History Main / ExperiencedProtagonist

* ''Film/{{X-Men|1}}'' introduces Cyclops, Jean and Storm as already trained superheroes who have fight the movie's BigBad Magneto before. Even Wolverine, who joins the team during the film, already is an experienced fighter. The only not-experienced main character of the movie is Rogue who serves as an AudienceSurrogate.

* ''Film/XMen'' introduces Cyclops, Jean and Storm as already trained superheroes who have fight the movie's BigBad Magneto before. Even Wolverine, who joins the team during the film, already is an experienced fighter. The only not-experienced main character of the movie is Rogue who serves as an AudienceSurrogate.

* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'':
** The protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is already a soldier of the Yakuza and capable fighter of some notoriety known as the "Dragon of Dojima" at the start of the first game, though a 10-year prison stint after the prologue leaves him rusty enough as to have to start from square one statistically. Subsequent games contrive various flavours of BagOfSpilling to keep him starting off from scratch again and again.
** Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist of ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'', has served in the Arakawa Family of the Tojo Clan since his teens, albeit as a mere grunt in what is considered a low-tier family without any of the notoriety Kiryu has. Also like Kiryu, his time in prison leaves him a bit rusty by the time he is released.

* In ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', Edward and Alphonse Elric are already experienced alchemists who have been working for the Amestris military for three years when the story begins. [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003 The first anime adaptation]] in particular provides several episodes worth of flashbacks.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': Mariner is OlderThanSheLooks and a seasoned Starfleet officer, in contrast with [[EnsignNewbie Ensigns]] Boimler and Rutherford who have 1-2 years of service behind them and NaiveNewcomer Tendi. (As the show progresses Tendi is hinted with decreasing subtlety to have [[DarkAndTroubledPast considerable experience outside Starfleet]].)

* Some sports-related anime features a protagonist that was either a part of a successful team/club, is a famous player during middle school, or belonged to a family of sports practitioners as part of their backstories. More direct examples are:
** The eponymous heroine of ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' introduces herself as one who can play mahjong, but pales in comparison to fellow student Nodoka Haramura, a former junior high champion. It is later revealed that Saki has been playing mahjong since she was a little girl and her skills far outshine even Nodoka's; as the mahjong club president points out, breaking even in points three times against a full table is not something even professionals can do deliberately.
** Tetsuya Kuroko and Taiga Kagami of ''Manga/KurokosBasketball'' are already experienced basketball players prior to the start of the story. Taiga got his experience from playing in America while Kuroko was part of The Generation of Miracles.
** Miho Nishizumi of ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' was a member of Kuromorimine's tankery team before she transferred to Ooarai high school. When the school needed to re-establish their tankery club, she was chosen as their new commander. Miho's experience in tankery goes beyond that of Kuromorimine, as she comes from a family of tankery practitioners known for its strictness and winning tradition.
* ''Manga/GTOTheEarlyYears'': Ryuji and Eikichi are already well-known {{delinquents}} around Shonan, and don't really go through any training or gain new skills as the series progresses. Even in the OriginsEpisode ''Manga/BadCompany'', they're experienced at fighting, they just aren't friends yet.

** Something of a CreatorThumbprint: ''Literature/CoffinPrincessChaika'' has a similar arrangement, with Toru and Akari Acura being experienced mercenaries who take on the job of protecting Chaika as she searches for her father's remains.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' ''Fanfic/ABetterClassOfCriminal'' stars an original Batman villain, nearly twenty years after he became one.

