Frank McCoy, a 13-year-old white boy living in Hawaii, is the protagonist and narrator of Heroes. He lives on Ford Island, within the US Naval base of Pearl Harbor, with his father, who is a Navy pilot; his mother; and his older sister, Ginny. He and his family moved to Hawaii a year before the events of the novel, having previously lived in Florida. Frank’s best friend, Stanley, lives next door, and they bonded over their shared love of comic books.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces provides the external conflict of the plot. However, Frank’s inner turmoil adds additional layers of internal conflict. In this case, the external narrative—the violence and high stakes—forces Frank to act and grow as a character. At the beginning of the novel, Frank is passive and afraid. He explains that due to the Incident (a traumatic experience when he was attacked and severely injured by a dog), he is scared of everything. His fears have consequences, causing a rift between him and Stanley when he doesn’t help Stanley stand up to bullies. Frank’s internal monologue often devolves into lists of increasingly unlikely worst-case scenarios, demonstrating his constant fear and anxiety.