2/10 What is a Hero?

This is a story about a hero written by an adult who is addicted to the "Kimetsu no Yaiba".

【目次】・ヒーローを構成する要素４つ　－「悲劇（悲劇的境遇）」とはなにか？　－仲間の存在　－怒りの感情　－敵・宿敵の存在　－ワンピースにおける敵・悪とは？

http://tyomefumi.hateblo.jp/entry/2020/01/06/175204

 The first day is about the “Hero” itself.

【table of contents】
・ Four elements that make up the hero
  -What is "tragedy"?
  -Existence of Friends
  -Emotion of anger
  -The existence of enemies and nemesis
  -What is the enemy/evil for the world of One Piece?

 4 elements that make up the hero

There are four types: tragedy (tragic circumstances), friends, anger, and enemies.

What is "tragedy"?

What the hero needs, the biggest factor is "tragedically circumstances". For example, it is represented by Kamen Rider. 

Takeshi Hongo, who is a member of the Biology Laboratory at Johoku University, was blessed with high intelligence and athletic ability to compete in motorcycle racing. However, he was captuered by a "shocker" who plans to use the remodeled human to dominate the world. "Shockers" were trying to create remodeled humans that added the abilities of animals and plants to humans. Hongo was turned into a remodeled human with the ability of grasshoppers by a "shocker".

When shocker was about to make the last brain remodeling of Hongo's, he was rescued by my lab teacher, Dr. Midorikawa, and both of them escaped from the Shocker's hideout. Dr. Midorikawa was also kidnapped by "shocker" and made him cooperate with shocker. However, Midorikawa planned to remodel Hongo to defeat Shocker's ambitions, and provided Hongo with a motorcycle named "cyclone" and reinforced suit as tools for fighting Shocker.

Hongo and Midorikawa seemed to have escaped safely, but a "Kumo-otoko(spiderman)" attacked the warehouse at the hiding place, and Midorikawa died. Furthermore, Ruriko Midorikawa who came to see her father misunderstood that Hongo had killed Dr. Midorikawa. Despite his sadness and loneliness, he was determined to be the only one who could fight the "Shocker".

* Quoted from Ishimori Pro official website, highlights created by author

 I can hardly imagine from the Heisei&Reiwa rider who continues today, but the Kamen Rider is a remodeled human that to conquer the world. In other words, it was originally supposed to be evil, but with the help of his teacher, Dr. Midorikawa, he succeeded in escaping the definitive brain remodeling and escaping the shocker's hideout. Despite his sadness and loneliness that I am no longer human, he decides to fight for the people and peace.

This story is a tragedy. A tragedy that a man who lives normally was suddenly abducted and remodeled, by a secret society, and fight for evil. No matter what people were　grateful for his action for peace, there is a sorrow that I cannot return to the original person. There is a tragedy at the origin of Kamen Rider. 

Next, let's take a "One Piece" as an example. "One Piece" became popular as a new generation of manga, but at the beginning of the adventure, there was an incident that could be called a tragedy.

The tragedy drawn at the beginning is a scene where Shanks, who had longed for, loses one arm because of himself. It was an incident that led to Luffy become tou aspireing a pirate in childhood.

The story progresses further, and a major tragedy happens to Luffy in an episode of "Marin Ford". The death of his brother Ace. The loss of one arm of Shanks was a great tragedy, but it was drawn with a shock that was incomparable, and reborn Luffy would grow up strongly. And the other death happens at the same time. The death of the Whitebeard Pirates' Whitebeard (Edward Newgate) was a tremendous psychological shock to readers.

The tragedy is an essential element in the birth or growth of a hero.

Companions

When we talking about "One Piece", the most important context spoken in the story may be "importance of friends." It is very impressive for us to see the parting scene with Bibi in the 23rd volume, "Alabasta".

For Kamen Rider, there is also Kamen Rider No. 2 (Hayato Ichijo), Toubei Tachibana and "Shonen Kamen Rider Corps". However, as mentioned earlier, Kamen Rider is "a person who holds sorrow and loneliness and fights alone." Therefore, it can be said that even if there are friends, there is loneliness at the root of him.

In "One Piece", each character has a background and story, which is told in detail. Although Luffy takes the form of a hero as a work, depending on the reader, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, chopper and other characters are drawn so densely that each of them can be a hero. And each one has a tragic story, and in terms of growing beyond that, it can be said that "One Piece" is a group drama with every characters are a hero.

Just as the "Sekai ni Hitotsudake no Hana" was a popular song in the Heisei era, it seems that a world that respects the individuality of each individual can be seen through.

 Anger emotion

A feeling of anger grows hero. Many heroes wake up and gain amazing power when his(or hers)lives or the lives of their precious companions are at risk.

Kamen Rider BLACK RX has transformed into Bio rider because of emotions of sadness, in addition to, has transformed into Robo rider because of anger emotion, so intense emotions that shake their hearts are indispensable for the growth of heroes.

Enemy / nemesis existence

In addition,  Hero needs an "enemy" that is necessary to become a hero.

Speaking of Kamen Rider, it's a "shocker". Later in the Heisei Rider series, the story unfolded in a way that did not depict clear justice (especially "Ryuki"). Justice in not only one thing.

However, at the time of the "first series of Kamen Rider", justice is only one, justice and evil were  cleary separated. In other words, Kamen Rider is justice, Shocker is evil. The existence of a masked rider requires the evil( a shocker). Otherwise, "Takeshi Hongo(Kamen Rider)" who has been remodeled will be a monster to human beings, and will have to be destroyed by Hero(himself). It is Self-contradiction of existence.

It can be said that there is no enemy in "One Piece".

"Crocodile", "Enel", and "Gekko Moria" are portrayed as enemies, but if they are not in "One Piece world", Luffy would not threaten his existence by them. Because, they are Luffy's just obstacles in the process of becoming a "pirate king". Luffy has beaten them but it is not that Luffy is justice and they were evil. In the end,  Luffy brought peace in Alabasta and Jaya, but that is not the goal for him. It's like "Mito Komon". A presence that solves problems everywhere you go.

What is the enemy and evil of "One Piece"?

Luffy is a pirate in the first place. And there is a navy in "one piece". We think, "pirate = outlaw group = evil", "navy = government agency = justice".

Here too, we can speak multifaceted justice.

If Luffy has justice, then the Navy has justice. The Navy admirals wearing a coat "justice on their backs" seem to be justice, but they are depicted as enemies who shatter Luffy's dream.

"The Blackbeard Pirates", which are specifically depicted as absolute evil, can be enemies for Luffy, but if they have the righteousness of villains, do we need to understand them? In "One Piece", the hero and the enemy cannot be described in a way that is easy to understand, just like talking about a Kamen Rider. "Friends" and "enemy" are quite fluid and cannot be solid.

So far, I've listed the three elements needed for a hero based on two works, "Kamen Rider" and "One Piece". It is also followed by "Kimetsu no Yaiba", which I want to talk about finally.

Next time, I will write about how heroes are drawn in Japan and the United States.