Forum - View topicWhat defines a hero/heroine?
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Ktimene's Lover
 Posts: 2242 Location: Glendale, AZ (Proudly living in the desert) |
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The main character in anime is often the hero/heroine. It's their will of dedication to the cause they support that is the story's glue. They truly shine in the most darkest situations. Thus, my opinion, in Naruto, the titled character is ultimately the strongest character possible. What do you think defines a hero/heroine?
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LydiaDianne
 Posts: 5634 Location: Southern California |
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Oh, wow! You sure do come up with some good ones!
What defines a hero or heroine? Hmm. Well, let me stick with my perennial favorite: Sailor Moon aka Tsukino Usagi. Okay, let's face it. Usagi is a whiner, crybaby, a bit of a slacker when it comes to certain things like, oh say SCHOOL! She did not want to become a heroine. Quite frankly it was too much work and it was scary too! But, she was bullied into it by a cat, mind you, so Usagi's a wuss too! But, for as much as she complained, she did what she had to do and as her friends and fellow Senshi joined her, Usagi became stronger. Don't get me wrong, Usagi backslid into whining and crying and being scared and depressed but that's normal isn't it? Normal people don't become super heroes AND she's a teenage girl who had never even DREAMED of being a Heroine. But, when the cards were down, Usagi dried her tears, pulled herself up and got the job done, doing what she had to do. And several times, she made that ultimate sacrifice - spoiler[her own life]. That is a heroine to me. Or at least one version of being a heroine. I think that it depends on the character a lot and what sort of person they were before they became the Hero/Heroine. Some characters were born to be Heroes and just had to take that last small step to get the title. Others, like Usagi, had to work at it a bit. |
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Ktimene's Lover
Posts: 2242 Location: Glendale, AZ (Proudly living in the desert) |
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Thanks for that nice comment (this is not in sarcasm). In case anyone wonders how I come up with such ideas for posts, it's quite simple: I occasionally just think of interesting/unique ways to view anime. One I had that I might put on as a post is if you could make your own harem of anime characters that are opposite your sex, who would it be and why?
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DragonsRevenge
 Posts: 1150 |
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The hero is the audience rallies behind. The villian is the one the audience is led to "hate" and hope the hero overcomes. Pretty simple stuff if you've taken any sort of literature class.
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NocturnalUX
 Posts: 448 Location: Portugal |
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Many works of literature dispute this simple dichotomy, though. I usually sympathize with the villain much more than I do with the hero although there are many exceptions to the rule. To me what makes a hero/heroine is the ability to put others above one's self and to act on that desire to do something for other peple even at the expense of his/hers own life. I'd say Utena from Revolutionary Girl Utena ends up being such a figure spoiler[when she insists on reaching out for Anthy even after being stabbed by none other than Anthy herself. Utena is at the end of her rope, Akio taunts her about how helpless she is but still she carries on, crawling and desperately trying to open the Rose gate. More, she even pushes Akio away.] |
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BrothersElric
 Posts: 1996 |
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Ah yes, my kind of thread!
 Very nice.
