There are many different character archetypes that exist out there, from the heroic knight to the villainous villains, but there are also characters that fall between different pre-existing archetypes and one of those is the anti-hero. The anti-hero is a character that doesn’t really fit into the traditional ideas of heroes and villains and rather floats around somewhere in the middle. These characters can be some of the most interesting and complex out there, especially when they’re well-written. So, for today’s post, I’ll be talking about how to write an anti-hero character for your book and how to ensure that your character is written the right way!
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What is an Anti-Hero?
An anti-hero is a protagonist that lacks the traditional qualities and characteristics that we’d typically associate with a hero. Unlike a hero, the anti-hero is likely more cynical, morally conflicted to morally gray, selfish, and potentially ruthless. Their actions are not committed in the name of goodness or altruism, but rather they serve what benefits them. The anti-hero also lacks qualities we’d typically see in a villain of pure evil where the villain is simply evil and does no good.
Check out this post too: Anti-Hero vs Villain: What’s the Difference?
There are many things that make up the anti-hero archetype, with one of the biggest ones being the character is morally gray or morally ambiguous. They do not have a clear moral compass or framework that they operate off of and they don’t generally consider commonly accepted ethical ideas when making decisions.
Another idea is that the anti-hero is generally a flawed person that shares more common characteristics with the average person. There is nobody who is truly good or truly evil and so the anti-hero takes a more relatable approach to being characterized.
Anti-hero characters are often pushed into situations where they are basically forced to be the hero or they are pulled into a heroic situation against their will but they don’t really want to be in a position like that. They may end up acting on being a hero but not for very heroic reasons.
The anti-hero is a complex personality that has complex motivations and complex ideals. They may be driven by justice or honor, but their own interpretation of the ideas which will not likely match up with what most people view as being justice or honor. They are also possibly driven by things like survival, self-preservation, vengeance, and their own personal code of ethics.
Why Should You Write an Anti-Hero?
The anti-hero archetype is one of my personal favorites in character designing because they are really very different characters when compared to the good guy and bad guy traditional archetypes we see a lot in fantasy. I think that it might stem from me writing grimdarks, but overall, the idea of the anti-hero is much more interesting to write than a good guy or a bad guy. The anti-hero is similar to a traditional person who would react in a similar fashion when placed in a certain situation. The anti-hero mirrors the human struggle to want to do good but being forced to do bad. I think this is really present in a show like The Walking Dead where characters are forced into new roles to survive, even if they would’ve never imagined doing any of these things before.
The anti-hero has a lot more emotional depth than some other archetypes because they will be constantly fighting themself throughout the story. Being a heroic person or being a villainous person is something that they will have to grapple with more often than not. For instance, in my series, The Fallen Age Saga, most of the characters are basically anti-heroes: They will do terrible things throughout the series but they ultimately believe that they are fighting for what is right, even if what they have done is wrong. The way you see characters justify their actions to themselves is so interesting with anti-hero characters.
I’m currently reading a book called Between Two Fires and the main character is an amazing anti-hero who is put into many situations that he obviously doesn’t want to deal with, but has to grapple between decisions and do what he perceives is right for his own survival. It’s a great read so far, and I can’t wait to see how it ends!
Another thing about anti-heroes that is so interesting is the idea of unpredictability in their reactions. Because they have no clear guide to how their morals will be, they are significantly more likely to make unpredictable decisions. Sometimes, you wonder if the character will do something evil only for them to avoid doing that evil and other things you wonder if the character will do something good only for them to do evil instead. It’s just so interesting to see.
I also find that the anti-hero character is the prime character type for creating an interesting character arc because the anti-hero is one that has a lot of room for change throughout the course of a story. Maybe the character will choose to do good more often than not or maybe the character will choose to do bad more often than not, thus pushing them towards one perspective or not. It really depends on how your story will work out.
How to Write an Anti-Hero Character
1. Start with a Strong Motivation
One of the biggest things about anti-heroes is that they should have a solid foundation for their motivations and it should make sense. This is what allows them to be compelling characters and what allows people to understand the character from a deeper perspective. Your readers don’t necessarily need to agree but they should be able to at least understand why your character acts the way that he does.
The anti-hero character is often shaped by personal experiences, traumas, or some sort of internal struggle and their motivations tend to stem from things like revenge, survival, redemption, or something similar. Your anti-hero may be motivated entirely for selfish reasons and he may simply want to fulfill a goal that is ultimately beneficial to himself.
The anti-hero does not need to have a virtuous, good reason for what they do. The anti-hero just has to have a reason.
