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In the world of storytelling, heroes are often defined by their good qualities, yet the line between hero and anti-hero can blur significantly. While protagonists like Light Yagami from "Death Note" challenge our perceptions of goodness and evil, developing relatable, flawed characters with depth is essential. Avoid the traps of perfection—Mary Sues and Gary Stus can render your characters dull or unbelievable. Explore how various attributes, including flaws and humanity, shape compelling heroes who resonate with audiences while facing unique challenges.
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Topic 3: Characters - Heroes Tangent: The Powerpoint
You Know What a Hero Is • “The chief character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities.” • Usually the protagonist – we’ll get into this later. • If written poorly, they are among the characters most likely to degenerate into Mary Sues or Gary/Marty Stus.
Hero vs. Protagonist • Light Yagami, Death Note • Currently using a magical notebook which gives him the ability to kill people whose names he writes down in order to purge the world of evil. Has a god complex. • Hero? Dubious. • Protagonist? Yes.
Important Factors • Good qualities. • FLAWS. • Relatability. • Humanity. • Fallibility.
Hero Pitfalls • Making the hero too perfect. • Mary Stus and Gary Stus abound here! • Making the hero a jerk. • Poor handling of character traits like confidence and rebelliousness is a fast track to jerkiness. • Making the hero a self-insert. • Wish-fulfillment. • Making the hero boring. • Are minor characters stealing the spotlight?
The Anti Hero • “A protagonist who lacks the attributes of an archetypal hero, and possesses the attributes of an archetypal villain instead.” • Often acts as a foil to more archetypal heroes. • Superman vs. Batman.
The Ultimate Hero Challenge Challenge • In the middle of an otherwise empty room, there is a sword in a stone. However, the room is full of EVIL GENIUS ™ Fear Gas. Once the hero walks in, they are confronted with the sight of the thing they fear most in the world. • Your hero needs to overcome the Fear Gas and get that sword with their own skills as well as the help of any or all of these three items: • A paperclip, a 10-yard piece of rope, and a floating skull. • No word limit, must be in first person or third-person limited. • Be unique!