History Main / VanillaProtagonist

** ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany'': While Oliver garners a lot of audience sympathy from being TheWoobie and a CuteKitten, he's mostly a PinballProtagonist, and is outshone a fair bit by the very colorful supporting cast such as Fagin's gang and Georgette, who provide most of the film's humor and musical numbers.

Vanilla is a mild flavor, delicious by itself, and it has an advantage over stronger flavors in that it can work well with nearly all of them: vanilla ice cream is the ideal base for syrups and other toppings. By analogy, characters without much complexity can fill the protagonist role quite well, since they provide a center for the quirky and colorful supporting cast.

* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': Orson, the main protagonist of the ''ComicStrip/USAcres'' segments, has gotten this reaction from the fanbase. The main reason is that (especially in the early reasons) his status as the resident NiceGuy StraightMan made him less entertaining to watch than the rest of the cast (especially [[LovableCoward Wade]], [[HotBlooded Lanolin]], and [[ThePrankster Roy]]).

''This trope is not about whether the protagonist is "likable", "popular", or "interesting".'' Therefore, this page is not for complaining about protagonists one may dislike. A work with a Vanilla Protagonist is not [[TropesAreTools inherently "bad,"]] even if the main character has a significant number of detractors. Please keep this in mind when making edits.

%%* In ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'', Akira has been criticized as being fairly bland and lacking overarching goals aside from staying safe, making money, and becoming a better hunter to eventually live up to his end of the contract he has with Alpha. His meek quietness outside of his cold-blooded moments in combat means that his interactions with others are often seen as bland while making his nature as a PinballProtagonist and UnwittingPawn for Alpha even more blatant. The manga adaptation seems to acknowledge and address this by making Akira more assertive, snarky, and headstrong. Later chapters of the Web Novel series have addressed some of these issues. For instance, it's revealed in a conversation with someone who's trying to turn Akira against Alpha, that Akira knows about all of Alpha's manipulative tricks (some of which he lists may come as a surprise to readers who didn't catch on), but that due to his traumatic childhood being repeatedly double crossed, he is loyal to Alpha because IOweYouMyLife and IGaveMyWord. Needs context about contrast between Akira and other characters.

* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Many fans and readers view [[{{Characters/TheFlashBarryAllen}} Barry Allen]] as this. Despite being one of the signature DC Heroes from [[{{UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks}} The Silver Age]], Barry simply could not stack up as well as the other members of the [[Characters/TheFlashTheFlashes Flash]] [[Characters/TheFlashTheFlashFamily Family]]. Other than being dorky and a [[TheCape boy-scout]] [[note]] Which some fans see as redundant since DC already has Superman fitting this criteria [[/note]] not a lot can be said about Barry, whereas Jay Garrick is the CoolOldGuy TeamDad, [[Characters/TheFlashWallyWest Wally West]] is the DeadpanSnarker ByronicHero, and Bart Allen is the ComicRelief with a [[{{AttentionDeficitOohShiny}} short attention span]].
** Not helping matters is the fact that the other Flashes for some time were completely retconned out of existence during DC's [[ComicBook/New52 New 52 initiative]], which made Barry Allen the ''only'' speedster in the setting. Considering Barry's reputation, many Flash fans were understandably ''not happy' with this change.

* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Many fans and readers view [[{{Characters/TheFlashBarryAllen}} Barry Allen]] as this. Despite being one of the signature DC Heroes from [[{{UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks}} The Silver Age]], Barry simply could not stack up as well as the other members of the [[Characters/TheFlashTheFlashes Flash]] [[Characters/TheFlashTheFlashFamily Family]]. Other than being dorky and a [[TheCape boy-scout]], not a lot can be said about Barry, whereas Jay Garrick is the CoolOldGuy TeamDad, [[Characters/TheFlashWallyWest Wally West]] is the DeadpanSnarker ByronicHero, Bart Allen is the ComicRelief with a [[{{AttentionDeficitOohShiny}} short attention span]], etc.

** A lot of Luke's Vanilla traits are more apparent in Film/ANewHope, largely to serve as an AudienceSurrogate. However, the [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack following]] [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi films]] of the Trilogy do a lot more to flesh out Luke's personality, such as having him plagued by doubts, frustrations, and insecurities.

* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': Many fans and readers view [[{{Characters/TheFlashBarryAllen}} Barry Allen]] as this. Despite being one of the signature DC Heroes from [[{{UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks}} The Silver Age]], Barry simply could not stack up as well as the other members of the [[Characters/TheFlashTheFlashes Flash]] [[Characters/TheFlashTheFlashFamily Family]].

Just as vanilla ice cream, while delicious on its own, is tastier with toppings and fixings, main characters without much complexity work just fine by themselves and are even better when surrounded by a quirky and colorful supporting cast.

** Twilight Sparkle was this in Season 1, being an AudienceSurrogate by which the distinct personalities and antics of her friends could be observed without bringing much herself. Season 2 onward averted this by giving her distinct [[SuperOCD character]] [[TheFinickyOne flaws]], episodes focusing on her story arc as a student to Celestia, and also demoting her slightly for more an EnsembleCast setup.

* ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'': [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI Warrior of Light]] has the fewest frills in a game full of many toppinged characters such as [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud]] and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII Squall]]. Justified in story, as [[spoiler:he's a sentient Manikin with no memories outside the cycles of war, and he doesn't really ''have'' much character to express beyond what he has developed over the past cycles]]. Also a case of [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Tropes Are Not Bad]], as his UndyingLoyalty to [[BigGood Cosmos]] -- his only motivation -- makes him TheParagon to the other heroes, and he has none of their confidence issues or emotional baggage, so the villains' usually effective {{Breaking Speech}}es and mind games don't work on him.
* ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'' has Tiz Arrior, the first playable character. Aside from the first arc where he's acting to restore his village, he doesn't have a decisive role in the plot as a whole. He's primarily acting as a down-to-earth moral center and Agnes' love interest. Contrast his FarmBoy status with Agne's priestly ChosenOne, Edea's DefectorFromDecadence and Ringabell's AmnesiacHero.
* ''VideoGame/SenranKagura'': Asuka has a personality, but it's expressed largely in how she's a {{Foil}} to other characters. Another case of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, as this is [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools extensively commented upon]]. Asuka narrates several times that as a generalist, she fails to stand out compared to her allies, rivals, and enemies, and uses that as her motivation moving forward with the goal of becoming a MasterOfAll.
* Riki from ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' is a great example of this trope, being a generic male lead (lacking the snarky qualities of Key's other male leads) surrounded by a quirky & colourful male and female supporting cast. The only standout thing about him is his [[DudeLooksLikeALady very feminine face]].

* ''Literature/AesirCrossWars'': Azrael is a downplayed example - while he has a well-defined personality and his own HiddenDepths, he is still largely defined by how he bounces off his quirkier supporting cast. This is not a bad thing, however, as it does put a spin on the OnlySaneMan trope by evolving the way he copes with the others as part of his CharacterDevelopment.

* Itsuki Aoi, the protagonist of ''TokyoMirageSessionsFE'', is pretty much the self-insert protagonist who [[CharacterShilling gets praise for almost doing nothing besides emotional support]]. Sure he is a NiceGuy but that is pretty much his only personality and [[ChickMagnet manages to attract nearly every woman around him just by doing so]]. He also doesn't have a backstory, importance to the main story, or even dreams of becoming an idol. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast consists of up-and-rising idols as well as two veterans, all with colorful personalities and dreams of the future, yet allow the inexperienced newbie to be their leader.

* Itsuki Aoi, the protagonist of ''TokyoMirageSessionsFE'', is pretty much the self-insert protagonist who [[CharacterShilling gets praise for almost doing nothing besides emotional support]]. Sure he is a NiceGuy but that is pretty much his only personality and [[ChickMagnet manages to attract nearly every woman around him just by doing so]]. He also doesn't have a backstory, importance to the main story, or even dreams of becoming an idol. Meanwhile, the rest of the cast consists of up-and-rising idols as well as two veterans, all with colorful personalities and dreams of the future, yet allow the talentless newbie to be their leader.

* ''Anime/AkameGaKill'': Tatsumi is a traveling swordsman and the protagonist of the series. He's also the least interesting character in Night Raid AND [[PsychoRangers the Jaegers]].

* The protagonists of ''Anime/PrettyCure'' easily fall into this. It happens a lot where the other Cures, or even some of the villains, are more interesting and get more screen time than them (most of the protagonists having very similar personalities doesn't help the situation). There are some notable exceptions, like [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure Nagisa]], [[Anime/HeartCatchPrettyCure Tsubomi]] and [[Anime/TropicalRougePrettyCure Manatsu]], but most of them are this.

Not to be confused with DesignatedHero, which is a character who the story plays up as being heroic, but comes off as being distinctly unheroic. Contrast EnsembleDarkhorse, who is a colorful but minor character. Not to be confused with VillainProtagonist. Also [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant not a descriptor for]] protagonists of [[SugarWiki/{{WAFF}} vanilla]] {{hentai}}...though they tend to be this [[AudienceSurrogate for a reason]].

The vanilla protagonist will typically be an [[TheEveryman average person,]] giving the audience the opportunity to step into the world through them. Their strongest interest will be something broadly relatable: they want ToBeAMaster, see the world outside their village, or find true love. They usually have basic skills in many areas without being a specialist, the better to play the {{Foil}} for the more colorful supporting cast who each have their own quirk. In other words, the VP is the vehicle to bring the audience into the story. They may even be TheVoiceless or a HeroicMime.

%%* In ''LightNovel/RebuildWorld'', Akira has been criticized as being fairly bland and lacking overarching goals aside from staying safe, making money, and becoming a better hunter to eventually live up to his end of the contract he has with Alpha. His meek quietness outside of his cold-blooded moments in combat means that his interactions with others are often seen as bland while making his nature as a PinballProtagonist and UnwittingPawn for Alpha even more blatant. The manga adaptation seems to acknowledge and address this by making Akira more assertive, snarky, and headstrong. Later chapters of the Web Novel series have addressed some of these issues. For instance, it's revealed in a conversation with someone who's trying to turn Akira against Alpha, that Akira knows about all of Alpha's manipulative tricks (some of which he lists may come as a surprise to readers who didn't catch on), but that due to his traumatic childhood being repeatedly double crossed, he is loyal to Alpha because IOweYouMyLife and IGaveMyWord. Needs context about constrast between Akira and other characters.

* ''Anime/SherlockHound'': Outside of 'detective', there's really not a whole lot to Sherlock's personality.
* ''Anime/SonicX'': Sonic is fazed into the background as the role of TheAce, with AudienceSurrogate Chris Thorndyke played more as the show's lead. Thus, the more ([[AmazingTechnicolorWildlife often literally]]) colorful side cast he encounters become the main draw.

* This is the issue that people have with Troy and Gabriella from ''Film/HighSchoolMusical''. Most people would complain that they were too bland in comparison to Sharpay and Ryan whose goal was to snag the coveted play role.