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My Anime Heroes.




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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15578
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 11:23 pm Reply with quote
I did a check, but could not really find a topic on this, it may seem a little childish, but I would like to ask what anime character are heroes to you. I am not saying someone who litterelly saved you, but somone that perhaps inspired you, perhaps they give you courage, or their moral code inspires you.

Heres Mine:
Kamina, Gurren Lagann: Kamina at first comes across as an arrogant brute that seems to lack fear for his own survival. But it is later that you feel his true spirit, his strength went beyond anything he actually did, but perhaps what he showed. That your spirit is as infinite as you let it be, and even if you don't believe in yourself at the moment, someone out there does believe in you. I also read a story a while back where someone was depressed and found Kamina to bring them out. Really when I feel a bit down I play Libera me from hell, and I feel better.

Ryoushi Morino, Ookami-san: This is a character that is afraid of being looked at, and honed the trait of being able to blend in to avoid being looked at. It would be natural for him to avoid any confrontation, but he actually had the guts to confess his feelings to a girl who is by all accounts rather scary. Through the show he still has his weaknes of being looked at, but he still forces himself to get past it by helping the girl he likes.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:28 am Reply with quote
Vash from Trigun. Anime in general has a lot of idealists with impractical beliefs, so his pacifism isn't new. But few series actually show how much pain and suffering one must endure to stand by those beliefs, and even fewer have a hero willing to endure the trials without complaint.

At the end of Trigun (specifically spoiler[when Vash killed Legato]) I was shouting at the television screen, imploring Vash to pull the trigger. He was really pissing me off. It was a no-brainer. But the thing is, I could see how hard it was for him, how much it tore his soul. His ideals were not just academic or philosophical musings from an armchair commentator but the very tenets this man lived his life by. Pacifism, specifially his promise not to kill anyone, meant everything to him, it defined who he was. He knew the cost of his position and he bore the numerous and horriffic scars, and yet he still refused to take the easy way out. He was willing to carry on with his ideals no matter the cost.

Being a hero is not just about swooping in and rescuing people, nor is it limited to those who lead and inspire others. It is about having the courage to do the right thing, even when you know the path you've taken will be harder and more dangerous because of your kindness.

The first time Trigun brought this to my attention, it was a quick scene, easily overlooked. spoiler[Vash shoots a bad guy in what was intended to be a non-lethal, not-very-harmful way, but the wound is bad and the henchman is bleeding heavily. Vash stops what he was doing and tends to the guy's wound, even though he himself is in danger and is under no obligation to help out a guy who was trying to kill him some moments ago.] That was a real eye-opener. Vash wasn't just spouting off some silly lines, he didn't hold such an ideological position based on what people 'should' do. His ideology was absolute, no matter the cost. He did a good deed without expecting to be thanked and when the sensible thing to do was to not give a damn about an enemy.

That's heroism.


Last edited by dtm42 on Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15578
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 1:12 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:

Being a hero is not just about swooping in and rescuing people, nor is it limited to those who lead and inspire others. It is about having the courage to do the right thing, even when you know the path you've taken will be harder and more dangerous because of your kindness.

Reminds me of why I think highly of Batman, and why in some anime I have actually verbally cheered when the hero has the villain at their mercy, they have all the reason to finish them off, but spare them. I am remindedof multiple characters from Fairy Tail, and Tsukune from Rosaio Vampire.
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damien007



Joined: 23 Jun 2010
Posts: 180
PostPosted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 10:46 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
Vash from Trigun. Anime in general has a lot of idealists with impractical beliefs, so his pacifism isn't new. But few series actually show how much pain and suffering one must endure to stand by those beliefs, and even fewer have a hero willing to endure the trials without complaint.

At the end of Trigun (specifically spoiler[when Vash killed Legato]) I was shouting at the television screen, imploring Vash to pull the trigger. He was really pissing me off. It was a no-brainer. But the thing is, I could see how hard it was for him, how much it tore his soul. His ideals were not just academic or philosophical musings from an armchair commentator but the very tenets this man lived his life by. Pacifism, specifially his promise not to kill anyone, meant everything to him, it defined who he was. He knew the cost of his position and he bore the numerous and horriffic scars, and yet he still refused to take the easy way out. He was willing to carry on with his ideals no matter the cost.

Being a hero is not just about swooping in and rescuing people, nor is it limited to those who lead and inspire others. It is about having the courage to do the right thing, even when you know the path you've taken will be harder and more dangerous because of your kindness.

The first time Trigun brought this to my attention, it was a quick scene, easily overlooked. spoiler[Vash shoots a bad guy in what was intended to be a non-lethal, not-very-harmful way, but the wound is bad and the henchman is bleeding heavily. Vash stops what he was doing and tends to the guy's wound, even though he himself is in danger and is under no obligation to help out a guy who was trying to kill him some moments ago.] That was a real eye-opener. Vash wasn't just spouting off some silly lines, he didn't hold such an ideological position based on what people 'should' do. His ideology was absolute, no metter the cost. He did a good deed without expecting to be thanked and when the sensible thing to do was to not give a damn about an enemy.

That's heroism.


This, This a million times. Vash will always be one of my favourite characters of all time. Although I don't agree with his views, his dedication to them is beyond admirable and understandable given his past. That scene where he spoiler[kills legato] will always be one of my favourites because it showed Vash losing what was most important to him, his ideals when he was forced to betray his promise. I've always viewed trigun as a show that was ultimately about Vash's struggles to maintain his ideals in beliefs against all odds.
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