"Bravery is not the absence of fear. Bravery is feeling the doubt, the insecurity, and deciding that something else is more important." -- Mark Manson

A common trope in fictional stories is to have three main characters, two males and one female. There is the brave main protagonist, the smart genius girl, and the funny sidekick. On first glance, Rowling seems to have followed this tradition, with the roles describing the characters of Harry, Hermione, and Ron respectively. Yet after diving deeper into the characterisation in the series of Harry Potter, one may realise that Rowling, instead of following the trope, completely broke it and masterfully created a trio of astounding depth and intricacy.

Many believe that Ron is the “funny sidekick”, also known as the comedic relief, or someone who loves to eat. This role is particularly emphasised in the eight films, which push away Ron’s character, reducing into a dumb, hot-tempered burden. However, fans fail to notice that Ron is way more than what he seems. Beyond his witty quips and rather lazy nature, a warrior stands, though not particularly outstanding, yet equally gallant, especially when fighting against his inner inferiority complex.

Who knows that Harry Potter, a children’s series, will turn towards the dark realities of mental torture and struggles? This mature subject has so often been touched by Rowling across the seven books, yet it is covered so frequently by the ethereal innocence of wands, magic, and brooms as a whole. Complex characters often lead to a myriad of controversy and online battles. Somehow, Ron Weasley is one of the most debated characters in the Harry Potter universe.

This is no coincidence.

Ron's strikingly realistic character arc and development is brilliantly shaped, with his shining qualities defining him as a gallant warrior, and his flaws portraying him as an imperfect yet arguably the most relatable character in the entire series.

Ron is introduced as a shy yet compassionate boy, destined to become Harry's best friend. His selfless and kind qualities are instantly shown when he provides his new friend with mental support and genuine kindness. This relationship is not one-sided. His sense of inferiority, which is created due to his family's poverty and being overshadowed by his talented brothers, is lessened as Harry comforts him in return and generously lends him a variety of wizarding snacks. His character creates a stark contrast with Draco Malfoy, a selfish and arrogant boy who displays clear disgust towards Ron purely because of his poverty, and his family’s beliefs of blood purity. Malfoy offers to be friends with Harry for fame, wealth, and power, while Ron befriends Harry simply due to sincere kindness and sympathy.

As the story continues to unravel, Harry is put under spotlight instantly, causing Ron's already inferior feelings to go downhill, yet he remains as a loyal and selfless sidekick, providing Harry with not only support but also the wizarding knowledge that his naive friend lacks. One may imagine that Ron is in a constant battle with himself – why should he stay by this famous hero’s side, when he understands that this will never give him a true chance to shine? His glory, though brilliant itself, will undoubtedly be dimmed by Harry’s achievements, as Harry’s fame will give him an upper hand in his way to success. Ron chooses not to break the friendship, though. Together, the two friends share humour, kindness, and a tendency to break rules, giving them both happiness amidst the gathering troubles and dangers surrounding Hogwarts.

Progressing on to their fourth year, Ron's level of insecurity increases dramatically as Harry is once again put under the dazzling brightness of the public's spotlight. This time, he fails to defeat his inner jealousy, and instead allows his inferiority complex to manifest, venting all of his negative feelings on an innocent and clueless Harry. Hermione, on the other hand, fully believes Harry, while displaying her compassion as well as sympathy towards not one, but both of her devastated friends.

Some may refer to this as a form of betrayal, but it is instead the process of Ron's flaws being fleshed out and his character arc developing gradually. A human in this world who suffers from inferior thoughts will act the way Ron did, and this is precisely why Rowling includes this temporary “breakup”. It will be completely unrealistic if the trio maintains a completely smooth friendship throughout the books. 

Despite making the wrong choice initially, Ron's ability to summon the courage to apologise to his friend is often overlooked. The ability to admit that he is in the wrong and request for forgiveness, facing your own mistakes, is not something everyone can do. His self-awareness is consistent throughout the book. Ron is not perfect, but he always tries to right his wrongs. When he is confronted with a few instances of prejudices, such as his initial scepticism towards Hagrid being a giant, that he has inherited from being raised in the wizarding world, Ron educates himself and forms his own reasoned and moral opinion.

In the seventh book, Ron matures significantly and appreciates Hermione for who she is, before proving himself to be one who can fight against his insecurities resiliently and protect who he loves.

During the infamous camping scene during the trio's horcrux hunt, Ron's character arc develops completely and realistically. When he begins an argument and leaves the tent in fury, did he "betray" the other two? Or does he merely leave them temporarily and return with extremely useful information? Is this completely his fault? Or is it more like... Voldemort's fault?