2. Morals or a Lack Thereof
The anti-hero tends to be a character that lacks your traditional idea of a moral compass and code. It doesn’t mean that they don’t have any morals whatsoever, but the anti-hero isn’t going to be very good at following what everyone else considers ethical and righteous.
If there’s one good example of an anti-hero, it has to be Breaking Bad with Walter White. Walter starts out as a normal person who is trying to get money for his family and descends deeper into the dark underworld of drugs. Eventually, he becomes a ruthless drug kingpin himself in his journey and he moves towards a very different motivation.
The key is to show that your anti-hero justifies his actions, even if his morals are questionable and aren’t good. You want the reader to see why precisely this character thinks this way and how the character changes over the course of the story due to these morals.
3. Ensure Your Anti-Hero is Flawed
The idea of a flawed character is pretty vital to crafting a good anti-hero. The anti-hero’s flaws, however, are not just basic character traits. They are also very essential elements that propel the story forward in a very important way. These flaws should basically create obstacles, conflicts, and complicate the overall journey of the anti-hero.
There are many flaws that an anti-hero can have, such as pride and selfishness but also obsessions. A character who is driven by an obsession or an addiction to something like power or revenge is a very compelling anti-hero. For instance, Jorg Ancrath in The Broken Empire just wants to become emperor. He just wants to. It’s a thing he wants to do. He craves power, but he also has moments where it seems like he’s not just motivated by power and might be a good person, only to fall into evil behaviors again. I loved that series by the way. His flaws drive the story forward heavily.
In The Fallen Age Saga, Azurai Galardidiabroka–despite being quite villainous–seems to have some good characteristics, but you have to look deeper at his motivations. He is obsessed with defeating this evil he is fighting because to him, if that evil still exists, then it is a threat to him. He doesn’t necessarily care about the universe and the stakes involved there, but he has a personal vendetta against this evil (which I will not say because of spoilers). His flaws in this aspect do drive the conflict of the story forward.
4. Show Internal Conflict
Internal conflict is definitely a big thing in creating a great anti-hero. The idea of internal conflict is that the character is wrestling with their motivations, desires, and actions when compared to the situation that he has been placed in. This sort of internal struggle and fight is what makes these types of characters so engaging to read about, because they aren’t really just a simple archetype. They actually have a lot of issues going on in their head about what they are doing.
Moral dilemmas are a big one that you see with anti-heroes. Maybe they must make a difficult choice that could cause them guilt later on in the story. They may feel shame for their actions or they may continue to justify their actions until the bitter end of the story. Furthermore, they may be self-aware of their flaws but may not view these things as flaws.
Back to Azurai from my story, he is a psychopath (from the clinical standpoint) and he very much justifies everything that he does because he sees that he can do no wrong. He only regrets things that made his life harder or did not work out the way he intended them to. However, he sometimes finds himself unable to make certain decisions because he has found himself fond of certain people in his life and would rather help them and not harm them. He may not have empathy, but he understands the idea of friendship and brotherhood either way.
5. Make Them Relatable
The anti-hero is obviously not a perfect person and has probably done more terrible things that you can think about, but the anti-hero still should have some level of relatability in them to make readers more connected to that character. The reader should be able to root for the anti-hero, even if the anti-hero is insanely evil or makes crazy decisions.
The anti-hero can have moments of vulnerability and weakness that allow them to feel more human to the reader. Furthermore, the anti-hero can show empathy or feel soft in some moments, which allows them to feel more relatable to readers.
Another thing I see some writers do is give their characters the chance to redeem themselves, which is definitely something that a lot of anti-hero characters do. It helps make them a bit more relatable as well.
6. Consequences
One important thing you want to show with your character is the idea of consequences existing for their actions. The anti-hero making certain decisions will eventually lead to a great personal cost and the character may face lots of losses. The anti-hero may become damaged physically or emotionally from what they’ve done. Additionally, they may come into conflict with the people closest to them and lose close allies.
Conflict definitely should come about from the actions that the character makes. Not just internal conflict, but external conflict as well because external conflict can be really impactful and show evidence of these consequences.
Conclusion
Writing an anti-hero character is probably one of the best decisions you could make for your story. Not only do you get to create a complex character, but you also get to explore the ideas of immorality and morality and ethics within a single character and show how they make decisions and act in a situation that they are placed in. I personally love anti-hero characters and I love when a character’s moral compass is ambiguous and they are not driven to be heroes, as I find that heroic characters sometimes make flawed decisions in the name of being good, but anti-heroes are more willing to make tough calls. Furthermore, I feel like an anti-hero is a great way to showcase your own skills as a writer.
Before you head on out, be sure to check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter so you can get updates on all my latest WIPs, book releases, posts and more!