History Main / AudienceSurrogate

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Daniel Molloy is a stand-in for the audience whenever he brings up the fact that Louis de Pointe du Lac is an UnreliableNarrator (the latter even acknowledges "And you can imagine what time's inevitable hammer does to the minute details"). Daniel has doubts about the veracity of Louis' second account in 2022 because it's so dissimilar to the first interview in 1973, so viewers must also ponder if Louis is indeed painting a "more nuanced portrait" of the past, or if the additional 49 years have further muddled his memory.

* Kyon, the only OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent in ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya''. This is probably also [[StupidSexyFlanders the second reason]] why he is [[LauncherOfAThousandShips the most frequently shipped character]] in the fandom.

* One of the ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' [=OVAs=] used this, "filmed" in the first person from the perspective of an unnamed probationer alchemist who interacts with Fuhrer King Bradley and Roy Mustang before a giant alchemist vs. homonculus battle.

VideoGames usually use a variant of this, the FeaturelessProtagonist. ThisLoserIsYou is an Audience Surrogate by definition. SuperTrope for AscendedFanboy, TheEveryman, GreekChorus and UnfazedEveryman (See CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions for an explanation of the difference), and related to EscapistCharacter and OtakuSurrogate. Parent of LeadYouCanRelateTo (see parent/child relationships page). Examples below should not cover these.

In visual media, the subject doing a BackToCameraPose is usually invited to be the placeholder for the audience.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** ComicBook/{{Robin}} was introduced to the comic in order to appeal to the young audience who bought it. Even among the various Robins, [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake (Robin III)]] is often cited as the easiest to relate to and identify with as he ''wasn't'' an orphan, acrobat, or street rat [[spoiler: although he became the first one in ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'']]. Just a regular kid who knew Batman needed a Robin.
** This is also a big part of the reason why [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie Brown]] is so popular, especially among female readers. Like Tim, she's not an acrobat, an orphan, or a street rat, but ''unlike'' Tim, she's also not a super genius or particularly rich. She's not as poor as Jason Todd, but she comes from a working class background, and [[BadassNormal her skills are largely limited to what a teenager could actually do]], making her a lot easier to identify with.

* ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis:'' Super-Boy Prime is an interesting example. He's from Earth-Prime, which is portrayed as the "real" Earth, ''our Earth''. He was a Kryptonian and the only super-powered person in a world without them, and everything he did in the Multiverse could be read in the comics. He is what happens when you give a bullied kid superpowers and take his world away from him, make him kill so much, then put him ''back'' in his world, a world where now, everyone ''hates'' him. And to think, he used to be a sweet little kid that read Superman comic books, dreaming that he could be like him....
* Presumably, ComicBook/JimmyOlsen existed for the same reason: to be Franchise/{{Superman}}'s normal, youthful buddy.
* ComicBook/MsMarvel2014: Kamala Khan is in many ways a modern version of Peter Parker. She's obsessed with ComicBook/TheAvengers and superheroes in general, and partakes in a number of common nerd activities like reading {{Shoujo|Demographic}} manga and writing fanfiction.

** Probably the most well known audience surrogate in comics is also one of the most popular characters, which is largely cited to be ''because'' of how much he qualifies: [[Franchise/SpiderMan Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man]]. His status as this is part of the reason he was created and why he sold so well.
** ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson became one as well. She was intended by Lee to bring a more contemporary "teen spirit" (specifically TheSixties or Lee's approximation thereof) to a setting whose portrayal of adolescence was TwoDecadesBehind and a little square. She was a little independent, had a more cavalier attitude to dating, and was far less angsty and obnoxious than Peter's supporting cast at the time (Harry, Gwen, Flash). Her more adventurous and spunky attitude, the fact that she liked Spider-Man and wanted to accompany Peter to see a supervillain rampage had her embody the attitude of many superhero fans in the pages.
* ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} filled this role during her first adventures in the Silver Age: she was Superman's plucky, young sidekick who helped him out as she explored his world.

