There are a total of 254 contestants to this bracket.
I made this bracket due to my English class starting their unit of the 1831 Mary Shelly classic Frankenstien (which has 2 entrants in the bracket)
My main blog is @tuliptheoshawott, so if you want to meet me, you can meet me there.
There will be a variety of characters, from everything from video games, to anime, to literature, to even tabletop games!
Note: "Byronic Hero" doesn't particularly entail a "hero", but rather a focal character
Information will be under the cut.
Qualifying round batch A will be out today!
What is a Byronic Hero?
Take this description from Wikipedia:
The Byronic hero is a variant of the Romantic hero as a type of character, named after the English Romantic poet Lord Byron. Both Byron's own persona as well as characters from his writings are considered to provide defining features to the character type.
According to TV Tropes:
The Byronic Hero is a character notable for being sullen, withdrawn, hard to like and hard to know, but usually possessing a rich inner life and a softer side accessible only to a special few.
Also from TV Tropes, the typical traits of a Byronic Hero include:
Is usually male (though there may be some rare female examples) and is always considered very attractive physically and in terms of personality, possessing a great deal of magnetism and charisma, using these abilities to achieve social and romantic dominance. One mark against him personality-wise, however, is a struggle with his own personal integrity.
Is very intelligent, perceptive, sophisticated, educated, cunning and adaptable, but also self-centered.
Is emotionally sensitive, which may translate into being emotionally conflicted, bipolar, or moody.
Is intensely self-critical and introspective and may be described as dark and brooding. He dwells on the pains or perceived injustices of his life, often to the point of over-indulgence. May muse philosophically on the circumstances that brought him to this point, including personal failings.
Is cynical, world-weary, and jaded, often due to a mysterious Dark and Troubled Past, which, if uncovered, may reveal a significant loss, or a past misdeed which still haunts him, or, conversely, that he may be suffering from an injury committed against him.
He's extremely passionate, with strong personal beliefs which are usually in conflict with the values of the status quo. He sees his own values and passions as above or better than those of others, manifesting as arrogance or a martyr-like attitude. Sometimes, however, he just sees himself as one who must take the long, hard road to do what must be done.
His intense drive and determination to live out his philosophy without regard to others' philosophies produce conflict, and may result in a tragic end, should he fail, or revolution, should he succeed. Because of this, he is very rebellious, having a distaste for social institutions and norms and is disrespectful of rank and privilege, though he often has said rank and privilege himself. This rebellion often leads to social isolation, rejection, or exile, or to being treated as an outlaw, but he won't compromise, being unavoidably self-destructive.
Jin Kisaragi from Blazblue vs. Reagan Ridley from Inside Job
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Jin Kisaragi
Reagan Ridley
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Jin Kisaragi:
Jin Kisaragi, particularly after some character growth. He's a nihilist who had no real passion or drive for anything and was compelled to kill Ragna because his sword warps his mind. After some therapy though, he's as much of a nihilist as ever but actually finds some motivation to do something about the state his world is in.
Previously Beaten: Thirteenth Doctor
Reagan Ridley:
Inside Job (2021): Described as an cynical optimist, Reagan Ridley is an intelligent and driven scientist whose ambitions span the entire world that she wants to make better by taking over the shadowy and questionably ethical Cognito Inc. However, she is constantly hampered by her own status as - at first - a social outcast among her peers which is a result of her very troubled childhood which has left deep emotional and mental issues that she has great difficultly moving past throughout the series. Part II features getting into a tragic romance that eventually clashes her goals in life that ends in her erasing her lover's memories of her for both of their sakes.
James Bond (Daniel Craig) from James Bond vs. Ferdinando Falkland from Caleb Williams
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
James Bond (Daniel Craig)
Fernandino Falkland
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
James Bond (Daniel Craig):
Various incarnations of James Bond, especially the Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig interpretations, tend to fall under this category.
Craig's Bond: a cold-blooded killer but has severe emotional issues, highly cynical, womanizing, a severe drinking problem, often broods over the morality of his job and still frets over losing loved ones.
Previously Beaten: Britt Reid
Ferdinando Falkland:
Ferdinando Falkland from Caleb Williams qualifies. In his younger days, Falkland is a highly attractive, passionate, intelligent, and sophisticated man. He often muses on the injustices of life, and how to correct them. He is intensely committed to living out his chivalric ideals and behave as a modern knight. Then he murders someone. Post-murder Falkland is haunted by his crimes and full of guilt and self-hatred, but nonetheless determined to defend his name, even to the point of self-destruction. He even wanders out to cliffs in stormy weather.
