Loser Protagonist

The loser protagonist is a Sister Trope to the This Loser Is You, but unlike that trope, the Loser Protagonist is not necessarily meant to be relatable, it's just that they may be considered a loser by the standards of their society. (Obviously, this is subject to Values Dissonance.) This character is generally subject to Character Development throughout the narrative to make them more sympathetic or interesting. This character may have underdog status, assuming they aren't so much of a "loser" that the audience thinks they should pull their socks up and get over themselves. See also the Character Flaw Index, Acceptable Lifestyle Targets, and Acceptable Hard Luck Targets.

Traits a loser protagonist may have:

• Still lives with his parents when it is the norm to have moved out.
• Has a low-paying job or no job at all.
• Has to mooch off others.
• Has no degrees or diplomas.
• Has not attended university or college if it is considered the norm within The Verse.
• Is untalented or powerless in a world where everyone has special talents or powers
• Does not have a romantic interest.
• Is socially awkward to the point of coming across as creepy or stalkerish.
• Hollywood Homely and/or Hollywood Pudgy.
  • Or alternatively, is actually overweight and/or unattractive, especially if female.
• Financially poor.
• Often will be part of a Dysfunctional Family.
• Low on the Popularity Food Chain.
• Holds A Degree in Useless.
• If still a student, may be a poor performer in school.
• If married and male, he may be a Henpecked Husband.
• Seen as "odd," or a Cloudcuckoolander.
• Lacks even basic fashion sense.
• Doesn't have too many friends, either nearby or long-distance
• Jumps from one relationship to another, often for petty and shallow reasons, and sometimes with a pattern of dating horrible people (worse if it's the same type of Horrible Person over and over...or an on-off relationship with the same Love Interest)
  • Similar to the above, has been married and divorced two or more times.
• Uses drugs and/or alcohol to excess.
• Is part of some Subculture of the Week.
• Unmotivated.
• Is constantly trying (and failing) to relive his/her Glory Days, or won't shut up about them.
• Overstays his/her welcome at someone else's house.
• Is a Clingy Jealous Girl or Crazy Jealous Guy.
• Was Held Back in School.
• In a universe where Dumb Is Good, he/she may be smarter than the other characters, or just a Geek/Nerd in general.
• Is still a virgin in a setting where it's the norm to have lost one's virginity, especially if male.
• Has no children, either by chance or by choice, in a setting where Not Wanting Kids Is Weird.
• Especially if male, they choose to stay with a spouse or lover that they know is cheating on them.
• An Extreme Doormat or Yes-Man to someone else.
• A White-Dwarf Starlet or Former Child Star who either cannot or will not accept that it was time to step gracefully out of the limelight a long time ago.
  • A celebrity who Hates the Job, Loves the Limelight.
• Was once in trouble with the law.
• Has a crush on someone who is already taken, or emotionally unavailable, or just plain uninterested.
• Has gotten divorced in a setting where there's a great stigma against divorce. In some settings, this may also extend to children of divorce.
• Lacks athletic prowess, especially if male.
• Is Hollywood Tone-Deaf, especially if female.
• If female, is (or is rumored to be) on the "whore" side of the Madonna–Whore Complex.
• Does not conform to the expectations of dress or behavior typically associated with their birth gender. (If female, however, she may also catch flack for conforming, or for pursuing Acceptable Feminine Goals.)
• Lives on the Wrong Side of the Tracks.
• Has to take a Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job, or is Waiting for a Break.
• Experienced a Teen Pregnancy, especially if she and/or her partner had to drop out of high school.
• Eloped or simply cohabitates with their boyfriend or girlfriend if it's the norm to have a wedding with all the trimmings.
• Talks too much.
• Has been a Missing Mom or Disappeared Dad, unless Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You...and sometimes even then.
• Pales in comparison to The Ace, or to someone else; is Always Second Best.
• Peaked in high school.
• May or may not have a boyfriend/girlfriend, but is unmarried in a setting where marriage is the norm, or everyone else they know is married.
• Is the Black Sheep of their family.
• Is non-religious in a setting where not being religious is looked down upon, or of a different religion than the majority, or the Token Religious Teammate in a setting where Religion Is Wrong.
• Is the Son of a Whore or an illegitimate child (or the parent (particularly the mother) of one) in a setting where there's a great stigma towards having children out of wedlock, or towards children born out of wedlock.
