What do you think is the single most annoying trait for a protagonist?

Fanfiction or otherwise, it's the same answer for me: the retarded self-doubt common to anime and slashfic protagonists. A story can't move if it's pausing to reassure a whiny child every other scene.

 

Probably the desire to protect one's loved ones manifesting as a clumsy, pseudo-noble plan to push them away for their own good.

It's a pretty common little story arc for heroes - something bad happens to a friend, or something happens in the world that reminds him that his friends are in danger merely by associating with him, and he resolves to be cold and shitty to them so they'll leave him alone and thus not be in danger anymore.

It never, ever works and it always goes the exact same way, where his friends have to knock him over the head with the True Power of Friendship and have him come to his senses. And it hardly ever leads to good character development since you have to kind of downgrade your hero's intelligence to get them to that point, and having him snap out of it usually just becomes a return to the status quo.

 

Moral philosophizing. It has it's place, but I'm sick of character arcs where the main character freaks the fuck out over killing a bad guy, portraying it as this hugely traumatic experience they will never recover from. Particularly when the dead-ee is basically Hitler, in a setting where no one should care to start with.

 

As said, whiny and angsty protagonists. It's ok to have some self doubt or have a crisis of some sort but I don't want to read about it for more than 10k words. Actually, even 10k words is pushing it.

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Like Harry saying he won't kill people because that's what Voldemort does? I hated to so much.

 

It's probably just Japanese sensibilities but the retarded sexism displayed by most protags in anime. Stuff like they won't fight a girl or want to protect them because they're a girl. The Fate route of FSN exemplifies this with Shirou and Saber.

 

Idiocy. I dislike unintelligent protagonists. They usually flail around for half the story, get a power up with pure luck and go on defeating the big bad with the power of friendship. Fuck that.

 

So..... going by this thread everyone thinks Harry Potter was a terrible protagonist?

 

That's probably why writing HP fanfiction is so popular, along with Intelligent!Harry fics.

 

The "everything is black and white" mentality and guilt by association. HP with it's Gryffindor vs. Slytherin is a good example of this.

 

Harry's not stupid, despite doing stupid shit every so often. I personally think the main problem of the HP-verse is the lack of nuance. There's good and evil and very little in between.

Plus, as Lord Helmet said. "Good is dumb."

 

A lack of curiosity.

I also dislike guilt-ridden POVs.

 

Logic!Harry.

When the protagonist applies logic to magic and the wizarding world. How boring. It's usually just a reason to pick apart canon and peoples actions so the author can do what they think should of been done in a certain situation.

 

Honestly, there are plenty of things that can really bother me about Protagonists:

1. Initially living in an abusive household, because God forbid a hero can grow up in a loving environment.

2. Getting any major advantage without really earning it.

3. Getting any major advantage without really using it to its full extent.

4. Dumb, comedic sidekick only really there to make us laugh at something (including himself), because God forbid the sidekick can be a badass in his own right.

5. Super-hot, super-intelligent babe only really there to hook up with the protagonist, namely since they're the only eligible woman within a hundred miles.

6. Moral problems with killing Hitler. Either make the bad guy not as evil, or just kill the Hitler.

7. Being an idiot for no better reason than the Plot demanding it.

8. Spending most of your time angsting. A little, well-earned angst is fine, but when half the Fic is moaning about any number of topics, it just sucks.

 

I think my biggest irks are always less about characters traits and more about how the story and narrative deals with them.

Overly angsty, whiny protagonist? Fine, as long as the author isn't trying to get the reader's sympathy. Has a naive black and white view of world? Can be used as a cool character development device when put in a situation with a hard choice to make.

If I were to name what tends to be done poorly the most often:

- Selflessly nosy characters. It can be done well, but most often than not you can't help but think "Go get a life, man" or that they barely feel like human beings at all. Also, stop sticking your nose into people's lives. Most common in VN-based anime.

- Self righteous characters. Usually paired with a antagonists who are pathetic and genuinely "evil" for even more contrast along with a dash of hypocrisy. Again, can be done, but this is where you need them to be presented with grey morality and really interesting antagonists. Stories about "good vs evil" almost always suck.

- Cruel and vindictive characters portrayed positively. You know, your old revenge story. Except rather than being a tragedy, the author writes it as if you're meant to cheer the main character as he tortures his enemies. You know, the type of story which opens with Harry casting crucio on Vernon and Petunia - badass Harry right?

- The hero who spends the whole story wishing he was "normal". Freaking hell Harry, if you were normal, you'd be a nobody in a Muggle school being bullied by Dudley again. And you can't say you want to be normal when you keep sticking your nose into every mystery you come across.

 

That typical bloody naive character who thinks the work revolves around him, and gets a massive wake-up call when they realise that they aren't.
I actually see this a lot in published books, and 95% of the time it pisses me off.
Recently, the newest rangers apprentice did this. It was boring.

I disagree, but am too lazy to argue.

 

Nothing wrong with good vs evil provided they also acknowledge that grey exists.

 

Pretty much this. Especially when it can be used to worldbuild without resorting to ham-fisted exposition.

Passivity. Characters who have to be nudged to 'do something' by support characters.
Bored with life characters.

Preaching.

 

Naruto is a textbook example of everything I hate in a protagonist.