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The Hero
I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you.

This guy is a hero, pure and simple. He's almost always right, is a friend to all his teammates, 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.

Most often, he will be The Protagonist but (there are exceptions to this rule). Just as often he will be The Leader, The Captain or otherwise the shining star that holds the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits together. In a team lineup they will be front and center.

Other powers and skills common to the hero include:

Almost invariably, The Chick is in love with him (unless she's The Hero or his sister and sometimes even then), as are any other members who happen to be women or gay or bi.

If the Hero has too much of the "positive" qualities listed above, he may degenerate into a Marty Stu. If he's too generic, then he's a Standardized Leader. They are sometimes the Only Sane Man trying to keep the team together — smoothing over disputes with an Ordered Apology if need be. If this is the case fans might consider him to be dull compared to more entertaining members of the team, in which case he suffers from Designated Protagonist Syndrome.

The Hero and The Lancer usually have a special chemistry within The Team, either a Ryu and Ken relationship or Red Oni, Blue Oni. They are often rivals with a strong mutual respect for each other, and are sometimes even Heterosexual Life Partners.

The primary romantic plot in the band will be between The Hero and The Chick, with The Lancer rounding out a triangle. For a female Lancer who doesn't double as The Chick, they will likely be an Unlucky Childhood Friend. (Bonus points if The Lancer is bisexual and is interested in both of them!) The Hero might also be a Chaste Hero or a Celibate Hero as an additional complication to romantic subplots.

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.

The Hero does not HAVE to be The Leader, or the most intelligent. This is usually justified by him being the youngest, most inexperienced, and/or newest member of the team. Thus, his more senior teammates may quite reasonably 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 Load if he's a Mouthy Kid or The Fool. 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.

Note that The Hero will very often have Vetinari Job Security, particularly if leading (or just being the glue that keeps together) a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits. The Lancer will not believe this until it's proven to him/her, of course, but it's nearly always true nevertheless.

If there's a character Cooler than the Hero, that character is generally Too Cool to Live.

See also The Ace, The Kirk, The Messiah, The Chosen One, and Hero Protagonist. A superhero is, by the catch-all definition, a hero (often with superpowers) who dedicates their very life to... well, being a hero.

Note: It is important to remember that while the hero is usually also The Protagonist, they are not necessarily one and the same. Whereas the hero is defined by the character traits described above, The Protagonist is defined by their central role in the story. In Star Wars, for instance, Luke Skywalker is an archetypical example of The Hero and is more or less the Main Character of the original trilogy, but the prequel trilogy establishes the more antiheroic Anakin Skywalker as The Protagonist of the film series as a whole, even though he is a villain for more than half of the saga. See Supporting Protagonist for instances in which this is the case.

Examples

    open/close all folders 

    Comic Books 
  • Superman. Every hero in comic books, at one point or another, has been compared specifically to Superman, either in how he's similar or how he's different. Even in the case of antiheroes and indy comics, as more often than not, the first thing they'll do is take a swipe at the Superman mythos. The entire genre of superhero comics starts with him. And that's why Superman will always be the greatest, most iconic representation of a superhero.
  • Steve "Captain America" Rogers, leader of The Avengers and the most heroic hero in the Marvel Universe.
  • Archie Andrews from Archie Comics.
  • Quantum from Quantum And Woody, though he's often deflated by Woody.
  • The Justice League's original line consisted of seven characters who all fit this type in their own comics. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. Superman would traditionally be THE Hero in this situation but, for example, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner filled this role as a sort of Kid Hero during Morrison's run, being new and being a replacement for the League's original Lantern Hal Jordan. In lineups with only one of these seven, that hero tends to be The Hero.

    Fan Fics 

    Film 

    Literature 
  • Harry Potter, of course.
  • Romeo Montague from Romeo and Juliet.
  • Jake of Animorphs.
  • Sam Temple from the Gone series. Mercilessly deconstructed with him who by the end of Hunger, when he gets so fed up with the stress and dealing with everyone else's problems that he quits.
  • Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit
  • The Lord of the Rings is an interesting case:
    • Aragorn very clearly fills the role of The Hero and The Leader, though he isn't the chief protagonist, thus making him the Supporting Leader.
    • Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee both qualify for the role of The Hero in regards to the protagonist swept into adventure, and Tolkien seems to favor Sam for the part, as his journey is closest to that of Bilbo's in The Hobbit.
  • In the X-Wing Series books, there are always two to three primary protagonists and viewpoint characters. One or two, depending on whether this book is part of Michael Stackpole's run or an Aaron Allston novel - and which Aaron Allston book - is the suboordinate who experiences more Character Development, goes through personal revelations and a personal plotline, gets beat up, and is generally a good person but not quite "pure", often having some dark guilt, flaw, or secret. The other primary protagonist is always Wedge Antilles, who leads, bounces back from setbacks, has a plotline that isn't really all that personal, and is rarely wrong.
    • 'Starfighters of Adumar, which is intensely Wedge-centered and has no other viewpoint characters, is the exception, and although Wedge is severely heroic and an Ace Pilot there too, he's not The Hero to the same extent.
  • Paul from Dune
  • Hector (for the Trojans) in The Iliad
    • Hector period, really. Among the Greeks and Trojans he's just the best guy. Not that he doesn't have his bad moments, but almost everyone else is a total jerk.
  • Hazel in Watership Down
  • Finn from Kingdom Keepers
  • Discworld usually subverts or averts this trope, often favoring the Anti-Hero instead. Carrot Ironfoundersson of the City Watch plays it straight, but he's not the central protagonist.
  • In Percy Jackson and the Olympians, we're lead to believe that Percy is the hero of the series. The hero is not who we thought he was. Luke Castellan takes up that role instead. However Percy is still The Hero of the series; he's just not the hero of the prophecy.
  • Fireheart in Warrior Cats.
  • In Death: Eve Dallas, but she is careful not to consider herself this.
  • Sisterhood series by Fern Michaels: Nicole "Nikki" Quinn is this for the Vigilantes. Jack Emery is this for the Big Five later on.
  • Garion in The Belgariad and The Mallorean
  • Roland in The Dark Tower
  • Trapped on Draconica: Daniar leads the group, she fights the battles, she has the Heroic Spirit. Its lampshaded by Ben in the bonus art how she gets the 'meaty story lines' despite not being The Protagonist.
  • Edward Cullen from ''Twilight.
  • Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games.
  • Mediochre Q Seth from the Mediochre Q Seth Series. At least, he starts that way, but later he slips into Anti-Hero territory.
  • Song at Dawn: Dragonetz is a good hearted and idealistic man at the center of the plot and the greatest threat to a set of villains, but he's not The Protagonist. That role goes to Estela.

