Why is Samson considered a "hero?"

It seems to me that other judges and monarchs--while none were perfect--came closer to deserving hero status.

It almost seems like Samson never wanted the life for himself that his mother was instructed to give him. Like many other male leaders, his brains and wisdom were overcome by other parts of his anatomy. Sure, he killed lots of Philistines, but couldn't he have done that without betraying himself, the Lord, and his Nazarite vow?

I think what made Samson a hero was that even though he sinned, he repented. His vanity and love of the wrong woman, his ego and his rampant dealings all caught up with him. He asked for forgiveness, asked for the chance to serve his Lord and God heard his cries and answered him. To me, it tells the lesson that we all can fall short yet be forgiven and used for God's glory.

What is important to remember is that we don't consider him any more of a hero than any other judge -- the section of the Torah which discusses the prophets gives unflinchingly human presentations, flaws and all. Yiftach and his stupid vow, David and his indiscretions, Solomon and his idolatrous wives, Barak and his cowardice. These are part of what makes these eaders human and real. If we were to write myths we would have significantly more perfect leaders, but that isn't the way people really are. Shimshon (Samson) was an important leader with a G-d given ability. He redeemed himself and repented his mistakes and performed a service on behalf of his people. His story is one of many of great human leaders who had to make difficult decisions, and occasionally, sacrifices in order to be who they were supposed to be.