The 4 rules to a perfect male protagonist in anime & manga

nigga deku's not even the protagonist

he's the guy who will die to inspire the protagonist

mind fuck right? 120 chapters of a manga and it's just the prologue.

>>153689384
This. Mirio is inheriting OfA and is going to go on all sorts of adventures with his competent and quirky friends

>>153689264
1 Luffy starts out pretty strong but not crazy strong that he can solo anyone in his verse.

2 he slowly gets stronger and starts realizing he isn't strong enough to protect weaker crew members from the most powerful threats in verse and starts trying to desperately make up new ways to get stronger

3 his goal is to to become the most free person in the world and find adventure

4 he looks like a skinny kid who doesn't even seem that strong and kind of goofy

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>>153689264
1. He's dumb and will forever be dumb
2. PIE END
3. PIE END
4. He's pretty good looking.

Deku is the worst part of BnA

>>153689264
>Gary stu

Boku no Hero would be a better manga in every way if Tintin was the protagonist.

>>153689976
I almost stopped watching because of him. I only continued because i had nothing else to watch. The show was going ok and the high points was whenever all for one's power was used. The rest is him crying and being a fucking bitch.

>>153689503
There should be a number 5 which is don't have a longer than necessary story

If you want to perfect a certain type of character, maybe. That sounds like an underdog-everyman. Not every series is going for that; not even all successful shonen manga have one.

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>>153689264
I imagine being in a series that isn't total shit is also a key requirement for something described as "perfect." I'm not really concerned with perfection, but here's a current candidate for an excellent male MC.

>>153689976
No but he's incredibly bland

>>153689264
What's the problem with bishies?

>>153690186
Self inserting.

Goku alone refutes 2-3 of these.

>>153689503
Pretty much the first time Luffy was in a fight that he realized he couldn't win was against Aokiji. Before that he could defeat all his opponents if there was no fuckery on their part.

>>153690214
I'd rather insert myself into a bishie desu

>>153689264
1. Johnny starts the story of as a cripple who loss his fame
2. Johnny's Stand develops from being a finger gun to a Dimension piercing bullet , he also learns how to get back on his feet metaphorically

3. Johnny desires to get the Macguffin of the part so he can walk again and is willing to do anything to get it
4. He's a JoJo Character

>>153690214
I'd find it more believable if the girls fell for someone beautiful rather than the average-joe

>>153690464
I'd find it more believable if the girls had different tastes in men rather than falling for the same guy.

>>153690660
Reality is cruel, huh?

>>153689264
I would say maybe add one half step of
> He must have something in the first chapter/episode that makes us the viewer want to follow him
or something like that and 1 I say you can have a lead that is at his peak provided the series is basically watching the downfall of said main character.

But other than that, agree.

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>>153689264

>>153691018
Is this Implying shinji meets this criteria or doesn't?

>>153689264
That is a very narrow minded approach towards character writing.

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>>153689264
>Deku
>not bishie

>>153689264
Has there been a story where at the start the protagonist is the strongest and no one can touch him. but as the story goes on he becomes weaker (either physically or mentally) and becomes a shell of his former self?

>>153691250
he's cute but not bishonen

>>153689264
one punch man breaks all those rules, but the last one.

Actually. I don't think many break that first rule.

>>153689264
>he must be weak
Saitama, the most powerful mothefucker from the get go
>He must develop in a linear curve
Spike Spiegel, was Spike from Ep1 all the way to the end, his character arc in a way was in the past.
>He must have some personal goal in life
Shinji Ikari has no idea what he wants out of life.
>He must not be a bishie
Himura Kenshin is very pretty.
Rules set in stone for fiction are stupid.

>>153689264
Deku sucks shit though. You clearly have no idea what makes a great character.

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>>153690285

>Kid Goku started off strong like a Gary Stu and solo'd everyone without any training whatsoever at the start of Dragonball

Wut?

>>153689264
You might as well call this 4rules to write a generic male protagonist in anime

>>153692130
>Kid Goku
>Gary Stu
Fucking kill yourself

>>153692015
>Saitama
>Spike
>Shinji
>Kenshin
All you did was prove his point by listing shit characters

>>153691967
>Actually. I don't think many break that first rule.
kenshiro, dark schneider, ryo saeba, onizuka, kenshin, arale etc etc

thread is retarded because different stories need different types of protagonists

>>153692240

I'm saying he's not a Gary Stu.

