Spider-Man the web-slinging hero has been around since the early 1960s in Marvel Comics, and he is known not only for his spider theme and his great sense of humor, but also his vital lesson: with great power, comes great responsibility. In Sam Raimi’s 2002 movie Spider-Man, Uncle Ben personally shared this lesson with Peter Parker, and it stuck.
Such a motto is vital for any powerful hero, not just Spider-Man, and the good news is that many comic and anime heroes understand this lesson. While some anime heroes are reckless or destructive, others are careful with their powers, and hold themselves accountable for all their actions. Which anime heroes would make Uncle Ben proud?
10 Izuku Midoriya Won’t Take One For All For Granted (My Hero Academia)
In terms of powers and abilities, Izuku is very different than Spider-Man, since he’s a hard-hitting melee hero with the mighty One For All Quirk. Aside from that, these young heroes are fairly similar, with Izuku’s single mother Inko being roughly similar to Aunt May.
Izuku was born Quirkless, so he has a healthy perspective on his newfound power, and he won’t ever take it for granted or abuse it for any reason, even if he’s desperate. He respects and even fears his own power, and he will take great care to hone that power into something truly heroic.
9 Chad Won’t Abuse His Power, Either (Bleach)
Yasutora “Chad” Sado was born with a strong body, but in his youth, he was actually a total bully and thug, and he vented his frustration by harming other kids while living with his grandfather in Mexico. Then his grandfather, Oscar, had an Uncle Ben moment and taught Chad to be responsible and kind with his natural strength.
Chad took that to heart, and now he is a semi-pacifist who won’t dare harm anyone unless he’s rescuing someone such as Rukia or Orihime. Chad even has Hollow-like powers now, but his anti-bullying stance hasn’t changed one bit.
8 Edward Elric Knows Better Than To Exploit Alchemy (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
Edward and his brother Alphonse once acted deeply irresponsibly with their gifts for alchemy. The boys lost their loving mother Trisha to a plague, so they delved into forbidden research to revive her via human transmutation. That was a disaster, and the boys learned a hard lesson.
Now, Ed and his brother Al have a much healthier, and more wary, view on alchemy and its potential. Edward is also a state alchemist, and he takes the rules seriously. For example, he must not use alchemy to obtain gold, and of course, he must not attempt human transmutation again.
7 Lucy Heartfilia Worked Hard For All She Has (Fairy Tail)
Most wizards of the Fairy Tail guild seem to take their powers for granted, such as Laxus Dreyar and even Natsu Dragneel, but Lucy Heartfilia feels differently. She has been collecting celestial keys for years, and she respects the spirits that they summon. They are her friends and allies, not tools.
Lucy is careful to not overdo it with her spirits and celestial magic, and she will criticize any other celestial wizard who abuses or exploits their spirits. Lucy also had to bid a tearful farewell to Aquarius when they parted ways, and this sacrifice was not made lightly. Lucy took this course as a last resort in a desperate situation.
6 Diane Fights For Justice, Not Warrior Honor (The Seven Deadly Sins)
Diane was born and raised in the land of Megadozer, home of the fearsome giant race. Most giants love battle and seek honor in mortal combat, but Diane feels differently. She’s not a total pacifist, but she also rejects this bloodthirsty culture, and she would much rather fight for peace.
Diane joined the Seven Deadly Sins so she could help defend the innocent people of the Liones kingdom, and she fights only to defeat true villains such as the Ten Commandments and various demons. Never will she use her titanic strength for her own satisfaction or bloodlust.
5 Rimuru Tempest Uses His Powers For All The Right Reasons (That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime)
Every once in awhile, Rimuru Tempest might toy around with his many abilities and talents for fun or to prank people, but it’s always harmless fun. Otherwise, Rimuru the isekai hero is highly responsible with not just his own magic, but with his position as a national leader, too.
By now, Rimuru is responsible for thousands of people of various species, and he will do anything and everything for their sake, but do so with restraint and purpose. He has a strong sense of justice and fairness, and he tries not to rock the boat to accomplish his goals. That’s why so many foreign kingdoms have become Rimuru’s ally. He can be trusted with all this power.
4 Naofumi Iwatani Thinks Things Through Before Acting (The Rising Of The Shield Hero)
The shield hero Naofumi Iwatani might have a bad attitude at times, but he is highly responsible as an isekai hero, and he tends to think ahead. This puts him ahead of the other three Cardinal Heroes, who tend to rush into stations and think in the short term. Those three have caused as many problems as they solved.
Naofumi will carefully plan a mission before executing it and consider the consequences of his actions. He quickly made progress this way, and he even helped clean up the messes from the other three heroes, such as when he got rid of a dead dragon’s disease-ridden corpse to help a local town.
3 Senku Ishigami Is Careful To Only Use Science For Good (Dr. Stone)
Senku Ishigami is a brilliant high schooler with a mind for science and technology, and while he can get carried away with his experiments, he is careful to keep his science firmly rooted in basic ethics. Science without ethics can quickly become a monster, and Senku wouldn’t want that.
In this new stone age, Senku is working hard to rebuild humanity, and he wants to revive every last petrified person in the world. He wouldn’t even think about abusing this project to turn himself into some glorious king or tyrant, and he refuses to consider eugenics when reviving people. He is responsible for every last person, and no one gets left out.
2 Misaki Ayuzawa Works Hard For Her Fellow Students (Maid-Sama!)
Misaki Ayuzawa is a hard worker, but she never does all this for her own sake. She works as a part-time maid cafe employee to support her family, and she became Seika’s student council president for the sake of the other students, not to make herself look good.
Misaki takes her duties seriously, and to her, nothing is more rewarding than seeing all her hard work paying off and improving the lives of her classmates. Misaki actually pushes herself a bit too hard at times, so friends such as Takumi Usui help her cool off and take a break now and then. She won’t dare slack off in her duties.
1 Yuji Itadori Is Determined To Save Everyone (Jujutsu Kaisen)
Yuji Itadori is a tough kid with remarkable combat skills, and he is now a jujutsu sorcerer, too. Unlike most other sorcerers, he isn’t fueled entirely by negative emotions — he goes in the opposite direction and sees himself as a savior in the making.
Yuji is determined to use his newfound powers to save everyone, and it’s not enough to just kill curses — he must protect the safety and happiness of everyone who runs afoul of a curse. Yuji felt terrible when his new friend Junpei died at Mahito’s hands, for example. He had been responsible for Junpei’s life, and he failed. That must not happen again.
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