Asian fantasy martial arts show

[badlands]

Why do these shows always are about avenging one's family, wife, or children, family's honor, or uncle.

[august]

Easy motivation for the hero? What sort of themes might you prefer?

[Michael]

I will hazard the guess that family honor was a much longer lasting, deeper tradition in the Far East than in western Europe and North America. "Family honor" is sometimes cited for violent crimes here in the United States, but usually there are cultural roots for such events that extend back to southern Asia.

On the other hand, one of the most popular story arcs for "Star Trek: The Next Generation" that about Worf's family. Klingons droned on and on about their devotion to honor, and yet the politics surrounding the Kitimer massacre allowed the writers to turn the whole idea of Klingon honor on its head. So "family honor" may be a very pliable story line that can be reworked in a thousand ways without losing the general audience's interest. I haven't gone looking for it but I would not be surprised to learn there is academic literature examining the popularity of "family honor" stories.