What Make A Great Character?

So for this entry, i figure i have alot of things to write about. What makes a great character? first of all, i think this have to do with his surrounding. For us readers, what really brings out a character and find one so memorable is how he overcomes his obstacles. One of the perfect example that i have read recently is Hajima no Ippo. This is a mid weight boxer in a japanese comic. The character started out as the underdog, one who have been abused all the time. However the tide turns once he realized his love for boxing. All the time, in every match Ippo would meet a boxing prodigy or some sorts. He would always be scared and doubting himself, but at the same time he put unprecedented faith in his trainer. His immense hard works and practice always paid off as he narrowly wins every match.
Despite the fact that the comic is not really well drawn, but out of all the characters from novels, comics, movies, or cartoons, this is the character that i remember the most. Why? because of that hardwork and hard fought personality deep in Ippo. Through his training and hard work we see the character grow and become stronger each time he comes out for a match and always prevail despite the odds against him.
It is this defiance of fate that makes a great character. For me, i love it when a character faces all kinds of challenge and he counters them all and win in the end. I'm not saying that a character win in the end because he is incredibly smart or anything, in fact Ippo is quite a dull person. He left a great impression in my mind at the end because he prevail through the efforts he put into his preparation. He works so hard for each match and that is the kind of character i want to read about. Not someone that is super strong in the start but someone weak but with good potential. As the character matures he slowly evolves and turns out to be a great hero. That, is what makes a great character, hardships and never dying faith.