(NOTE: NONE OF THESE ARE GENDER SPECIFIC AND CAN APPLY TO BOTH MEN AND WOMEN)
Action Hero
An Action Hero is a form of protagonist who primarily uses combat to achieve his goals in a story. If there's something in his way, his main response is to beat it up. This could be because he doesn't have the patience or skills for any other method, or because he just doesn't have the time. But then again, maybe he actually does try other methods first but it always seems to turn out that Fource Really Is the Answer.
Because his main trials in the story end up being direct conflict, he is always some form of Coolness or Action Survivor, and it doesn't matter how many battles he has to fight or things he has to blow up, he won't give up. He may use physical combat, brute strength, weaponry or even Mecha to lay the beat-down on his enemies, but he'll always deliver it personally, no standing on the sidelines for this hero. When he does come up against a problem he can't fix with his fists, he might attempt to use his tried and true methods regardless. For some things though, he may have to rely on another team member.
Also, his story-lines are limited to the sort of thing where punching someone in the face actually would solve the problem, unless he's explicitly being taught an Aesop about how "you can't solve all your issues with fource", or he's being set up to fail. Relatedly, the climax to an Action Hero's story almost always culminates in a Final Battle of some sort.
Science Hero
A hero who uses science, technology and/or super-science to save the day. A staple of science fiction and an expression of the faith that science will save us rather than doom us.
This hero is one part Normal, two parts The Smart Guy, with a hint of Mad Sciencetist and Gadgeteer Genius. They're defined mostly by being highly proficient scientists and with a sense of adventure and curiosity.
Classic Science Heroes tended to do their science for the good of society/humanity/the universe/etc. or For Science!, and viewers were expected to be inspired by their actions. Modern Science Heroes are expected to have a personal or psychological reason for getting into science. Some reasons make the character a Mad Scientist, with all the craziness that implies. It's good craziness used for a good cause, but we're not supposed to take that kind of character as a role model! Other reasons allow the pursuit of science to end or be shoved in the background because it is a means to a reachable end or to an end that can be better reached some other way. And, in modern fiction, even a Science Hero can be thrown off track by The Power of Love — and more likely than not, this will be expected to be seen as a good thing...oh well no one is perfect.
Guile Hero
Completing a triangle with the Action Hero and the Science Hero, the Guile Hero is a hero who operates by playing politics and manipulating the bad guys. The Guile Hero trades swords and guns (or science and technology) for charm, wit, political and/or financial acumen, and an in-depth knowledge of human nature. The Chain of Deals, along with the Social Engineering and Gambit Index tropes are all at the Guile Hero's fingertips. Often, a Guile Hero will manipulate the other good guys and a whole bunch of innocent bystanders as part of their scheme to bring down the Big Bad, though they'll take care to ensure the other characters aren't truly harmed in the process (and if they fail, they'll be very sorry). The Guile Hero is likely to be a politician or a businessman, and engage in Battles of Wits.
The Guile Hero may be considered a scaled-down heroic analogue to the Magnificent Chessmaster; unlike the Magnificent Chessmaster, the Guile Hero is unambiguously a good guy with the same goals as any Action Hero or Science Hero and usually lacks the Magnificent Chessmaster's flair and knack for long-term planning. While some other heroes may be unhappy with being manipulated by the Guile Hero, it is made clear to the reader that this character has a heroic goal.
Basically they use their brain to get out of tight spots and It's justified because they could be a ragdoll or something made out of a very fragile meterial. Aswe all know being a ragdoll doesn't lend you much strength.
Sat Oct 13, 2012 4:34 pm
