And then we have the antithesis of the Cowl, the Cape. Unlike the Cowl, the Cape appears when the sun rises, the warm and welcoming rays of sunshine enveloping the loving city he/she calls home. The Cape is known and loved by most civilians and most authority figures. He/she has a strong moral code, he/she is devoted to peace, justice, and protecting the innocent. He/she acts as a beacon of hope for the hopeless. Unlike the Cowl, who uses fear and intimidation, the Cape fights criminals with skills, powers, and an endless supply of courage. So, who do you think is the best hero that embodies that archetype and why?
I thought about including him, but then I decided against it, since he's not a superhero in the way the Western world defines it. Nanoha fits the traditional depiction of a superhero better. Even the Powerpuff Girls fit more into what the Western world thinks of when they think of the word "superhero".
GREEN LANTERN REPRESEEEEEEENT Okay, he's not exactly the best superhero by these standards, but I love love LOVE the Green Lantern universe. You've got the red lanterns of Rage who do whatever they want, the white lanterns which are AMAZING SUPERHEROES BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE and the black lanterns which ARE EVEN MORE DEAD SUPERHEROES WHO KILL STUFF I MEAN HOW COOL IS THAT. There's even a lantern corps based on the power of love. Freakin love. Black green lantern was best green lantern.
...I don't want another flame war in my hands, but I was talking about those three Green Lanterns specifically, not about the Corps in general.
Captain America. -Fights alongside the Avengers without having any superhuman powers. -Punched Hitler in the face. -Humble and chivalrous -Punched Hitler in the face. -Brave and self-sacrificing -Punched Hitler in the face. -Loyal -Punched Hitler in the face. -America! **** yeah! -HE PUNCHED HITLER IN THE GODDAMN FACE.
Holy guacamole, Green Lantern's MY favorite Western superhero too! According to Wikipedia, a superhero "is a type of heroic character possessing extraordinary talents, supernatural phenomena, or superhuman powers and is dedicated to a moral goal or protecting the public." Nope, Goku doesn't fit that description at all. Pardon my ignorance, but who is that? Sent from the DeLorean
[MENTION=6442]Airship McHoof[/MENTION] - I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure you're the only one around here that watches Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. Either way, it's definitely too obscure to be included on this poll. Goku would have been a much better choice, as Dragon Ball Z is mainstream enough that even people who don't watch the show have heard of it.
If we are talking "Dragon Ball Z", the only one who fits the traditional Western image of a superhero, as popularized by characters like Superman and Batman and Zorro and the Shadow, is the Great Saiyaman.
I dunno, if people wanted to say Goku, Gohan or Future Trunks were superheroes, I could understand that.
It's like...when Michelangelo became the Turtle Titan, when Jade became T-Girl, when Rainbow Dash became Mare Do Well, they started dressing a certain way and acting a certain way. The Western image of a superhero is different from someone like Goku. Characters like the Sailor Senshi or the Sentai heroes are closer to our idea of superheroes. Again, I'm not trying to belittle Goku, or anyone who likes Goku as a character. It's just that the shoe doesn't fit in my opinion. He doesn't have a secret identity, he doesn't have a costume, he doesn't have a superhero codename, he doesn't have a cape or a mask. But again, I want to emphasize that I don't mean to offend anyone. If you think Goku fits the bill, I respect that. I just don't think he does.
