Carrot: They're not really very interested in leaders, sir, to tell you the truth. They look on them as a sort of ornament. You know... just someone to shout "Charge!", sir.
Vimes: A leader has to do other things, Carrot.
Carrot: The D'regs think "Charge!" pretty well covers all of them, sir.
The Leader.
The Captain. The
Knight. That shining star that holds the whole mess together.
This guy is a hero, pure and simple. He's almost always right, is a friend to all his bandmates, and morally superior. He has a
well-rounded skill set. He's not as strong as
The Big Guy, or as smart as
The Smart Guy, or as sensitive and socially adept as
The Chick, but he's close.
He can personally accomplish a variety of goals, but his real superpower is getting
the whole diverse set of personalities under his command to focus and pull together. He'll always know who to ask for help, and when -- and
usually how.
Other powers and skills common to the hero include:
- In many games or settings, he'll be The Mario; a well-balanced fighter with decent power and speed, and sometimes some ability at magic.
- Most of the time, he'll use a sword or sword-like weapon as his weapon of choice, even in science-fiction settings where that wouldn't make sense.
- In a fight, he will ALWAYS win. And even if he loses, bet your life on it he will win the inevitable rematch.
Almost invariably,
The Chick is in love with him, as are any other members who happen to be women or
gay (except the female Lancer, whose feelings will be
hidden or
ambiguous). Thus, the primary romantic plot in the band will be between
The Chick and
The Hero, often with
The Lancer rounding out a triangle. The Hero might also be a
Chaste Hero or a
Celibate Hero as an additional complication to romantic subplots.
The Hero and The Lancer usually have a special chemistry within the Band, either a
Ryu And Ken relationship, or being dramatic opposites, a la
Red Oni Blue Oni. This usually translates into the Lancer being
The Rival for The Hero.
Usually, this role will not be filled by a woman unless
all the other roles are already women (as is often the case in
anime). If so, there might not be a
Chick in the group (although there
might be
The One Guy or the
Non Action Guy), and the prize for "most feminine" will go to
The Hero or
The Smart Guy.
Although The Hero is almost always the leader of his band, this is not always the case. If so, this is usually justified by being
the youngest,
most inexperienced, and/or newest member of the team. Thus, his more senior teammates may quite reasonable see him as
The Tag Along Kid or the
Sixth Ranger, even if he's clearly the
central protagonist to the audience. He may even be something of
The Chick if a particularly
loud and unrestrained Idiot Hero. Don't worry -- in time, he will reveal his great potential, eventually swaying friend
and foe alike to his cause. Even if he needs
significant growing up to reach that point.
If the Hero has too much of the "positive" qualities listed above, he may degenerate into a
Marty Stu.
See also
The Ace,
The Kirk,
The Messiah,
The Chosen One.
Examples:
Video Games
- Tidus from Final Fantasy X is clearly the main character to the player, but he's a late-comer to the party, who already compose a complete Five Man Band.
- Sora from Kingdom Hearts was The Hero but not the leader of his original Three Amigos Power Trio. That position went to The Lancer, Riku, who was older, bigger, stronger, and more adventurous. It was Riku's idea to build a raft and leave their home behind to visit other worlds. If Riku hadn't been a little too eager to seek his destiny, he might have become the de facto leader of a full Five Man Band, with Sora and Kairi functioning as the team's heart and conscience. Sora might lead with his heart and by example, but Riku would have led with his head and from the front. Even after Sora formed a new Power Trio with Donald and Goofy, Donald was initially more the leader due to his drive and seniority.
- Kazuya Mishima WAS The Hero of the first Tekken, and his looks and background somewhat supports it. However he proves otherwise in the second series and forward.
Anime/Manga
- The Hero of Naruto has never been the leader of any team he's been on yet, except in spirit. The genin of Team 7 are instead led by their teacher, Kakashi. When left to their own devices off the job, they tend to split up. When left alone on the job, it's less about who leads and more about whoever comes up with the best plan. When he's later part of a five-man retrieval team, Shikamaru is the leader. But Naruto will probably get there one day.
Literature
