# Favourite manga protagonist



## Litho (Aug 13, 2012)

Sometimes a manga's greatest strength is an original, lovable, funny, awesome, intricite,... protagonist. For example, half of FMA's appeal could come from Edward Elric's persona.

Who is your favourite protagonist ever? Even though I'm mostly a Seinen guy, the answer is easy for me:


*Spoiler*: __ 



*Son Goku from Dragonball*


----------



## Imagine (Aug 13, 2012)

I lots, but the ones that comes to mind. Yusuke,Joseph Joestar,Luffy, and Goku.


----------



## Morglay (Aug 13, 2012)

Staz B. Vlad. 

Without a doubt. Love that "Blood Lad" shiz.


----------



## bubble_lord (Aug 13, 2012)

Joseph Joestar.


----------



## Kid (Aug 13, 2012)

Motherfucking Goku.


----------



## Tray (Aug 13, 2012)

Gintoki by far, he's something special


----------



## Badalight (Aug 13, 2012)

Joseph motherfuckin' joestar


----------



## dream (Aug 13, 2012)

As of this moment my favorite protagonist would have to be Guts from _Berserk_.  I loved watching him change over the course of the manga.  His descent into rage and then his softening was a delight to see, I can't wait to see where he will go as a character from here on out.


----------



## Fullmetalthis (Aug 13, 2012)

For me it's Ageha from Psyren for all around favorite, then Guts from Berserk.


----------



## Malvingt2 (Aug 13, 2012)

Joseph Joestar and Lina Inverse


----------



## ZenithXAbyss (Aug 13, 2012)

"The Twenty-Fifth Night/Twenty-Fifth Baam/Jyu Viole Grace"


----------



## Han Solo (Aug 13, 2012)

Alita, probably.


----------



## Inuhanyou (Aug 13, 2012)

I can't choose at all my overall favorite of all time  There are too many i like for different reasons.

I guess my current favorite of this second however, would be Rygart from Break Blade.

In the beginning, he seems like just a normal "by the numbers" protagonist and a seemingly normal guy. He's pretty happy go lucky. He's never even fired a gun before and is averse to killing just like plenty of pacifist protags.

What sets him apart and why i like him however, is because as he goes through the story, facing tragedy after tragedy in the pressure of wartime. He does what any 'normal person' would do when going through this scenario. He changes completely.

Zennosuke even withstood Hogyouku Aizen's passive rei close by
Zennosuke even withstood Hogyouku Aizen's passive rei close by
Zennosuke even withstood Hogyouku Aizen's passive rei close by
Zennosuke even withstood Hogyouku Aizen's passive rei close by
Zennosuke even withstood Hogyouku Aizen's passive rei close by

At this point in the story, he's done a complete 180. He has no problem killing people, and has become a total blood knight on the battlefield. In civilian garb, he's haunted by his previous actions while suffering hallucinations and unintended homicidal tendencies toward normal civilians of the enemy and even his own kingdom and has to be constantly reigned in by his superiors in order to 'not do anything stupid" . He is a "hero" of his country at this point, but constantly crumbles under the weight of expectation of being engraved into the history books and no longer smiles.

Break Blade itself is a very grey kind of manga, where the antagonists and protagonists are always shown as having two sides, and Rygart shows this very implicitly.


----------



## Akatora (Aug 13, 2012)

Well I would certainly have liked to have seen more of Taiga from Mx0.

He could have been even better, but for a shounen main character he certainly was interesting.(for once the main character was the weakest of the lot and having to bluff and intimidate his way through was nice)


----------



## EndlessStrategy (Aug 13, 2012)

Joseph Joestar from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency.


----------



## Golden Witch (Aug 13, 2012)

Motherfucking Garami.



*Spoiler*: __


----------



## Imagine (Aug 13, 2012)

Scarlet Plague said:


> Motherfucking Garami.
> 
> 
> 
> *Spoiler*: __



What manga is that from?


----------



## EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! (Aug 13, 2012)

Gintoki Sakata​
Dude's a boss.


----------



## Malvingt2 (Aug 13, 2012)

Scarlet Plague said:


> Motherfucking Garami.
> 
> 
> 
> *Spoiler*: __


 I need more from her before I can include her in such honor..


----------



## Rax (Aug 13, 2012)

Natsu, Gash, and Toriko


----------



## Wrath (Aug 13, 2012)

Chiaki Shinichi, maybe. Or Kuronuma Sawako. Hard to say.

Ordinarily I like side-characters more than protagonists.

Come to think of it, when I think of protagonists I really like they're normally from Shoujo or Josei mangas. Not that I dislike protagonists - I don't bother reading a manga if I actually dislike the main character - just that they rarely really stand out as far as what my reasons for reading it actually are.


----------



## Succubus (Aug 13, 2012)

No one mentions Guts? 



ImagineBreakr said:


> What manga is that from?



Kiba no Tabishounin - The Arms Peddler


----------



## Stunna (Aug 13, 2012)

Yusuke Urameshi and Endou Kenji come to mind.


----------



## ZeroWolf123 (Aug 13, 2012)

Goku, Yusuke Uremeshi, And Yoh asakura


----------



## Golden Witch (Aug 13, 2012)

Malvingt2 said:


> I need more from her before I can include her in such honor..



Read The Arms Peddler.
Garami = Potential most badass female in manga.
Huge threat for SnKs female characters who are slowly but steadily changing the entire aspect of the clichee of the weak and hopeless girls, though topping Mikasa Ackerman...tch, doubt that is possible.Ever.
Not just due to characters being based on Norse Gods like Thor or Ullr.


----------



## Wosu (Aug 14, 2012)

Yusuke, Aladdin(Magi), Luffy.


----------



## Inuhanyou (Aug 14, 2012)

Mikasa is more of a deuteragonist...would she count?


----------



## The End (Aug 14, 2012)

Goku, Musashi(Vagabond), I also really liked C.T. Smith from Zombie Powder


----------



## zapman (Aug 14, 2012)

Oga Tatsumi by far


----------



## Raptor (Aug 14, 2012)

In no particular order:

- Luffy
- Oga Tatsumi and Baby Beel (Beelzebub)
- Musashi (Vagabond)
- Shou (Akumetsu)
- Ginko (Mushishi) 
- Sawako (Kimi ni Todoke)
- Himura Kenshin

Damn, those are the ones on the top of my head.   If I keep going I won't have enough space, heh.


----------



## Malvingt2 (Aug 14, 2012)

Scarlet Plague said:


> Read The Arms Peddler.
> Garami = Potential most badass female in manga.
> Huge threat for SnKs female characters who are slowly but steadily changing the entire aspect of the clichee of the weak and hopeless girls, though topping Mikasa Ackerman...tch, doubt that is possible.Ever.
> Not just due to characters being based on Norse Gods like Thor or Ullr.


 I am reading the manga, reason why I said I need more.. She has the potential for sure..


----------



## Litho (Aug 14, 2012)

Bikko said:


> No one mentions Guts?
> 
> 
> 
> Kiba no Tabishounin - The Arms Peddler



Guts has been mentioned.


----------



## Kirito (Aug 14, 2012)

Akatora said:


> Well I would certainly have liked to have seen more of Taiga from Mx0.
> 
> He could have been even better, but for a shounen main character he certainly was interesting.(for once the main character was the weakest of the lot and having to bluff and intimidate his way through was nice)



This. Kuzumi Taiga was a breath of fresh air when it came to WSJ protagonists ... heck, make it for most Shounen!

My list:

Monkey D. Luffy
Kuzumi Taiga - Mx0
Kitamura Kou - Cross Game
Himura Kenshin - Rurouni Kenshin
Saeba Ryo - City Hunter
Shinagawa Daichi - Yankee-kun to Megane-chan
Jang Kun/Lotto - Yureka


----------



## Inuhanyou (Aug 14, 2012)

Garami is a badass. But we don't know much about her as an actual character sans that she's apart of the guild and has a big past. And she hasn't changed much characterwise either. We still have plenty of time left, but much more depth is needed to actually cement her as a "great main character". Her cross between alucard(hellsing), Haruko(FLCL), Claire(Claymore) and Vash(Trigun) so far is less than the sum of those parts. Let alone one of the greatest in manga.

