Heroic Archetypes

by Gabriel Putnam

Two weeks ago, Gabriel Ang wrote an interesting editorial, in which some of the common archetypes for RPG heroes were examined. In this editorial, he laid out two camps into which these characters may be segregated and some minor criteria which could be used to differentiate between them. In a nutshell, these two general categories were the Pure Hearted Heroes (PHH) and the Real Person Heroes (RPH). The PHH were described as heroes who "reflect the greatness and otherworldliness that many of us desire" and "they are the epitome of perfection that we want to be." On the other hand, the RPH were categorized as heroes who "go through the same angst, emotional stress and trauma, loneliness, and doubt that we all feel. They [experience] the same things in life that we ourselves go through." Now, although I believe that these are decent, general guidelines for stratification of the heroic roster, I also think they are far too general to be more than mildly useful. Separation into a black and white contrast of perfect vs. realistic precludes the possibility of many of the more interesting subtypes of this medium, which would fall somewhere in the gray between boundaries. To aid in this categorization, the rest of this editorial will be concerned with an expansion of Mr. Ang's general concepts and an exploration of some of the more interesting aspects of gray hero matter. To keep with the spirit of the prior work, these new subtypes will be generally affiliated with either the PHH or RPH camps, however, the majority of cases will be only loosely affiliated to their parent. Within the PHH camp there will be three major subdivisions: the classic Paladin, the realistic PHH, and the Redeemed Hero. Each of these archetypes incorporates the overall concept of a pure heart, however, only in the case of the Paladin is this desire to support the cause of good evinced as described by Mr. Ang. Within the case of the RPH's, there are also three major subdivisions: the stylized Real Person, the Everyman Hero, and the Dark Avenger, all of which will be discussed further later.

The first of the conceptual heroes, the classical Paladin, is both the easiest to define and conversely the hardest to empathize with. Much as Gabriel Ang described for the PHH in his earlier work, the Paladin is quite simply the epitome of perfection. Popularized through their nigh unplayable forms in early Dungeons and Dragons, Paladins have made only rare showings in both games and the media at large. Part of the reason for this is that Paladins are beyond the scope of normal, human accomplishment. Underlying each of their choices is a simple calculation for the good of the matter at hand. If an action possesses even a hint of perceived evil, which would cause it to fail this calculus, it is discarded without a second thought. This inherent disregard for the underlying backstory behind options is so foreign to our human minds that a Paladin's existence is rendered almost alien. Now admittedly, I have described these individuals in a harsh light of purity and goodness, and many would argue that a hero could qualify for Paladinhood without such a strict regime. However, by the very definition I have established, they must hold to such levels or they become one of the lesser (and far more human) types of hero.

The second type of heroic archetype, is what I would call the realistic PHH. Although not perfect as described in the prior editorial, they are still easily contained within the guidelines of the PHH class. In a general sense, the realistic PHH is the ultimate evolution that we can realistically expect from a normal human. These are characters for which the quest for good has become a lifelong affair. Note that I say "quest", as nearly any realistic PHH would view the process as never being truly complete and they would always be conscious of the potential for regression. Probably one of the most defining characteristics for these heroes is that, like the Paladin, they will always make the "right" choice. However, unlike a true Paladin, the realistic PHH is conscious of the other options which are available to them and would probably expend a decent bit of time on analyzing their worth. In many ways, this causes the realistic PHH to be one of the most compelling heroes in both literature and games, as they represent a struggle which is immediately recognizable to us in our daily lives. In addition, their conviction to the goals and ideals of purity are so strong that many times this steadfast devotion will cause them enormous pain, loss, and turmoil as a result. All of this further deepening our link with them as a witness.

The final class of PHH are what I will call the Redeemed Hero. In many ways, the redeemed hero is very similar to the realistic PHH, due to both the choices they will make at cusps and their attitude toward the ever progressing quest for good. However, there is one major factor which separates these types of heroes from the truly pure; they weren't always good. As the name implies, these are heroes which at one point or another followed the path of darkness. Then, through either a personal or external act, they were somehow brought over to the light and now serve as champions of the societal "good". Great literature and games are awash with Redeemed Heroes and often they are the most compelling form of the lot. Some examples of this phenomenon include Cecil of Final Fantasy IV, Darth Vader of the Star Wars saga, and even Magus of Chrono Cross. In addition to the common pains which plague the consciously righteous, redeemed heroes also have to suffer a second form of anguish, as they are left to consider the fact that at one point they served the side of injustice. During this period they most likely committed terrible acts which will haunt them for the rest of existence. In addition, Redeemed Heroes most often have left over ties to the world of darkness which serve as a constant temptation to regress and escape from their newfound place in the light.

