The odds are stacked too high against our protagonists. The walls are closing in on them in the shape of enemy forces. Almost every glimmer of hope has been squeezed out as their numbers dwindle by the minute from such ruthless carnage. At this point, we can’t see how the good guys can win, let alone survive the fight.
But hope isn’t entirely gone.
It’s breaking through the ice of despair and taking shape in the form of pure will. Our protagonists have been knocked down again and again, and they continue to stand back up. For all the terrors and tragedies that threaten to encompass them, there is something inside their hearts that will not yield to evil or bend the knee to injustice. The walking embodiment of hope and resilience, they are the Indomitable Human Spirit, and they hold a special place in our hearts and on the page.
With centuries worth of characters that fit the archetype, there are some from recent years that are spectacular representations of the Indomitable Human Spirit. In this curated list, we’re spotlighting characters in Fantasy and Sci-Fi that encourage bravery and hope in dark times: Samwise Gamgee and Aragorn in a world filled with Gollums.
Mild Spoiler Warning: Beware of mild spoilers for these specific titles. I am tiptoeing around them as carefully as possible.
Kaladin in The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
(This is extremely high fantasy, as Sanderson fans know, and there are a lot of moving parts within this series that I can’t get into because unfortunately it will eat up my word limit, and too many spoilers that make explaining pointless.)
Kaladin earned his nickname as Stormblessed for multiple reasons, one being his will to survive. In the first novel, The Way of Kings, he is a slave in an army. Running bridges across plateaus during battles, he and other slaves called Bridgemen are forced into becoming cannon fodder for the enemy forces. Kaladin sticks out as the glowing knight of their group. We see the noble efforts he puts into trying to bring life back into the shell-shocked and hopeless slaves. He doesn’t care how absurd it is for him in this position to encourage them to get stronger, let alone to survive. His will is too powerful for him to sit back and die, and his determination leaks light back into the grim world around him.
Dalinar Kholin in The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1) by Brandon Sanderson
Another character from The Way of Kings, author Brandon Sanderson has a way of writing moral compass characters.
Dalinar Kholin is a pillar of morality in this world. He has strong values to uphold, but he also goes against the grain in changing traditional values. Sometimes hypocritical and keenly aware of it, Dalinar is a badass in combat and earned the fearful title of Blackthorn in his years of fighting battles. In older age, he strives to keep violence in check and act for the greater good. An aspect aside from his physical strength that makes him so beloved to fans is that, despite being stubborn as all hell, he is not shut off to hearing others out when he is wrong in order to become the leader he is destined to be.
Jon Snow in A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R. Martin
I shrink at the thought of the GOT fanbase disliking my vague analysis of Jon Snow. Game of Thrones had a TV adaptation larger than our Sunday night TVs could contain (and our living room lighting was too bright to see some episodes by the end), which means book Jon Snow and TV Jon Snow have their choice differences. For simplicity’s sake, I’m referring to the book Jon Snow.
Let’s start by saying Jon Snow is 14 years old in the book universe. He has this chip on his shoulder as Ned Stark’s bastard, and he’s not as stoic or quiet as his adaptation. His dreams, ambitions, and insecurities make him a fleshed-out being who places value in upholding his vows to the Night’s Watch. Grappling with morality, his wit and ambition are causes for some of his ruthless behavior when it comes to politicking. He is an indomitable force because of how real his faults are, and his hunger for structure is. His strong morals and developing character make him curious about the world, inspiring those around him as he grows.
James Holden in Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1) by James S. A. Corey
“I think we’ve got the same basic goals, you and I. Stability. Safety. Strange times make for strange alliances.”
― James S. A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes.
James “Jim” Holden is of a similar variety to Dalinar Kholin in that he is a rigid force in his moral compass and military standards. As the Executive Officer onboard the Canterbury ice hauler in space, he must make difficult decisions when he and his team come across a piece of crucial information that kick-starts a civil war across the solar system. He also divides his audience by his likability, being a window protagonist to the Sci-Fi world that the authors build. Slow-burning, his personality and philosophy are highlighted by his shift in perspective on society. His iron will in doing the work to better himself as a leader and a human being makes for a beautiful and emotional arc in character development.
Guts in Berserk by Kentaro Miura
TW: This segment contains mentions of Sexual Assault and may be triggering to some readers.
I couldn’t exclude the beloved Seinen manga’s tortured protagonist from this list of persevering characters. This medieval dark fantasy is not for the faint of heart and is a graphic story of how cruelty festers and the fight against evil breeds in this brutal world.
Guts is a lone mercenary character that’s broken the mold for heroic male characters in fiction with his reflection on trauma. He is a victim of sexual assault, and it doesn’t diminish his masculinity, which is a source of controversy surrounding adaptations, fanbase, and how the general media often views victims. It’s one of the many dark themes within the story that elevate Guts in his heroic journey through the world and how he has learned to face his traumas before they consume him. Surviving of his own will, for the love he finds, and the craving for vengeance on behalf of those that have been wronged, there’s something so compelling about how adored and connected many fans of Berserk are with him. It also adds to a controversial and highly debateable conversation in regards to rape depictions in fiction.
(I am not for or against this specific topic in media, and I don’t agree that every bit of content within this series or others is necessary. I do think, as a general rule, its depiction in the media should have nuance and purpose greater than shock value or some thinly veiled perversion.)
Caeden in The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy, #1) by James Islington
“Everyone has a darker nature, Caeden. Everyone. Good men fear it, and evil men embrace it. Good men are still tempted to do the wrong thing, but they resist those urges.”
― James Islington, The Shadow of What Was Lost.
Kind and pragmatic, Caeden begins the story suffering from amnesia and is accused of committing a grave crime. His moral complexity is brought into question by this mysterious and unsure circumstance of what happened. How he conducts himself, his treatment of others, and his constant introspection on what defines the right choices add to his relatability in dark times. He is constantly toeing the line between moral choice and necessary action. Intertwining the two, Caeden grapples with his strength in decisions to create outcomes that reflect the betterment of his world.
More characters come to mind, with special shoutouts to Erwin Smith from Attack on Titan and Rylan Grace from Project Hail Mary, but the idea is that there is something powerful about the sheer will and resilience of people. There can be no change without grit and bravery, and embracing the Indomitable Human Spirit, like many characters in Sci-Fi/ Fantasy, is translatable to creating the future you want to live in.
Want more world-building in your fiction? Check this out.
We have these picks on our ongoing fantasy/sci-fi list on Bookshop.
