Can A Racist Character Be Heroic? 

"I never thought I'd fight side by side with an elf" "How about side by side with a friend?" "Aye, I can do that"

All summed up in one sentence from Skyrim: "What is better? to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" -Paarthurnax

“You can’t make a Racist Character heroic!” Clint Eastwood: “Hold my Gran Torino!”

"I'll never forgive the Japanese!" - Joseph Jostar

"In Hollywood's quest for diversity, they have forsaken character flaws. If a writer portrays a female character as feeling afraid of something, that means they are sexist and think all women are weak." Great video!

"If you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world stay the same." - Batman "Unless you kill like... a lot of em. Then the number decreases like, a heck ton." - Jason Todd Edit: Thnx for so many likes, if you haven't joined in on the deep convo, please do!

"Can a racist character be heroic" Most RPGs have the player automiatically assuming certain races to be evil, so yeah.

Can a hero be [name any character flaw] Game of thrones: say no more

"It's the virtues that make them admirable, but it's the flaws that make them human" can someone quote that for me plz?

*JoJo's Bizarre Advenutre: Battle Tendency* has a character who is literally a Nazi cyborg, yet is a hero beloved by the community.

“There are no heroes. There are only heroic decisions.” -Edward Snowden

When are we going to realize that being a racist is far from the worst thing a person can be. If a murder can be a hero so can racist

A hero forced to defend a people and land they he hates, no loathes. Now that's some story potential

"Can people that i disagree with be heroic?" Yes.

I remember an episode of Teen Titans where they meet Val-Yor who hated Starfire because he was racist towards Tamaraneans due to what I'm assuming to be species rivalry. Despite hating Starfire and being blatantly racist, he genuinely wanted to help people and be a hero. We need more lessons like that in media.

"Racism can never be heroic" What about my boy goblin slayer

I think Anakin is the perfect example: he hated all jedi and overcame that to love his son again

The movie Gran Torino covers this exact topic really well, though the racist character becomes less racist throughout the movie.

A nation’s hero is often another’s nemesis. Yay, almost all of the badass heroes of the human empire in Warhammer 40k are xenophobic and racist to some degree

Star Trek 6 “The Undiscovered Country” Spock: “The Klingons are dying Jim” Kirk: “Let them die” *MUCH LATER* Kirk saves the new Klingon Chancellor and establishes a treaty between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

In a world that despises white, straight male characters who are also billionaire businessmen, Batman is still one of the most popular and beloved superheroes of all time. Riddle me that, Mister Wayne...

-Can a character who doesn't wash one's hands be heroic? -No, 'cause I'm evil.

The entirety of 40k. There are no good guys but there are heroes.

Teen Titans: Val-Yor He was a hero that hated Tamoranians... He referred to Star Fire as Troq (Troq means “nothing, worthless,”) So yes.

Real Life example: Howard Lowe on the Titanic was one of the most disliked members by the crew, cause he was particularly ignorant, arrogant and did express racist opinions (even by 1900's standards). He's one of two boats that went back and picked up survivors after the sinking, including a Chinese man. He wished he could have saved other people 'worthy' but his opinion was immediately proven wrong because the Chinese man had experience in sailing, and was vital in rowing them back to the other lifeboats. Lowe ended up admiring him for his skills (who he was, not what he was). Basically, a racist did something pretty heroic and had his life-views questioned in the process. That's kinda cool

In JoJo bizarre Adventure there's a Nazi named Rudol von Stroheim who is very heroic in the show

The term "racism" is used pejoratively so often to describe so many different things, it should be defined in each specific use. The majority of people who have ever lived, and who still live today, are "racist" by some definitions. How then, is "can a racist character be heroic" even a question? Some people seem to regard "racists" as being on the same moral level as active and confirmed child rapists and murderers, despite racism being a much more broad and vague concept.

Title: Can A Racist Character Be Heroic? Every Grandparent: Yes.

The anti-hero (a flawed hero), is sorely missed in female protagonists.

