EPT
Standardized testing at the elementary or middle school level almost always contains an essay question with the following prompt: “Who do you consider to be your role model?” Most people write about a famous actor/actress, a sports star, or one of their parents (either because it’s honest or because those are easy answers). When I was in middle school, I penned a piece about Gary Larson (artist/writer for The Far Side), which I’ve always thought was a pretty good answer (though a more honest one would have been Bill Waterson). As stupid as this question may appear on a middle school exam, it’s actually interesting and important in one’s adult life. Whose example do you follow? Whose actions give you guidance or advice? When you encounter a new and imposing situation, to whose experience do you refer to overcome it? After whose behavior do you model your own?
For some, and nerds in particular, there’s another significant question: is your role model real?
Nerds are extraordinarily invested in the worlds we enjoy. We develop an affinity with characters and settings that approaches the magnitude of the connections we maintain in reality, even though we understand that they aren’t real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told someone or someone has told me that “I really feel like I know this person” when refering to a fictional character. Although there are many people who would discount the importance of a connection between a human and a work of fiction, I believe that a character can be just as influential as any real person. While it’s obviously impossible to develop a give-and-take relationship with a video game, comic, or TV show*, that doesn’t prevent those characters from setting an example, affecting one’s perspective, or altering one’s way of thinking.
There are many characters to whom I have looked up over the years. Here are five of my unreal role models.
HERE THERE BE SPOILERS.
* not that this has stopped people from trying
Ramza Beoulve – Final Fantasy Tactics
If you play video games but haven’t played Final Fantasy Tactics, I honestly don’t know what you are doing with your life. Some shy away from the strategy RPG genre, but Final Fantasy Tactics is so much more than an SRPG. It possesses one of the best stories in gaming and the most challenging and intelligent gameplay to grace the Final Fantasy franchise. FFT‘s powerful narrative is driven by its incredible characters and Ramza’s is the lead role. In many ways, Ramza is a stereotypical good guy: he strives for justice and peace in his war-torn world, to save all he can from the plots of demons and warlords alike. However, unlike many “heroes” (and unlike his foil, Delita), Ramza seeks no glory or praise for his actions, opting instead for a heretic’s brand and a faked ignoble death to mask his involvement in saving the world from the Lucavi menace. Ramza is the epitome of “act as if no one is watching” and possesses a humble, selfless goodness rivalled by few characters I know. His growth into maturity is similarly inspiring. Ramza begins his tale as a bastard seeking approval from his royal family and transforms into a knight with the confidence and pride to do what is necessary and what is right. Even in a world without knights, demons, or militant churches, Ramza’s unwavering goodness is incredibly motivating.
Yusuke Urameshi – Yu-Yu Hakusho
Fans of Yu-Yu Hakusho may question the wisdom of employing Yusuke Urameshi as a role model. Yusuke is brutish, rude, and violent. He instigates fights, ignores all authority (including the Prince of the Underworld), cuts school, and aggressively flirts with… well, mostly Keiko, but the point still stands. Yet the Spirit Detective carries his own compelling brand of kindness and respect: a compassion that (literally) allows no one else to get in its way. Yusuke is self-aggrandizing and aggressively overconfident, but he directs his “self centered” nature towards helping and loving others. He goes into battle motivated by sports tickets alone, yet only brings his full strength to bear when his eternally-mocked sidekick is bruised and broken beyond (almost) any hope of survival. He converts “old hag” from an insult into an affectionate nickname for his greatest and most beloved teacher. He somehow makes getting slapped in the face (hard) a surprisingly cute interaction with the love of his life. Yusuke is cocky, brash jerk, yet these traits make his uncompromising class of decency and humanity extremely respectable and cool. Though it’s never smart to act exactly how Yusuke acts, he possesses a “fuck you, out of my way” virtue that is incredibly admirable.
