@Butterfly great points...to add a bit to your points...
As for the heroine being morally good. HA! Look at how Yuuki forcefully took Zero's memories against his will. Is that what heroes do? Betray people's trust? Zero trusted her. He might forgive Yuuki, still Yuuki did something against another person's will. That was downright criminal, IMO. Maybe Yuuki is becoming like Kaname doing what is necessary even if she becomes a villain to everyone else, including Zero.
In a general notice, no is not becoming evil, just manipulative, but there are a lot of heroes that do manipulate even the innocents to achieve a higher goal thus the self-sacrifice; but not really hurt the innocents.
An anti-heroe will have no problem to manipulate or kill to complete his own selfish needs. See Hitler that came on power through democracy to as chosen to help a country> he was a hero to the eye's of the people but took advantage of that power to promote his ego, to fulfill his own ambitions really killing and hurting the innocents.
Or Darth Vader, Lucas father in Star Wars, he started his journey and his task was to be a Jedi, to help others. Later he was drawn to the evil side. His journey from a hero to villain is the anti-hero phase.
A character can go and the other way around; a selfish being turning from anti-hero to hero. Thus saving the world and the day.
But selfish motives for power, control in the expense of others need to be there.
This is why self-sacrifice is purely an heroic act and can not be combined with an anti-hero profile.
Kaname had always the intention to sacrifice himself for others; call it humans, Yuuki, whatever...so his intentions from the start do not show a selfish profile, can not really support the anti-hero mask, even though he wants to wear it.
look at the first arc, he might be manipulative towards others (such as a Guile hero that i stated above) BUT NEVER HURT AN INNOCENT such as killing or severe damaging, his acts have the meaning to help, not to destroy, his actions proved to save Yuuki, the humans and eventually and Zero, from Ichiou's tyranny and Rido's future dictatorship. In this goal others also contributed;
Ichijou killed his grand-father, Cross killed the hunters president, Yuuki and Zero killed Rido.
The night class was there to stand and guard the day class. They were all collaborators against the conspiracy of the council.
The only thing that bothers me is Kaname killing Aidou's father. He was innocent as far as we know, so I'm still puzzled why he had to die.
Yes, and look with how much precaution Hino wraps that fact; Kaname talks to him ( a conversation that we do not know) and it seems that Aidou-dono sacrifices himself.
Hino to be careful like that, says by itself something.
Kaname wants to be seen as the anti-hero, the hero that turned bersek and betrayed the vampire society >
he achieves that through Aido's murder which i can not explain, but at the current phase for his own protection Aido-dono needed to disappear at least, he had been a witness to Sara's effort to take Hanadagi's powers.
Motives are to be revealed.
This should put in great suspicions and doubts the supporters of the anti-hero theory. Because an anti-hero does not seek the support or the license to do so or to kill an innocent, he just does, this is his/her nature. That's why he is immoral. He does not need to pretend he is because he is, much more than the motives are purely to satisfy one's desires.
example; he could have taken Yuuki and walk away and let anyone die, that is an anti-hero fulfilling only his/her own needs without care for the world around him.
This is why Kaname fails to persuade us that indeed is an anti-hero.
1. He had all the power that he had wanted.
2. He had the girl of his dreams to spend the eternity with. He leaves at the peak of their relationship.
So which selfish act is to be completed anymore/ what drives his plans?
Is he so crazy that he wants to kill all purebloods in the expense of his own happiness and benefit? in order to fulfill HW's wishes? to save the world from purebloods once and for all?
Now he remembered it?
So the plan was...
Yuuki was a human but he had to bring her back to save her and now that he saved her, he got tired, he wants to kill all purebloods and finally turn Yuuki human again.
And to do so he kills Aido-dono and some purebloods that happened to be available but at the same time he has a self-sacrifice syndrome, he awakens the HW, which by chance,
now she remembers that she can not die unless all purebloods do (great coincidence), but Kaname has the idea that he shall replace her (sacrifice achieved) and by the way he can take and the rest of the purebloods with him or not.
We are not sure about the latest part whereas all the above make a perfect sense.
So what's the point of the story?
He had never the intention to live with Yuuki, so he trolled us all the way for a year in the mansion. He is so selfish that once he has all that he ever fight for (peace and Yuuki), he wants to die and kill the rest of the purebloods, because he remembered HW.
Now all of these are making perfect sense whereas there is also no other hero in the script with specific goals and ambitions. So according to the logic of the many, Kaname at the second arc plays all the roles;
he is the hero that he wants to kill himself to save others, Yuuki, HW see. "I will be the metal", he is the anti-hero that from good turned to evil, only that he insist too much, see. "Who Killed Ouri?" "Oh, that's me...that's me", and at the same time he is the villain that baby Yuuki and this selfless hunter (that never has a precise goal but his own self to preserve see Zero (joining in to get answers for his family) need to frame.
What worries more than Kaname's character is the willing readers that can eat up everything in order to have their fandom satisfied. Now this is not a problem of course because it's Kaname. Who cares to make any logic for the one that saved all others during the first arc and is also the one that saved human race from extinction?
No baby, he is evil...because he killed Shizuka who Zero tried to kill first but failed and baby Kaname, that Rido had already killed. So much hypocrisy lurking around that there is no reason and for Hino to ever give solid answers. Anything shall go.
Okay can i have an anti-hero, please? because i am bored with self-sacrifices and stupid kids that only search for answers...without finding any. (what happened to your family Zero? why you have to fulfill HW'wishes Kaname?).
So Kaname, take Yuuki and walk away as Takuma said, (after all what kind of anti-hero are you sitting there and not acting as a villain or anti-hero? don't you hear the fandom?
let Zero clean the mess, after all he has to make a name someday. Ah you are an anti-hero, you do not care, okay...LOL...
Back to reality check; Kaname does not match an anti-hero profile; his intentions need to be proved that are driven by egoistical purposes, we need to know for sure that he gave in the evil side, intentions and did all that to satisfy his needs and desires, taking innocents all the way down with him. But doubts are all over his intentions due to the self-sacrifice act; and also the questionable nature of the victims. Or the objectives that he had.
Talking before that about being villain or anti-hero is useless. Everybody is considered innocent until proof that they are really guilty and all curtains have fall.
Shooting him down without knowing his full plans and goals that as it seems and sounds are not egoistical motivated is predisposition towards a great character that despite be cunning and manipulative (and why not to be? a hero fights even with these so Hino rightfully uses these weapons to make Kaname's profile even stronger and support and his vampre nature) has saved many. Let's not become villains and anti-heroes ourselves looking only after our egoistical desires.
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