Besides Rygart, i'll also put down Rosette from Chrno Crusade one of my favorite manga main characters.

In addition to being badass and very capable she's also a very well rounded character who grows substantially from the series beginning to its end.


----------



## Hebe (Aug 14, 2012)

Edward Elric form Fullmetal Alchemist is probably my favorite manga protagonist. Great character.


----------



## Seto Kaiba (Aug 14, 2012)

Yusuke Urameshi


----------



## 8 (Aug 14, 2012)

Akatora said:


> Well I would certainly have liked to have seen more of Taiga from Mx0.
> 
> He could have been even better, but for a shounen main character he certainly was interesting.(for once the main character was the weakest of the lot and having to bluff and intimidate his way through was nice)


taiga was great. bluffed his way trough the whole manga. 

the second jojo was also very good at bluffing. also the protagonist of zippy ziggy. these are some of my favorites.


----------



## Scizor (Aug 14, 2012)

Light Yagami atm.


----------



## Hoshigaki Kisame (Aug 14, 2012)

Goku from Dragonball Z and Tsuna Sawada from Katekyo Hitman Reborn.


----------



## Malvingt2 (Aug 14, 2012)

Scizor said:


> Light Yagami atm.


 Now that you mentioned him, how the fuck did I forget about Shinichi Akiyama?  He is really a great protagonist..



and of course better than Light in every single way.


----------



## Stringer (Aug 14, 2012)

Manji - Blade of the Immortal
Goku - Dragon Ball
Kenshiro - Fist of the North Star


----------



## Raptorz (Aug 15, 2012)

Baki Hanma
Josuke Higashikata


----------



## Mizura (Aug 15, 2012)

Wrath said:


> Ordinarily I like side-characters more than protagonists.
> 
> Come to think of it, when I think of protagonists I really like they're normally from Shoujo or Josei mangas.


Same. :S When I like a Shounen manga, it usually isn't thanks to the protagonist alone, it's usually as much due to charismatic side characters.

Shoujo:
- Sul from Cheese in the Trap. I think of her as a role-model: far from perfect, but she works damn hard, and she's one sharp cookie. And she actually communicates (compared to most Shoujo protagonists anyway. ... compared to most protagonists, period!).
- Yvien from Ciel~The Last Autumn Sky: charismatic and witty, I also love her friendship with her partner, Lariatte.
- Used to love Kyouko from Skip Beat, but the series is going nowhere and I'm getting fed-up. :\

Shounen:
- Baam from Tower of God I guess, though there are many characters I like in the series as much or more than him (Rak, Koon Agero Agnis, Yuri Zahard, Repellista Zahard, and the new cast had some awesome moments). Basically I'm still hesitating about his descent into angst.
- Toriko from uh... Toriko: I like how he's handled. Too many Shounen manga play the "zomg, underdog!" card that then gets obsoleted with a "zomg, big revelation about his past!" card. Toriko is elite, he knows he's elite, and so does the rest of the world. Though... I like the manga mostly because the world is awesome and hilarious.
- Oh yeah, Mr. Beggar from Trace. Not enough middle-aged family men as protagonists. Too many young hot-heads.


----------



## RFujinami (Aug 15, 2012)

Kazuma Azuma from Yakitate!! Japan

Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin

Yusaku Godai from Maison Ikkoku

Taikobou from Houshin Engi


----------



## Mickey Mouse (Aug 15, 2012)

Yusuke Urameshi


----------



## Killerqueen (Aug 16, 2012)

*Yusuke Urameshi*


*Josuke Higashikata  *


----------



## Whitebeard (Aug 16, 2012)

Guts (Berserk)
Jotaro Joestar (JJBA)
Gintoki (Gintama)
Manji (Blade of the Immortal)


----------



## VanzZz (Aug 17, 2012)

Allen Walker [D Grayman]

Ayumu Aikawa [Kore Wa Zombie]

Kanzaki Jin [Zetman]

Kitano Ken [Sun Ken Rock]

Minamoto Musashi [Vagabond]

Monkey D Luffy [One Piece]

Sakata Gintoki [Gintama]

Staz Charlie [Blood Lad]

Takashi Mitsuhashi [Kyou kara Ore wa!!]


