There are a lot of fictional works which try to convey an inspirational message, and oftentimes, it's through a specific character. Sometimes, it's even their personality that can be found inspirational. Are there any characters in particular that you find inspirational? I've got a couple:

 

Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto/Naruto Shippuden)

 

 

Naruto's probably the one who I find to be the biggest role model. Ever since he was born, he was constantly rejected by just about everyone he knew. While I have people who accept me, I've never really been the most likable guy, and similarly to Naruto, I have a tendency to really annoy a lot of people. However, Naruto has had a dream he's been chasing through the whole series: To become the leader of his village, and gain acceptance from the others. Even though there are times that this seemed unlikely, and there were moments when it would be easier to just quit and do something else, he never backed away. At the start of the series, he was practically hated by a lot of his fellow students, and no one took him seriously. However, after years of perseverance, he finally became the hero of his village, and easily one of the most powerful ninja there. He proved that even the most unlikable people can be accepted if they try their hardest, which I can respect a lot.

 

 

 

Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya (Sword Art Online)

 

 

Kirito never had much of an inspirational message behind his character, I've just always admired him as a character. He was incredibly selfless, being willing to play the role of a villain in order to get negative attention off of many people who he didn't even know. He made a few mistakes over the course of the series, but instead of letting them slow him down, he used them as motivation to grow even stronger. While he was fairly shy, similarly to me, he managed to be very loyal to his friends, and very caring towards those close to him. He also fought for those who had made him a public target, and hated him, because it was the right thing to do. He was a true hero, and I can appreciate that in a character.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_madu1nIRdo1qc7cqo.gif

 

James Diamond of the TV version of Big Time Rush, mainly due to how he is so like me on the whole self centered thing.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&docid=AwlMmG7MH5I_zM&tbnid=yKYrgVD6llckiM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fanpop.com%2Fclubs%2Fash-ketchum%2Fimages%2F17729805%2Ftitle%2Fash-photo&ei=RK3HUqKXLKKRygHpx4GIDA&psig=AFQjCNEs-v4Kpb8AsxjWv3sZAw_HTP-LAw&ust=1388904126785062

 

Ash from Pokemon, because he proves that no matter how many defeats you experience in life there is always a reason to keep going for your dreams.

 

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/kingdom-hearts/images/35951968/title/roxas-photo

 

Roxas, because he is the most fictional character to be like me in life

 

 

http://www.zerochan.net/Lightning+Farron,Screenshot

 

Lightning Farron, because she proves that there is always a reason to fight for the light

Edited January 4, 201411 yr by Xeveemon

Master Eraqus 

Zhao Yun

Master Aqua

Aqualad

Edited January 4, 201411 yr by Master Keeper

Hawkeye Pierce

 

 

Though I certainly don't emulate his womanizing tendencies, I find one of the characters that I've probably used as a role model the most is Hawkeye from MASH. Certainly the sense of humour, likely the anti-authority issues. One of the things I've always liked is his view on people. One of the big issues in one of the episodes is how he chooses to do an operation on a Korean soldier before that of an American, because the former's injuries were more severe, and was more likely to die. He doesn't care about sides in a political ideology: what he cares about is helping people, and there are no uniforms attached to his desire to heal and help people. Also, his theory of how to settle a war is probably one of the best I've heard: "One day, we need to invite everyone from the North and the South to a cocktail party. Last man standing at the end of the evening wins a war."

 

 

Gandalf

 

 

The speech above that Gandalf gives to Frodo is one of the things that I always like to keep in mind. He tries to put Gollum into perspective, tries to point out the dangers of rash decision making and the giving into emotions, promoting rational thought, and the importance of pity and understanding love. Gandalf's whole presence in the Lord of the Rings is probably my favourite part. He's essentially a demi-god, but how he chooses to use his powers is so radically different from people like Sauron or Sauruman. While the latter two think in forms of force, domination, and ruling through fear and power, Gandalf is more occupied with people. When he helps, he doesn't just slap them around and force them to see his point of view (the movie adaptation when he smacks Denethor still bugs me): he tries to use reason, logic, and gets them to think about what they are doing, and apply their own strengths. I like how he spends his time trying to actually understand people, from the great people of Gondor to the silly Hobbits of the Shire: he understands humanity, and the importance of love, which gives him greater insight to the workings of the world than a lot of the greater powers of Middle Earth.

 

When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be like Sailor Moon. Though she is portrayed as a childish 

ditz, she has a warm, and caring manner. Sailor Moon made the greatest of sacrifices for her fellow senshi, 

teaching the importance of friendship. She also has the classic "Power of Love" persona. 

Most importantly, Sailor Moon promotes courage. No matter how deep one slips into darkness, the hope in one's heart will never die.

Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear

 

Put quite simply, she turns the "do nothing royalty" cliche on its head. She actually goes out of her way to help her citizens and embraces it as a duty of a princess. She doesn't chronically use her status as a means of manipulation, and isn't a snob who refuses to be seen with the common folk. The citizens of her country love her because of her constant efforts to help them, and they are loyal to her not because she is a royal, but because they like her as a person. She shows incredible integrity of character, and maintains her composure in circumstances that would normally render others as useless and depressed. The one time she breaks down, she is able to pull herself back together and re-focus on the mission at hand (admittedly with some help from Jade). And she isn't without faults either. There are times when she acts selfish, manipulates others, treats others unfairly, etc. etc., but that's completely human. All around, she is one of the most likeable princesses I've experienced in any game (or media in general), and I was honestly expecting to hate her at first.

Edited January 5, 201411 yr by DragonMaster

Another character I'd choose is Natsu Dragneel. I very recently watched Fairy Tail and for some reason, Natsu has grown on me. His ability to grow stronger with every bump in the road and still be able to show a smile or comfort his friends in the end is amazing. Natsu's loyalty and determination inspire me whenever I feel down. The past few days I've drawn the Fairy Tail guild symbol on my hand, each time saying "I've got a fire in my belly." For whatever reason, thinking of that phrase and Natsu picks me up. Plus his smile is infectious x'D