“ | I can’t get it out of my head. A dream of seven years... Everyday I have this... Sometimes I wake up, and I don’t know where I am... I don’t talk to anybody, sometimes a day... sometimes a week. | „ |
~ John Rambo on how the Vietnam war destroyed him |
“ | That's right, a Toon. We were investigating a robbery at the First National Bank of Toontown. Back in those days, me and Teddy liked working Toontown, thought it was a lot of laughs. Anyway, this guy got away with a zillion simoleons. We trailed him to a little dive down on Yukster Street. We went in. Only he got the drop on us, literally. Dropped a piano on us from fifteen stories. Broke my arm, Teddy never made it. I never did find out who that guy was. All I remember was him standing over me laughing, with those burning red eyes, and that high, squeaky voice. He disappeared into Toontown after that. | „ |
~ Eddie Valiant to Roger Rabbit about his brother's death |
“ | I was a bride, but my dreams were taken from me... for now. | „ |
~ Emily Merrimack confessing to Victor Van Dort about her past failed marriage with another man. |
Tragic Heroes are part of a longstanding literary concept; these are characters who suffered a tragedy in their lives that propelled a fatal flaw (like pride, for example) that will doom them to fail during life threatening situations, in search of their goals.
Due to their experiences and situation, they are often not in full control of their actions/emotions and hence the reader/viewer can sympathize with them due to them not being alone by choice, but rather by them being (for the most part) a victim of circumstances, despite their best efforts or noble intentions. In a common breeder, these tragedies and misfortunes can also cause these heroes to lose everyone they love and/or have every dream unfulfilled and broken is the most realistic way to turn anyone into a nervous wreck. In fact, they suffer from many parts including:
- Heroes who wrongfully lost loved ones, shaping them into who they are today (e.g. Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Purple, Batman, Spider-Man, Aang, Harry Potter, Tanjiro Kamado, Anakin Skywalker, Asura, Kratos, Guts, Iroh, Scarlet Witch, Jonathan Joestar, Littlefoot, and Barry Allen).
- Heroes who were bullied, abused, and/or outcasted by society but overcame it to become heroes (e.g. Zuko, Amity Blight, Shoto Todoroki, Eleven, Emmet Brickowski, Naruto Uzumaki, Izuku Midoriya, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Po, Rocket Raccoon, Mitsuri Kanroji, Momo Ayase, Okarun, Denji, and Megamind).
- Heroes who struggled to control their actions as a result of being brainwashed, manipulated, and/or exposed to something that brought out their darker qualities (e.g. Hulk, Winter Soldier, Sensei Garmadon, Zane, Nezuko Kamado, Simon Petrikov, Clone Troopers, Armin Arlert, Sylvester J. Pussycat Sr, and Henry Creel).
- Heroes who are crippled sick, deformed or suffering from mental and physical health problems.
These characters are not to be confused with byronics, who are charismatic characters with strong passions and beliefs, yet are nonetheless deeply flawed individuals and don’t always have a tragic past like these would but they are very similar in comparison.
Naturally speaking, even Pure Good heroes are also prone to becoming tragic themselves, depending on their overall story, especially since this easily indicates that they are not entirely perfect beings, no matter how well-intentioned they generally are (e.g. Spider-Man, Rapunzel, Emily Merrimack, Mavis Dracula, and Buzz Lightyear).
Note: Heroes who suffer from deep-rooted insecurities or have had something bad happen to them that they didn't deserve don't automatically fall under this if they never had a tragic backstory that shaped them in some way. They should go under the Insecure and/or Scapegoat categories instead (e.g. Katsuki Bakugo, Winnie the Pooh, Gumball Watterson, and Steve Harrington). Also DO NOT add characters that have genuine tragedies but have corrupting qualities and a very heinous side that invalidates it or do heinous and evil actions out of something that upset them in a way that is too petty to qualify as being truly tragic (e.g. Spectra Phantom, Plankton, Mr. Krabs, Bowser, Ryuga, Pythor P. Chumsworth, Chloe Bourgeois).
See Also[]
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- Akira Nishikiyama
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