* Izuku in ''Fanfic/TheBloodstainedHero'', is one of, if not ''the'' best prospective hero at UA because of his time fighting in the [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Dream]]. [[spoiler:He is skilled enough to fight Mirio on even footing, having a large amount of experience in fights where he had to dodge fast, powerful attacks and gimmicks]].
* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' takes place right around the time of Book 3, so this means that Atticus, who is itching for another adventure, has already finished his first adventure with Tulip.
* ''Fanfic/FrailEquilibrium'': Dante is just sixteen years old but he's already got a fair share of demon-hunting and fighting experience under his belt to the point where very few things faze him. Tess doesn't have remotely as much combat experience as Dante, but she's very well-informed about demons and other supernatural creatures and has a good working knowledge of witchcraft.
* In ComicBook/{{Shazam}} ''Fanfic/HereThereBeMonsters'', ComicBook/CaptainMarvel, ComicBook/MaryMarvel and Captain Marvel, Jr. have been heroes for a decade and a half and fought all kind of villains.
* ''Fanfic/KazumaVTanya'': Both Kazuma and Tanya have already been through an whole adventure on different worlds before being reincarnated again.
* ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'': Kara Zor-El has been ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} for nearly twenty years, during which she has gained experience enough to fight, during the course of the story, world-breaking villains, reality-warpers, nearly-omnipotent evil sorcerers, and eldritch abominations... and win ( or at least survive).
* In ''Fanfic/PokemonStorySinnohJourney'', Aaron has been through the same challenges as Ash with the Pokemon to show for it.
* Subverted in ''Fanfic/KaraOfRokyn''. The main character has been a superhero for more than one decade, but she has no previous experience in wrestling, so she must be trained in order to fight in matches.
* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13279518/chapters/30386529 The Phantom Confidance]]'': [[VideoGame/Persona5 Sojiro Sakura]] here was an experienced Phantom Thief until his final job stealing Futaba's suicidal desires from her palace, before retiring so he can focus on raising his foster daughter. However, one year later, he finds out that the gym teacher at Futaba's school, Shuijin is a sexual predator that caused one student to commit suicide but is being protected by the principal, pulling the former thief out of retirement.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Splint}}'', Cadoc and Rukhash are both experienced warriors; Cadoc is particular is a Ranger in his 40s with years' worth of combat experience. Rukhash is also a skilled [[TheMedic healer]], having been trained by Grazad during the War of the Ring.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14213158/1/Mobile-Suit-Gundam-SEED-Paradox Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Paradox]]'': Akiza Izinski is the story's female protagonist with PsychicPowers and [[AcePilot an experienced mobile suit pilot]] who comes from 77 years into the future.

* Newt Scamander, TheHero of ''Film/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem'', is introduced while he's on a worldwide journey to learn about various creatures so that he can write [[Literature/FantasticBeastsAndWhereToFindThem a book]] about them.

* Every Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger movie has him as a pro at kicking ass by the time the opening credits end.

* In Literature/HonorHarrington's first novel, ''On Basilisk Station'', she has already commanded one vessel and is starting on her second. And has been out of the Academy for well over a decade. Still, her XO has some trouble taking orders from her as she [[OlderThanTheyLook looks like]] a teenager, despite being over forty.

* ''Literature/TheElenium'' contrasts with David Eddings' previous series, ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', in this way. Sparhawk as he is introduced is already an embittered, world-weary KnightInSourArmor returning to his corrupt capital after a decade of exile.

* On ''Series/BabylonFive'':

* Series/{{NCIS}}: Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs has been with the service for over a decade as of the pilot, and before that was a [[SemperFi Marine Corps sniper]]. Similar things can be said of the spinoff protagonists, [[Series/NCISLosAngeles G. Callen]] and [[Series/NCISNewOrleans Dwayne Pride]], who have extensive experience in covert ops and law enforcement respectively.

* ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce'': Averted with Cole, but the pilot establishes that his teammates got Ranger morphs and started fighting Orgs some time ago. They’re even introduced mid-battle and are already familiar with normal Org tactics.
* Zayto, the Red Ranger from ''Series/PowerRangersDinoFury'', was already trained as a Knight and had fought against the Sporix Beasts for a long time before becoming a Power Ranger -- all of which is his backstory. He's fully trained by the time he's found in stasis by Ollie and Amelia in the premier.

* Gou Kazama starts out ''Series/SevenStarFightingGodGuyferd'' an experienced martial arts master. ''Then'' he gets turned into a {{Mutant}} {{Cyborg}}. There are plenty of times though where he doesn't transform, and fights {{Mooks}} with purely his own natural strength.

