I agree with what above comments stated: the protaganist being relatable and the help of the antagonist.
I think a relatable character helps the reader connect more to a character and their world (for me, personally, anyway). If I’m reading about a character that is too far-fetched for me, I can sometimes clock out or just not connect as much to what I’m reading. I like reading about characters with different life experiences and lifestyles from mine, but it helps having some sort of relatabiltiy. It can even come down to one aspect, like a character being super different from me but having my type of humor. That’ll peak my interest.
I also think the antagonist really does help make the protagonist. The two can work and build off one another in wonderful ways, and their relationship can keep a story gripping.
