Vash the Stampede from Trigun

Rurouni Kenshin

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(I made this post on September 16, 2014.  I’m reposting it because it works for the question I’m going to put at the very end.)

For anyone who doesn’t know the above characters, Vash and Kenshin are from anime.  Vash is a skilled gunsman and Kenshin is a deadly samurai from the Meji Era.  Two entirely different heroes from entirely different settings.  Yet, they are the best examples of a Pacifist Hero.  Both follow codes to never kill with Vash doing it to honor a deceased loved one and Kenshin doing it to atone for his role a Manslayer during the war.  It is a key part of their stories and personality.  Their different reasons also take a new angle that I’ll get into during the list.  By the way, I know Pacifist tends to mean no conflict, but it’s the best word that I could find for this.

Now, some people might say that they’re like Batman because Batman doesn’t kill.  At least not on purpose . . . most times . . . depends on the movie.  They might actually be closer to Spider-Man and Superman here, but I’m still throwing in one major difference for these Pacifist Heroes.  Unlike American superheroes, Vash and Kenshin don’t usually go looking for trouble.  They will step in when they find trouble, handle ghosts from their past, and try to stop the problem through talking first.  Violence is shown to be a rather regrettable decision for these characters while you get the feeling that Spider-Man gets some joy out of throwing down with his enemies.  So, I would say a Pacifist Hero is one that does not kill and wants to stay out of the fight entirely.

How can you use a hero like this?

1. DO NOT make this character a pretense jerk who thinks he/she is better than everyone because they don’t kill.  You can do this if they’re a minor character and supposed to be obnoxious, but a main hero with this path should be very casual about it.  They can try to talk others out of killing and be upset if it’s done (looking at you, Vash.), but having them preach too much hurts them as characters.
2. Create a deep and realistic back story to the decision not to kill.  A promise to a friend can be a good start, but there should be more to that relationship.  Don’t just say ‘I refuse to kill because it is wrong’ and leave it at that.  People want main heroes to have some depth of morality.  Take a little time with this and you might even pull an enemy and/or subplot from it.
3. You can have a Pacifist Hero be terrible in a fight.  Unlike the examples given, it is entirely reasonable to have a main hero who refuses to fight be unskilled.  This means they’re a liability in action scenes, but not everyone is a badass.  To counter this type of uselessness, give them a strong area like healing, knowledge, or anything that helps them retain their main character status.  Otherwise, readers will wonder why the capable warriors don’t ditch the main guy and finish the story on their own.
4. Contrary to #3, you CAN make your Pacifist Hero a dangerous opponent and skilled in combat.  Just because they refuse to kill doesn’t mean they’re going to avoid learning how to defend themselves.  This brings an interesting dynamic to them because it means they have the ability to easily take a life, but still refuse to do so to their enemies.
5. If you have a character who has lived the pacifist life since childhood and never killed then you may want to put in something that tries to break their path.  Vash is such a character and one of the goals of his enemies is to prove that his pacifist ways are worthless.  This does cause problems for him and makes him question his faith at times, which is great for character development.  You can also toy with the idea of the character either intentionally or unintentionally taking a life to throw them into a whirlwind of emotion.
6. It can help to have a foil for this character.  Either a rival or an ally who sees no problem killing in certain situations or for kicks.  This creates a clash of beliefs and it will put the most pressure on the Pacifist Hero.  After all, how do you stop a Psycho Hero without falling into their level or making him/her an enemy?
7. Enemies and allies from a character’s past works great for an atoning character if you go the Kenshin route.  You get to unearth more of their pre-pacifism persona and this can bring out the ‘threat’ of the old version reappearing.  You get a lot out of teasing that a hero like this will fall off the wagon and take a life.

Do you think a character who doesn’t kill their enemies is weak or strong?  I ask this because I’ve met many who think a non-killing enemy is lame and weaker than one who does kill.