Spiky-Haired Protagonist (Concept)

Spiky-Haired Protagonist

CONCEPT

Protagonists that have gravity defying hair styles and often appropriately spikey personalities.

Overview

Spiky-haired protagonists (or SHPs) are characters found in video games that possess hair which inexplicably defies the normal laws of gravity. SHPs are most often found in Japanese RPG's as the character which the player takes control of for the duration of the game. Many SHPs, beside their funky follicles, also possess certain base sets of personality characteristics and traits, often falling into one of two archetypes:

Many are often sullen or vaguely rebellious, disdainful of authority, or generally angsty. They often have a questionable sense of fashion, and dress as though they have just raided the wardrobe of a sadomasochistic clown (baggy or loose fitting leather pants, many different types of belts and straps which seem to fulfill no practical purpose, etc.). Some, like Cloud Strife (Character) of Final Fantasy VII (Game) fame, act as they do because of their traumatic past. Others, like Neku Sakuraba (Character), protagonist of the DS game The World Ends with You (Game), are just generally misanthropic for no particular reason, other than the fact that it seems to fit their particular character archetype.

The other category are characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog (Character), or Sora (Character) of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, or Cloud's friend Zack Fair (Character) of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, who are generally good-hearted individuals who exhibit few signs of depression or rebellion. One of the most famous examples of this archetype is perhaps Dragon Ball (Franchise)'s Goku (Character), one of the first spiky-haired characters of gaming (and anime). Goku has a very happy-go-lucky personality, and only ever gets serious when a loved one (or the world) is in danger.

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