Does G5 have better male characters than G4?

[CastletonSnob 3,094]

One criticism I've seen directed toward FiM, at least in the early seasons, was that the male characters were either punching bags, one-dimensional, or villains. 

I think G5 treats its male characters better than G4 ever did. Hitch is the first male main pony in the franchise, and he's portrayed as kind helpful, and respected by the entire town. And he's not the only well-written male character. Argyle, Sunny's dad, didn't get much screentime, but from the little we've seen of him, he's kind, wise, and a loving father.

What do you think? Do you think the male characters in G5 have been better written than the ones in G4?

[Stancet 691]

I feel like the criticism is equally valid in both generations. But really, the show was made for younger girls so it makes sense the girls are the most interesting characters. And really, I don't take it personally, like in many boy-aimed cartoons it's all the boy characters who are most interesting. And plus, although many boy characters seem uninteresting the fandom has definitely given them lives of their own.

[Misty Shadow 8,230]

So far, I think G5 has done a good job with male characters. The main problem with G4's prominent male characters was that they never really felt...prominent. Spike was a butt monkey, Big Mac was the silent dude who was sometimes called "the only cool guy character", Shining Armor had two minor "star roles" before falling to the wayside, and Discord was extremely divisive. G5 only has one prominent male character so far, Hitch, who is occasionally a butt monkey in Tell Your Tale, but he has an incredible amount of charisma and likability. He also played a vital role in his debut, unlike Spike, who could've easily been written out of the pilot, and also plays a vital role in the world of G5. Argyle, despite having passed away, has an established presence as the source of Sunny's inspiration, someone she regularly reveres, which could lead to some very heartwarming moments as we look back at their past. Alphabittle doesn't have much personality as of now, but as the leader of Bridlewood Forest who clearly went through something in the past with Queen Haven, he would be a very interesting character to explore. And of course, even the highly divisive Sprout has many interested in what will be done with his character once he returns. 

It's too early to say, overall, but they could easily do a better job with the male characters in G5. 

[AlbaTross 1,586]

I don't know, I personally really like Spike, Big Mac and Discord.  Shining Armor is a joke, sure, but he's a much more minor character.  Starswirl and the other male pillars are also pretty lit IMHO.  None of the characters in G5, male or female, have yet to really strike a chord with me like much of the FiM cast did.  Sure, Zipp and Pipp went from my least favourite characters in the film, to my favourite characters in the series to follow, but that speaks volumes more about how poor the character development has been across the board, at least from where I'm standing.  Yes, Zipp and Pipp got some character development, so they've shot up to the top for me as right now they're the closest to what I consider satisfactory characters.  

Anyways, as far as male characters in G5 go...I can't think of any other than Hitch who have been major characters thus far, other than Sprout and Alphabittle in the movie.  Alphabittle is fine IMHO; not amazing, but I don't mind him.  He hasn't been the series since as far as I recall, other than a cameo in Pipp's cringe-fest.  Sprout is...I never liked him.  He's a whiny man-child (stallion-foal?), who I have difficulty believing ponies would follow at all if the situation wasn't giftwrapped for him.  Heck, the situation probably didn't need a physical villain, and I think the film would have been more clever from a writing standpoint if it didn't bend over backwards to check off that box, and instead let the culture of fear and stereotypes be the "villain".  Besides, I find Sprout more annoying than anything.

As for Hitch, he's fine for the most part.  For me, he's back where I ranked him after the film, which is in the middle of the Mane Five.  I had Izzy as my favourite, and I put Sunny as my second because I believed she had the greatest shot at eventually being my favourite.  Well, that didn't pan out.  Hitch was briefly at the bottom for me, not because of anything negative to do with him, but because Zipp and Pipp shot up after being the only ponies post-film to get what I would call satisfactory character development (and even then it pales in comparison to what the Mane Six got in FiM IMHO).  That, however, didn't last long once I realized that Sunny is unlikely to stop being as bland as a sheet of sandpaper anytime soon.  Now that Izzy has turned out to be a poor man's Pinkie Pie at best, and a total psycho at worst, Hitch is now back in my number three slot.  

As for why Hitch has never placed higher for me, well...he just seems like an afterthought to the writers.  I like him best when he's the down-to-Equestria, voice of reason type character who takes his job seriously, but has a soft spot for his friends.  I think he was strongest for me as a character in the first half of the film.  Of course, his absence did more to move the plot along than his presence did, and he could have been cut from the film entirely after that point and nothing would have been lost.  He also isn't particularly relevant in the MYM pilot.  I don't think he has been all that relevant in TYT either.  He doesn't live with the fillies, which already means he appears slightly less than they do, and if that hasn't been problematic enough, there have been times when Posey has gotten more screen time than he has.  I never really got the "background pony" jokes about Applejack, but I'll make them about Hitch here, because although he's still a major character, he's just kind of there most of the time.  

I...don't really like when the series bends over backwards to have Hitch be a poor man's Fluttershy.  Slapping wings and horns on some animals is intriguing, but the novelty has worn off for me.  I do like that he has finally shown signs of caring for animals, so that's one point I'll give to the MYM pilot over ANG...though I fear ANG is overall the best G5 will ever get, and that's a problem. 

Regardless, I think the novelty of having a stallion in the mane cast is a large part of what makes Hitch appealing, but much like animals with wings and horns, that's a novelty that is sure to dry up soon, and already has for me.  It may be a hot take, but although I'm male, I was never offended by the lack of male characters in the Mane Six, or that male characters tended to be more minor, at least until later seasons.  Gender has never been a sufficient factor in endearing me to a character.  I initially gravitate towards characters who have a personality I like, but then move towards those with the strongest development.  Well, I liked Hitch just fine at first, and don't hate him now, but it appears he has been on a downward slope since he was first introduced.  At least his downward slope hasn't been as steep thus far as it has been for Izzy and Sunny.  

It's worth noting that it did take me a bit of time to really care about Spike, but not terribly long, and I started to really like him well before the first season ended.  I've always liked Big Mac's strong-silent personality, and only became more endeared by him as the series progressed.  I've always felt Discord is a bit overrated, but he grew on me more and more as the series progressed, and there have only actually been a couple of Discord episodes I dislike, with most of the rest being pretty great IMHO.  I...really don't think any of G5's male cast is there as of yet.  To be fair, I don't think any of G5's mane female cast holds a candle yet to any of the Mane Six, or even much of FiM's female supporting cast.  G5's cast in general isn't bad in concept IMHO, just in execution and development.  I am still holding out hope that some solid writing will set G5 on a better track, and I'll patiently wait for that, for now, but I've been waiting all along, and my patience will eventually run out if it's not rectified in a reasonable time frame.  

TL:DR No, I don't think G5 has better male characters than G4, but that's largely because I don't think G5 has better characters than G4 in general.