The Differences Between Protagonists And Antiheroes

A protagonist is a name for any main character, whether the traditional hero or a villain. Usually, the protagonist is the hero the reader follows. Sometimes, there can be more than one protagonist in the story. An anti-hero is opposite to or opposing the hero. An antihero can be a protagonist, such as a villainous character who opposes the hero.

However, often the antihero can be a minor character in the story – the person who opposes the hero or is there to highlight the hero’s good qualities. A bully can be an anti-hero. The boy who runs away from the fight is the antihero who shows how brave the boy who stands up to the bully is.

When writing a story, you select major characters (protagonists) and minor characters who may help the story move along. A minor character could be the wise grandfather who makes a comment leading to the hero taking a brave action later. However, that minor character may not necessarily be the story’s antihero.

An antihero is not always a villain but often is portrayed as such. Remember, though, that the most believable characters are only partially good or mostly villainous. Readers know that humans are capable of both good and bad behaviours and will not always do everything 100% correctly.  Your anti-hero sometimes is there to highlight the hero’s best qualities by providing a contrast.

A villainous protagonist is sometimes called an antagonist – they are the characters who actively fight or torment the heroic protagonist who eventually wins the day.