>>153692270
right...

>>153691967
>one punch man breaks all those rules
And OPM is shit. Concidence?

>>153692015
>>153691967

>citing pointless comedy gag manga with monster of the week like OPM

Kys.

>>153689264
deku is the one of the least likable protagonists in shonen, and literally ruined the first season of MHA by being so bad.

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>>153689264
Hi

>>153692275
>Kenshiro
Is the least interesting character in HnK
>Dark Schneider
BASTARD is shit
>Ryo Saeba
Comedy
>Onizuka
Comedy
>Kenshin
RK is shit
>Arale
Comedy and isn't the protag.

>>153692275
So if anything breaking that first rule seems to be almost a guarantee that your show will be better than most everything else.

>>153692428
see
>>153692327

>>153692433
>city hunter is comedy
you're a complete mongoloid

>>153689264
I might argue with points 2-4 but you're terribly wrong if you believe in 1. Especially if it's not a shonen.

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>>153692463
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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?

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>>153689264
Explain this

>>153692275

>Onizuka

His personal goal was to be a great teacher. He was not great at it in the beginning. OP's first rule probably implies that "strength" is relative to his goals. Not relative to physical power.

>>153690290
His first fight had him losing to a mountain bandit.

>>153692575

His goal is to lift at the gym and get girls.

Did you not watch the show?

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>>153692575
Or even better, explain this

>>153692634
Yeah, but he is strong since the start, so the 1st rule would be broken

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>>153689264
>perfect male protagonists
>uses BnHA

you forgot he must not be an insufferable cunt who cries at every turn. A situation where he would actually need to cry (losing friend or someone important) would lose its significance. Imagine how much better the show would be if he had Gon's personality. He ultimately made BnHA a show for teens

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>>153690729
don't know why i lol'd but i did

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>>153692730
>>153692375
>>153690045
>>153689976
>>153690078
>>153690132
>>153689384
>>153689442

>>153692715

He should be weak relative to his personal goals.

The idea should be that the protagonist should be improving. If he is not, the plot comes to a standstill.

>>153692730
It's hilarious how nobody gave a shit about Gon until the Chimera Ant arc and now he's the bet protagonist ever

>>153689264
>He must not be strong in the beginning, otherwise the story is ultimately pointless since he has already reached the peak of personal development.
What if he starts out strong and then gets kicked down a few pegs? What if he must get much stronger to survive (and what if he can't?)?

>He must develop throughout the story in a linear curve
I simply cannot conceive of anything more boring. Even getting bullshit powerups at dramatic moments is at least stupid enough to be amusing.

>His looks must be average or ugly, but never perfect.
>how to make a perfect protagonist
>he must never be perfect
woah

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>>153689264
He checks out

>>153690290
Idk, Crocodile was pretty rough

>>153692912
it's hilarious how you think that is true

maybe stop basing your knowledge on the minority that is /a/

>>153692433
>it's comedy so it doesn't count
You sure are fucking stupid.

>>153692857
Well, even with this perspective, he didn't improve anything in those two goals. He didn't got any girls and he is still a deadweight when it comes to running.

>>153692611
That was in a flashback which was over 600 chapters into the story

>>153693062
It is. Nobody cared about Gon before Chimera Ants

>>153692270
>>153692351
Cowboy Bebop's a great show, maybe one of the greatest animea of all time, and Spike is arguably its best character

>>153692575
Mob is so mentally weak that he doesn't need anything else to be a protag.

>>153692951
>Yusuke
>Goals

Nigga was a bum.

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>>153692948

The linear curve is there to prevent things like the aforementioned picture. You have to show the audience some proof that the protagonist is improving and getting closer to his personal goals.

If he is stalling with no progress for 26 episodes, then it is a complete failure.

If he shoots upwards and achieves his goals immediately after 3 episodes, then the audience gets bored for the rest of the series.

Is this not reasonable?

>What if he starts out strong and then gets kicked down a few pegs? What if he must get much stronger to survive (and what if he can't?)?

