Forum - View topicBest Hero/Heroine Tournament: Finished!
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JacobC
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Well, I don't mean "ulterior motives," as in a negative connotation, I just mean...WHY is Touma such a super-nice guy? I just don't understand his character very well, and since he's in a superhero position of rescuing girls and jumping out of the hospital to go do it again, he's starting to remind me of the "perfect men" in moe titles, only with superpowers. People are kind of voting for him without an explanation, and his guide entry just elicited an eyeroll from me, so I'm just curious as to what his character is like. Yagami does what he does because he's innately responsible as a police chief and a father and he's displayed the importance of discipline and conviction in his life continuously. That makes sense to me. Wolfwood, Balsa, Shuurei, Utena, Tohru and Vash also display this level of depth beyond the "I'm a good guy thing," but there are others in Group B who don't, so it's not a requirement of a hero, to have depth, but it makes them a more impressive figure to me, and I guess I just don't get the rousing support for someone who looks like a cardboard cutout next to a very admirable, more realistic man just yet.
True that. I just wasn't really roused by one or the other in terms of description. I saw a few episodes of Scrapped Princess and didn't remember Shannon without a picture, and I've been avoiding Higurashi like the plague, so going by the guide...they just both sounded "eh" to me, so I picked the slightly more unusual choice.
Okay, strong language (if you're British. I also have a bad habit of saying "bloody," which is WAY worse than it sounds.) I may be combatted on this, but as a woman, I'm really easily annoyed with the "action chick whose out to stop the warring men from causing problems" stereotype. The show wasn't...terrible...but it was consistently painful to watch, and Juliet was an especially painful part of it. She didn't seem realistic, and in all her grimace-worthy posturing and outlandish Lelouche-ish stunts through the series, I could only be reminded of women like Lady Oscar or Lia de Beaumont who she was trying to imitate and it...just didn't work. She was not admirable.
QFT. I haven't seen the show in a while and don't own it, so it was hard for me to think of concrete examples of Shuurei's bravery, as most of it involved diplomacy, but I also have to stress that she absolutely needs to go farther in this tournament.
Okay, pinky swear.
I'm not crazy about Christmas, mind you, and I can't defend her by much (except to say she has a VERY pure heart and protects others with uber-power when her time comes), but I just can't vote for Naruto, who is about the farthest thing from "admirable" or "heroic" that I can think of. Saying he made slightly wicked kids better over time by showing his determination in battle and having a chitchat with them is well and good, but it's not heroic, it just means Naruto's a "good ninja" and they're "not-so-good ninjas" and they realize that after having a throwdown with him. I don't know, I just can't vote for a character that I feel like I would look down on in real life instead of up to. He's arrogant, self-absorbed, competitive to detrimental degree in times of danger, and doesn't respond with any righteous fervor when good is challenged, honestly. When he first meets Gaara in the hospital episode and Gaara describes exactly who he is and all the creepy things he's done, Sasuke...(is it Sasuke who's there, or is it someone else?) is ready to take action and try to stop him from sand-smothering the guy in the bed (who I also don't recall by name), but Naruto, of course starts thinking, "He's just like me! We grew up in the same circumstances! It can't be right for me to pretend I understand him now! This is just awful! How can I even fight him?" That's not heroic, that's waffly teenage angst, and very little of what Naruto does is heroic until someone's life is directly ON the line, and then he gets very butch and screamy. I just don't care for that type of hero. Sorry to sound all elitist, but I did want to show that I have reasons. |
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arachneia
 Posts: 415 Location: On the wings of Bob Lennon |
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Perhaps because Goku happened to be less generic than who he was up against? I don't see what the issue here is. All of us are going to have different criteria of what makes someone a hero. If we all agreed on everything, there would be no tournament. |
