@No:
That's an interesting perspective. I like Tora too, but I don't think I've ever heard of him being anyone's favorite. Would you mind elaborating?
Putting this in Hide tags because it's kind of off topic.
[hide]Well first of all I played in English with English voices, which could make a difference. I usually default to the original language for anything but the localization was generally quite good so I stuck with English.
When it comes to writing, it's not that any of the other characters were really handled poorly, but Tora was just developed really well. Rex never had any potential because he's just the dopey "I love friendship and I want to save the world and protect boobs!" JRPG trope. I absolutely love Nia and Mòrag but Nia's development mostly centers around a couple plot points and Mòrag has a very defined "for Mor Ardain!" thing going. Zeke is also hilarious and honestly probably the runner-up in terms of human moments because despite the gags about being accident-prone and his theatrics, he has a really sweet underside that is shown quite nicely with the help of Pandoria.
Then there's Tora. Sure he gets his share of cheap Nopon humor, and there's the whole overplayed maid fetish thing, but he's probably the rawest and most honest cast member. I noticed he's in a disproportionately high number of cutscenes and Heart to Hearts, and I think that's a big reason. He's the one openly asking the obvious questions, whether in a "dude have you even stopped to think about it?" way or comically or sometimes even to settle an entire stupid argument with one small truth or by throwing others' words back at them. He speaks his mind, and yeah he is sometimes childish but he struggles with some serious stuff related to his place in the world and living up to others and their expectations. I came to respect him as soon as I saw his Heart to Heart in Uraya where he questions his merit in the party, knowing he isn't as good as he says and acknowledges that Poppi isn't really a Blade as well as his mistakes. He also at some point says he knows Rex isn't perfect or the strongest or anything, but it gives him that drive to better himself. Few characters are really all that introspective, at least not openly. Tora just feels handled really well.
For the acting, well I just think his VA kills it. Every single line is delivered perfectly within the context of the scene, with tons of expressiveness. I was always surprised at how easily I felt emotionally connected or moved, or you know chuckling at a dopey joke as the case may be. I know a lot of people can't stand the Nopon; I assume because of the high-pitched voices and broken English or perhaps their weird mercantile obsessions (they're basically the Ferengi sometimes lol, and just saying that makes me feel like a huge nerd). But anyway if you can see past that I think Tora steals the show. And Poppi has a quite a few moments of her own too.[/hide]