Anime Hero of the Month - Hestia

May was such a beautiful month, so of course it only makes sense to have a beautiful goddess as this month’s hero! As dorky as she may be at times, Hestia has so much to offer. So without further ado, here’s why I consider Hestia a hero.

Hestia is a goddess, first of all, I think that in it of itself should count for something. And though the anime never really talks about it, according to lore she is the goddess of home and hearth. What I love is that this essence wasn’t lost in her character; throughout the series she sticks to this theme and no matter what she’s always trying to make a home. And I think at the end of the day, Bell knows that and feels it in his heart.

Hestia is not a successful character at first either. She’s poor, living in horrible conditions, and clearly not a popular goddess. And yet, she never loses hope. She perseveres and believes in Bell; she knows he’ll make her proud. She never really complains about how little they have but rather, looks for ways to improve on what’s already there.

I would usually get annoyed with characters that follow the main character around with an almost dependent relationship, but to be honest I could never bring myself to view Hestia that way. I actually find her love for Bell to be admirable and also charming. I think she knows, somewhere deep down, that the two of them will never end up together. But I think she won’t lie to herself and get rid of her feelings either. That’s a hefty burden when you think about it, and I can’t help but to see it as a positive reflection on her personality.

Now, there is a huge issue when it comes to how viewers perceive her character and I think it’s easy to see; fan service. Hestia is most definitely a gorgeous character with many attractive attributes, which sometimes is the only thing people focus on. And if that’s all viewers focus on, they tend to feel the character’s overall presence was merely fan service. But I can’t see Hestia this way.

I think we really see, later on, that Hestia is an extremely strong character that isn’t only there for viewers pleasure. This can be seen when she shows her real power. I think in that moment, you had to respect her. I used to question why she hadn’t shown her strength before, but I think a lot of it had to do with her trying to teach Bell how to be strong on his own. She showed, in this moment, what it really meant to be a goddess.

Hestia is a multifaceted character with a lot of purpose and admirable qualities that extend beyond her physical appearance. Her love, faith and incredible power are amazing pieces to her character and something I’ve always loved about her. So for the month of May, a goddess is crowned a hero here on Geekery Gears.