All posts by Gibraltarr

Random question that popped in my mind, but which Shonen Heroes you guys think have the most noble goal overall? And what about the least noble?

Shouldn't there be a Wiki for both the Messianic/Satanic archetypes as well? I feel like both are pretty common archetypes in media to the point both could probably get their own wikis.

Some traits for the Messianic archetype would include:

- Heroic (self-explanatory)

- Idealistic (self-explanatory)

- Charismatic/Magnetic (Messianic archetypes conquer a large number of followers that believe in them)

- Symbolic (Messianic archetypes might represent most, if not all of the 7 Virtues)

- Forgiving (Messianic archetypes are open to forgiving their foes and often serve as a pillar for their redemption)

- Persecuted (Messianic archetypes may often be persecuted, whether due to their background or their views)

- Ressurected (whether it's a metaphorical ressurection or a literal one)

- Opposes a Satanic Archetype (self-explanatory)

As for the Satanic Archetype:

- Villainous (self-explanatory)

- Megalomaniacal (Satanic archetypes are obsessed with power)

- Charming/Charismatic (Satanic archetypes may put on a facade to cover their true intentions)

- Deal-Maker (Satanic archetypes often make deals, which are treated as deals with the devil)

- Symbolic (much like the Messianic archetypes, Satanic archetypes may represent most if not all of the 7 Deadly Sins)

- Corrupter (Satanic archetypes act as a corrupting influence, and encourage people to be worse)

- Fall From Grace (whether it's a metaphorical fall from grace or a literal one)

- Faces a Messianic archetype (self-explanatory)

Obviously there are probably a lot more traits but those are some of the ones that come to mind, what do you guys think?

Well I guess it's about time someone proposed these two goofballs lol.

What's the Work?

Chainsaw Man is a manga series created by Tatsumi Fujimoto in late 2018. It is pubilished in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump.

Who are the Characters?

Denji is the overall protagonist of Chainsaw Man, being a hybrid of human and devil which allows him to turn into the titular Chainsaw Man.

Power is a major character of Chainsaw Man, serving as one of the two deuteragonists for the Part 1 of the manga.

What Makes Them Shonen Heroes?

Denji:

• Heroic/Honorable: While he initially does it for mostly selfish and superficial reasons, Denji has protected Tokyo from several devils, and as the manga goes on, he becomes more mature and kind with his actions.

• Reckless: Denji doesn't usually think before acting, as a result he oftens just jumps head first into danger .

• Energetic: He's usually very loud and abrasive, although as the story progresses this slowly dies down.

• Stubborn: Denji refuses to listen to Aki when he tells him to leave the Security Bureau.

• Pursues a Big-End Goal: His main goal is to raise the popularity of the Chainsaw Man so he can finally get laid. He also has the side goal of wanting to give Nayuta a normal childhood he couldn't have.

• Hard-Working: Denji works hard to keep his job so he can keep living a "normal life", and also to provide a normal childhood to Nayuta.

• Unintelligent: A much more tragic example, Denji never had any sort of access to education during his childhood, as a result he grew up as a very uneducated individual that lacks basic manners, and is almost illiterate.

• Possesses Plot Armor: Thanks to being immortal, Denji is able to survive any fatal injury. He also gets revived by Pochita/The Chainsaw Devil at the beginning of the story, allowing him to become Chainsaw Man.

• Spiky Hair: Denji has rather spiky hair, although unlike most examples it's likely due to him not treating his hair well.

• Short-Tempered: He tends to lose his head pretty quickly when frustrated, which leads to his more berserk moments.

• Has Rivals/Mentors: He initially has a brief rivalry with Aki upon joining the Security Bureau (which completely dies down after both become friends), and later has a much more straightforward one with the Katana Man. Denji was also trained to become a better fighter by Kishibe.

• Big Eater: Denji really enjoys eating thanks to not having much food to eat while growing up, and will usually eat everything that is edible with pretty much no complaints.

• Has an Idol: Denji initially worships Makima, but grows out of it after learning her true colours.

• Mischievous: He enjoys pranking Aki during his free time.

• Rebellious: After his experiences with Makima, Denji becomes a lot more reluctant when it comes to receiving orders, and typically hates being told what to do by men.

• Tragic Past: His father was an abusive alcoholic with a huge debt to the Yakuza, and after his death, Denji ended up inheriting his debt, as a result he grew up poor with no parental figure, never went to school and surrounded by the Yakuza.

• Is a Blood Knight: Denji can be downright bloodthirsty when killing devils, with his fight with the Eternity Devil being the most notable example.

Power

• Heroic/Honorable: Being a part of the Security Bureau, Power has helped to stop many devil threats in Tokyo, with her most notable act being sacrificing herself so Denji could defeat Makima.

• Reckless: Much like Denji, she also doesn't typically thinks before acting, and ends up jumping head first on danger with no hesitation.

• Energetic: She's VERY loud, and even manages to beat Denji in this aspect as she's twice as hyperactive as him.

• Pursues a Big-End Goal: Power’s goal is to win a Nobel Prize and become Prime Minister. She also wants to protect her cat, Meowzy, at any cost.

• Unintelligent: Power is very scatterbrained and ditzy, and much like Denji she lacks basic manners.

• Believes in the Power of Friendship: Power begins to really value her friendship with Denji, to the point she sacrifices herself for him, playing a key role in Makima's defeat.