It is fine, as long as his personal goal shifts and the protagonist wants to improve. The point is, if you are already strong relative to your personal goal and you don't want to improve, then the audience has no reason to care.

>>153692433
OP didn't say anything about being a comedy or not.
The rules applies to all sort of manga and anime (according to OP).

>>153693187
>/a/
>good taste
Pick one

>>153692433

What does the genre have to do anything with it, you retard?

>>153693209
He wanted to be strong and that was his primary motivation through most of the series.

>>153692849
Fuck off Deku, your character is obnoxious and you made me stop watching for 2 months after the first 5 seconds of episode one before coming back.

>>153693255
>>153693250
>>153693090
Comedies are purposely overexaggerations and most of the "development" are non-existent since it always gets reset by status quo

>>153690290
to be fair east blue is the super weenie hut junior of one piece and the first grand line super villain was way stronger than luffy and beaten by fluke/overconfidence

>>153689384
But how can frog girl become the main character?

>>153693252
I'm gonna pick "good taste." Although I watch a lot of anime, I don't browse /a/ very often because it's a shit hole. I'm only in this thread because I saw it in the Popular Threads section on the home page and I thought it looked interesting.

>>153693301
So you're autistic?

>>153693220
But the idea of Shinji in Eva wasn't to made the perfect protagonist.

The idea was to show exactly what it shows, a weak person with no goals, or you could call it the worst protagonist

Deku has been the only likeable protagonist I've seen in years.

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>>153689264
Ikoman from Kabaneri was a good protagonist. He was never weak, yet never overpowered at all either, and had a straightforward yet good goal in the show

>>153693630
>Ikoman from Kabaneri was a good protagonist
Nope.

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>>153693630
>good protagonist
>never weak

>>153693630
>Ikoman from Kabaneri was a good protagonist
No

>>153693739
He was weak as shit and had to compensate with machinery, and even then he ate shit like a bitch and got infected in his very first fight.

Ikoma turned out to be a pretty dull screamer boy protag, but you're incorrect to try and refute that one particular point.

>>153694129
He couldn't even beat Biba

>>153689264
>then ultimately his existence is pointless because the anime is pointless
Just like any other.

>>153689264
Gintoki pretty much breaks all of these rules and he is a great protagonist.

>inb4 it's a comedy so it does not count!
The serious arcs still exist so I would say it counts.

>>153693098

I'm not familiar with the manga at all, but if his character doesn't develop beyond what has already happened in the anime, then this might be an example of a bad character then.

Mob is a strong psychic, this is true. But we've already established that his psychic ability has nothing to do with his personal goals.

First you must ask. What are the goals of this character? To go to the gym and get fit? Why? To get girls. To be more popular. To make friends.

It is clear that he has some sort of autistic personality and isn't a very social kind of guy. He wants to CHANGE.

You have to examine it from a mental perspective. Does it change at all? How is his life changing? Is that salesman guy a positive influence in his life?

If he has no visible changes and no character development, then yes, its a bad character. But considering that he already has gone through some small changes in the anime already, I think its not that bad.

>>153694129
>Literally barrels through a horde of Kabane just to spite the people on the train who left him for dead
>Weak

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Which is why this motherfucker is the greatest protagonist of all time.

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>>153689264
Refuted points 1,2 and 4 on every possible level.

>>153689264
If by perfect you mean boring and uninspired then yes this list is accurate

>>153694850
He's pretty great. The manga is 10x better than the anime tho

>>153692270
We can name hundreds of anime characters that defy the dumb ass constraints set by the OP and you'll simply say they're shit characters BECAUSE they defy those traits no matter the success or platitudes of the show.

Troll thread folks move along nothing to see here.

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Well then OP you must think pic related is one of the best male protagonists there is..

>autistic qith crippling depression with not one single friend, and never talks to girls in the beginning
>weak in the beginning
>has a clear goal
>Keeps slowly working towards said goal
>Gets stronger not only physically but mentally and emotionally
>starts making close friends
>starts talking to girls and gets a gf
>avg looks

Still one of the few animes that have made me feel something and made me shed tears because of how incredibly relating it is in the beginning, and makes me feel like I'm not completely alone.

Also good inspo for when I workout or box

>>153694850

Keima is a flawed character in the beginning and eventually overcomes his mental problems as the series progresses. He only liked 2D girls, but as gradually turned himself around and accepted 3D.