Booker DeWitt from Bioshock vs. Piccolo from Dragon Ball
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Booker DeWitt
Piccolo
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Booker DeWitt:
Booker DeWitt of BioShock Infinite is not a nice man. Having served in the massacre of Wounded Knee at the age of 16 and refusing a baptism, and that's not even getting into the stuff relating to his daughter; it would be healthy to say he's a cynical fellow. Later, Booker would find himself spiral into an abyss of gambling debts that piled up by the truckload and rampant alcoholism. He's given a chance to atone for all of the things he's done by retrieving a mysterious girl by the name of Elizabeth and as the game progresses, he's more than willing to tear Columbia a new one to rescue her.
Previously Beaten: Bois Guilbert
Piccolo:
Piccolo, considering he was born to kill Goku and conquer the Earth in Dragon Ball, before being forced to team up with the heroes in Dragon Ball Z. He has a very serious, melancholic outlook on life. After fusing with Kami he also becomes very noble with very strong morals, even further fitting this trope.
Gully Foyle from The Stars My Destination vs. Vegeta from Dragon Ball
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Gully Foyle
Vegeta
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Gully Foyle:
Gully Foyle in Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination, a The Count of Monte Cristo set in a future where people can teleport, starts out as this: he lives entirely to take revenge on the ship that declined to rescue him from his own crippled spacecraft (not the crew, just the ship; he's not that bright) and stops at nothing to do so, including raping perhaps the one completely likable character in the whole book. However, he gradually becomes more of a traditional hero and a messiah of sorts.
Previously Beaten: Dr. Percival Cox
Vegeta:
Vegeta fits this role like a glove during the Namek Arc of Z. Having essentially been a slave working under Frieza from the age of 12, he was hell-bent on surpassing Frieza in strength and eventually overthrowing him so that he and the Saiyans could, in his opinion, rightfully claim their position as the dominant force in the universe. Following Frieza bringing the Saiyan race to the verge of extinction, despite the Saiyans loyalty to Frieza, Vegeta became even more determined. His first step in achieving his goal was to gain immortality, and he was willing to do anything to gain immortality, ranging from slaughtering innocent men and children, fighting dirty and swallowing his pride and teaming up with the heroes. After failing to achieve immortality, his goal then turned to surpassing Goku, no matter how bad of a situation he would have created, if it meant he got one-up on Goku, it was worth it. Ironically, his drive to surpass Goku led to him pulling a Face–Heel Turn in the Buu Arc and killing 200 people just to coax Goku into fighting him again so that he could prove that he was stronger than him.
The Boss from Saints Row vs. Yuri Lowell from Tales Series
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
The Boss
Yuri Lowell
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
The Boss:
The Boss in the Saints Row series on the best of days, which don't come too often. Complete and total disregard for authority? Check. Walking Disaster Area? Uh-huh. Cold, selfish, brutal and a total Jerkass? Yep. Causes tons of wanton destruction in their activities? Mm-hmm. Goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge? Bingo. Cusses a lot? You got it. One-Man Army who knows no concept of mercy? Totally. A wanted criminal? You don't even know... However, on occasion they can connect with a few of their friends, most notably their number two Johnny Gat.
Previously Beaten: Cleaver Greene
Yuri Lowell:
Yuri Lowell from Tales of Vesperia. A nicer guy than some of the examples on this page, but also a cynical, sarcastic Vigilante Man, and a clear departure from the Idiot Hero common in Tales games. He's strongly opposed to the corruption of the empire he lives in and especially the way particularly powerful and evil figures within it use their position to avoid justice. Ultimately, he decides to start "dispensing his own justice" by killing them outright, leading to a major clash of ideals with his best friend, Internal Reformist Flynn.
Huey Freeman from The Boondocks vs. Vriska Serket from Homestuck
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Huey Freeman
Vriska Serket
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Huey Freeman:
In The Boondocks, Huey Freeman is defined by his cynicism and intelligence, being aware of an apparent "white supremacist power structure" and having several accounts of radical activism and domestic terrorism under his belt in his efforts to tear it down. His Byronic nature was more pronounced and played for laughs in the comic strip, where his pessimism often frustrated the few people who could be considered his friends. He's more well-rounded in the animated series since this version of Huey is a Composite Character of him and his best friend of the comics, who serves as his straight man.
