Character Archetypes in Anime: What is the Explorer's role?
A tiny planet amongst a ginormous universe, might seem not more than a speck of land from the outside perspective.
For us, the inhabitants of said planet, it is the entire world and from our viewpoint a lot bigger than we can truly envision. Conquering the world is left for the ones with courage that wants more than what they have been blessed with.
Especially in stories where a new world or a new idea is introduced, we need those adventurers that take a leap of faith and pave the way for the rest of us. When there are countless possibilities, adventures to take on and secrets to solve, a character with an idealistic mind and a love for exploration will come forth.
Who will be the character that marches forwards in spite of uncharted waters?
Which character will it be that is not swayed by warnings and charges ahead, discovering everything around them?
We are talking about: The Explorer.
If you haven’t read the first post on the character archetypes here, let me fill you in quickly!
Apart from the narratological roles in any storyline such as the protagonist or antagonist or even the more cryptic ones like “the doormat” or the “oblivious guy”, there are set archetypes of characters often used in all sorts of media and writing. These types provide structure and give a clear idea of what they want and what they strive for, building a nice foundation to create a rounded and realistic character with depth.
After the last archetype post in which we talked about the Sage/Mentor, we’re going to continue with the next archetype that resides in a similar category. We will find out what the Explorer is and what influence the type has on the story with examples from anime.
Since the examples could potentially spoil and ruin your experience, please be mindful that there will be major spoilers in the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Let us recap what we learned last time!
Carl Jung, psychologist and creator of the personality types that you might recognize in MBTI typing quizzes has also written many guidelines in psychology and developed what these archetypes that we are talking about. Together with other writers, common characters have been agreed upon that now build the 12 main Archetypes. Jung was sure that each person could conform into at least one of his types, in which case his archetypes got molded into stereotypical characters used often in writing.
To explain it in just one sentence- the 12 Archetypes are roles with character attributes that are always similar and have a distinct purpose in their story.
Despite being created by a psychologist, in this day and age these Archetypes are less used for psychological reasons but serve more as building blocks for authors and writers to build characters that are contrasting and still work together really well in their own world. These types are also very beneficial since they are often recognized by readers and viewers due to being used frequently.
To build on the explanation that we have made last time, these types are in fact not what makes a character a ‘protagonist’ or ‘antagonist’, and they furthermore do not define moral alignment. Instead, they only show the goals of the character, their general idea of characteristics and what drives them.
Here is a list of all 12 of the Archetypes to give you a better understanding:
Have you heard of some of these before? They might feel familiar!
Every character in any type of media can be sorted into at least one of these Archetypes. It often also depends on how rounded the character is and what traits they exhibit, meaning that the Archetype can change if for example the character has had significant character development in an anime.
Let’s take the example of the antagonist, or more simply spoken- the villain.
A villain does not have to be the Archetype of the Rebel or the Ruler, but as mentioned before the types don’t have anything to do with moral alignment. Anyone can technically be anything. Even the “Innocent” archetype, which we will look at in the next post, can have dark tendencies.
The same thing goes for protagonists or side characters. If we quote from the last post:
“A protagonist can be an explorer such as ‘Luffy’ from One Piece, or a typical hero such as ‘Midoriya Izuku’ from Boku no Hero Academia. Same thing goes for side characters, the archetype is more focused on a character’s motivation and characteristics than what their importance is in the big picture.”
So, as you may or may not know, the Archetypes are split into four categories that describe where their drive and motivation comes from.
Order: Providing structure
Freedom: Spiritual journey (yearning for paradise)
Social: Connecting to others
Ego: Leaving a mark in the world
This time, as we’ve already talked about the Mentor who is also part of the Freedom category (spiritual journey), we are going to stay in this division as we jump over to the Explorer.
To rerun, the other archetypes that reside in this category are ‘the Innocent’ who strives for safety and therefore a paradise in which he feels safe, ‘the Explorer’ who wishes for freedom and in his own sense a utopic free world and lastly ‘the Mentor/Sage’ who strives for understanding and knowledge.
The Explorer has a whole mind of his own, and compared to the Mentor likes to stay out of most of the action, Explorers are often right in the middle of the story.
Repeatedly used as foundations for main characters and even protagonists, the Explorer has a knack for inspiration and sees the world as his own playground. Nothing is impossible if you have the ability to explore it first.
What is most motivational for Explorers?
Their sense of freedom drives them to find whatever they are looking for, as they have the belief that the world is big enough to find an answer for each question they find. Their identity is often left blank or in the worlds, because an Explorer wants to find out who he is through his journey, which often parallels with many protagonists.
Do not make the mistake of chaining the Explorer in any way shape or form, since their freedom is their biggest pride and asset. Characters like this are often but not always adventurers or wanderers that are very carefree.
Despite their breezy attitude, Explorers are still part of the “Freedom” category which makes them very idealistic and steady in their morals. They are authentic and true to themselves, and usually unable to lie or be phony in front of others.
Fearing that they could be trapped or having to conform to others, especially institutions that don’t align with their integrity is the reason why most Explorers wish to be their own boss and find people they can share their ideals with.
But why are Explorers so vital for the story?
Why is an Explorer Important?
“I am the only one who is fit to take on this task, and I will search the world to fulfill it!”
Can you imagine hearing something along these lines from a character that is about to start his journey into a completely new world?
Since we know that protagonists are the ones who impact the story and mold it from the start, it will slowly make sense why main characters and protagonists are often of the Explorer Archetype.
