Idiot Hero

An "idiot hero" is a protagonist who makes up for the lack of brains with heart & talent.

Why This Trope Rocks

 * 1) Similar to anti-heroes, idiot heroes are relatable.
 * 2) This trope adds comedic effect to the characters' personalities.
 * 3) They represent the fact that everyone has their own shortcomings and we can make up for them with our own positive qualities.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) It can be overused, especially in anime, specifically when it comes to shonen protagonists.
 * 2) Some idiot heroes can be unlikable, unfunny and/or unsympathetic.

Examples of well-written idiot heroes

 * Asta (Black Clover)
 * Buddy Thunderstruck (Buddy Thunderstruck) {an truck dog racer who can be mature and tough at times, though not much of an idiot aside from his two worst episodes)
 * Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot)
 * Earthworm Jim (Earthworm Jim)
 * Greg Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) [an kid who can be smart at times, but otherwise dumb in a naive, inexperienced way]
 * Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
 * Jimmy Neutron (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron) [being a "Ditzy Genius", having very little common sense despite having high intelligence]
 * Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
 * Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)
 * Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto) [not too much of an idiot, but rather a redeemable troublemaker than anything]
 * Natsu Dragneel (Fairy Tail)
 * Po Ping (Kung Fu Panda) [being a goofball who can be insightful and wise rather than just an idiot]
 * Son Goku (Dragon Ball)
 * SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBob SquarePants)
 * Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon)
 * Timmy Turner (The Fairly OddParents) [not as much of an idiot but rather a naive butt-monkey all things considered]
 * Yusuke Urameshi (Yu Yu Hakusho) [A teenager who is street-smart but is not book-smart due to skipping school]

Examples of poorly-written idiot heroes

 * Bubsy T. Bobcat (Bubsy)
 * Coconut Fred (Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island) [Being a SpongeBob clone]
 * Gord Brody (Freddy Got Fingered) [Being more of a manacial manchild than an idiot]
 * Johnny Test (Johnny Test) [A kid who makes poor choices that lead to comedically detrimental results]
 * Oscar the Sharkslayer (Shark Tale) [A fish who is actually cunning and street-smart, but otherwise makes a lot of dumb decisions, especially when it comes to get-rich-quick schemes]
 * Sheen Estevez (Planet Sheen)