Sandbox / Missing Main Character Wick Check

Wick check for Missing Main Character, which is suffering much misuse through examples that are not from RPGs and/or don’t apply to the main character.

Wicks checked: 32/32

Correct usage

1. And Now for Someone Completely Different: Compare Missing Main Character. This trope is about the POV changing in a work, so this is indeed a related trope.

2. Can't Drop the Hero: The inverse is Missing Main Character. This trope is about being unable to remove the main character from your party in an RPG, so this is a related trope, although it's not the direct inverse (the inverse would be having the option to remove the main character from your party, while Missing Main Character is being unable to have the main character in your party).

3. Characters.Fire Emblem Heroes The Order Of Heroes: When the Order of Heroes ends up in the Realm of Dreams, Alfonse notices that the summoner is missing. The Summoner is the player character, and this is an RPG, so I think this is used correctly.

4. Characters.Ikenfell: Maritte's unavailable to use during Chapter 5, due to forsaking her magic after crossing the Despair Event Horizon. She learns the truth and reembraces her magic at the chapter's end. The character is the protagonist, and the game is an RPG, so this is used correctly.

5. Characters.The Lord Of The Rings Online: At one point in the story, Bingo disappears into an underground river, so you end up working with Willem and Spalvi to locate him. This game is an RPG, and Bingo seems to be the main character of "The Ballad of Bingo Boffin", so I guess this is correctly-used?

6. DragonAgeOrigins.Tropes L To Q: While the game normally has Can't Drop the Hero in effect, there are a few portions of the game in which the Warden is removed from your party. The first involves entering the Fade to kill a demon; since only Mages can enter the Fade voluntarily, if your Warden is a Rogue or Warrior, you have to send someone else. The second is a mission in which your other characters have to break the Warden out of prison (though you can also choose to escape as the Warden). The third is a Duel Boss Combat by Champion against Loghain, which can be fought as any party member other than Dog. And finally, a small segment of the final battle has whatever party members you didn't take with you Hold the Line against the darkspawn to buy your main party time to kill the Archdemon. In all of these instances, you will play as the character in question. The Warden is the Player Character, so this is used correctly.

7. VideoGame.Baten Kaitos: There's a section in Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean where the player has to take control of Xelha while Kalas, the main character for the other 95% of the game, does various spoiler-y things. Main character in an RPG, so this is correct usage.

8. VideoGame.Chrono Trigger: For most of the game you Can't Drop the Hero, but towards the end of the main quest, Crono is removed from the party after he dies, forcing the player to choose another party member to replace him. Notably, the quest to get Crono back is optional as it is possible to complete the rest of the game without him. Crono is the main character, and the game is indeed an RPG.

9. VideoGame.Final Fantasy VII: There's a short period of time where Cloud is removed from the party and presumed dead, and later found in a coma. During these times, Tifa and Cid take turns being the party leader. Main character and an RPG, so this is correctly-used.

10. VideoGame.Nocturne RPG Maker: After Reviel gets inflicted with the Dark Chain Curse, the player has to control Luna to find the herbs to cure him. Once he's cured, he's locked into the party like before. Reviel is the main character, and the game is an RPG, so yeah, correct usage.

Video game, but not an RPG

1. Characters.Night In The Woods: You lose control of her for a short while after the run-in with the cult. To everyone, she got separated from the group and went missing. Mae is the main character, but the game isn't an RPG.

2. Heartwarming.Night In The Woods: If you've mostly hung out with Gregg, and you play as him during the Missing Main Character segment, he worries about Angus' slightly manic stress cooking, trying to get him to rest. He lets it go when Angus explains that cooking for everyone helps him feel better. Same as the above.

3. VideoGame.Neopets The Darkest Faerie: When Roberta is captured by the Werelupes, she is not usable, and Tor will have to handle everything himself. Roberta seems to be one of the two main protagonists, but the game ain't an RPG.

4. VisualNovel.Demonheart: During the sequel, you briefly control [spoiler: Ari and Brash] to rescue Bright. Bright does seem to be the main character, but the game isn't an RPG (I will group in a VN with video games, though).

Video game, but not the main character

1. Characters.Final Fantasy III: Refia is the only member of the four to temporarily leave the party in the final game ^note The unused text, however, shows that Arc and Alus were meant to temporarily leave during the Saronia plotline. and does so twice: After her initial recruitment, Refia refuses to enter Kazus during the ghost crisis out of fear of facing her father. After the situation is resolved, Takka takes her home and she stays there until Cid asks Takka to make a ram for his airship. Afterwards, she goes to the airship, where she permanently rejoins the party. While Refia is a main character, she isn't the protagonist, so this isn't an example.

