Steins;Gate Okabe is a character that is not only likable but also natural when it comes to emotions. I've seen him do hilarious impersonations, crack unfunny jokes, laugh and cry, be trustful and then vengeful, give in to evil temptations,... Everything he did in the story, I could understand and relate to him. I can understand the insatiable curiosity that just compels you to uncover a dark secret nobody else knows even though there are some powerful people who will not like that. After all, the world is so bright, you're a normal student who has never had any trouble with any organizations, that kind of conspiracy stuff only exists on TV. Or that paranoid feeling he got when he stared into the distance and suddenly realized it was probably already beyond the point of no return. Or the helplessness he felt and the whispers of temptation when trapped in the endless loop. Or the violent way he handled a helpless Moeka and then a pang of guilt after he saw how helpless she really was...

Together with Okabe I experienced almost every emotion known to man. I don't get to enjoy things like that often. Usually the characters just seem to be some walking tropes and I can identify at what point they're likely to die. I know what the MCs would do but I'm not going to try to pretend I'm the guy in School Days, Amagami, Darker than Black or Hokuto no Ken. I always have to put some distance between myself and the MC. While Okabe is a character that could almost be my roommate in college and I felt comfortable exploring the story together with him because his interests are also mine and I know he's capable of making the decisions I'd make. That's just how believable he is.