The locket horcrux contains a part of Voldemort inside it. It contains the evilest powers of the wizarding world. One shall not dismiss the fact that the trio has Voldemort, literally Voldemort, dangling on their neck, and it is known that Voldemort is a master manipulator. Ron, out of the three, is the most affected by the horcrux, as he is the most insecure about himself. He suffers from the inferiority complex that shakes his self-confidence repeatedly. Voldemort feeds upon his insecurities, and utilises it to slowly tear apart the bond between the three friends. 

On the surface level, it appears that Ron is moody and glum, impolitely complaining about the lack of food and moaning about the pain on his Splinched shoulder. However, most readers fail to realise the intense battle going on between Ron's heart and Voldemort himself. The locket is torturing Ron mentally and emotionally, forcing him to believe that Harry and Hermione are better off without him, and that he is a useless sidekick that everyone dislikes and dismisses. Struggling under the agony inflicted on him by the horcrux, Ron's sense of inferiority rises uncontrollably to its peak, and Voldemort temporarily wins the battle, taking control of Ron's heart. Harry himself is dealing with his fear of abandonment, and as Ron lashes out, yelling at Harry, Harry's fears appear to be officially confirmed. Harry is overwhelmed by fury and he bellows at Ron to leave the tent, but to Ron, these harsh words are equivalent to Harry and Hermione believing him to be unnecessary and useless. The way Voldemort manages to control the fight and forcefully weaken both Harry and Ron is horribly evil. By torturing the hearts and emotions of the friends, Voldemort succeeds to significantly weaken their relationship, briefly winning over friendship.

After leaving the tent, Ron instantly feels regret, yet unluckily runs into a gang of Snatchers. After managing to escape the many Snatchers alone, Ron attempts to search for his two friends by following the hidden traces, and heroically risks his life, leaping into the freezing lake without thinking to stop Harry from drowning, while at the same time bringing in information about the Taboo, a radio to connect with the outside world, and a fully functional wand for Harry to use after he broke his.

Harry encourages and persuades Ron to destroy the locket once and for all. This is the moment when Ron shows his true lion heart, and demonstrates his outstanding courage.

After months of being tortured and trapped in this endless loop of suffering, Ron grits his teeth, stands up firmly, wields the sword of Godric Gryffindor in his hands, and utilises the power of friendship and bravery to ultimately destroy his worst torturer.

Ron raised the sword in his shaking hands: The point dangled over the frantically swivelling eyes, and Harry gripped the locket tightly, bracing himself, already imagining blood pouring from the empty windows.

Then a voice hissed from out of the Horcrux.

“ I have seen your heart, and it is mine. ”

“Don’t listen to it!” Harry said harshly. “Stab it!”

“ I have seen your dreams, Ronald Weasley, and I have seen your fears. All you desire is possible, but all that you dread is also possible. … ”

“Stab!” shouted Harry; his voice echoed off the surrounding trees, the sword point trembled, and Ron gazed down into Riddle’s eyes.

“ Least loved, always, by the mother who craved a daughter … Least loved, now, by the girl who prefers your friend … Second best, always, eternally overshadowed …”

“Ron, stab it now!” Harry bellowed: He could feel the locket quivering in his grip and was scared of what was coming. Ron raised the sword still higher, and as he did so, Riddle’s eyes gleamed scarlet.

...

On the ground in front of them, Ron’s face filled with anguish. He raised the sword high, his arms shaking.

“Do it, Ron!” Harry yelled.

Ron looked toward him, and Harry thought he saw a trace of scarlet in his eyes.

“Ron — ?”

The sword flashed, plunged: Harry threw himself out of the way, there was a clang of metal and a long, drawn-out scream. Harry whirled around, slipping in the snow, wand held ready to defend himself: but there was nothing to fight.

The monstrous versions of himself and Hermione were gone: There was only Ron, standing there with the sword held slackly in his hand, looking down at the shattered remains of the locket on the flat rock.

Slowly, Harry walked back to him, hardly knowing what to say or do. Ron was breathing heavily: His eyes were no longer red at all, but their normal blue; they were also wet.

Harry stooped, pretending he had not seen, and picked up the broken Horcrux. Ron had pierced the glass in both windows: Riddle’s eyes were gone, and the stained silk lining of the locket was smoking slightly. The thing that had lived in the Horcrux had vanished; torturing Ron had been its final act.

The sword clanged as Ron dropped it. He had sunk to his knees, his head in his arms. He was shaking, but not, Harry realised, from cold. Harry crammed the broken locket into his pocket, knelt down beside Ron, and placed a hand cautiously on his shoulder.

(Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

This is mental torture. Ron is facing the weight of what seems like the truth, the horrible thought that he is nothing but a burden to Harry and Hermione’s friendship. Voldemort knows exactly how to manipulate the thoughts of his victims, twist and worsen it to break the person in the worst way possible. However, the Dark Lord, once again, underestimates the power of friendship and bravery. Ron finally faces his fears, defeats his insecurities, and instantly turns into one of the most developed characters in this single scene. Ron isn't any particularly famous or honourable hero. He isn't “the Boy Who Lived”. He isn't the brightest wizard of his year. He is just Ron. Just a boy with a low self-esteem, yet demonstrates his outstanding gallantry when he does what is right instead of what is easy. Ron fights Voldemort directly, and Voldemort loses. He fails to destroy Ron's soul. The power of friendship eventually overcomes the forces of evil and corruption, demonstrating that the bond between the trio is truly unbreakable.

Everyone deals with their own insecurities. They are one of the inevitable obstacles that can vigorously shake the self-esteem of many people. The character of Ron gives an important moral lesson: always stand up against those who attempt to weaken you. Never stop fighting, because you can destroy your haters, as well as your fears, at the end, just like how Ron stabs the horcrux with exceptional power and might.

Is Ron stupid? Certainly not. Although Ron is not the brightest, he still successfully earned 7 O.W.L.s, equal with Harry. His open mind is implied when he comes up with the excellent and creative ideas of using Felix Felicis to get Slughorn’s important memory, and entering the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve the Basilisk fangs to destroy Horcruxes. He, after all, is a chess master, and chess is all about intelligence, logic, and strategy.

Is Ron mean? Definitely not. Though he can occasionally be blunt and impulsive, Ron never physically attacks his two friends. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and is emotional - the one who easily blushes and gets embarrassed, the one who is the most sensitive when insults are thrown towards him and his friends. After being Splinched, he lies on the ground amid all the pain and blood, but all he worries about is whether the Cattermoles' successfully escaped the Ministry of Magic.

Is Ron cowardly? Undoubtedly not. Bravery is when you can fight your greatest phobia for the sake of your beloved friend and sister. Bravery is when you are willing to sacrifice yourself to a giant chessboard at the mere age of 11. Bravery is when you can stand on a broken leg, enduring pain, to defend your best friend from an insane mass murderer.

Without knowing what he was doing, he started forward, but there was a sudden movement on either side of him and two pairs of hands grabbed him and held him back. . . . “No, Harry!” Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to Black.

“If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us too!” he said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him of still more colour, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.

Something flickered in Black’s shadowed eyes.

“Lie down,” he said quietly to Ron. “You will damage that leg even more.”

“Did you hear me?” Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. “You’ll have to kill all three of us!”

(From Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)

Bravery is when you can defend and stand up for your crush every time she's bullied, despite the consequences you will receive. Bravery is when you can pluck up the courage to apologise to your best friend, and continue to stay by his side, although this can cause an intense amount of jealousy and inferior thoughts. Bravery is when you decide to join a sports team despite suffering from immense pressure, due to your friend and your family members having outstanding sports skills. Bravery is when you decide to leave your comfortable, warm, and loving family and home to help your friend in his exceedingly dangerous hunt for horcruxes. Bravery is when you can, after being called to leave, come back with a determined mindset, hardly caring about the anger and dislike you will receive from your friends. Bravery is when you can jump into a frozen lake without thinking, in order to save your best friend from suffocating. Bravery is when you can yell at your enemy to torture yourself instead of your beloved.  Bravery is when you can endure day after day of mental torture from a horcrux, and destroy it at last before witnessing its final blow. Ron Weasley is the definition of bravery.

Upon standing side-by-side with a famous hero and a genius girl, Ron feels as though he is nothing of worth. Often, he is shunted to one side, or dismissed as The Boy Who Lived’s stupid sidekick. Yet Ron is a lot more than just a sidekick. He is an independent character who does not rely on the glory of his friends to achieve success. He has his own personality, his own successes and failures, and his own character development that gradually runs deep and complex through his journeys and adventures. He is a hero by himself, not only because of Harry’s fame or Hermione’s intelligence, but because of his personal battle with his self-confidence. This is the central theme of Ron’s character, something dark, serious, and outrageously brave that is often pushed aside by fans.

And after all, didn’t all three members of the trio manage to get their names on unique Chocolate Frog cards? All of them have different achievements, yet all are equally impressive, and all should deserve the same amounts of praise and appreciation. Ron is a character that deserves more love from the fandom. He is a warrior at heart, and although he does not shine as brightly as others, he still is an indispensable member of the trio.