Are loser protagonists really relatable?

[BlackKnightX]

Bruh.

Surely a smart princess like you can come up with something better than that~

Maybe~~~

Did your protagonist start off as a loser as well?

 

[Piisfun]

I think it depends.
I don`t mind the characters being weak, though I definitely prefer that they grow.

But a specific trope needs to die: the protagonist bullied all thier life.

 

[foxes]

I would look at this from different angles. The category of loser may be broader than it seems at first glance. Even without a backstory, you can be lucky, but after you get hit by a truck again, you won't feel that way anymore. I think yes, at least some kind of alternative is needed here.

And then, you actually don’t know what constitutes luck for each person. From this point of view, all earthlings can be called not only losers, but also underdeveloped, adding here four-dimensional creatures, for whom we look like incomprehensible branches on a spiral (the earth) winding around a luminous pillar (the sun).

But to be more down to earth, I think there would be nothing to write here if you didn’t reveal the problem and try to solve it. Who has the most problems? Of course, only losers have it. I think this is simply a property subconsciously imposed by society. However, we are simply accustomed to solving everyday problems without feeling like failures. Almost the same thing happens for both the heroes and the readers in their outside view, when something like killing an incredible mega enemy becomes an everyday thing taking out the trash. Who knows, maybe every day we quietly become these very lucky failures.

 

[J_Chemist]

I seek character development, that's what entices me. The "loser" protagonist has the highest potential for it. Individuals who start with nothing or have been kicked to the bottom of the ladder have the most to prove and the most room to develop. It's not that it's relatable but it's got the highest potential for a good ride. I still enjoy stronger MCs who wipe the floor with people, as a good ol' smackdown is just as fun.

What I hate is when they make excuses, when the author gives them shortcuts, or when the "powers" they're given make them grow either via bullshit ways or without much reason. It's wish-fulfillment at that point or just pushing the idea that you can be whatever you want, when that's not true. MC's like that, powerful or weak, aren't it.

You earn your keep. That's what makes a great loser-to-winner protagonist. Not what majority of pansy MCs are these days who are given the answers and a bunch of 2D women without depth to them.

 

[Premier]

I think most loser protagonists are a cop out. Like “They all hated me for being so smart” or what made them a loser just doesn’t apply anymore. They used to be losers but they’re not as soon as the story actually starts.

People hate actual loser protagonists, how often do you see comments complaining about the MC using their power “wrong” or being “stupid” ?

 

[SailusGebel]

Surely a smart princess like you can come up with something better than that~

I'm too lazy for that since I will have to write a lot and it won't lead to anything. But I can take a jab at you. Do you want it?

 

[georgelee5786]

No

 

[BlackKnightX]

I'm too lazy for that since I will have to write a lot and it won't lead to anything. But I can take a jab at you. Do you want it?

Do your worst. Good ol' pointless argument is always fun.

 

[SailusGebel]

Do your worst. Good ol' pointless argument is always fun.

For a person who boasted how good he is at self-inserting you sure have some major troubles with it.

 

[RepresentingEnvy]

I am surprised no one mentioned Re: Zero. Guy starts as a loser hikikomori. The trend is popular in Japan because a lot of people there relate to it. Even the ones that work can relate to a loser protagonist. If you slave your life away at a company, then you can relate to everyone bossing you around, bullying you, or causing your suffering.

I am sure people will relate more to a loser protagonist if they feel like they are losing at life. It is better when the MC breaks away from being a loser. It makes them feel like they can also break away.

 

[BlackKnightX]

For a person who boasted how good he is at self-inserting you sure have some major troubles with it.

Nice start. Welp, gotta say, self-inserting has become quite hard lately. It's not as easy as it used to be. Back in the day, I was like a little kid who accepted anything being thrown at me. I could be just about anyone. Now, I'm more... picky? Don't know if you remember, but I posted a post once not long ago about how I seemed to have lost the ability to read from time to time. You even commented it, remember?

 

[SailusGebel]

Nice start. Welp, gotta say, self-inserting has become quite hard lately. It's not as easy as it used to be. Back in the day, I was like a little kid who accepted anything being thrown at me. I could be just about anyone. Now, I'm more... picky? Don't know if you remember, but I posted a post once not long ago about how I seemed to have lost the ability to read from time to time. You even commented it, remember?

I will be honest here. The only thing I remember for a long time is petty grudges. So, I don't remember that thread.

 

[BlackKnightX]

I will be honest here. The only thing I remember for a long time is petty grudges. So, I don't remember that thread.

Seems I've accomplished my goal, then~

 

[SailusGebel]

Seems I've accomplished my goal, then~

 

[laccoff_mawning]

I wouldn't say I've seen many loser protagonists that I find relatable. In fact, I'm not sure I've seen a single one.

I don't think loser protagonists are necessarily bad, just not relatable.

I think one thing that needs to be clarified is you can have MCs that have trash talent, MCs that have trash character, then MCs that have both. All three could be, in some regards, considered as "loser protagonists"

Perhaps the most relatable loser protagonist I've seen is in "No kidding, I'm an extra". (I've only read the first few chapters, so I can't say if its actually good or not.)
Why? Because I think screaming and being terrified of monsters from another world is a very humane response, and I like the fact this novel actually explores it. Compared to the other characters of the story though, he's a coward.
Actually, he's objectively a coward as well, but I'm just saying it feels more relatable than some other "loser protagonist" things I read.