** Being a continuation of the "Classic" Paperinik stories, ''Paperinik New Adventures'' have Donald already experienced as a superhero. The new enemies may be more than he's used to deal with, but his past experience allows him to adapt fast. This becomes a plot point in the first issue of [=PK2=]: his well of experience working for Scrooge is what allows Donald to land a job for Starcorp.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesKuroNoKiseki'' has Van Arkride who starts off the game already a renowned Spriggan[[note]]A profession that delves into shady and sometimes questionable requests that the Bracer Guild won't handle.[[/note]] and is in the business for years.

* ''Manga/SpyXFamily'': The fake married couple, Loid and Yor Forger aka Agent Twilight and Thorn Princess, already started off as an expert spy and assassin respectively. Agent Twilight is known to be the best spy in the entire country who has completed an innumerable number of missions while Thorn Princess is a renowned professional assassin with a success rate of 100%.

** [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Bayek]], [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey Alexios[=/=]Kassandra]], and [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla Eivor]] are all well into adulthood and seasoned fighters by the time the game proper begins. Eivor in particular is TheDreaded in the Norse Viking lands, where they have a reputation for OneManArmy feats of martial prowess (one enemy soldier mentions Eivor having killed twenty men singlehandedly at some point). And this was before they were taught how to kill enemies in the style of the Hidden Ones.

** Byleth of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' is already a hardened mercenary with a fearsome reputation at the start of the game. Similarly, Shez of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes'' is a merc with plenty of fighting experience, though they learn quickly [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter they've got nothing on Byleth]] when their mercenary companies clash.

** Byleth of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' is already a hardened mercenary with a fearsome reputation at the start of the game.

* Seems to be a recent trend in the latter half of the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries''.

** [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Bayek]], [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey Alexios[=/=]Kassandra]], and [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla Eivor]] are all well into adulthood and seasoned fighters by the time the game proper begins. Eivor in particular is TheDreaded in the Norse Viking lands, where they have a reputation for OneManArmy feats of martial prowess (one enemy soldier mentions Eivor having killed twenty men singlehandedly at some point). And this was before she's taught how to kill enemies in the style of the Hidden Ones.

* Arnice of ''VideoGame/NightsOfAzure'' is a [[ThePaladin Holy Knight of the Curia]] with several years worth of experience, and had come from another assignment before she arrived in Ruswal at the start of the game.
* Hide, a [[HalfHumanHybrid Yokai Shifter]] who hunts other Yokai, has been at it for an unspecified number of years before the start of ''VideoGame/Nioh2''. The only difference is that before meeting their partner and friend, Tokichiro, they hadn't been participating in the various battles and political intrigue going on throughout Japan.

* Decim from ''Anime/DeathParade'' has been an established arbiter for 5 years [[note]]it's implied that time doesn't move like normal in this world, so it may be longer in human years[[/note]] before the events of the series, in contrast to [[TheDeuteragonist his assistant]], who is a NaiveNewcomer and the AudienceSurrogate.

* Unlike most other superheroes introduced during the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]], Franchise/{{Batman}} is already an experienced crime-fighter in his [[ComicBook/DetectiveComicsNumber27 first story]]. It would take six more issues before Batman's tragic SuperheroOrigins was revealed.

* Unlike most other superheroes introduced during the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]], Franchise/{{Batman}} is already an experienced crime-fighter in his [[ComicBook/DetectiveComicsNumber27 first story]]. It would take six more issues before Batman's tragic OriginStory was revealed.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': Mariner is OlderThanSheLooks and a seasoned Starfleet officer, in contrast with [[EnsignNewbie Ensigns]] Boimler and Rutherford who have 1-2 years of service behind them and NaiveNewcomer Tendi.

* Miho Nishizumi starts ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'' as a veteran tank commander who hails from a storied and well-respected sensha-do family, having been raised into the lifestyle since her youth. Such is her pedigree that the other schools' commanders recognize her as an actual threat even though she's leading a school that only returned to sport from a two decade hiatus.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' is implied to have been fighting Dr. Eggman since before the series begins with the original game.

* VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog is implied to have been fighting Dr. Eggman since before the series begins with the original game.