    Live Action TV 
  • Angel: Angel.
  • The A-Team: Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, though like Mal Reynolds, he's also kind of a Lovable Rogue as well as a Trickster. Notable for being most likely the only person in this trope to be over 50 years old.
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Buffy Summers is the Chosen One and the one that fights the vampires. The rest of the Scoobies are her back up.
  • Dawson's Creek: Dawson Leery.
  • Doctor Who: The Doctor. While he fits this in most stories, he sometimes veers towards being an Anti Hero. The First Doctor was definitely not straight hero material.
  • Farscape: John Crichton.
  • Firefly: Malcom "Mal" Reynolds, though he's more of a Lovable Rogue.
  • Ghostwriter: Jamal.
  • House Of Anubis: Nina Martin.
    • When she leaves, it's Eddie.
  • JAG: Harmon Rabb.
  • Leverage: Nate Ford is the Antiheroic Hero of Leverage Consulting and Associates.
  • Maddigan's Quest: Garland.
  • Merlin: Merlin/Emrys.
  • Noah's Arc: Though not an action-based series, Noah fits in that he has virtually all the non-combat qualities listed above. He's the protagonist, is morally superior (frequently choosing Honor Before Reason), and compared to the rest of the group has a more balanced personality. He's the one who holds the group together, frequently reminding everyone how much they care about each other, and is almost always right in situations where he provides guidance/leadership. Even the wearing red/blue somewhat fits, as there are several scenes where he wears red specifically to make him stand out from the rest of the cast. He's also invariably front and center in any promotional photos and more often than not in scenes where the whole main cast is together.
  • One Tree Hill: Lucas Scott.
    • However, after Lucas leaves in Season 6, Nathan becomes the hero of One Tree Hill.
  • Revolution: Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson. However, she is too young and inexperienced to be The Leader.
  • Roswell: Max Evans fits this to a T. His teammates frequently Lampshades it regularly asking him "What do we do now, Max?" even if sometimes they openly criticize him for his "passively watching" instead of taking action sooner, something that doesn't change when he's actually declared the king of his planet.
  • Scandal: Olivia.
  • Smallville: Clark Kent.
  • Stargate Verse:
  • Star Trek: The Original Series: Captain Kirk is this to the Freudian Trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
  • Supernatural: Originally, Sam Winchester, most notably from season's one to six.
    • According to Eric Kripke, Sam was modeled after Star Wars hero and protagonist, Luke Skywalker.
  • Super Sentai and Power Rangers series (most of them): The Red Ranger. A few Red Rangers have been Lancers, but they still receive the most focus in the series.
    • A partial exception is Tommy, who is originally the Sixth Ranger in the first season, but in the middle of the second season, becomes the leader as the White Ranger. He then stays on as leader in Power Rangers Zeo, but becomes the red ranger then.
  • Teen Wolf: Scott Mc Call. He is not especially bright (fortunately he has a Hypercompetent Sidekick, Stiles), but he is unfailing in his willingness to protect and help others. Even Jackson.
  • The Vampire Diaries: Stefan Salvatore. Often referred to as a Tragic Hero, Fallen Hero, Ideal Hero and even a Byronic Hero.
    • At times, Stefan drops from the role of hero and becomes an Anti-Hero; Stefan currently fits this trope as of Season 3.
    • Elena is his female counterpart. She is the protectorate of everyone within the story, opposite Stefan. She is the main female character of the series.

    Music 
  • Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler is all about this.
  • Mentioned in Blues Traveler's "Runaround."
    Like a bad play where the hero's right
    And nobody thinks or expects too much

    Mythology 

    Visual Novels 
  • As long as he's sane, Keiichi Maebara from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni plays The Hero but not the leader since the real commander of the group is Mion.

    Web Comics 

    Web Original 
  • Neil Sinclair of Survival of the Fittest is arguably the hero of the series. He might not always make the right calls, but he's about the only character who retains his moral high ground throughout the game, and strives ceaselessly to save as many people as possible. He has the distinction of being the only character ever to form an effectual pro-escape group. Which has a good chance to have succeeded, cliffhanger and Pyrrhic Victory notwithstanding; if nothing else, it's the closest the students have ever come to beating the system.
  • Sasha Hunter is an undoubtable one in Greek Ninja.

Head in the Sand ManagementAuthority TropesIron Lady
HeaddeskUniversal TropesHeroic Rematch
HeraldLit. Class TropesThe Hero's Journey
Here There Be DragonsWe Are Not Alone IndexHime Cut
The HeartThe Index TeamHonorary True Companion
Heel Face TurnOverdosed TropesNightmare Fuel
Happy EndingOmnipresent TropesHero Protagonist

alternative title(s): The Heroine
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