Keg, 3 bytes, score: 2

#_^

Try it online!

Explanation

#_^ # A line comment
    # Copies the input to the output straightforwardly

    # Implicit reversed input
_   # Discard the first character in the string
 ^  # Reverse the stack

Keg -ir, 3 bytes, score: 2

#_^

Try it online!

Explanation

#_^ # A line comment
    # Copies the input to the output straightforwardly

    # Implicit reversed input
_   # Discard the first character in the string
 ^  # Reverse the stack

Keg, 5 bytes, score = 4

The character to remove is the : character.

?:$_^

Try it online!

Explanation

?     Read a string from STDIN, reversed
 :    Duplicate the first character of the string
  $   Swap the two duplicated characters
   _  Discard the duplicated item
    ^ Reverse the stack after input-manipulation

With the character removed:

?    Read a string from STDIN, reversed
 $   Swap the first two items of the string
  _  Remove the second item of the string
   ^ Reverse the stack back after input-manipulation
```

Keg, 3 bytes, score: 2

#_^

Try it online!

Explanation

#_^ # A line comment
    # Copies the input to the output straightforwardly
 

    # Implicit reversed input
_   # Discard the first character in the string
 ^  # Reverse the stack

Keg, 5 bytes, score = 4

The character to remove is the : character.

?:$_^

Try it online!

Keg, 5 bytes, score = 4

The character to remove is the : character.

?:$_^

Try it online!

Explanation

?     Read a string from STDIN, reversed
 :    Duplicate the first character of the string
  $   Swap the two duplicated characters
   _  Discard the duplicated item
    ^ Reverse the stack after input-manipulation

With the character removed:

?    Read a string from STDIN, reversed
 $   Swap the first two items of the string
  _  Remove the second item of the string
   ^ Reverse the stack back after input-manipulation
```