[Music] protagonists if someone asks me who my favorite characters are I tend to gravitate towards the protagonist the main character the MC could have something to do with me having main character syndrome an ex told me I had that once don't ask but truthfully the reason why I like them is because of what they represent many literary institutions identify the protagonist as the character the story is about but you're smart so you know it's a bit more complicated than that or I assume you're smart I did create you after all the protagonist is the character
who drives the action whose fate matters most in other words they are involved in and often Central to the plot or conflict of the story but are also usually the emotional heart of the narrative not a bad definition it provides a more nuanced take on the role to be the driving factor of the narrative and the vessel of its core elements the one who shoulders all of the themes and ideas the story wants to convey even Mariam Webster makes the correlation between the Greek word protagonistas which means the first struggler to the role of the
protagonist in a story to stand and struggle against someone or something maybe even themselves the protagonist struggles against the status quo to reach and understanding of the narrative's themes themselves or to Simply gain the power needed to fight against the forces that be pretty entertaining stuff if you ask me though the protagonist character has taken different forms throughout many many years in fiction I wonder if I can find a perfect character that accurately embodies the definition we just talked about the struggler protagonist there are certainly a number of mediums to choose from in order to
find out but that sounds like too much work for me I'm curious but not that curious I'll just need to narrow my area of study so let's try shown in protagonist there is truly nothing like protagonist characters in Shonen they have an energy about them an aura that pulls me in like no other medium Luke Skywalker Hamlet odyusa guess but have you heard of Ichigo kurasaki now that's a main character but let's not get lost in the weeds here the question is whether or not any of them fit my ideal struggler prot anist model who
do you think it is ah I got [Music] it the steadfast free spirit it's soon to be pirate king who might be the literal textbook definition of a dynamic character funny enough Luffy isn't that bad of a pck for a protagonistas I kind of hate saying that word I I think I'm just going to stop saying it Oda consistently places Luffy in fights against enemies that can bypass his brute strength forcing him to get stronger in more ways than just a strong punch well except for that time and that time that time but seriously Luffy
has had to grow as a captain a friend a fighter a dreamer a freedom fighter there have been times Luffy has had to grow through struggle but does that make him the struggler protagonist eh no not really one piece tends to bend to Luffy's will more often than not for how long the series is I can count on one hand the amount of times Luffy was punished for a decision he makes or a belief he has he typically is rewarded for his steadfastness and as a fan I guess I can't complain too much one piece
just isn't that kind of story would be difficult to be the manifestation of Liberation if the story was consistently keeping him from liberating people so sorry Straw Hat you don't make the cut who else who else um Naruto maybe definitely not don't get me wrong I like Naruto as a main character and what his ideology offers to the story for a character whose ethos is not that hard to understand fans love to misinterpret his role as an MC Naruto was supposed to be about doing it yourself is the common complaint with discussing Naruto's ethos since
the titular Fox boy ends up being tied to an ancient prophecy but Naruto was never about that the story's themes have always been about believing in yourself even when no one else does Breaking cycles of hatred and never going back on your word even The Reincarnation element of the story whereby Naruto and Sasuke's fate are tied to their ancestors was tossed to the side by our protagonist choosing to fight to save his friend rather than continuing the cycle Naruto's world does push back against him and his ideals his struggle against the status quo is what
draws people towards him so why doesn't he fit the bill for the struggler protagonist well this is where I think the topic of plot armor comes into play I'm looking for a character whose position is a little more grounded and isn't consistently being saved or pushed to the Forefront by The Narrative I give Naruto a lot of praise for what he has accomplished but I can't ignore the massive buff he gets over other characters simply because of kurarama I don't think our struggler protagonist should have a consistent get out of jail free card okay so
not Naruto either Mador much like Luffy midorya is the embodiment of the themes being a natural-born hero who helps people with a smile no matter what it is the very reason he is chosen by all might in the first place although it's his outward appearance confidence and inexperience that holds him back for a large portion of the story so fans had a hard time viewing him as a main character others like bakugo and Todoroki were touted as being better candidates for the role of main character because they were more interesting deu being the most timid
while also being the most courageous is what makes him perfect for the role of main character in my hero as the story continues the lines between hero and villain become blurred the failures of those who are supposed to be the protectors created the villains that are destroying the world the hero system that everyone believed in was built on Shaky Ground and villains like shigaraki have come to topple it over someone like midorya who embodies the themes of saving people who need it and trying his best no matter what is the kind of person who can
