How do you define "superhero" and "supervillain"?

[Prowler]

Occasionally there's a discussion on these forums about whether the TMNT are superheroes or not. And weather Shredder and other rogues are supervillains or not. I remember Andrew, in a thread I made asking why Shredder wanted to take over the world in the FW, saying he did not consider Shredder a supervillain because he did not have any super powers.

But honestly, super powers don't seem like a good criteria anymore for what determines a fictional character a superhero or supervillain. Look at Batman and Joker! Neither of those guys have super powers. Does anyone bat an eye, no pun intended, when Batman gets referred to as a superhero?

And a superhero does not even necessarily have to be someone who tries to save the world all the time, I'd say.

Superheroes and supervillains seem like a very American concept, but they can extend to lots of anime/manga characters like DBZ, Sailor Moon, One Piece, etc. characters. You could argue Astérix and Obélix from the French comic series Astérix qualify was European superheroes as well. And if we're heading into video games, wouldn't Mario and Link technically qualify as well?!

Basically, I think superhero and supervillain have become catch-all terms to label fictional characters with superpowers and/or who wear fancy outfits when fighting against other people. And they often have codenames. Many conceal their real identities, but not all of them.