* ComicBook/KittyPryde in 1980s Franchise/XMen is a teenager and a major geek just like most of the readers. There are even scenes where she's shown to be into comicbooks.

* ''Fanfic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'': This is one of main roles of Shinji, showing the reader what it would be like living with a super-heroine -- Asuka, a. k. a., ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'' -- who you are in love with, witnessing her heroic deeds but also enduring all complications and trouble such a relationship entails (her being in danger constantly, her enemies breaking into your apartment or kidnapping you, being her confidant and support...)

* Agent [[MauveShirt Phil]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse Coulson]] from the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse has ended up being this trope by default. Originally created in ''Iron Man 1'' for the [[RunningGag purpose of saying SHIELD's full name and being told it was too long]], he [[BreakoutCharacter caused such an impression with his little time on air]] that he scored a role on the following movies of the MCU and became a CanonImmigrant to the comics, probably because of [[ThisLoserisYou his characteristics that allow him to represent the aging comic book fan]], and at the same time [[EscapistCharacter do awesome things ]] like [[BadassNormal hanging out with his favorite superheroes despite having no superpowers himself]] and fire a [[SlowLaser laser gun]] at the BigBad. He even gets to acts a little like an AscendedFanboy in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' without losing his charm.

* Bella of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' has a very inconspicuous personality, her actions are often hard to interpret, her characterization is only implied and the story is told in the first person so the audience can project themselves onto her very easily by disregarding some elements of said characterization when they contradict their views. Creator/StephenieMeyer has even [[WordOfGod said on her website]] that she deliberately avoided describing Bella's physical features so that it would be easier for the readers to picture her as themselves.
** This is averted some in the later books as Bella becomes more like Meyer herself (similar tastes and such) and even moreso averted in the companion book ''Midnight Sun'', in which we learn minute details of Bella's personality through her conversations with Edward. For example, we learn all of her favorite films.

** ''Sherlock'' also has an unusual variation of Type 2 in "[[Recap/SherlockS03E0TheEmptyHearse The Empty Hearse]]". In the two years since Sherlock's (faked) suicide, Anderson and his group of followers have bee speculating on how Sherlock might've survived... just like the ''Sherlock'' fandom has been in RealLife. Cue Anderson's status as TheScrappy [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap being revoked]] and instead being given [[EnsembleDarkhorse darkhorse status]].

* ''Series/TodaysSpecial'': In most of the earlier episodes, Jeff assumed this role. As a mannequin who just came to life and had a lot to learn about the world, he would learn about everyday objects alongside the viewer. In later episodes, when Jeff had somewhat outgrown his NaiveNewcomer ways and AnAesop became more common for episodes, the role shifted Muffy, [[VagueAge who was technically older and already knew more than Jeff but had always acted more childishly]].

* In ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'', [[spoiler:K1-B0 is literally described as this by Tsumugi at the end of the final trial, since [[TrumanShowPlot his "inner voice" is controlled by an audience poll]].]]

* In ''WebAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'', Jessica Cruz knows nothing about the Franchise/GreenLantern Corps, hence Principal Waller has to explain all about the Green Lantern mythos to her and the audience.

* {{Word of God}} is that ComicBook/TheFalcon is this in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''. He eventually grows out of it, and [[Comicbook/KamalaKhan Ms. Marvel]] seems to be taking over this role in Season 3.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Frank Grimes in the infamous eighth season episode "Homer's Enemy". The character's sole purpose was to represent a realistic person from [[RealLife our universe]] -- accustomed to toil, pressures and hardship with little, if anything, to show for it -- transplanted into a [[CrapsackWorld universe]] that [[IdiotHoudini caters to and rewards the lazy and stupid]], and how it would understandably drive him/her ''absolutely insane''. Granted, his childhood was pretty exaggerated and far from being realistic so perhaps more of a caricature of a real person.

