Tragic Hero: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

A Tragic Hero can work as an antagonist or a protagonist. As an antagonist, his goals are opposed to the protagonist's, but the audience still feels sympathetic towards him.

 

 

 

 

{{examples}}

* Harry McDowell and Brandon Heat from the ''[[Gungrave]]'' anime are tragic heroes. This is a rare case where both protagonist and antagonist are tragic heroes. Harry McDowell, in his search for power so that he will never have to lose anything, ends up becoming a power-hungry Bloody Harry and kills his best friend Brandon Heat, turning Brandon into [[The Undead|Beyond the Grave]]. The guilt over killing his best friend makes Harry slowly lose his sanity. On the other hand, Brandon Heat, who is loyal to the fault, cannot bring himself to stop Harry even when he knows Harry is obviously going down the wrong path and ends up getting killed. In a way, Brandon is also responsible for the deaths of his other loved ones as Brandon's death causes Harry to hunt down those whom Brandon holds dear (as Harry reasons that those people "took Brandon from him"). At the end of the series, after destroying each other completely, both Brandon and Harry realize that the only time they were truly "free" was when they lived in a slum with three other friends (whose deaths led Brandon and Harry to join the Millenion in the first place) and decide to take the only way out: {{spoiler|[[Together in Death|killing each other]]}}.

** Ends very differently in the videogame-- {{spoiler|Harry allows Grave to kill him, and Grave survives the ordeal. His only concern at that point is Mika's protection, so he leaves the city with her.}}

* Arguably, Lucy from ''[[Elfen Lied]]''. By the end of the anime, she even admits that both Diclonii and humans are too proud to surrender and live peacefully with each other.

** One could also call Lucy a [[Tragic Hero]] that mutated into a [[Tragic Villain]] thanks to the horrors that are [[Trauma Conga Line|her life]] [[Alternate Character Interpretation|and/or]] [[Always Chaotic Evil|her inherent nature.]]

* Oskar von Reuenthal from ''[[Legend of Galactic Heroes]]'' is one of the greatest examples found in anime, even if he's not the protagonist. A [[Broken Ace]] who is almost as ambitious and brilliant as Kaiser Reinhard - He could become a great ruler, if he weren't simply outshone by Reinhard. Over the course of the series, his conflicting loyalty, ambition, jealousy, his traumatic past and especially his pride eventually lead to his downfall after he is {{spoiler|forced into committing treachery}}. It should be mentioned that he never really became a villain right until the end, despite it all.

* {{spoiler|Akito Tenkawa}} in the ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' Movie.

* Unrequited love was the catalyst – not the cause – of [[Puella Magi Madoka Magica|Sayaka's downfall]]; what really pushed her over the edge was her ''righteousness''. As a coping mechanism, she tried to become a hero who would uphold ideals. She believed in justice, but her growing resentment made her shift from protecting the innocent to punishing the wicked. When Sayaka [[My God, What Have I Done?|realizes how she had come to contradict her earlier aspirations]], all the hatred turns inward. It is precisely because of her unyielding nature that her spirit shatters. Unable to forgive this transgression, she inflicts her own punishment: a curse unto herself. {{spoiler|From her Soul Gem hatches a ''mermaid-knight'', a being representing the love and righteousness that she had once valued.}}

* Played with, with the eponymous character of ''[[Naruto]]'', who faces tragedy after tragedy throughout his life, but he tries his best to avoid this fate.

* Anakin Skywalker from ''[[Star Wars]]'' was a [[Tragic Hero]] in the prequels. He was a hero of the Republic, got the girl, helped win the war, and saved his Master a number of times. His [[Fatal Flaw]] was the fear of losing those he cared about, which fed a hunger for power to prevent it from ever happening, and that eventually turned him into the ever-popular [[Black Knight]] Darth Vader.

** His main Fatal Flaw was the desire for control- a concept that had evaded him his entire life. As a slave he had no control over his life and neither did he as a Jedi. His fear of death and the death of his loved ones is a rperesenatation of his need to control EVERYTHING even what should be uncontrollable (i.e death). This flaw is tucked away for much of the prequel trilogy with only odd mentions (He mentions a couple of times to Padme how he wants to control the galaxy) but fully reveals itself in the OT where Vader is the eptiome of Tyrrany and Order. With all his loved ones dead or now his enemy all the man has left is his intense need for Control.

* Tony Montana from ''[[Scarface]]'' also counts. His aggressive conquest for power and guts are important factors in his rise to power and his godlike charisma, but they also end up causing his downfall as he refuses to compromise with anyone. He also develops a case of paranoia which is only worsened by his increasing addiction to his own product.