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Mad_Scientist
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 3013 |
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Group B-1
Yajima Kintaro, Salaryman Kintaro vs. Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist Voting for: Edward Elric Kintaro sounds interesting, and to be honest Edward isn't a top choice of mine, but I think that he's good enough to go on a round or two. Perhaps some good arguments in Kintaro's favor will convince me to change my vote though. Group B-2 Natsume Takashi, Natsume Yūjin-Chō vs. Tsukushi Makino, Boys over Flowers Voting for: Natsume Takashi I'm not familiar with either character, but I remember my initial impression during the nomination round was to go for Takashi, and I haven't seen anything to convince me otherwise yet. Group B-3 Fakir, Princess Tutu vs. Eikichi Onizuka , Great Teacher Onizuka Voting for: Eikichi Onizuka I'm a big Princess Tutu fan, and you can expect me to go nuts campaigning for Duck as the tournament goes on, but... Fakir is a genuine hero in the later stages of the show, starting around the second half, but he certainly has some... issues. If we ever do the "Most Improved Character" tournament I think he will do well, but his issues prevent me from voting for him against Onizuka, who seems like a pretty good candidate from what I understand. Group B-4 Linn Syun-Rock Dreu Haider Jinto (aka Jinto Linn), Crest/Banner of the Stars vs. Nicholas Wolfwood, Trigun Voting for: Nicholas Wolfwood Wolfwood isn't perfect, and I don't think he'll go far, but he's strong enough to beat Jinto I believe. Jinto doesn't seem all that herioc from what I've read, while Wolfwood kind of looks bad because he's in the same series as Vash but is actually more herioc than he might seem at first glance. Group B-5 Samatarou Kamiyama, Kamisama Kazoku vs. Astro Boy, Astro Boy (Note: link is for original 1963 version) Voting for: Astro Boy It's hard not to vote for Astro Boy at this stage, and Kazoku doesn't seem a strong enough candidate to make me go against Astro. Group B-6 Touma Kamijo, A Certain Magical Index (aka To Aru Majutsu no Index) vs. Soichiro Yagami, Death Note Voting for: Touma Kamijo Touma at least seems fairly herioc from what I've read, and I was never really struck by Soichiro's heroism. He seems like a decent man, and in an anime like Death Note he really stands out because of that, but he does very little that I can remember that I would really call herioc. Group B-7 Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit vs. Jessica Edwards, Legend of the Galactic Hero Voting for: Balsa Many others have already stated reasons for voting for Balsa. She is one of the strongest candidates in this tournament, in my opinion, and she's definitely my pick to win this group. I'm sure I'll go into greater detail in the later rounds (or if by some freak chance it looks like she's in danger this round.) Group B-8 Naruto Uzumaki, Naruto vs. Christmas, Kurau Phantom Memory Voting for: Naruto Naruto deserves some props, despite the genre and the show he is in. He's definitely not perfect, so I doubt he'll go far, but he has enough herioc qualities to merit a victory in this round, especially since Christmas is a candidate that hasn't impressed me a huge amount yet. Group B-9 Iria, Iria - Zeiram The Animation vs. Kurenai Shinkurou, Kurenai Voting for: Kurenai Shinkurou Kurenai was my initial impression based on the nomination rounds, and the guide entry also makes him seem better to me. I haven't seen anything that would change my mind yet. Group B-10 Shurei Kou/Hong, The Story of Saiunkoku vs. Saito Hiraga, The Familiar of Zero Voting for: Shurei Kou/Hong I haven't seen The Story of Saiunkoku yet, but I want to, as I've heard good things about it. And almost every single time I hear it mentioned, people say good things about the show's main character, Shurei. A capable and intellegent female character who uses her wits to solve situations, help and change those around her, and hold a position no woman in her country has held before... she is often mentioned as a perfect example of an admirable female protaganist that animes need more of, a true heroine that can be looked up to. She definitely deserves to win this, and go far in the tournament. Group B-11 Noriko Takaya, Gunbuster vs. Juliet Capulet, Romeo x Juliet Voting for: Juliet Hmm, tough choice, as I haven't seen either characters' shows, but both of them sound like pretty good candidates. For now I'm going with my initial impression and voting for Juliet. Group B-12 Claus Valca, Last Exile vs. Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena Voting for: Utena Tenjou I'm voting for the character I don't know over the character I do. But Claus, while decent, isn't a super strong candidate in my mind, and Utena definitely sounds like one from everything I have heard. Group B-13 Roger Smith, The Big O vs. Tohru Honda, Fruits Basket Voting for: Tohru Honda Once again, I'm voting for a character I don't know over one I do. But this is a lot closer than the match between Claus and Utena. Roger Smith is tempting to vote for, and I know Tohru was fairly heavily contested in the nomination rounds. But because of that, there were a lot of good arguments made in her favor, and those have me giving her the slight edge for now. Group B-14 Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton vs. Kazuma, s-CRY-ed Voting for: Taichi Keaton I'm not a huge fan of Kazuma, actually. It's been a while since I've seen his show, so my memory is unfortunately a bit vague, but I remember not really liking his character all that much at the time. He ultimately does do some herioc things, but he can be pretty stupid and petty at times, and he just never really struck me as that heroic. Keaton sounds like a better choice to me. Group B-15 Shannon Casull, Scrapped Princess vs. Keiichi Maebara, When They Cry Voting for: Keiichi Maebara Hmm, this choice is kind of a tough one for me. Both candidates have some strengths, and both have flaws. In Keiichi's case it is especially interesting because of the nature of the show. spoiler[Higurashi involves multiple timelines due to a timeloop of sorts, and also involves a disease that causes insanity and violent behavior. Thus, in some story arcs Keiichi is incredibly herioc, but in some others, he is a victim who suffers from the disease and loses his mind.] So, how to judge Keiichi overall? I'm still not totally certain, but I think that overall his actions are enough merit choosing him. Mostly because of the second season, and some of the things revealed in it, where it becomes apparant just how important Keiichi is. Afterall, it is revealed that spoiler[not only are his actions and example are largely responsible for changing the mind of Mion's grandmother and the climate of the village, healing the old dam feud, they are also a huge part of the catalyst that allows for the nightmarish cycle of death to eventually end, and end with a surprisingly happy ending at that.] Group B-16 Vash the Stampede, Trigun vs. Sousuke Sagara, Full Metal Panic! franchise Voting for: Vash the Stampede I think Vash may have been a bit overrated in the nomination round, but even so, I'm giving him my vote at this stage. |
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Ggultra2764
 Subscriber Posts: 3952 Location: New York state. |
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Turnout isn't as big on the first day as last week at only 15 votes so far. Here's what I have for current score.
Match B-1: Edward Elric leads 12-3. Match B-2: Natsume Takashi leads 10-5. Match B-3: Eikichi Onizuka leads 11-4. Match B-4: Nicholas Wolfwood leads 12-3. Match B-5: Astro Boy leads 14-1. Match B-6: Touma Kajimo leads 13-2. Match B-7: Balsa leads 11-4. Match B-8: Naruto Uzumaki leads 9-6. Match B-9: Shinkurou Kurenai leads 11-4. Match B-10: Shuurei Kou leads 8-7. Match B-11: Noriko Takaya leads 8-7. Match B-12: Utena Tenjou leads 12-3. Match B-13: Tohru Honda leads 8-7. Match B-14: Taichi Keaton leads 10-5. Match B-15: Shannon Casull leads 12-3. Match B-16: Vash the Stampede leads 13-2. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18395 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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The anime is never too clear on this, but my impression has always been that he was so plagued by misfortune due to his "ability" that, when he discovered that he could put it to a positive use, he jumped at the opportunity. Thus I guess you could say that his heroism is grounded as much as anything in his desire to prove that he could be a master of his circumstances rather than a victim of them. And, well, let's not forget that there's nothing like a cute girl (in anime or RL) to embolden any guy with the faintest trace of bravery in his heart. 
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Mad_Scientist
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 3013 |
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My count is the same as yours, except I have only 4 votes for Kazuma. EDIT: In response to something mentioned in another post.