Clint Eastwood played a racist veteran who at the end saved his (Asian family) neighbour.

I’ve used many of your videos as advice when writing my own stories. They turn out pretty well received among my peers. I just wanted to thank you for all the help, Mr Literature Devil! ^^

This is a great message imo, nothing is worse than “safe” main characters, politically correct in every sense, with “safe” flaws like “my ex girlfriend hurt me so I can’t love you right now” or some other crap instead of real human issues.

"Maybe their parents were killed" Bro, literally every superhero's parents get killed

Today we live in world, where overcoming your flaws and becoming better and more powerful person is not threated as heroism, but often as hypocrisy. Someone is doing good now, but only because he did some bad things in past, he is viewed as hypocrite. While in fact, it works another way: the greatest people are those who beats the odds, not the ones who were always good.

*”the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”*

Short Answer: Yes Long Answer: Hell Yes

There was a manga called “Groundless” (spoilers) where a mainlander character fighting as a merc is racist against his comrades because they’re islanders. The other mercs (all islanders) are suspicious of him because he is such a racist, and doubts his abilities as a fighter because of his one flaw. Eventually he tells them that he is racist because he was fired from his previous position as an officer in the mainland military due to the army wanting to cut costs and expand on manpower. The army fired him because for his salary as an officer, they could hire three Islander recruited soldiers. Because of this he lost his wife and child and is forced to hire himself out as a whore of war. At the end of one chapter he becomes a mentor to one of the BLACK child islander merc volunteers and teaches her what it takes to be a soldier, even though he is a racist to islanders. He eventually bleeds out in a church following an assault on an enemy position with the child and the child (of a race and class he hates) mourns for his death because even though he is a racist towards her, he still cared enough for her to pass on his knowledge to her so she can survive in the war they found themselves in. He is a good character and a human character because his hate was fueled by something we can all relate to. He lost his job not because of an inability to perform his job, but because the top brass wanted to hire more recruits. He was human enough to see past his hatred and his unfortunate position enough to mentor someone else to survive in a conflict that no one wanted in the first place, spurred on by the powers that be. When he finally dies, they bury him in an unmarked grave outside the church where he died, where the only mark of his life on reality was his reputation as a racist mainlander and a pile of raised dirt with his helmet and a cross staked atop it. There is a quote that really stuck with me. “Real heroes are never made public.” In this character’s case, his only legacy is an unmarked grave and a pair of dog tags and a weapons flashlight he gave to the girl. No one in real life will know this character’s real story and the reason for his flaws, his sacrifices, because people don’t want to understand him based on his one flaw. And if this isn’t enough to make him a hero, I don’t know what will.

In the Teen Titans original series they had a hero who hated Starfire's kind, even after she saved his life. They just view him as a good guy with a flaw in his opinions, not an outright bad person.

*Shows picture of Trump* "Yeah... Imagine getting millenials to buy that comic every month." Me: *laughs in Wall Might*

"Bad Guys do the dirty work" is a trope that I've always enjoyed. Simple example: the "Lesser evil" henchman turns to the side of good because he realises you can't rule the world if the main villain destroys it. Main villain has to die for some reason. Main hero can't bring themselves to do it. So the "Bad guy" saves the day by doing what the heroes, morally, can't.

Thanks Minecraft Enderman For This Literature Knowledge

Yes. Save the universe from destruction seven times, but call everyone you come across the n word.

Can a racist character be heroic? Guts: I dont like you elves much.

It's bad when the villains in your story feel more human and relatable than the heroes your supposed to be rooting for.

"Remove the struggle, remove the story"

remember when Tony was an alcoholic? Those were the days.

The answer is: yes Clint Eastwood's character in Gran Torino

Being too devoted can be an actual character flaw because their devotion could lead them down a path of destruction and evil if written correctly

Gran Torino, all the proof you need that yes, yes they can.

