I don’t mind morally gray characters. I’ve already shared my thoughts about how my favorite characters don’t represent my moral principles. I enjoy every spectrum necessary to elevate a narrative; if making the protagonist unethical is necessary, then so be it. I’m way past that naïve thinking of a simple plot-line of good vs. evil.

Now, antiheroes. Not really the most original idea an author will come up with nowadays. Many already did that; some were brilliant, and some just want to fill a status quo, not bearing in mind that a trope without substance is just that—a trope. I love diverse casts. The protagonist doesn’t have to be a straight-up good person to be called a hero (today’s readers use this label synonymously with “main character or MC”). And again, we’re in this part of the generation where the protagonist isn’t a simple representation of goodness or a slayer of evil but rather a singular perspective on a story.

But I think writing a story with a morally gray protagonist is not a simple feat to do. It can be worse—it can be cliché. It can be an insignificant trait, as if trying to mold a character into an “interesting” hero vessel. Readers can definitely see through that, and sometimes I find the attempt pathetic. I, for one, can tell that an author is just trying, and the evident lack of character development and even sometimes its disengagement from the narrative are plainly obvious. But with sincerity and clever writing, I think antiheroes are thought-provoking devices.

When it comes to antiheroes, the character that always comes to mind is Light Yagami from DEATH NOTE デスノート. When I first watched it (during my internship, where I sneakily watched YouTube videos during downtime)—and yes, in 2007, the year it was originally broadcast Yep, old as a turtle!) I was so intrigued. Particularly in episode 2, where for the first time another lead character clashed with Light’s idea of justice, Morally speaking, Light’s ideas and methods were wrong. But at the same time, we also think that those who did wrong didn’t even consider their victims’ rights. But justice is for everyone—even criminals have the same rights. And so the ideological ruling that “every life is equal” comes into play. Therefore, following that concept, Light’s idea to eradicate the criminals  is, in a word, wrong. But is it really? Such mind-stimulating things make me feel like a morally gray hero—at least once in a while.

And in the same series, when you have such contrasting characters as Light and L and an established plot or scenario, it is a pleasant reading experience for a reader. Same goes with 亜人, Kei Nagai is selfish. He mostly works for his own interests. He sometimes shows generosity, but in a roundabout way. And he doesn’t mind being labeled negatively; as I said, his interest comes first. So these types of characters, in a way, keep me thinking. Isn’t that part of reading as well? At least to me, aside from entertainment and temporary withdrawal from reality, it is also to move these gears inside my otherwise stale head.

Of course, I don’t mind your typical good heroes—in them is a depiction of all we idealistically, and to some extent realistically, want. As a reader, I see fiction and reality separately. So goodness and compassion are still my go-tos, but sometimes, in this world we’re living in, bending the rules may get you farther. At least fiction gives me a view of that angle!

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And that’s it! How about you? What do you think of antiheroes? Do you also enjoy reading with morally vague ideals? Who are your favorites, then? Leave me some lovin’ by sharing your thoughts or liking this post!