I absolutely agree!! Adding to this...
I know I've talked about them before, but the Hero & Mari dynamic is something I will neverrr shut up about when I get the chance heheh
We don't really see RW Hero and Mari interact in canon aside from Memory Lane, but we're able to infer so much about their dynamic. They were the eldest: the older siblings, the role models who the younger kids went to when they were upset or worried. They were the golden children, expected to be perfect; they weren't able to express their troubles to anyone for fear of shattering that image of flawlessness or burdening those they wanted to keep safe. They shared experiences, shared expectations, and could understand how heavy the pressure put on them to be perfect could get.
Hero & Mari could confide in each other where they could no-one else, and that's precisely why her death affects Hero so badly. Not only is his one confidant gone forever during the time he's got the most on his mind, but he feels he's failed at being the support she needed. He fully believes he failed at offering comfort so badly that she committed suicide and he didn't even notice the signs. And Hero hates himself for it, and hates the world for it, but he can't find it in himself to hate her. He shuts everything else away, everyone else away, because if he's all alone then there's no-one else he can fail.
He's perfect because he's convinced he has to be. He'll do anything in his power to make those he cares about happy, but that means Hero never allows himself to be himself. He smooths out his jagged edges until the only one he cuts is himself, places the mask of a smile over the shadows haunting his face. Hero isn't okay, but he won't let himself be the reason why anyone else worries.
People have described him as having a "hero complex" before, but I don't think that's right. He doesn't want recognition- in fact, he shies away from it wherever he can. He'll stay the focus if it makes his parents proud, or benefits his little siblings, or helps in any way, but he doesn't enjoy it. HS Hero is never the one to ask for any praise or rewards, but they're given to him nonetheless. RW Hero saves Basil and expects nothing whatsoever in return.
I think he has more of a "saviour complex". He dedicates every moment of his time to studying & succeeding, to helping people and being someone his parents can be proud of. He struggles consistently with saying 'no' to anyone, and the only time we even get a mention of him being angry is when Kel talks about their fight.
Because it was during that fight that Hero was at his lowest. He was broken and angry and hopeless and overwhelmed with self-loathing, and it was the only time he ever allowed himself to be furious in the presence of someone he loved. And he made Kel cry. And it flipped a switch inside of him, immediately re-instigated his practiced self-sacrificial nature, and he refused to let himself break down again.
But since Hero refuses to open up, since he won't tell the truth about how he's really holding up, he can't be genuine around anyone. His well-adjusted facade's laid on so thick by this point that he doesn't know how to-- and doesn't want to-- remove it. And in the end, that means Hero's only going to end up alone.
Sorry for derailing your post!! This account always does get me thinking. Thank you for sharing your analysis! :D
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