5 Anime Side Characters That Would Have Been Amazing Protagonists

Gohan – Dragon Ball Z

Although Akira Toriyama stated in Dragon Ball Z Chapter #421 that Gohan would be the main character in the future (at least for that arc), it never really came to fruition. When Goku died at the end of the Cell arc, Gohan was supposed to take over the mantle of head honcho. He didn’t and it feels like a missed opportunity.

Gohan’s personality has a lot more depth due to his desires being quite the opposite to Goku in that he doesn’t enjoy fighting. Gohan would much rather go to school, raise a family, have a good job, and do small-time hero work around the planet. He never has any crazy training arcs nor does he seek out new masters or techniques. Despite being incredibly strong, he can only go Super Sayian 2, which is nothing compared to the gods of Dragon Ball Super.

However, even with this lack of passion, Gohan is constantly thrust into battle to defend his friends and family, often losing due to a lack of training, unlike his father. Piccolo even has to drill it into Goku’s head that Gohan doesn’t like fighting and he isn’t passionate about it like Goku is.

Gohan is also very invested in his relationships, like with Piccolo, Videl, Chi-Chi, and even Goku himself. We get more down-to-earth moments with him and actually see him talk to other characters about more things than just fighting. He’s just a much more human character compared to the rigid, apathetic characters in the Dragon Ball world who only care about fighting.

Shoto Todoroki – My Hero Academia

There are plenty of times throughout My Hero Academia where Todoroki gets the spotlight, and it tends to be pretty amazing. Out of all the side characters in My Hero Academia, he has the most interesting backstory and a great deal of character development.

Shoto is first shown as a quiet kid who stays in the shadows when compared to characters like Deku, Bakugo, and Iida, but we soon learn he has a burning (ha) hatred for his father. Throughout the series, we see Todoroki begin to understand his father more and even develop some kind of relationship with him.

He also shuns the side of his body that uses flames since those powers came from his father. When he begins to understand his father more, he starts using his flame powers. He’s not the confrontational type, but that never stops him from having honest discussions with people.

Shoto may be a bit shy, but he’s excellent at interacting with his classmates and has no problem being firm with characters like Midoriya and Bakugo. His relationship with his father, who is also a pro hero, leads to many emotional highs and lows with Shoto and is an example of how the shows about high school students who need to learn harsh life lessons like his father did.

Like other characters in this anime, Todoroki has issues with self-doubt, but it’s not shoved down the viewer’s throat every episode. It’s more subtle. He’s also willing to have his opinions and perspectives challenged and changed, as proven by his relationship with his father.

Shoto also doesn’t have the typical underdog arc that is so prevalent in anime. He’s a powerful character that has a lot to live up to, but he also demands a lot of respect. With Shoto, his future is unknown to us and it makes his development fun to watch. Shoto’s powers may be a bit cliché since it’s just fire and ice, but it’s an interesting combo that leads to some flashy, cool scenes.

Roy Mustang – Full Metal Alchemist

Roy Mustang would be first in line for a replacement main character in Full Metal Alchemist due to how he develops emotionally and how awesome his flame powers are. He’s doesn’t fit the trope of a young, hot-headed kid like most anime protagonists, but he’s still a great character who develops a lot over the series.

Roy starts out as a commander who desires respect despite not doing much besides barking orders. As the series progresses, he starts to listen to those around him, regardless of their title or rank, and his goals as a whole change. At the beginning, he just wants to rule but as the show progresses, he wants to rule to right the wrongs of his predecessors and help everywhere regardless of where they’re from.

Mustang’s relationships and rank within the military are a great social position for a main character. However, his relationship with characters like Alex Armstrong, Riza Hawkeye, and the rest of his team could be significantly expanded as there is a lot of history mentioned with these characters. Still, you don’t get to see a lot of it.

The world of Full Metal Alchemist is filled with great characters who would be fun to watch be in the spotlight, but Roy Mustang is the man with the plan, and watching a driven character is fun and satisfying. It would be fun to watch him work his way up in the military during his younger years and get more into his flame alchemy training.

Rock Lee – Naruto

Naruto is another anime filled with many colorful characters, but Rock Lee would make a fantastic substitute for the main character slot. As one of Naruto’s greatest underdogs, he’s a joy to watch.

Unlike many of the leading players in the Naruto world, Rock Lee doesn’t have any talent when it comes to ninjutsu or genjutsu. So he would instead undergo special training to learn taijutsu from Might Guy.

During his fight with Gaara, Rock Lee’s moves are put to the test and show how interesting he really is. Since he doesn’t have powers like most others do in the Naruto universe, he really has to train his physical powers to overcome obstacles. It also shows just how confident he can be, something rarely shown in younger characters.

His fighting style is unique to the Naruto world, he’s a passionate underdog, and he has some badass moments of his own throughout the series. Everything about his character, in general, is unique, just look at the way his character is designed. So it’s honestly surprising that Rock Lee hasn’t gotten his spin-off show by now.