In the world of anime, legendary heroes are always ready to save the day, and the likes of Son Goku, Yusuke Urameshi, Naruto Uzumaki, Ichigo Kurosaki, and more are shonen hero staples. These heroes are brave, confident, determined, and have the utmost faith in themselves and their abilities, but they aren't always outstanding people.
It's said that people shouldn't meet their heroes. Once they do, they will see the unsavory or unflattering side of those heroes and have their illusions shattered. Many fictional and real-life heroes have their negative side, and they might actually be poor role models outside of their heroic exploits. Plenty of anime protagonists would make for lousy role models, even if they can defeat a hundred villains in a row.
10 Josuke Higashikata Cheats, Lies, & Has A Terrible Temper (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
The fourth story arc, Diamond is Unbreakable, introduced Josuke Higashikata, the love child of Joseph Joestar and Tomoko Higashikata. Josuke is a real Joestar hero deep down since he is creative, confident and will never forgive villains or thugs who harm the innocent. But he's not exactly a saint.
Josuke is quick to beat people up for mocking his hair, and he has some delinquent traits about him. He and Okuyasu tried to squeeze Shigechi for cash, and he tried to cheat Rohan Kishibe out of his money while playing a dice game. Rohan was right to be angry at Josuke.
9 Guts Is A Tough But Gruff & Abrasive Antihero (Berserk)
It's true that Guts the mercenary swordsman has been through a lot, and no one can blame him for keeping people at arm's length and having a rough exterior. Still, he is not someone to emulate; instead, he is a tragic hero to cheer on as he fights the demonic apostles and many human foes.
Guts fights primarily for his own reasons, not to save the world, and he rarely shows any real compassion or kindness during his journey. His attitude toward others is little more than "Shut up! I've got my own problems." This is not an attitude that fans should be drawing inspiration from.
8 Thorfinn Karlsefni Was A Self-Absorbed Brat (Vinland Saga)
Thorfinn Karlsefni the Viking is somewhat similar to Guts, since they are both seinen manga antiheroes who burn for revenge, and they have both suffered serious loss and trauma. Thorfinn witnessed his father's death at the hands of Askeladd, and he vowed revenge.
While it's understandable for Thorfinn to want Askeladd dead, Thorfinn is a terrible role model otherwise, being stubborn, self-centered, and hostile to everyone around him. Even when he's relaxed, he's quick to mock and tease others, such as the meek prince Canute. Fortunately, he gets better later in the manga when he's older.
7 Katsuki Bakugo Is A Spectacle, Not An Example To Follow (My Hero Academia)
The explosion hero Katsuki Bakugo is almost legendary for his hot temper and his bad attitude. He was easier to get along with as a young boy, but now he is fiercely determined to surpass All Might as the new #1 hero, and he can't stand the idea of his friend Izuku Midiroiya beating him to the punch.
Not only is Bakugo aggressive and uncooperative, he is also remarkably self-absorbed for a hero, trying to make everything about him and his own needs and interests. Bakugo has his upsides, such as his sharp wits and his musical talent, but overall, he is no role model.
6 Eren Yeager Descended Into True Villainy (Attack On Titan)
In the early days of Attack on Titan, Eren Yeager was a somewhat stock shonen hero, scarred by loss and suffering such as the death of his mother, Carla. Eren was reckless and confrontational, and his big dream was simply to slaughter all Titans. Already, he's an iffy role model at best.
Later on, Eren became a true villain, a radical nationalist who sought to destroy the entire world outside of Paradis Island to protect all Eldians living there and end the conflict once and for all. He also callously turned on his friends, such as Mikasa and Armin, and collected Titan powers to make himself invincible.
5 Tamaki Kotatsu Is Simply A Brat (Fire Force)
One of the supporting heroes of Fire Force is the flaming cat-girl Tamaki Kotatsu, who once served in company 1 before getting moved to company 8, with Shinra and Arthur. Tamaki has some skills as a fire soldier, but she hasn't made a stellar case for herself otherwise.
Tamaki often needs help in battle, and she sometimes loses her nerve when fighting opponents such as the traitor Rekka. Worst of all, Tamaki is obnoxious, impatient, confrontational, and petty most of the time, acting like a kid. That is not behavior for any Fire Force fan to emulate.
4 Ichigo Kurosaki Has A Few Too Many Personality Flaws (Bleach)
As far as shonen heroes go, Ichigo Kurosaki is at least a halfway decent role model, especially since Bleach was part of the "big three" of Shonen Jump. Still, Ichigo Kurosaki has many unsavory personality traits, and aside from fighting hard to protect his friends, he actually sets a weak example.
Ichigo is grouchy and doesn't easily warm up to people, and he is remarkably quick to find reasons to dislike people or even start a petty feud with them, such as Ganju Shiba or Don Kanonji. He is often uncooperative, stubborn, and short-tempered, too, and often mocks or teases his friends and enemies alike. No wonder Uryu Ishida doesn't like him that much.
3 Kazuma Sato Embodies The Worst In Self-Insert Iserkai Heroes (Konosuba)
Konosuba is a parody of the isekai genre, and for the sake of satire and comedy, every main character has a terrible personality and iffy combat abilities, most of all Kazuma Sato himself. He has no appreciable skills aside from his formidable Luck stat and his fairly responsible attitude about money.
Otherwise, Kazuma Sato is an example of what not to do, from his sleazy and pervy behavior and interests to his cowardice, selfishness, and willingness to use people and make fun of them the entire time. One Kazuma Sato is more than enough; no one should use him as a role model.
2 Saitama Represents Depression, Not The Pinnacle Of Superhero Life (One-Punch Man)
Despite its humor, One-Punch Man is a surprisingly dark and thematic seinen series, which may help explain its enduring popularity in both anime and manga form. The protagonist is Saitama himself, but aside from his godly strength, he is not much of a hero.
Saitama is a hero just for fun, not for the sake of others, and he is not at all sentimental about this career path. He is slow to make friends, and often mocks or dismisses other people while not having much on the inside. He is almost to be pitied, rather than emulated.
1 Avatar Korra Was A Bull In A China Shop (The Legend Of Korra)
By the end of the story, Avatar Korra became an appreciable role model, since she had learned some serious humility by that point. For the most part, though, Korra is a lousy role model, but at least she is a lot of fun to watch, and she is quite different from Avatar Aang. It would be a waste if she were just an Aang clone.
Korra was powerful and confident, but she was also short-tempered, confrontational, stubborn, uncooperative, self-centered, and reckless, and it's no wonder her airbending coach, Tenzin, and the chief of police, Lin Beifong, got fed up with her. Korra really knows how to test people's patience.
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