If you were to name one manga series that won people over in 2013, it would have to be One-Punch Man. Like many readers before me, One Punch-Man had me sold after one hit…I mean, chapter. While the main character, Saitama, is hilarious, there are a few stand-out heroes in the story as well. One particular character I would like to focus on is License-less Rider. He’s a hero who is basically what Saitama could have been and provides a look at why certain people want to strongly help others.

License-less Rider is a member of the Heroes Association and the top hero of the C-Class division. He believes in the code of justice and preaches it to punish villains everywhere. However, License-less Rider still gets beat up by them as he has no special abilities at all. His only skill revolves around using his bicycle as a weapon. While his first appearance was a joke, he created a strong impression in Volume 5 when a monster known as the Sea King attacks a Japanese city. The Sea King takes out many heroes and our hapless bicycle hero appeared to be the last person standing in its way. Even though he gets beaten, License-less Rider gave a rousing speech about fighting that shows the potential of heroism in people that fear doing something for someone in public.

What makes a person a hero? Are they born with traits that make them stand out above others? What special trait defines them? Some psychology experts have argued that people become altruistic to satisfy their own egos. They don’t care about saving people and are only about getting those same people to love them. Being a hero earns you status in society. For a guy like LIcenseless-Rider, it appeared to be the opposite. He looked to punish bad guys during his junior high days as Nameless Bicycle-Commuter. While he probably did get beat up a lot, his dedication to fight the good fight never died down.

The speech our brave warrior gave in the Sea King storyline drew chills among the people he was trying to save. Before the Sea King was about to kill him, License-less Rider said that he knew that he would lose. But since no one couldn’t fight, he had to. The people cheered for him afterwards because the guy is basically us. We have to fight for the sake of not just ourselves, but also our families and loved ones. Every day can be a struggle for scraps, but what choice do you have? It’s a reflection of how the heroes people should worship are the regular joes trying to make a difference in the lives of others.

Contrast this with an A-class hero named Sweet Mask. When asked about the Sea King on a talk show, he says he’s here for promotional work, not beating up bad guys. Sweet Mask just says that he wishes the people well and proclaims hope that someone will save them. He could’ve gone out there himself to go save them, but instead hides behind his celebrity status. A big problem is how people tend to think of famous people a la Sweet Mask as “heroes.” While they may have worked hard to get to that level, those focused mostly on fame would do anything to become successful.

Anyone can be a hero if they put their heart to it. Someone who does something amazing for someone else makes you qualified. Maybe that’s the trick – compassion. A recent study done on heroism suggested that times of extreme stress causes compassion among people. Who said negativity breeds more negativity? However, a key thing to note is the power of empathy. Having an understanding of the context surrounding the situation opens up all doors for someone.

For License-less Rider, he understood that it might be the end of the world and that the world he came from (the group of everyday regular folks with no powers) would be erased. People tend to not forget their roots, especially those that gave them a basic foundation for life. When Saitama rescues him in the end, he notes that he did well. His roots were somewhat similar to his, as both were physically weak and heavily pushed themselves to be superheroes.

Finally, License-less Rider treats Saitama to a meal after the latter gets promoted by the Heroes Association for killing the Sea King. He wrote a “Thank You!” fan letter to him as well. Perhaps what it comes down to is that people help others because of the importance of social relationships. Selfishness can become selflessness. Good relationships do lead to valuable lessons and a better well-being, which is becoming a new indicator for altruism. 

Instead of going by what the Call of Duty commercials suggest, how about we suggest that there’s a hero in all of us?

All images found via One-Punch Man at Tonari no Young Jump.

(c) Manga Therapy – Where Psychology & Manga Meet – Read entire story here.