* Beast Boy acts as this sometimes in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. As the youngest, and the least smart, he sometimes has the science-y stuff explained to him by his more educated teammates (e.g. the Chronoton Detonator in ''Apprentice: Part One'', Xenothium in ''X'').
* ComicBook/JubileeMarvelComics is this in the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/XMen''. It's through her eyes that we're introduced to the REAL main characters and the mutant world at large.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongebobMovieSpongeOutOfWater'':

* Rick Jones, sidekick to the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk, is an audience surrogate originally created for young baby boomers. He's an ordinary, well meaning teenager, but one who has more of an authority problem than previous teen comics characters.

* {{Word of God}} is that ComicBook/TheFalcon is this in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''. He eventually grows out of it, and [[Comicbook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]] seems to be taking over this role in Season 3.

* Armor in the ''Anime/XMen'' anime.

** The MSPA Reader meanwhile represent the entirety of ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures'' readers, their sole purpose in-universe is to react to the [[MindScrew sheer weirdness]] of the [[JigsawPuzzlePlot story]].

* The unnamed heroine (dubbed [[FanNickname BB]] by the comic's fans) in ''Webcomic/TheBullysBully''.

* Kid Flash in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. He is the only member of the team with a remotely normal childhood, as well as the only one who lives in a two-parent household and attends public school. Rocket takes on this role later in the series, where other characters summarize the events of past episodes for her.

%%* Kagome Higurashi from ''Manga/InuYasha''.

* Kirie serves this purpose in ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'': asking the necessary questions as well as witnessing all the strange goings on in her cursed town; and her love interest, Suichi, plays the role of AuthorAvatar, providing many of the answers that would have been difficult to provide otherwise.
* Saten Ruiko from ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' is pretty much the only unambiguously normal person of the main cast.

* NaiveNewcomer Rakka serves as the audience surrogate in ''Anime/HaibaneRenmei'', as the other characters explain how the world of the show works and what the Haibane are to the audience through her.
* Armor in the ''Anime/XMen'' anime.

* In ''Manga/FinalFantasyLostStranger'', Shogo is a surrogate for the intended audience of the story: lifelong fans of ''Final Fantasy''. Because of this, he's familiar with all of ''Final Fantasy's'' core concepts, though it works both for and against him, as his foreknowledge doesn't always mesh with the way things work in the world he finds himself in.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'' has the main character Yugi Mutou. Jonouchi/Joey also had his moments that qualify for this trope.
* One of the ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' [=OVAs=] used this, "filmed" in the first person from the perspective of an unnamed probationer alchemist who interacts with Fuhrer King Bradley and Roy Mustang before a giant alchemist vs. homonculus battle.
* Benio of ''Manga/EngagedToTheUnidentified'', [[BeneathTheMask beneath her straight-A student mask]], has a [[BrotherSisterIncest Sister-sister Incest]] fantasy with a side dish of {{lolicon|AndShotacon}} tendencies. This is from a {{seinen}} {{yonkoma}} manga, which means a large number of the readership are {{otaku}}, who ''stereotypically'' have these kinds of fantasies.
* In ''Manga/ShirokumaCafe'' one episode has a character named Mr. Necktie who (despite the series takes place in a world where humans and animals live as equals) is completely surprised by the talking, walking animals and constantly questions their lifestyles, and the world in comparison to ours, as if he literally crossed through the fourth wall.

* In ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'', Kim often learns lessons that the people watching the show are supposed to learn. She's also introduced to the fairies and what they do.
* China in ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters''. She's not initially a fan of the Franchise/{{Gundam}} franchise, and thus provides the writers with numerous excuses to have other characters hurl exposition at her. Sekai of ''Anime/GundamBuildFightersTry'' and Momoka of ''Anime/GundamBuildDivers'' follow her example.
** {{Deconstructed|Trope}} with Hinata of ''Anime/GundamBuildDiversReRise'' as, while she once had an attachment to Gunpla and works in a Gundam-themed restaurant, she's the kind of person who just smiles and nods at everything. Thus, it leaves her LockedOutOfTheLoop when it comes to Hiroto's emotional problems concerning GBN.
* In ''Manga/{{Nisekoi}}'' background characters from protagonists' class will appear from time to time just to say things that male audience may as well want to say. Like expressing envy over Raku's harem or noticing how ridiculous at times is the fact that every single girl around him (except maybe Ruri) comes to like him romantically.
* Main character Homura Hinooka from the [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]] light novel series ''LightNovel/FireGirl''. It's through her that we get to witness her adventures and the grandeur and mechanics of the mysterious planet Imaginary Earth and why UNPIEP, the organization the Exploration Club is under, in-charge of exploring said planet, came to be in the first place.
* Chris Thorndyke of ''Anime/SonicX'' was intended to be this sort of character, but due to his wealthy life and excessive screen time, he just comes off as an EscapistCharacter and a SpotlightStealingSquad.

