What I love about this fandom is how we are all in love with Ferdinand despite him being the most unlikeable person ever. Like he is an anti-social, rude, cold-hearted, know it all snob and we love him all the more for it.
When he enters the story this is what we immediately learn about him, but he was kind to Myne. So we know there is more to him, but we have to wait till to get it. Until that moment in the Trombe subjugation we weren’t sure how to fell about Ferdinand nor how’d he react because he is always the first person to remind Myne of her place. She’s a commoner and despite guiding her he also doesn’t let her forget that. So when he backs Myne we finally know we can trust him like really trust him. And that he is someone to lean on.
And even before we learn his sad backstory(which again takes VOLUMES hell PARTS). We already love and trust him. His backstory doesn’t endear us to him, because we have long since had love for him. He doesn’t need a sad woobie backstory for us to feel for him and feel positively about him because like Myne he has long since proven himself to us. And while many people in story would liken spending time with him to torture, we know that despite all of that he is a good person, and loyal to a fault.
And honestly, he doesn’t really grow in that aspect, I mean he learns a little but the things I listed earlier are still very much his character flaws. He doesn’t grow past them, learn to be kinder, socialize more, or anything like that.
They’re still apart of his personality, they’re flaws but they are his.
And in keeping these flaws we retain the part of him the is undeniably Ferdinand.
We love Ferdinand despite the fact that if we met him in person many of us wouldn’t like him, and I think that’s one of the most fantastic things about AoaB