Although the character is initially depicted in Origins – Awakening to be only concerned about his own personal freedom, by Dragon Age II he has developed a zealous passion to help other mages who are oppressed by the Chantry.

He later reveals to Hawke, the player character of the second game, that he has allowed himself to be possessed by a spirit prior to his relocation to Kirkwall, whose rigid belief in moral absolutes influenced his predominantly lighthearted and carefree disposition.

His overt flirtation with Hawke, specifically a male player character, generated controversy as well as substantial discussion on the issue of LGBT themes in the Dragon Age series.

[2] Unlike other companions in Dragon Age II,[3] Anders is noted for being aggressive and proactive in his romantic pursuit for Hawke, who may respond by allowing or firmly rejecting any further flirtation.

Jennifer Hepler, the writer for Anders in Dragon Age II, had intentionally written the character to be a polarizing figure, who would be deeply loved by some players and intensely despised by others.

[11] Lead writer David Gaider also revealed in a Tumblr post that Anders wasn't always the character who was going to return from Awakening, and that it was originally set to be elven mage Velanna.

He also agreed to host Justice as his new vessel, transferring the spirit from Kristoff's corpse into his own body, and relocated to the city of Kirwall in order to help mages fight for freedom from the Chantry.

[14] This in turn gives Knight Commander Meredith the opportunity to invoke the Rite of Annulment, an order to kill all the mages in the Kirkwall Circle, without official sanction from a Grand Cleric or the Divine.

She complained that his "terrible characterization in Dragon Age II was only made worse by the fact that he was genuinely likable and interesting in his first appearance in Awakening", and insisted that there was no resemblance between the two iterations of the Anders character "aside from his odd feathery shoulders".

[21] Gieson Cacho, in a 2011 post for Mercury News' arts and entertainment blog, was of the view that Anders is the most fascinating aspect of Dragon Age II with regards to "how he sets up the conflict that’s central to the game".

Cacho concluded that while BioWare's approach is flawed as they glossed over the results of the player's actions if they choose to sympathize with Anders, he considered the developers' attempt to be "brave" as they "broach the subject better than Infinity Ward did with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2".

[23] During an interview with Red Carpet News TV at the London Comic Con MCM Expo in October 2012, Howden noted that Anders was the role he was most recognized for at the time, and that he was the most frequent character fans would ask him to make an impression of when meeting him in person.

Evaluating that the relationship between Anders and Karl is not conditional but the revelation of its nature is contingent on the player character being female, Hylton called this approach "a strange way to hide homosexuality".

The post, which is now inaccessible after EA shut down Bioware's forums, criticized the game's diversity in romances, and asked for a much bigger focus on straight male gamers as well as an option to remove homosexual content.

[3][31] Greg Armstrong-Morris from Xtra was annoyed by what he perceived to be overreaction by some gamers due to their inability to cope with Anders' flirting, and sarcastically proposed that a Kinsey scale which allows players to determine their in-game avatars' sexual orientation should be introduced to keep everyone happy.

[2] Ligman observed that Anders does not retaliate with insulting remarks when a protagonist spurns his advances; noting that even "rivals in the game respect Hawke", she contrasted this to the misogynistic treatment women may experience in the real world when placed in the same situation.

[31] Similarly, Hylton stated that Anders is an example of a "problematic bisexual character" and that the game's presentation played into the trope as a result of his writers' approach towards male-to-male flirtation.