The narrative structure of a story hinges on a protagonist. A person propelled by the events of their environment or antagonist/villain that ventures out to meet their goal. Different types of main character range from heroes, antagonists, and anti-heroes certainly stand out. I have countless of heroes that I find interesting but only one category consistently interests me: the former bullied protagonist. A protagonist who once had zero aspirations or goals that evolves after finding their calling. My aim for this post is to explore how this type of character behaves and the elements behind them.
Protagonist vs Hero
Any English or writing class will tell you that a story needs a protagonist. A protagonist is a vessel that drives the story regardless of the events. A hero, however, is categorized as a type of protagonist that has its own unique traits. Heroes like Superman or Captain America always have virtuous values that will always do the right thing. A protagonist is a character that has a specific goal that they strive to meet by the end of their journey.
All stories must have a protagonist, but not all stories need a hero.
Master Class
A bullied protagonist is a character with a tormented background. While not necessarily colorful like the death of a loved one, their circumstances are less than desirable. They aspire to do good, yet their main goal is to better their standing in life. Villain storylines are common with this practice yet main characters that are constantly berated operate under different parameters. Instead of lashing out and causing harm, a bullied protagonist attempts to better themselves and help others along the way. Although the bullied protagonist may be shy, they make it a priority be supportive of others. Mainly because they understand that no one else should experience such discomfort.
Common Factors
Regardless of the archetype of the protagonist, it is common for certain elements to repeat. The deciding factor of originality resides in the protagonist’s environment/journey and how they choose to begin their adventure. Anime protagonists like Kobayakawa Sena (Eyeshield 21), Ippo Makunouchi (Hajime No Ippo) and Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia) start off in similar situations. A high school setting where the character is too weak to stand up to their bullies. They simply put up with the constant hazing because they do not process any outlandish goals. The more practical goal the better, and the most practical is to survive.
As mentioned before, these three characters want more out of life but lack the courage to change. That is until a certain event pushes them to embark towards a sound goal. This is not to be confused with the hero character; a character type that starts the journey due to an antagonist/villain. The bullied protagonist is different because instead of answering a threat, they answer their calling. It was certainly practical to survive before, but the concept of applying themselves to something that the excel at is more rewarding.
Sena and Ippo found their calling through sports due to applying their daily routines to their practice. Midoriya would be the odd man out due to his dream of becoming a hero due to his idol All Might. That does not discredit the fact that he overcame his torment and lack of ability to push for his goal. More importantly, the characters listed found strength and camaraderie through their activities that was not present before they started. Each of their storylines shows that their origins started with a purpose that created unshakable resolve to be the best.
The Essential Side Character
Contrary to most storytelling formats, bullied protagonists do not willing participate in the journey at the beginning. Essentially, the protagonist’s response to the adventure hinges on an event or additional character. The protagonists listed previously all commonly share an important side character that introduces them to their new objective. Rokuro “Rock” Okajima (Black Lagoon) is the gold standard for this concept. Ultimately, Rock was kidnapped by foul-mouth killer for hire, Revy. Her goal was to ransomed Rock’s life for extra money pertaining to their already questionable mission. Having the ransom idea regrettably backfire, Revy decides to keep Rock along with their group.
While side characters are essential to the protagonist’s development, a side character that introduces a main character is crucial. A bullied protagonist has a mild goal at the start while their veteran side character has more loftier ambitions in mind. Yoichi Hiruma (Eyeshield 21) and Mamoru Takamura (Hajime no Ippo) both have goals to become legends in their respective sports. While other characters like Kamina (Gurren Lagann) and Revy (Black Lagoon) inspire or educate the protagonist on how to survive throughout their journey.
The side character to a bullied main character is a reverse of the character roles. The side character at the start is both mentor and often friend. As time passes, the bullied protagonist gains more wisdom and applies their knowledge to their growth. While the main character has filled in their role as a protagonist, it was only possible with the side character’s invitation.
Former Bullied Protagonists Outside of Anime
Not all bullied protagonists come from the Japanese medium. I admittedly got caught up with using those examples due to my recent revisiting of some favorite past anime. Shifting gears, arguably the most compelling tormented protagonist of the past century goes to Walter White (Breaking Bad). Matching the description above, Walter is mild-mannered and puts up with his mediocre lifestyle to make ends meet. However, over the course of the show, Walter transforms into something far more than a tormented protagonist. What sets him apart is how his goal mutated to helping his family to ultimately becoming a renowned villain.
In a lighthearted story, I easily see Breaking Bad being a comedy about Walter trying different science schemes to help his family. A show capable of showing Walter’s motivation to earn money legally to help his family after he passed away. Nevertheless, I am much more grateful to the story that Breaking Bad was about. A middle-aged character with the longing of something better and obtains it through the morale bankrupt practice of cooking meth. Certainly not a behavior to be idolized, but it certainly makes for a damn good show.
Conclusion
Although heroes with the tragic background exist, I find a bullied protagonist is more gripping narratively. At the start of their journey, the protagonist finds themselves at a dead end with a less than desirable lifestyle. Over time, they meet other characters that push themselves forward to achieve a goal that they thought was impossible. Whether the writer decides to have the protagonist be good or bad in their pursuits makes for interesting concepts. A bullied protagonist that chooses to use their newfound purpose for personal success have my vote over heroes any day.
Leave a Reply