Shojo Hero Traits
Basic Traits
A character must at least meet 4 of the basic traits to be classified as a Shojo Hero:
- Heroic/Honorable: A Shojo Hero accomplishes a noble and extraordinary deed and/or display a high sense of honor.
- Kind/Gentle: A Shojo Hero is nice to everyone around them, even their enemies.
- Bubbly: A Shojo Hero is rather energetic, though not necessarily to the point of hyperactivity.
- Compassionate: A Shojo Hero has a high sense of empathy and can feel the feelings of others.
- Clumsy: A Shojo Hero tends to be awkward with how they move.
- Socially Awkward: A Shojo Hero tends to embarrass oneself when interacting with others.
- Naive/Absent-Minded: Though not as unintelligent as its shonen counterpart, a Shojo Hero is ignorant to everyday experiences and/or doesn't always pay attention.
- Has a Crush on Someone: A Shojo Hero has romantic feelings for another character.
- Optimistic: A Shojo Hero maintains a positive outlook on life.
- Innocent: A Shojo Hero is hard to corrupt in terms of morals.
- Sensitive: A Shojo Hero gets overly emotional over relatively small things.
- Idealistic: A Shojo Hero believes that good things can be achieved, even though they seemed impossible to others.
- Determined: A Shojo Hero refuses to give up, no matter the odds stacked against them.
- Romantic: A Shojo Hero likes to express how much they are in love with someone.
- Youthful: A Shojo Hero has a personality that resembles that of a kid/teenager.
Bonus Traits
- Believes in the Power of Friendship/Love: A Shojo Hero gains their strength from how much she loves her crushes/lovers, family and/or friends.
- Possesses Plot Armor: A Shojo Hero survives through dangerous situations in their respective stories because they are essential to the plot.
- Has a Sweet Tooth: A Shojo Hero likes to eat sweet-tasting food (i.e. cake, ice cream, cookies, etc.)
- Wears Bright Colors: A Shojo Hero wears clothes with bright colors.
- Pigtails/Bob-Cuts/Buns/Long-Hair: A Shojo Hero wears their hair in either pigtails, bob-cuts, buns or just having hair going long past their waist.
- Unnatural Hair Color: The color of a Shojo Hero's hair is uncommon among the conventional.
- Insecure: A Shojo Hero has low self-esteem.
- Is a Crybaby: A Shojo Hero is prone to crying a lot, sometimes for no serious reason.
- Pacifistic: Unlike a typical Shonen Hero, who like to fight worthy opponents for thrills, a Shojo Hero typically prefer to solve problems without using violence.
- Has an Idol: A Shojo Hero has another character to look up to and aspire to.
- Calls Out Attacks: A Shojo Hero calls out their attacking moves before using them against their opponents.
- (NOTE: Bold and italicize the attacks the characters shout out.)
- Magical: A Shojo Hero has magical powers.
- Is a Cutie: A Shojo Hero possesses characteristics that makes them come off as cute, especially to young girls.
- Short-Tempered: A Shojo Hero can be quick to get angry.
- Age 10-16: A Shojo Hero starts of their journey between 10 to 16 years old.
Categories
Special Categories That Can Fit
- Shonen Heroes: If a Shojo Hero has several qualities associated with the Shonen Hero archetype, they may qualify.
Caution Categories
- Fake Tragic: Unless they have ultimately redeemed themselves from their villainous ways, heroes who have genuine tragedies but have severe corrupting factors that go far past it (e.g. heinousness, criminal acts, sociopathy, grey-zoned acts) can never count as a Shojo Hero.
Categories That Never Fit:
List of categories and traits that contrasts with Shojo Hero.
- Faux Redemption/Beyond Redemption: If a Shojo Hero becomes a villain, they must always redeem themselves.
- Near Pure Evil: Too much of full-scale villains to count.
- Pure Evil: Same reasons as NPE's
- Rapists: Unless they show remorse which is extremely rare and unlikely, they are too repulsive, cruel, dark and vile to fit.
- Totalitarians: In general, totalitarianism is considered the opposite of what a Shonen Hero stands for, in fact, many shonen heroes are known for toppling oppressive dictatorships in their stories.