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3%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
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7%% Zero Context examples are not allowed on wiki pages. Please add context before uncommenting.
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12%% This trope is about the hero of the story. It is not about TheLeader or TheProtagonist.
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21%%* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' America ''thinks'' he's this trope. "I'M THE HERO!"
22%%* Kuro from ''Manga/BlackGod''
23* Asta from ''Manga/BlackClover''. The only person in the setting [[UnSorcerer unable to use magic]], he nevertheless wishes to [[ToBeAMaster become the Wizard King]] to help others and gains swords that contain AntiMagic.
24* Ichigo Kurosaki from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. He wished for the power to protect ever since a Hollow killed his mother, as he felt it was his fault she died. Naturally, he accepts Rukia's suggestion to become a Shinigami. Furthermore, feeling it was more his fault than hers that Rukia was to be executed, he sets to Soul Society and fights the elite Shinigami to rescue her. ''And'' he turns out to be the only one capable to defeat the [[spoiler:first]] BigBad of the story...
25* Aoba Watase from ''Anime/BuddyComplex''. Certainly more heroic than his buddy Dio. His story involves him saving a princess (Hina) from an evil king (Bizon).
26* ''Manga/BusoRenkin'': Kazuki Muto is the central protagonist of the series. He is a NiceGuy, if a little naive, and is determined to do the right thing no matter what. He is turns out to be the only one who can stand a chance against the BigBad.
27* Sakura Kinomoto/Avalon of ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'', albeit with Syaoran Li as a heavy {{Deuteragonist}}. Despite ExecutiveMeddling's best attempts to make them co-Heroes, she is still obviously this in the ''Cardcaptors'' dub as well.
28* White Blood Cell / Neutrophil (U-1146) in ''Manga/CellsAtWork'' appears in every chapter and fits the traditionally heroic role that involves saving and protecting other cells and defeating invading harmful organisms.
29* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Touma Kamijou always has [[KirkSummation a reasonable and admirable response]] to any villain's twisted logic and will save someone (often a girl) despite [[TheDulcineaEffect having known them for less than a day]].
30* ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'': Rosette Christopher is front-and-center in TheTeam and the one that holds most of the group together.
31%%* Ryo Saeba from ''Manga/CityHunter''.
32%%* Allen Walker from ''Manga/DGrayman'' can stiil be qualified in this {{trope}}.
33%%* Banjo Haran from ''Anime/Daitarn3''.
34* Shido Itsuka from ''Literature/DateALive''. Despite his desire for a normal life, Shido will risk life and limb to save the [[MagicalGirlWarrior Spirits]] and allow them to experience happiness.
35%%* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' series:
36%%** Taichi Kamiya in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure''.
37%%** Daisuke/Davis Motomiya in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''.
38%%** Takato Matsuda/Matsuki in ''Anime/DigimonTamers''.
39%%** Takuya Kanbara in ''Anime/DigimonFrontier''.
40%%** Masaru Daimon/Marcus Damon in ''Anime/DigimonDataSquad''.
41%%** Taiki Kudou in ''Anime/DigimonFusion''.
42* Son Goku from ''Franchise/DragonBall''. He always takes down the BigBad of the arc (with the one exception of Gohan defeating Cell in which case he was a supporting role), and never ceases to continually get stronger. [[DefeatMeansFriendship Many of his enemies become his friends after he defeats them]]. He's also very naive, qualifying him for IdiotHero. He says that he does not want to be continually defending Earth, hence why he first trains Gohan to be the one to protect earth, and when that fails, he later trains Uub.
43* Natsu from ''Manga/FairyTail''. An interesting variation -- [[TheBigGuy Erza]] actually leads the team, and Lucy can be argued to be TheProtagonist but Natsu is the traditional heroic figure.
44* Kenshiro from ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''. His nickname is "The End-of-Century Savior", and with good reason: he serves as the champion for the weak in the CrapsackWorld where the physically stronger rule, all while searching for his love, Yuria.
45%%* Interesting variation in ''Manga/{{Gantz}}''.
46%%* Akira Kogane from ''Anime/GoLion''. As is Keith in its counterpart ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''.
47* In ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'', Issei Hyoudou is the hero of the group and the one guy who holds everybody together despite the fact that he's an IdiotHero who is only capable of thinking perverted things.