actually bring change to this world he struggles against villains his Heroes his friends his powers even himself pushing further and further to save as many people as he can no other character can fit this role he is the perfect protagonist for my hero super close but still not what I'm looking for deku's core character is never really challenged by the story like he lives in a hero Society so everybody wants to be a hero the only people who really chastise him for the way he is are the villains and I guess you can say bakugo
but that's not really surprising I thought I really had it that time all right so let's take a step back what we're looking for is a character that follows all three of these elements being the embodiment of The Core theme of the story isn't overpowered lacking in an easy way out during heavy plot moments and lastly is constantly struggling against the world that they inhabit the characters we've already talked about and many others in the Shonen genre have some of these things in Spades don't get me wrong I'm sure Ichigo from bleach and denji from
chainsaw man came to mind but the issue is I don't think any of these characters take it far enough I'm looking for someone who's a little more like guts from berserk berserk being a sine so it doesn't really fall in this category but guts definitely is the type of character that is constantly fighting back against the world that he exists in but as the main character it is his role to continue pushing forward and present the viewer with what this story is really trying to tell them but berserk is pretty dark in its setting and
covers a lot of heavy story elements you don't really see that kind of stuff in Shonen series maybe there just isn't a Shonen character that fits my model for the struggler protect wait hold on yes there [Music] is there is an ideology that hangs over every facet of jiujitsu ka's world a poison that seeps into the psyches of every character the concept of power and what it means to be someone with it and to be someone without jutu kaisen is plagued by a single philosophy those who choose to hold on to their Humanity will always
be weak those who discard their Humanity in the pursuit of power and jiutu will obtain the title of the strongest now typically this kind of rhetoric is something you only really see touted by villains of Shonen stories think Ma Eisen early Dragon Ball Vegeta or even early boaga Vegeta but that's the thing about jutu kaisen where characters like sakuna are the embodiment of this ideology and I will get to him in a moment he isn't the only one who upholds it torug Gojo is often looked as better suited for the role of protagonist than Yuji
by many fans he is all powerful a god amongst men titled the strongest of his era his presence is felt at every turn and so much focus is placed on him in the story he's undeniable and I can see why people see him the way they do but Gojo like sakuna is a byproduct of the poison that plagues the jiujitsu world since he was born Gojo was able to sense the difference between him and everyone else this massive Gap in ability caused him to become jaded and indifferent from those who are weak this continued all
the way into his teenage years although his perspective did change a little due to his experience during the star plasma vessel Arc coming to understand that maybe he wasn't capable of fixing everything with his power looking towards the future generation for help that poison could never truly be washed away his rebirth and his battle with toi brought Gojo to new heights he towered over everyone even more than before before no matter how strong his allies were that Gap would never close and the loneliness that comes with it never left him especially after losing the only
person he believed understood him the death of Gojo and soon after kosimo at the hands of sakuna brought light to the downfall of those who achieve the peaks of power for there can only be one at the top and chasing it only leads to feeling profound loneliness and eventual defeat by someone above you but you don't even need to look at one character to see how this obsession with power is illustrated The Very hierarchy of jutu sorcery is drenched in this poison prioritizing powerful curse techniques strong Fighters and curse tools has created generations of prejudice
discrimination and abuse within the clans of jiutu sorcery those who do not show promise from birth or cast aside and considered burdens it has fostered profound levels of hatred within one's own family look no further than the zenen clan Maki megumi and toi have all been subjected to discrimination and hardship because of the zening clan in a number of different ways it has all LED them to pursue power in the hopes of Breaking the Chain of their birthrights no matter the reason no matter how altruistic allowing the obsession to seep in will lead characters like
them to allow themselves to toss their Humanity aside and become monsters themselves hoji was almost saved from this fate because of his wife but the moment she died so did his will to hold on to his Humanity megumi being someone everyone placed a profound level of pressure in faith in because of his curse technique grew up with a chip on his shoulder causing him to act incredibly Reckless at times trying to shoulder responsibilities all on his own his need to prove himself and survive has led him to make decisions that he knows his peers would
never approve of even Maki a character who was actually able to break free of the zening clan curse by destroying the clan itself thanks to her Awakening but it was her ruthlessness and beast-like demeanor that caused even some of her peers to call her a monster even when she speaks about Ma's death she is stated saying she lost her heart losing her tie to humanity seems to be the only way for her to ascend and there's no going back from there Jutsu kaisen consistently pushes characters into a corner to where their worse selves emerge in
order for them to succeed so many characters in jjk have either fallen into the Trap of chasing strength or becoming a cog in the machine of jiutu sorcery it's a never-ending pile of death and suffering and the one who stand stand at the peak of it all is Roman suca the one who doesn't just propagate this concept of throwing away his Humanity he embodies it once a human who slowly morphed into something else not fully a curs but definitely no longer human his obsession with power and the freedom to do take kill crush anything he