>>153694898

If a character has already perfect, then what is the point? If he is weak for the entire series, what is the point?

I'd like to know who these interesting characters are. Here is your (You) though.

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>>153692575
Yes, Mob. My baby forever.
He does have goals. Get /fit/ and Tsubomi-chan.
My goal? I want to lick the sweat off his face.

>>153693630
>was a good protagonist
I agree. However, he was definitely weak. His fighting skills were terrible and never improved much; his main asset in battle was his ability to take unlimited damage. Also, he could be emotionally weak sometimes, like when he gave up in episode 11. I don't think those are drawbacks to his character though.

>>153695077

None of those characters defy anything.

Really the only characters that defy OP's list are probably comedy gag characters like Gintoki and Saitama.

How exactly does Spike and Kenshin defy the list? Kenshin isn't even the strongest guy in his series. It took a lot of effort for him to even beat Shishio, and his master is so far above him, its not even funny.

Spike wasn't that strong. And even he had his own flaws, and was troubled by his own past. His personal goal was to find Julia. It has nothing to do with his physical strength. I think people are misunderstanding #1.

>>153692327
>>153692433
>>153693324
>>153693324

>Implying comedy doesn't compose about 50% of seasonal anime releases

Reading the OP again you can really see that it's all pretty much bullshit. Let's go through some points.

>The 4 rules to a perfect male protagonist in anime & manga
Since you don't specify any genre we can pretty much include any protagonist right? Right. Except not since the rules don't apply to comedy/SoL as you already pointed out.

All the rules are reasonable from a narrative stand point but they do not guarantee a good protagonist. As in the protagonist might make sense in the narrative if he follows those rules but that doesn't equal him being interesting.

>If he does not have any goal in life and the anime is just Slice of Life Comedy, then ultimately his existence is pointless because the anime is pointless.
This is where I start to wonder if you are baiting or just being retarded. Is shounen all you watch or something?

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>>153692327
OPM is great. Fuck off hipsters.

>>153696563
But it isn't great, anon.

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>>153696746
You didn't even try, anon.

Can you just not imagine any sort of story that isn't a coming-of-age battle shounen? Because that's what your rules seem to be for.

Something like Mushishi would be ruined by them.

>>153696807
Me disagreeing with you is not bait. I just don't like it.

>>153689264
Fist of the North Star proves you wrong

>>153696862
Raoh was the hero.

>>153692433
Kenshiro served his role in the story perfectly well, even if he wasn't that interesting

Even if you think he doesn't apply you can make the same argument with Rei or Toki, which break all but one of OP's terms.

>>153692433
>RK is shit
What's the matter with you?

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Shin is the best character in Fist of The North Star

>>153689264
>The 4 rules to a perfect male protagonist in a bland shonen anime & manga
FTFY

>>153696997
That's not Fudo.

>>153696997
It's kind of dissapointing how little focus he gets. His only role in the story prior to the last arc's retcon is to be the guy who finally pisses Kenshiro off enough that he learns how to use Hokuto Shinken properly.

All of the other Nanto Roku Seiken are fleshed out much more, including Juda who only appears for 3 episodes.

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>>153689264
Fuck off OP

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>>153697007
>bland

>>153696395

>This is where I start to wonder if you are baiting or just being retarded. Is shounen all you watch or something?
.
No it doesn't just apply to shounen. It applies to pretty much any genre with a plot. And SoLs are sometimes excluded because they just don't have a plot to begin with and might be a gag manga.

I believe the main character must have some sort of personal life goal that ties in with the plot.

Some willingness to change himself. Some sort of aspiration in his life. It's called character development.

If he remains static for the whole show, then what is the point? It'd be just like any typical gag manga where there is no plot.

The reason why I point out strong and weak is not because I hate strong characters or weak characters. I hate characters that remain static. It is because they are strong, that they are unwilling to change themselves because they are already perfect in their own view.

And if they are weak, and they remain weak because of the writing, ultimately, I feel like I wasted my time.

I also have to point out again that this has nothing to do with physical strength. When I say "the main character has to start off weak", it is relative to their life goals.

If the main character's life goal is to get a harem, and he gets one already, then what else is there to his character? Nothing. He has to start "weak". In other words, he has to actually work from zero obviously.

