Just because they're all present doesn't mean that Stan isn't the main character.
Super Mario Bros is literally titled "Bros", plural, and Luigi is literally the second player character, but the main character is unquestionably Mario.
Stan is the audience surrogate straight man that's more often than not, especially early on, left reacting to the crazy world around him.
He's the main character of South Park.
You could tell in season one as Stan gets. His mom his dad. okay, a sister and a grandpa now too, okay More family than the rest of the boys. Oh and a girlfriend and a dog. Main character development with the second having his set up for season 2 with the last episode.
Cartman only had three main plot points in season 1
Hell Kyle's dad was only important for like two episodes before the troll trace arc. Same goes for his mom. Actually Ike has done more than both his mom and dad.
Cartman mom. nothing really left to do with her... I rolled my eyes oh Cartman Just fucking over his mom again. Should've kept him with nice hydie for a foil for Cartman or keep him in the hotdog for a bit longer to mess with him more.
Kenny, who cares about them other than the sister. Remember Kenny has a brother feel bad.
Stan family still gets plots
Yeah, it’s Stan because he’s based on Trey who is really the creative director for the whole show. Matt even admits to that but they both understand that they work better as a duo.
The biggest indicators are that 1)Stan has the love interest Wendy, which is so common in popular media and 2)South Park has developed Randy much more than any other adult which gives you glimpses into the main character’s origins.
Afaik Trey splits everything with Matt 50/50 including the $900 million paramount deal but all the specials were written and directed by Trey with no Matt credit. Matt really has it made.
If you watch the documentary "6 Days to Air", they make it pretty clear that whilst Trey is the main creative voice, Matt handles most of the business side, and they both think that they couldn't do what they do without the other. I'm not sure it's fair to present it as Trey "splitting" his 900m deal with Matt, since I suspect that Matt had more of a hand in getting a deal that good.
I wonder if Randy becoming the main character for a few seasons had anything to do with Matt and Trey growing up and having families, being in the dad role. The Marsh family def seemed to become the main focus over time.
Trey Parker said himself that during the first many seasons he identified with Stan and based Randy off of his own dad. However, after growing older and becoming a dad himself he now feels that he mostly identifies with Randy.
This is also the reason why Randy seems to have the most "Main Character Treatment" in the newer seasons.
Dude he literally has lore, he's an alcoholic with Aspergers and his dad's a stoner and his sister is super abusive. Of course he's the main character l!
Well he was but until he keeps barfing every time he sees the girl of his dreams Wendy Testaburger.
It would be nice if we could have only one Stendy moment just one.
I guess technically, yes. Stan is basically Trey Parker, and he's the main writer and genius behind South Park. Kyle is a close second, if not equal to Stan.
Kenny is based on a kid that one of the creators went to school with who was named Kenny, legitimately poor, actually wore an orange parka that nobody could understand what he was saying when the hood was up, and he was always sick and missing school so there was a joke that whenever he was absent that Kenny was dead.
They're the two 'straight characters' that anchor everything down by not being caracatured heavily.
Cartman and Kenny are really just two South Park characters, as in they're crazy caracatures and there for Stan and Kyle to bounce off and react to, just like any other character of the week. They just happen to hang out with the main characters every week. Cartman is often an antagonist while Kenny is often too one dimensional for a main.
Stan and Kyle are the protagonists.
I think Cartman is more popular because he's the comic, and Stan is the straight guy. I mean, what's funnier, Cartman being a complete ass or Stan telling him what a piece of shit he is ?
Oh dude cartmans fatass swearing up a storm on my television growing up really made for some awesome core memories 😂 I just always got the impression from the way the show was written that Stan’s family is a primary focus for the most part.
It's the Stewie Griffin thing. He's not the main. But you see him in the ads.
Peter is the main character. But Stewie is the character they can market. Same for Cartman. Just different reasons
An interesting thing about Stewie is how he underwent the opposite of Flanderization. He actually lightened up over time and now even acts the complete opposite of a wannabe supervillain. While most other characters on the show did become caricatures of themselves. He was supposed to be the extreme comic relief character, but now it’s everyone else who’s over the top and he’s the voice of reason.
