I did say I was gonna touch up a bit on this subject, but I feel like I made my point clear in my tweet earlier this week.
That being said, I want to make some clear points and provide specific examples to help people get a better understanding on which characters and archetypes I enjoy claiming as my own.
I have been compared to characters who use swords a handful of times, but I want to drive the point that just because a character uses a sword in a video game, TV show, book, manga, anime, or any form of media — that doesn’t necessarily mean that specific character is my spirit character 1-to-1.
I’d like to first start off by saying that if you saw a sword-user in an anime or game and it made you think of me, despite maybe not being me fully, then that’s completely valid and I totally appreciate you thinking of me; as well as correlating the swordsman class with me.
But let’s talk about that…
I Want To Be A Hero
This is going to confuse many people, and that’s okay.
But I’m a Hero first and foremost.
Many characters like Gon and even Super Mario, don’t wield swords as their main weapons, but I claim them as my favorite characters nonetheless.
I love Gon because he’s a friend-loving main protagonist who follows through with his goals, has a strong sense of justice, and uses strength-based attacks.
I’m even an Enhancer NEN-type user in the Hunter X Hunter universe. I really love power-up types, physical attackers, and fighting up-close.
Mario is my favorite Super Mario Bros. character for obvious reasons. His favorite color is red, like mine, and he’s the oldest brother just like me. He uses all kinds of tools to fight, but his most notable abilities are his Jump (physical body ability) and his hammer (melee weapon).
I am a huge fan of Mario!
Do not get me wrong, I LOVE swords and sword-users.
Usually, I am quick to immediately claim the swordsman as my character.
Link, Hero [Dragon Quest series], Crono, Zack Fair, Sora, Adol — they are all my spirit characters.
I am still a sword main, of course.
I want people to know I main the sword and shield, or that light swordsmen are my favorite characters.
It’s completely normal for anyone to see a light swordsman protagonist and immediately think of me — that’s what I want!
Heroes Who Don’t Use Swords
Let’s talk about some non-swordsman characters I love.
Ichiban Kasuga is my #1 favorite video game Hero who, *technically*, doesn’t use a sword.
Instead, he uses a baseball bat.
He’s still one of the greatest hero characters in video game history, and if he doesn’t remind you of me, then I’m making a horrible mistake.
I love him so much.
Other baseball bat users that fit me?
I claim Ness from Mother 2 and even Metal Bat from One-Punch Man!
Another perfect example of one of my spirit characters is Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil.
I like him over Chris, Wesker, Carlos, and Billy.
Leon is a fantastic main protagonist of multiple games in the series. He’s always seen with his trusty handgun and shotgun, two staple weapons I use in shooting games.
I won’t be going over every non-swordsman I claim today, but I can make a top 10 list another day if there’s enough requests.
Personality > Combat > Design
When choosing a spirit character, I try to go by a character’s personality as a main factor.
Being that Hero character is a big deal for me.
I like main characters a lot. I love characters with a strong moral sense of justice, those who fight for what’s right, fight for their dreams, fight with the power of love and friendship, and aspire to help people.
Never have I thought that main characters are stale and boring. To me? They’re the best.
I want Vohris to reflect that.
I want to be a hero that saves people, like in Dragon Quest!
Who Doesn’t Fit?
It’s common for me to not fit with a sword-user simply because they wield a sword.
Fire Emblem has tons of sword characters, but I lay claim to Marth for his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and for being a Lord and protagonist prince in his own series.
Ike would be another solid fit for me as he upgrades into the Hero class in Radiant Dawn, but he’s always shown with his iconic Ragnell greatsword in promotional material.
Even if greatswords are simply better and more powerful swords, I think all the light swordsmen are those who fit the Vohris mold.
Some anime, such as One Piece and Yu Yu Hakusho, offer sword characters like Zoro, Mihawk, Shanks, and Hiei respectively, but I simply cannot claim those characters due to a contrast in personality.
Zoro is very anti-hero-like, with a goal of being the strongest swordsman in the world. He’s also the right hand man of the captain of his crew.
Me? I’m more like Luffy, who is my favorite character in One Piece. He’s the poster boy of the series who wants to be the top dawg of the pirates. He’s the captain, the liberator, and the most free of them all. He’s the embodiment of the type of character I love.
Mihawk and Shanks are cool characters and respectable swordsmen, but take such a far backburner from the main cast that I couldn’t possibly choose them.
I haven’t seen much of YYH to claim Hiei, but I can say that I definitely like Yusuke and even Kuwabara more. Plus, Kuwabara uses spirit swords and he was willing to help his friends. Still, I’d probably claim Yusuke.
Hakusho is a tough anime for me to claim a spirit character. Maybe once I complete the series, then I’ll be able to choose a main.
Lastly, one great example where I do not claim the main protagonist, but still claim a swordsman is Dragon Ball.
To me, Trunks is everything I like in a hero.
He’s strong, he’s caring, he travels through time, he’s a bad ass, and he fights with his sword! He’s perfect even if he’s not the main character.
Why Claim Characters?
This blog is already too long as it is, but I’m gonna end it on this topic…
Why do I roleplay characters so much? What even is a spirit character?
I think it’s really fun for me to roleplay. It’s become such a large part of my life.
I want others to think of me when they’re playing the same games I like to play.
I want others to be inspired to find what characters and archetypes they love, too.
For example, my buddy Drakus The Beast King does something similar, as he likes beast characters and axe-users. His perfect character would be Crocodine The Beast King from Dragon Quest, or as he claims...Senshi.
Drakus is the Yangus to my Eight.
We all have archetypes we like, specific ways we handle combat in games, or characters we are attracted to.
I’m impatient and don’t enjoy using convoluted spell-casting while having to manage mana consumption and fighting from afar. I don’t enjoy the responsibility of having to keep the party alive, or having to keep track of ammo or arrows. So fighting up-close with a sword is my expertise. I like being strong and powerful while defensive and careful. I like a versatile character who can do everything, such as basic healing and spells, yet that isn’t their main focus in battle. Main protagonists, and heroes, are usually always equipped to handle a situation, but they’re heavily reliant on friends to help them. I feel like that’s me in my life.
I can’t do it all. I need my friends!
It’s fun for me, when a new JRPG gets announced, and I go over character introduction bios and decide almost immediately who I’ll be playing as, or claiming as my main.
Having a character in each series or franchise to represent me as a player is something that keeps me motivated!
We are all different and have something that make us who we are, it’s just up to us to follow our own paths and help others do the same.
In conclusion,
Not every sword-user in each series of media is my spirit character, I still claim many that do use swords.
I try to pick the most heroic or noble characters when deciding.
It’s completely fine if a character that I haven’t claimed reminds you of me because I enjoy being thought of and included in your life.
But be sure to always consider if the character is a young, idealistic hero first!
While someone may think that heroes are one-dimensional, basic, bland, stale, or boring, they bring me light, and I use that light to shine as bright as I can.