A person who does not recognize the evil within themselves is the most evil of all. Everyone has malice within them. Only someone who recognizes their malice and overcomes it is a hero.

"PURITY ONLY!" -Person who is absolutely not pure

I was thinking of making a joke about evil being associated with straight white men and how that's more than just racist. It's also sexist and heterophobic. But then the video ended and I decided to give my female MC some more flaws. She's a drop-dead gorgeous redhead with green eyes like emeralds but doesn't like the attention. I just realized that her biggest flaw is she cares too much. That's actually her only flaw. 40,000 words and I'm just figuring this out. I wrote half a book and am only just realizing that I wrote a Mary Sue... Fuck...

Stronhiem from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Guy is a literal Nazi but takes up the support role after Ceasars death.

"Racism is never heroic" As someone who kills Altmer in my free time, I find that statement offensive.

"It's their virtues that make them admirable, But it's their flaws that make thrm human." Great fucking quote, My guy. You know your literature, Good stuff.

"can a racist character be heroic?" I don't know, try asking Stroheim.

When I read the title, without much thinking, there was one character that came to my mind: Judy Hopps from Zootopia. Due to thinks that happend in her childhood and what her parents say (even thought she disaggrees with them) she developted a distrust to foxes in particular, even if she doesn't want to admit or realizes it herself. When she first saw Nick, the first thing she did was suspecting that he was up to no good (which admitetly, he was). Later in the movie she said all the wrong things on TV, unintentionally starting mass panic. Yet in the end, she overcame her flaws and was still the hero of the story (with Nick by her side). I can only recomment this movie to everyone who hasn't seen it already. It has literally changed the way I look at movies for me!

The entirety of Warhammer 40k would like to speak to you... Bloody xenos.

"can a racist character be heroic?" Joseph joestar would like to know your location

This reminds me of Rorschach, with his “ferocious integrity”

The word racist lost it meaning since 2016

The Joker in Injustice was killed _not_ because _he_ killed Lois... but because he used fear toxin-laced kryptonite on Superman to make him see his worst fear, making Superman, himself, not only kill Lois, but their unborn baby... and, attached to her heart was the detonator for the bomb in Metropolis... it was a LOT more fucked up than just Lois being killed.

racism is never heroic or noble? *LAUGHS IN 40k ASTARTES*

I love the harmony of references from this comment section, Skyrim, The Hobbit, Jojo [duh] ,and more.

Heh, So Zootopia did get it right. Judy Hopps actually was a little Racist herself, same with Nick Wilde, since Nick used a lot of Derogatory terms with Judy, calling her 'Carrots' and 'cute' (Which Judy considers similar to being used as an 'N word' replacement) While also making remarks about her heritage as a farmer, and Judy herself was rather untrusting of Nick at first glance, even before the unveiling of his Con, and during the Conference, really shot her mouth off without thinking. The good thing about it, was that Judy and Nick were able to overcome their prejudices in the End, to better themselves and to set an example.

"Racism is never heroic" Me: Smiles in The Imperium of Man.

I think there are strengths to diversity. The point is to take a group of people who come from different backgrounds and combine the best of both worlds. It makes teams more innovative and teaches problem solving and tolerance. So when you gather a bunch of people who look different but think the same...you’re missing out on a lot.

As a wise dragon from Skyrim once said "Which is better: to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"

Goblin slayer, Von Stroheim, Princess Allura, Gimli and Legolas, almost everyone in Harry Potter..... I mean id rather my protag be non-racist but like It happened before

Yeah, Clint Eastwood. Any questions?

"I'll never forgive the japanese!" -the hero himself NIGERUNDAYOOO!

"This character needs more flaws? Okay sure, I'll kill their friends." Joke aside I've been thinking about the lack of flaws in modern fictional characters and hearing the same thing I always say to others "Make characters human" made me not feel alone.

The Comedian in Watchmen. He’s undeniably a hero he’s saved countless lives and helped end one of the worst wars in modern history. But he also rapes and murders because he feels he’s earned the right. And being a hero was really just an excuse to do bad things and guise it as heroic.