>>153696809

Has nothing to do with battle shounen. I already listed other examples. This can apply to dramas and romcoms too.

>>153697240
Not even Jojofags will agree with you

>>153697278
You have extremely rigid ideas about storytelling. You should try reading more.

>>153697338

I'd really like to know what kind of fiction that is out there that requires zero character development for the main character with absolutely no aspirations in life. I'm actually seriously asking.


Outside of Saitama from OPM or other gag manga that is not taken seriously.

>>153694876

Reinhard starts at the bottom of the heap as an improverished noble, his sister made a concubine/political hostage of the emperor and slowly rises to the rank as emperor and destroying the class system.

4 I will concede to however.

>>153692575
1) Mentally weak. Mob is really bad at social skills and wants to become more appealing, handsome and charismatic.
2) He is developing as he grows thanks to Reigen's lessons. As well as it inspires other people to grow too.
3) His personal goal is to grow physically stronger, be handsome and popular to get the girl. He tries really hard.
4) Mob is the cutest. I can't argue with you about that.

>>153697240

If Jotaro was so strong and perfect, why didn't he just oneshot Dio instead of dragging it out for 2 seasons?

>>153692015
None of those are shonen characters, though. Except Kenshin. And the criteria still applies to him having a goal, and having to develop himself mentally because he is always releasing his Battousai persona even though he wants to live at peace

>>153697523
Try the fucking Iliad for starters.

For more modern examples, there are whole well-known genres that don't fit into your rules, like lovecraftian horror or love stories. Even the grandaddy of modern epic fantasy, LotR, doesn't fit.

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>>153689264
I can't refute it.

This is your perfect male protagonist for the night.

>>153697786
Oh, and this is before getting in the subject of literary fiction

>>153697523
I already suggested Mushishi as a particularly glaring example. Not everything is a coming-of-age story about some kid fulfilling their dreams. Thank fuck.

>>153697697
He starts out the series as a fleet admiral with most of his main cast of admirals already in his employ.

If you want to take your reasoning to it's logical conclusion, the only characters that don't pass point 1 are the people who came out of their moms fully formed and muscled, like some kind of Greek god. Otherwise, everyone is a baby at some point.

Reinhard also doesn't really develop all that much. He is incredibly competent at the start of the story, and is incredibly competent at the end. His rise is really more his plans coming to fruition and and the pieces falling into place, rather than something that comes about as a part of a change in his character.

>>153697786

I'm not familiar with the other stuff, but why doesn't LotR fit?

I'm assuming Frodo is the main protagonist? His goal was to deliver the ring to Mordor.

His character also changed as the story progressed.

>>153697218
This.

>>153697993
Frodo slowly loses his way thorough the journey to Mordor. The ring finally corrupts him when he's moments away from throwing it into Mt. Doom. His character matures spiritually, but he's almost constantly, increasingly miserable and broken. Middle-Earth is saved through sheer dumb luck or divine grace, depending how you want to see it.

About the Iliad: Achilles, from the point we see him, is already by far the strongest person involved in the war. The whole plot only happens because he gets pissy and withdraws from the fight for a few days, otherwise the trojans wouldn't even dare attack the achaeans. His only major development is growing past his godlike temper near the end of the poem.

Lovecraftian horror should be obvious. People aren't generally overcoming the odds in those.

>>153697993
Frodo's quest is not a "personal goal", it's a mission he was assigned. He does change, but he doesn't really improve in any skill.

Light has a goal, but he doesn't get any more skilful in using the Death Note to carry it out.

Almost any murder mystery starts with a competent protagonist that gathers clues rather than gaining skills.

>>153698272

I think people are getting mad and think I'm baiting by saying everything needs to be a shounen story where they're overcoming the odds or something.

Really I think my point is, the main character should have some tangible goal that he should set out and do. Whether he ultimately succeeds in that goal or not is kind of irrelevant. And most likely, they do fail in Lovecraft I guess.

If he accomplishes his goals too easily, then there is kind of no point to the story. If Frodo delivered the ring to Mordor and it was trivial, would it really be as good of a story? Or is it more about the struggle and the journey that takes him there more important?
>>153697934

Not familiar with it I guess. I'll add it to the backlog.