• Short-Tempered: She gets frustrated really quickly when things don't go her way.

• Has Mentors: Much like Denji, she was trained by Kishibe to become a better fighter.

• Big Eater/Drinker: Power really loves eating anything that isn't vegetables, and also enjoys drinking blood to the point she goes overboard with it.

• Mischievous: Alongside Denji, she enjoys pranking Aki on their free time. She also has no qualms about pranking Denji himself.

• Is a Blood Knight: In the most literal way possible, Power really enjoys drinking the blood of her enemies.

Veredict?

Pretty easy yes to both. Denji is a very big deconstruction of the Shonen Hero archetype, and Power herself also manages to fit it pretty well.

Ok so, I wanted to propose Jolyne, but then I realized Thorfinn (who's probably my favorite anime protagonist overall) actually fits the Shonen Hero archetype (even more than the Seinen one for that matter) and decided to do him first, so let's get to it.

What's the Work?

Vinland Saga is a seinen manga series created by Makoto Yukimura in 2005.

Who's the Character?

Thorfinn Thorsson is the overall main protagonist of Vinland Saga.

What Makes Him a Shonen Hero?

• Heroic/Honorable: From the Farm Arc onwards, Thorfinn becomes a much more kind and empathetic person, helping Arnheid to escape with her husband, offering to get sliced by the guests in Einar's place and convincing Canute to stop his attack in Ketil's farm.

• Courageous/Reckless: Doesn't hesitate to put his body on the line if needed, including even being willing to take 100 punches just so he can get to talk to Canute and convince him to stop his attack.

• Stubborn: Thorfinn refused to run from the guests even when Einar was holding them so he could escape, and he was still willing to take 100 punches even when Einar told him that wasn't worth it.

• Pursues a Big-End Goal: Find Vinland and build a country with no wars or slavery, where everyone can be free and live in peace.

• Hard-Working: Very dedicated to his goal of finding Vinland, and he was also willing to help Einar with the farm so them both could be freed as slaves even if that wasn't a priority to him simply because of Einar.

• Unintelligent: A more tragic example, because Thorfinn spent most of his life in the battlefield he doesn't know a lot about basic matters and struggles with mundane tasks simply because he was never really taught about those.

• Optimistic: A much more downplayed example, but while Thorfinn can still be quite pessimistic and is fully aware about how horrible the world really is, he still chooses to maintain a positive attitude that he will find Vinland someday.

• Possesses Plot Armor: Thorfinn has survived plenty of situations a regular human would never survive.

• Has Rivals: Thorfinn has a philosophical rivalry with Canute, with his pacifism clashing with Canute's ideals of using violence to build a better world.

• Has an Idol: Thorfinn looks up to his father Thors.

• Tragic Past: Thorfinn witnessed his father being killed in front of him when he was a child, as a result he grew up in the battlefield driven by rage and his wish of avenging his father, only to latter realize that it was never worth it and instead become a complete empty shell of an human being.

Veredict?

Big yes for my boy Thorfinn, he might come from a Seinen work and start as a pretty straightforward Seinen Hero but as the show goes on he evolves becoming a much more kind, pacifistic messianic figure.

What's the work?

Yu-Gi-Oh is a anime/manga series created by Kazuki Takahashi in 1996 that spawned several other shows, it follows the story of Yugi Muto, a young boy with a talent for Duel Monsters who rises all the way to the top.

Who's the character?

Yugi Muto is the overacharching protagonist of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, as well as the franchise's first protagonist, alongside his spirit partner Yami Yugi.

What makes him a Shonen Hero?

Heroic/Honorable: Has saved the world from Zorc Necrophades, as well as a lot of other heroic acts such as saving his grandfather from Pegasus, refusing to duel Kaiba after Kaiba stood on the edge of the castle where their duel was taking place, and sacrificing himself to save Yami Yugi's soul from the Seal of Orichalcos.

Courageous/Reckless: Isn't afraid to put his life on the line if needed, and went to extreme lenghths to save his grandpa Solomon from Pegasus.

Pursues a Big-End Goal: Become the King of Games and uncover Yami Yugi's memories so he can finally rest in peace in the afterlife.

Optimistic: Very positive and kind-hearted, always looks at the bright side of everything.

Believes in the Power of Friendship: A staple theme in the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, Yugi always believes in the heart of the cards and believes that the most important thing in the world is friendship.

Possesses Plot Armor: Yugi pretty much bends the rules of the Duel Monsters game whenever he wants and tends to always get a new card whenever it's conveninent to help him win a duel.

Spiky Hair/Unnatural Hairstyle: ... Is it even needed to explain this one? Yugi is pretty much the codifier of the crazy anime hair trope.

Unnatural Hair Color: Black with purple and yellow bangs.

Has Rivals/Mentors: Yugi has a big rivalry with Seto Kaiba, and a friendly one with Joey Wheeler. Both he and Joey were also trained by his grandpa Solomon Muto, and he also has Yami Yugi to help him.

Veredict?

Even though Yugi at the time was seen as a very unorthodox shonen protagonist (and tbh he still is to this day), being a quiet, polite and intelligent pacifist in contrast to the typical energetic, rebellious and unintelligent shonen hero that loves a good fight, I still think he belongs here considering he still has several traits associated with the shonen hero archetype, and since Kaiba is considered one of the codifiers for the shonen rival trope, I'd give a yes to Yugi.