* ''Anime/BlackLagoon'': Rokuro Okajima, a.k.a. "Rock", is a white-collar Japanese salaryman who is literally kidnapped by the crew of the eponymous Black Lagoon. As such, he is the one to ask the questions and fill in the audience.
* Before ''Super'' was released, the ''Anime/MashinHeroWataruSeries'' was produced as a family-friendly show in mind. Therefore, the main cast has one character to represent a specific age demographic to give the audience someone to see themselves and learn AnAesop from.
** Himiko [[spoiler:and Toraoh]]: Children ages 6 to 8.
** Wataru: Elementary kids to pre-teens.
** Kurama Wataribe: Late-teens to young adults.
** Shibaraku: Working adults and parental figures.
* In ''Manga/BloomIntoYou'', the nurse serves this purpose within the [[ShowWithinAShow in-universe]] SchoolPlay, which is about an amnesiac girl hears three people's very different perspectives on her, and tries to decide which is the "real" her. Eventually, Yuu realizes that the audience doesn't know what the girl was like before she lost her memories, and concludes that it wouldn't make sense for her to choose one facet of herself, and discard the version of her that the audience saw in the play. As such, she convinces Koyomi to change the ending of the play, thus causing the protagonist to take the nurse's advice and stay the way she is, rather than "become" one of the versions of herself that she'd heard about.
* Moe Suzuya in ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'' serves this purpose for a series serialized in [[Magazine/MangaTimeKirara a magazine well-known for yuri subtexts]], and has substantial YuriFan readership. Half of the time, she does that the stated readers do: squeeing over the other girls' cuteness, {{Shipp|erOnDeck}}ing them, and more than often [[LovableSexManiac doing borderline indecent things to them]].
* Tiara of ''VideoGame/LapisReLights'' serves this role by being a new student at Flora Girls' Academy who enrolled in the middle of the semester and was a ShelteredAristocrat to boot. She frequently needs to be taught things like how classes work, the ranking and point system among the student body, and the exact mechanics of live performances called "Opera", which use MagicMusic to power their cities and the performers both.

* Karane Inda is the least crazy character of ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'', and as such, echoes similar reactions to the readers at the insane events of the story.
* Nobita Nobi from ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' is this type of character. This is especially evident in the 6 different versions of the first story; he is surprised to see Doraemon and Sewashi suddenly coming out of his desk drawer and questions their motives.
** When the manga was serialized in multiple magazines simultaneously by Shogakukan, Nobita, Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka's ages would differ depending on the target audience of the magazines. For example, they are little kids in the stories serialized in Yoiko (a magazine aimed at little kids).

* ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis:'' Super-Boy Prime is an interesting example. He's from Earth-Prime, which is portrayed as the "real" Earth, ''our Earth''. He was a Kryptonian and the only super-powered person in a world without them, and everything he did in the Multiverse could be read in the comics. He is what happens when you give a bullied kid superpowers and take his world away from him, make him kill so much, then put him ''back'' in his world, a world where now, everyone ''hates'' him. And to think, he used to be a sweet little kid that read Superman comic books, dreaming that he could be like him....
* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'':
** Probably the most well known audience surrogate in comics is also one of the most popular characters, which is largely cited to be ''because'' of how much he qualifies: [[Franchise/SpiderMan Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man]]. His status as this is part of the reason he was created and why he sold so well.
** ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson became one as well. She was intended by Lee to bring a more contemporary "teen spirit" (specifically TheSixties or Lee's approximation thereof) to a setting whose portrayal of adolescence was TwoDecadesBehind and a little square. She was a little independent, had a more cavalier attitude to dating, and was far less angsty and obnoxious than Peter's supporting cast at the time (Harry, Gwen, Flash). Her more adventurous and spunky attitude, the fact that she liked Spider-Man and wanted to accompany Peter to see a supervillain rampage had her embody the attitude of many superhero fans in the pages.
* ComicBook/MsMarvel2014: Kamala Khan is in many ways a modern version of Peter Parker. She's obsessed with ComicBook/TheAvengers and superheroes in general, and partakes in a number of common nerd activities like reading {{Shoujo|Demographic}} manga and writing fanfiction.
* Rick Jones, sidekick to the ComicBook/IncredibleHulk, is an audience surrogate originally created for young baby boomers. He's an ordinary, well meaning teenager, but one who has more of an authority problem than previous teen comics characters.

* ''Fanfic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'': This is one of main roles of Shinji, showing the reader what it would be like living with a super-heroine -Asuka, a. k. a., ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}''- who you are in love with, witnessing her heroic deeds but also enduring all complications and trouble such a relationship entails (her being in danger constantly, her enemies breaking into your apartment or kidnapping you, being her confidant and support...)

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/FrozenII'' with Mattias during Olaf’s recapping of the first film’s events. He is shown to be genuinely invested in the tale despite Olaf’s BadBadActing and his reactions to the events [[note]]such as shedding ManlyTears at the part where Anna is frozen[[/note]] mimic those commonly seen in audiences during the first film itself.
* Kenji from the movie ''Anime/SummerWars'' has no real personality outside of being an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent audience surrogate.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Most of the princes and princesses in the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon.

%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Luke Skywalker in the original ''Franchise/StarWars''.

* Director Creator/BruceRobinson used this trope so literally that the second half of his title duo in ''Film/WithnailAndI'' doesn't even get a ''name''. Creator/PaulMcGann's character (credited as "...& I" in the credits, but revealed to be named "Marwood" in the script) is never named in the course of the film, allowing the audience to more easily identify with his misfortunes.

* Lambert was meant to represent the voice and thoughts of the viewing audience in the original ''Film/{{Alien}}.'' ''"Get out of there, Dallas! NOW!"''
* Joe Black in ''Film/MeetJoeBlack'', particularly at the beginning (when he serves as the exploratory vehicle within Bill Parrish's estate), and the end, when he tears up watching the party-farewells and acts as the receptacle for Bill's summary reflections - essentially parroting the anticipated reaction of the audience watching the end of the movie.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'': Brad and Janet.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Viki Vale and Alexander Knox end up serving as this in ''[[Film/Batman1989 Batman]]''.

* Jake Sully in ''Film/{{Avatar}}'', who starts as an average Joe {{Everyman}} and ends as an EscapistCharacter.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Cindel Towani, the little girl in the ''[[Franchise/StarWars Ewok]]'' TV movies.

* The boy in the [[Film/TheLoneRanger Lone Ranger]] costume who is listening to an aged Tonto tell the story.
* Creator/KatDennings stated in [[http://www.presstelegram.com/arts-and-entertainment/20130911/while-marvel-gets-super-cosmic-in-thor-sequel-kat-dennings-brings-it-back-to-earth this]] interview that the character of Darcy Lewis in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' qualifies.

