| Drama character |
| Novel character |
| Dirty Harry, e.g. |
| Questionable lead |
| Flawed protagonist |
| Lucky Jim, for one |
| Jay Gatsby, notably |
| Leopold Bloom, e.g. |
| Unlikable principal |
| Clark Kent, for one |
| Atypical protagonist |
| Bad guy you root for |
| Dirty Harry, notably |
| Literary nonachiever |
| Unsavory protagonist |
| Unlikely protagonist |
| Willy Loman, for one |
| Protagonist of a sort |
| Unlikable protagonist |
| Film noir protagonist |
| Tony Soprano, for one |
| Mad Max or Dirty Harry |
| Protagonist in fiction |
| Cool Hand Luke, for one |
| Not-so-noble protagonist |
| Character lacking courage |
| Protagonist found lacking |
| Holden Caulfield, for one |
| Many a Clint Eastwood role |
| Nontraditional protagonist |
| Captain Jack Sparrow, e.g. |
| Dirty Harry or Tony Soprano |
| Don Quixote or Leopold Bloom |
| Gordon Gekko or Rooster Cogburn |
| Either lead in "Easy Rider," e.g. |
| Protagonist with likability issues |
| Protagonist without admirable qualities |
| Walter White on "Breaking Bad," for one |
| Raskolnikov in "Crime and Punishment," e.g. |
| Character such as Michael Scott of "The Office |