->''"That’s literally all they do. Maya and Joey are observers in Maradonia while Sagitta and a couple other magical beings do all the fighting and bail them out when they get themselves into shitty situations. And, of course, in the process Joey starts a couple forest fires. That’s it. The entire effect of The Encouragers in Maradonia was to slightly damage the environment. [[DesignatedHero These are our heroes.]]"''
-->--Impishidea Maradonia Sporkings, [[http://impishidea.com/spork/maradonia-sporkings-part-thirty-one part 31]].

The protagonist has spent a significant portion of the story bouncing around the tale like a pinball. He provides no plot impetus in and of himself, and has essentially spent the entire story thus far in a reactive state.

Whatever is going on in the world, be it war or intrigue, it just drags him along in its wake.

This is not a DesignatedHero. Designated Heroes actually do things. The things they do may not be considered heroic, but they still do things and thus have an impact on the world around them. Eventually they pick up the Plot Ball and move it around. Even the LittleHeroBigWar still has the hero do something important to affect the larger mess around him. The Pinball Protagonist spends a decent amount of time failing to actually have any effect at all. They aren't even lucky enough to ''be'' the Plot Ball.

If the writing and tone of the tale all imply that the character is the protagonist, and yet they can be lifted right out of the story and have little to no impact on anything that has or will happen: then they're just a little silver ball in the cosmic pinball game of life.

If done badly, the reader is left wondering why in the hell the character is the protagonist. It ''can'' be done well. Perhaps the protagonist is like a vehicle or a touchstone for the reader, a way of exploring some strange new world or meeting interesting characters.

Many characters will have pinball episodes where they are simply overloaded with too many problems in far too short of a time frame to do anything effective.

Compare TheWatson and FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator. Also compare the [[RomanceGenreHeroines Waif]] and [[MasterCharacterHeroines Persephone]] archetypal characters, both defined by the ability to bear up under hardship (an undervalued heroic quality often {{Flanderized}} into a passive characterization). This can be seen as VillainsActHeroesReact taken to an extreme. Not to be confused with UselessProtagonist, where the main characters make ''no'' attempt to make themselves seem important, although these tropes may overlap over time. Contrast with a YoungConqueror HeroProtagonist, who actually drives the plot and makes the villains react to them.

For a detailed overview on the use of passive heroes who get tossed about between situations with little control over their external destiny, try ''TheSevenBasicPlots'', especially the ''RagsToRiches'' plot and ''Voyage and Return''; the passive hero is ''supposed'' to be undergoing CharacterDevelopment, of course.

----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Most harem-leading males are pinball protagonists. The main characters of Manga/AhMyGoddess (though this depends on the arc and the adaptation), ''ToLoveRu'', ''RosarioToVampire'', ''Manga/HeavensLostProperty'', ''SteelAngelKurumi'', ''{{Maburaho}}'', and ''RozenMaiden'' all have main leads with no ambition, aside from trying to live normally under ridiculous circumstances. To be fair, most harem shows don't have much plot to begin with, though. ''PrincessResurrection'' (at least in the anime) [[UselessProtagonist barely has the lead male do anything at all]].
** ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' falls into this category until the time comes for [[spoiler: Athena's reappearance]], and he still has to be pushed into things even then, but he has drive.
* Until the climax of ''OsamuTezukasMetropolis'', Kenichi and Tima spend most of their time wandering from one SceneryPorn locale to the next, occasionally getting shot at. Tima may also qualify as a walking MacGuffin.
* Natsuru in ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'' gets dragged around by other people and he just goes along with them in the end anyway. Much worse in the anime than in the manga and light novels, although its still pretty bad in the latter two. The main difference is, in the latter, s/he at least ''tries'' to make a token effort to undermine the Kampfer War and learn the truth behind it, whereas in the anime, s/he just sorta stands there with a confused expression.
* Kyon of ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' spends a lot of time mostly just watching things happen and doing whatever people tell him. [[DeadpanSnarker That isn't to say that he's boring or without personality, however,]] and his apathy is a source of frustration to other characters, which is amusing.
