What is your favorite type of hero and why?

[Kathleen]

What is your favorite type of hero and why?

So since we did least favorite hero last week, I thought it would be interesting to see how everyone’s favorite hero compares with least favorite!

My favorite is the underdog hero. They are not particularly special or amazing at anything, and they always seem to always be on the losing team.

Nothing comes easy to them, and most people look down on them. But through a strong motive, grit, and perseverance, they keep fighting. Now matter how many obstacles are thrown at them, and no matter how many times they fall down, they keep getting back up and trying again. Plus, they learn a lot along the way.

I just like how you can see yourself in these characters. They weren’t born special, and, in fact, they were born at a disadvantage, but they have a dream and they will work as hard as they possibly can for it. It’s really inspiring, plus this type of hero feels more human.

So that’s my favorite, what’s yours? And why?

 

 

[Linyang Zhang]

@kathleenramm I like the self-sacrificial hero that doesn’t get raised from the dead, thank you very much. I really enjoy seeing self-sacrifice in characters, not just main characters, but even antagonists too. I think that one of the reasons why Lelouch from Code Geass is such a good main character (Code Geass spoilers ahead) is because by bringing all the hate in the world onto himself, he can bring peace to the world with his death. And while he may be seen more as a villain than a hero in his world, his thoughts were deeper than anyone realised.

Also, the boy from Big Fish & Begonia. He literally gave up EVERYTHING so that the girl he loved could be happy. That broke my heart…

So yeah, self-sacrificial heroes, because it reminds me of Jesus! And besides Jesus, I really don’t like seeing people getting raised from the dead moments afterwards. It ruins the whole thing.

I guess that this really contrasts with my answer from last week, ah, about the heroes who never lose. Because to me, the hero that loses for the greater good is a greater hero.

Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days

[ella]

@kathleenramm

I have such a soft spot for the characters with tragic pasts that make them form “walls” around themselves, but on the inside they’re full of passion and imagination and wanderlust!  So basically the dark/brooding/misunderstood charries. 😉

Generally, I like these characters to be secondary, because you find out more about them piece by piece instead of reading it from the MC’s mind…  sometimes authors can pull it off from the main POV though.

So yep, that’s my favorite.  Yours and @devastate-lasting ‘s are sooo good too!!

what we do in life echoes in eternity
-gladiator, 2000

[Anonymous]

@kathleenramm Well, I have to agree with Ella–tragic heroes are so appealing (especially in romances XD).

But I was just thinking about how much I would love to read about a confident hero. I get SO tired of reading about sad, self-conscious, self-deprecating protagonists (especially those of the female variety). I mean, I understand that they’re trying to be relatable and connect with the readers, but I don’t want to read about a character who feels just as bad as I do and makes me feel worse. Seriously. Confident heroes who don’t find their identity or self-worth in other people or what people say about them inspire me to be more confident, whereas heroes with little to no self-worth just make me feel worse.

Make sense?

Also, I ADORE anti-heroes. #lokiismyfavoritesuperhero #yesironmancountstoo For example, Scarlett O’Hara is definitely one of the most iconic anti-heroes. Like, she causes all of the problems in the story, hates pretty much everybody, and is extremely greedy. And yet her story is so interesting! You can’t help but feel for her–maybe even come to love her–and hope that she sees the light! I think most of my own heroes possess some anti-hero qualities at times…keeps things lively. 😉

[Alexa Autorski]

@kathleenramm

For me, personally, I love reading about relatable heroes (and heroines). Oddly enough, it’s very hard for me to truly and deeply connect with a main character, and to fully immerse myself in their story. Because honestly, it can be so difficult to find a lovable and realistic protagonist, especially when it comes to females. Honestly, I get so tired of annoying female protagonists–the ones who I don’t look up to and can’t feel attached to–because I cannot feel connected to them. What I look for in a main character is how much I can connect with them, because if I can connect with them (including their faults and flaws), it gives me hope that I can learn lessons from them and their story. I find that I’m more drawn to heroes that are open about their weaknesses, because truthfully, I find that appealing and hopeful and it makes them feel more well-crafted rather than just static. When I can identify with them, I want to learn more of their story.

That’s why I stray away from many YA fiction books (one of many reasons), because I struggle to find a strong yet vulnerable protagonist who I can connect with and therefore learn from. That’s what I find is most important in a protagonist, and especially a heroine. That’s what I’m drawn to. This was a great topic, by the way!!:)

[Anonymous]

@kathleenramm

I definitely have to agree with @devastate-lasting on this one – I love the self-sacrificial hero, because they remind me of Jesus.

