14 Types Of Anime Protagonists You’re Always Bound To See

Anime is filled with anime protagonist types because, at this point, there are so many. Even if you judge anime by the standards from the 1980-2000s, there are still enough types to go around.

So what are the types of anime protagonists, some of which are popular?

They can be found in anime genres like:

  • Shounen.
  • Fantasy.
  • Isekai.
  • School.
  • Sci-fi.

And plenty of anime genres across the board.

Let’s talk about it.

 

Common types of anime protagonists:

 

1. The guy sitting by the window in school

This is such a cliche but one that fans don’t mind at this stage of the game. The guy sitting by the window is seen in anime like Death Note, School Rumble if I remember right, and various school types of anime.

It doesn’t signify anything as far as personality, but these types of characters tend to be introverted, smart, bored, and many other things.

 

2. The “parody” type

An underrated example is Ichiko Sakura from the anime Good Luck Girl. This protagonist is bitchy, arrogant, full of herself, entitled, and thinks the world owes her everything.

While she does get character development, the anime is written so well it never feels like you wanna hate the character, which is why she’s a parody type of protagonist.

A separate example would be the protagonists from Gintama, or even, to a degree, Kuroko Shirai from Railgun.

Relevant: 17+ GAG Anime Characters Who Can Be More Than Just Comedy Relief

 

3. The “cliche” type

Shido Itsuka is an example of this type of male protagonist. He’s a mixture of things but ultimately is packaged into a cliche protagonist who doesn’t stand out any more than comparable characters.

A better example is the characters from the anime Love Tyrant. While this anime is a comedy, the characters are written so cliche that it’s painful to watch.

You have Tsunderes, Yanderes, Danderes, extroverted characters, and other cliches that are common in protagonist types.

 

4. The bland protagonist

The anime Isekai Cheat Magician has a main protagonist who proves this point and bangs the drum loud and clear. He’s bland, basic, a cardboard cut out of other characters, and doesn’t bring much to the table.

You also have these types of protagonists in romance shows who are used to enhance the overall entertainment because of their love interest.

A good recent example is the anime Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible. The male character is nothing to shout about, but his personality and interactions are enhanced because of Kubo, who’s the most interesting.

“Bland” works, it depends on the context.

 

5. The “useless” type

Anime like Kono Subarashii is a perfect example of this. You get Goddess Aqua, one of the protagonists of this show, and she’s thrown into the “useless” bucket.

She’s a goddess who usually has immense power, but in the reincarnated world she is overseas and is forced to join with Kazuma (a guy who died and reincarnated) she has less authority and power with few exceptions.

As a result, she’s useless but mostly in a comedic sense. Sometimes it’s not though in other anime.

 

6. The “loud” type

Bakugo Katsuki from MHA is their obvious type. Loud, angry, mouthy, and tries too hard to get his way. The loud type of protagonist can also be the annoying type as well, but it depends on how they’re written.

Asta from Black Clover is another protagonist people put in this category.

In a way, you could say Revy Rebecca from Black Lagoon fits this category but she’s much more different as a character.

 

7. The protagonist who’s too nice

Deku from My Hero Academia can be considered “too nice” as a protagonist. He’s bullied by the only friend he had as a kid because of their differences in power and quirks.

Yet later in life he forgives him and refuses to fight Bakugo, call him out, or get angry at him for what he did.

Tanjiro Kamado is another protagonist who’s “too nice”. I mean even when he realizes he has no choice but to kill other demons (or face death himself) he still has an overwhelming amount of compassion for them.

He genuinely cries and feels their pain.

 

8. The “waifu” material type

This is just an obvious type, but it has to be said since it’s popular, common, and noticeable more than others.

The waifu type is the female protagonist you’d marry in real life based on their qualities. Or you’d at least take interest in them romantically.

Examples are:

  • Nobara Kugisaki (Jujutsu Kaisen).
  • Sheele (Akame Ga Kill).
  • Chizuru Mizuhara (Rent A Girlfriend).
  • Marin Kitagawa (My Dress Up Darling).
  • Carole Stanley (Carole & Tuesday).
  • Ochako Uraraka (My Hero Academia).
  • Nagisa Furukawa (Clannad).
  • Masane Amaha (Witchblade).
  • Belldandy (Oh My Goddess).
  • Asuna Yuuki (Sword Art Onlin).

 

9. The “dense” protagonist

This trope goes both ways, The main female character from the anime My Next Life As A Villainess is a good example. She’s asleep behind the wheel, dense, and a little absent-minded.

Another character is Nozaki Kun from the anime Monthly Girls Nozaki Kun. To be fair this anime is a parody but the protagonist is so dense he can’t see that Chiyo likes him and follows him around like a puppy dog.

These types of protagonists are only annoying when nothing comes of their romance, or they never realize what’s right in front of them because the anime continues to run around in circles.

 

10. The “harem” protagonist

Even when the anime itself isn’t a harem series or has very few harem tendencies, the protagonists can still be considered harem protagonists based on how things play out.

One example people can’t stop bringing up is Kirito, even though I disagree as a hard rule (not a soft rule).

Other characters like Rimuru Tempest can be used in this example when talking about types of anime protagonists who are common or popular.

There’s also Issei from DxD, which is a legitimate harem series.

 

11. The “perfect” student

You see these types of anime protagonists all the time. The perfect female student who seems to shine in all of her activities at school (sports, drama, maths, science, etc).

Touka from the anime Bloom Into You is a good example of this. You could throw in characters like Shiina Mahiru from The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten.

The “perfect” student trope is common but it’s not a cliche people hate. In fact, it works a lot of the time since it can be used to establish the character’s true nature later, or the fact they’re human with many flaws they tend to hide.

 

12. The “anti-hero” type of protagonist

Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass is a perfect example of this character type as a protagonist. He’s seemingly nice and non-threatening before getting his geas powers.

Right after almost dying, he gains the power of Geass and is able to get revenge against Britannia who enslaved him and the Japanese people, renaming them “elevens”.

He follows a path of ruthlessness but one of courage and righteousness depending on which aspect of Lelouch you pay attention to.

Some people hate him, some love him, and some see both sides. When you see both sides, you understand why he’s the anti-hero type.

 

13. The “villain-like” protagonist

I’d put Keyaru from Redo Of Healer in this category. The thing with Keyaru is he’s put through hell, beaten, bruised, r*ped, abused, tortured, drugged, and enslaved for the use of his healing magic.

After being taken advantage of for so long and enduring so much trauma, he finds a way to reverse time so he can “redo” the life he lived and get revenge against Flare, the princess of the kingdom who everyone believes is an angel.

She and her family are colonizers and so much worse.

Keyaru gets his revenge in ways most people can’t accept, appreciate, or overlook, making him a “villain-like” protagonist because of how he’s treated despite his actions being justified from his point of view.

 

14. Superhero protagonists

These types of anime protagonists are self-explanatory.  They’re considered heroes of the people, heroes in general, they strive to be heroes, or they’re the source of inspiration for others.

  • Saitama is a hero in One Punch Man, but he’s a little different to many protagonists because of his motivations and actions.
  • Deku can be considered a hero since that’s the whole point of MHA and his overall goal.
  • Goku is another character who’s seen, viewed, and looked at in this light. At least in DBZ.

And Naruto Uzumaki is seen as a hero of the leaf village and has a lot of respect from his peers and everyone around him.

 

Featured image: source

 

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