Shape, size and colour contribute towards the way a character is portrayed. If a character is small, it looks non threatening, sometimes cute and is associated with weakness. If the character is large it looks more threatening but these rules aren’t definitive.
If a large character is designed with more circular shapes and more round edges it may look harmless and friendly whereas a small character with sharper features could look sinister if designed well.
If colour palette of a character is brighter, the character may look less threatening and they are more likely to be the protagonist or hero of a story. Dark, desaturated colours may look brooding and this may lead people to believe the character is a villain or the story is just set in a story with a darker theme.
I sketched a couple of poses intended to express anger without any facial features and using only the character’s body. I think the first one is clearer than the second one as the hands may not be interpreted as curled up fists and might confuse some people without something like a shouting face.
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