ANTIHEROES - Terrible Writing Advice

For the record, Berserk is my favorite story and I think that Guts is an amazing protagonist and antihero. I love his design which I referenced when making the character for the antihero in the video along with drawing inspiration from Image comics and 80s action films. Unfortunately, success spawns imitators who often fail to imitate the deeper themes and elements that make Berserk such a great character driven story. So no, this video is not a dig at Berserk or Guts. Instead, the video proposes what such a character might be like if a less skilled author read Berserk and decided to try to write an antihero by essentially copying the surface elements and ignoring the deeper themes of the story and more subtle nuances of characterization Guts receives throughout the story.

"I'm morally ambiguous." "You just killed hundreds of innocent people." "You don't understand me."

Antihero: kills everyone Comic relief character: Z A P P E R S

TWA: Anti-Heroes becoming full heroes would mean he loses his appeal to women Zuko: Allow me to introduce myself

There’s nothing more of a turnoff than a man becoming a better person, amirite ladies?

Anti heroes can be some of the best well written protagonist in any medium but also are some of the easiest to fuck up

You missed the most important part of the anti-hero! Once he slaughters his way up to the villain with more corpses than have been used to show the villain as a monster, he proves he is NOT evil by refusing to kill said villain, showing everyone how much he has developed in the 5 seconds since his last kill! Bonus points if the love interest gives a quick speech about becoming "just like him" to make the situation appear more complex.

"Slashfic writers would ship him with the main hero anyway" - if your books have reached a point when there's fan fiction based on them you already are a successful writer.

My favorite part of Final Fantasy 7 is how Cloud acts exactly like this and everyone makes fun of him for it. What's more, it isn't even his real personality: he's literally just trying to act cool in front of everyone, and the whole party can tell.

I'm gonna write a story about a young chosen one called Mary Sue fighting a war to save the world from an evil empire alongside an elf who went to a magic school with her and a brooding antihero who is also a werewolf set in a post apocalyptic dystopian world while battling slashers that just won't die and aliens that have laser guns but die from pollen allergy all while spreading the message of environmentalism. The story would of course, be resolved through a love triangle.

Too much work, just humanize Shadow the Hedgehog and you're good to go.

"..Hmm.." - Geralt of Rivia , Netflix adaptation

6:09 After re-watching it, you realize that Zuko has this exact story arc. He does learn to open up and does become a true hero. Still just as popular, Hell his most iconic line is a post-redemption consoling of a friend. “. . . That’s rough buddy.”

The best part of an antihero is they can get an anti-love triangle!

If I buy your book, will you release my family from your dungeon? Please? It's been a year...

"Anti-heroes should be edgy!!" Shadow the hedgehog cough cough

“Antiheroes speak a special language consisting only of grunts and short sarcastic quips.” Geralt Of Rivia: * Nervous sweating *

The best anti-hero is still Wario

You know... a good Anti-Hero idea would be one who looks like this guy you've described at first. But then you slowly develop him as simply socially inept so he compensates by trying to scare people off. He's actually painfully lonely but is so afraid of screwing it up that he's more afraid to stop. A painful self cycle that keeps him as the Anti-Hero that we know and loathe.

What if the antihero was played straight until he got revenge? Then a problem occurs. If he got his revenge, what is he going to do now? He didn’t make any plans and getting revenge brought nobody back. He doesn’t even feel better. The story keeps going.