Basic Trope: A character (usually The Protagonist) who does heroic deeds.
- Straight: Hiro is the only one that can defeat Emperor Evulz. Acting on "destiny", he brings together a team and leads them on a quest to defeat Evulz's.
- Exaggerated:
- Hiro is doing heroics 24/7.
- Big Good
- The Paragon
- Downplayed: Classical Anti-Hero
- Justified: Hiro's unshakable idealism is a rarity in his Crapsack World, thus making him the only one who could wield the Sword of Plot Advancement and defeat the Evil Overlord.
- Inverted: The Villain, Heavy, or Big Bad
- Subverted:
- After being set up as the hero, Hiro dies abruptly in the first scene.
- Though Hiro's the main character, he does absolutely nothing but hold the MacGuffin. Lance is the true hero of the story.
- Fake Ultimate Hero
- His actions soon gradually go from innoucous to morally questionable as his paranoia skyrockets from his adversaries soon justifying his atrocities as "heroic" and "righteousness" and will beat anyone who opposes his beliefs and gets in his way.
- Double Subverted:
- Hiro dies but the MacGuffin keeps him from dying, and he comes back stronger than ever, and proving himself to be the hero by fighting off the threat that killed him and saving everyone.
- Hiro was faking to distract attention from himself. While Lance and the rest are out fighting small battles, he is mentally doing big picture heroics with the MacGuffin via Enlightenment Superpower.
- Hiro performs genuine heroism by trying to avoid heroics and danger.
- Parodied: Hiro runs across the countryside in gaudy spandex while shouting "I'm the hero!" The locals consider him a public nuisance despite his strangely high success rate at heroic deeds.
- Zig Zagged:
- Hiro pretends to be useless so he'll be captured as a means of infiltration. However, the Big Bad only let Hiro escape to carry false information back. The Plan is useless and, because Hiro suffered a Game-Breaking Injury to acquire it, he's back on the sidelines but can still inspire his teammates to carry on and remind them of their heroism.
- After hearing that he has no control over what happens and is simply playing out his fate (which is to defeat the Big Bad), a cynical Hiro leaves The Team to prove that he has complete control over his life. He joins a group that doesn't fight the Big Bad but still does heroic things. Then a mentor tells Hiro that he can have a destiny but keep his freewill, that is, "choosing his own destiny". With renewed confidence Hiro leaves his new group and rejoins the fight against Evulz.
- Averted: The story stars a group of heroic people in a Ensemble Cast. In other words, all of them are "the hero".
- Lampshaded: "Why? Because I'm the hero!"
- Invoked: Hiro goes out to find the Sword of Plot Advancement so he can the be Chosen One and save the world.
- Exploited: Hiro was Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life and heard that Good Feels Good, and so he volunteers to be the hero.
- Defied: Hiro says that Emperor Evulz's Evil Plan is not his problem.
- Discussed: "Oh yes, it's you. The one who's gonna save everyone in the end?"
- Conversed: "Here's the part of the episode where Hiro saves the day".
- Deconstructed:
- 1.) Hiro becomes extremely tired of saving the world (seeing people die, trying to always escape death while helping his friend do the same) and just wants to be normal.
- 2.) The other teammates feel useless and un-appreciated because Hiro's always the one to defeat the villain or save the people.
- 3.) Hiro's fight against the darkness makes him weary and jaded and so he transforms from a Knight in Shining Armor to a Knight in Sour Armor; no less heroic but snarkier. All the thanks he receives boosts his spirits.
- 4.) Hiro successfully defeats Emperor Evulz, but this doesn't mean that evil itself is gone. Evulz' Dragon takes over and continues his work, and if not The Dragon then the Evil Chancellor or the Evil Genius or some other higher-up in Evulz's organization.
- 5.} Being the Hero Sucks
- Reconstructed:
- 1.) Despite weariness and his desire for a peaceful life, Hiro knows that he has a fulfilling existence and this knowledge keeps from a depression funk.
- 2.) Hiro reminds his teammates that he can't do everything himself and regularly thanks them for their help. This, in addition to doing a part themselves, keeps them from feeling useless.
- 4.) Hiro defeats Emperor Evulz and everyone in his inner circle and then dismantles or reforms his organization. Even then, he is aware that there is going to be more evil, and that he will be ready and able to defeat it.
- Played For Drama: As a result of Hiro's fight against the darkness, his fight inexorably exposes him to the inherent suffering, death, and tragedy in the world. As a result, it takes its toll on Hiro's psyche, altering his personality (though his core morality is unaffected). These changes turn him into a Shell-Shocked Veteran, Good Is Not Nice shadow of his original self. Hiro's love for the world makes him believe that he has to grow apart from it and push people away from him. While he carries a seeming mask of fearlessness, Hiro is always scared because he knows that any misstep could make the next battle his last. After a long struggle against the darkness he chooses a successor to pass his mantle to; someone younger and more idealistic like he used to be.
Save the day back at The Hero.