----------



## AfterGlow (Aug 17, 2012)

Ryo Narushima from Shamo, natch


----------



## Kenju (Aug 17, 2012)

I would say _Touma Kamijou_ from _To Aru Majutsu no Index_, but I'll also say
_Allen Walker - D. Gray-man
Yusuke Urameshi - Yu Yu Hakusho_


----------



## Psi Factor (Aug 19, 2012)

Himura Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin. He is the only protagonist for whom I read the manga, all the others have me stick for either the rival or other supporting characters. Not surprising since he's different from the usual wide eyed, idiotic shounen heroes. Even in the few seinen I read, I found rival characters better aka in Bersek I prefer Griffin over Guts.


Scarlet Plague said:


> Motherfucking Garami.
> 
> 
> 
> *Spoiler*: __


Sonna is the main protagonist of the manga. Grammi has all the makings of a deuteragonist, not that she's not badass.


----------



## Donquixote Doflamingo (Aug 19, 2012)

Toriko because he is toriko.

Dude is not a dumb kid with a hidden talent he does not know of yet. Toriko is a grown man who is boss, knows he's boss, and everyone knows it.


----------



## Thdyingbreed (Aug 19, 2012)

For me these would be my favorite manga protagonists.

Guts - Berserk
Edward Elric - FMA
Goku - Dragonball
Yusuke - YYH
Asakurah Yoh - Shaman King
Asakurah Hana - Shaman King flowers.


----------



## JoJo (Aug 19, 2012)

goku-db-dbz
yusuke-yyh
zero-code geass
light-death note
toriko-toriko


----------



## Golden Witch (Aug 19, 2012)

Psi Factor said:


> cters better aka in Bersek I prefer Griffin over Guts.
> 
> Sonna is the main protagonist of the manga. Grammi has all the makings of a deuteragonist, not that she's not badass.



I rather go and say:
Debatable due to Garami getting so much spotlight and such major plot relevance that far exceeds Sounas (the book,the sword,black widow,her status throughout the world or just what she actually is.).Even the sidestories are about her.


----------



## Psi Factor (Aug 20, 2012)

^She reminds me strongly of badass: (Chun-woo) from The Breaker. While the main story was moved forward by NAD (who he actually is, his status, his backstory & its impact on the present); the kid: Shin-woo was considered the protagonist... But then there is Claymore's badass: Clair & kid: Raki where the protagonist title rightly belonged to Clair instead of Raki. 

Although unlike Raki, kid: Sounna is hinted to have that typical hero's mysterious quality that made Grami give him the sword. And considering that the series up until now has proved to be very standard/cliche, I doubt that the author is going for anything other than the norms...

On another note, when was the last volume out? Has it really been many months or did I miss the release?


----------



## Jay Kay (Aug 20, 2012)

It's really really difficult to just name one, so I won't try.

Instead, I'll just say that right now, for shonen manga only: Oga from Beelzebub is just freakin' awesome.

I mean, he's just super chillax, always has the perfection reaction (and perfect face) for every situation, ridiculously wise for his age (though clueless about things like love of course, in typical shonen fashion), confident, grounded in reality, ass-kicking when necessary, doesn't give a darn...and sooo much more.

Baby Beel ended up with one hell of a parent.


----------



## Litho (Aug 20, 2012)

Jay Kay said:


> It's really really difficult to just name one, so I won't try.
> 
> Instead, I'll just say that right now, for shonen manga only: Oga from Beelzebub is just freakin' awesome.
> 
> ...



Oga is indeed extremely awesome.


----------



## Black☆Star (Aug 20, 2012)

Gintoki and Luffy


----------



## Qhorin Halfhand (Aug 21, 2012)

In no order 

Yusuke Urameshi
Dr Tenma 
Light Yagami
Luffy
Joseph Joestar
Edward Elric 
Himura Kenshin


----------