Actually, I'm afraid your memory about this particular scene is a bit fuzzy. It was Shikimaru and Naruto in the hospital, and they had already stopped Gaara from sand smothering Lee... they had stopped him for a bit that is, using Shikimaru's shadow jutsu that would only work for a limited time. Shikimaru's attitude wasn't like you described, it was more "This guy is a complete monster and will easily kill us both if we're not careful, how the heck do we get out of this alive, and why did I involve myself in the first place?" He got angry at Naruto at first for making comments he thought might upset Gaara, and later tried to bluff his way out of the situation. He wasn't ready to actually fight Gaara, he knew it would be suicide. Naruto's thoughts were also different from what you said. Yah, his initial reaction was sort of a "he's just like me," which makes perfect sense, because Gaara had many things in common with Naruto: they both had monsters inside of them, they were both hated by some because of it, they both grew up alone, etc, etc. But after Gaara went on more about how twisted his past truly was, Naruto started to get a bit freaked out. He didn't have some moral-relativistic thoughts like you seemed to imply. It was simply fear. Naruto felt afraid of Gaara, a boy who had regularly been killing assassins since he was 6, a boy who had transformed himself into someone who defined his very existance by killing others, and realized that he actually had no hope of beating him. Which, at that time, was true. Last edited by Mad_Scientist on Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Dorcas_Aurelia
 Posts: 5344 Location: Philly |
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What? B-1 Yajima Kintaro, Salaryman Kintaro Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist Ed Mainly because there's not much info on Yajima. Ed's motivation is returning his brother to normal, but in his quest for the philosopher's stone, he is often sidetracked when he encounters villages or people in need of aid. B-2 Natsume Takashi, Natsume Yuujincho Tsukushi Makino, Boys over Flowers Tsukushi I thought I was going to vote for Natsume, but the guide for Tsukushi says that she becomes the victim of "extremely harsh bullying". Given the way some series depict problems with bullying, this could be pretty harsh. Natsume's guide entry is a little vague on what exactly he does, except it involves spirits, and it can be dangerous. B-3 Fakir, Princess Tutu Eikichi Onizuka, Great Teacher Onizuka Onizuka Fakir deserves to be here. He's got a mission that he believes in, and he holds to it rigorously, spoiler[to the point where he is very nearly killed] at the end of the first season. Onizuka, massive pervert though he is, starts his teaching career with almost everyone against him, but gradually he wins over enemy after enemy. He does everything in his power to help his students, consequences be damned. B-4 Jinto Linn, Crest/Banner of the Stars Nicholas Wolfwood, Trigun Wolfwood Jinto does go through some pretty extraordinary circumstances, and humbly, with level-headed bravery, he makes it through, but he doesn't manage to evoke the same kind of emotional reaction to his heroism as Wolfwood does. B-5 Samatarou Kamiyama, Kamisama Kazoku Astro Boy, Astro Boy Samatarou I probably shouldn't vote this way, but I can't really take Astro Boy seriously from the one episode I saw, and abunai nominated Samatarou, so that's a little weight to that. B-6 Tohma Kamijo, To Aru Majutsu no Index Soichiro Yagami, Death Note Soichiro Yagami I've been convinced by JO's argument that Soichiro's deeds have been somewhat obscured from our (or at least my) memory due to the audacious mindgames of L and Light. That he wasn't able to see through his son's deceptions doesn't detract from his motives and acts. Plus, I find it a little ridiculous that Touma's ability is considered such a detriment; the bad luck on himself mostly entails slapstick accidents, and complete negation of supernatural abilities should rank somewhat higher than zero. Heck, one of the characters in the Negima manga is used as a human battery on multiple ocassions for having that kind of ability. B-7 Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit Jessica Edwards, Legend of the Galactic Heroes Balsa I feel bad about this, because Jessica sounds like an excellent choice, and I'd probably pick her easily over most of the other entrants, but I've got to go with Balsa on the strength of her convictions and how she uses her superior prowess only for honorable causes. B-8 Naruto, Naruto Christmas, Kurau: Phantom Memory Naruto Christmas tries, and once spoiler[she develops powers as well] (which shouldn't really need to be a spoiler because it makes sense it would happen) spoiler[she does her share of the work, too], but she is only able to shine because she was able to walk in Kurau's footsteps. Naruto is a force by himself, and because he wasn't protected so much during his growth, he could become more. B-9 Iria, Iria, Zeiram the Animation Kurenai Shinkurou, Kurenai Kurenai Shinkurou doesn't have to just protect