* In the film version of ''Theatre/{{Hair}}'', Claude was turned into a relatable, conservative audience surrogate, as opposed to his radical, obnoxious stage-version counterpart.
* [[Film/MadMax Max Rockatansky]] has served this role ever since ''Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior''. [[TheQuietOne He usually says very little]] and, while he does have his own character arc in each film, [[SupportingProtagonist none of them are his stories]]. He mostly wanders onto other peoples' situations, [[WorldBuilding allowing him to act as the eyes for the audience to see and experience different parts and stories of the post-apocalyptic Wasteland]].
* ''Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjay'' part 1 hints at this when Katniss's personal make-up stylist tells her:
-->'''Effie:''' "Everyone out there will either want to kiss you, kill you, or be you."
* Jesse Stone: Sea Change. Jesse is investigating a bank robbery case with an injured suspect. He asks the veterinarian if people bleed when they are shot. The vet tells him not always. As a 30 year veteran of the LAPD involved in many shootouts, Jesse would know the answer already. A young veterinarian in a small town might not know that. He's asking for the benefit of the audience.

* The four hobbits (Merry and Pippin in particular) in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' are normal folks from a mundane town without the wild eccentricities and heroic virtues of characters like Aragorn or Gandalf, allowing ordinary people to see to Middle-Earth through their humble eyes.
%%* Bilbo in ''Literature/TheHobbit''.

* Bella of ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' has a very inconspicuous personality, her actions are often hard to interpret, her characterization is only implied and the story is told in the first person so the audience can project themselves onto her very easily by disregarding some elements of said characterization when they contradict their views. Creator/StephenieMeyer has even [[WordOfGod said on her website]] that she deliberately avoided describing Bella's physical features so that it would be easier for the readers to picture her as themselves.
** This is averted some in the later books as Bella becomes more like Meyer herself (similar tastes and such) and even moreso averted in the companion book ''Midnight Sun'', in which we learn minute details of Bella's personality through her conversations with Edward. For example, we learn all of her favorite films.
* Firestorm in ''ComicBook/LessThanThreeComics''' Brat Pack. Even though he should be the opposite, what with his family upbringing and all. Sometimes Mr Perfect will take this role.
* Italo Calvino's ''Literature/IfOnAWintersNightATraveler,'' written almost entirely in the second person, is centered around two readers: one as a stand-in for male readers, another for female.
* Literature/HarryPotter is this, especially in the earlier books when he's just discovering the wizarding world. Even in the later books, after several years of spending time at Hogwarts and learning about magic, he doesn't develop extra knowledge about the wizarding world or magic, relying on others to give him, and the reader, the occasional InfoDump. Being [[TheChosenOne The Boy Who Lived]] does not always agree with his deepest wish [[IJustWantToBeNormal to settle down with a family and lead a normal (for a wizard) life]].
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': Arthur Dent.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* ''Literature/NeverWhere'': Richard Mayhew.

* ''Literature/LightAndDarkTheAwakeningOfTheMageKnight'': Daniel Fife makes his target audience clear by stating in the narration that Danny is an OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent and starting the book on the first day of school when the plot doesn't truly start until the following summer. Until then he's occupied with bullies and crushes.

* Charlie Bucket in ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', is an ordinary, if virtuous and poor, kid, who -- like everyone else in and out of story -- is curious about what's in the mysterious titular factory, and it's through his perspective that the audience is introduced to all of the other major characters as he and his family follow news of the Golden Ticket contest. And then he finds the last ticket and gets a chance to visit it...

* The author of ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' [[WordOfGod confirmed]] that choosing [[TheBigGuy Clay]] as the protagonist of the first book was perfect for this reason. Clay has a poor memory for scrolls and details, meaning that he's always hearing information about the ''Wings of Fire'' world for the first time that he remembers clearly.
* ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' indicates that Dante's AuthorAvatar stands in for the audience in the first line.
-->''"Midway through the journey of ''our'' life..."''
* Firestar in the first ''Literature/WarriorCats'' arc is a NaiveNewcomer [[APetIntoTheWild ex-kittypet]] who joins [=ThunderClan=] in the first book. Being raised a pet, he has no understanding of how [=Clans=] work and has to be taught alongside the reader.

* In ''Literature/RamaII'', Nicole is the viewpoint character, and the character the reader is invited most to sympathise with, because we know better her feelings compared to everyone else's. She has an unusual upbringing (partly Senoufo and partly French), and has mystical aspects to her life, but she is the more levelheaded woman (compared to Francesca), and a more feminine woman (compared to Irina). She is as well the viewpoint character for the reader to get to know Wakefield (who is a strange and distant person in addition to having a sad upbringing himself), and the rest of the cosmonauts as she describes their personalities and reviews their files as the life sciences officer.

