i've never tried counting them for actual stories. mostly cuz i don't know yet what characters i'll need;; there's also lots of "filler characters", meaning they're there to make friend circles or important groups look populated. and i usually do have names, designs and simple personalities for them (somewhat unavoidable to think about the character as you draw them in your world, huh). for my current comic, as far as major characters go... my current count is at... 12. there's definitely way more tho, like i said;;
several main characters is deff hard to juggle. Oda of One Piece juggles 9 of them and has taken to splitting the main cast apart to make room for arc-relevant characters. but it can be done! i do think you gotta prioritize and have some idea of why that character exists, i think. like in One Piece, you can get a sense for which strawhats are more prominent and in what situations - they each have a role that comes from their job in the crew, allowing them all a chance to be useful to the events.