** He becomes a much more active protagonist after the fourth book.
* Ichigo from ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' is like this in a way. He does have an impact on the story but only due to reacting to his newfound duty as shinigami or rescuing his friends from the BigBad. Since he is not under the ''direct'' influence of [[BigGood Yamamoto]] or [[BigBad Aizen]], he never really confronts the BigBad directly until said BigBad threatens to [[DoomedHometown annihilate his hometown]].
* The titular ''SteamBoy'' spent the majority of the movie doing whatever grandpa, Scarlet, father or Mr. Stephenson wanted. [[CharacterDevelopment To his credit]], when circumstances finally did leave him alone for a moment, he quickly [[IndyPloy came up with a plan of his own]], rejected the BastardUnderstudy's advice and became the hero of the day.
* Brandon Heat all throughout ''{{Gungrave}}'' is a quiet and obedient henchman. He initiates nothing, suspects nothing, and says almost nothing. Even his undead rampage is less [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge roaring]] than [[TranquilFury sedate]].
* Ichise of ''{{Texhnolyze}}''. There doesn't appear to be much consideration of his actions, reacting like a rabid animal when he's not simply following orders. Of course, given that the story is fairly bleak and hopeless overall that's arguably the point.
* This is what the protagonist of any rape-themed {{Hentai}} anime or manga is if he or she ''isn't'' a UselessProtagonist or a VillainProtagonist. After spending most of the story trying ineffectually not to be raped, he or she will obtain or discover a power with which to take revenge on his or her tormentors, killing and/or raping them in return. (''Soul Chain'' is a good example of how this plot typically goes.)
* Madoka spends most of ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' like this, not becoming a magical girl until surprisingly late in the series. [[spoiler:An unusual case in that Madoka being this way was intentional on the part of one of the other characters, Homura, who was attempting [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong via time travel]] to protect her from the [[{{Deconstruction}} utterly horrifying]] [[OurLichesAreDifferent true nature]] of magical girls.]]
* Renton of ''EurekaSeven'' actually spends a great deal of the series completely in the dark and out of control of the events that transpires around him. He doesn't even come face to face with the BigBad of the series despite being the protagonist.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* There's a comic book where SherlockHolmes meets ThePhantomOfTheOpera; it pretty much follows the original Leroux book, with Holmes tacked on to watch the show.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* Because of {{Disneyfication}}, Mowgli in Disney's ''Disney/TheJungleBook'' spends all his time reacting to the other characters and doesn't instigate any plot events. This is totally ironic if you know the character from Creator/RudyardKipling's original stories.
** While he doesn't initiate anything, he ''does'' resolve the plot by [[spoiler: frightening Shere Khan right out of the jungle, employing a tactic that King Louis (inadvertently) suggested to him earlier]]. In fact, that's pretty much the reason why he was so passive in the first place: he was a boy going to study with various teachers, and only after completing his "education" could he emerge as the hero.
* TheBigLebowski: The Dude just wants to bowl and smoke weed when his life is interrupted by a case of mistaken identity, resulting in the ruining of his rug. His attempt to obtain a new rug leads him down a twisted path of mystery and intrigue that he ultimately has no control over.
* Music/TheBeatles for much of ''{{Help}}'' This is partially Lampshaded: Ringo Starr is told he can remove his ClingyMacGuffin if he commits one courageous act--and when he does, ''much'' later, it's the end of the film.
* The protagonist from the 1966 B-movie ''TheWildWorldOfBatwoman'' is a perfect example of this. The protagonist is pretty much like Charlie from ''CharliesAngels''. She does show up from time to time, but she has her batgirls do all the work. An [[Website/TheAgonyBooth Agony Booth]] recap can be read [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/The_Wild_World_of_Batwoman_1966.aspx here.]]
* Slevin Kelevra from ''LuckyNumberSlevin'' is apparently this during the beginning of the film, [[spoiler: before the Kansas City Shuffle and Slevin's true intentions are revealed]]
* Brad and Janet in ''TheRockyHorrorPictureShow''. Though Janet does get up to do something halfway through the plot - that 'something' being Rocky.
* Jen of ''TheDarkCrystal'' spends much of the film's first and second acts [[LampshadeHanging commenting on]] how he has no idea where he is going or what he is looking for as various characters comment on prophecy and destiny and the like. In an example of this trope being done well, it serves to show the audience the wonderfully imaginative world of the movie, and the fantastic special effects of JimHenson's Creature Shop.