Murasaki, he has to raise her, essentially. He knows he has weaknesses that he has to overcome, and he's constantly working to do so. Plus, Iria seems to be a borderline entry. B-10 Shurei Kou/Hong, The Story of Saiunkoku Saito Hiragi, The Familiar of Zero Shurei From what I know of both series indirectly, there's no way I can vote for Saito, and Shurei gets a lot of praise around these forums. B-11 Noriko Takaya, Gunbuster Juliet Capulet, Romeo x Juliet Noriko Greater scale of heroism. Planet > city. B-12 Claus Valca, Last Exile Utena Tendo, Revolutionary Girl Utena Utena Claus' heroism doesn't stir any real memories from the series, plus the enthusiasm for Utena is overwhelming. B-13 Roger Smith, The Big O Tohru Honda, Fruits Basket Roger Smith For the same reason I couldn't vote for Pacifica, I can't vote for Tohru. She may be a bubbly rain of sunshine spreading her infectious joy amid a gray and cloudy world, but that's not so much heroic as just being a good person. The risk of emotional pain, which is pretty much the extent of Tohru's danger, is kind of required for a decent romantic drama, and that makes it somewhat unexceptional. B-14 Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton Kazuma, sCRYed Keaton Kazuma sounds a little interesting, but breadth of Keaton's experience make me want to vote for him. B-15 Shannon Casull, Scrapped Princess Keiichi Maebara, When They Cry Keiichi It's understandable that people don't want to vote for Keiichi, what with the whole insanity thing he does sometimes, but Keiichi is the key to saving Hinamizawa from it's repeating disaster. Keiichi is the leader of the group, and he can bring out the best in the girls. I also recall spoiler[Rika saying that things are always worse in the timelines where Keiichi doesn't come to Hinamizawa.] B-16 Vash the Stampede, Trigun Sousuke Sagara, Full Metal Panic Vash Sousuke is too emotionless. Vash cares about EVERY life and wants to protect them all. I remember one episode, there was a quick-draw contest, and Vash was throwing pebbles throughout it to deflect the bullets so that none of the shots were fatal. |
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DerekTheRed
 Posts: 3544 Location: ::Points to hand:: |
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 I like to see if people are reading the vote posts in the earlier rounds.
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Mylene
 Posts: 2792 Location: Indiana |
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If you're curious for examples, here they are: 1. spoiler[A group of guys attempted to rape her--although they were stopped] - This is in the first couple of episodes 2. spoiler[She was dragged behind a moving car] - This is a bit later on, but still fairly early in the series, I think. It's been years since I watched it. There are much milder forms of bullying of course, eggs thrown in her hair, her desk removed from class, rumors spreading that she's had multiple abortions, etc. But things do escalate from time to time, and as frightened as she is, she lives up to her self-given "weed" nickname to get back up and fight back. She's not going to let these people take her down, and she'll be damned if she's going to allow them to torture anyone else, either. |
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_Earthwyrm_
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Wow. She sounds to be a really strong person. I guess I'll be giving her my support when I vote.
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JacobC
ANN Contributor
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I wouldn't doubt it. I saw that when it first aired. -.-'
That's all I was accusing him of. Being a tweeny-weenie in that moment like every other Disney-channel-fodder kid character before him. Naruto's not really a deep enough show to be getting into the stickiness of "moral relativism." 
I was basically just deterred by Naruto's five-minute (no exaggeration) monologue about how scared he was of Gaara and how alike they were and found it really A) lame and B) not heroic. And the same could be said of most any situation he is in where he's not angry or cocky enough to pull out a win in the last minute "when all hope is lost," oy. 
But thanks for clearing up the details! |
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Mylene
Posts: 2792 Location: Indiana |
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A little clarification on this one, as I fear I might have worded it poorly. When I say spoiler[dragged behind a car, I mean it was fully intentional. She was hog-tied to the back of the vehicle and dragged for awhile. It wasn't terribly long], but I think the real issue beyond physical injury is the ability to withstand such a horrific psychological attack. These people so clearly saw her as something less than human, perhaps even less than an animal if they were willing to do this. She knew she was getting into some pretty deep stuff when she decided to stop allowing the F4 to bully and belittle others. I think that right there is a good reason for her to at least garner a few votes in the tournament. Does the series eventually focus more on romance? Yes. Does she often get pulled out of the worst examples of bullying by a guy? Yes--but always by a guy that's part of what started the problem in the first place. Her willingness to take on the worst and still keep standing strong (and also making some pretty tough life choices as well [heroic in more of a personal and emotional strength sort of way]) is what I like about the character. The show is completely overwrought (think Peach Girl), the situations can be overly melodramatic, but still, Tsukushi's one tough cookie. |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Group B-1
