Do you see side characters as vessels for exposition or tools for development? Or possibly canon fodder to show off how evil or powerful your villain is.
The value of side characters
All of the above! Just don't pull a Toriyama and forget about any, or make them absolutely useless.
person_off
Deleted user
Usually my favourite character ends up being one of the side characters because the main character is too dull and/or angsty. Side characters are there for plot, motivation, canon fodder, comic relief, and to be interesting when the protagonist is not.
That's very true. Nailed it.