48* Tatsuya Shiba from ''Literature/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool''. He's the leader of his group of friends, more powerful than his peers, protects his sister with intense devotion and defeats the bad guys with little difficulty.
49* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': The [=JoJos=] act as this for their respective Parts.
50** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'': [[IdealHero Jonathan Joestar]] is the most notably heroic of the [=JoJos=], and it's his need to protect the people he loves that kickstarts the series plot.
51** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]'': [[GuileHero Joseph Joestar]], and his role in [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders later]] [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Parts]] arguably makes him an example of this for the series as a whole.
52** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'': [[ShowyInvincibleHero Jotaro Kujo]], whose role in [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable later]] [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Parts]] arguably makes him this for the series as a whole, alongside the aforementioned Joseph.
53** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'': [[HeroicBastard Josuke Higashikata]], as it's his resolve to protect Morioh that drives the plot of the Part.
54** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'': [[AntiHero Giorno Giovanna]], though he may act as the SupportingProtagonist to [[BigGood Bruno]], it's his goal to end Passione's drug trade that drives Team Bucciarati to take action.
55** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'': [[ActionGirl Jolyne Cujoh]]. However, this Part has another example in the form of [[spoiler:[[SoleSurvivor Emporio Alniño]], who becomes this by default after [[TheHeroDies Jolyne, Jotaro]], and rest of the heroes are killed]].
56** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureSteelBallRun Steel Ball Run]]'': While [[ByronicHero Johnny]] may be the [=JoJo=] of this Part, the title of TheHero instead goes to [[{{Deuteragonist}} Gyro Zeppeli]], as his goal to [[spoiler:save Marco from being executed]] is much more heroic than Johnny's goal to get his ability to walk back. [[spoiler:It isn't until after Gyro's death that Johnny gains this role]].
57** ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureJoJolion JoJolion]]'': [[AmnesiacHero Josuke Higashikata]], being the most active in the fight against the Rock Humans.
58* Kazuma Shudo of ''Manga/KagerouNostalgia'' steps into this role as the story progresses, shifting from a bitter, disillusioned, and nearly psychotic AntiHero, to TheLeader of the reincarinated heroes, and a more or less altruistic (if still incredibly cynical) character.
59%%* Yamatoagari and his robot sidekick good embodiment and title character from from ''Karakuridouji Ultimo''
60%%* Hiroshi Shiba from ''Anime/KotetsuJeeg''
61%%* Honoka Kousaka from ''Franchise/LoveLive''.
62* The ''Anime/{{Macross}}'' series feature {{Love Triangle}}s, usually involving two girls and one guy. That particular guy is usually the primary hero of the story. Unusually for a mecha anime, the hero is not necesarily the resident AcePilot.
63%%** ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'': Alto Saotome.
64%%** ''Anime/MacrossDelta'': Hayate Immelmann.
65* Nike from ''Manga/MagicalCircleGuruGuru'', whether he likes it or not as his parents trained him for it since birth. "Hero" is the only thing Kukuri calls him.
66* ''Literature/{{Maoyu}}'' discusses this in the first chapter. Even if [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep the Hero]] genuinely wants to save the human world by taking down the Demon King, [[SheIsTheKing she]] tears that down by stating that killing her would not end the war and would be the same as assassinating a sovereign, so she proposses the hero to join her and help ending the war in a stalemate for both humans and demons as it would be like what lies in the other side of a hill, and the Hero commentss the Demon King is more than a hero that he is.
67%%* In the ''Mazinger'' franchise:
68%%** Kouji Kabuto from ''Anime/MazingerZ'' was the prototype for {{Hotblooded}} IdiotHero.
69%%** Tetsuya Tsurugi from ''Anime/GreatMazinger''.
70%%** Duke Fleed from ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer''.
71%%** Sayaka in ''Manga/MazingerAngels''.
72%%* While TheProtagonist is debatable, there's not much doubt that the hero of ''Manga/MedakaBox'' is none other than Medaka Kurokami herself.
73%%* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' series:
74%%** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'': Amuro Ray.
75%%** ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'': Kamille Bidan.
76%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ Gundam ZZ]]''': Judau Ashita.
77%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam The 08th MS Team]]'': Shiro Amada
78%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0080WarInThePocket Gundam 0080]]'': Christina Mackenzie.
79%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam0083StardustMemory Gundam 0083]]'': Kou Uraki.
