Which traits are the most important to you in a Protagonist?

[arbiterswake]

When it comes to the protagonist of your story or other stories you digest, which traits do you find yourself drawn to the most when it comes to a protagonist? Why do you gravitate toward those traits? Choose any that apply, and if you have others feel free to share them below!

• Stoicism- the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.
• Bravery- courageous behavior or character.
• Pragmatic Thinking- dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical solutions.
• Capability- the mental fortitude, will power or ability to do something or make a change.
• Isolationism- a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other characters or the world.
• Leadership- the action of being able to lead, and bond together a group of people or an organization.
• Physical Ability- The degree to which the character can manage the physical tasks such as fighting.
• Other- A trait that was not listed here.

Vote now!Show results

[allenT]

I picked 'bravery' and 'other'.

Bravery
I don't think people would like a protagonist who is a coward till the end.
I can see this will have high points on the poll.

Others: Authenticity
I like protagonists who are true to themselves-- at least mentally, even though situations make them to put on fake impressions.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

I'll be honest, in entertainment, I like a wide variety of protags.

But when I write, these traits are the most important to me.
Stoicism
Bravery
Capability
Leadership
Physical Ability

[cherrystark]

I'm similar to @nathanKmcwilliams. I like my protagonists to display a variety of traits. I would also add humility to the list. I'd like to see characters be humble, willing to ask to help, and step aside when another character is better for the job.

[im_not_pixie]

My knee-jerk votes were for bravery, capability, and leadership. I like protagonists with these traits because they tend to get things done, just like real people with those traits. Now I think about it, there are other traits that I think a protagonist must have that aren't listed here, because an effective villain could have any of the traits listed in the poll. A hero needs stuff like a moral center and a self-sacrificing nature...that sets them apart from the rest.

[simplykit]

to me he or she must be...

sexy

[simonitropunk]

A protagonist trait especially the heroic type to be brave, capable and also willing to learn. You can always make the protagonist already strong but it would be boring if he/she did not work for it. Even in the current timeline of the story, they can have faults and willing to look passed it and learn to get better. Make them... human! Also, give them some badass moments for the sake of awesomeness every now and then

[impossiblesoul]

I like protagonists that start off small - even at times petty, snotty, pessimistic, or just generally dislikeable. A start like that gives more room for character development.

If I had to go with one of the regular options, I'd say capability or leadership. I like the coming-of-age story wherein the protagonist starts off lower than the other main characters but later comes across some experiences that develop him so much that he earns a position of leadership with an ambitious raison d'etre that embodies and symbolizes him.

[IndigoShirtProd]

None, for the most part, of the traits I favor in a protagonist were not listed, except for physical ability, so I put other. I tend to favor:
Cleverness or Intelligence
Resourcefulness
Open-mindedness
Friendliness
and Wittiness.
Not all protags I like have these traits and not meeting all of them leads to the doesn't mean I'm not going to like them. Though I tend to latch on to those who are clever and friendly, like Midoriya from MHA or Marinette from Miraculous, those who are witty and friendly like Flash from the justice league or Danny Fenton from Danny Phantom. And my favorite character encompassing many of these traits is Spider-man. He doesn't fit them all but he's a good baseline.

I don't usually write my characters like this though. Some are witty, some are open-minded, for the most part they're all friendly. I just don't it's as interesting to write characters who share many of their traits. Some is inevitable but most would be boring.

[Kiweevil]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[elyss]

The closest is stoicism, but that's not it for me personally. I like a protagonist who acts within the logic of their character. If their character is an emotional train wreck who lives in the moment, then them thinking logically would be confusing, for example.

[domisotto]

Other: they must be super-fun to write and read about

[Vanesalisa]

An ability to stand up for themselves and others

[Inspector_Spinda]

I picked stoicism to an extent. I'm okay with a character complaining or pointing out the craziness of a situation, but it has to be clear they're willing to handle it. Otherwise I find a complaining hero possibly the most annoying thing in the world and I will feel the urge to jump into story and assault them.

[NickRowler]

I picked other because I mostly just care about them having Empathy.

[oshirockingham]

I like many varieties of traits, but the ones that interest me the most are (which aren't listed above):
Resiliency.
There are exceptions of course, but most of the time, it's difficult for me to care for a stoic protagonist, I like the one who feels the pain and recover to fight back.
and of course,
Good genes.
(More importantly for the male character) Because good looking protags are the ones that stole my attention before finding out the other traits.

[surenlicious]

I picked none of these. Because what I want is to see a main character that hasn't had the usual start in life, who may be struggling mentally and can basically pick themselves up from the ground without undermining their struggle. There is strength in hardship too.

[snailienz]

I don't particularly look at any specific trait in a MC, the main thing is having a personality at all, really. So many comics I see have the main cast kind of...just saying the information they want to tell the reader with no personal touch at all. That's really all I want is like, something that makes me as a reader see your MC as a person.

There are certain traits I LIKE to see, such as the mc being lgbt, or perhaps them having a kind and caring personality.

[Puck]

The character has to be interesting, funny and I somehow have to relate to the protagonist.
The background story of the character already has to be super interesting.
I like characters with a lot of weaknesses.
Characters who are strong from the start and have no negative sides are
boring for me