I feel like "hero" in the NY metro mostly refers to the roll.

I grew up there. And while it's sometimes Italian Hero, American Hero. It's mostly give me a cutlet on a Hero and give me an Italian Sangwidge.

You'll honestly find "sandwich" used more often when not referring to the bread.

There's also a whole theoretical difference. To the point where I think Hoagie represents a distinct thing.

The New York area Sangwidge is all about meat. Most meat, most type of meat. Here is a loaf of meat that takes 3 people to eat. On a long roll.

And that's great when it's good.

But hoagie conveys something more. Like an actual human portion, a good amount of veggies. The hoagie spice. Even if it's just salt, pepper and oregano.

There's a whole hoagie gestalt, and specific hoagie flavor. A hoagie is a balanced whole, a hero is an imbalanced guilty pleasure. Hell idiots can make hoagie dip and hoagie salads. There are Primo hoagie chips and they taste like a hoagie.

They don't taste like a Sangwidge.

You're not making a sandwich pizza elsewhere. Or a hero, sub or whatever the fuck flavored anything.

Also hoagie is more fun to say.