In the world of Shounen, who do 你 think of?



When 你 think about 超能英雄 in the world of Shounen, 你 probably think of these guys: 火影忍者 Uzumaki, Son Goku, Monkey D. Luffy, and Ichigo Kurosaki. They’re significant members of the "over-powered hero" club and are a few of the many characters who may have inspired the creation of your hero. Perhaps you’re an aspiring writer like me who wants to create a hero similar to these characters, but stands out as an original. Before we dig into what kind of unique qualities we can give our characters, let’s start with the foundational elements that create the Shounen Hero Archetype.

The Seven Foundational Elements of the Shounen Hero

Common Alignment System Position: Lawful, Neutral, 或者 Chaotic Good


1. Born With a Purpose




Whether they were born as a super saiyan 或者 had the chakra of a nine-tailed 狐狸 sealed inside of them, the birth of a shounen hero is the most significant event of their story. It foreshadows their strengths, weaknesses, and the obstacles they must conquer before they mature to a place of achieving honor. The origin of the hero is meant to be special, but also relatable and consequential. They are born as “the chosen one,” but what happens to their life as a result?



2. They stick to their roots.



The shounen hero usually grows up to be a troublemaker 或者 a good-hearted kid, but there’s always room for flexibility. Some 超能英雄 are raised 由 pure tragedy, which is a good thing because shounen 超能英雄 symbolize adversity in harsh times. Their childhood is where the personality of the hero takes shape and 答案 the question, “Why is he like this?!” A hero’s childhood clearly portrays how they connect with other characters. Does their personality attract 或者 ward off others? Why?


3. Looking For Group




The hero is usually accompanied 由 a variety of companions. Usually, the companions help the hero view life from a different perspective 或者 complement the hero’s flaws with their strengths. For example, if your hero is a knuckle-head ninja that seems to not know his left foot from his right, 你 might make his closest friend a calculated person that usually keeps his cool and constantly challenges the hero to think before he leaps. The companions could be a rival, a romantic interest, a teacher 或者 parental figure, 或者 a best friend/sibling figure. The shounen hero is often surrounded 由 a party 或者 support group to symbolize the benefits of friendship. The companions aren’t always “secondary” characters, but their primary purpose is to enhance the growth of the hero. Consider them as either muses 或者 future enemies. Are the hero’s companions trustworthy 或者 traitorous?


4. The Impossible Quest




“I’m Luffy D. Monkey and I am going to be king of the pirates!”
“I’m 火影忍者 Uzumaki! The 下一个 Hokage!”
“I am the hope of the universe.”
“All I want is a normal life.”
Get the picture? Out of all these famous quotes, one stands out because it doesn’t seem “impossible,” but for the hero, it is. The quest 或者 ultimate goal that encourages the hero to 移动 前锋, 期待 is meant to appear unlikely 或者 impossible because of their life’s circumstances. The hero’s quest is the catalyst of the story that ultimately brings the hero a sense of honor. Will the hero achieve their goal, die trying, 或者 accept a different fate?



5. Trials That Reveal Potential



The hero and their companions are going to have a lot of trouble ahead, but those troubles don’t exist just to create cool battle scenes. Events filled with suspense and close calls are the stepping-stones for the hero to enhance the skills they already have, confront a haunting fear, 或者 develop a new skill as a result of enlightenment from the trial. These transformations have to be particular to the hero, but, again, must be relatable to the audience. Trials can bring out the best 或者 the worst of your hero. Whether they fail 或者 conquer the trial must push the boundaries of their physical, mental, emotional, and maybe even spiritual strength.



6. The Wound That Never Heals




There has to be something about the hero that separates them from everyone else. Something deep that the companions would have a hard time understanding, but the hero’s enemy would enjoy exploiting. Most shounen 超能英雄 are usually granted a power that keeps on giving, except for the one thing power can’t really change. Examples are being rid of loneliness, resurrecting a parent 或者 parental figure (surely we’ve learned from Fullmetal Alchemist), recovering 迷失 memories, 或者 defeating someone 或者 something that has the leverage to manipulate the hero. Although the 作者 can decide whether the hero heals this wound 或者 not, a large portion of the hero’s life is struggling with this wound. When 你 create your hero, decide what, when, where, why and how this wound was formed and how the hero they respond to it.



