So, here is my entry to Miss A's fan challenge. I decided to limit myself to anime, because including all other media would basically assure that I would never choose someone to write about.
In anime, there is one character above all others with whom I feel a strong connection. That connection has actually grown stronger recently as I have revisited the anime he is in. He's my favorite anime protagonist -- Dr. Kenzo Tenma from Monster.
When I first watched Monster -- on the recommendation of the very awesome NightBeck -- Dr. Tenma immediately struck me as someone I would like. He has his flaws in the beginning of the story (he's naive, a workaholic, too passive, etc.), but it is the strength of his convictions that carries the viewer through the story, especially in the face of the evil represented by Johan Liebert. Without Dr. Tenma, Monster would probably be too depressing for everyone but the hardiest of people to finish.
But I think it is at this point in my life that I am appreciating Dr. Tenma as more than just a great character in a great anime. I am out of college now and on the verge of facing the "real" world -- that's caused me to reflect on my life and my future a bit. The main reason I like Dr. Tenma so much, I think, is because when I watch/read Monster, what I see in Dr. Tenma is the kind of person I want to be someday.
One of the things I really love about Dr. Tenma is that he begins with a relatively simple moral viewpoint with which I strongly identify -- "Nobody has the right to take the life of another!" -- that grows and strengthens through the course of the story. He does not waver in this. There are no, "Yes, but ..." situations with Dr. Tenma. He feels horrible guilt for saving Johan's life in the beginning of the story, and he has to deal with the repercussions of that. However, he remains indiscriminate about the lives he saves -- he is sworn to his duty as a lifesaver to the very end of Monster, and it pays off in the only ending to the story I think is possible for Dr. Tenma. I am not religious, but human life is as close to sacred as something can be to me. As much as I enjoy seeing fictional characters kick some ass, the incredible strength Dr. Tenma shows in being a pacifist and humanitarian is inspiring to me.
In Monster, Johan represents the evil in people -- the ability a person has to transform into a monster. Dr. Tenma is Johan's counter. His selflessness and compassion help people overcome the pain in their lives and the blackness in their hearts. I don't know if it always comes across this way on here, but I like people in general. I really do. I find it easy to see the good in a lot of people, even if it is buried deeper in some compared to others. When I see someone like Dr. Tenma show that amazing compassion and help people because he can see the goodness they may not be able to see, it really drives me to help people in the same way (although not exactly the same way, because I would be a crappy doctor >>). It's such a simple thing, but being able to help others really is a genuinely good feeling.
Something else about Dr. Tenma that I want to emulate is his honesty about himself. There are several points in Monster where Dr. Tenma reflects upon himself to others, and the way he cuts through himself and reveals his deepest weaknesses and the darkest parts of his soul simply to help other people is surprising and amazing. It never comes across as if he is looking for pity or has an inferiority complex or something; he just knows exactly who he is and is unafraid to let people see that. With me, I like people, but even with the people I am closest to, I tend to hide parts of myself (not anything horrible, mind, haha). I am not comfortable speaking with people sometimes, because I like being able to choose my words carefully (it takes me forever to write long posts like this). But Dr. Tenma has the confidence in himself that allows him to be who he is without worrying about hiding anything -- he does not have any reason to worry, because he is just like any other person. That is the kind of confidence I want to have.
The bottom line is if I were a person like Dr. Tenma, I would be a proud man. Ultimately he is just a person -- he has flaws, and he tries his best to work through them and to help his fellow people. If, at the end of my life, I can look back and know -- really know -- I lived my life without regrets and helped people whenever I could, I would consider that a life well lived.
