this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2025
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An Anti Hero is basically a good guy who is kinda bad, or does good things for bad reasons. Deadpool's a classic example of an Anti Hero

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[–] eightpix@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

Everyone in the Expanse. Naomi, Drummer, Fred Johnson, Bobbie Draper, Chrisjen Avasarala, Monica... Obviously, Amos, Peaches, Miller, and even Holden.

All of them do reprehensible things. Some did them and made up for it. Some still do them to win.

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 8 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Iirc, the original definition of an antihero didn't mean a bad guy you root for. It meant a hero in the story that didnt embody the traditional heroic traits of courage, strength, faith in God, noble morality, etc. The antihero is the hero who is not really heroic - a hero who is kind of just a normal person. An example of this being Don Quixote - a man who spent his time fighting dragons and rescuing princesses only in his imagination.

These days, almost all heros outside children's books are antiheros. Because true heros are flat and one dimensional and unrelatable and don't contribute to an engaging plot. These days, it isn't thrilling enough for us to hear how the knight slew the dragon. He must first overcome... I dunno, his childhood trauma or something.... And then he can slay the dragon!

[–] DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 2 points 4 hours ago

I just recently started Don Quixote and have only just made it into part 2, but he doesn't really strike me as a hero. Maybe in his own head he thinks so. He's certainly the protagonist, but from what i've read so far, he's been rather antagonistic towards the people he interacts with.

[–] YouShouldSeeMyAlt@lemmy.zip 5 points 9 hours ago

Didn't see him posted yet, Walter Joseph Kovacs aka Rorschach.

[–] Geodad@lemmy.world 30 points 16 hours ago
[–] Yareckt@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 10 hours ago

Woyzeck. Such an obviously bad character who is weirdly relatable.

[–] Eyedust@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Darrow from the Red Rising series. I think he fits the bill a bit, but he does flip flop between hero, anti hero, and villain, so maybe not a complete fit.

[–] nik9000@programming.dev 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I got halfway through the second book and it just wasn't what I wanted anymore. My brother told me to keep going but it's been a while.

[–] Eyedust@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 7 hours ago

To be honest, I've only read the first three. I was very happy with how it left off and my gf says that the other two are hard reads. I still make sure she doesn't spoil anything, but I'm unsure if I want to leave it where it is and be ignorantly happy, or read further and see what happens.

I may revisit them when the series is complete.

[–] CyberneticOwl@lemmy.world 9 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Leto II. Deadpool was already taken, so I went with a more controversial example.

[–] _NetNomad@fedia.io 15 points 20 hours ago (1 children)
>does good things for bad reasons  
>gluttony is considered by many to be bad

kirby. kirby is my favorite antihero

[–] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 7 points 18 hours ago

To be fair, after the swallowing he sometimes puke. It's not a total sin, but just a eating disorder.

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

No mention of The Punisher?

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I think he has an automatic negative connotation just because of his many cops etc idolize him, but he's a fantastic character. In the (Uhh I think) daredevil show and comic he knocked DD out, chained him up with a revolver, and said shoot me or I will assassinate this bad guy. Like "you wanna do the 'killing is wrong' shtick? Welcome to my trolley problem, bitch."

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 hours ago

many cops etc idolize him

Which is ironic, considering what he really stands for.

Netflix's version portrayed by Jon Bernthal is trully amazing

[–] compostgoblin@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Raistlin Majere from Dragonlance

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago

This post approved by [see username].

[–] gerryflap@feddit.nl 15 points 23 hours ago

After watching Andor, I guess Luthem Rael fits that title. Dude's absolutely savage. Forced to use the tools of his enemy to fight for freedom that he'll likely never experience. He sacrifices good people on order to protect the whole

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 81 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] TheFunkyMonk@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago

Isn’t this just a hero?

Saint Luigi 🙏

[–] ramsgrl909@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago

Peacemaker!

[–] Zathras@lemmy.zip 41 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)
[–] melodious_thunk@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 day ago

V from V For Vendetta

[–] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 45 points 1 day ago (3 children)
[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 8 points 23 hours ago

"I aim to misbehave"

[–] frenchfryenjoyer@lemmings.world 19 points 1 day ago (2 children)

A Firefly fan in the wild!!!

[–] feannag@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I feel like the overlap of Firefly fans and Lemmy is pretty gorram big.

[–] Lizardking13@lemmy.world 3 points 10 hours ago

You're probably right. The last time I saw Firefly get brought up, there were many comments of people just shitting on it.

[–] massacre@lemmy.world 6 points 12 hours ago
[–] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago

There's dozens of us!

Capt Tightpants

[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 6 points 22 hours ago

I've got to go with a classic in Tony Soprano. He's a real piece of shit, and yet I can't look away.

[–] deathmetal27@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago
[–] pdxfed@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Woody Harrelson's character in Zombieland was perfect.

[–] kambusha@sh.itjust.works 3 points 19 hours ago

That'll do pig. That'll do.

[–] LettyWhiterock@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)
[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Vegeta embodies the rage that all of us feel and has one of the best character arcs of all time IMO.

he had his entire life stolen from him by the monster that took him in, not out of pittance, but out of a sick sense of entertainment.

he then spent the next 20-ish years trying to become stronger to complete his desire for vengeance, and even then he wasn't enough.

he literally had everything stolen from him. beaten from him. was mocked relentlessly because of who and what he is. they took everything but one thing. That one thing that could never be taken from him. His pride.

I learned so much about myself as a person as I watched his character develop. I keep a figure of him on my desk to remind myself of how far I have come and to protect my pride.

he is, by far, one of the most influential characters in my entire life.

[–] impudentmortal@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Add the fact that he becomes a decent family man and you have one heck of an arc.

There's a hilarious canon scene where Vegeta proves to be a better dad than Goku (granted that doesn't take much)

[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

yeah...Goku really is a piece of shit dad.

[–] quediuspayu@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago
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