I keep on getting from other mutuals saying that my main oc is WAY TOO SIMPLE but the thing is I like it simple that way it can be easier for me to animate but should I really try to go a lot more out there on how I draw and animate my characters?

Heres my main oc as an example:

Can you please post what these idiots are saying calling it too simple? Like a screenshot? I have to see this with my own eyes, because I've never heard anyone complain about 'too simple' character designs for animation.

It was during in a hang out call, I explained to them on why I made it simple and they where cool with it, but it just got me really thinking if its not enough or if its way too simple

You really should decide for yourself what is too simple and what is fine. A simple character can work out in your favor, because you absolutely want an easier to animate character. That being said, the designs can matter more depending on the type of animation it is. Like I've seen a valid criticism that the designs of adventure time clash heavily with the story that developed as the show went on. I think your character design is cool and all, but I'm picturing it as a slice of life episode cartoon sort of thing because of lack of character description.

Thank you, also yeah kinda think of it I should really work on a description on this guy and the name lol

Simple? Yeah. Bad? Not at all. I like the design of your OC and I must say that your sleek artstyle really makes the character come alive.

Besides, he looks like the type that, I'd be willing to bet, certain furries would go gaga over. :P

I can already see it yeah XXXDDDDDD

Animator here, I will say less is more and you got the right idea. You don't want to overdo it with a bunch of details or extra bits like a loose chain on the pants or asymmetrical elements because it would cause so much hassle in the animation work.

Whenever I get critiques on designs being too simple despite I want to keep it simple, the problem can come from color schemes.

Mario and Sonic's designs are simple, but they got great color schemes that compliment well in what they do in motion (i.e. Sonic's red shoes forming a figure 8 when running really fast)

The use of blue and gray is nice on your char, but maybe they thought the white shoes or pink turned them off a bit?

Whenever I design chars and give them a color scheme I take a moment to squint at them, doing so helps me find color clashes or see what are the focal points of a character and if said focal points align with what I want to accomplish with that character design.

I'm surprised your mutuals would tell you that the design for your character is too simple. I think as far as an animation-friendly design, it has a moderate amount of detail. I use the term "animation-friendly design" because, as others have been saying, animation lends itself to streamlined designs that must be drawn over and over and over. I see the design you shared as fitting right in.

To the point of @thatguyfromshcool , color is a very important aspect, and perhaps that may have been what stood out. What I think is important in color palettes is contrast.

Take a look at one of my characters here for comparison, I think it's a design that may be helpful since it has a palette in a similar range as yours-- as well as this character also having electricity superpowers within my own animations lmaooo

Take a look at the bottom half... I could have put jeans on this character, but I was too scared that it would visually blend in with his blue shirt in a way that was off-putting. I opted instead to use near-black adidas-style pants. Even though the cat already has a shade of gray for the fur, the much darker shade for the pants separates the two enough that they stand out as their own separate elements, all the while keeping the blue shirt as the most striking piece.

Thank you soo much and all of this talk makes me really need to redesign my oc XDD

I appreciate soo much feedback from you and @ThatGuyFromSchool

He's not that simple of a design at all. It's just that his amount of detail is unbalanced. Most of the line work and detail is on his jacket and shoulders while everything else is really bald. If he had more detail on his lower half like an extra accessory like shin guards or long boots, or pants that that have a different color past the knees like his jacket, then it would balance him out.

Not at all! In fact, simple designs are, in my opinion, much better than something filled with needless details. The plainest characters can exude more personality than some flashier ones that are just made for visuals. It all depends on your character honestly.

Not at all, sometimes less is more.

I think your design is very cool.

You're great and I wish you all the best in your business!!!

And the fact that simple is not always bad. On the contrary, sometimes it's better to have something simple than something intricate and complicated.

Bruh.. brevity is the soul of wit, there is never a need to overcomplicate the designs as long as they are appealing, and appeal doesn't depend on the "amount of detail.

Not an expert on animation but if you're the only one working on your stuff it's better to design your characters simple. Having a team of artists working on an animation can help you animate those characters with detailed designs. I think the design your showing is good and at least for me, there's nothing wrong with it.