80%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Char's Counterattack]]'': Amuro Ray.
81%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91 Gundam F91]]'': Seabook Arno.
82%%** ''[[Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam Crossbone Gundam]]'': Tobia Arronax.
83%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Victory Gundam]]'': Usso Evin.
84%%** ''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam G Gundam]]'': Domon Kasshu. (THE KING OF HEARTS!)
85%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'': Heero Yuy (No pun intended).
86%%** ''Anime/AfterWarGundamX'': Garrod Ran.
87%%** ''Anime/TurnAGundam'': Loran Cehak.
88%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed Gundam SEED]]'': Kira Yamato.
89%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Gundam SEED Destiny]]'': [[DecoyProtagonist Shinn Asuka]], [[SupportingProtagonist Athrun %%Zala]] and [[RogueProtagonist Kira Yamato]] all share this role, with them being TheHero at one point of the story.
90%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Gundam 00]]'': Setsuna F. Seiei.
91%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn Gundam Unicorn]]'': Banagher Links
92%%** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans]]'': Mikazuki Augus.
93* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAge'': Asem Asuno is the central heroic figure of the series, despite ''AGE'' being an intergenerational story. His father, Flit, [[GeneralRipper plans to commit genocide]] against the Vagan; while son, Kio, is a [[IdiotHero moron]] [[StupidGood who puts too much faith in the Vagan]].
94* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': Tenma spends the show hunting down a monster of a child to prevent him from hurting others.
95* Izuku Midoriya in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia''. In an world where EveryoneIsASuper, Izuku was born a {{Muggle}} and desperately wants to be a hero. Turns out, he is chosen and fated to become the biggest of them all.
96* The titular character from ''Manga/{{Naruto}}''. His heroic qualities are weighted down by his inexperience and naivety. It takes CharacterDevelopment and soul searching for him to truly become a heroic character. His [[BadassCreed personal ninja way]] is basically that he never abandons a friend and never goes back on his word. [[spoiler: In Part two his HeroicSpirit breaks the CycleOfRevenge Pain is trapped in and he [[DefeatMeansFriendship befriends Kurama, the nine tailed fox]]]].
97* While there are many characters in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' and several people for every other position in TheTeam, there is only one [[TheHero hero]] -- Negi Springfield, who also doubles as their [[KidHero ten-year-old]] teacher.
98* Monkey D. Luffy of ''Manga/OnePiece'' fits this perfectly. He's an IdiotHero, TheCaptain and TheLeader of the Strawhat Pirates, and is always the one to take on the BigBad in the end of every big story arc. His normal outfit, before and after the Timeskip, is even Red and Blue. In his own opinion[[note]]chapter 634 of the manga[[/note]] Luffy has explicitly stated that he isn't, and doesn't want to be, a hero. In fact, he only agrees to save Fishman Island by being bribed with food. Then again, Luffy has never been [[AntiHero a 'traditional' hero...]].
99* Saitama from ''Manga/OnePunchMan''. He became a hero after his childhood dream to be able to beat bad guys with one punch. It turns out limitless power is "kinda boring actually". The intro theme for the anime is even titled 'The Hero!!'
100* Ash Ketchum[=/=]Satoshi in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. His intelligence and experience might vary between regions, but his heroic nature always remains the same. [[PalsWithJesus He even befriends beings worthy of divinity]].
101** Exaggerated during the ''XY Saga'', where Ash seems to be at his most heroic representation yet due to ''many'' reasons: the first two episodes set up his courage that he ends up diving from the top of the Prism Tower to save Pikachu from crashing down ([[DidntThinkThisThrough though he really didn't have a plan to get ouf ot that suicidal jump]]), the group dynamic only works if he's around as otherwise Serena can't even have a conversation with Clemont or Bonnie without talking about Ash, Serena being the ImpliedLoveInterest for Ash, Clemont looking up to him because of his courage, Bonnie thinking he's amazing, getting the exclusive Ash-Greninja of legend (with said legend detailing how said Ash-Greninja was also a hero), the two rivals he gets greatly admire him with one of them (Alain) ''barely'' knowing him other than witnessing Ash-Greninja owning Sawyer's (the other rival) Sceptile that endeared him to Ash, nearly getting the better of ''Champion Diantha's Mega Gardevoir'', Lysandre taking an interest on Ash unlike when previous times when previous team leaders barely cared about him, and most glaringly the XY movies sidelining everyone but Ash as the main hero (far more glaring in the Hoopa movie). And yet, despite all this, [[spoiler:[[KickTheDog Ash still loses to Alain at the league]], though Alain later notes that Ash is a better person than himself.]]
