Ron Weasley has always been the underrated hero in the Harry Potter universe. An integral part of the wizarding trio, Ron is inseparable from the Boy Who Lived but perhaps written as a more flesh and blood character.
Unfortunately, as someone whose flaws are out there for all to see, Ron gets an equal share of love and hate from Potter fans worldwide. It seems as though not many level headed approaches are taken when it comes to Ron. And thus, the Reddit opinions are either way too harsh or excessively flattering making them unpopular for those who feel the exact opposite.
Ron Is The Worst Fictional Character
Ron is one of the worst characters in popular fiction, posts a Redditor whose account has since been deleted. The user points to the way Ron bickers with the others and states, "he lacks the maturity of Harry and Hermione."
This is unpopular since not even Ron's most vehement haters would call him the worst character in fiction. He might not be the best, and as a main Harry Potter character, he had some surprising weak spots, but so did Harry and Hermione. And while underrated in the face of Harry's courage and Hermione's intelligence, he possessed both in substantial amounts.
He Is A Terrible Friend
MassiveResolution7 on Reddit states that Ron Weasley is the worst friend ever and goes on to remind people about his jealous nature and meanness towards Hermione. The fan also doesn't forget to mention the time that Ron had abandoned his best friends during their search for the Horcruxes and feels that "being influenced by the locket horcrux is NOT an excuse."
While Ron's so-called abandonment of Harry and Hermione in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been heavily debated by fans, most would agree that Ron had indeed been under the influence of the locket, one of the Horcruxes the three had found but didn't know how to destroy. Furthermore, Ron's reaction showed him to be human, and the fact that he came back meant that he truly cared and that his loyalties always lay with his friends.
Ron Is A Brat
Reddit user yoyoguccisquad is expressive about how Ron is a complete brat. According to this fan. Ron "degrades Hermione for being smart and wanting to maintain rules. HE is the reason that Hermione was stuck in the bathroom with the troll." Ron also refuses to believe that Hermione has a date during the Yule Ball and is generally pretty awful to her.
Fans would agree that Ron wasn't always on his best behavior with Hermione. But their complicated dynamics is seen as two teenagers in love who couldn't tell each other what they felt, and perhaps didn't even know that they felt it. Moreover, Ron's character went through a significant evolution over time and he came to be protective of Hermione showing that he cared deeply. That said, though, his attitude towards Hermione especially at the beginning didn't cover him in glory.
Ron & Hermione Were Good Together
A deleted Redditor comments that Ron and Hermione actually went well together. The user posts, "I think Ron had really become Hermione's rock over the course of the books" and adds that theirs was a relationship that went through its ups and downs. But eventually, Ron knew who he had become as he fell in love with his best friend.
The fandom had erupted when Ron was paired off with Hermione Granger instead of Harry Potter, complaining that they made no sense together and that Ron's personality was the polar opposite to Hermione's. Most fans weren't on board with Ginny and Harry as a couple and would have much rather preferred it if Hermione hadn't chosen Ron over Harry.
Loving Ron & Lavender
Ron dated fellow Gryffindor Lavender Brown briefly in the sixth book where the two had taken to 'snogging' wherever they could. Redditor hellwitoutwheels takes a uniquely offbeat approach by pointing out that the hate that Lavender gets is simply unfair. The fact that she wasn't Hermione "doesn't make Lavender a terrible person, it just makes her not Hermione."
Indeed Lavender is hated by an overwhelming majority of the fandom who consider her superficial and an unnecessary hindrance to Hermione and Ron's relationship. Of course, they don't love the fact that Ron gets together with Hermione either, but they still hate Lavender for causing Hermione pain.
He Is An Utter Moron
Ron is an utter moron, posts Redditor berlin_noobz. Interestingly, the fan refers to the game of chess played by Ron in the first book as an example of his stupidity. The user goes on to say that "If he actually knew chess, he would know that those pieces for a human to take in that scenario is WITHOUT QUESTION THE STUPIDEST THING HE CAN DO."
Seeing how the game of chess is one of Ron's brightest moments in the entire series, this is unpopular indeed. Further, Dumbledore himself had called his game one of the best games of chess that Hogwarts had seen in many years, which pretty much sealed the deal for fans. If anything, fans who love him see Ron is a low-key Harry Potter hero that everyone forgets about.
Appreciating Ronald Weasley
Here's a Reddit opinion by ok-but-why-mister that is eager to show Ron some love and appreciation. From playing that excellent game of chess in the first instalment to opening his home and world up to Harry, Ron was remarkable in his own way. The user mentions how "he faced his deepest fears, spiders" and was patient and happy to have his best friends in his life.
Ron has managed to polarize the fandom into those who love him and those who simply don't. Thus, for fans who hate Ron Weasley, the opinion expressed by ok-but-why-mister on Reddit would go against the grain. Ron, the haters feel, wasn't worthy of high praise for his weak personality, indecisiveness, and lack of loyalty.
Ron Remembers The Little Things
Along the same lines, peteykeegs1992 shares an opinion that Ron has a tendency to remember things about the ones he cares for. Little things that he wouldn't normally remember given his personality--the fan mentions, "I'm thinking of....Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, as it applies to food. He doesn't remember this because he finds it interesting, or because it's useful... He remembers it because he associates it with Hermione."
This is a thoughtful but uncommonly appreciative post about Ron who is 0ften berated for being toxic. Most fans notice his lack of subtlety and rudeness but not the fact that he cares deeply. He is seen as a character written in very broad strokes and not many would note that he is capable of remembering little details.
He Shows Growth On The Page
Reddit pet_genius is disappointed at all the Ron hate, stating that a lot of fans seem willing to forgive Draco Malfoy for being a misguided teenager but are up in arms against Ron Weasley--"the one character who....demonstrates growth, on page? Nah, Ron sucks." The user also reminds everyone that Ron is instinctively protective of Hermione from the very beginning, whether it was the time he tried to make Draco eat slugs to being willing to be tortured by Bellatrix to spare Hermione. Harry Potter fans will recall that torturing Hermione was one of the worst things Lestrange did.
For the vast bulk of haters, this is obviously unpopular. Ron is considered as someone with the least character evolution. Never very glamorous, he gets relegated to the background as Harry and Hermione take center stage for being more dynamic.
Ron Is Quite Exceptional
Finally, speaking of Ron being overshadowed, 91Bolt feels that Harry and Hermione both dwarf Ron by being extraordinary themselves but that Ron wasn't any less than Harry, really. He points out how Ron managed to come out of the various adventures throughout the series in a relatively unscathed condition, had been made a prefect, and had scored less than Harry only in the Defence Against Dark Arts examination. Now, "Is that not exceptional?", asks the Redditor.
Ron is certainly not seen at par with Harry in magical prowess and the majority of fans see him purely as a sidekick who causes more trouble than he helps. It is indeed unusual, although true enough, to note that Ron wasn't far behind Harry as far as talent was concerned, academic or otherwise.