>>153698321

>Frodo's quest is not a "personal goal", it's a mission he was assigned. He does change, but he doesn't really improve in any skill.

I mean the wording is different for each case, but I essentially mean the same thing. It is what the main character has set out to do.

>Light has a goal, but he doesn't get any more skilful in using the Death Note to carry it out.

I am not talking about their personal skills. I am talking about "progress" towards their goals.

Light's plan was carried out and progressed, even though it ended in failure.

Frodo's adventure was carried out and progressed.

Everything is relative to what each main character actually wants to do. Are they progressing? Because there are a lot of main characters who have goals that remain static and useless in anime.

>>153698740
Your rules are (supposedly) about the protagonist. If the progress happens outside of the protagonist, it does not fit your rules. The progress of Light's plan is not progress of Light's character. To make your rules fit you would need to abstract them to the point of uselessness. "The story needs to go somewhere". Thanks, genius.

Anyway, how about A Christmas Carol. Scrooge's development is not related to anything he set out to do - it was inflicted upon him. He doesn't start weak and get strong - he starts with one set of principles and ends with another. His progress is nothing like what you describe.

>>153693417
Good taste.

Autists and Fujos don't like characters that aren't edgelords.

If a character has a relatable human struggle or genuine emotions it gets lost on them.

>>153699161
>>Autists and Fujos don't like characters that aren't edgelords.
Define edgelord then, because I am definitely sure a bunch of co-dependent NEETs or the average sports club isn't what most people would call "edgy".

>>153689264
So, Naruto?

>>153699270
I should've included waifu/husbando bait characters and edgelords.

All of your basic autism bait.

>>153699067

Honestly speaking, I'm not even sure the main character even has to develop or change. It'd be great if he did, but at the bare minimum, I'm just asking there to be a tangible goal for the main character to carry out in the beginning to go from point A to point B.

>The story needs to go somewhere

The thing is, sometimes the story does go somewhere, but the main character still doesn't accomplish much. He hasn't changed much.


And yeah I'll concede that it doesn't work for things like A Christmas Carol. It only works if the main character is directly influencing the plot.

It also doesn't work for other series where the main character is so trivial, he might as well not even exist. And the side characters generally outshine him. Like World Trigger or something.

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>>153693153
I did faggot

Recommend me some anime where the male protagonist stays mostly weak and is dependent on other characters around him, bonus points if it's females.
I already watched Claymore, Witch Craft Works, Mirai Nikki and RE:Zero

>>153699846
OP here.

Watch World Trigger. It's essentially what made me create this thread, if you really want to know.

>>153693153
I cared about gon UNTIL chimera ants.

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>>153689264
By this logic that would imply you don't like Onii-sama and that simply can't be true.

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>>153699894
You should have used best boy in the OP image.

>>153689264
Please stop

I'm honestly surprised that so many people hate Deku. He's a nice kid. On the contrary, I hate Bakugou. He's so goddamn annoying.

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Breaks one and two.

>>153695114
He lost his goal along the way and just wants that Miyata boipuss now and forever.

>>153689264
God can't wait see how gorgeous Madman Deku's going to be.

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>>153701417
>watching through the first and third stories
The first one especially was depressive as fuck.
And then there's the fourth one which is the ultimate tear-jerker in my book.

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>>153701417
HOLY SHIT IT'S LIGHT YAGAMI

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>>153689264
Why no one mention Kenichi

4/4 points

He is literally the perfect protagonist. He started below the ground weak , he even had a metal weakness that he started to surpass in later chapters

Btw kenichi needs a remake

>>153689264
Gintoki stuffs all four of these categories and he's one of the best protagonists Jump has right now.

And if we're talking about weak underdog MCs that hit all your checkmarks, Osamu from World Trigger does it better than Deku.

>>153701724
Kenichi ended like 2 years ago it doesn't need a remake.

Even ignoring that it was garbage for half it's run

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>>153692463

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>>153689264
can we just agree that mineta would be a better protagonist then deku

>wanting more beta, self-insert MCs
>calling these overdone, boringass tropes '''''''perfect male protags''''''''

Jesus you insecure 17 year old kids really need to stop watching anime, you're killing the industry.