For example, Jean Valjean from Les Misérables, who is my all-time favorite hero. He dedicates his life to serving God no matter the cost to himself.

*Les Mis spoilers ahead – do not read if you don’t like spoilers!!!*

I won’t list the thousands of sacrifices Valjean makes throughout the novel. It’s so hard to choose a favorite, but if I had to, I would say the sacrifice he makes in the final pages of the novel. He travels to the barricade to rescue Marius, the man his daughter loves. He carries Marius through the sewer, saving his life, and then ensures his marriage to Cosette. Valjean, because he is incredibly humble, doesn’t tell anyone what he has done for Marius and Cosette, and instead tearfully confesses to Marius that he is an ex-con. Marius thinks Valjean is a murderer and a thief, and so does his very best to shove him out of Cosette’s life. Knowing he is unwanted, Valjean stops seeing Cosette and stands gazing at her home, the tears falling from his eyes. His grief is so great that he takes to his bed, becomes ill with a fever, refuses to eat, and proceeds to die of a broken heart. I literally cry so hard each time I read this part in the book.

*Spoilers now over*

So yeah, I absolutely love the self-sacrificial hero like Valjean. Heroes like Valjean are the definition of Christlike. They’re definitely heroes I love to read and write – and heroes I want to become.

[Ribbonash]

@kathleenramm @devastate-lasting @nova21 @gracie-j @writerlexi1216 @joy-caroline

I realise I love all of those types of heroes you guys mention. And thinking on it, I don’t really have a specific hero (referring to both male and female) because I care about their journey more than anything else about heroes. But the journey or arc that they go through is specific. I need a transformative journey and a positive arc for the hero. Otherwise the hero falls flat for me. Definitely perfect heroes are not my thing at all. They NEED flaws, thank you very much. Flawed heroes who change for the better show that I can improve as well, that isn’t impossible to stay in your flaws forever. And honestly, I can see a Christian’s journey in those characters. We Christians above all are trying to be the best good the world has ever seen. Heroes who gain a little of Christlikeness is so powerful for me to see. I can related so much, am inspired and encouraged and even more confirmed and hopeful in my faith and beliefs. These characters really help me see the world in better light, not in jade-tinted glasses or even rose-tinted glasses. They help me see things in different views and let me be more compassionate and loving and understanding and open to other people in the world. A perfect hero would never open those doors for me. Perfect heroes say, “there’s nothing to fix, there’s nothing to change” and I think that is problematic since as humans we could all be better than we are now. We can stand a little improvement in ourselves. Which is also why I love anti-heroes, the really emotional, tragic heroes and other bad or hopeless characters as long as I can see that they can change and/or find hope. As long as the end journey is amazing and positive, I don’t mind enduring all that other stuff.  I don’t know about you guys, but I sometimes find it encouraging to read about such hopeless and sad heroes. It makes them really relatable. Of course there is a limit to these heroes and I will definitely dislike these characters if they don’t go through any change and just stay that way at the end. It needs to be worth it to read all that darkness, to feel those horrible emotions. There are probably more reasons, but those are the big ones for me. 🙂

[Anonymous]

@ribbonash

I love very emotional heroes as well. They are just so relatable and comforting to read about, and I connect with them on such a deep level. My own heroes have very emotional stories and that’s why I love writing them.

I definitely agree that all the pain must be worth it in the end, otherwise I will just walk away from the story angry and depressed. That’s the last thing I want to do to readers. The light that bursts out in the end is all the more glorious when we’ve walked with the character through the pitch darkness. It makes for such hopeful and powerful storytelling!

[Lydia S.]

@kathleenramm

I have to echo what Ella said. I LOVE characters who are hardened and tough on the outside, but hurting and vulnerable on the inside. Usually, they’re not the main character, and usually, I love them more than the main character. 😛 The best example I can think of of this type of character is from The Trimont Trilogy by Jessica Marinos, Danek Crevilon. He is the only character I have ever met in the world of make-believe who has succeeded in pretty much giving me a mental breakdown. He, in my opinion, is the epitome of a tragic hero, and I love him.

[Elizabeth]

@devastate-lasting I know what you mean about not liking self-sacrificing heroes getting immediately raised from the dead–in the video game my husband and I are playing, there was a character who sacrificed himself to save another character in what was one of the more genuinely epic moments of the game thus far. Or, at least we thought he’d sacrificed himself–literally two minutes later he was fine. It was weird. Anyway, pardon the tangent, but I thought you could sympathize.