Previously Beaten: Lucy
Vriska Serket:
Vriska Serket from Homestuck is a rare female example. It's clear she's playing for the good team, but her past is filled with a lot of questionable things, and her tendency to make tough calls nobody else is willing to make is best represented through her iconic monologue.
"I only ever wanted to do the right thing no matter how it made people judge me, and I don't need a magic ring to do that. You don't have to 8e alive to make yourself relevant. And you don't have to 8e a good person to 8e a hero. You just have to know who you are and stay true to that. So I'm going to keep fighting for people the only way I ever knew how. 8y 8eing me.”
Mordecai from Regular Show vs. Shadow The Hedgehog from Sonic The Hedgehog
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Mordecai
Shadow The Hedgehog
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Mordecai:
Mordecai to an extent. While he acts like The Slacker most of the time, he also wants to prove his worth in the world and will do anything to prove he's not a waste of life. He's also a true artist has an appreciation for the obscure stuff, initially very nervous when talking to Margaret and uncomfortable during group photos (barring when he's not in the middle of having fun or such). He also has a very conflicted romantic life; he can't seem to decide between his two Love Interests, and when he's heartbroken, he falls into heavy lapses of Angst. Despite this, he still tries to do the right thing and in the series finale, manages to Earn Your Happy Ending with the rest of the group, he doesn't end up with either of the two mentioned ladies, but settles down with a fellow artist who is a bat woman.
Previously Beaten: Aquaman
Shadow The Hedgehog:
Shadow the Hedgehog. Motivated by great tragedy in his past, brooding and arrogant, and willing to do almost anything to achieve his goals, even if it puts him in conflict with the other heroes. He nonetheless is a powerful ally of Sonic's when the world is threatened.
Chloe from Life Is Strange. While she is the deuteragonist, she makes a lot of highly amoral decisions like stealing her step-fathers gun, or breaking and entering into the school, or stealing several thousand dollars from the school's fund that would have been used to make the dorms ADA compliant. She performed well as a student before being kicked out for her violent outbursts. She is so charismatic though that Max (whom one could argue Chole treats more like a tool than a friend) rarely calls her out on most of her bad behavior.
Previously Beaten: Frank Slade
Magneto:
Magneto has had a very troubling past (being a victim of Nazi cruelty), sees himself as a freedom fighter, and will often do heinous things in what he believes is for the better good of mutantkind. Authors often even describe portraying him as "Malcolm X to counter Professor X as Martin Luther King.”
Thorin from The Hobbit vs. Maho Nishizumi from Girls und Panzer
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Thorin
Maho Nishizumi
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Thorin:
In The Hobbit films, Thorin's Adaptation Personality Change turns him into this. He's an exiled king who's intensely driven by the desire to reclaim his people's homeland of Erebor from the dragon Smaug despite nearly everyone around him viewing his quest as a fool's errand, has suffered through watching his brother and many other brethren die, and is a charismatic and inspiring leader to his company but also a hard-headed dwarf whose pride makes things more difficult than they needed to be at several points. He succeeds in reclaiming Erebor, but tragically succumbs to the dragon sickness of his family line in doing so and dies after finally defeating his hated nemesis Azog.
Previously Beaten: Doctor Doom
Maho Nishizumi:
Maho Nishizumi of Girls und Panzer is an Aloof Big Sister to Miho who is willing to do whatever it takes to live up to the expectations associated with being the heir to the Nishizumi family so that Miho can live and practice tankery the way she wants, and to that end shot an enemy flag tank when it tried to rescue some of her teammates, which she seems to feel some measure of guilt over. She even has a pose similar to the page image in Episode 10, when she looks on her school's tanks.
Dean Winchester from Supernatural vs. Zane Truesdale from Yu-Gi-Oh
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Dean Winchester
Zane Truesdale
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Dean Winchester:
Sam and Dean Winchester practically embody this trope in the later seasons, as they get tortured emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally more and more throughout the show. Dean especially, given his constant self-loathing, death wish, and Dark and Troubled Past.
Previously Beaten: Valraven Palindrake
Zane Truesdale:
Zane Truesdale becomes one in Season 3 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. He's a complex, tragic, Secretly Dying Spirited Competitor with an indomitable drive to find a Worthy Opponent and go out on his own terms. Byronic Heroes don't get much more definitive. The passion in his dueling contrasts with both the "perfect" and collected duelist of Season 1 and the Blood Knight of Season 2.
Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop vs. Jughead Jones from Riverdale
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Spike Spiegel
Jughead Jones
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Spike Spiegel:
Despite being our hero, Spike Spiegel's actions for most of the show cause a lot of collateral damage and bystander injury. Not to mention he's not the nicest or most caring guy. However, in the inside, he's a broken man who longs for the woman he fell in love with and wants to leave his chaotic life and troubled past behind.
Previously Beaten: Moira O'Deorain
Jughead Jones:
Jughead Jones is known to be very intense. He is a a brooding Tall, Dark, and Snarky loner who aspires to be a writer. He is often compared to famous Byronic teens from movies and novels, such as Donnie Darko and Holden Caulfield. He is the son of of FP Jones, the leader of a notorious biker gang called the Serpents, and as such he is part of that gang too and does several illegal stuff and get into fights. Among the 5 main characters, he is the "bad boy".
Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders vs. Dean Priest from Emily of New Moon
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Tommy Shelby
Dean Priest
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Tommy Shelby:
Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders, being very intelligent, handsome, cynical, brooding, with a propensity for drinking and he is The Don of the Birmingham mafia.
Previously Beaten: Lucifer
Dean Priest:
Dean Priest of the Emily of New Moon series embodies a number of these character traits. He's well-educated and charismatic, but his disabilities have also made him cynical, bitter, and rather self-destructive. He travels often, which makes him a bit of a self-imposed exile. He is a loner. He is self-interested to a degree, but can also be selfless when he wants to be. LM Montgomery also gives him lots of Mr. Rochester parallels, who is himself a Byronic hero.
Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries vs. William Costigan from The Departed
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Damon Salvatore
William Costigan
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Damon Salvatore:
Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries, whilst being the primary antagonist in Season 1, he is always been a representative of this trope.
Previously Beaten: Keller Dover
William Costigan:
William "Billy" Costigan in The Departed. Deeply troubled by the pressures of his role as an undercover agent, he is very intelligent, attractive, brooding and angry. Billy also has a dark past, having lost all his close family by the start of the film.
Victor Frankenstein from Frankenstein vs. Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Victor Frankenstein
Greed
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Victor Frankenstein:
Victor Frankenstein is a rather nice Byronic hero (who is not the monster!). His dangerous experiments with science and very troubled past make him qualify. His lack of compassion and responsibility for his creation, who desperately longed for his love and affection, makes him less redeemable than characters who are just misunderstood by society. He still does have some good traits though, such as his adoration of Elizabeth and his admiration of his friend Henry Clerval.
Previously Beaten: Doctor Cal Lightman
Greed:
Greed also has elements of this, mostly in his second incarnation. A greedy but rebellious being, he listens to no one but himself. To this end, Greed only acts on his whims without much regard to others. He's passionate about his desires, intelligent, hedonistic, is very intense about his emotions and struggles with morality, and he can be quite cynical. He also shows some charisma as he is able to attract followers. The Second Greed's conversations with Ling also resemble internal conflict.
Citizen Kane from Citizen Kane vs. Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader from Star Wars
Who is the best Byronic Hero?
Citizen Kane
Anakin Skywalker
Voting ended onMar 1, 2024
Reasons under the cut (spoilers for both)
(All sources from TV Tropes)
Citizen Kane:
Citizen Kane is an archetypal example. As a little boy, he gets snatched from his family and introduced into the cold, ruthless world of media, politics, and business. By rising to the top of that ruthless world through cutthroat cunning, he becomes an internationally famous media tycoon and one of the richest men of all time. But under all that wealth, he's a broken man who can't hold down a relationship with anyone and desperately longs for his stolen childhood.
Previously Beaten: Elric Of Melnibone
Anakin Skywalker:
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was raised as a slave before joining a warrior order. His status as The Chosen One made him arrogant, while the loss of his mother left him a brooding and temperamental figure who initially fights for good but is driven to villainy out of love for his wife, who he fears will die. Even after he turns to the Dark Side, he still believes himself to be on the side of justice. Furthermore, the television shows reveal further things, such as the travesty of war and seeing so many soldiers die along with seeing his student undergo wanton cruelty and betrayal to where she refuses to rejoin the order when her name is cleared. Combine this with the stoicism and emotional control imposed by the Jedi Order and we see further how the young Skywalker became Vader.