{{quote| '''Leland:''' That's all he ever wanted out of life... [[Tragic Dream|was love. That's the tragedy of Charles Foster Kane. You see, he just didn't have any to give]].}}

 

* Inspector Javert of [[Les Misérables]] is a man on the side of good and law, but so inflated with extreme self-righteousness that, when confronted with criminal Valjean's nobility he has no choice but to kill himself (damned if I live in the debt of a thief, damned if he's free at the end of the chase).

* Okonkwo in ''[[Things Fall Apart]]'' is a prime example of this. His father is a titleless debtor, he gets exiled because he accidentally killed a man, his son leaves him for a life as a christian, he gets imprisoned by said christians, and he eventually {{spoiler|hangs himself in shame}}.

 

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* Assuming his eventual downfall or assassination, [[The Sopranos|Tony Soprano]] is probably the biggest example of a tragic hero in modern television. He actually wants to be a good person, a good father and a good husband, and he tries hard, even getting flashes where you hope he'll improved (such as when he realizes that the stripper Frankie just murdered was the same age as his daughter), but is incapable of overcoming his own narcissism, shortsightedness and lack of empathy. And the fact that he's, you know, a ''mob boss''.

* Craig Manning from ''[[Degrassi the Next Generation]]'' is smart, charming, artistic, sensitive, romantic, and a perfect gentleman. But he inevitably breaks the heart of everybody around him, and himself, due to his [[Fatal Flaw]] -- he is thoughtless, rash, and grandiose (eventually revealed to be due to bipolar disorder).

** In a similar vein, student Rick (who had pushed a fellow student into a rock, leaving her in a coma) underwent anger management before going back to school, and genuinely tried to be a nice person... which failed, because essentially the entire school hated him for what he had done before. It got to the point that, after being dumped on with goo at an event Carrie-style, he took a gun to Degrassi and shot a fellow student in the back, paralyzing him, then threatening to kill one of the main characters before dying in a struggle with another student, Sean, over the gun.

* ''[[Six Feet Under]]'', where characters and plot action alike were primarily defined by the tragedies they encompassed.

** Dean's so desperate to ''have'' a family that he has no sense of self-worth outside of it. His reason for living is so that he can [[Big Brother Instinct|protect his little brother]]; his perfect fantasy is a world where he's worthless (but most everyone else is happy and his mother is still alive); he's been [[Driven to Suicide]] by [[Guilt Complex|guilt]] and [[Despair Event Horizon|loss]] from his father sacrificing his soul for him and his brother dying just for ''starters''.<br /><br />After dealing with the torments of hell, suffering a serious case of [[It's All My Fault]] since he's responsible for breaking the First Seal and initiating the beginning of the [[Signs of the End Times]], and finding out he's [[The Chosen One]] to become a [[Destructive Saviour]], it's losing faith in his brother that makes Dean willing to go along with the angels' [[Apocalypse Wow|destructive]] [[Utopia Justifies the Means|plan]] to end the Apocalypse. And in a show of [[Flaw Exploitation]] by his own brother, it's [[The Power of Trust|Sam's faith]] in ''him'' and the need to not disappoint his brother that keeps Dean from doing it.<br /><br />Dean is so focused on his brother that he doesn't want Sam to sacrifice himself even if it's the only way to avert the Apocalypse, and he gets called out on it:

{{quote| '''Bobby''': ...What exactly are you afraid of? Losing? Or losing your brother?}}

** Sam is so desperate to ''[[I Just Want to Be Normal|not]]'' be the [[Black Sheep|failure and freak]] he always felt like and avert [[Bad Powers, Bad People]] that he [[Horrible Judge of Character|believes]] demon Ruby when she tells him he's [[The Only One]] who can save the world. He allies with and has romantic liaisons with Ruby, getting addicted to the consumption of the [[Psycho Serum|demon blood]] that fuels his ability to do [[Bad Powers, Good People|something seemingly good]], exorcising demons with his mind and without hurting the hosts. It also makes him feel in control and ([[Pride|overly]]) confident. He lies to his brother repeatedly, and after Dean [[You Monster!|calls him]] a [[Berserk Button|monster]] while he's high on demon blood, nearly kills Dean in their fight before leaving with Ruby to kill [[Big Bad]] Lilith.<br /><br />Sam [[Heroic BSOD|doesn't take it well]] when he finds out he was being [[Unwitting Pawn|manipulated]] into [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|starting the Apocalypse]], and his [[Self-Sacrifice Scheme|plan]] {{spoiler|to put Lucifer [[Heroic Willpower|back in his Cage]] with a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}} at the end of season 5 is the classic response of a [[Anti-Anti-Christ|tragic hero]] who realizes [[Must Make Amends|how badly he's screwed up]].