102* ''Anime/PrettyCure'' has one for every series. However, because of the WonderTwinPowers concept of the [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure first]] [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar two]] series, the hero role is more presented by [[TheLeader the leaders]] of the following teams. While both Nagisa Misumi/Cure Black and Saki Hyuuga/Cure Bloom/Cure Bright have respectively more screentime than their partner, they alone and without their partners are not important enough for the plot itself. Both needs their partners to drive the plot. However, every successor can drive the plot alone.
103** Nozomi Yumehara/Cure Dream in ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' and its sequel, ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5GoGo''. Although she's very BookDumb and has a painfully short attention span, she nonetheless JumpedAtTheCall to become a Cure, save the Palmier Kingdom, and defeat Girinma.
104%%** Love Momozono/Cure Peach in ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure''.
105%%** Tsubomi Hanasaki/Cure Blossom in ''Anime/HeartcatchPrettyCure''.
106%%** Hibiki Hojo/Cure Melody in ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure''. Despite with the WonderTwinPowers concept, Hibiki has more plot events than Kanade.
107%%** Miyuki Hoshizora/Cure Happy in ''Anime/SmilePrecure'' (a.k.a Emily/Glitter Lucky in ''Anime/GlitterForce'').
108%%** Mana Aida/Cure Heart in ''Anime/DokiDokiPrecure'' (a.k.a Maya Aida/Glitter Heart in ''Anime/GlitterForceDokiDoki''.
109%%** Megumi Aino/Cure Lovely in ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure''.
110%%** Haruka Haruno/Cure Flora in ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure''.
111%%** Ichika Usami/Cure Whip in ''Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode''.
112%%** Hana Nono/Cure Yell in ''Anime/HugttoPrettyCure''.
113%%** Hikaru Hoshina/Cure Star in ''Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure''.
114%%** Nodoka Hanadera/Cure Grace in ''Anime/HealinGoodPrettyCure''.
115%%** Manatsu Natsuumi/Cure Summer in ''Anime/TropicalRougePrettyCure''.
116%%** Yui Nagomi/Cure Precious in ''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure''.
117%%** Sora Harewataru/Cure Sky in ''Anime/HirogaruSkyPrettyCure''.
118%%* Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica''.
119%%* Akira Hibiki from ''Anime/{{Raideen}}''
120* ''Anime/ReCreators'' presents a variation. The story happens from [[SupportingProtagonist Sota]]'s point of view, but Selesia is the show's primary heroic character. As the show features fictional characters coming to life in real life, Selesia's story of origin is a straightforward heroic fantasy.
121%%* Madoka Kyouno from ''Anime/LagrangeTheFlowerOfRinne''
122%%* In the ''Anime/RobotRomanceTrilogy'':
123%%** Hyouma Aoi from ''Anime/CombattlerV''.
124%%** Kenichi Gou from ''Anime/VoltesV''.
125%%** Kazuya Ryuuzaki from ''Anime/{{Daimos}}''.
126%%* Aono Tsukune from ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire''
127%%* Shinku from ''Manga/RozenMaiden''.
128* Kenshin Himura from ''Anime/{{Rurouni Kenshin}}''. Kenshin is {{The Protagonist}} of the story, a former sword wielding assassin and has taken a vow never to kill again, and in repentance he wields his sword to save the lives of those around him and to protect the peace of Japan.
129* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'': Usagi Tsukino is the first active senshi (sort of) [[note]] Sailor Venus was fighting before her but she wasn't introduced until later [[/note]] and gives a speech about the despicable nature of the latest EvilPlan during her episodic InTheNameOfTheMoon speech. [[LateArrivalSpoiler Once her identity as Princess Serenity is discovered]] she becomes TheParagon of heroism for the other senshi and undergoes CharacterDevelopment to become more heroic.
130* Seiya "Pegasus" [[spoiler:Kido]] from ''Manga/SaintSeiya''. He's one of Athena's Knights, and thus, he's tasked to protect her current incarnation, Saori Kido. Although he is the Knight of Pegasus, he gets choosen by the Sagittarius cloth, the cloth protected by Saori and her late Grandfather which triggered his and his TrueCompanions' assembly. He's also the Determinator who seems to have a policy of never losing for he protects Saori.