Not necessarily, I mean, a clean aesthetic across the board won't be super bad, as long as it's consistently simple. if you have one or two super complicated elements, it will look off.

There is nothing wrong with either simple or detailed designs in my opinion.

All I'd say is just draw and animate what you like and what you are able to. You like simple stuff? Draw simple stuff. You like detailed stuff? Draw detailed stuff.

Personally if you'd like my thoughts on your character's design, I think it's quite nice. :3

That ain’t ‘too simple’ (if you wanna see ‘too simple’ look at my low budget slop) while yea ur character isn’t totally detailed it isn’t bad tho it looks good in my opinion. :)

If you wanna change your character design that’s more of a you decision but personally I think it already looks fine it has some sorta like I guess personality to it to me and it’s somewhat complex as well it’s a good design already.

NO WAY!!!! Simple can be great! It's just a matter of preference, some people like their characters super flashy with a lot going on, while some may like their character with minimal details, you do you!

I am not sure of your audience meaning when they called too simple. It may have to with being basic or overdone. There are ways to remove features that it can be a style.    It may not even be anything wrong with the anatomy. The soft dog paw  fingerprints are a nice touch.

The name Hero or Hiro is not only too on the nose for a protagonist but it often used by first timers. Being bit predictable may be part of your character as they are the default or show his... straight forwardness and not making thing complicated.  

A grey wolf is kind of the most generic basic furry character you can have. But I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. A simple design is much better than an overcomplicated design. I know lots of grey wolves and I appreciate them because they are much easier on the eyes than a character with many clashing colors that is trying too hard to look unique.

I assume this OC is supposed to represent you, since he shares your name, so he should be whatever you would like for him to be. You don't have to change him to please anybody else, if you are happy with his design as it is.

But if you do think you would like him to stand out a little more, there are a few ways you could do that. Like changing the species, adding an accent color, or adding some unique elements to the design. You could take inspiration from real animal fur patterns such as countershading. Since he has lighting powers, maybe some kind of lightning bolt tattoo or fur pattern would be fitting. Whatever you choose it should be something that you like for yourself.

There are many art styles way more simple than yours that don't get criticized for it. I'm assuming if yours does, it may not so much be that it's too simple, but that the complexity seems unconsistent: Your character has pretty realistic proportions and a lot of details in the closes, but other parts seem less detailed and more stylized, like the face and tail. Some would expect a stylized faced to go with a stylized body. I drew an example (not intended as a "fix", in fact I don't think either of these drawings is a good as yours, it's really just to exemplify this specific issue). The left one is the type of body stylization that could be expected with your face stylization. The right is the level of details that could be expected with your level of realistic proportions. Or it would be if I were good at drawing furry art.

Do note, however, that some styles, especially in furry art doesn't always abide these codes. I am personally not a furry, and if I were to take a wild guess, I'd assume those behind these criticism aren't either.

Having a simple design is not a bad sign. It's just a slowly and surely good art impression. Someday you can do more than simple.

As someone who prides myself on my character designs (more of i think theyre good and my friends think theyre good so everythings good !!), simple designs are great. you might think they look boring or whatever, but it makes your character more recognizable, and more appealing visually. simple designs are also a lot more practical when it comes to drawing or animating!! it keeps them quick and easy to draw when you need them to be, and they're also easier to break down into their basic shapes for sketching or.. any other reason? but it's also important to find a balance between simple and complex designs so your character doesn't look cluttered or unrecognizable, but still interesting. if that makes sense? I think you did a great job here ! LMK if you need any more input .

No, there is nothing wrong with a simple character design. Heck, some well known characters have simple designs like Kirby who is just a ball with limbs.

simple design is yummers and my brain gets a massage looking at simple characters so simple characters are good

Most animations try to find ways to make a character simple to make.

But yours looks cool.

Nope. I think it really just depends on how you use your design, really. Your character looks simple, but cool, I feel like it could fit in various settings and various outfits and it wouldn't really look off. The thing with simple designs is that you can do a lot with them and it just works really well. Like, imagine a canvas. these "simple" designs are like a nice painting that also leave a lot of space to work and toy with and add more things to and it's almost always bound to just.. fit right in, while with more complex characters it can be like working with an already completely filled in canvas, its all just in how you use it