All a protag needs is a compelling journey where he learns something significant or gains a new perspective. Flaws are also important to have, but they don't need to be anywhere near as formulaic as you listed.

>>153701997
Elaborate? Most of it didn't look forced plot ,
The only reason it need a remake is because it's over, time to finish the anime adaptation

Deku's autism is endearing enough.

The real problem with the series is that Todo is BORING with a capital everything. And yet the series keeps trying to pretend he's super cool and interesting. He really just isn't, and the fact that he's supposed to be one of the 3 male leads just brings the whole thing down as a whole.

OP is the grapefag.
Do not reply to the grapefag
Do not tigger the grapefag
He alone ruined boku no pico academia threads

Its not fair to judge Deku when you just watched 13 eps of that underwhelming adaptation. The absolute madman

>>153690045

Tintin is the ultimate shounen protag.

Prove me wrong.

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>>153689264
1) He must be weak (physically, mentally, or both) at the start of the story. He must not be strong in the beginning, otherwise the story is ultimately pointless since he has already reached the peak of personal development.

He can be talented in some things but as long as he has a flaw or weakness that he must overcome it's still good.

>4) He must not be a bishie. His looks must be average or ugly, but never perfect.

He can be a bishie as long as he has other flaw(s) he must overcome.

Basically the main character doesn't need to be a self-insert for everyone. The only the thing that is needed is a flaw or weakness he must overcome. Sometimes he doesn't need to realize it's a flaw until later in the story (like in Ajin).

In fact if he starts out a blank slate with no strengths or characteristics other than being an average looking weak loser it can get boring be cause that kind of self-insert character is bland and generic.

>>153689264
Kenshin disproves all of this.

>>153695595
>Kenshin isn't even the strongest guy in his series. It took a lot of effort for him to even beat Shishio, and his master is so far above him, its not even funny.

Hiko is stronger than Kenshin, but the only reason Kenshin struggles at all with Shishio is because he's limiting himself the entire time by using the sakabato. Kenshin lands fourteen consecutive hits in the space of a few seconds that Shishio is unable to react to, each of which would kill him in a single strike if the blade were sharp. Kenshin is just that much more skilled.

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Proof that your rules are BS.

Why would anyone want to slog through 100-200 chapters of someone being a weak bitch floundering around and barely surviving just so they pull some supersaiyan shit out of their ass to win every time. Starting out weak is fine, but these mangas never show any forward progress until the last second because the protag remains in a level scaled environment. It's pure bitch-nerd fantasy and it's boring.

>>153705687

No he doesn't. Because strength and power was not the point to his character. His personal goal was to atone for his sins, not to become stronger to protect his nakama.

Although that did sort of come to a point later on anyway. He still needed effort to beat most of the major villains.

I think people misunderstand. Just because its a battle shounen doesn't automatically mean that the main characters goal should always be getting stronger physically. I think it varies.

The idea should be that every main character needs some tangible goal that they can realistically achieve.

>>153705931

Onizuka wanted to be a great teacher. Yes he was strong physically, but that wasn't the point of the manga. His goal was to be a great teacher, and the manga showed forward progression towards those goals.

He has to be weak in relation to what the mc actually wants.

>>153706144

Well yeah. If its last second power ups, then its probably shit writing. There should be some indication that the mc improved beforehand.

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>>153689264

>>153706728

Onizuka never gets any stronger. He was already retardly strong in Shonan Junai Gumi.

He wants to be the Greatest Teacher in Japan.

1) He's physically strong and mentally tough. The only thing he is not is book smart. He does manage to score a perfect score in 2 weeks but that's not really any sort of personal growth.

2) He makes other people gain personal skills. He doesn't gain any personal skills. He's already good at making friends and teaching his class with his weird antics. Kanzaki and Kikuchi learn from Onizuka. He doesn't learn from them.

3) He is already strong, trains everyday. He wants to get laid but this will almost never happen because he doesn't sleep with his students even though that was his goal in the start. His method to being the Greatest teacher is just being himself.

>>153706891

You have to ask yourself. Did he start off as a great teacher starting from chapter 1 though?

Was him changing his students lives trivial? No it came with some modicum of effort.

I think you have to separate character growth from goals. The tangible goal that the mc is trying to achieve here is leading by example.

