The five traits presented above can be boiled down to mission, powers, and identity, everything else (including all the discussion) is covered by generic distinction. Here’s my definition:

Su•per•he•ro (soo’per hîr’o) n., pl. -roes. 1. A heroic character with a selfless, pro-social mission; who possesses superpowers—extraordinary abilities, advanced technology, or highly developed physical and/or mental skills (including mystical abilities); who has a superhero identity embodied in a codename and iconic costume, which typically express his biography or character, powers, and origin (transformation from ordinary person to superhero); and is generically distinct, i.e. can be distinguished from characters of related genres (fantasy, science fiction, detective, etc.) by a preponderance of generic conventions. Often superheroes have dual identities, the ordinary one of which is usually a closely guarded secret. —superheroic, adj. Also super hero, super-hero.

In my dissertation I look at all the extant definitions of the superhero (including Reynolds) and they all boil down to mission, powers, and identity. Generic distinction explains why some characters may not perfectly meet one or sometimes even two of these primary conventions and still be considered superheroes.

Peter Coogan

A superhero is someone who fights crime and wears his underpants on the outside.

[blockquote]Quoted text here[/blockquote]

Except use angle brackets instead of square ones.

Yes, but unfortunately they get to sneer at you too. The other day I was nearly run down by some punk on a bicycle who added insult to near-injury by calling me an “old cunt”. “What do you mean *old*,” was all I could think to shout after him.

1. The character has a second identity, the “super” identity; assuming this identity sets the character apart from ordinary society. This second identity is so distinct that another person can conceivably adopt it, becoming “The New Robin” or whatnot. ((Titles and prefixes (”Captain Kirk”) are not considered second identities in this sense.))

Yes.

2. The character has superhuman abilities. This includes “powerless” characters, if they are frequently shown accomplishing extraordinary or virtually impossible feats, such as Batman’s acrobatic skills.

Yes; though I personally have an issue with magical powers being included here, I cannot see how the definition would exclude them.

3. The character has an extraordinary (not merely distinctive) appearance or costume, for the society the character lives in.

Yes.

4. The character is dressed or presented in a manner which emphasizes an extraordinarily powerful and/or well-defined musculature, and/or to emphasize their secondary sex characteristics.

This is something of a judgement call. Those mini-mini skirts sure show a lot of leg, but by US standards I wouldn’t say that Sailor Moon is presented in a way that emphasizes her secondary sex characteristics. Having said that, one could make the case that the way she’s presented is consistant with an idealized view of the female form *for Japan*, and thus the definition should apply. Let’s put this one on hold for now and see what happens w/the 5th component of the definition.

5. The character inhabits a continuity/shared system of stories in which most of the protagonists fit the above criteria. ((This point is swiped from Super Heroes: A Modern Mythology, by Richard Reynolds.))

Yes.

So there you have it, Sailor Moon gets a score of at least 4/5, and depending on how you feel about #4, 5/5. Thus either she is in fact a superhero, or the definition needs more work.

I personally feel that the key here is that the powers need to be intrinsic to the character. Thus I could accept a character with psychic powers being a superhero, but not one with magical powers. However, if you think that Sailor Moon still gets a Yes on #4, she would still get a 4/5 score, thus leaving her a superhero. Perhaps a blanket statement excluding magical powers completely? Or perhaps people are willing to accept Sailor Moon (and many other modern Magical Girls as well) as being superheroes?

PS, I was in HS in 1980. And playing D&D.

I have the feeling I am the only one who has only played console and computer RPGs. Is there anyone else who was born after 1980?

Nah, I’m currently in the midst of Final Fantasy XII for PS2. Born in 1977. Close!

Dude, my BALLS were born before 1980. God damn kids, running around the Internets, disturbing all the tubes…

This is an example of the phenomenon I discuss here. The implication is that the rest of Bob’s body was born after 1980. Don’t think about it, that way madness lies…

If it doesn’t have “% liar”, then it’s crap!

One the things about being old is that you get to sneer at the whippersnappers. Never played D&D? Never played D&D!? You haven’t done FRP unless you played D&D.

Younger RPG players are much more likely to have missed D&D entirely.

I played D&D when I was a kid. Nowadays our game is derived from Ars Magica, but we’ve made pretty extensive modifications to the system. More often than not, our play is ruleless.