We’ve mentioned that Sages need to train the protagonist and give them their advice and ideas to build a better world because they cannot do it themselves, but contrary to that Explorers are often the ones that start the journey and are very independent.
They are not always in need of a mentor, although they could have one, because in their pursuit of freedom is where they acquire their knowledge on their own. They watch and mimic others, learn through trial and error or in their own ways as long as they have their freedom. In the rare case that an Explorer is a little more chained in his pursuit of freedom, the sole idea of being free one day is motivation enough to fuel him.
That is one of the reasons why an Explorer can be vital to a story.
Not every character has the dedication of learning through adventure, being adaptable and nimbe in their exploration is what makes Explorers so interesting. They often have the ability to search for the solutions of their problems on the way and impact the plot with their actions. While a sage can only watch from the side, the Explorer is the one who cuts down the overgrown forest to pave a way for everyone else.
Without an explorer to show other characters and the viewers the world, freedom or the paradise utopia would be much harder to grasp.
To give you a better chance of grasping the concept, you might know that at the beginning of the story a protagonist or generally a character of the crew is in charge of finding out new and exciting things with many friends beside him. Without that critical and decisive explorer at the head of the operation, it would take a lot longer since their carefree and determined nature is what makes them great leaders and supporters.
A way to clear this Archetype up even more is with an example, shall we?
Explorer Example: Edward Elric
Explorers are adventurers that burrow themselves into a new world, strive for authenticity and need their goals, ideals and integrity to stay intact.
That's why they are often purposeful but still carefree and while having their goal in mind they learn by exploring a new world.
Our first example of someone who seeks true freedom and therefore explores and crosses roads big and small is Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Edward, together with his brother Alphonse, have already been born into a household with another adventurer. Their father was an alchemist much like them, using his gift to travel the world. With such a foundation, both brothers have the same knack for acquiring knowledge and learn greedily everything they can in their fathers study.
When their mother tragically dies of sickness, Edward has found a new resolve in himself and together with his brother they perform the unthinkable: a human transmutation.
Now from this moment on, one could sort Edward and Alphonse into a muchmore differing Archetype, maybe one in which their thirst for knowledge is justified to accumulate power, but after losing his arm and leg and chaining his brothers’ soul to a lifeless armor, Edwards perspective and purpose shifts drastically.
His motivation has changed from learning Alchemy for the sole purpose of knowledge, which would have made him an Artist or a Magician, to a yearning for a world in which he can get back their bodies and live happily ever after. Edward is in pursuit of a “paradise” in which he can use his freedom as a State-Alchemist to explore the world of alchemy and even make his own conclusions of what Alchemy should be used for.
Both Edward and his brother work to unveil the secrets of the philosopher's stone, in hopes to finally rid themselves of their predicament, but Edward as a state-alchemist is restricted in his possibilities which irks him immensely.
It is only after getting sent on several missions and figuring out the bigger picture that he realises he doesn’t truly have to obey every order and reverts to his very stubborn and idealistic approaches. Edward is not fond of hurting innocent people, and even though he listens mostly to his superiors, he has his own goals in mind and explores his surroundings to attain the freedom he desires for his brother and himself.
Authenticity is nothing new for Edward, he believes to do what is right and even if he has the opportunity to use the artificially constructed philosophers stones, he refuses after finding out that they are made with human sacrifices. He distinguishes between his goals and his values, and continues to explore a new world until he is able to make his own decisions on his own terms and find a solution to his problems that morally is the right one for him.
He does not stop on his adventure, despite the many perils and sacrifices until his goal is attained, and even after getting the freedom that they’ve longed for, his innate thirst for exploration is not quenched. He takes off without alchemy and starts to explore the rest of the world, ready to find new things to learn.
Edward Elric is a perfect example for an Explorer, because his actions are the ones that pave the way for many others as he strives to protect his loved ones’ freedom on the way and is enraged by innocent people being hurt in the name of freedom.
Explorers, just like Mentors, want the world to be a peaceful place.
With the ideal of everyone being safe and sound in a beautiful world, they all work in their own way to ensure that a world exists in which everyone can live in peace. Both have different means of achieving such a world, and Explorers might have a more long winded journey ahead of them than Mentors, but they both share interesting similarities.
Making a beautiful and idealistic world in which all can be a part of.
Explorers are characters that form an Archetype which has a lot of facettes from humanity as well. As the Explorer takes everything he has in a backpack and goes away to find a solution for his troubles, this need for exploration is something that comes from human nature as well.
In many media and also in games for example, we too have the need for exploration. Humans like to search for a goal and stick to it, developing their own tools to get where they want and have unlimited access to the resources a world might bring.
Characters like this inspire us to go out into the world and try to take our own steps into uncharted waters, wading through whatever perils might come so we can get to a finish line with an open mind and an adventurous heart.
An Explorer will take you on a journey that might be hard and full of danger, but their carefree nature and determined mind is what gives them the motivation to go on even though it might be a rocky road ahead.
If you seek something new, look for that distinct Explorer in your own life, or even become that Explorer that brings out the best from the world we live in. Someone full of energy who is ready to take on whatever it takes to look at this gigantic world and want to conquer its riches.
With the second part of the “Character Archetypes in Anime” series, I hope that you’ve learned something new and interesting and would love to know your opinion in the comments! Are there some things you would think differently of? Maybe some Explorer characters that you would like to mention? Leave them down below!
I guess I’ll have to explore more tea types!
Until then, see you next tea time~
tangentwithtanner
jacobvanloon
prguitarman
turnnoffyourmind