* Charlie Bucket from ''WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory''. Once he gets to the factory, the only notable things he does is to steal a Fizzy Lifting Drink (which disqualifies him from the promised lifetime supply of chocolate) and return the Everlasting Gobstopper to Wonka rather than give it to a rival competitor (negating the disqualification and becoming the owner of the factory in the process), and so he wins.
** Note that this is an ''improvement'' on the original book, in which Charlie does almost literally ''nothing'' upon arriving at the factory; his only act of any significance is at the end, when he informs Wonka that he is the only child left. Wonka then immediately announces that Charlie has won ''by default''. However, given that Charlie is exceptionally well-mannered, this makes sense given the fates of the other children (he gets it for just being ''nice''.)
** The second version improved on this, and Charlie regularly questions Wonka, triggering most of his flashbacks, and then outright defies him at the end forcing him to seek out his estranged father.
* Władysław Szpilman from ''Film/ThePianist'', who manages to survive the Holocaust only through the goodness of strangers and sheer dumb luck. Of course, this is totally justified considering it's based on a true story, and the real Szpilman's real experiences.
* In the movie {{Film/Inferno}}, the main protagonist Mark does absolutely nothing to defeat the villain. Heck, he does not even aware of most of the events going on in the film. The villain was defeated by her own actions and not by anything Mark had done during the film. His only victory is surviving by the end of the film.
* The title character of ''{{Barbarella}}'' fits this perfectly. The entire movie consists of her repeatedly getting into trouble through her own stupidity, being rescued by some guy, and then having RescueSex with her savior. The only reason she managed to find the man she was looking for at all was because Duran Duran accidentally stepped on the device she had been given to track him down (Which she had not once even thought of turning on since receiving).
* Test pilot Lance Schroeder in the original ''Film/HouseOnHauntedHill1959'' doesn't do anything particularly heroic throughout the movie. He's attacked in the dark at one point and thinks he hit his head. (The ''{{Rifftrax}}'' crew constantly joke about him being trapped in closets and bumping his head.)
* Once ''Film/ThePagemaster'' [[RogerRabbitEffect becomes animated]], it's a bunch of encounters between Richard, his book companions, and various literary characters on the way to the exit. Richard and the books at times change the things happening, but at most it's just them meeting people - not that different from Alice, Dorothy and Wendy, listed below.
* When you examine too closely the plots of ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' and ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'', you see JamesBond is kind of this in both.
** In the former, ignoring the ColdOpen, he causes the death of two sisters on the way to know the villain's plan - which only occurs after he's captured by the villain, and his attempts to both escape and warn his allies of the scheme fail. The only things Bond do that help foil Operation Grand Slam are [[SexFaceTurn seducing Pussy Galore]] and killing TheDragon. Even when the villain returns, he's killed by accident.
** In the latter, he doesn't recover the hard drives that start the plot. Afterwards he manages to find and capture the villain... who manages to escape. Then he saves M from said villain, and goes away with her to a hideout... which is attacked, and [[spoiler:M dies from her wounds, as Bond killed the villain before he could try to shoot himself and M with the same bullet.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* [[TheEveryman Richard]] from ''{{Neverwhere}}''. It takes him over half the book before he ''really'' does anything terribly useful, and it wasn't exactly proactive on his part, either. He finally does start to take more initiative down the road, but for most of the story he is merely a vessel for viewing [[FantasyKitchenSink London Below]] and the events unfolding around his companions.
* ''Literature/{{Inkheart}}'' by Cornelia Funke (Meggie spends a lot of her time just reacting to things the adults do. On the rare occasions she tries to affect things her plans are thwarted, stalled, or rendered useless.)
** But in the end, [[spoiler:she saves the day by reading out loud a modification to the original story that turned the BigBad's Dragon good.]]
*** Even so, her father could have done it just as easily.
* Bilbo Baggins, in JRR Tolkien's ''Literature/TheHobbit'', initially.
* ''Literature/{{Candide}}'' is a nice example.
* The entirety of ''Literature/TheCryingOfLot49'' is like this, although that is because it is about a person just exploring a secret organisation, being told to go to another part of the organisation, and then going there - she only begins to take initiative right at the end, with the eponymous auction of the title.
* Fanny from the Creator/JaneAusten novel ''Literature/MansfieldPark'', due to the emotional abuse she's suffered for eight years living with her rich aunts and uncle, basically feels she has no right to her own opinion or happiness and thus lets her aunts and cousins push her around for most of the novel. Naturally, this makes the two times she stands up for herself all the more impressive and the other characters all the more shocked.
* This accusation is often thrown against those three classic young heroines of literature: [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice]], [[PeterPan Wendy]] and [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Dorothy]]. [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Susan Sto Helit]] is described as an aversion of this... [[{{Chickification}} and then came]] ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime''. Dorothy gradually averts this trope in later Oz books, and all three strongly avert it when featured in the webcomic Webcomic/CheshireCrossing
* Jurgis in ''TheJungle.'' [[DeusAngstMachina To the point where nobody cared]] except about the meat stuff.
* In ''Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau'', Richard Prendick does nothing but get thrown overboard, land on an island and watch more interesting people do experiments.
** Heck, ''all'' of H. G. Wells's protagonists follow the "touchstone for the reader to explore a strange new world" mould. The vast majority don't even have names.
* Terisa Morgan of Stephen R. Donaldson's ''Mordant's Need'' novels (TheMirrorOfHerDreams, A Man Rides Through) acts this way through most of both books. (This is deliberate. She has a cripplingly low level of self-confidence thanks to an oppressive father and passive mother; the narration makes an analogy to a princess imprisoned by a curse.)
* Shasta/[[spoiler:Prince Cor]] in ''[[TheChroniclesOfNarnia The Horse and His Boy]]'', has very little control over the plot, being surrounded by stronger personalities (including the titular horse) for most of the tale.
* In ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' [[UnfazedEveryman Arthur Dent]] started out as this. It's made explicitly clear that he's the main character early on, yet it takes awhile for him to take an active role and not just react to events around him.
* Augusten Burroughs in ''RunningWithScissors''. Particularly the movie version. It's an autobiography, but still...
* Both [[Literature/{{Twilight}} Bella]] and [[Literature/TheHost Wanderer]] tend to fall into this during periods of action (which admittedly are in the minority in the slow, conversation-heavy books.) They're both {{Extreme Doormat}}s, so it makes sense from an in-story standpoint, but it's one of the reasons Stephanie Meyer's works are so polarizing.
* Beverly King in L.M. Montgomery's ''TheStoryGirl'' is there purely to observe the more interesting characters around him. Then again, they ''are'' very interesting characters.
* Cosette in ''Literature/LesMiserables''. Yet Victor Hugo [[InformedAbility assures us that she has the soul of a gypsy.]]
* Kino from ''KinosJourney'' tries to be this type of character; being a Traveller, one is not supposed to pass judgment or meddle in the affairs of the places they visit and is only there to observe objectively. However, various circumstances typically get Kino wrapped up in the affairs of the places she comes to and forces her to act, whether she wants to or not.
* In many ways, Richard Papen from Donna Tartt's novel ''Literature/TheSecretHistory'' qualifies as this.
* Both the book ''Literature/TheManuscriptFoundInSaragossa'' and [[Film/TheSaragossaManuscript the movie adaptation]]: Alphonse van Worden has various bewildering or scary things happen around him and to him, and is told lots of stories. [[spoiler:Most of it turns out to be a show staged for van Worden in an attempt to convince or convert him.]]
* Almost all of the main characters WilliamGibson writes would qualify, but Case in ''{{Neuromancer}}'' is a cut above the rest: it's difficult to name one decision made in the book that's solely his.
* In ''Literature/{{Excession}}'', most of the plot is driven by starship [=AIs=] and other superpowerful Minds while the protagonist, diplomat Byr Genar-Hofoen is sent by his mysterious bosses on a journey to the GSV ''Sleeper Service'' to find the one person who may have knowledge of [[NegativeSpaceWedgie the Excession]], but it becomes apparent that [[spoiler:she isn't even there, and his whole trip occurred because the Eccentric ship wanted him to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend, which has no impact on the story. And then [[BigDumbObject the Excession]] leaves with no real explanation.]]
* The main character of ''TheSharingKnife''. In terms of plot, almost everything that happens is because of her primary love interest, with her dragged along for the ride. When fighting starts, said love interest is impressive even for a member of the resident SuperiorSpecies, whereas she's physically unsuited to combat and tries to stay out of the way. However, as the series progresses she learns more self-confidence. To the point that when her husband is threatened, she defies an entire camp of sorcerers to ride out and rescue him.
* Geralt, in ''TheWitcher'' saga. Mostly because the setting is populated with dozens of wizards, nearly all of them {{plan}}ners of various degrees. Hell, his person isn't even important to the plot.
* The protagonist and narrator of Iain Bank's ''A Song of Stone'' is an aristocrat called Abel living during in a civil war. He starts the novel trying to escape from the country with his [[BrotherSisterIncest wife/sister Morgan]] but gets caught up with a group of soldiers and has very little control over the plot from that point onwards.
* OlderThanSteam: The 1554 Spanish picaresque novel, kicked off by ''Lazarillo de Tormes'', is the TropeMaker: the protagonist is almost always a circumstance- and happenstance-dependent drifter through life, with very little proactive situations. In the 1700's, English picaresque fiction (such as ''Tom Jones'' or ''Peregrine Pickle'') inherited the trope.
* ''Stuck in Neutral'' by Terry Trueman has a justified example that's probably impossible to top. The main character can't control his muscle movements enough to communicate in any fashion, and it's commonly assumed by those around him that he doesn't even have a mind. The "plot," such as it is, is his commenting on how his life is and how people react to him, with him unable to change anything [[spoiler:even to save his own life.]]
* Nick Carraway does absolutely nothing in ''TheGreatGatsby''. [[TropesAreNotBad He is, however]], an outside view of rich people screwing up the lives of themselves and everyone around them.
** He does organise that meeting between Daisy and Gatsby, but that's about it.
* Literature/DavidCopperfield is a prime example from classical literature.
* ''TheStand'' may or may not have this trope, depending on what you see the main plot of the book as being. In terms of rebuilding society in the wake of an apocalyptic event, the MainCharacters actually do quite a bit. In terms of fighting Randall Flagg, the BigBad of the story, though, they accomplish virtually nothing; at best their role is to serve as witnesses to [[spoiler:his defeat by [[DeusExMachina the Hand of God]]]] (with a little help from the [[SpannerInTheWorks Trashcan Man]]). To be fair, [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve a sacrifice was needed]].
* Tyrone Slothrop of ''GravitysRainbow'', who never solves the mystery he's after, spends his time on various sidequests instead, avoids death only by accident and eventually simply goes mad, gives up and disappears from the story.
* The ''DocSavage'' novels pulled in involved bystanders to their plots to act as first person narrator protagonists assisted by the titular [[HeroicArchetype Man of Bronze]].
* {{Lampshaded}} in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/GuardsGuards''. Although Sam Vimes and company play little part in the successful resolution of the novel [[spoiler: as the dragon is defeated by Errol the Swamp Dragon]], the Patrician specifically states that people need to see there are heroes and so rewards Sam Vimes and the Night Watch accordingly. It is also implied that the Night Watch are heroic, merely because they actually did something to stand up to the dragon, even if unsuccessfully. [[spoiler: Vimes did also stop Wonse from killing the Patrician. While it's not the stuff of legends, saving the only competent ruler the city has had for decades is pretty important.]]
** Vimes and the Night Watch did do something very important to the plot, it just [[ChekhovsGun took a fair bit for the importance to be made clear]]: [[spoiler: adopt and take care of Errol]].
* Pretty much the whole human race and indeed nearly the entire biosphere in every adaptation of ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds''.
* Otto in ''Otto of the Silver Hand'' by Creator/HowardPyle.
* Bernadette Manuelito is this in the murder mystery ''TheSinisterPig.'' She asks interesting questions as a Border Patrol officer and talks to a variety of people, but the murder mystery is solved by other officers Chee and Leaphorn; the whole plot is resolved when Bernadette walks straight into a trap, and a different character (who's been developed in other parts of the book) solves everything.
* In [[http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/brazil/soaresj2.htm this review]] of Brazilian novel ''Twelve Fingers'', it's even stated that the [[BeenThereShapedHistory Forrest Gump-like protagonist]] "bounces around like a ball in a pinball machine, occasionally disappearing from view entirely for longer periods of time."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* There was a long period when virtually everyone on ''Series/{{Lost}}'' was like this. They'd have little fits of trying to do something, only to be completely stymied, and then they'd go "Oh... no..." and sink back into frustrating helplessness. Early on, the show was mostly about introducing the various... erm... pinballs and the Island and there were many pinballs in play. Later on, the show began to conform to this trope less and less.
* While he is generally a major player in most stories, this has been known to happen with The Doctor from ''Series/DoctorWho'' on occasion.
* In the ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' episode "[[Recap/TorchwoodS1E5SmallWorlds Small Worlds]]", the [[TheFairFolk antagonists]] have supernatural powers which Torchwood have no ability to counter. As a result, throughout the episode Torchwood can do little more than rush to the site of the latest manifestation and helplessly watch events unfold.
* This happens quite frequently to Arthur on ''Series/{{Merlin}}'', particularly in the later seasons. In one notable example ''The Eye of the Phoenix'', Arthur has a vision that instructs him to seek out the Trident in the lands of the FisherKing. He wanders all the way to the Perilous Lands where he's promptly knocked unconscious by a spirit-destroying bracelet given to him by Morgana. Merlin follows in his wake, meets the FisherKing, retrieves the true McGuffin (the trident is useless) and is told that the entire journey was for ''his'' benefit. Arthur was just the catalyst for getting him there, and one can't help but wonder why the vision wasn't just sent to Merlin in the first place.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sports]]
* Fans of the NFL, when discussing which quarterback is better than another, tend to fall into two distinct categories. One school believes that a quarterback's statistical achievement determines his greatness. The second cares less about the stats and more about his leadership--the best quarterbacks are the ones who win games and bring home championships, even if their stats don't always impress. When the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2001, it was due almost entirely to a defense of almost legendary repute. Their quarterback that year was Trent Dilfer, who bounced around from team to team his entire career and was never any better than strictly average throughout. He 'won' the Super Bowl that year and was unceremoniously dumped by the team soon after. Because of this, Dilfer embodies the PinballProtagonist trope among NFL fans, and if the topic is ever brought up for any reason, Dilfer's name inevitably follows as an example.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* PinballProtagonist can often be the end result of a {{Railroading}}. As a result, some arguably railroaded adventure modules in tabletop roleplay games, such as ''Ravenholm'', are accused of leaving the players as mere observers to the events pinballing around them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}'': Oliver's an orphan, gets passed from orphanage, to a funeral home, then gets kicked out and gets picked up by the thieves guild, then is taken in by a rich old man. It's a musical, and the characters mostly sing around him as well.
** [[OliverTwist The book version]] is no more proactive.
* Raoul from ''ThePhantomOfTheOpera'', to the point where he has a sizable {{hatedom}} and many wish that [[FanPreferredCouple Christine and the Phantom would end up together]]. What does he do? Well... he gets captured by the Phantom. He has nice hair. And that's about it... He is prepared to risk his own life several times to try and save the woman he loves from a known killer, but goes about it in a largely ineffectual manner.
** Because Christine is the protagonist. [[SatelliteLoveInterest Raoul is just the love interest.]] His purpose in the story is to show that Christine is not rejecting a life with love (however creepy that love might be) by rejecting the Phantom's advances.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Pick an {{FPS}}. ''Any'' FPS. The main character is just there obeying orders with no personal entanglement with the plot. Provided there is a plot beyond "go shoot some designated baddies", that is. The FPS mentioned below are subversion, aversion, or deconstruction.
* Many story-heavy games with scripted events and {{heroic mime}}s.
** Jack from ''Videogame/{{BioShock|1}}'' is an excellent example -- not only does he rarely speak, he also plays a nearly negligible role in the story for most of the game. It turns out to be a deconstruction, however. [[spoiler: Jack is literally mind-controlled. And he ends up killing not only Andrew Ryan, but Fontaine as well. And saves the little sisters, or damns them! Pretty good, and the last one is up to the players which.]]
** For many players, games with excessive amounts of FollowThePlottedLine, {{Railroading}}, EvilPlan, MissionControl and StopHelpingMe can rob them of all SuspensionOfDisbelief about their and their PlayerCharacter's creativity and initiative, causing them to feel like a complete nonentity even if "their" successful execution of goals make a huge difference in the events of the plot.
** Most however just accept it as a simple narrative convention and focus on the gameplay.
* Likewise, many games set during wars with a modern military influence, particularly combat simulators like MechWarrior and FreeSpace. Even if you have a character with a personality, you're still one small speck of a very big situation, and the important decisions just aren't up to you.
** Averted to at least some extent in the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series, as the overall progress of the war depends on your performance in certain key missions; later games in the series give you the opportunity to make decisions and influence the story with dialogue options.
* Vaan of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''. Originally the viewpoint character was going to be someone else but Japanese focus groups preferred a {{Bishonen}} protagonist.
** He even at one point admits, out loud, that he's not the important one of the group and that he's just tagging along on everyone else's quests.
** His transition from tagalong kid to an actual leader calling the shots and taking an interest in the events going on around him form the core of Vaan's CharacterDevelopment during FinalFantasyXIIRevenantWings.
* The protagonists in [[VisualNovel/{{Air}} Studio Key's]] [[VisualNovel/{{Kanon}} visual]] [[VisualNovel/{{Clannad}} novels]] are justified in their general pin-ball status in the games, because that's the whole point of the genre. But as these games have recently been turned into {{Anime}} series en masse by Kyoto animation, the fact that the boys simply bounce from girl to girl helping them [[DysfunctionJunction resolve]] [[ThereAreNoTherapists issues]] can be bothersome.
* Arguably, Kage was like this in ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders: the Fist of Mars'', until character development and plot events forced him to stop playing NaiveNewcomer and actually do something constructive.
* Snake, and more infamously Raiden of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' are deliberately tragic examples.
* In ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006''... Sonic himself is this. He has an entire "storyline" to himself being the main character and all, but he doesn't actually affect anything. Some of the side characters (Knuckles and Tails mainly) are even worse so.
** That, and he's [[DontExplainTheJoke literally a pinball]] in some games.
* Allegretto from ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'' is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold with little connection to the main plot, yet acts as the player's avatar for most of the game.
* Alex from ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' coined the Japanese counterpart of the trope, "[[FanNickname main character (lol)]]." He was meant to be the next hero of the series representing a new generation of fighters. But with no projectile and two command throws, he fit the grappler image better. Which would have been fine except combined with his all-rounder stats, nothing about him really stood out. Worse, Ryu was still where the Player 1 cursor started and Alex's ending had him losing horribly to said previous protagonist. Not fitting the main character mold was one thing but becoming completely overshadowed as well sealed it.
* ApolloJustice skirts this trope because of Phoenix Wright doing most of the leg-work during the pivotal first and fourth cases, and him often needing help from the prosecutor Klavier Gavin. However, Apollo does do most of the work in the other two cases, and Phoenix wouldn't have been able to solve the cases without his help due to his special power and the fact the Phoenix is disbarred.
** Phoenix can fall into this pattern himself, [[CutscenePowerToTheMax while you're controlling him]]. Cases tend to just fall into his lap, he often needs direct help from [[SpiritAdvisor his mentor, Mia Fey,]] and he's often being pushed by circumstances beyond his control, both in and out of court. I blame it on the combination of first-person gameplay with a VisualNovel format.
*** The first game has Mia essentially solving the first two cases before you and giving out clues. After that, Phoenix gets less and less help from her, and generally averts this trope. He comes close to playing it straight again in the third game, to the point that the end of the final case is Godot's challenge to Phoenix to figure out the killer's identity ''without help''.
* Fairly much after the first point of no return in GoldenSunDarkDawn, the protagonist party is Rail Roaded by the villains, and know that they're being used. It's pretty much brought up at every point that the antagonists show up. [[spoiler:This is because the antagonists don't have the power to solve the puzzles of the game, needing the main party's full range of psynergies.]] After the final point of no return, the protagonists acknowledge that they've been railroaded for their entire journey and resolve to fix their mistakes. [[spoiler:But, of course, [[ManipulativeBastard they ''still'' end up doing exactly what the villains want them to do.]]]]
** It's [[TheChessmaster Alex]]! What do you expect!?
* The playable duo from VideoGame/ResidentEvil0, Rebecca and Billy don't do a whole lot over the course of the game. The only character interaction that isn't between them or other S.T.A.R.S. members is running into the [[BigBadWannabe final boss]] of the game. Any plot developments happen in cutscenes, involve Wesker and Birkin, and are completely separate from what the protagonists are doing.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'': Hawke is the main character, but for most of the story is just reacting to the events that occur around him/her, with Isabella and Anders being the main driving forces in the plot. Many fans felt this was a step back from the first game, where the player could make some pretty massive changes in the would depending on the choices they made.
** Arguably though, ''that was the point''. The game's framing device is [[UnreliableNarrator Varric]] rebuking [[ConspiracyTheorist Cassandra's]] assertions that Hawke was the BigBad and the events of the game were [[WrongGenreSavvy all part of some grand evil plot]] to bring all of Thedas into chaos and war; [[spoiler:by the end of the story, Varric has made it obvious that Hawke ''isn't'' some larger-than-life figure that changed the world through his/her actions, just an [[OneManArmy exceptionally powerful person]] [[RightManInTheWrongPlace caught in the middle]] of a descent into madness that was caused by [[InherentInTheSystem various societal tensions]] that had been building for a thousand years.]]
* Hisao, the viewpoint character of KatawaShoujo, starts out like this thanks to being jaded by losing all his old friends and thoroughly unenthused with the idea of attending Yamaku Academy. [[spoiler: Shizune reveals in her route she recognized this and make it a goal to set him straight]], and succeeds [[XanatosGambit no matter who he ends up chasing]], since at least he's showing an active interest in something.
* In VideoGame/{{Zone of the Enders}}, Leo starts out as this as some random kid who finds the all important mech for a resistance movement. However, thanks to Viola, he eventually becomes emotionally involved with the story and becomes a more important character.
* Brutally subverted in SpecOpsTheLine, where the main character constantly asserts that everything he's doing, no matter how horrible, [[NeverMyFault is because Konrad keeps forcing his hand.]] [[spoiler: Then it turns out Konrad was a hallucination the entire time, and he could've easily stopped at any point.]]
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[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''RiceBoy''. The titular Rice Boy is kind and meek, so when he's told that he's fated to fulfill a prophecy and save the world, he has little problem stepping up. But he's ignorant about the larger world, and has no idea how he's supposed to do the job, so he spends the majority of the story bouncing from one source of exposition to the next, following their instructions.
** [[http://forums.koalawallop.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4524 No really, he bounces a lot]]
** At least until he [[TookALevelInBadass Takes A Level In Badass]] by the end of the story.
** [[spoiler:Shockingly, it's a subversion: Rice Boy and every potential prophesied one before him are just diversions, and the ''real'' hero is TOE, who has been proactive with tough decisions through the entire story.]]
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[[folder:Web Original]]
* The Pooh's Adventures series on Website/YouTube. Pooh doesn't do anything to change the plot of whatever movie he is in. He just spouts off random comments. In fact, when it does come time to fight the villain, it's usually someone else who vanquishes the villain.
* Lampshaded (like everything else) in ''FreemansMind''. Gordon mentions at various points that he's "just a rat in a maze...with no cheese", and that he's [[GenreSavvy "caught in the middle of some cosmic politics."]]
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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Omar of ''RockAndRule'' just sits back and look petulant while his sidekicks take the initiative to find Angel.
** Of course he also genuinely believes that Angel abandoned them to run off with the famous rock star (and it's not a conclusion that's all that hard to believe). Once he realizes what kind of danger she's in he turns around and actually comes off as quite heroic.
* The narrator of ''WaltzWithBashir'' is a decidedly tragic example. When his [[FieldPromotion commanding officer is killed]] he doesn't rise to the occasion and completely fails to get any of his squad mates out alive. Afterward bitterly releasing that there was a lot more he could have done but was just a [[SurvivorsGuilt confused kid who got in over his head]].
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