TV-Series
Description
Ossan is the protagonist of the anime To Be Hero, a character known only by this nickname, which translates roughly as middle-aged man or pops. He is a 38-year-old divorced father who works as a designer of toilet seat covers and is highly skilled at his craft. In his original appearance he was a handsome man, but he threw himself so completely into his job, driven by the desire to advance his career, that his marriage later ended in divorce. One day, while he is using the toilet, he is sucked into it and, for reasons that are initially unclear, is turned into the hero who must protect the Earth. The price of this transformation is that he loses his handsome looks and becomes heavily overweight.
In terms of personality, Ossan is presented as an ordinary and somewhat slovenly man. He is described as handsome yet undisciplined, and he comes across as a no-good father whose messy appearance and lazy habits frustrate his daughter. He does not seek out the role of a hero and shows little enthusiasm for it at first; his motivation is not heroic ambition but the simple desire to protect his daughter and, by extension, the world that she lives in. His priorities gradually shift from career concerns toward his family and his new duty as a defender of the Earth.
Within the story, Ossan is the central figure around which the events of the series turn. His life as a hero throws him into encounters with an alien invasion led by a prince, a suspicious neighbor, and a series of strange and dangerous situations, while his relationship with his daughter provides the emotional core. His heroic path eventually leads to a confrontation with a powerful enemy known as the Great Emperor. During the final stages of the story, Ossan begins to doubt whether he truly possesses any heroic power at all, and the decisive battle forces him to rely on something other than superhuman strength. The truth about his situation is revealed in that last confrontation.
His most important relationship is with his daughter Min-chan, a high school student who excels in both academics and sports and practices karate. She is outwardly competitive and stubborn, and she is openly dissatisfied with her father's sloppy ways, but she feels lonely when she is apart from him, and their bond anchors the emotional side of the story. His ex-wife also appears at significant moments in the later episodes, serving as a reminder of the family life that was lost. Yamada, the neighbor who lives next door and has a head twice the size of a normal person's, is a recurring companion in his adventures, while the alien prince, whose stated mission is the conquest of Earth, causes trouble for Ossan and takes an interest in Min-chan.
Ossan's development across the series moves from self-centered neglect toward genuine commitment. He begins as a man who lost touch with his family because he poured his energy into work, and he ends as someone who understands that protecting his daughter and the people close to him matters more than his own advancement or appearance. The physical change from handsome to overweight is played for comedy, but it also marks how far his old life has been left behind.
As for abilities, his transformation into a hero grants him the capacity to fight the threats that arrive on Earth. The exact nature of his power is treated lightly and is deliberately questioned at the climax of the story. What the narrative ultimately emphasizes is his willingness to take a stand and protect those around him, rather than any particular technique, as the quality that defines him as a hero.
In terms of personality, Ossan is presented as an ordinary and somewhat slovenly man. He is described as handsome yet undisciplined, and he comes across as a no-good father whose messy appearance and lazy habits frustrate his daughter. He does not seek out the role of a hero and shows little enthusiasm for it at first; his motivation is not heroic ambition but the simple desire to protect his daughter and, by extension, the world that she lives in. His priorities gradually shift from career concerns toward his family and his new duty as a defender of the Earth.
Within the story, Ossan is the central figure around which the events of the series turn. His life as a hero throws him into encounters with an alien invasion led by a prince, a suspicious neighbor, and a series of strange and dangerous situations, while his relationship with his daughter provides the emotional core. His heroic path eventually leads to a confrontation with a powerful enemy known as the Great Emperor. During the final stages of the story, Ossan begins to doubt whether he truly possesses any heroic power at all, and the decisive battle forces him to rely on something other than superhuman strength. The truth about his situation is revealed in that last confrontation.
His most important relationship is with his daughter Min-chan, a high school student who excels in both academics and sports and practices karate. She is outwardly competitive and stubborn, and she is openly dissatisfied with her father's sloppy ways, but she feels lonely when she is apart from him, and their bond anchors the emotional side of the story. His ex-wife also appears at significant moments in the later episodes, serving as a reminder of the family life that was lost. Yamada, the neighbor who lives next door and has a head twice the size of a normal person's, is a recurring companion in his adventures, while the alien prince, whose stated mission is the conquest of Earth, causes trouble for Ossan and takes an interest in Min-chan.
Ossan's development across the series moves from self-centered neglect toward genuine commitment. He begins as a man who lost touch with his family because he poured his energy into work, and he ends as someone who understands that protecting his daughter and the people close to him matters more than his own advancement or appearance. The physical change from handsome to overweight is played for comedy, but it also marks how far his old life has been left behind.
As for abilities, his transformation into a hero grants him the capacity to fight the threats that arrive on Earth. The exact nature of his power is treated lightly and is deliberately questioned at the climax of the story. What the narrative ultimately emphasizes is his willingness to take a stand and protect those around him, rather than any particular technique, as the quality that defines him as a hero.