• Has to wear the Braces of Orthodontic Overkill.
• Likes a franchise, genre, style, meme, etc. that's popularity has long since come and gone. Even if they're not quite to the point of Disco Dan yet.
• Tries too hard to fit in, or does so by trying to be someone/something they're not.
• Always has to be the center of attention; is selfish and/or narcissistic.
• Their partner is less attractive than they are.
• Is (or once was) in a relationship with someone who is (or was) already spoken for. (Especially if female.)
• Is The Heart in a setting where people wonder What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?
• Sucks At Dancing.
• Is the Loser Son of Loser Dad, or the descendant of a person who did something bad.
• Young and inexperienced in a setting where age and wisdom are valued.
• Old in a setting where youth is valued.
• Isn't a virgin (or is only a Technical Virgin) in a setting where Nature Adores a Virgin, and where losing it (consensually or otherwise) means being considered Defiled Forever or losing Virgin Power.
• If over 18, works at Burger Fool, a Soul-Sucking Retail Job, a low-level office job, or some other type of "unskilled" labor that "anyone can do."
• Has New Jobs As The Plot Demands all the time; can't seem to find one career or job that s/he likes ans stick with it. (Or can't hold a job.)
• Has a "Parents as People" moment (especially if female), or is a Bumbling Dad in general.
• Is on the "bad" side of Good Adultery, Bad Adultery.
• Is a Sickly Neurotic Geek.
• Is a "late bloomer"; they went through puberty, got their act together, got a "real job", got married (whatever it is) later than everyone else they know.
• Is openly LGBT+ in a heavily heteronormative setting.
• Is the Token Girl, especially if she's also The Chick.
• Believes in aliens, the supernatural, etc. in a world that feels it has Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions, or a world of Here There Were Dragons.
• Is a Conspiracy Theorist, even if they're right.
• Somewhere along the line, they crossed a Moral Event Horizon, even if they're trying to make things right, or have "done their time."
• Is Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense, and/or irresponsible with money.
• Has a voice, accent, or speech pattern regarded as "irritating." (For example, the Valley Girl and her closest Spear Counterpart the Surfer Dude.)
• Has issues concerning personal hygiene.
• Conforms to some negative stereotype about whatever group(s) they identify with.
• Is a member of The Oldest Profession
• Has Amazingly Embarrassing Parents, a Racist Grandma, or other..."interesting" family members.
• Can't cook, especially if female.
• Is Hopeless with Tech or Too Incompetent to Operate a Blanket.
• Isn't good at or doesn't care much for housework.
• Tries too hard to be cool, or to seem young and "fresh."
• Is Pretty Fly for a White Guy, or otherwise "tone-deaf."
• Has been a suspect in a criminal investigation, even if they have not yet been convicted or even charged with anything.
• Sucks at whatever it is they do, especially if they turn out to be an active liability.
• Doesn't like change in a setting where dynamism and adaptability are valued.
• Wants things to change in a setting where tradition and status quo are valued.
• Is still hung up on The One That Got Away, especially if the divorce or breakup happened years ago.
• Has been fired from their job.
• Is a nonconformist in a setting that values conformity and/or collectivism.
• Conforms to conventional societal norms in a setting that values individualism.
• Is an adult or teenager who still watches cartoons.
• Enjoys Chick Lit, Chick Flicks, Soap Operas, or other work geared towards a primarily female audience. (Especially if male, but even female characters may receive some flack for this.)
• Has a Porn Stash large enough to be considered "creepy," especially if the character who owns said stash is socially inept and/or spends a lot of time masturbating to it, or if the "porn" in question is something like a lingerie catalog, or if the stash includes something like Lolicon or porn of fictional characters. ^note  (In the age of free porn available all over the Internet, this may also include any porn (whether files or hard-copy stuff) that is bought and paid for.)
• Uses outdated or obsolete technology (for example, someone who still uses a flip-phone in the age of smartphones.)
• They or their interests are looked down upon even by others like them.
• Is considered a Category Traitor.
• Has an illness or disability or deformity of some kind.
• Gambles to excess, and often loses.
• Is a Fag Hag or Yaoi Fangirl.

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Examples:

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