** Lennier was a faithful and devoted servant who never seemed to ask anything in return. But his [[Fatal Flaw]] was a jealousy he barely admitted to himself.

* Captain Benteen on the hour long ''[[Twilight Zone]]'' episode ''On Thursday We Leave For Home''. For years he lead a colony of people stranded on a hot, desolate planet. He helps them survive, holds them together and gives them hope for a rescue. When a spaceship finally arrives to take them home to Earth everyone is overjoyed including him. However {{spoiler|Benteen feels the power he once had slipping away. When he learns that many of the colonist don't want to stay together when they return to Earth he becomes angry. He tells them that Earth is a horrible place and tries to destroy the ship. He refuses to go on the spaceship which will not return and chooses to stay. Only when he sees the ship leave does he realize he wants to go back home to Earth.}}

* If your name is the title of a Greek play that is not a comedy, you fall under this trope and have an high chance of dying.

* Seymour Krelborn of ''[[Little Shop of Horrors]]'' is brought down by his desire for Audrey's love; he makes a [[Faustian Bargain]] of sorts with the plant to win her love. {{spoiler|It turns out to be a [[Senseless Sacrifice]]: turns out Audrey loves him all the same, even without the fame brought by the fame.}}

 

 

== Videogames ==

** Kratos is a [[Tragic Hero]] because for all the impressive feats he manages, he himself is never able to get over the trauma of killing his own family. It is his love for his family that prevents Kratos from becoming a [[Complete Monster]], but at the same time, it's due to that love that Kratos is unable to get over his feelings of guilt and is slowly driven insane. Kratos starts working for the gods because they promise to free him from his nightmares, but as time goes on, it becomes apparent that 1) the gods do not have the power to take away his guilt and 2) the gods only view him as a pawn. In this regard, his ignorance towards the Gods' anger (or causing the said anger) is rather understandable.

* The ''[[Metal Gear]]'' series is ''all about'' these characters.

** The first two ''[[Metal Gear]]'' games cast protagonist Snake as a tragic hero, who rapidly realises he doesn't actually care about his orders, is being exploited by his bosses and manipulated by the villains, who together constitute his only friends and family.

** He's press-ganged into doing it all again in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', but in the end, he gets to disappear and chase after his own goals.

*** Of course in the end, they do manage to [[Earn Your Happy Ending|earn a happy ending]] [[Bittersweet Ending|of sorts]]. The world is a better place when all is said and done, so they didn't really ''fail''. The main characters get a shot at happiness too: {{spoiler|Meryl and Johnny get married, Campbell can finally start to bond with his daughter Meryl, Raiden/Jack is reunited with his lover and their son for a chance to begin anew as a family, Big Boss finally dies in peace knowing that the world will no longer suffer from his mistakes, and though Snake/David will only have months to live he can do so as a free man for the first time in his life. He doesn't have to fight anymore.}}

* Sigurd of Chalphy in ''[[Fire Emblem]]: Genealogy of the Holy War'' starts out as an upstanding if not idealistic chap on a mission to rescue his childhood friend, but due to events he had little to no control over he loses the woman he loves, is branded a traitor and forced to flee his homeland. It all culminates in {{spoiler|his supposed ally Alvis of Velthomer having stolen said wife for his own and ''burning Sigurd alive''. Alvis himself was being played by an even bigger bastard, but even so. OUCH.}}

* {{spoiler|Taro Namatame}} of ''[[Persona 4]]'', who {{spoiler|started throwing the main characters into the TV out of a misguided belief that he was actually saving them from the true murderer (his Shadow represents his delusions of himself as a savior)}}. If the player manages to convince the others that he's innocent, {{spoiler|Namatame}} will have a [[My God, What Have I Done?]] moment upon realizing the consequences of his actions.

** Other heroic spirits in the Fifth Grail War are [[Tragic Hero|Tragic Heroes]] in their previous lives. [[Greek Mythology|Caster]] and [[King Arthur|Saber]] are some examples.