7. The Hero's Honorable Death




If 你 attach to the hero very easily in any 日本动漫 或者 日本漫画 你 enjoy, 你 know that this part sucks 或者 will suck if and when it happens, especially if the impossible quest isn’t achieved the way 你 expect 或者 if the wound that never heals isn’t really taken care of. When creating the hero, thinking about their death may not even seem like they’re really gone because parts of the hero will linger within the companions, other characters, and even the villains. However, that won’t get rid of the grief. That’s why the death of the hero has to be painfully memorable and beautiful at the same time. A hero’s death isn’t just the end of their story, but also a new beginning for the characters the hero was connected to. What revelation 或者 theme do 你 want your hero’s death to pass on?


What if...?




Now that the foundation of a hero’s life has been addressed here are some “What if” suggestions to hopefully help us think out side the box when we’re trying to create characters that fit the “hero mold,” but aren’t completely generic:

What if the hero’s gender was ambiguous? Yes, I know “Shounen” means “boy” so the story has to appeal to boys, but we’ve had female 超能英雄 that have rocked the shounen hero life before and have kept the roughness and grit that the male hero experiences. Won’t that change the genre? Perhaps, but I think about how successful Ryuko Matoi from Kill la Kill and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider are and think we could definitely use 更多 of that whether there’s a gargantuan of 粉丝 service 或者 not. I don’t want to get into the details of “sex appeal” for the female hero, but whether it’s there 或者 not, as long as the story is good, it’s awesome! But 你 know what hasn’t been done yet? A transgender hero. I’m just saying, that could rock somebody’s world if 你 do it correctly.
What if the hero started out as the villain? We’ve had characters that appear as the hero turn into the villain, like Light Yagami from Death Note, but if something so twisted caused the villain to just snap in the other direction, that would be pretty insane. Altering the definition of a hero is always a neat way to fiddle around with the morality scale (think Megamind, but anime).
What if the hero had a personality disorder? I think the Shounen Hero usually has the ESTP/ENFP/ENFJ (these are MBTI personality types) 或者 Sanguine-Choleric personality. This can be considered as someone who is social, loud, kind of bossy, likes to leap before thinking, and loves to roll with the punches. If we gave the hero a "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" kind of problem, could they still be the hero? Perhaps this problem is a part of the "wound that never heals" 或者 Hyde is the "hero" and Jekyll is a companion.



The Spectrum of the Hero





Take a look at these generalized archetypes and see which one fits your hero. All archetypes listed here paraphrase Marie D. Jones, 作者 of The Power of Archetypes (2017).

The Chosen One/Messiah: A person who is chosen 由 a religious tradition, a particular culture, 或者 perhaps a myth such as the dangerous adventure in which only he 或者 she can succeed at.
Desperado: Usually a male, but can be female, who is broken and alone, and often because of their own fear and avoidance of others. A desperado is running from something, perhaps a shady past, 或者 most likely their own shadow and pain (ref. the wound that never heals).
Creator/Magician/Leader: … Can be both like a god 或者 creative 来源 of the universe, 或者 someone that creates. The visionary.
Destroyer/Outlaw/Rebel: The opposite of a creator, someone who destroys things, whether it be other people, objects 或者 situations. This is a destructive soul, but not necessarily evil. The lawbreaker and nonconformist within. Revolutionary and iconoclast.
Diplomat: A peacemaker and collaborator skilled in bringing opposing ideas, viewpoints, and sides together; a mediator.
Doppleganger: Identifies the duplicate 或者 shadow/evil part of the personality (ref. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde).
Explorer: The wanderer within and the pilgrim on pilgrimage; wants to seek out a quest 或者 adventure.
Fool/Pupil/Initiate: The fool is confused and often wandering aimlessly without direction. The student 或者 learner.
Free Spirit: … doesn’t like rules and is uninhibited; does not like to be constricted in any way.
Geek/Nerd/Genius/Misfit/Loner/Orphan: Different, may be isolated…proud when with like-minded souls. Abandoned from within… must “go it alone.”
Survivor/Warrior: The part of the self 或者 collective that survives trauma, obstacles, and challenges.



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