What Makes a True Hero Across the World?

A “True” Hero

Is a hero universal, or are they subject to individual judgment? As a generalization, heroes are subject to the whims of a society. Consequently, a hero is bent and altered in relation to the mentalities of a culture. In extreme cases, a man who kills a murderer may be a hero in one culture, while in the geographical area only a few miles away; he could be viewed as a person equally as evil. Therefore, heroes will vary from culture to culture and can best be defined by their cultural origins, or an additional method of hero determination referred to as the hero’s Journey—a 12-part journey that a majority of hero stories use.

Japan is a culture that is vastly different from cultures described as western. (Europe The Americas, Australia) Since World War 2, Japan has rapidly grown in technology, borrowing from western culture but largely remaining unique to its rich heritage. With Japan’s rapid industrialization has come a reliance on technology. Though they do have a variety of interesting literature, in their history as the latter part of the 20th century passed, and the twenty first century began, Japanese culture revolved primarily around technology. Visual novels were indeed poplar, but electronic forms of media were the primeval form of story telling. The inevitable consequence of this was that the “hero” in Japanese culture was best represented in technology, technology like videogames. One such game that reflects both the hero’s Journey and Japanese cultural beliefs, is the third release in the Metal Gear Solid Series that was written and directed by Hideo Kojima.

Though the game’s “hero” is an American spy during the cold war, it holds a wealth of Japanese culture within the Journey of the hero—who be...

... middle of paper ...

...ey, the hero experiences a resurrection of sorts. In this phase, he reflects on the past events and how they changed him. Snake enacts this as he, in a final moment, confronts his former mentor and overcomes her, symbolizing the completion of his goal and the end of his development. Finally, in the conclusion of everything, the hero returns with that that he had sought after, giving the journey meaning. Snake enacts this with his return. Upon which he is handsomely decorated and given his mentors position.

Thus, Snake fills the cultural requirements as well as the hero’s journey template. As such he can safely be considered a “hero” in a critical light. The Metal Gear Solid series is a masterpiece directed by Hideo Kojima, and produced by Konami. It is an excellently written story that will keep its observers on the edge of their seats from start to finish.