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': Did this a couple times to acknowledge fans' desire for answers. In season 1, Hurley gets frustrated at one point with all the mysterious happenings on the Island, saying that he wants answers. Then, in the epilogue, "The New Man in Charge", Ben comes to visit the guys at the DHARMA packing plant. As he turns to go, one of them says "Wait! You can't just leave without giving us any answers!" which is exactly what the viewers were all thinking at that point.

* Dr. Lyman Hall in ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix''. As the newly-arrived delegate from Georgia, he has to meet the Congress, which is a handy way to introduce the audience to the various state delegations--and be a little taken aback by them. The Founding Fathers were a lot of bickering real people rather than wise marble statues. (Hall also serves as ChekhovsGunman, but that's another story.)
* In the other theatrical production about the American founding fathers, ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', Madison is seen crying after the events of "It's Quiet Uptown."
* The purpose of Jared in ''Theatre/DearEvanHansen'' is to provide a voice for how the audience feels about Evan. He frequently calls Evan out for doing anything that would make the audience question whether they should root for him.

* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'': Arthur Morgan. As the protagonist and playable character of the story, he is more or less the personification of what the player would be if he were living a western adventure with his companions, especially considering that Dutch is not a very eloquent leader. In fact, part of the reason for Arthur Morgan's popularity is that he actually reflects the average mindset of the players if they were in his situation: he's cynical, conflicted in his decisions, realistically thinks about the future, among other things . If that is not enough, Clark wanted to portray a character that was complex enough for the player to choose his path and still make sense. He initially faced difficulty with this concept, as the high honor performance was different to the low honor, but he reminded himself that Arthur was a complex character who could easily contradict himself.

* Magma in the first ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'' game, who is a mutant saved and taken in by the X-Men. We go through her first days in training all the way to becoming the newest member of the team, though the first few missions don't even have her as a playable character.
* Ethan Mars in ''VideoGame/HeavyRain''. There are four main characters in the story, but it's clear right from the beginning that Ethan's the one the player is supposed to empathize with the most.
* Phil from the ''VideoGame/RiddleSchool'' series is confirmed to be this via {{Word of God}}.

* James Vega of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' performs this role for people new to the trilogy. He is literally the only crewman (or significant character for that matter) that Shepard hasn't met in either of the first two games.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' One of Tidus's major roles in the plot is so people who've lived within the society of Spira all their lives have to explain it to somebody.
* ''VideoGame/YuGiOhReshefOfDestruction'' has your character, who gets to hang out with Yugi and Katsuya Jonouchi / Joey Wheeler and save the world.

* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': In [[AllThereInTheManual Strange Creators of Outer World]], series creator ZUN explicitly refers to {{Deuteragonist}} [[CuteWitch Marisa Kirisame]] as "the player/reader stand-in character" since her presence allows him to explain things that he couldn't/wouldn't if [[{{Miko}} Reimu Hakurei]] were the sole protagonist. He credits this to her straightforward nature, saying it makes her easy to understand but at the same time occasionally makes her "un-Touhou-like".
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'': The players are meant to identify with either Michael [=McNeil=] in the GDI campaign or Anton Slavik in the Nod campaign, negating the NonEntityGeneral approach of the other games.
* The main protagonist of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', Byleth, is the game's HeroicMime and customizable avatar[[note]]Though Byleth's customizability is [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] in comparison to their predecessors; previous Avatars had fully customizable appearances and voices, while only Byleth's birthday and gender are selectable[[/note]], a feature used in previous games in the series as a self-insert for the player. They grow up living an incredibly sheltered mercenary life, having little knowledge of the world outside of battle. Byleth does not know many historical or political details about the game's setting, the continent of Fódlan, so the other characters will sometimes explain parts of the setting and lore to Byleth (and thus to the players).
* ''VideoGame/TheTuringTest'': Despite her name, Ava Turing is not a computer expert, which gives TOM plenty of opportunities to bring her up to snuff on the TuringTest and other intricacies of AI sciences that the average gamer may not necessarily be familiar with.