*** As was the Fourth War's [[King Arthur|Saber]], [[Celtic Mythology|Lancer]] and {{spoiler|Berserker}}.

* {{spoiler|Fain}} in the [[Backstory]] of ''[[Lusternia]]''. {{spoiler|The Elder Gods faced a [[Hopeless War]] against [[Cosmic Horror|The Soulless]]. Knowing that the Soulless [[Cannibalism Superpower|devoured]] Elders and lesser Soulless alike to increase in power, Fain and his followers pioneered an elixir made from fallen Soulless essence, fighting fire with fire. The [[Psycho Serum|side-effects]] caused the other Elder Gods to reject its use, so Fain and his followers continued drinking it in secret. ''They turned the war around single-handedly''. But as [[The Dark Side Will Make You Forget]], Fain - and his followers - became [[He Who Fights Monsters|steadily more monstrous]]. They were exiled by the other Elders while on the cusp of victory, derailing and dooming the entire war effort. By the [[Time Skip|time of the game]], Fain's [[Face Heel Turn|twisted]] in [[Beauty to Beast|appearance]] and [[Manipulative Bastard|motivation]], and harbors an insane grudge against the world.}}

* Harpuia in ''[[Mega Man Zero]]'' wants a world in which humans and reploids can live in peace. Too bad he's so blinded by pride that he can't see the truth. For extra irony, his goal makes him [[Not So Different]] from the leader of the Resistance. Becomes subverted in later games when he's capable of differentiating between a rebel and a psychopath and turns his wrath on the later first.

** Merrill wants to restore the lost heritage of the Dalish Elves, but is willing to mess around with extremely dangerous [[Blood Magic]] and the [[Magic Mirror|Eluvian]] to do so. Her entire clan, including mentor Marethari, considers this a Very Bad Idea and are terrified of what she'll end up doing, but she's convinced that it's worth the risk and they'll understand when it's over. {{spoiler|Marethari ends up sacrificing herself to keep Merill from getting possessed, and the rest of the clan may turn on her depending on dialogue choices.}}

** Anders wants human mages to be able to live free of Templar oppression, and gets less and less picky about how this happens; by the game's end, he's basically Dragon Age's answer to Redcloak.

 

== Webcomics ==

** Redcloak in ''Start of Darkness''. His goal: improve the goblin race's lot in life. Initially merely a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]], his [[Fatal Flaw]] turns out to be the "sunk cost" fallacy, which Xykon ruthlessly exploits. By the end, he's incapable of ever betraying Xykon, because if he does, he'll have to face the fact that {{spoiler|he killed his own brother - and allowed many other goblins to die - for no good reason}}. He does have his moments of "redemption", such as when he reaffirms the value of other goblinoids even if they aren't his race of goblin.

** Miko Miyazaki [[Knight Templar|was a self-righteous headcase]] paladin who was the most powerful paladin in the Sapphire Guard. She was severely anti-social; her only friend was her horse. As a consequence [[Hidden Elf Village|the Sapphire Guard]] would send her away on long missions so they wouldn't have to put up with her. She believed that she was an incorruptible force of goodness and justice. She could not accept that she may be wrong or have made a mistake, and [[Believing Their Own Lies|believed that if she believed something, it had to be true]]. {{spoiler|Then she killed Lord Shojo in a psychotic breakdown, after believing that Lord Shojo betrayed the Sapphire Guard, when he really wanted to protect the sealed rift from the forces of evil. As a result, she had fallen from grace and lost her paladin powers.}} When she {{spoiler|tried to gain redemption by destroying the sealed rift to try and stop Xykon and Redcloak from taking it, she instead destroyed the seal to the rift and was brutally bisected, and told by Soon Kim's ghost that "redemption was not for everyone".}} The real tragedy with Miko was that {{spoiler|she would never find redemption, as she could not accept that she had done something wrong, and so could not atone for her sins.}}

 

 

== Web Originals ==

 

 

== Western Animation ==

* Jet of ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. His parents were killed and his village was destroyed when he was eight. He became the [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] leader of a [[La Résistance|group of rebels]] who tried and failed to destroy the village the Fire Nation was occupying. He tried to move on and become a refugee, but was [[Brainwashed]] for speaking about the war, and ultimately is killed the instant he breaks free from the brainwashing (see: [[Redemption Equals Death]]).

** Zuko also spends most of Season 2 and late Season 1 as this - until he {{spoiler|succeeds in getting his honour back, discovers that he really didn't want it after all, and sets out to join the Gaang.}}

* Rusty Venture from the ''[[Venture Brothers]]''. In a show that the creators have described as being about failure, Rusty may be a sometimes brilliant scientist, but his flaws- the biggest of which is his inferiority complex regarding his father- often hold him back while his brother manages to attain great successes.