Yajima Kintaro, Salaryman Kintaro vs. Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist This is a close call... but I'll still stick with my own nominee, Kintaro. Group B-2 Natsume Takashi, Natsume Yūjin-Chō vs. Tsukushi Makino, Boys over Flowers Not really a choice that appeals to me. Though they both have pluck and chutzpah and moxie and all that, I don't really feel that either of the two fits the "heroic" bill... still, having to choose, I will choose Natsume. Group B-3 Fakir, Princess Tutu vs. Eikichi Onizuka , Great Teacher Onizuka In this group, I am in no doubt whatsoever. Onizuka is the man. Group B-4 Linn Syun-Rock Dreu Haider Jinto (aka Jinto Linn), Crest/Banner of the Stars vs. Nicholas Wolfwood, Trigun Big fat "meh"... but, why not? I vote for Jinto Lin. Group B-5 Samatarou Kamiyama, Kamisama Kazoku vs. Astro Boy, Astro Boy (Note: link is for original 1963 version) Astro Boy is probably going to carry this group, and that's a fair call, because he is very heroic. Still, I feel I need to represent Samatarou Kamiyama, because he really is an equally deserving candidate. Group B-6 Touma Kamijo, A Certain Magical Index (aka To Aru Majutsu no Index) vs. Soichiro Yagami, Death Note Agghh. No worthwhile candidates in this group. Really. I'll give it a very blah vote for Touma. Group B-7 Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit vs. Jessica Edwards, Legend of the Galactic Hero One of the heavy hitters, Balsa has a deservedly good chance of being in the finals, It's certain she gets my vote here. Group B-8 Naruto Uzumaki, Naruto vs. Christmas, Kurau Phantom Memory Hmm... and hmm again. Christmas, because she is quietly heroic, but deliberate about it. Group B-9 Iria, Iria - Zeiram The Animation vs. Kurenai Shinkurou, Kurenai In this group, I'll back Kurenai, because I really, really like his approach to heroism. Group B-10 Shurei Kou/Hong, The Story of Saiunkoku vs. Saito Hiraga, The Familiar of Zero I like both candidates here, and they absolutely live up to the hero requirements, no doubt about that. On balance, having to choose, I will go with Saito. Reason: spoiler[He turned back]. Group B-11 Noriko Takaya, Gunbuster vs. Juliet Capulet, Romeo x Juliet No opinion. Coin toss says: Noriko. Group B-12 Claus Valca, Last Exile vs. Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena Both worthwhile, both memorable heroes. My vote goes to Utena, but I'm happy either way. Group B-13 Roger Smith, The Big O vs. Tohru Honda, Fruits Basket Coin toss time, and my Penny B says: Tohru Honda. Group B-14 Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton vs. Kazuma, s-CRY-ed No question, Keaton is the bee's knees. Group B-15 Shannon Casull, Scrapped Princess vs. Keiichi Maebara, When They Cry Hmm... Keiichi Maebara, because he spoiler[really is determined to save everyone, no matter what the cost.] Group B-16 Vash the Stampede, Trigun vs. Sousuke Sagara, Full Metal Panic! franchise I see no reason why Vash shouldn't sweep this group easily. I never really saw Sagara as all that heroic. He's more grittily determined than heroic. - abunai |
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Steel Angel
 Posts: 274 Location: Texas |
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Group B-1
Yajima Kintaro, Salaryman Kintaro vs. Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist Edward There were plenty of times he did things to help others when he didn't have to. His position in the "military" allowed him a lot of freedoms that let him choose his choices. Also that he would often ignore his and Al's purpose spoiler[ to find the philosopher stone] to help others as they came upon the situations shows the inherit desire to help those around them, sometimes in epic heroic fashion. Group B-2 Natsume Takashi, Natsume Yūjin-Chō vs. Tsukushi Makino, Boys over Flowers Natsume Neither really blew my whistle, but here's my choice based on the guide. Group B-3 Fakir, Princess Tutu vs. Eikichi Onizuka , Great Teacher Onizuka Onizuka No contest here in my opinion. Group B-4 Linn Syun-Rock Dreu Haider Jinto (aka Jinto Linn), Crest/Banner of the Stars vs. Nicholas Wolfwood, Trigun Jinto Lin Kinda surprised to see Jinto here, not really much of a hero really, but i think he has the edge in this match. Group B-5 Samatarou Kamiyama, Kamisama Kazoku vs. Astro Boy, Astro Boy (Note: link is for original 1963 version) Astro Boy It's Astro Boy, not much really needs to be said unless you have not seen any of the