* Rookie from ''Batty Battalion'' is the only character who seems like he is from the real world, not the crazy video game respawning one ''Batty Battalion'' is set in.

* A very popular ''WebAnimation/LlamasWithHats'' theory is that Paul is supposed to be this.

* Amity Vii of ''Webcomic/{{Miamaska}}''. Seen clearing up plot holes [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=31 here]] and [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=33 here]]! She clears up [[NoPronunciationGuide pronunciation problems]] for the audience [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=32 as]] [[http://miamaska.tidalcomics.com/index.php?strip_id=43 well]].
* Sarah Jones from ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'', though she turns out to have a [[ChekhovsHobby surprisingly useful collection of abandoned hobbies]].
* Scully takes on this role in ''Webcomic/MonsterOfTheWeek'', asking questions and getting thoroughly frustrated with absurd premises or FridgeLogic-induced {{Plot Hole}}s. She's also an AuthorAvatar, despite there being one already (author herself).
* Natalie from ''Webcomic/TheSenkari'' is just a normal High School student who gets caught up in the adventures.

* [[SiblingYinYang Caliborn and Calliope]] are these in ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', with one acting as a HateDumb HeManWomanHater and the other acting as ShipperOnDeck MsExposition.
** The MSPA Reader meanwhile represent the entirety of ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures'' readers, their sole purpose in-universe is to react to the [[MindScrew sheer weirdness]] of the [[JigsawPuzzlePlot story]].

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', TheRant explicitly spells out that the points Magus made [[http://www.egscomics.com/index.php?id=2480 in this comic]] are based on the criticism of the "creation of Ellen" arc, more than 15 years ago.

* ''{{WebVideo/Gameboys}}'' - Pearl for the two romantic leaves. You'll often find yourself gushing with her when something romantic or exciting is happening.
* ''WebVideo/TheGumdrops'' has Pete - who in the first episode is introduced to the madness of the main cast along with the audience.

* Website/CollegeHumor: The main character in "The Six..." videos (played by Josh Ruben, later replaced by Emily Axford) is supposed to be a completely ordinary guy. Every one of them starts with some form of "This is you [representation]".

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Frank Grimes in the infamous eighth-season episode "Homer's Enemy". The character's sole purpose was to represent a realistic person from [[RealLife our universe]] -- accustomed to toil, pressures and hardship with little, if anything, to show for it -- transplanted into a [[CrapsackWorld universe]] that [[IdiotHoudini caters to and rewards the lazy and stupid]], and how it would understandably drive him/her ''absolutely insane''. Granted, his childhood was pretty exaggerated and far from being realistic so perhaps more of a caricature of a real person.

* Creator/KatDennings stated in [[http://www.presstelegram.com/arts-and-entertainment/20130911/while-marvel-gets-super-cosmic-in-thor-sequel-kat-dennings-brings-it-back-to-earth this]] interview that the character of Darcy in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' qualifies.

* Beast Boy acts as this sometimes in ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. As the youngest, and the least smart, he sometimes has the science-y stuff explained to him by his more educated teammates (e.g. the Chromaton Detonator in ''Apprentice: Part One'', Xenothium in ''X'').

** For the revival series, Rose Tyler and Martha Jones fill this role in their early episodes. Justified with Rose, as the first companion in the series, while "Smith & Jones" does this with Martha until the hospital is transported to the Moon, at which point the Doctor starts to have POV scenes of his own.

** ''Sherlock'' also has an unusual variation of Type 2 in "The Empty Hearse". In the two years since Sherlock's (faked) suicide, Anderson and his group of followers have bee speculating on how Sherlock might've survived... just like the ''Sherlock'' fandom has been in RealLife. Cue Anderson's status as TheScrappy [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap being revoked]] and instead being given [[EnsembleDarkhorse darkhorse status]].