What Makes a Good Fantasy Protagonist?
I’ve been reading a bunch of Fantasy Stories to try and determine what separates the most memorable and good Fantasy Protagonists from the forgettable and bad ones, and I think I’ve come up with a few good markers to hit. This is by no means a full or correct list, as this is really just what I’ve found in the stories I’ve read, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. So, without further ado, here’s my list of what makes a good fantasy protagonist:
Okay, so I’m obviously kidding with this first entry, but seriously, have you noticed how all the great Fantasy Protagonists have Black Hair? Frodo Baggins, Percy Jackson and Harry Potter are all described with messy Black hair. Or, at the very least they always either have Black hair or Brown hair, such as in the case of Lucy Pevensie or Hiccup. Again, this isn’t important at all, but it’s still so strangely common that it’s worth a mention at least.
All the great Fantasy Protagonists are, in one way or another, new and inexperienced in the Fantasy World they find themselves in. Frodo Baggins was born in Middle Earth, but grew up in the Shire, away from all the other Races, Civilizations and Dangers of that world. Percy Jackson had never been to Camp Half Blood, and Harry Potter hadn’t been brought up in the Wizarding World, instead being introduced to it at the age of 11. This makes it easier for the Audience to connect and relate with the protagonist, since they’re both experiencing the world for the first time, and can also make worldbuilding and plot easier, since the Protagonist is oblivious to it, so it can be directly explained to them, thus explaining it to the audience as well.
It seems that a staple of the Fantasy Genre is the infamous mentors that guide the primary Protagonists along their journeys - Frodo has Gandalf, Harry has Dumbledore, Percy has Chiron, and so on and so forth. It also seems to be fairly common for the Mentor Figure to die in some way, such as Gandalf defeating the Balrog and not reuniting with Frodo until the ring is destroyed, or Dumbledore dying during the siege of Hogwarts; although, this trope is very much disliked by some, so it might be best to avoid directly killing off the mentor figure as a way to make the protagonist grow up - there are other ways to promote character development than killing off characters, after all.
4. Losing Something Important along the way
By setting out on their grand quest, all the greatest Protagonists lose something important to them, but always manage to triumph regardless. Frodo loses the security he had in the Shire and the life he left behind; Percy loses his mother to the Minotaur; Harry loses his parents, mentor and sense of security when he finds out he’s the chosen one. This drives home the tragedy of the plot, and gives more insight into the character, at how they react to losing that important thing, and how they overcome that reaction regardless.
5. Has a signifigant, fantastical quality to them
We like Characters that draw us in and seem compelling, so many of the Great Fantasy Protagonists have a significant quality about them that makes them stand out. Frodo is both a Hobbit and the Ring Bearer, Percy is the demigod son of Poseidon, and Harry Potter is a Wizard and the Chosen One. Or, you can have it that fantastic quality developed later on in the story, such as in the case of Lucy Pevensie, who becomes one of the Queens of Narnia after ending the White Witch’s rein, and whose figure as an outsider in Narnia also sets her apart from the rest of the inhabitants of that world. This type of quality is also found in Hiccup, who is initially seen as remarkably weak and scrawny by the rest of his people, but soon gains that Fantastic Quality after taming Toothless the Dragon and bringing about a dragon utopia on Berk. These are all qualities that make them stand out, so when writing a Fantasy Protagonist, try giving them a very unique trait, such as being an interesting and worldbuilt Fantasy Race or having a special Ability or Purpose that sets them apart from both the audience and the rest of the characters.
6. Has a Destiny or Task they need to Fulfill
The biggest aspect of a Protagonist is, arguably, the task they need to fulfil and how they go about that. Frodo needs to travel to Mordor and dispose of the One Ring, Percy needs to save his mother from the depths of Hades, and Harry needs to fulfil his destiny and stop Voldemort. They all have explicit purposes, and concrete goals to achieve. This not only makes them motivated as a character, but also establishes a concrete ending for the book - once the task is complete, the book can end.
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