Now, shifting focus slightly, we will consider the three heroic archetypes which can be affiliated with the RPH class. The first of these types is what I will call the stylized Real Person. A stylized RPH is effectively a real person who has had every aspect of their lives turned up a notch. This doesn't mean that the situations which these characters encounter have to be extreme or fanciful, simply that the way they respond to everything possesses an almost surreal or pre-planned quality to it. One example of this character type, which was mentioned in the prior editorial, is the situation of Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII. Although Cloud would like to come off as an RPH, there is simply no way to portray him as so. He possesses mental hindrances (insanity), physical abilities (super soldier), and a generally stylized response to situations which hinders both his believability and our own immersion in his character. Due to this combination of factors which tend to plague the stylized hero class in general, they are one of the less desirable heroic archetypes and inferior, in terms of story quality, to an Everyman Hero.

In contrast to the stylized RPH, the Everyman Hero is simply that: a normal person who has been exposed to events beyond their control or simply more grand than their previous life. Often, these types of heroes are thrust into their roles through twists of circumstance and forced to cope on the fly with problems meant for those of greater skill or ability. However, this doesn't mean that an everyman hero has to be simply a white collar worker who is trying to save the world with a stick and some glue. In fact, Everyman Heroes can possess super powers and have abilities to aid them in their quest. The true litmus test which separates them apart from either the PHH types or the stylized RPH is simply how they respond to these crises. Do they always make the good choice and deal with the consequences of their actions? No. In fact, much of the struggle for this classic brand of RPH is in overcoming their own fears and insecurities so that they may complete the task set ahead of them. In addition, they don't respond to difficulty or problems in highly outlandish ways. There should be no long thought out diatribes, no regressions to madness or insanity, and quite simply, no plays to one specific aspect of their personality. They are fully fleshed out characters which the audience can immediately empathize with and understand. One of the great examples of this phenomenon is the X-Men (at least in the early years). Based on a premise of simply humanity gone awry, each of the X-Men were initially developed from a past as simple humans into super-powered champions of justice. However, throughout much of the series, most of the characters rarely strayed from their core humanity and it was from this common life approach that many of the most engaging plots were created. Unfortunately, this arguments breaks down later in their existence as many epics became space operas with little emphasis on human growth and the heroes became stylized impressions of themselves.

The final class of RPH, which I will discuss, is a heroic type that pushes the boundaries of RPH and impinges on a cruel hearted villain (CHV). This class of hero is what I will call the Dark Avenger. In their most concise form, Dark Avengers are heroes who fight for the cause of good, but do so through their own means, no matter how dark. In effect, they are the epitome of "the ends justify the means", as they will use any method, no matter how shady or grim, to accomplish their goals. Often, this dichotomy of good existing within the bowels of evil creates characters which may accomplish more harm than good. They possess such a singularity of vision that once a task has been chosen, little can sway them from their path. In many ways, Dark Avengers are quite similar to a Paladin in this quest for good, however, in the case of a Dark Avenger, even tasks of greater worth cannot impede their progress. In terms of actual heroic quality, this homogeneity of vision relegates them to something less than a pure hearted hero, but in many ways more appealing than a Paladin. Their methods often appeal to a base desire within humans for justice and punishment of evil acts, which we too often see derailed by the tenets of society, and the participation in this experience can be something of a guilty pleasure for many players. However, their methods are often so course that their base as a heroic class is undermined. As the dust clears on their final actions, we are always left to wonder whether the task was so worthy as to demand the price exacted.

Overall, the purpose of this editorial was to further explore the basic concepts of heroic archetypes and to provide a number of subdivisions within the general rules of perfect vs. realistic, which I felt were too broad to truly define or classify. As a result of this process, six basic archetypes were created which fell into three for the camp of pure heroes: the Paladin, the realistic PHH, and the Redeemed Hero; as well as three for the realistic hero camp which included: the stylized RPH, the Everyman Hero, and the Dark Avenger. Of these six general types, it was also decided that the three which are most suited to general involvement in RPGs are the realistic RPH, the Redeemed Hero, and the Everyman Hero. This was due mainly to their believability and the degree of empathy which they can evince from an audience or participant. However, each of these heroes also possess what we would call heroic tendencies in greater abundance than the other choices. For them, each act of good is a willing choice they make and often, the consequences of their actions are the most compelling aspects of the stories they create.