Well the way I view the perfect hero or heroine is sort of a combination between what Ctimene's Lover and LydiaDianne both said. I highly agree with Naruto being the ultimate idea of what the perfect hero is, also seeing as how Kishimoto said in one of his interviews he modeled Naruto's character from what he believes makes the perfect hero. He starts out as basically a nobody. No friends, no family, no one to acknowledge him for anything, and acting hyperactive and annoying in order to gain that acknowledgment from others. But at the same time he has this extreme desire and determination to prove everyone wrong about him and prove that he isn't a looser like everyone says he is, and has this amazing way of life that he follows that in the end is what gives him the determination to do what he does. And the more people see this in him the more they respect him and his abilities, and the more friends he gains. And the more people begin to acknowledge him, the more he thrives off of their support, and also gains more of something to fight for. He really develops as a character into the role of a hero as one of the most strong-willed characters out there. And not only that, but coming from the background that he does as something a lot of people can relate to, it makes it all that much more inspirational. Not only do the characters within the series learn from him and become better people for it, but I'm sure a lot of veiwers out there have the same experience with his character. He's also is indeed the type of character, as Ctiimene's Lover mentioned, whose strong will gives people hope in the darkest of moments. There are other of my personal favorite heroes out there who also fit this mold, such as DBZ's Goku and One Piece's Luffy, and Naruto is definitely up there. There's just something about him where if you put a certain situation in his hands, you just have this feeling that you know for sure he'll take care of it. And some of the particular situations he's put in in the series makes it all the more inspirationally powerful. So basically, I'd say if you take the likes Goku, Luffy, Gon (Hunter X Hunter) or Naruto, I think the characteristics of that type of character is what makes the perfect hero or heroine. |
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Murasakisuishou
 Posts: 1469 Location: NE Ohio |
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I disagree that a hero always has to be 'determined'. I'm probably thinking about this because I wrote a paper about him last night for my literature course (about epic elements in modern entertainment), but I think one of the greatest examples of a true hero is Shaman King's Yoh Asakura. He's not really about becoming the greatest whatever like so many other shounen heros; his only goal is to be able to live an easy life. He has no ego whatsoever; all of his actions are on behalf of the people he cares about. His ability to not lose sight of himself under stress is one of his most important weapons, as it enables him to ultimately defeat spoiler[Hao]. I also like his constant attitude of "what will be, will be" and "everything will end up all right". I think a hero should be someone who doesn't think about their own gains, but just tries their hardest to enjoy what comes their way and make life better for others.
Of course, it's open for debate whether or not this laid-back attitude is real or merely the result of spoiler[pot smoking]. 
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BrothersElric
Posts: 1996 |
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Well, to be completely fair, pretty much any shounen hero I can think of, especially the ones I mentioned above, are all characters that care deeply about the precious people in their lives and are always fighting for them and putting them before themselves. I mean, a great example in Naruto's case is how latter on in the series he basically spoiler[puts all his current goals on hold for a new goal, which basically is saving his best friend Sasuke.] You could probably take other examples from other shounen series as well, but in pretty much every case it has something to do with that determination going into helping someone, whether it be a close friend or simply someone in need that they don't even know. I just think, in Naruto's case specifically, the added quality of his abilities to overcome his own problems and his way of living is one of the things that makes him such a unique hero himself. |
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Boomerang Flash
 Posts: 1021 |
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A hero, I think, is a main character who most closely resembles the moral ideals as defined by the world represented by the work of fiction. The author, to a great extent, can define his own set of mores by which the audience judges characters within a show by crafting the world to suit his morals. In a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk slum of Battle Angel Alita, there exists a large degree of anarchy. Thus, a violent and sarcastic character like Alita can be seen as a hero even before she showed her strong inclination to protect the innocent.
The extent to which an author can define his own morals is limited by what contemporary society considers correct, though. However anarchic the world of Hellsing may be, I doubt many people would consider a sadistic, callous, arrogant, etc character like Alucard a hero. He places among the too large rank of anti-heroes who are proof that the main character need not represent moral ideals. A heroine is the woman in the refrigerator who spurs the actions of the hero. |
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Xenofan 29A
 Posts: 378 |
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I prefer a hero or heroine that is realistic. Of course, a hero is necessarily a good person who looks out for the needs of others, but my ideal hero/heroine does not follow the guideline of "heroism" to the letter. They will make mistakes, they will have selfish moments, but, being the hero, they will ultimately decide on what is morally correct.
