The Antihero

An antihero or antiheroine is a story’s main character, also known as protagonist, who has characteristics that show great contrast to the characteristics of a traditional hero or heroine. Heroes display characters such as honor, bravery, strength, and self-sacrifice. On the other hand, antiheroes often share the same qualities that villains or bad guys have. However, although antiheroes may use questionable means to achieve their goals, they are generally fighting for some greater good.

Gone are the days when viewers and readers could easily identify who the protagonist of a story is because heroes are usually typecast with favorable and flawless qualities. The moment a protagonist and a villain are clearly identified in a story, the outcome could easily be predicted. The good guy defeats the bad guy. However, through time, the tastes of viewers and readers also evolve. The good guy-bad guy formula of storytelling no longer works. As different genres of stories continue to evolve, audiences have also transformed into consumers who are not just looking for mere entertainment. Audiences have become intellectual consumers who are entertained by thinking and guessing.

Korean film or television is no longer stranger to antiheroes because Korean dramas are highly adaptive to many different genres. A perfect example of antihero is Lee Min-ho’s character as Lee Yoon-sung in the hit drama, “City Hunter.” He does not exactly display the traits of a hero, but he is the protagonist of the story. He used unconventional and sometimes violent methods to save innocent people and expose corrupt officials. “The Innocent Man” is another story that featured an antihero. It has a theme of betrayal and revenge.

For the reasons mentioned above, antiheroes have become increasingly engaging over the years. Audiences look for stories that have complex characters that make them think, probably because they are looking for flawed characters they could identify with. Who, better than antiheroes, demonstrates the frailties of humanity? Antiheroes sometimes rise above heroes as reminders that humans are inherently weak, flawed, and imperfect, and yet, they could accomplish great things. That is what makes them so much more interesting. Let’s face it. Heroes are sometimes dull and boring because they are too perfect. They become less and less engaging because there is no element of surprise about how their story ends. With antiheroes, one would not be able to tell what they will do next and how their stories would unfold.