Pinball Protagonist: Difference between revisions

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Many characters will have pinball episodes where they are simply overloaded with too many problems in far too short of a time frame to do anything effective.

Compare [[The Watson]] and [[The Ishmael]]. Also compare the [[Romance Genre Heroines|Waif]] and [[Master Character Heroines|Persephone]] archetypal characters, both defined by the ability to bear up under hardship (an undervalued heroic quality often [[Flanderized]] into a passive characterization). This can be seen as [[Villains Act Heroes React]] taken to an extreme. Not to be confused with [[Useless Protagonist]], where the main characters make ''no'' attempt to make themselves seem important, although these tropes may overlap over time. Contrast with a [[Young Conqueror]] [[Hero Protagonist]], who actually drives the plot and makes the villains react to them.

Compare [[The Watson]] and [[The Ishmael]]. Also compare the [[Romance Genre Heroines|Waif]] and [[Master Character Heroines|Persephone]] archetypal characters, both defined by the ability to bear up under hardship (an undervalued heroic quality often [[Flanderized]] into a passive characterization). This can be seen as [[Villains Act, Heroes React]] taken to an extreme. Not to be confused with [[Useless Protagonist]], where the main characters make ''no'' attempt to make themselves seem important, although these tropes may overlap over time. Contrast with a [[Young Conqueror]] [[Hero Protagonist]], who actually drives the plot and makes the villains react to them.

For a detailed overview on the use of passive heroes who get tossed about between situations with little control over their external destiny, try ''[[The Seven Basic Plots]]'', especially the ''[[Rags to Riches]]'' plot and ''Voyage and Return''; the passive hero is ''supposed'' to be undergoing [[Character Development]], of course.

== Anime and Manga ==

* Most harem-leading males are pinball protagonists. The main characters of [[Ah My Goddess (Manga)|Ah My Goddess]] (though this depends on the arc and the adaptation), [[To Love Ru]], [[Rosario to Vampire]], [[Sora no Otoshimono]], [[Steel Angel Kurumi]], [[Maburaho]], and [[Rozen Maiden]] all have main leads with no ambition, aside from trying to live normally under ridiculous circumstances. To be fair, most harem shows don't have much plot to begin with, though. [[Princess Resurrection]] (at least in the anime) [[Useless Protagonist|barely has the lead male do anything at all]].

* Most harem-leading males are pinball protagonists. The main characters of [[Ah! My Goddess (Manga)|Ah My Goddess]] (though this depends on the arc and the adaptation), [[To Love Ru]], [[Rosario to Vampire]], [[Sora no Otoshimono]], [[Steel Angel Kurumi]], [[Maburaho]], and [[Rozen Maiden]] all have main leads with no ambition, aside from trying to live normally under ridiculous circumstances. To be fair, most harem shows don't have much plot to begin with, though. [[Princess Resurrection]] (at least in the anime) [[Useless Protagonist|barely has the lead male do anything at all]].

** [[Hayate the Combat Butler (Manga)|Hayate]] falls into this category until the time comes for {{spoiler|Athena's reappearance}}, and he still has to be pushed into things even then, but he has drive.

* Until the climax of ''[[Osamu Tezukas Metropolis]]'', Kenichi and Tima spend most of their time wandering from one [[Scenery Porn]] locale to the next, occasionally getting shot at. Tima may also qualify as a walking [[MacGuffin]].

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* The main character of ''[[The Sharing Knife]]'' is somewhere between this and [[The Ishmael]]. In terms of plot, almost everything that happens is because of her primary love interest, with her dragged along for the ride. When fighting starts, said love interest is impressive even for a member of the resident [[Superior Species]], whereas she's physically unsuited to combat and tries to stay out of the way. However, as the series progresses she learns more self-confidence. To the point that when her husband is threatened, she defies an entire camp of sorcerers to ride out and rescue him.

* [[The Witcher|Geralt]], in the saga. Mostly because the setting is populated with dozens of wizards, nearly all of them [[Plan|planners]] of various degrees. Hell, his person isn't even important to the plot.

