Spotlight#57: My Favorite Webtoon Protags

As I've said before in my last spotlight, I have many favorites, especially when it comes to webtoon. It's given me dozens of characters that I love and respect, probably a little too much, but I'll leave that for another day. But as I watch more and more anime, I tend to see that we don't talk about the main character too much, which aggravates me a lot sometimes. So today might as well give a spotlight to my five favorite main characters of the webtoon.

Note

Once again, this isn't a top 5 since having favorite characters in a series, and with the top 10, my lists and feelings can now be more diverse. Also, besides certain exceptions, I'm only talking about the main characters of a webtoon with no webtoons that I've talked about in my top 5 webtoons. A great example is saying that even though Gohan was a protag of Dbz, Goku would be on this list instead. With that all out of the way, let's get right into this. Also, spoilers ahead.

Rai

Might as well start with the only manhwa of the big three that wasn't in my top 5. After finishing Noblesse, though, I was kind of surprised out at how attached I became with Rai. Because he truly does fit the title of the Noblesse. Despite their many genetic advantages and great intelligence, Rai remains steadfast of never putting his life above anyone else; in fact, he despises when people practice this, not even thinking they are worthy of breathing in his presence. His lack of words does a great job of making his lines even more impactful as we see him give his very lifeblood all for those under his care. It was only then I started to get him.

Across his long life, Rai had to put down against some of his best friends even when it hurts him. From this, it was pretty apparent that he would die alone and scared. But after his reawakening, Rai finally got to release himself from the role of the Noblesse and be a normal person amongst friends. He made allies for himself and is content with it fully. He may be a character that has few words, but his charisma and actions are already ringing. Unfortunately, I just wish we got to see more interactions with his knights, though.

Gray Yeon

Despite being the newest kid on the block list wise, I fell for Gray and Weak hero very hard and fast. Gray feels kind of like a mix of both John from unordinary and Hardcore Leveling Warrior. Growing up as an empty husk, Gray sought some kind of meaning beyond cold hard fact. But he instead found that husk when Stephen Ahn entered his life. However, after seeing the cold hard world beat the only warm light in Gray's empty life, he decided to get revenge.

From then on, Gray became obsessed with cold hard facts as he spent his days duking out against any kid that threatened him. Honestly, I like this approach mainly because it makes Gray a far more tactical character that is far more realistic in his choices. Yet even with his intense cruelty, we see that it starts to break Gray on the inside because he doesn't want to do this but feels like he must not repeat what Stephen did. He never even fully recovered from the trauma as he keeps pushing people away. Over time, though, Gray makes legitimate friends he cares for and wants to recover and move on. This humanity, combined with Gray's cold-ass cruelty, creates a conflict that feels so real and raw to me that I just can't help but love him.

Yumi

Due to my preferences, I don't have many female mc's. And I know it's weird to say, but Yumi is my favorite female protag. Probably one of the things that I like most about Yumi is just how interactive she is. The entire point of Yumi Cells is that we get to see the inside of her head, so we never really see an illogical or random moment from her. Through this weird looking glass, we see a development unlike any other.

Yumi grows from a young woman that was unsure of what to do next, with nothing but an introverted who viewed writing as a hobby. But as the series intentionally starts to grow up and become more human, as we see Yumi be in more relationships. Yumi becomes a woman that makes her feel more open and resilient as time goes on. What's even better is that Yumi has always been the one to end her relationship as she is the one that will not stand for being possibly mistreated. All this creates a character I've grown to heavily relate to as she grows up along with the story—an overall fantastic character with a fantastic arc.

Hardcore Leveling Warrior

Ethan Gong/Hardcore Leveling Warrior was hands down one of the characters that would be for sure on this list. He makes and breaks his manhwa and is a creatively intriguing departure from most op mc's. Because Hclw is both an overpowered protagonist and an underdog that I constantly root for. For all of his life, Ethan spent all of his life as the most pathetic of losers. He was an orphan who was constantly in gambling debt, the only thing that kept him going was the game Lucid Adventure where he had all the luck imaginable. But once he had a person he held dear with the people from the said game "betraying" him Ethan counted on the one thing that he always had: himself. It didn't take long for him to bury everything and become to others what the world had done to him.

His reset to level 1 is supremely cathartic because not only is it a rightful punishment for Ethan's previous behavior, but it gives him a chance for a new start. Don't get me wrong, Hardcore is still very much a ruthless bastard of a man who will do just about anything to recover from his massive debt. Yet along the way, our fateful gambler learned how to not only count on himself but his teammates as well. Because despite all of his snobbish qualities, Hardcore is the ultimate gambler. If there is a one percent chance of victory, he will take it because he can't afford ever to lose. He's a scumbag that I have nothing but respect for as we see him start to redeem his previous behavior and truly make a stand against an uncertain world.

Hades

Bit of a weird take, but I think that Hades from Lore Olympus should take the proverbial cake. In a world filled with selfish, arrogant gods, Hades makes himself known by other means. However, it makes sense that the literal most down to earth god are the most relatable. Growing up inside the stomach of his abusive father, Cronus Hades, is so damaged by the event that it seeks to define him for the rest of his life. With his appearance resembling the worst tyrant of the world, Hades felt broken and pathetic. He felt like he didn't deserve happiness; he didn't deserve love.

Yet after meeting Pershopne, something strange happens. The broken man soon was able to see the pain of others and takes care of them. The seemingly stone-faced and standoffish lord of the underworld was reduced to a love-stricken boy doing everything he can to impress a woman he likes. While he doesn't handle these feelings in the best ways, I think that's so human. We all are people who want to find love, but through Persephone, Hades chooses to be a better person that is deserving of love and all of its fears while still being that quiet place that others in pain can turn to. It's a beautiful message that makes Hade's matter of fact, deadpan, and easily disturbed attitude even more likable. Because our feelings are important, and we are worth it.