Protagonist
main character of a creative work
A protagonist is the main character of a story. It can be used for any kind of story: in literature, a movie, a television show or a play. The protagonist is also called the central character or main character and is often the hero of the story.
Protagonists are usually moral and benevolent, helping other characters to change their badness to become good again, or defeating the bad characters. This is not always the case. For example, the protagonist in Psycho is a serial killer.
The protagonist's name can sometimes be in the title of the fiction he or she is in, for example:
- In Harry Potter, Harry Potter is the protagonist.
- In the animes Naruto and InuYasha, Naruto and Inuyasha are the protagonists.
- In the tragedy Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the prince Hamlet himself is the protagonist of the story.
- In the comic book series Batman and Spider-Man, Batman and Spider-Man are the protagonists.
- In the Mario and Sonic Games, Mario and Sonic are the protagonists.