original series. I feel really old being able to say that i watched re-runs of this as a kid. Group B-6 Touma Kamijo, A Certain Magical Index (aka To Aru Majutsu no Index) vs. Soichiro Yagami, Death Note Touma Guide only here. Group B-7 Balsa, Moribito – Guardian of the Spirit vs. Jessica Edwards, Legend of the Galactic Hero Balsa Just like her style. Group B-8 Naruto Uzumaki, Naruto vs. Christmas, Kurau Phantom Memory Christmas While not the most obvious compared to some like Astro Boy, I think she has the thought process down to stand on her own even against all the obvious contenders. Group B-9 Iria, Iria - Zeiram The Animation vs. Kurenai Shinkurou, Kurenai Kurenai Guide and comments. Group B-10 Shurei Kou/Hong, The Story of Saiunkoku vs. Saito Hiraga, The Familiar of Zero Saito I finally got to watch the rest of this series recently during my stint in Japan. While obviously not a show one would think of as having hero's, Saito with out a doubt has the ability to stand among some of the best of them. One might try to argue he only does so from love (or even at the threat of being beaten since he's often seen as a masochistic pig), but he goes far above the call of duty too many times for it to be a convenient happenstance. After all spoiler[ he not only turns back as one poster said, he even dies not only to save Louise, ] but also to protect the entire kingdom he has been unknowingly summoned to and forced to live in spoiler[which later does become his choice]. That to me defines a bit more of his character then i think many give him credit for. He isn't from that world, and barely understands it. He doesn't give up in the face of adversity, and will do everything to protect the friends he has made. In some ways he does remind me of Shu (from Now and Then, Here and There) what they end up going through is very different, but both have some common elements between them. Group B-11 Noriko Takaya, Gunbuster vs. Juliet Capulet, Romeo x Juliet Noriko Guide only. I do not think either of these two by the guide alone even counts as having heroic qualities. Group B-12 Claus Valca, Last Exile vs. Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena Utena No contest here for me. Group B-13 Roger Smith, The Big O vs. Tohru Honda, Fruits Basket Tohru Meeeh, coin tossed this one. Group B-14 Taichi Keaton, Master Keaton vs. Kazuma, s-CRY-ed Keaton Just the better IMO. Group B-15 Shannon Casull, Scrapped Princess vs. Keiichi Maebara, When They Cry Keiichi While i think Shannon is a good choice, he just doesnt measure up as well against the competition in this round. spoiler[ non wacked out from a certain plot element, not withstanding of course] Group B-16 Vash the Stampede, Trigun vs. Sousuke Sagara, Full Metal Panic! franchise Sagara Suppose i'm saying this one just as a point of reference for some, a statement if you will. If a real soldier is often a hero, whether they volunteered for service or not, then Sagara is no different. He showed plenty of times where he was heroic besides this fact, and thats why he gets my vote. |
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blazingeyes
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I seem to be the only one in this forum who's seen Natsume Yuujinchou so I'm going to try support Natsume.
The quest that he set himself, giving back the spirits names, is very trying on him as it drains his energy and it means he keeps encountering spirits who want their names at inconvenient times, like the middle of the night or when he's out with others, but he never considers giving up on it. He won't give up on helping someone, often going among spirits that would eat him if they found out he was human, and also going out with a bad fever or sickness if he said he would help. He doesn't go back on his word. He goes to great lengths to help his adopted family; from the small things like helping with shopping and buying serving bowls for them, to the big things like spoiler[moving out when a deadly spirit is threatening the house]and not telling them about seeing spirits in the first place because he doesn't want to worry them or put them in danger, even though it puts him in awkward situations likespoiler[ when he has to explain why his room exploded.] For example: spoiler[1: Natsume buys a picture that sticks to his wall and slowely drains his energy but he persists in trying to remove the picture without destroying it because it is precious to a spirit he met, even though the spirit herself is willing to burn it to save Natsume. 2: When he meets a girl who is cursed by a demon and then gets cursed himself, he is more concerned about defeating the demon for the girls sake than his own and he doesn't even blame the girl for causing it.] All this has more meaning when you realise that Natsume was shunned as a child because he could see spirits. Anyone else would be disinclined to like humans or demons after this; humans for shunning him, spirits for causing the shunning, but his kind nature means he is willing to help and support any human or spirit who needs it. |
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