The Appeal of Overpowered Characters - Part 2 - The Meaning of the Fight

 The Appeal of Overpowered Characters - Part 2. The Meaning of the Fight

Last time, I talked about Appeal of an Overpowered Character, starting with the supposed "problem" of an overpowered character in regard to drama and tension, and then moving into the topic of the protagonist as an underdog. I used the series "No Game No Life" as an example of how to use a nominal underdog to create tense and exciting conflict by making the conflict itself the objective instead of the outcome. 

Now you might cry foul at this example.  "No Game No Life" is the exception, you might say. It focuses on literal games that supernaturally force the players to rely on non-violent means.  What if I want to write a story about life-or-death fights between heroes and villains. Surely, I need to use an underdog here, right?

Not necessarily. This is my next example, "One-Punch Man".

  "One-Punch Man" is a superhero story that stars one such superhero, Saitama. He was an ordinary human who gained super-powers by training really hard for several years. Now he is so strong that he can defeat any enemy in just one punch. And that's not all. He is also invulnerable (only getting hurt when it would be funny) and so fast he can't be seen. All this is when he is not even trying hard. 

The series opens with the introduction of a villain and Saitama reducing them to paste with a single punch, who deplores the fact that he ended the fight so quickly. You see, Saitama is what Tvtropes calls a Blood Knight, he enjoys fighting for its own sake, and he calls himself "a hero for fun". By the time the main narrative starts, Saitama has become so strong that no one can challenge him, and so the fights no longer thrill him. 

Unlike "No Game No Life", Saitama's fights are always quick, and his tactics are rarely more creative than "punch it, once". How then, is the narrative compelling? What is the appeal of the fights? 

First of all, it's funny to see a villain hype themselves up only to get splattered in one-punch. For me at least, that didn't get old even after two seasons. Second, Saitama has to find the right person to punch. He doesn't want to fight minions all day; he's only a hero for fun, after all, and that is not fun. Third is the broader context of the fight. 

It is always about more than just the fight. 

This is a series that can have the protagonist say, in the first episode, "having overwhelming power is... pretty boring", and not be boring itself. 

There is always more going on than some singular villain showing up and saying, "I will rule/destroy the world". So, the solution to the conflict is always more complicated than "punch the guy". The first episode has a couple of these to establish the setting and the story's tone, and that's it. Starting with the House of Evolution arc, villains come in groups, and their respective evil plans have to be figured out. Then Saitama can punch them out or help other heroes do so.

Yes, Saitama lives in a superhero society. Being a "hero" can be a profession, and these "heroes" have many different motives. Fame, science experiments, revenge, genuine heroism. Saitama only fights for fun, so he has many foils. The narrative compares him to people like Mumen Rider, a totally normal human with a truly heroic spirit, and to Genos, a cyborg driven by revenge, or the Tank Top brothers, several of whom have a bad case of Tall Poppy Syndrome. How these heroes react to someone like Saitama, who is better than them at defeating villains, and what the civilians think of a "hero for fun" is just as much a part of the series as defeating the villains.

Finally, there is what Saitama himself thinks about heroes and his own heroics. He says that he is just a "hero for fun" and he is always bored because no one can challenge him. He is enduring an existential crisis, because his dream was to become the strongest hero and, now that he is, he struggles with motivation. It is a dramatic character arc in an overall comedic series. 

In this way, the author crafts a story where the protagonist is overpowered/invincible, but can still create exciting fights, meaningful conflict and interesting character development. A character like Saitama can be played for comedy and drama as needed, and fights can end as soon as he shows up. 

There are also conventional fights with other heroes who are not invincible. The invulnerability of Saitama highlights the fragility of these heroes, and so their reason for being heroes is also highlighted. Saitama isn't always around to back them up. No matter how quickly a protagonist can defeat a villain, if they aren't present, it doesn't matter. These fights are all the more tense for it, and the fights do not always end with Saitama showing up to save them either. 

Having an overpowered protagonist doesn't necessarily make everyone else useless. There are other perfectly competent heroes who can defeat monsters, save lives, and otherwise do heroic stuff. Saitama's existence doesn't make them obsolete. Indeed, Saitama's overpoweredness actually inspires some heroes to reach greater heights, like Saitama's own disciple, Genos. 

Having overwhelming power may be pretty boring, but a story about such a character need not be. Keep Saitama's example in mind and you can indeed write an exciting story about an overpowered protagonist.

Click here to read Part 1 - No Need for an Underdog

Click here to read Part 3 - What is Gained

 Brian Wilkerson is an independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor's degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback.