Line #101 Main/ProtagonistTitleFallacy


1	->'''Barney:''' ''[[Film/TheKarateKid1984 The Karate Kid]]'s'' a great movie. It's the story of a hopeful young karate enthusiast whose dreams and moxie take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course, sadly he loses in the final round to that nerd kid. But, he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat.\
2	'''Lily:''' Wait, when you watch ''The Karate Kid'' you actually root for that mean blonde boy?\
3	'''Barney:''' ''[sarcastically]'' No, I root for the scrawny loser from New Jersey who barely even knows karate. ''[seriously]'' When I watch ''The Karate Kid'', I root for the karate kid, Johnny Lawrence from the Cobra Kai dojo!
4	-->-- ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''
5
6	This is a [[CommonFanFallacies Common Fan Fallacy]] associated with {{Character Title}}s. It works as follows:
7
8	''The work is titled X; therefore, X is the protagonist''.
9
10	As common as ProtagonistTitle is, this is simply not always the case.
11
12	This is a SisterTrope of IAmNotShazam. The difference is that, in these cases, the confusion arises from the title of the work referring to someone ''other'' than the protagonist, such as a [[SecondaryCharacterTitle secondary character]] or [[AntagonistTitle antagonist]]. Viewers know who the person is but incorrectly assume said person is the protagonist.
13
14	* '''I Am Not Shazam''': People correctly know which character is the protagonist but think the title refers to that protagonist's name.
15	* '''Protagonist Title Fallacy''': People correctly know to whom or what the title refers but wrongly assume that the eponymous character is the protagonist ''because their name is the title''.
16
17	When done with a SecondaryCharacterTitle, this can lead to the hero being DemotedToExtra, making the adaptation an unintentional PerspectiveFlip.
18
19	When done with an AntagonistTitle, this guarantees DracoInLeatherPants, as the reader or viewer assumes the villain is actually the one they're supposed to root for. RonTheDeathEater easily follows for the true protagonist(s). If this is done intentionally, it's not an error but deliberate invocation of EvilIsCool.
20
21	Compare other forms of TitleConfusion. Contrast ProtagonistTitle, which is when the work's name really ''is'' the protagonist. When someone in media doing a report on a fictional work commits this fallacy, it crosses with CowboyBebopAtHisComputer. When protagonists gradually switched over time, this crosses with ArtifactTitle.
22
23	May be a result of WolverinePublicity and/or POVBoyPosterGirl, especially among those new to ComicBooks and {{Anime}}[=/=]{{Manga}}[=/=]LightNovels. See also FandomEnragingMisconception, which this (along with I Am Not Shazam) is likely to become.
24
25	----
26	!!Examples:
27
28	[[foldercontrol]]
29
30	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
31	* ''Manga/{{Akira}}''. The main characters are actually [[SayMyName TETSUO! And KANEDA!!]] For most of the story the titular Akira is barely even a character and more of a LivingMacGuffin whose importance is related to the past events of the series rather than the present.
32	* In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Touma is the protagonist, not Index (who is still the second most important character). Index's importance fades so much after the first volume that there's a common rumor that the author had originally intended to change which character's name was in the title with each volume, but the editors shot down the idea for the sake of title recognition. Mikoto "[[RedBaron Railgun]]" Misaka ''is'' the protagonist of the spin-off ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', however. Accelerator is likewise the AntiHero[=/=]VillainProtagonist of ''Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator''.
33	* ''{{Anime/Betterman}}'': While the being known as [[LastOfHisKind Betterman]] ([[GreaterScopeParagon Lamia]]) plays an important role in the show (and constantly saves the day), the main character is resident NonActionGuy Keita Aono.
34	* ''Manga/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'' introduces TheWatson Angelo much earlier than the titular Cesare Borgia, and spends more time with him throughout -- Cesare himself is only in about 15% of the last two books, and we see [[UsefulNotes/PopeAlexanderVI his father]]'s election from [[spoiler: Angelo's point of view, as Angelo enters the conclave as Giovanni's assistant]]. [[Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto The Musical]] puts the focus back on Cesare, giving him more songs than Angelo, Rodrigo, and Miguel put together. It covers parts of the story from before he and Angelo part ways.
35	* Some fans argue that, being the ''name'' of the series, ''Manga/SoulEater'' Evans must therefore be the main character and so worthy of the most attention. Yet it is not [[TheLancer he]], but his meister [[TheHero Maka Albarn]] who gets the most page-time of the two. To make matters more confounding, those who haven't read [[http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.manga-news.com/index.php/actus/2009/03/20/Interview-Atsushi-Ohkubo this interview]] with [[WordOfGod Atsushi Ohkubo]] (on a French site, no less) wouldn't know that the title doesn't refer to the character ''named'' Soul Eater at all, but rather the general concept of ''a'' "Soul Eater", namely [[AntagonistTitle Kishin Asura, the heroes' ultimate, soul-eating enemy]].
36	* Quite famously, ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer at his computer.]] To elaborate, the Bebop is the name of the ship the protagonists--Spike, Jet, Faye and Ed--use in their work as bounty hunters (sometimes referred to as "cowboys" in-universe).
37	* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' is a SecondaryCharacterTitle. The main character is actually Nobita, whom Doraemon is supposed to help. The mini-arcs and movies at least are titled [[CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase "Nobita and [X]" or "Nobita's [X]"]] to fight against this misconception.
38	* ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'' is another arguable example. The title, ''chanpuru'' refers to an Okinawan dish that is a fusion of various things. Since Mugen is also from Okinawa and incorporates a "Chanpuru" sword style, people assume he is the protagonist. (It doesn't help that Mugen is a quasi-expy of Spike, the protagonist of ''Anime/CowboyBebop''.) Actually, Fuu fits a bit better. It is her motivation of finding "the sunflower samurai" that drives the plot.
39	* Kagome is the protagonist and POV character of the show ''Manga/InuYasha''. Although Inu-Yasha is the other half of the BattleCouple and gets about the same amount of screen time.
40	* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' has [[ArtifactTitle stopped focusing on the Axis or Italy long ago]].
41	* The ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise was almost never about the title character. Much more, each installment is the story of the "villains" whom Nanoha ([[MagneticHero and the previous seasons' villains]]) is to [[DefeatMeansFriendship befriend to smithereens]] in it and, to a lesser degree, of younger heroes she serves to inspire. It's quite telling that the franchise first really kicked off when [[DarkMagicalGirl Fate]] [[KnightOfCerebus Testarossa]] was introduced almost half-way through TheOriginalSeries. Still, each installment faithfully keeps her name in their titles, even [[Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaViVid ones that hardly feature her at all]]. The only exception is ''Anime/VividStrike'', in which Nanoha's daughter Vivio is a supporting character and Nanoha herself is only mentioned once (and not even by name).
42	* ''Manga/MedakaBox'': Despite being the title character and TheHero, more often than not she seems to be more of a plot device to be observed by people, especially SupportingProtagonist Zenkichi than the actual protagonist of the series.
43	* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'' is an unusual example[[note]]not in the least because the title refers to a HumongousMecha and not a person[[/note]]; the pilot of the Destiny Gundam (Shinn Asuka) ''was'' the protagonist, but shortly before he [[MidSeasonUpgrade upgraded]] to the Destiny [[SpotlightStealingSquad his spotlight was stolen]] by Kira Yamato, protagonist of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED the previous series]], and Shinn ended up becoming a HeroAntagonist.
44	** The case can be made for the title referring to the Destiny Plan rather than the mecha.
45	* The middle segment of ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'' is often referred to as ''Robotech Masters'' which is the name that the Comico comic book series used for those issues. The Masters were the antagonists. The story actually centered on the adventures of Dana Sterling and the 15th Tactical Armored Squad. Sometimes, fandom will refer to that segment of the series as the ''Southern Cross'' segment, being that the Army of the Southern Cross was the Earth Defense Organization (as well as a reference to the original anime's title: ''Anime/SuperDimensionCavalrySouthernCross'').
46	* ''Anime/YattermanNight'': Unlike every other installment of ''Anime/{{Yatterman}}'' (which is a TeamTitle similar to {{Sentai}} team naming), it's an AntagonistTitle referring to the Yatterman Army. The heroes are the next generation Doronbo Gang.
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Comic Books]]
50	* ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool'': The first ''Gwenpool Holiday Special'' was a general Marvel Universe holiday special that Gwen happened to be in. The second, ''Gwenpool: Merry Mix-Up'', acknowledges this by having the subtitle ''The Gwenpool Holiday Special For Real This Time''.
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
54	* ''ComicStrip/Blondie1930'': Blondie is the name of Dagwood Bumstead's ''wife''. This is confusing to some kids who read the comics, which mostly (but not always) follow Dagwood, and assume that "Blondie" is a GenderBlenderName in this case. This has elements of ArtifactTitle in that, although Blondie is still a character (and thus this is a SecondaryCharacterTitle), in the very beginning Blondie ''was'' the protagonist.
55	* ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'' is a SecondaryCharacterTitle. The strip was originally an ensemble comic with no single protagonist (Funky being one of the teenage characters), but since then the title of protagonist has settled on Funky's best friend, [[AuthorAvatar Les Moore]].
56	* ''Keeping Up with the Joneses'' was a popular strip in the early 20th century, and its title remains [[MemeticMutation a common vernacular phrase]] to this day. But the strip's main characters were the [=McGinises=]; the eponymous Joneses were their (never-seen) neighbors.
57	* The original protagonist of ''ComicStrip/JudgeParker'' was Judge Alan Parker. Soon after the strip started, though, the character of Sam Driver was introduced, and nowadays he and his wife are the main characters.
58	* ''Barney Google and Snuffy Smith'' can go for years without featuring the first title character -- so much so that some local newspapers now just refer to the strip as ''ComicStrip/SnuffySmith'', period.
59	* There's no "Herman" in ''ComicStrip/{{Herman}}''. The name "Herman" is more indicative of the sort of character and theme presented by creator Jim Unger.
60	* The London ''Evening Standard'' used to run a cartoon strip called ''Clive'' about the mishaps of a teenage boy. As time went on, the strip far more often focused on Clive's ten year old sister Augusta. In the last few years of its run, the strip was renamed ''Augusta''.
61	[[/folder]]
62
63	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
64	* ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBaby'': While the titular baby is the one with the mission to stop the villains, the first movie gives more focus on Tim ([[https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Tim_Templeton Heroes Wiki]] refuses to accept that fact) and the titular baby doesn't become the protagonist until ''[[WesternAnimation/TheBossBabyBackInBusiness Back in Business]]''.
65	* ''Anime/PrincessMononoke'' is the nickname for San, the human girl raised by wolf gods. However, the main character is Ashitaka.
66	* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'':
67	** While the eponymous character does gain development, it's fairly clear his father Marlin is the protagonist.
68	** Averted with the sequel ''WesternAnimation/FindingDory''. Dory the forgetful blue tang takes the lead role as she goes on a QuestForIdentity.
69	* [[Creator/WaltDisney Disney's]] ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'': The actual protagonists are the three fairies, or arguably the prince -- a PerspectiveFlip of which the merchandising is still unaware.
70	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}'': The main character, Miguel, is actually the great-grandson of the titular Coco. Despite that, Coco does prove her importance as a character in the latter half of the film.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
74	* In ''Film/TheThinMan'', the title refers to the person whom detective Nick Charles (who is out of shape in the book) is seeking. In the later sequel movies, it refers to Charles.
75	* ''Film/DrStrangelove'': The title character is more of a [[MrExposition Dr. Exposition]] than anything else.
76	* ''Manga/IchiTheKiller'': The main character is named Kakihara (Ichi is an assassin hired to kill him), but many people make the mistaken assumption that Kakihara is Ichi since his face is on the posters and home video covers rather than Ichi's.
77	* ''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'': AntagonistTitle; the main protagonists are actually the Maitlands (Adam and Barbara). The eponymous character actually only appears for about 11 minutes of the film.
78	* While Rocky is a major character in ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', he's not the protagonist, nor the antagonist. That honor goes to [[DesignatedHero Brad and Janet]], and to Dr. Frank-N-Furter, respectively.
79	* The protagonist of the Oliver Stone film ''Film/{{JFK}}'' is not President John F. Kennedy, so if you were expecting a biopic like the audiences on opening weekend were you should look elsewhere. Kennedy is a PosthumousCharacter, only appearing in camera footage and in a doctor's flashback as a corpse. It's a conspiracy thriller, basically the "WhoShotJFK" conspiracy in movie form; the actual protagonist of the story is Jim Garrison, the DA investigating JFK's assassination (who does bear a ''few'' similarities to the real Jim Garrison, though not many).
80	* In ''Film/TheThirdMan'', the title character does not appear on camera until the second half of the film, and even then it's only for about ten minutes' screentime. The protagonist is Holly Martins, played by Joseph Cotten. The confusion is cemented further by the fact that said title character is now one of the most iconic film villains of all time, verging on a OneSceneWonder (especially as it's one scene in particular that everyone remembers).
81	* Charlie is still the protagonist of ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'' (1971), an adaptation of the book ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' whose straight up ProtagonistTitle was changed for marketing reasons without changing the focus or the main character. The next adaptation ''Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' (2005) kept the book's title but, oddly enough, focused more strongly on Willy Wonka, making ''that'' film the SecondaryCharacterTitle. The result is false assumptions about who's the main character in both movies.
82	* In ''Film/RachelGettingMarried'', the protagonist is Kym, Rachel's sister.
83	* ''Film/TheLastSamurai'' refers to all those who fought in the Satsuma Rebellion, [[MightyWhitey not Tom Cruise]]. Part of the confusion is that Samurai can refer both to a single warrior and to a group, in this case it was the latter. You could say it refers to Katsumoto, who is the main Samurai character and dies a minute or so after the others, but that's a stretch. A fact completely lost on the translators of many countries:
84	** In Sweden, they named the movie ''Den siste samurajen'' (the explicitly singular form); the plural form would be ''De sista samurajerna''.
85	** In Russia, ''Posledniy samuray'', instead of ''Poslednie samurai''.
86	** In Italy, ''L'ultimo samurai'', instead of ''Gli ultimi samurai''.
87	** In Spain and all the Spanish-speaking American countries, ''El Último Samurai'' instead of ''Los Últimos Samurais''.
88	* Similarly, the protagonist of ''Film/TheLastOfTheMohicans'' is not actually the character the title refers to. Although he is the adopted son of the chief of the Mohicans, the titular phrase is used by the chief to refer to himself after his biological son has been killed.
89	* ''Film/{{Tron}}'' is a SecondaryCharacterTitle. The main character is Kevin Flynn (played by Jeff Bridges).
90	* ''Film/TronLegacy'' is an even stranger example, with Tron himself spending most of the film as a masked, brainwashed flunky of the BigBad. A rare example of AntagonistTitle where the titular character is a secondary villain (and not truly villainous).
91	* ''Film/TheLegendOfBaggerVance'': WolverinePublicity -- Creator/WillSmith gets top billing and his GodInHumanForm character is in the title, but he plays guru and caddy to the protagonist, Rannulph Junuh.
92	* ''Film/TheBigLebowski'' complicates this by having two characters who both have the same name (Jeffery Lebowski), one of whom is the protagonist, and the other the antagonist. The protagonist prefers to be called "The Dude," and "the Big Lebowski" is what the Dude and his friends call the antagonist to avoid confusion, which also makes this an AntagonistTitle.
93	* ''Film/GungaDin'' is named after the water boy who accompanies the main characters (his character is fourth-billed in the movie). The confusion is understandable, especially since the film is ''[[InNameOnly very]]'' [[InNameOnly loosely adapted]] from the Rudyard Kipling poem of the same name. However, [[spoiler: Din does successfully warn TheCavalry of the Thuggees' impending ambush, thus ensuring a British victory in the battle that follows. And while he is shot down and killed by the Thuggees almost immediately afterward, he (at last!) moves to center stage in the film's final scene, where he is posthumously inducted into the army]].
94	* ''Film/SearchingForBobbyFischer'' has Josh Waitzkin as the main character. Bobby Fischer isn't a character - who appeared after the movie stating that he had not "received one thin dime for the totally exploitative Paramount Pictures 'rip-off' full-length feature film".
95	* In ''Film/TheMadAdventuresOfRabbiJacob'', the protagonists are Victor Pivert and Mohammed Larbi Slimane. You could say that Rabbi Jacob is just a minor character, except that Pivert (Creator/LouisDeFunes) impersonates him for most of the movie, hence some confusion.
96	* In ''Film/{{Oscar\|1991}}'', the title character is repeatedly mentioned but goes completely [[TheGhost unseen]] until near the end, where the story has gotten so ludicrous that by the time he appears, nobody cares about him any more.
97	* Likewise, in ''Film/{{Jo}}'' the eponymous "Monsieur Jo" is TheGhost for the whole movie -- he's not even the corpse that is causing so much problems, despite Antoine Brisebard believing it for a while.
98	* ''Film/TheLoneRanger2013'' is a SecondaryCharacterTitle, as much of the film is actually focused around his sidekick Tonto.
99	* ''Film/FreddyGotFingered''. The main character is called Gord Brody. The title stems from a plot point in the film in which Gord accuses his dad of fingering his mentally disabled brother, Freddy.
100	* Inverted with ''Film/DemolitionMan''. It is indeed the protagonist John Spartan's RedBaron, but many viewers believe Phoenix is the Demolition Man, going so far as to call any blond-haired black guy a "Demolition Man" in {{homage}}.
101	* ''Film/KangarooJack'': Despite the focus on the titular 'roo, the protagonist is Charlie Carbone, the step son of the BigBad mafioso. Also, [[NeverTrustATrailer despite the commercial hype]], the 'roo doesn't spend the whole movie talking and rapping--that's only in a BigLippedAlligatorMoment that Charlie dreams up, a combination of heatstroke and a concussion.
102	* ''Film/Rebecca1940'': The protagonists are Rebecca's widower and his second wife. Rebecca died before the events of the movie, and is never seen.
103	* ''Film/WaitingForGuffman'' is not about Guffman, and [[spoiler: the character they think is Guffman is Not Guffman]]. As with ''Film/SearchingForBobbyFischer'', though, the film ''is'' about the people who are waiting for Guffman, so the title is still indicative, despite [[spoiler: the complete absence of the title character from the movie]].
104	* ''Film/AllAboutEve'': Eve is actually the film's antagonist (although it's a while before she's revealed as such), and the lead characters are Margo Channing and Karen Richardson.
105	* ''Film/JennifersBody'': Jennifer Check is the antagonist the protagonist Needy is in a toxic friendship with. Needy is actually the narrator and POV character.
106	* ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'': While the titular Avengers are unquestionably the ''heroes'' of the film, the ''[[VillainProtagonist protagonist]]'' is Thanos. The story centers on Thanos's desire to obtain and use the Infinity Stones, and every other plot thread occurs in the orbit of this goal. Additionally, Thanos has by far the most screen time of any character in the movie, and the credits end with a message stating [[WillReturnCaption "Thanos will return."]]
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Literature]]
110	* In ''Literature/DearMrHenshaw'', Leigh Botts is the protagonist, with Mr. Henshaw being more of a device to move the plot along than anything.
111	* ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'': SecondaryCharacterTitle; the Scarlet Pimpernel's wife Marguerite is the protagonist.
112	* ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'': AntagonistTitle; Christine is the protagonist of the original novel, though it's told chiefly through Raoul's point of view.
113	* ''Quincas Borba'' by Creator/MachadoDeAssis: The main character is a young man who is a disciple of the titular philosopher.
114	* ''Barnaby Rudge'': SecondaryCharacterTitle. The novel doesn't have a real central protagonist, but Barnaby plays second fiddle to the Chester and Haredale families.
115	* ''Literature/TheUglyAmerican'': While there are [[EagleLand "ugly Americans"]] in ''The Ugly American'', particularly [[JerkAss Joe Bing]], the character known as "the Ugly American" in the book is actually quite clever and culturally sensitive.
116	* ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'': The title spider is more the mentor to the protagonist, Wilbur.
117	* ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'': AntagonistTitle; Jonathan and Mina Harker are the main protagonists.
118	* ''Literature/LandOfOz'':
119	** In ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', Dorothy is actually the protagonist.
120	** This gets worse in some of the sequels, such as ''Literature/TikTokOfOz'' and ''Literature/TheScarecrowOfOz'', where the title character is actually rather minor in the overall narrative and doesn't show up until most of the way through the book.
121	* ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'': The original French title, "Our Lady of Paris", averted this, naming the book after both the cathedral and Esmeralda, whom one could make a good claim for being the protagonist. But since the name of the cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris, is left untranslated in other languages, the pun was lost. Looking for a new title, an early English translator chose "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", naming the book after an interesting, but fairly minor character - a deaf, insane henchman of the antagonist. As a result, Quasimodo is the main character in nearly every movie adaptation.
122	* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': AntagonistTitle; Frodo is the protagonist, and ''is'' at one point called the Lord of the Rings, but then is told that the only Lord of the Rings is Sauron.
123	* ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'': SecondaryCharacterTitle. Their friend D'Artagnan, the "fourth musketeer", is the protagonist.
124	* ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' is the strangest example of all, as it ''is'' a ProtagonistTitle that often gets mistaken for a SecondaryCharacterTitle. Charlie is the protagonist of the book and the first film adaptation ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'', which became a legitimate SecondaryCharacterTitle, but many audiences interpreted it the opposite way and assumed Wonka should be seen as the main character of the film and that he must be the main character of the book, as well.
125	* ''Literature/SkulduggeryPleasant'': SecondaryCharacterTitle. The skeleton detective is secondary to Valkyrie Cain, who acts as the reader's main POV character.
126	* The protagonist in the ''Literature/{{Fudge}}'' series is not Fudge; it's his older brother Peter who narrates the books. The first book in the series doesn’t have either in the title, but the “fourth-grade nothing” is in fact Peter.
127	* Stephen King's ''Literature/{{Christine}}''. The protagonists are two boys called Dennis and Artie. Christine is actually the name of the haunted car.
128	[[/folder]]
129
130	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
131	* ''Series/TinMan'': SecondaryCharacterTitle; Cain is simply the focus of a secondary character arc. He was the protagonist in an early draft, but they changed their minds to a more ScienceFantasy retelling of ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' and just kept it as an ArtifactTitle.
132	* ''Abigail's Party''. Abigail doesn't appear, nor do we see her party. The actual party is one thrown by her neighbours, which her mother attends.
133	* ''Series/LifeWithDerek'': The protagonist is Casey, and the title refers to her new life with her stepbrother.
134	* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''. The series itself is an example. Except for her ankle for a brief moment in one episode, we don't actually get to see the Mother until the last scene of season eight and she does not become a proper character in the show till season nine. And as Ted's kids point out at the end of the finale, [[spoiler:the Mother is barely a character in the story at all; the story really demonstrates Ted's love for Robin.]]
135	* ''Series/GossipGirl''. Although [[spoiler:for a few episodes in season five Serena was Gossip Girl.]]
136	* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie''. The protagonist is named Teddy.
137	* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] by ''Series/TheJoyOfPainting'', which is often assumed to be titled "Bob Ross" even though Ross's name isn't even in the actual title. Not helping matters is that {{Creator/Netflix}} has a collection of episodes called "Chill with Bob Ross".
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Music]]
141	* Music/JethroTull was a 17th century agriculturist; Ian Anderson is the lead singer of a band with the same name.
142	* The J. Geils band was named after its guitarist, not its lead singer. Some people mistakenly assume Peter Wolf is J. Geils.
143	* The Dave Clark Five is named after the group's drummer; Mike Smith was the lead singer.
144	* Music/VanHalen is named after the band's guitarist, Eddie Van Halen (and both his brother Alex and his son Wolfgang have played in the band). The lead singers have been David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and (briefly) Gary Cherone. In their early days, club owners thought "Van Halen" was a person (like Music/VanMorrison) and that Dave was said person, so they would regularly address him as "Van".
145	* Many people thought that Britpop band Travis is named after its singer. Actually they called it after Creator/HarryDeanStanton's character Travis Henderson from the film ''Paris, Texas''.
146	* Although Debbie Harry is blonde, she is not nicknamed "Music/{{Blondie\|Band}}", except (to her annoyance) by fans confusing her with her band.
147	* The lead vocalist of Echo & the Bunnymen is Ian [=McCulloch=]. There is no member called Echo (although some fans think it is name of the drum machine). The name supposedly came from a mate of Ian's who was continually tossing out strange suggestions for band names, like The Daz Men or Glisserol and the Fan Extractors.
148	* The lead singer of the Eli Young Band is not Eli Young, but rather Mike Eli. He and James Young started as a duo, then added two more member to become a band.
149	* Lampshaded in the Music/PinkFloyd song "Have a Cigar," sung from the perspective of a money-hungry music producer, with the line "Oh, by the way, which one's Pink?" No member of the band is named Pink Floyd.
150	* Manfred Mann were named after the the group's keyboard player: the lead singer was Paul Jones, then Mike D'Abo.
151	* The Spencer Davis Group were named after the the group's guitarist: the lead singer was Steve Winwood.
152	* Marshall Tucker was not a member of the Marshall Tucker Band (led by brothers Toy and Tommy Caldwell). According to Website/TheOtherWiki, the band was discussing possible names in an old warehouse they had rented for rehearsal space, and noticed the warehouse's door key had the name "Marshall Tucker" on it, not realizing it referred to an actual person. The real Tucker was a blind piano tuner who had rented the space previously.
153	* Music/HootieAndTheBlowfish got their name from a couple of guys the bandleaders (Darius Rucker and Mark Bryan) knew in college. This led to people referring to Rucker as "Hootie", much to his dismay.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Theatre]]
157	* ''Theatre/{{Antigone}}'' is the title character and heroic, but Creon is arguably closer to the protagonist, especially in a tragedy, especially in a Greek one. Tragic Greek protagonists were in a high position, not usually nice, and because of a TragicFlaw they stoop lower than they'd ever been. Antigone is the orphaned daughter/sister of an incestuous marriage who lost her two brothers and her efforts to bury the traitorous one are painted as honorable. [[spoiler: After Antigone hangs herself before Creon can bury her alive, his son and wife kill themselves from grief. His insistence on executing his son's fiance was motivated by his belief that honoring state law and reputation is above any cost, but Antigone's popularity soured his reign over Thebes.]]
158	* Creator/GilbertAndSullivan:
159	** ''Theatre/TrialByJury'', the jury acts as a (heavily biased) Greek Chorus to an ensemble cast; the beleaguered Edwin may almost stand as a protagonist.
160	** ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'' are not protagonists, although a former one of their number is.
161	** ''Theatre/{{Patience}}'' and its subtitle ''Bunthorne's Bride'' is a twofold example, as Patience isn't the main character and Bunthorne is the only guy who DidNotGetTheGirl.
162	** ''Theatre/{{Iolanthe}}'', the character of Iolanthe actually doesn't do too many important things.
163	** ''Theatre/TheMikado'', the eponymous character doesn't appear until well into the second act.
164	* From Creator/WilliamShakespeare:
165	** ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar''. While Caesar's assassination and the repercussions is the focus of the plot, Caesar himself is in only three scenes. The protagonist with the character arc associated with a Shakespearean TragicHero is Brutus.
166	** ''Theatre/HenryIV'' parts 1 and 2 are mainly about Henry's son Prince Hal (later ''Theatre/HenryV'') and his relationship with his friends, including the [[EnsembleDarkhorse legendary]] Falstaff.
167	** In ''Theatre/{{Cymbeline}}'', the protagonist is Cymbeline's daughter, Imogen.
168	** ''Theatre/{{Othello}}''. The plot revolves around VillainProtagonist Iago, and the ruinous effects of his schemes on the title character.
169	* ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'': "We love you, Conrad," but you're not the protagonist of this show. That would be Albert (though Ann-Margret as Kim steals the spotlight in the movie version). Birdie himself is portrayed in the movie by obscure character actor Jesse Pearson, who gets secondary billing.
170	* ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'': Main character Teyve is not the fiddler on the roof. The fiddler represents the inhabitants of Anatevka, trying to play a pleasant old tune in perilous circumstances.
171	* ''Theatre/WaitingForGodot'': The two main characters - named Estragon and Vladimir - are, ahem, waiting for the arrival of the eponymous Godot. [[spoiler:Godot never arrives.]]
172	[[/folder]]
173
174	[[folder:Video Games]]
175	* ''VideoGame/{{Lufia}}'': SecondaryCharacterTitle, and ''technically'' she's only in [[VideoGame/LufiaAndTheFortressOfDoom the first game]] (her character situation is... complicated)[[labelnote:Explanation(Spoilers)]]Lufia is the name that Erim, Sinistral of Death, takes on in her human identity after her defeat in the final battle of the second game/the prologue of the first game.[[/labelnote]], so in sequels it becomes an ArtifactTitle. The series is known as ''Estopolis'' in Japan, named after a key location in the series.
176	* ''Traysia'', a JRPG for the Sega Genesis, has a similar situation, being named after the main character's childhood sweetheart (who spends most of the game off-screen back at his home village).
177	* Applies to the first two games of the [[VideoGame/AtelierIrisEternalMana Atelier]] [[VideoGame/AtelierIris2TheAzothOfDestiny Iris]] subseries. The protagonists are Klein Kiesling in Eternal Mana and Felt and Viese in The Azoth of Destiny. Only in [[VideoGame/AtelierIris3GrandPhantasm Grand Phantasm]] is the titular character a protagonist.
178	* ''[[VideoGame/BadDudes Bad Dudes vs Dragon Ninja]]'' was released as ''Dragon Ninja'' in Japan and Europe.
179	* The titular ''VideoGame/BigKarnak'' refers to the location in AncientEgypt where the game is set. Your character is unnamed the entire game.
180	* ''VideoGame/KrutTheMythicWings'': The Kruts are a race of eagle-headed BirdPeople warriors, with the protagonist being named Veera, a lone Krut. It doesn't stop online reviews from calling him "Krut" however.
181	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': The protagonist is Link. Zelda herself doesn't even appear in some games in the series, even if she frequently ''is'' the {{Deuteragonist}} whenever she does. That, somewhat understandably, doesn't stop people unfamiliar with the series from [[FandomEnragingMisconception assuming that the titular "legend" is about the sword-wielding hero we always play as, of course.]]
182	* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' is not titled after its protagonist, who is named Samus Aran, but after a species of {{Life Drinker}}s whom the protagonist is tasked with exterminating. This is somewhat complicated by two things. The first being that the [[AllThereInTheManual series' lore]] notes that the word "Metroid" is derived from a [[{{Precursors}} Chozo]] word meaning "ultimate warrior," which ''could'' apply to [[InterspeciesAdoption their ward Samus]], but this is never made a plot point. The second being that, after the events of ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', Samus is not only part-Metroid, but the only being in the universe with Metroid DNA. [[spoiler:Eventually defied entirely in ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', where it's revealed that Samus has been mutating into a Metroid since ''Fusion'', gaining the Metroid's signature skill of draining energy and later having her Power Suit resemble a humanoid Metroid. The villainous Chozo, Raven Beak, even dubs her as the "Ultimate Metroid" and plans to use her DNA to create an army of Metroids in Samus' likeness.]]
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder:Web Comics]]
186	* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' is very much an ensemble comic, and if any one character can be said to be the protagonist, it's Captain Tagon, not Sergeant Schlock. May overlap with ArtifactTitle, as Schlock was a central character in the early years, when they had a smaller cast and he was the crew's only genuine alien with very novel abilities and habits. The Narrator even joked at one point that if Schlock left, they'd have to rename the strip.
187	* ''Webcomic/RustyAndCo'': Rusty the rust monster is the adorable mascot of the comic, but as far as the stories go, Mimic is the main protagonist.
188	* The titular character of ''Literature/TonjaSteele'' started as a main character but drifted into the background as the comic continued. This was actually depicted as preferrable to her, as the supporting cast got saddled with serious, emotional storylines and wangsting, while Tonja and her daughter had lighthearted madcap
189	[[/folder]]
190
191	[[folder:Western Animation]]
192	* ''Radio/TheRickyGervaisShow'': the real star is [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Karl Pilkington.]]
193	* ''Series/{{Vanpires}}'': AntagonistTitle; the good guys were named the Motorvators.
194	** Another AntagonistTitle: ''WesternAnimation/{{Inhumanoids}}''. The heroes were a team of scientists called Earth Corps.
195	** Yet another AntagonistTitle: ''WesternAnimation/TheSmoggies'': The heroes were called the Suntots.
196	* ''WesternAnimation/BimblesBucket''. While the title character does usually get a story arc throughout most episodes, the antics of the {{Big Bad}}'s minions, the Sleazeans, usually take up more screen time, making him more a lite HeroAntagonist.
197	[[/folder]]
198
199	!!InUniverse Examples:
200
201	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
202	* In ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', Barney Stinson combines this with MisaimedFandom, making bizarre and often disturbing justifications for how a film's actual villain is supposedly the title character and why [[RootingForTheEmpire he roots for him]]. Specifically, he roots for Hans Gruber in ''Film/DieHard'' ("Charming international bandit. In the end he dies hard. He's the title character."), Johnny Lawrence in ''Film/TheKarateKid'' (he describes Daniel as a scrawny loser who barely even knows karate, hence Johnny is the real Karate Kid), and the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' (who is, after all, the title character). Strangely, he does not apply this to ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'', and only roots for Vernon because he wears a suit.
203	* An episode of ''Series/{{Community}}'' features a theater director who produces an adaptation of ''Film/TheKarateKid'' under the notion that the titular Karate Kid is not Daniel, but Mr. Miyagi.
204	* In an episode of ''Series/That70sShow'', Jackie claims to be a fan of ''Music/LedZeppelin'', and remarks that "Led is hot."
205	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ProtagonistTitleFallacy