He’s not much of a talker, and he certainly isn’t a “people person.” Our gruff protagonist rolls into town looking to make some coin, his porcelain skin nearly translucent in the midday sun. The townspeople avoid making eye contact and try to stay out of his way. He isn’t welcome here; they need him, but they don’t realize it yet.
Our hero has unrivaled combat experience. He was trained to be a killer and he’s likely the best at what he does. There’s no job too small or too big for our soldier of fortune: whether someone’s gone missing through mysterious circumstances or a monster is wreaking havoc on the town, he can handle it all…for the right price.
While swords are his expertise (and he keeps a variety for different situations) he is versed in magic as well. His spells aren’t the strongest, but they get the job done. Preparation is key though: he always studies his enemies, learns their weaknesses, and then uses it against them.
He has a way of getting swept up into big, complicated plots alongside companions he isn’t totally sure he can trust. He may act like he only cares about himself, but when it comes to the women in his life, he’s extremely protective.
Unsurprisingly, women seem to just throw themselves at our sword-for-hire. His calm demeanor and come-what-may attitude make him irresistible to the fairer sex, and often the same sex, too.
He is calloused, hardened by the world, but still, a light shines through. He was just a boy when they turned him into a living weapon and stripped away his humanity, yet his heart still beats, buried beneath the scars.
If it isn’t clear at this point, I’m describing Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 samurai film Yojimbo.
Just kidding! This is actually the Man With No Name from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
Or wait…is it the Baba Yaga himself, John Wick?
I guess I just wanted to point out that lots of video games use the rōnin archetype for their protagonists. Even Yojimbo wasn’t an original idea, it was based on the hardboiled detectives of the 40s and 50s in novels like Dashiell Hammet’s Red Harvest. People love a strong, silent, brooding anti-hero.
Next week: All the ways Tifa and Yennifer embody the Action Girl archetype.