Utter fool. Germany technology is the finest in the world

Goblin slayer anyone? He’s racist towards goblins. 🤔

Imagine Iron Man being racist and the whole black community having to thank him for saving the universe😂

Yes. The majority of fantasy & sci-fi protagonists will harbour some xenophobic views towards another race, yet they're still considered heroic. Its no different in any other genre.

When I was in basic training, one guy in my platoon was an infusserable bigot. He hated weakness, jews and homosexuals and regularly went on tirades about it. To the point where I could (and maybe should) have reported him. At the same time however he was a very good soldier and an outstanding comrade. He was always the first in action when menial tasks came up and he always shared and assisted his comrades. When one platoonmember, which he outspokenly hated, drank too much and passed out one night, the bigot took care of him, helped him, brought him to his room and cleaned up the mess that he left. I never reported that soldier for his bigotry, even though it would have been my duty to do so, because I admired his comradery above all else

Yes, because everyone has their prejudices, and it's a great starter point for character development.

Man, I find myself coming back to this video year after year - it's such a good take on not just character writing but also a unique perspective in good and evil and the struggle between the two.

The same question was asked by that dragon in Skyrim.

"Can someone with a different opinion than myself be a hero?" Answer: Yes.

Goblin Slayer: "The only good goblin is one that never comes out of its hole"

“Super hero saves universe” Super hero: See that black guy? Ion like his skin lmfao

Captain Kirk he was racist and prejudiced against klingons

"When I was a kid, the hero wore white and the villain wore black . . . . Or _was_ black." - Frank Reynolds

“Racist hero turns out to be one of the noblest members of the team” Made me think of the Mandalorian and his hate for droids

A racist character can exhibit heroic traits, but what is the point? The only point to writing a racist is to show them learning how wrong they were to hold on to such a ridiculous and illogical belief in the first place.

I'm not really a racist, but being racist does not mean that you have no sense of humanity, empathy, honor, morality, ethical standards, etc. You may not like a certain person because of his/her origin or skin color, but that doesn't neccessarily mean that you wouldn't help when their life is in danger or when they get threatened in some other way.

Me before the video: “Political correctness is too prominent in first world countries, so I can never write the characters I truly imagine in fear of backlash”. Me, 14mins later: *Its free real estate*

The bit about Stan Lee making a hero popular with everything people were supposed to hate is the same story as Spiderman's creation. His execs gave him THREE reasons why it wouldn't work. 1. Teenagers aren't heroes. They're sidekicks. 2. You can't make a hero centered around spiders. People hate spiders. 3. The hero has too many problems. Nobody wants to read about a hero with so many problems. And yet, Spiderman became an icon.

You said that if a minority character has a flaw then people will view everyone in the minority group as having that flaw. Which is why he media doesn't want to portray flawed minority characters, so they don't stir racist ideas. People's minds are messed up to a point where maintaining peace comes at a price of watching bland characters.

To Kill a Mockingbird says hi.

Stroheim from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 2. Next question.

Can a racist character be heroic? Yes actually, billy from stranger things.

“What is better? to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort ?” -Paarthurnax

Society seems to value outcome more than intent, hence the success of a show like Dexter, among others. On the other hand, a hero that hates a specific group of people yet is willing to save them if in danger? How about Batman? I mean the real Batman, not the Zack Snyder masked Punisher. He hates criminals with all his heart, but when a criminal is in danger he will go out of his way to save him because his goal of protecting life at all costs far outweights his personal bias. I mean, there have been instances in which he protected the Joker from an agry lynching mob because he knew he was not guilty of the particular crime he was being accused of at that time. Despite what happened to him personally, Batman still believes in the right to a fair trial, and will go out of his way to secure it for the criminals he apprehends.

Yes example, every factions from Warhammer 40k

I'd say I have my heroic moments, yes.

The real question is: *Can racist characters NOT be heroic?*