The protagonistis always the most important part of a series. They’re the focal point of the story and the viewpoint through which the audience experiences that story. A good protagonist can make a good story great, while a bad protagonist can end up letting it down.
It’s usually pretty easy to tell who the protagonist of a series is. They’re often one of the first characters to appear, and their perspective is communicated to the audience. However, sometimes anime can pull a fast one and switch the protagonist out when it’s least expected. Here are some anime that have decoy protagonists in their stories.
6Shinn Asuka (Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny)
Shinn Asuka is a member of the military organization ZAFT, and the pilot of the Gundam Impulse. His family was killed during a fight between ZAFT and Orb, and he continues to hold a grudge towards Orb because of this. When three mobile suits are stolen by a terrorist group, Shinn is sent off to retrieve them, aided by Athrun Zala,a character from the previous seriesSEED.
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Shinn acts as the protagonist ofMobile Suit Gundam SEED Destinyfor quite a while, until the death of a loved one spurs his anger to greater heights. He ends up under the sway of Gilbert Durandal, remaining by his side when he eventually reveals himself to be the final villain of the series. The role of hero from that point is taken up by Athrun and Kira Yamato, who was the protagonist of the originalSEED.
5Nanao Nakajima (Talentless Nana)
In this show, mysterious monsters known as the “Enemies of Humanity” have begun to appear, and children with supernatural abilities called “Talented” appear in response to fight them. In order to develop these “Talented” to protect humanity,a school is created for them. Nanao Nakajima is a seemingly Talentless student who quickly befriends a transfer student named Nana Hiiragi.
The story follows Nanao Nakajima as he struggles with bullies from school and tries his best to become Class President. When he reveals his Talent to be canceling out other students' talents, Nana reveals her own secret: she is actually Talentless, and is an assassin sent to kill all the Talented before they threaten humanity themselves. She throws Nanao off a cliff and immediately begins to serve as the protagonist for the rest of the series.
4Takashi Waku (Bokurano)
During summer camp, fifteen children discover a strange cave where a man claims to be working on a gamewhere a giant robot destroys enemies invading Earth. The children agree to contract into the game, with Takashi Waku being the first to do so. Later, when the invasion turns out to be real, Takashi is the first to pilot the giant robot, called Zearth by the children.
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Takashi seems like he’d be the protagonist of the series, but after his first voyage, he accidentally falls into the sea and dies. It is soon revealed that Zearth takes the life of whoever it pilots, meaning that Takashi died before he had even fallen into the sea. The series follows the rest of the children as they are forced to pilot Zearth in order to protect their planet.
3Taiju Oki (Dr. Stone)
Taiju Oki heads to school, insistent on confessing his love to his longtime crush Yuzuriha Ogawa. Before that happens, he is turned to stone by a strange light, along with the rest of the world. Thousands of years later, Taiju finally manages to break free of his petrification, but he finds himself in a strange world all by his lonesome.
All is not lost though, as his friend Senku Ishigami has also broken free, and is hard at work trying to restore civilization. Senku and Taiju begin working together to de-petrify the world,but Senku and his brilliant inventionsquickly take center stag while Taiju fades to the background. Taiju still plays a substantial role in the story, but it is fairly clear after a certain point that Senku is the real protagonist of the story.
2Kamina (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
In an alternate world where Earth is ruled by the Spiral King Lordgenome, humanity has been driven underground, while villagers known as diggers dig the ground to expand such homes. Simon and Kamina are diggers who one day find a Core Drill and a machine called a Gunmen. The discovery leads them to form a team to revolt against Lordgenome, with Kamina using Gurren and Simon using Lagann to create the combined Gunmen Gurren Lagann.
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At first, it seems like Kamina is the main protagonist of the show. He has a bold and heroic personality, and he actively pushes the story forward through his actions and motivations. However, he dies early in the series, leaving Simon to fulfill his dream instead. Simon remains the protagonist for the rest of the series,with his growth and developmentallowing him to fill in the role left by Kamina.
1Jonathan Joestar (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Jonathan Joestar’s life is flipped upside down when Dio Brando comes to live with his family. Despite his attempts to be friendly to Dio, Jonathan is rewarded with only contempt and mistreatment. Their rivalry continues as adults when Dio uses the Stone Mask to become a vampire, killing Jonathan’s father in the process. Jonathan sets out on a journey to destroy Dio,kickstarting a massive storylinethat continues to this day.
Jonathan Joestar passing the torch of protagonist to his grandson Joseph is a tradition that many associate withJoJo, but it must have been a surprise the first time it happened. Jonathan’s death was unexpected for those experiencing the story for the first time, especially those who watched the anime series and did not expect a protagonist switch so early on.