The protagonist does not have to be heroic, however, and many genres of anime do not require heroism at all. I do not have an ideal protagonist. I think that heroes and heroines serve well as protagonists, I think that anti-heroes make good protagonists, and I think that regular people can make good protagonists. Some of anime's most interesting protagonists are not heroes/heroines. Shiro from Wings of Honneamise, Rakka from Haibane Renmei, Shinji from Evangelion, and Chiyoko from Millennium Actress are not heroic, but they are some of the most fascinating characters I've encountered in anime. |
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Fallout2man
Posts: 275 Location: San Diego, CA |
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In my opinion there are two key traits that define a hero. The first being a predominatly kind or good nature (otherwise he'd be an anti-hero.) The second being the ability to make his will or desire to acomplish his goals translate into real physical action. This is not to be confused with mere motivation. If the hero has to survive a one hundred megaton nuclear explosion to save his girlfriend he will find a way to. This can be done in a more realistic fasion without direct super powers. The defining point however, is the hero is always able to get where he needs to be (not to be confused with where he wants to be) and is always able to overcome any obstacle to get to that. This separates a hero from a normal or good natured character, as the other characters are subject to the actual pressures and harsheties of reality. The hero triumphs while the rest are forced to abide by the laws of physics and will only succeed when what they are doing is realistically feasable, not when it is what's needed to be done or what they need to do. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16963 |
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I think what defines a man or woman as a hero is their humanity. While they're fun to watch I don't consider a character a hero if they're simply always nice and always right and just wonderful. A real hero is someone who's human. Someone who makes mistakes and messes up. Unless they've made their own mistakes or experienced hardships themselves how can they truly be a hero? Part of being a hero is the knowing what it's like to have nothing. To raise yourself up from that and despite your grief do all that is in your power to do good deeds and provide justice.
I also don't but the whole "never giving up" idea. Again if the hero is human he or she will give up at times. That's human nature. But again raising yourself up from that and persevering over it to help others shows the true heroic nature of a person. They have to be flawed I think for them to truly be a real hero. I think one good example of that kind of hero is Batman from the old Batman graphic novels. For an anime example I'd suggest Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin. Both have dark pasts and have lived through pain and loss. Both are flawed individuals trying to live through past mistakes and misery to do something right and just. |
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suna_suna
 Posts: 550 Location: Ohio |
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sometimes we prefer our heroes to be antiheroes (forgive the sexism).
one, the antihero has a very edgy additude that makes us think, damn, he don't take no crap, and that draws us into his story because we want to know how he got that way. we also want to see if, perhaps, he will soften up to a love interest leter in the story. two, we know that despite the fact that he would sometimes not like to do something heroic, we know he will when he has to, even if it's for his own sake. i think Yusuke Urameshi is a great antihero at the beginning of Yu Yu Hakusho, but later he becomes more of a regular hero. the line between straight up heroes and antiheroes does get blurred as well. btw, if you don't agree with what i said, replace all the "we"s with "I"s and continue. |
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fighterholic
Posts: 9193 |
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Even a hero will need support from a character in the story along a point. Even in One Piece when spoiler[it seemed that the crew was breaking up Luffy had to have words of support from Zoro.] A hero would be somebody who displays human traits/characteristics, helping those in need and putting the needs of others ahead of their own, and when the going is rough get support from others as well.
Alucard would definetly be one of those who is an anti-hero, because though he fights for good he doesn't care one way or another what may happen to others. |
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jigoku_hime
 Posts: 78 Location: twinkle twinkle little stars... |
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The ability to meet the expectations of the viewers (or even exceed it) is what defines a hero/heroine. Peolple have different views and opinions about what a hero/heroine should be, so what defines a hero/heroine is the opinions of the people watching him/her. An ideal hero/heroine should suit the taste of the person watching him/her. I think that there is'nt really a standard norm for an ideal hero/heroine
The only hero who has exceeded my expectations of what a hero should be is Naruto. In my opinion, his imperfectness made him an ideal hero because a hero should be someone people can relate to. He should be someone capable of making mistakes and turning his mistakes into triumphs. Naruto, although not really a great ninja was able to make something out of his failures. His determination to reach his goal made him stronger. For me an ideal hero/heroine should have a goal or a purpose. Goals enable a man to reach behind his limitations. Finally, a hero should have something in him that the viewers will love. I love the way Naruto's stupidity makes me laugh. His crazy antics are enough to make my day brighter.
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