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(Redirected fromThe Determinator)
 | But even as hope died in Sam, or seemed to die, it was turned to a new strength. Sam's plain hobbit-face grew stern, almost grim, as the will hardened in him, and he felt through all his limbs a thrill, as if he was turning into some creature of stone and steel that neither despair nor weariness nor endless barren miles could subdue. —The Lord of the Rings:Return of the King |  |
A character - good guy or bad, male or female, young or old - who never gives up.Ever. No matter what.
There is no stopping theDeterminator. They do not understand tact. They do notKnow When to Fold'Em, and it's a waste of time totell them the odds. No one can reason with them. They'lldo whatever they have to without question.No price is too great to pay for success, up to and including their own life (and others'). Do not expect them to realize they might be better off letting it go, even ifthey can barely stand. If you're ever kidnapped or lost with no hope of rescue, they'll be the onewho will find you. Their adversaries will shout, in exasperated rage,"Why Won't You Die?!". For them, there is no line between "perseverance" and "insanity."
The nobility of their goal isnot necessarily proportionate to their persistence. This is just as often an obsessive rival with a grudge as it is a hero on a chivalrous quest, and where their willpower ultimately leads them will depend both on their role and on where the work stands on theSliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism. Heroes- especiallyBadass Normals with aScrew Destiny attitude- will defeat villains by virtue of being too stubborn to stay down.Anti Heroes willJump Off The Slippery Slope, forsake The Powers ofLove andFriendship,become like that which they fight and walk the thin line between victory and tragedy. Villains will refuse to admit defeat,resist seemingly fatal punishment,hunt their prey tirelessly and let the heroes know thatWe Will Meet Again.
In theShonen anime, it's comparatively rare to find a main character whoisn't one of these.
CompareSuicidal Overconfidence, a common feature of manyVideo Game genres where enemies will always, blindly, and relentlessly be at your throat with no regard for how horribly you are massacring them (though this is more due togenre requirements than characterization). Compare and contrastImplacable Man, who suffers no apparent damage at all. CompareTragic Dream, where becoming aDeterminator can only end in tears. Can be identified by their trademarkDetermined Expression.
See alsoHeroic Resolve,Heroic Spirit,Lawful Stupid Chaotic Stupid,Plucky Girl,Principles Zealot,The Unfettered,The Fettered,Unconscious Objector, andStiff Upper Lip.
Examples of Determinator are listed on these subpages:
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