Thinking about heroes and anti-heroes . . .
No one ever seems to need a definition for hero although there are some pretty broad perceptions of the applicable meaning in novels.
Generally speaking, there are slightly different meanings for the word anti-hero so to make that character the protagonist might also vary his personality and conduct in the story.
In my older novel The Famous One, Joey Parr is more of an anti-hero. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, acquiring a unique lone-wolf type of personality in his teens, experiencing a quietly fast and loose lifestyle early, he doesn't possess heroic qualities. However, he's not a bad person, he definitely cares about those he forms friendships with, he has no desire to hurt people, yet he carries a lot of hurt inside.
Skip ahead to my latest novel Then . . . you and you have a genuine hero-type in Stone. Former military, now a recluse, he does forensic accounting and other "assignments," and when he opens his door to a woman desperate for help in the middle of the night, he becomes another kind of hero.
For me, anti-hero or hero, I just want them to be enticing, interesting, and desirable. By "desirable" I mean I want to know what has made them who they are, what motivates them, what do they hold back from others or certain situations to protect themselves or the other person.
My protagonists are all kinds of people. What do you want from your protagonists/heroes?
Father, you know me and what makes me tick. Help me to be the best me I can be. You're the only One who truly can. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.