The Seven Deadly Sins: Meliodas Is Not the Typical Shonen Protagonist
A Holy Knight of the Liones Kingdom, Meliodas, is the protagonist of the Seven Deadly Sins, a fantasy action Shonen series released in 2014. Ever since it has arrived on Netflix, it gained many fans and has become quite famous. The protagonist of the show, unlike other Shonen heroes, has elements of a villain and a hero in him. It is hard to justify his methods and motives, sometimes keeping in mind that he is supposed to be the show’s protagonist. It would be much more appropriate to consider him an anti-hero than a true hero. Even though he saved the day most of the time, Meliodas can’t be called a symbol of peace for his people.
It would be wrong to believe that Meliodas does not have good enough traits to cement himself as the series’s protagonist. Being the son of the demon king, he was granted immense powers and prestige. The demon clan had a feud with the angel clan. Meliodas did not care for the things that were happening at the time. Moreover, he was unhappy with his life as his future did not seem interesting to him. Surprisingly, he fell in love with an angel, Elizabeth, which changed the course of the Holy War. He wanted to protect Elizabeth, so he decided to switch sides and fight the demons.
Elizabeth and Meliodas together fought the demon king and God. Unfortunately, he was cursed to watch Elizabeth die over and over again since she was now forced to live life as a mere mortal. Every time she died, she was reborn with no memories of Meliodas, which made it a tough experience for him to go through. Any man would have failed to face up to the torment that Meliodas had to undergo over and over again, but he was no ordinary man. Despite numerous cycles of death and reincarnations, Meliodas is still devoted to Elizabeth as he has always been, which is a testament to his courage and love.
Since he had fought for both good and evil, Meliodas was aware of the biases that can delude one into having a wrong impression. He also knew that people could change and this was best shown in one of the events that took a few years before the series. Meliodas befriended a lonely giant who would have been judged by others because of her race’s reputation of violence and her intimidating size. The giant was Diane, who later fell in love with Meliodas because he never treated her like a monster but as a person worthy of respect.
Although he does have good qualities, and it is true that he can be regarded as the hero for the members of the Seven Deadly Sins, but overall, it’s tough to call all his actions heroic. Most Shonen heroes like Naruto and All Might are driven by the desire to serve others. They want to create a safe world for others to live in and are never concerned about their own lives. They are always selflessly keeping the best interest of those around them into account.
However, Meliodas is driven by his love for Elizabeth, and he does not care about making anyone his enemy for her protection. It might be justifiable from several perspectives, but then again, he hardly cares about the people of his kingdom, who deserve his attention. For Elizabeth’s sake, he is ready to even switch sides between angels and demons, which makes him an untrustworthy ally. He takes everyone for granted and does not even spare Elizabeth. So, if one looks at Meliodas and considers all his actions, it is tough to call him a hero.
Seth Williams is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cyber-security. He writes about the latest updates regarding Tech and how it can improve the work experience of users. His articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs, and websites.