wants has turned him into an unap pae monster he Towers over others like Gojo but on a larger scale and because of the power he possesses es his way of life is pushed upon anyone weaker than him again much like Gojo he is undeniable or at the very least it feels that way it has even caused some fans to view sakuna as the one who embodies the core elements of jiujitsu Ken's ethos but it's not him it's not sakuna it's not Gojo it's not megumi it's not even UTA none of the major players in the
jiujitsu world embody the narratives ethos all of them have fallen victim to the poison of seeking power and discarding their Humanity for it all [Music] [Music] accept since the first time I watched youu kaisen I fell in love with itadori Yuji he's a very unique character while appearing simple on the outer layer he truly stands alone from his Shonen contemporaries and for a long time I never knew why again he seemed rather simple in terms of what you would expect from a high school Shonen protagonist a strong sense of responsibility incredible physical ability but there
was also an almost unwavering connection to his Humanity his very first introduction to the show is him helping others his love for people and the need to do what he believes is the right thing is what defines his character but is also the one thing the world of Jutsu Tyson seems to despise the most Yuji inhabits a world that is actively trying to either use him dispose of him or strip him of his Humanity there's even been times where it appeared that Yuji would fold Under Pressure give into that Darkness he has once considered himself
a cog in the machine like everyone else he does not possess a cursed technique he doesn't have a unique ability and he burdens himself with the problems of others he is in the eyes of the Godlike monsters around him incredibly and remarkably human Yuji is consistently and relentlessly punished for trying to play Hero for trying to save people for trying not to kill for trying to hold on to his Humanity he struggles and fights against those who believe him weak he had to watch so many people die he's had to make difficult decisions and grow
up for being a simple high school kid to a full-fledged jiujitsu sorcerer but we as viewers are given reassurance that no matter how much this world pushes back against Yugi he will keep moving forward as a human he won allow himself to be taken by that poison even if his peers will through all the destruction death and Chaos that ensues during jutu ka's runtime the moment I cherish the most are the ones with Yuji simply talking to someone about how he feels each time we as the viewer are able to see that everpresent Humanity along
with the person he is speaking with nanami nobara higuma Toto all these characters have played Major roles in yuji's development imparting important lessons and perspectives Yuji needed as a way to E either Express his struggle to someone he trusts or to remind him of what's important to keep moving forward the conversations I think back on the most are the ones Yuji shares with nobara and higuma with nobara after the battle against the two death painting Brothers her and Yuji realized they didn't just simply exercise curses but mutated humans where you would expect most characters in
this moment to Simply justify their actions as a way of survival much like how nobara processed it Yuji took a moment to mourn the people he had to kill saying I'm happy that you and I survived I'm relieved even so because of the life I took tears were shed that's all and with higuma someone who was ready to shut his eyes to the weak and embrace the darkness the light in yuji's eyes reminded him of who he was when trapped in the confines of higar room's domain given the choice to relinquish the blame of the
massacre committed by sakuna and shabuya Yuji takes the blame and faces Almost sure defeat after the fight higuma explains to Yuji that that he knew he did not commit that sin asking him why he decided to admit to the crime when he didn't commit it and Yuji responds even so it's my fault because I'm too weak this is a character who chooses to remember who he is and what he is done where other characters will make justifications for the death of others in order to continue fighting Yuji will never trample over the dead to reach
a goal where jiutu kaisen pushes our protagonist to strengthen his resolve through battles with villains like mahito who himself is the literal embodiment and curse of human beings Yuji fights against the poison with the will of those who believed in him at his back to me Jutsu kaisen is not about tossing away your Humanity to become strong to succumb to the ideals of a curse just to become another Pawn in Jutsu society's game the ethos of this story is to rage against it to reject the poison to remember the dead and to struggle Against The
Gods and remain human in the words of a great man there's nothing wrong with being a a child and there's nothing wrong with being human the current state of jiujitsu kaisen is uncertain but the way things are sukuna seems to hold all the cards of how things will go as we near the end of the series in order for the forces of good to defeat sakuna we can't simply beat him Yuji must overcome sakuna in a way that breaks the cycle of greed and power seeking he must defeat the very idea of sukuna and I
hope gagay grants him that opportunity Yuji is my ideal protagonist the struggler protagonist that I've been looking for he isn't a cog in the machine he is a lone wrench thrown in it wedged in the cracks and I hope that by the end of the series he isn't the one that breaks under the pressure but the one who causes the wheels to stop turning thank you Yugi you are my hero my protagonist H you know you're a really good listener do you mind if we talk again I'm going to be making a lot of changes
and doing things differently than I did before I want to create a better world and I'm going to be going through some rough patches in order to get there I would like to have someone to vent these thoughts and ideas to sometimes I feel like I don't have anyone to talk to but if you would like to talk more just like this I would appreciate it so how about it friends
