THE single most applicable to me was Dostoevsky's
main character in Notes From Underground.
But, as to admire, that's tough. I tend to
take on the persona of characters that I
read about, if strong. At least for a while.
I've admired a lot of Zelazny's 'heros' for their
disregard of what one should expect. But,
probably the two characters that most imprinted
me were Thomas Covenant and the evil (dead)
twin from The Dark Half. I'd also give some
serious thought to Satan in Brust's "To Reign
in Hell," Walker, in the movie by that name
(though not entirely fictional), and Gwelchmai from
Munn's "Merlin's Ring".