Considering the future installments and other shows with male main characters at the time, it's pretty weird that the original ben 10 series only had one character who could be roughly called a love interest, and she only appeared in one episode.
Technically she appeared in three but one was a dream spot by ben and the other was having her as ben's wife in the second future episode, but these feel more like the result of Kai being the only love interest ben had in the series.
Why though? It's pretty common for young male characters to have crushes on girls, either near their age range or outside of it. Especially due to the weird writing problems it caused later on where they would need ben to be interested in a girl, but had to use Kai who honestly seemed like she was supposed to be a one and done character.
Secondary discussion: how would you write in a love interest from future installments into the original series? Or just discuss love interests in the series in general.
It does seem a little weird in hindsight. Was it just an oversight or was there some kind of staff agreement that original series ben normally doesn't have romantic feelings
Ryder Smith
Obviously it was supposed to be gwen but the cousin part got tacked on
Carson Perry
Kid characters are better without love interests.
Jace Rodriguez
Because they planned on Gwen being the love interest. But CN made them ax that.
Jose Cox
>Destroy All Aliens You know what I'm thinking?
Brody Roberts
Really?
Aiden Bell
But they did add one in anyways
Joshua Martin
He was a ten (10) year old kid
Brandon Clark
What are you thinking?
Julian Anderson
ten year old kids are not incapable of affection nor was doing so considered abnormal by any regard in other shows with kid characters
Wyatt Sanchez
he's slimy creepy fast and strong he's every shape and size
Because he's a goddamn ten year old, you fucking sleezebag!
Charles Reed
...How does wondering why ben never showed any interest in any girls except for literally one girl who he lost interest in at the end of the episode make me a sleazebag?
I'm not wondering why ben didn't show off his cock every episode, I'm wondering why they took this writing decision. And before you repeat yourself, kids having crushes or showing interest in other characters is not some fucking revolutionary idea in cartoons, beyond that the writers didn't have a problem with it because they had the two appearances of Kai.
I'm just wondering why ONLY Kai
Adam King
Nah
Andrew Long
Gwen is
Andrew Powell
He was 10 The nature of road tripping means you can't stay in one place to long so you'd really have to write contrived reasons for a love interest to be reoccurring He had a crush on kai
Jordan Lewis
There's a difference between being incapable of something and it being common. Ben was 10 years old. I don't know what part of the world you live in, but I barely knew anyone who was dating before they were 14 or 15. I knew more people who didn't even start dating until they were out of highschool. There might have been one or two skanks who got teen pregnant, but they were the smallest minority.
Him having a crush on someone, that's believable. Being on a road trip and routinely bumping into that same girl, that's not believable.
Cameron Morris
Okay so your problem is with the use of recurring then.
I don't necessarily believe it would be that unbelievable though, considering how there is little explanation for the recurring human villains. Let's be honest, the writers for OG ben ten weren't exactly narrative geniuses, they'd have no problem writing in some kind of handwave.
I'm not saying the series should have had this, I am just saying that it is a little weird how they doubled down on ben only ever being attracted to Kai.
Michael Reyes
What's the point of giving Ben a love interest in the first place?
Zachary Gomez
I dunno, again I'm more confused by how they made Kai the only girl ben was at all interested in
Cameron Hall
Why's it confusing?
Lucas Bailey
Because it was a show for 6Y
Tyler Ramirez
Sure I believe you, Satan.
Nicholas Phillips
>how would you write in a love interest you dont
shipping and relationshit in cartoons are for lonely femcels, why dont you watch spanish telenovelas instead if you want love stories so much
Elijah Hernandez
But his love interest is there every time though?
Charles Richardson
When your protag is always on the move, traveling around the world, and he's a hero, the love interest would have to have some reason to always follow the hero all around the world. This means she's likely to end up a yandere stalker.
