Who is your favorite character?

[Gamer2]

who talked about him
he is great with making in darts

he keeps on raising the bet just dont do the hundreds unless you can hit the 60 point line every time

[Muzz]

jinjamin - many a laughs ive had pronouncing his name my mate thinks hes called jiggaman

its always gonna be Ryo but Ren makes me laugh and fuku san

[extraordinarybadgrocer]

My favourite character is probably Goro, because he provided a lot of comic relief during the harbor cutscenes in Shenmue I. He also has some top lines, including-

'Just strolling and patrolling'

'Must have had me a bad egg this morning, gotta hit the can my man, hope I can make it in time!'

'Just batted her little eyelids, oh like pretty please, Mr. Foreman huh?'

'WORKING HARD, EH BRO?'
Ryo- Why are you shouting?
Goro- Bro, if I was you a wouldn't be as indescreet as you is being. That kind of talk's taboo around here!

[VGAce]

I know, who the hell would consider some random, generic pedestrian or shopowner as their favorite character when we got some fully developed characters to play as?

I think the great thing about Shenmue, the first more than the second, is that there are no random "filler" characters that tend to the shops or walk around town. Every character in the game has a background story, some more intricate than others, but they all have a past. Although it may seem like characters we play as are more developed, namely Ryo, we only think so because we see their life unfolding before our eyes with every detail out in the open. We don't see this with other NPCs in the game, but that shouldn't suggest that their lives are less interesting because of it.
Many characters get up and go to work everyday, chatting with customers and tending their shops, then closing up every evening and going home. Although this doesn't seem like much, it's the very pattern many people live by in the real world. Furthermore, many characters in Shenmue seem to be happy with their jobs, something I honestly can't say for the real world. I think there's a quiet dignity in this way of life, and Shenmue actually makes it seem like a life worth living, rather than a chore. I think it was a mercenary from Fable who said "There is great honor in work," and that's a damn fine point.
Um...I think I strayed from my original point a good deal, but it was something I wanted to say. A shop wasn't just given to every shopkeeper, and a home wasn't just given to every pedestrian. Every NPC came to that point in their life through various means, and that's more developed than some main characters in other games these days.

[Ryo_Hazuki23]

hmm ryo and landi

[psychodog]

ren and ryo!!

[Nine Dragons]

Congo,Dou Niu and Yuan are annoying and stupid ... just like the arm wrestlers and that abomination in the white suit and bowler hat on the 3rd floor of the game arcade, and the Poison Brothers are stupid also.

Favorite character in Shenmue 1 : Ryo
Least favorite : Goro, always shouting and wearing that stupid purple t-shirt.

Favourite character in Shenmue 2 : Baihu
Least favorite : The snob , Baiyang Liu.

[Kingdom Hearts Master]

Ryo and Gui Zhang

[EverybodyLovesRen]

Ren because he is such a dynamic character who has such a reputation but is really a great guy. He has to be one of my fav video game characters ever.

[ILoveGoro]

Goro and Mark.

"Hey "Dyo" do you have a gf?"

"Mark Im.."

[landi vs ren]

Goro and Mark.

"Hey "Dyo" do you have a gf?"

"Mark Im.."

[GP 68-99-08]

Xiuying. Such a mystery...

[VGAce]

Goro and Mark.

"Hey "Dyo" do you have a gf?"

"Mark Im.."

Don't see why that's so funny. To my understanding, that is one of the possible pronunciations of Ryo's name in Japanese. Many characters pronounce it that way, not just Mark.

[Snoopbob2006]

The man in the blue suit all the way..

[SaM_4000]

Shenmue I:Toss up Between Masayuki Fukuhara and Goro
Shenmue II:Dou Niu and Fangmei Xun in a close second