Again physical strength and skills are irrelevant because the manga isn't even a battle shounen anyways.

>>153707054
Physical Strength Irrelevant?

Smashing Walls, Fighting Gangs, All sorts of shenanigans where strength is key like jumping off a building.

His students even admit Onizuka is invincible before half way into the series.

He changes other people because he is so mentally and physically tough that his students couldn't break him. They also find him likable and start to accept him.

It's not battle shonen but every problem student challenges and wants to best him in his/her own way. They only respect him after their plan fails because Onizuka comes up with a plan and they realize Onizuka cares for them.

>>153707295
>Physical Strength Irrelevant

Yeah, because Onizuka's goal wasn't to get stronger physically. Thats why its irrelevant.

I didn't really write that rule 1 clearly enough. When I say the protagonist should start off weak, I meant to say he should start off at a blank slate regarding his goals.

If Onizuka started off as a great teacher right off the bat and solved every problem trivially, then the manga becomes boring.

You can be the strongest character ever physically and get laid whenever you want. And it won't really matter if the goal of the manga is to be a great fisherman for example.

>>153707465
It's his physical strength and mental stubbornness that makes him accomplish his goals.

Onizuka is actually a great teacher from the start. Honesty nothing about his teaching method changes. He's always cared about students who are marginalized because he was one of them. The only thing he learned very early on was he was not going to sleep with students.

The reason why he is enjoyable to watch is because they know how to build tension. He's always on the verge of getting fired. Faced in what most people would deem an impossible situation like having 1 hour to score a perfect score in a 6 hour exam while bleeding profusely from fighting a bunch of goons.

But he's just so amazing he does it anyways. Onizuka uses his strength for many of his solutions.

To answer your question. The Strongest Person ever would have an easy time being the greatest fisherman because he can do what no other normal fisherman can do. He can cast a huge net and pull up all the fishes by himself. That's what Onizuka does. He's not an ordinary Teacher. He comes up with weird ways to solve the problem.

>>153701473
You should keep up to date.

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>>153701028
I wish WT would come out of hiatus.

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>>153689264
so, is he perfect?

>additional points for having an inner struggle between one goal and another (love vs hate)

>>153708408
>>153701028

Check >>153708619

>Not just naming this MHA so its easier to find
Seriously

Also, I'm sick & tired of waiting for one of you losers to deliver

I'm gonna draw Mineta graping Momo & bacon walking in on it & hanging himself at the sight of ahoge MYSELF

And it will be a great drawing, no one draws better drawings than me, believe me

>>153704358
Fuck off and die

Just because OP has higher IQ than most of you doesn't mean he's me

Although if he's over130 IQ then he should be a Grapesbro

>>153689264
This is standard and Deku is shit.

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>Ichigo was a good protag
-until the aisen arc-

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He must:
1) be dark haired, with spiky hair, medium colored skin and average height;
2) be an average high schooler or have that age;
3) like a girl;
4) win through "determination", "muh friends" and evolving somehow during fights but never training outside of it.
Bonus point if he is dumb (so funny) and loves to eat (because gluttons are so funny).

That's the apparent mindset of 100% of mangakas and it's B O R I N G.

>>153689264
>All anime is battle shonen

>>153689264
>"only one genre of anime exists"
we didn't need 200 replies to refute this bait

>>153689264
>linear curve
Are you retarded?

MC must be older than 21
Does not breakdown and cry like a bitch every episode
Must not have a bland personality
Must not be outshined by other characters in the personality area
Must not be a retard oblivious to other peoples view of MC
Must not be 12 years old
Must not be in a school setting/student
Must not only believe the good side of humans

>>153692015
Op's points only work for one kind of story.

OP isn't about Saitama working hard to achieve something, it's about various characters with moral failings engaging in philosophical debates with Saitama and either they learn that their personal worldview is flawed, or they refuse to learn and Saitama destroys them, acting as a physical manifestation of the indifference of the cosmos.

>>153693102
That was the very first chapter.

>>153701733
>Osamu from World Trigger does it better than Deku.
Nah he's just boring as fuck

>>153691505

Death Note?
Speaking of, Light basically doesn't follow any of those rules and it makes for a more interesting MC than most shonen manga - although it has more to do with the antagonist than him.