This probably should've gone in my rant about characters, but I think I can make an entire part devoted to it and give more examples with the space I have. This is really just kinda me talking about how important some character traits are versus how much a character trait should be shown to the reader depending on how important it is. Let's jump into this.
So there are a variety of ways to look at character traits, but the most basic ones you can see are major and minor. There is also the idea of traits I like to call 'window dressing' but these are things that are not important to the character as a whole, usually things like appearance most of the time. Major and minor traits can encompass the same things depending on what is needed for the plot but this can be said for a lot of writing just in general on how important something needs to be. If purple eyes are a sign of higher beings in your story and the main character has purple eyes, then that would be a major trait. In Pathfinder, purple eyes signify a long lineage to an ancient civilization and, normally, isn't very important save to show their bloodline has persisted for millennia. 72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3FuJIVlP1
I only gave out an example of a generic physical trait just as a quick example but I will be giving a few more examples of physical traits before I go onto nonphysical and examples of what I feel are important traits but really feel more like window dressing. Harry Potter has a scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. This signifies him as The Boy Who Lived and marks him as the one who will defeat Voldemort in the end. The scar also hurts and sort of allows him to get inside Voldemort's head to feel what he feels and get glimpses into what's going on. This is important to the plot not only for characters to recognize the protagonist for who he is, but also as a connection to the main villain who he's destined to defeat.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmolBHprVJR
Gandalf is depicted as an old, venerable wizard which gives an impression of wisdom and experience that makes people listen when he speaks. He didn't have to look old to be listened to as there would be other ways to show his power and wisdom, but this is how Tolkien chose to depict him. Not only is it proto-typical for wizards to be old, wear robes and carry staffs, but it helps the reader/viewer understand that his wisdom and power comes from his experience rather than it being this grand and obvious thing since he is sort of an angel.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYR47r32dLF
Nonphysical traits also fall into these categories but they are, sometimes, a little harder to find good examples of. An example is in the character of James Bond. Bond is a charismatic and intelligent agent who uses whatever tools he has at his disposal. He is able to get himself behind enemy lines, not just through his combat prowess but also by not letting it slip that he is a spy sent to take them down. He has many ways of doing this, especially with women, but he also fools men with a friendly and professional demeanor that can throw them off guard until they realize who exactly he is and the fame he's earned. A main sign of his intelligence is how he takes his vodka martinis, the famous "shaken, not stirred." Alcohol that is shaken is usually done with ice and shaking causes the ice to melt faster and more evenly than stirring which can heavily dilute the vodka. This is smart as James usually attends fancy parties undercover where he would look suspicious if he didn't have a drink, so he chooses to dilute his so that he has something that won't muddle his senses too much while blending in to do his job.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5h7lp8VUuk
Sherlock Holmes has an incredible mind which allows him to see past things that others may miss or deem as unimportant. People like to joke that Sherlock just looks at dust on the mantle piece and knows who the culprit is, but he does make an effort to take anything into account and analyze it until he can sufficiently say whether or not it is or isn't important to the case. This is a defining piece of Sherlock's character as he is hailed as one of the greatest detectives of all time.
So...now on to the part where I get to rag on what I think is window dressing. Window dressing in and of itself is not a bad thing, I gave the example of physical appearance being fit for this if it doesn't matter at all to the character or story, but I want to talk about some bad examples of things that aren't supposed to be window dressing feeling like window dressing.
My first example is Alastor from Hazbin Hotel. Alastor is supposed to be from 1930s New Orleans, Lousisianna...and I really don't have any idea how this is really shown in the character beyond his preference for radio over television, the radio static and noises surrounding his voice, and the supposed voodoo nature of his magic. I'm not really going to touch on the fact that Alastor's magic is only described as voodoo based on the fact he's supposed to be from New Orleans, but I do still want to touch on how nothing really tells us where he could be from. A French-based version of Creole is spoken in Lousianna and, in two seasons now, we have exactly one instance of him speaking any sort of French rather than him still using it from time to time to plot and mumble under his breath. For those who say that it would make it hard for us to know what he's up to, that could work since he's meant to be mysterious and dangerous and people would eventually pick it apart to find out what he was talking about.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dDBGFx5E2
Another thing that isn't obvious is what exactly makes him from the 1930s? The 30s was signified by the Great Depression and the beginning of WWII before US involvement in the Pacific. He does show a few such as self-reliance and, at least from his accusation that Rosie had not upheld her end of the deal, the idea that the 'state', in this case the demon who owns his soul, has a duty to protect the well-being of those beneath them, but that is assuming he lived to see FDR become president. However, these are inherently values from the 30s alone and there's not really any other values or mannerisms we find to signal how long he's been in Hell. It would be great for him to have a few old-fashioned values and to find him using outdated slang while everyone just looks at him confused. Have him be frugal and more focused on essentials rather than extras since he would've had to learn and experience international poverty and to stretch every penny as far as it would go.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswuF2aEMf3
And yes, I do understand that he's been in Hell for a long time as well as being a serial killer, but that doesn't mean he still wouldn't have adopted some values or mannerisms from the 30s.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5YQoxPZSk
As usual, these are more my opinions on the examples, but I hope I got the point I was trying to make across. I hope this helps someone.72Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkCfm7GJWv
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