First, lets discuss what is the
Socio Sexual Hierarchy (SSH). The SSH is the natural hierarchy of males, as it pertains to their social status and their sexual appeal to women. At the top of the pyramid is the Alpha: he is the typical handsome, confident, sexually successful, socially gregarious, and natural leader. Then is the Bravo: these guys are usually as handsome, confident, sexually successful, and socially gregarious, but they aren't leaders; they are the Alpha's right hand man and enforcers of order. Below the Bravo, and the largest number of males, is the Delta: Deltas are your hard workers, steady and reliable, they are usually pretty average looking, and not overly sexually successful, but if want something done, done right, done well, you call in the Deltas. Below this are Gammas: these men think more closely to women than to men: they're more emotional thinking, they tend to lie about themselves (viewing themselves as Secret Kings), but they do tend to be above average in intelligence and can be useful as subject matter experts, but never relied upon for anything key to ongoing operations; they must be watched carefully, and if they act up (which they always do), either purge them or deal with them harshly and swiftly. Last, are the Omegas: these men are socially awkward, not sexually successful, and are the outsiders; they may actually be quite competent in their fields, but no one is inviting them to the party.
With the information above, and if you know anything about Japanese animation (aka Anime), then you've probably noticed that most Anime is Gamma wish fulfillment fantasy, or power fantasy. This doesn't automatically make the show or movie bad, but then you begin to wonder if there is something different. Well, yes, there is. Usually the
better forms of fiction are Delta fiction. Delta fiction usually portrays a hero who perseveres through hardship via hard work and training.
Which finally brings me to what I want to talk about:
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and
Dr. Stone. These are two animes that feature non-gamma protagonists.
DS:KnY is a story about a boy, Tanjiro Kamado, who's whole family is murdered by Oni (Japanese demons), except his sister who was transformed into a demon. When we are first introduced to Tanjiro, who is heading into town to sell charcoal and provide for his family. Once in town, he not only sells all of his charcoal, but also helps out in other ways. This competency is core of a delta, and Tanjiro is clearly a high level delta. After his family is murdered, he trains for 2 years to become a swordsman capable of slaying demons and passes the entrance test. He goes through serious hardships that take months to recover from. Nothing is instantly handed to him, simply because of who is, he has to work for everything. This is a well done Delta.
Tanjiro isn't alone, and 3 of his friends represent other SSH ranks: Zenitsu Agatsuma is a gamma, Inosuke Hashibira is an omega, and Giyu Tomioka is a sigma. When we are first introduced to Zenitsu, he is repulsing a woman whom he is trying to marry simply because she was nice to him. This is typical gamma. He is also a coward (conflict avoidant), but can fall asleep and transforms into a secret master of the first lightning breathe technique (literally, a secret king). However, Zenitsu isn't hopeless. Tanjiro pulls him along through training that makes them both better swordsmen. Perhaps in future episodes we will get to see Zenitsu evolve from gamma to delta.
Tanjiro's next friend is Inosuke Hashibira, who was raised by wild boars, and has taught himself breathing techniques. He has no social skills, and isn't successful with women, thus he is an omega. Now, Inosuke is more an uncouth barbarian than social train wreck, but that still makes him omega. Inosuke is quite the capable fighter, and overly confident in his abilities, and we get to see him be defeated and that confidence take a blow. We also get to see him grow through the same training above with Zenitsu and Tanjiro. Perhaps, we'll get to see him evolve into a delta as well as he learns social manners.
Lastly, there is Giyu Tomioka, who is a Sigmas. Now, sigmas exist outside the hierarchy, but they aren't interested in fitting in with the crowd. Sigmas can be confused with alphas, but the key difference is that sigmas have zero interest in leading. This fits Giyu perfectly. He is an incredible swordsman and master of the water breathing techniques, and is ranked as one of the top 10 demon slayers. Yet, he shown standing separately from the other top tier guys. Women do not find him unattractive, nor are they repulsed by him, he simply has own interests (killing demons) and is only concerned with others so long as those others further his interests.
The show is none the less still full of
anime tropes. It is quite enjoyable, and I do recommend it.
Next is Dr. Stone, which I'll only be focusing on the first 4 episodes as it's sufficient to make my point. The main character in Dr. Stone is Senku, who is another sigma. He is focused on science and rebuilding civilization, and doesn't have interests in the hierarchy or others, unless that suites his interests, and we see that even his childhood flashbacks. Since doesn't repulse women, and doesn't appear to be generally disliked, he can't be an omega or gamma. He doesn't lead anyone, nor want to be led by anyone, so he can't be a bravo or delta. This leaves him as a Sigma.
Senku's best friend Taiju, on the other hand, is a delta. Taiju isn't the smartest, he is described as an oaf, but he is a strong, competent provider, and willing defender with a compassionate heart - all qualities of a highly valued delta. Taiju is literally the brawn to Senku's brain.
Lastly, the antagonist in Dr. Stone, Tsukasa, is an alpha. He is strong, a fighter, handsome, and has hoards of admirers. He seeks to rebuild the world as a paradise and to lead it. These are all the traits of an alpha. Unfortunately, Tsukasa is the villain. He murders adults and only wants to save the children whom he considers to be pure of heart. '
These two shows are but a tiny sampling of anime that isn't entirely gamma. Both are recommended.
It's also important to remember that the SSH is fractal. This is best demonstrated in DS:KnY. Tanjiro is the alpha of his 2 friends, as they follow him faithfully, and he leads them rather well.
Other recommendations:
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade,
Ghost in the Shell (1995 edition), and
Grave of the Fireflies.