2. VideoGame.Knights Of The Old Republic II The Sith Lords: The game does this when you have to attack two installations simultaneously: one on the planet surface and the other on the planet's moon. Basically, you have to decide which three of your teammates would go to the moon and which one (in addition to Kreia) you take with you to the planet. The choice is made slightly easier by the fact that KOTOR gives equal amounts of XP to all characters, even on the Ebon Hawk, but there is still the small matter of all the cool items being concentrated in the hands of your Top Three characters... Main characters, but not the main character.

3. VideoGame.Orcs Must Die: The opening intro has Gabriella, the Sorceress, informing the new Apprentices, Egan and Kelsey, that "Maximillian (the War Mage) is gone". He shows up at the very end of the game. Video game, but the dude isn't the main character.

Main character, but not a video game

1. Characters.Dad: Technically, he is nowhere to be found in Act III due to Andan having regained his original memories and personality, though one could see Dadbot as essentially being Dad (there is little to no difference in their personalities) or at least a successor or extension of him. There’s still a chance he might return, though, given how Andan switched back to being Dad during the livestream that introduced Dirk. Main character in a non-RPG is not present.

2. ComicBook.Secret Wars 1984: During the event in Marvel Comics, the main heroes went missing in their own books, usually for one issue, with supporting characters looking for them. One example included Spider-Man disappearing and his then-girlfriend Black Cat going to Doctor Strange for help. Main characters in a non-RPG are not present.

3. Film.Curse Of The Pink Panther: Inspector Clouseau. Well, at least until the end. Main character in a non-RPG is missing.

4. Film.Trail Of The Pink Panther: Thirty eight minutes into the film, Clouseau disappears en route to Lugash. Same as the above example.

Other misuse

1. Characters.Final Fantasy VII Machinabridged: He gives astoundingly effective Rousing Speeches on dreams that can pick damn near anyone up, and giving one to Cloud is the reason he's on the team in the first place. Given what's coming they're going to need him. Pothole; not an RPG (even though it’s based on one), and Cid isn't even the main protagonist anyway.

2. LetsPlay.Super LP Heroes: Sinisterkun has no commentary in Part 6 of Adventure Island II due to keeping his mic on mute to eliminate background noise. Not sure what this is, but it certainly isn't correct usage.

3. VideoGame.Sonic Chronicles: Two parts of the game force you to break the team into two parties, leaving one group with Sonic and the other with a different leader. The game is an RPG, but this has nothing to do with being forced to not use the main character.

ZCEs (that all seem to be misuse either way due to seemingly none of them relating to video games)

1. Recap.SMG 4 The Splatfest Incident: Finally, Splatfest day has come! But wait... things are... different? No-context pothole on the top of the page.

2. Roleplay.Cirque Mystique: When not assigned in a plot. Commented-out ZCE.

3. Roleplay.Evillious_en: First Adam, then Kyle. Just a ZCE.

4. Roleplay.Super Robot Wars Unlimited Generation Alpha: Leena called the Tigers Team the 'Fuzzy Pandas' when they fought. Too bad the nickname technically hasn't been invented yet, since Bit invented it after their first battle, and Bit hasn't shown up in the game yet. Contextless pothole.

5. VideoGame.Moles World: Molele is never seen even once in the first movie. I have no idea is Molele is the main character or not, but this does seem to be misuse either way (notice that it says "movie").

Mixed

1. Fanfic.Chrono Reflect: When Rarity gets consumed by her darkness and turns into Nightmare Crystal, the story switches it's focus onto Twilight. This is meant to mirror the moment in Chrono Trigger where Crono died and in Chrono Cross when Serge has his body stolen by Lynx. This is a weird example. While it's a fanfic, not an RPG, the basic idea here is based off an RPG.

Other

1. VideoGame.Chroma Squad: As part of the Night Rider path. Everyone but the Assault is captured by Gaga, leading to the Assault inheriting the Night Rider's motorcycle and belt, becoming the next Rider. Not sure where this would go, since nearly the entire cast goes missing.

2. VideoGame.Crimson Echoes: The fangame forces you to fight solo with Marle for a single chapter. The developers admitted that Marle was not intended to be a solo character. Not sure about this one either.