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Due to the nature of the medium, this is primarily a [[Literary Tropes|Literary Trope]], though media closely related to literature may also use it.
Related tropes (that often accompany this) include [[Supporting Protagonist]], a POV-character who is a protagonist, just not the "main-main" one; and [[First-Person Peripheral Narrator]], a narrator character who isn't a protagonist. In those terms, this trope describes a "main-main" protagonist who isn't a POV-character.
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* Roque Alva is arguably the central character of the ''[[Reflections of Eterna]]'' cycle, yet there has never been a single chapter describing what exactly is going on in his head.
* The Sister of ''[[My Sister's Keeper]]'' is, until the very last chapter, the only main character that doesn't narrate a chapter. The book only has a few characters, and asides from Kate, the only characters who don't get to narrate are the Judge, a bartender named Seven, and a dog.
** A similar thing happens in ''[[Handle with Care]]'', when, until the last chapter, everyone but Willow (the main reason for the plot) narrates.
* Due to the fact that she's dead, the mother in ''[[As I Lay Dying]]'' never narrates a chapter. Again, given the fact that she's dead, this isn't unusual until you consider the title.
* Andrew Jackson is treated like this in ''[[Trail of Glory]]''. It might be argued that he is the most important character in the story, but we always see him from the outside.
* We never get [[Sherlock Holmes]]'s point-of-view in all but two of his mysteries, only [[The Watson|Watson]]'s.
* Similarly, [[Erast Fandorin]] has only been the POV character in five out of thirteen books about him.
* Caddy from ''[[The Sound and
* Carrot Ironfoundersson from [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'' books. He's an important character, yet we never see what he thinks. Other main characters' POV are frequently presented. There's a theory that this might be due to the fact that he's not exactly as innocent and simple - minded as he appears to be, and Pratchett doesn't want to show it.
** Carrot gets occasional POV sequences - the first little bit of ''[[Discworld/Guards! Guards!|Guards Guards]]'' and the odd page or two in other books are through his eyes. [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Vimes is just a much more interesting character.]]
* Admiral Thrawn from [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]. He's an [[Anti-Villain]] antagonist, to be precise, but we have narration from the POV of Imperial characters - except him. Never from his point.
* Happens in ''[[Stargirl]]'' by Jerry Spinelli. Leo talks about his [[Manic Pixie Dream Girl]] friend Stargirl, but she never narrates. Sort of inverted in the sequel, ''Love, Stargirl'', where Stargirl narrates and discusses her relationship with Leo but he never narrates.
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== [[Video Games]] ==
* Thanks to some [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall]] in the ''[[Baten Kaitos]]'' series, the ''player him/herself'' is the point of view character, being cast as the "Guardian Spirit" of Kalas (EWatLO) and Sagi (Orgins). While the two are the main characters of their game, they are not the POV characters, a distinction that has some very interesting effects in ''Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean'' as {{spoiler|it allows Kalas to be [[The Mole]] and betray the party, you included}}.
* Masterfully played in ''[[Heavy Rain]]'': you can overhear the thoughts of every character but one of them ''never'' shows their true feelings even when thinking. So, in effect, you get a protagonist whose POV you ''think'' you know but you really don't until the end.
* Princess Ashe is the real hero of [[Final Fantasy XII]], but the game's story is told through the eyes of Vaan, a street rat who stole the right [[MacGuffin]].
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Literary Tropes]]
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