, as varied as the rich characters Dragon Ball has introduced to us over the years. But the truth of the matter is thus: they comprise only a small, hardened, and EXTREMELY vocal core of those who post here, and smaller still if you count all Dragon Ball fans from every walk of life.
These are the kinds of people who see quite clearly the goals and motivations Jiren embodies, but rather than being inspired by these things, the naysayers allow their insecurities to take over and project them onto the character–and his fans, whom they see as loudmouthed trumpeters, when in reality they are simply intimidated by the confidence and physique these knowledgeable souls project. Seeing a character like Jiren and the positive changes he has wrought upon many Dragon Ball fans is like a proverbial slap in the face for those of this ilk. It's looking into a mirror and despising what they see. It's having every shortcoming, failure, and flaw laid out before them in neat, trimmed little rows. It's been confronted by every demon, every poor decision, every regret, every single instance of "But what if I had just…?"
At the crux of this issue lie the dangers of self-doubt, and, even more damning, self-pity. As Jiren fans, it should be our sworn duty to reach out to these tortured souls and bring them into the light–the light of Jiren the Gray, the light that has cleansed many a weak, purposeless person and transformed them into the peak of manhood, someone who shines blisteringly bright in a night sky of despair and the facade of true strength.
This is Jiren's legacy. And so shall it become ours.