The Paragon: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

[[The Messiah]] lives to help others, but often does it in one of three ways (give or take overlap): [[Martyr Without a Cause]], [[Honor Before Reason]], and [[The Paragon]]. This character lives to help others, but in a way that [[The Only Way They Will Learn|shows those people how to help themselves]]. This character does not believe in [[Holding Out for A Hero]]. This character's ultimate goal is that one day, when the people need a hero, they can be the heroes themselves.

 

Contrast [[Anti Role Model]], [[Never Be a Hero]].

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* Naruto (the titular character of ''[[Naruto]]'') seems to specialize in taking evil, psychotic, apathetic, or otherwise less-than-heroic characters and [[Talking the Monster To Death|talking to them]] or [[Defeat Means Friendship|beating them up]] until they decide to become heroes like Naruto. [[My Greatest Failure|The only person who seems immune to it is Sasuke.]]

* Subverted with Griffith in ''[[Berserk]]''. He's introduced as a very charismatic person and he seems to be a very good example of this in how he raises up the members of the Band of the Hawk. In particular, in his first meeting with Casca, he gave her a sword to kill her attempted rapist, and he helps transform Guts from a brute into a thoughtful soldier. However, he ultimately seems to only view others as pawns and in his epic [[Face Heel Turn]] during the Eclipse, he betrays the people he previously motivated in the most horrific way possible.

* Ironically, Vegeta wants to invoke this towards the end of the ''[[Dragonball]]'' manga. When Goku suggests that Gotenks or Gohan (both of whom had surpassed Buu at that time) should just come and kill Buu, Vegeta tells him that it's now humanity's turn to shoulder some responsibility and has all humans share their energy with Goku so he can blast Buu with an enormous ki attack.

* Touma Kamijo from ''[[To Aru Majutsu no Index]]'' seems to have an unconscious gift for turning the people around him into heroes.

* In both the ''[[Superman (Film)|Superman]]'' movies and the ''[[Dark Knight Trilogy]]'', this is the heroes' goal. (Although in ''The Dark Knight'', Bruce expresses disapproval of the groups of men who dress like Batman in groups, A. because they often get hurt or killed, and B. because they use guns.)

* Though he doesn't set out with this as a goal, ''[[Spider-Man (Film)|Spider-Man]]'' tends to succeed at this at least [[Once an Episode|Once Per Movie]], typically with nearby New Yorkers not known for their friendliness working together to save his life or even fending off some rather nasty villains.

 

 

 

== Live Action TV ==

* In ''[[Once Upon a Time (TV)|Once Upon a Time]]'', Emma's dubious about Henry calling her [[The Chosen One]], but she is racking up an impressive record inspiring the cowed townsfolk into standing up for themselves and making their own "happy endings."

 

* Though he does not talk much in ''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy]]'', [[Final Fantasy I (Video Game)|The Warrior of Light]] is this to the other warriors. It's even the name of his fighting style.

* Turning the main character into this is the end goal in ''[[Zettai Hero Project]]''. Starting off as a spineless bystander, he ends up helping the people help themselves and inspiring the entire world into not giving up hope against the Final Boss.

* Garlot (Gulcasa)'s usual messianic behavior verges on this at certain points of ''[[Blaze Union]]'', especially when the mission of the day involves lecturing some sense into the local townspeople (as in the battlefield "Waves in the Grain") or a despairing teammate. This is a kind of inverse [[Cerebus Retcon]] -- ''[[Yggdra Union]]'' demonstrates that all of his allies and the citizens he winds up ruling are all willing to follow his example and take up arms for him and Bronquia in times of need [[You Shall Not Pass|in the most depressing way possible]]; ''[[Blaze Union]]'' is just going back to explain how this came about.

* In ''[[Mass Effect]]'', Commander Shepard can fit this trope depending on some choices made. Actions and dialogue choices include as much you resolving the situation as prompting others to get out and make a difference on their own. News reports after particular Paragon events often report how your influence has inspiried those you met to do the right thing. Other examples include Captain Anderson and (for a Krogan) Urdnot Wrex.