Warriors in Popular Culture
I took my pagan/warrior name from Dungeons and Dragons (Bahamut, The Platinum Dragon, Lord of Kindly Dragons, lesser deity in the 3rd edition pantheon) while most others use poetic words and aincient deities. I didn’t grow up in those civilizations. I grew up in a world of comicbooks, videogames and cartoons. I feel that choosing a name from that culture is far more true to who I am than the alternative.
I was asked in a recent Skype conference call to make note of characters from those mediums that molded me and which best exemplify what it means to be a warrior. I hope in doing so, I can point you in the direction of not only good stories, but icons to aspire to.
Spider-Man – It would be hard to not begin with Spidey. So many people are familiar with him and his exploits, but what really sets his apart as a mindful warrior is the phrase, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” that his late Uncle Ben imparted to him. A phrase that continually guides his actions. Being a mindful warrior and magikal operator, we understand that we have a power that few truly cultivate, but in doing so, our responsibilty to ourselves and the universe in which we live only grows in tandem. As warriors, we must fully embrace that responsibility.
Naruto – A Japanese manga/anime centered around a young ninja with an extraordinary gift and an extraordinary curse. Following Naruto’s story, one can understand what it means to cultivate a sense of one’s self and one’s path by embracing challenges, not just hardening one’s resolve to the point of ignorance. Naruto does things his way because the ways everyone else use never work for him, and embracing that uniqueness ultimately gives him great power. Magik that works for one person may not work for others. A warrior must always be learning and improving, while never losing sight of who one is at the very core of one’s self. All else is transient, and one’s path must be carved through challanges.
Bleach – a quinisential shounen (young man) story. Again of a person with a gift and a curse. Shounen stories constantly use the mechanic of rising to a challenge through a quest, usually seeking power and knowledge. Bleach is a highly-stylized and expertly-told epic tale for the modern age.
Commander Sheperd – The main character to the science fiction action role-playing game Mass Effect. Sheperd (who can be male or female depending on the choice of the player) is what amounts to a galactic secret agent with a mandate to safeguard all life from the most sinister and extreme of threats. Two things to note. First, Sheperd spends much time collecting and cultivating allies to help him. A warrior must cultivate strong and skilled allies. The second is that how Shepers goes about solving problems can be done either as a Paragon (talk the suicide bomber down) or Renegade (call for a sniper to kill him before he detonates the bomb). Either way protects people, but there are moral implications as well as questions of effectiveness. A warrior must not falter in the face of even extreme adversity, for it is in those extreme situations that it is not just your well-being at stake. Also, which many paths to success may be before a warrior, it is important to know which is truly best, not just the quickest or easiest.
Gurren-Lagann – Do the impossible. See the invisible. Touch the untouchable. Break the unbreakable. That is how the Dai-Gurren Brigade rolls. A warrior can turn a 1% chance of success into a 100% chance. Defying logic and kicking reason to the curb isn’t something sifu Sun-Tsu would likely accept, but when dealing in matters of willpower and quantum potential, sometimes it is the only thing one must do. The image of the spiral is constant in Gurren-Lagann. Everything from DNA to galaxies, a spiral represently life, growth and evolution. A warrior must constantly be pushing one’s self onwards and upwards, overcoming adversity and challanges, becoming stronger and wiser for it.
Green Lantern – GL has become a very interesting read since the inclusion of the other Lantern Corps. While green symbolizes pure willpower without emotional slant, other corps use emotions as their power. Fear, hope, greed, rage, love and compassion. Each one has its own strengths and truth, as well as its own pitfalls. As a warrior, one must fully precieve their own emotional spectrum and wield each emotional as a finely-tuned instrument, never letting it run rampant but never shunning it either. Ignorance of this is why I have a problem with the Jedi/Sith dynamic from Star Wars, where the only two options are supress your humanity entirely or become corrupted by it. Neither is the warrior’s path.
Wolverine – The classic old warrior. James Howlett is constantly and willfully shaping his life into something he wants it to be. His past constantly catching up with him (a horrific and violent past he could not remember until recently) can be viewed as the burden of karmic debt from a past life. However, he never faulters, a strives not only to atone, but to become a better person through his atonement and growth. While sometimes we may feel as the universe is punishing us for something, we must also recognize that no karmic debt is impossible to persevere from. These are challenges meant to teach and impart strength and wisdom. A warrior understands this.
I hope by taking a look at these sources of my personal inspiration, you find some inspiration of your own.