131%%* Ken "G1 Eagle" Washio (or [[DubNameChange Mark]]) from ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' is a TropeCodifier for {{anime}} / {{manga}} heroes.
132* ''Manga/ShamanKing'': Yoh Asakura is the main good guy shaman. At one point, Anna compares him to a traditional knight hero going to defeat the evil king and save the princess. [[spoiler: Except the princess is his evil BigBad brother Hao and the evil king is called "'Hao's hatred"]].
133** Yoh actually takes this trope so far that he's practically a messianic character. He's so good-hearted, selfless and kind that his example is able to change even the most evil people over to the good side. [[spoiler:As a matter of fact, he does actually change almost every single villain in the series over to the side of good, except Hao in the 2001 anime, because Hao in said seriesis just that evil, though Yoh and his friends eventually have Hao see an epiphany in the manga and 2021 anime]].
134* ''Literature/{{Shimoneta}}'': Ayame Kajou uses her 'Blue Snow' persona to rebel against the oppressive censorship laws enforced by [[MoralGuardians the Public Morals Committee]]. She initially acts on her own, by spreading ecchi leaflets and publicly shouting obscenities. However, she soon realizes it isn't enough. So she co-founds the [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters ero terrorist group]], [[AffectionateParody SOX]], to spread awareness about lewd material and sex education in general -- to the masses [[ApatheticCitizens who no longer understand]] what [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove any of it means]].
135* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'': Lina is an AntiHero. She will save your village from bandits/monsters/dragons, etc but you have to pay her first. [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Gourry fits the true hero role better]] but he's her sidekick.
136* Maka Albarn from ''Manga/SoulEater'' fits this role well, and largely above all the other characters in the anime/manga. She is the only character of the main cast to have very noble and heroic personality traits, in addition to having the strong desire to help others and defeat evil.(She's also TheLeader.)
137%%* NiceGirl & TheMedic Yoshika Miyafuji from ''Anime/StrikeWitches''.
138* Tenchi Masaki [[spoiler: Jurai]] is generally the central heroic figure and the one to confront (defeat or befriend) the BigBad. Such stories are ''Muyo'', ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'', and ''Anime/TenchiInTokyo'. [[AvertedTrope The exception is the]] ''Anime/PrettySammy'' spinoffs, where Tenchi becomes a supporting character or is phased out , and Sasami becomes a MagicalGirl.
139* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' Kamina styles himself as the bold and charsimatc hero that will save the world from Beastmen. In a private moment with Youko, he says his dream is to create a world where children can look up at the stars without fear. [[spoiler: Then he dies and [[TakeUpMySword Simon takes up the hero role]] after a HeroicBSOD. He slays the PhysicalGod with a giant energy drill to save his princess]].
140* Abel Nightroad in ''Literature/TrinityBlood'' is the most powerful Vatican agent as an Crusnik vampire and hopes to atone for his past by performing heroic and noble deeds.
141%%* Vash the Stampede from ''Manga/{{Trigun}}''.
142* Lux Arcadia from ''Literature/UndefeatedBahamutChronicle'' is defined by his righteousness and benevolence, to the point he destroyed the very kingdom he was supposed to inherit, simply because his father was an evil bastard.
143* D in ''Literature/VampireHunterD'' may appear like a dark and cold figure that slays monsters for money, but for most of the time he saves people and does the right thing without expecting a reward in return.
144* ''Anime/VariableGeo '' centers on Yuka Takeuchi, a part-time waitress/full-time martial artist. She goes on a search once she learns that her childhood friend, [[{{Deuteragonist}} Satomi Yajima]], has gone missing and eventually learns she's being manipulated by [[NebulousEvilOrganization The Jahana Group]].
145* ''Anime/VividredOperation'': Akane Isshiki is the series' main protagonist, being a cheerful, hardworking and athletic girl.
146* Yusei Fudo from ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' and Yugi Moto from ''Anime/YuGiOh'' fit this role well. The main protagonists of the other two series', Yuma Tsukumo and Jaden Yuki didn't quite have the heroic or noble traits to fit the role, though. They were more closer related to the IdiotHero. Though Jaden showed a bit stronger of this role during the fourth season.

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