@kathleenramm I’m going to have to echo @joy-caroline and @ribbonash here; I think my favorite type of heroes are the emotional ones. For instance, I really enjoy Sora from Kingdom Hearts as a character because, as over-the-top as the emotions he has may be at time, he nevertheless is unafraid to wear his heart (no pun intended) on his sleeve. Peter Parker from the 2018 Spider-man game is my favorite incarnation of that hero for the same reason–though there’s quite a lot of action-adventure-y superheroness in his storyline, he has so many deep and personal connections with so many characters. (His interactions with the villain, for example, are just so painfully complex.) Also, the ending of that game still punches me in the feels when I think about it, so there’s that.:P

Alternatively, my other favorite hero type is the overdramatic one, specifically Kuzco and Megamind. (Also Dr. Doofenshmirtz, because he totally counts, right?)

“Seven seconds till the end. Time enough for you. Perhaps. But what will you do with it?”

[Linyang Zhang]

@lewilliams Ahhh you have my sympathy indeed. Which video game was this?

Also, Kuzco, Megamind, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz are some of my favorite characters to exist. They’re really fun.

Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days

[Elizabeth]

@devastate-lasting It was Kingdom Hearts II. So, while that turn of events was hardly unexpected, it was way more sudden than I’d expected. The scene did include Mickey saying, “They’ll pay for this,” really dramatically though, so I can’t exactly complain. 😛

Ah yes, they’re so great, aren’t they?? I find myself emulating them quite often–or at least wanting to, anyway. They’re just fantastic.

“Seven seconds till the end. Time enough for you. Perhaps. But what will you do with it?”

[Ribbonash]

@joy-caroline @lewilliams

YES, emotional characters are so relatable and are much easier to connect with than the character who doesn’t feel as much. How I feel about the characters can change so drastically if I can see their emotions often and understand the emotional reactions. There’s something so powerful with a characters who shares their emotions on a deep level. Though I know that emotional characters can get annoying or overwhelming if the emotions are done too much, which why I feel sometimes people don’t like them as much, you know?

@joy-caroline

And, yeah,  I honestly don’t do well with endings that end without hope or light cause it just makes me hopeless with the real world. God of course is number 1 in making me feel hope, but the second thing is fiction. I personally don’t want darkness to have the final say and those stories that end in that way in some way is, well, super depressing and it’s not something I want to prompt because I don’t believe it is true. So, yeah, 100% agree with your thoughts!

[Kathleen]

Uh, sorry about being MIA for the last week, but I’m back and I gotta say, there are a whole lot of great answers here that I’m surprised I didn’t even think of while trying to figure out my favorite!

@devastate-lasting @joy-caroline

It really shows how much they care right? If they sacrifice everything including their own lives, it makes you care about them and the goal so much more than someone who barely breaks a sweat to achieve their goal.

Now thinking about it, I care so much more about and cheer on self-sacrificial characters far more than other characters. Plus I remember them for so much longer, and they inspire me even years after watching the movie or reading the book.

@nova21

Yes! I love how these characters are a mystery in and of itself. Like, you can’t help but read far into the night so that you can finally get to the part where their secrets are unveiled. XD

I’m curious, do you have any particular dark/brooding/misunderstood characters that come into your mind?

@gracie-j

I couldn’t agree more! I mean the more less-confident/insecure characters have their place, but confident characters are such a breath of fresh air and so fun to read about.

I think the problem I see a lot with characters these days is that they are kinda all or nothing.

Like, either they are super insecure and self-loathing, or psychopathic narcists. But it’s not so black and white, you can have a confident character with insecurities, and a shy and quite person with strength.

And honestly, confident characters are my favorite to write about. XD And they also in a way help me to not be so insecure and shy.

[Kathleen]

@writerlexi1216

Yeah, I feel like there are so many characters that don’t feel human. Characters that feel like puppets, cold and empty; being strung along to advance the plot.

How am I suppose to care about those characters? And if I don’t care about them, than why should I care about what happens to them or what they do?

And like you said, I think it’s even more common in heroines. Which is probably why I relate to male characters far more than female characters. XD

Are there any characters that you personally relate to?

@ribbonash

As a self-proclaimed #1 fan of character arcs, I loved reading why you love them so much! I truly believe that Christian themes make stories make you feel so much more, inspire you more, and are so much more memorable.

I think it’s something that God built into us and the universe. Truth just feels good inside our bodies and soul.

So when stories have something so Christian like character arcs – someone struggling with sin, but through trial and tribulation becomes a more loving stronger person – which God calls us do everyday of our lives, it’s so amazing.

But not just because we “think” it’s good but because the story itself is just better! That’s why so many none-Christian writers use it.

[Author]

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