Character: Alina Starkov
From: Shadow and Bone
Representation: Biracial (show only)
Their Importance: Most "Chosen One" heroes in fantasy stories are white girls, so it's refreshing to finally get an Asian protagonist in a setting like Shadow and Bone (which is overall much more diverse than what you'd usually expect in adventure fantasy). She's smart, a quick learner, and brave. Most of her season one arc deals with accepting her power and learning to navigate the Grisha world- her character growth is realistic in that Alina is allowed to make mistakes and frequently feels lost, so it's all the more satisfying to see her learn to fight and stand up for herself.
Issues: There's a fair bit of racism thrown at Alina in the series, and while none of it is portrayed as okay, it can be understandably triggering. There's also the fact she has a romance arc with an adult man while being 17 herself, although the above also applies- it's made pretty clear he was manipulating her, and the writers seem well-aware of how problematic that relationship is.
Thanks to anon for the write-up!
