Happy Friday, otaku! I hope you enjoyed celebrating the resurrection of our Lord during Easter last weekend!

Speaking of Easter, many of you probably participated in Lent, even if all you did was give up something like junk food, TV, or, in my case, energy drinks for 40 days. Fasting of any kind is a way to train yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually. It forces you to focus on other, more important things than what you’re fasting from. Your time and energy are redirected to hard things that, in the end, have big payoffs as opposed to short-term benefits like a full stomach.

To put it another way: Delayed gratification is greater than instant gratification. The latter is an easy trap to fall into in this age of smartphones and the Internet. Too many people want the results of the work without doing the work.

This is a huge part of what makes shonen anime protagonists appealing. Goku, Kenshin, Naruto, and Deku, just to name a few, almost never beat the bad guys on their first try. No, they usually get their keisters kicked, so they have to train for the rematch. If it’s Dragon Ball Z, that’ll last for 50 episodes to blast Frieza away in five (Sorry not sorry, DBZ fans!).

The training, often under the supervision of a mentor, requires the hero to reflect on his mistakes in the previous battle and discover a counter-tactic and/or learn a new technique/power-up (gotta sell them toys!) that will give him an edge in round two.

Kenshin had his reverse-blade sword broken by Sōjirō, so he sought a new blade from the swordsmith’s son and additional training from Master Hiko. Only then could he defeat his greatest enemy, the mummy-like Makoto Shishio.

Both Naruto and Deku have made whole careers out of screwing up, training, and pressing onward toward their goals.

You can practically set a clock to these arcs. You’d think audiences would get bored with it, but they don’t. In fact, after watching these anime, many otakus have been inspired to do things like hit the gym to get into better shape. I may crack jokes at DBZ, but I can’t deny the positive influence it’s had on its fans.

In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he gives the youth some advice that could’ve been said by a shonen hero’s mentor:

…for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

~ 1 Timothy 4:8-10 (ESV)

Physical training builds character; it instills determination and endurance (both physical and mental). Without virtue, a well-honed body means little. That’s why they must go hand-in-hand. In fact, training can’t be accomplished without the virtue of discipline, which only grows through training. It’s a beautiful cycle.

Have you failed at something? Train like a shonen protagonist to overcome that obstacle!

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