* The protagonist and narrator of Iain Bank's ''A Song of Stone'' is an aristocrat called Abel living during in a civil war. He starts the novel trying to escape from the country with his [[Brother Sister Incest|wife/sister Morgan]] but gets caught up with a group of soldiers and has very little control over the plot from that point onwards.

* The protagonist and narrator of Iain Bank's ''A Song of Stone'' is an aristocrat called Abel living during in a civil war. He starts the novel trying to escape from the country with his [[Brother-Sister Incest|wife/sister Morgan]] but gets caught up with a group of soldiers and has very little control over the plot from that point onwards.

* [[Older Than Steam]]: The 1554 Spanish picaresque novel, kicked off by ''Lazarillo de Tormes'', is the [[Trope Maker]]: the protagonist is almost always a circumstance- and happenstance-dependent drifter through life, with very little proactive situations. In the 1700's, English picaresque fiction (such as ''Tom Jones'' or ''Peregrine Pickle'') inherited the trope.

* ''Stuck in Neutral'' by Terry Trueman has a justified example that's probably impossible to top. The main character can't control his muscle movements enough to communicate in any fashion, and it's commonly assumed by those around him that he doesn't even have a mind. The "plot," such as it is, is his commenting on how his life is and how people react to him, with him unable to change anything {{spoiler|even to save his own life.}}

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* The playable duo from [[Resident Evil Zero]], Rebecca and Billy don't do a whole lot over the course of the game. The only character interaction that isn't between them or other S.T.A.R.S. members is running into the [[Big Bad Wannabe|final boss]] of the game. Any plot developments happen in cutscenes, involve Wesker and Birkin, and are completely separate from what the protagonists are doing.

* [[Dragon Age II]]: Hawke is the main character, but for most of the story is just reacting to the events that occur around him, with Isabella and Anders being the main driving forces in the plot. Many fans felt this was a step back from the first game, where the player could make some pretty massive changes in the would depending on the choices they made.

** Arguably though, ''that was the point''. The game's framing device is [[Unreliable Narrator|Varric]] rebuking [[Conspiracy Theorist|Cassandra's]] assertions that Hawke was the [[Big Bad]] and the events of the game were [[Wrong Genre Savvy|all part of some grand evil plot]] to bring all of Thedas into chaos and war; {{spoiler|by the end of the story, Varric has made it obvious that Hawke ''isn't'' some larger-than-life figure that changed the world through his/her actions, just an [[One Man Army|exceptionally powerful person]] [[Right Man in The Wrong Place|caught in the middle]] of a descent into madness that was caused by [[Inherent in The System|various societal tensions]] that had been building for a thousand years.}}

** Arguably though, ''that was the point''. The game's framing device is [[Unreliable Narrator|Varric]] rebuking [[Conspiracy Theorist|Cassandra's]] assertions that Hawke was the [[Big Bad]] and the events of the game were [[Wrong Genre Savvy|all part of some grand evil plot]] to bring all of Thedas into chaos and war; {{spoiler|by the end of the story, Varric has made it obvious that Hawke ''isn't'' some larger-than-life figure that changed the world through his/her actions, just an [[One-Man Army|exceptionally powerful person]] [[Right Man in The Wrong Place|caught in the middle]] of a descent into madness that was caused by [[Inherent in The System|various societal tensions]] that had been building for a thousand years.}}

* Samus becomes one during the course of ''[[Metroid Other M]]''. The events on the Bottle Ship would have played out pretty much the same way if she hadn't been involved.

** Your Mileage may vary there - without samus, The marines would never have been able to get into the ship and start disrupting MB's plans, and if Samus hadn't defeated {{spoiler|both Ridley and the Metroid Queen}} then the chances of the marines stopping the [[Colony Drop]] would have been all but impossible. She also went there with a dedicated purpose, and stuck with it throughout the whole game; it's just the game was closer to being the story of MB/Adam, making Samus more of a [[Supporting Protagonist]].