Zidane Tribal – Final Fantasy IX
So yes, this list is mostly populated by the leading good guys from IPs I love, but each of them has a unique goodness and all are amazing. While Ramza’s is humble and Yusuke’s is offensive, Zidane Tribal’s is playful and fun-loving, a decency that is joyful, mischievous, and refreshingly genuine. Unlike other (dour, angsty) Final Fantasy protagonists, Zidane is a joker and a trickster, a good-natured thief that thrives in the company of his many friends. He provides his team advice and security, guiding them towards happiness and purpose whether they be little-brother figures, antagonistic or reluctant allies, taciturn comrades-in-arms, or romantic interests. Zidane also has depth, a sadness and loneliness rarely expressed save in his trials to come to grips with his strange and painful past. And when Zidane’s nigh-implacable joy and hope finally shatter, his friends, cultivated by his loving nature, are what pull him back from the brink of self-destruction. Though he has a monkey’s tail and exists in a world of spear-wielding rats, faceless magicians, and whatever Quina is, his merry disposition, compassionate regard for his peers, and reliance upon his compansions make him more relatable than many a spiky-haired Final Fantasy protagonist and make him a character worth emulating. Plus, he is hopeless romantic and I do love that.
Hermione Granger – Harry Potter series
More than anyone (except perhaps Dumbledore, but he still died so…), Hermione Granger demonstrates the value of intelligence in a magical world. Let’s face it: Hermione did nearly everything worthwhile in the series and excelled in the use of magic, which makes her a total badass. Harry and Ron wouldn’t have passed or survived their first years without Hermione who A) allowed them to copy her homework on a near-daily basis, B) caught their attention long enough to teach them a spell which would (completely accidentally) save their lives, or C) save them from strangulation by way of Devil’s Snare. And that was just Year One, when the stakes were lowest and Hermione sat at her knowledge minimum. Hermione was a logician and detective of the highest order and bore an impressive streak of cunning and pragmatism as well (ask Eloise Midgen). Essentially, it was Hermione that saved the world from Voldemort; she just allowed Harry and Ron to do all the stupid and dangerous stuff for her. Plus, in addition to saving the world and being the smartest witch of her year, she championed equality between humans and magical races, survived of an absurd amount of black magic (Basilisk petrification, an unknown Death Eater incantation, the Cruciatus Curse), and did not take shit from little douches like Malfoy… and (frequently) Ron. If Hogwarts invited you to its hallowed halls, it’d be Hermione’s footsteps in which you should follow.
Simon the Digger – Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is my favorite anime of all time. While it may not be the best anime ever created, it will always occupy a special place in my heart. One (big) reason is the anime’s main character, Simon. In Episode 1, Simon is a shy, weak-willed, and cowardly nerd (a digging nerd, to be precise). When adventure (literally) crashes into his home, he plays second-fiddle to Kamina, the stupidly brave and unreasonably confident dreamer of the pair’s underground city. In any other series, Kamina would be the main character and Simon would be the sidekick. In fact, that’s how the story presents their relationship: Kamina as the unstoppable champion and Simon as the helping hand with an inferiority complex. Then everything changes, forcing Simon to confront all his failings and self-doubt. He goes through hell, striving to attain an unreachable goal: emulation of his only role model and closest companion. Yet when he accepts himself for who he his, not only does he find his own forgiveness, peace, and selfhood but also becomes the GREATEST HERO IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE ITSELF. Gurren Lagann is not about reality or subtlety, but it teaches a lesson in acceptance, confidence, and self-awareness through the incredible growth of Simon and his impossible dream to drill through every barrier and topple every obstacle. Simon learns from his difficult and tragic lot, then uses it to fuel is transformation into a greater and stronger person. He is an avatar of fighting spirit, change, compassion, and even humility. As ridiculous and overwrought as it may sound, I always want to “believe in the me that believes in myself” and be the “drill that pierces the heavens.” To me, Simon represents moving forward by believing in yourself. He always will. When people ask me who are my role models now, I can look at these influential people (and many more) for my answer. After all, just because they are fake doesn’t mean their significance is.
You can read this silly article and many, many more at the N3rd Dimension.