If I can take a story with a "loser protagonist" I really hate, I would talk about "breakthrough with the forbidden master". Among many problems I have with the novel, one of the things I find myself thinking when looking at the reviews that novel has is: "What, you relate to that? That thing you call a main character?"

 

[Cortavar]

Seriously? Do... we even need to answer this question?
YES.
People have LOST far more than they won. There is the 1% and we call them the 1% because only 12% of us will ever be 1%ers.
(in America. The more socialist your country, the lower your chances.

So, America, where 54% of americans will be in the top 20% of the wealthest people in the US, most Americans identify with WINNERS.

In the rest of the world, like china, where 3% of people will be in the top 1% and 28% will reach the top 20%, then those people mostly identify with losers. Because they lose more. Socialism sucks.

Your grasp of percentages and economy are challenging...

You mix global levels of wealth and national ones, which makes it harder to follow you.

There's more to wealth than being in the top 1% global/top 12% US. And the number of billionaires is not a good measure of a nation's economic health. Or more precisely, it is a figure that has to be compared to others to determine that health: what is the distribution of wealth like? Does a small minority hoard the vast majority of it, or is it shared amongst the general population? What are the extreme living conditions, for the poorest and richest?

If you have 20% of the richest people on Earth on your country and 20% of the poorest, your economic model is flawed. You can have countries that are economically successful with a way lower gap between the richest and the poorest. And that's just one parameter: what about your middle class? How do they fare compared to both? How many of them are there in the general population?

Predatory capitalism generates a few extremely rich people, a dwindling middle class, and a lot of poverty. (Plus the exploitation of non renewable resources) All alternatives to that system are not communism. There are a lot of ways to set up a balanced society, Europe (the EU) is kind of on that track, and none of its countries are communist hellholes.

America identifies with winners because of cultural reasons, not economic ones. You aren't winning when you have that many billionaires to the detriment of your working and middle class, quite the opposite, you are setting grounds up for a violent revolution.

Take a look in the back mirror, to France and England in the XVIIIth century. On the one hand, you've got France, a few very rich nobles, a lot of very poor peasants, a struggling merchant and minor aristocracy class. It ends in revolution and beheadings. On the other hand, you have the same poor peasants, but the power is in the hands of the merchants and lower aristocrats rather than the high nobility. And they transition smoothly into the industrial revolution.

Now tell me, what situation is America more akin today? Enlightenment France or Enlightenment England? See where you're headed? Everyone else does, by the way.

 

[Anon2024]

I’ve seen enough losers in fiction to know where this is going…

People love zero to hero, it’s not necessarily that the person is a loser but more so that they turn their life around.

Audiences have the wish fulfillment of improving their life and proving others wrong.

 

[AliceShiki]

Mmmmmmm... I think it may depend on what one has experienced in life to relate to a loser protagonist or not?

Like... If you have experienced moments where you were really down, you can relate to a character that is really down more easily.

And also like... You don't need to relate to everything that happens to the loser protagonist... As long as their reactions and feelings are relatable to what you felt when you were down, then you can probably relate to the character as a whole.

And well, most characters won't be losers forever, so seeing them grow can be cathartic for the readers, so... Well, I think it can work?

That said... I honestly don't remember reading any story where the protagonist was a total loser, so I don't really know how I'd feel when reading one?

The closest things I can remember are stuff like... A character worked in a black company and died from overworking, then they reincarnated and lived a happier life, which is like... Well, the loser portion is more of a backstory than anything?

Or uhn... In Accel World the main character is a nerd that is bullied kinda regularly, but he is also good at gaming, has a few friends, and quickly gets into a VR game that he ends up being quite good at... So again, more of a loser backstory than anything? Even if the loser portion ends up being relevant in the 1st volume, it quickly stopped being very relevant afterwards.

So I dunno, I can't think of any pure loser MC, so I dunno how I'd react to that, but... I can relate to people getting overstressed from work and I can relate to someone being bullied at school, so I can relate to this kind of situation, so... This kind of character works for me?

As long as the characters have aspects of them that are relatable, it will probably work out in one way or another, I think.

 

[Bartun]

I don't like the word 'loser', it makes it sound like life is about winning or losing. Life is a fight and most of us are still in the arena, ready to be hit but also to hit back. Life is not about winning or losing, life is about persevering through hardships while enjoying the small things. Just because you're not there yet doesn't mean you're a 'loser'. Only the ones who give up the fight are 'losers'.

Most of us tend to identify with 'loser protagonists' not because they are losers but because they suffer but still carry on, take responsibility for their own actions, try to improve, and never give up. Those are the qualities of a good 'loser' protagonist. Nobody wants someone who just whines, blames everyone for their problems, and never takes action to improve, be a fictional character or a real person.

 

[HungrySheep]

I'm physically fit and I'm pretty happy with my current lifestyle, but I'd HARD relate to a character that sucks at writing.