"To me, a hero embodies the “virtue” that we all have in our hearts. We all have it, but most of us are too embarrassed or scared to show it.

In that sense there’s something childlike about heroism. Heroes are the people who are proud to show that side of themselves to others. They have a lonely existence, and they will bear any burden—even when not being watched over by others—simply because it’s the right thing to do. I like heroes with that childlike purity and idealism. Someone who can still believe in what’s right, even when others says “that’s not realistic.” I think when a person encounters a hero like that in art, they can learn a lot from them." - Kitamura Akira