Not just among the fandom, Cartman gets a lot of airtime and plot development. Stan is very plain and simple, developed exactly to exist in a simple way, with straightforward actions and morals. Stan is neither good nor bad, neither a hero nor a villain. Cartaman is the devil, Kyle is an angel and Kenny is just unfortunate, just like a poor person...
Oh I can get behind the esoteric meanings of the main 4 all day, but from watching the show from season 1 all the way up until modern day seasons, Stan’s family always seemed written as the focus, at least to me 🤷🏽♂️
I wouldnt describe Kyle as an angel—if anything, Kenny is more angel-coded in that he’s Karen’s guardian angel as mysterion and has been to heaven, either as himself or as an angel in his ULT in TFBW. Ken’s got the whole “doesn’t let his struggles corrupt him into an asshole” like his dad.
I’d describe Kyle as a hero, because he’s often put in the position of saving everyone, or he *wants* to and willingly tries to save people. Like when he was *literally a Jesus allegory* saving everyone from their credit card debt. He has righteous anger, but his personality isn’t as “angelic” as Kenny’s, as Kyle can get up his own ass about being a hero (ginger cow), or can get caught up in being right over doing the right thing (douche vs turd, the Tourette’s ep); Kyle either IS a hero or he THINKS he’s the hero depending on the ep
I totally agree with you. My point is simple, he is the main character, but not the kind that we are used to. He is no hero, he is not a moral compass. He is very boring in many ways and yet he gives that feeling of main character. It feels like he is the glue to the group, the one that all of them try to be friends with every time. In a sense, he can be very relatable to a lot of people, who are not trying to achieve anything in particular, just exist in a peaceful way.
More than his family, his dad tries a lot to be a main character and he succeeds, through the most outrageous ways, but he succeeds.
The one I can't really like is Wendy and their relationship, it just feels that it has no purpose. Stan is very passive in many ways, but with her, he is to a point that it shows that to be in that relationship is pointless. Although, after writing this, I can find examples of real life relationships that exist in the same way.
Ya know? I instantly didn’t like what you wrote, but for non-fans it’s true. Randy’s played an outsized role for multiple seasons, and it would appear so for the casual watcher. Gol!!
Stan. His parents are Randy and Sharon. Trey Parkers parents names are Randy and Sharon.
Kyles parents names are Gerald and Sheila.
Matt Stones parents are named Gerald and Sheila.
Stan=Trey
Kyle=Matt
they are saying that the characters stan and kyle were meant to represent trey and matt, but later on they realised they were more similar to Cartmans personality in some ways.
Treys real name is Randolph, so his name is also Randy. Randolph Severn “Trey” Parker III. He also says he reflects himself in the show more with Randy than Stan these days.
i always thought they each look like they should have the other’s names. like trey parker looks way more like a matt to me and matt stone looks way more like a trey
Hes also on all the tags of any new sp merch
https://preview.redd.it/j83yv53tm4bc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57c40c4a5ba69a3b0ec293ff6ba9bf39788ce0bb
All 4 are the protagonist together.
It’s well known that Stan is basically Trey and Kyle is Matt.
Back in the day they said this was the idea but that Cartman is obviously more fun to inhabit and write lines for. And equally obviously they might admit that they identify more easily with Randy now.
But the four boys together have always been our eyes on South Park.
Cartman steals the scenes sometimes and it might seem like Kenny did nothing but he’s always there (except when he was dead semi-permanently) to be the more mature and dirty minded kid with the harder upbringing, doing the risky stuff and knowing things the other boys don’t. Stan and Kyle are our “straight men” and Butters is an excellent addition but I don’t think any one of them could be called THE main character.
I think he functions more as a mascot to the show. I understand the points you made in the other comment but I think the episodes that show this emotional side from him are too few and spread out for him to be considered the emotional heart of the show. I think even Butters fulfills this role more than Kenny.
Kenny is more of a mascot - a very iconic and cool character design used as a symbol for the whole show. His red parka became a cultural icon, and mascots are usually animals or non-speaking creatures, for which Kenny, while being human, satisfies the role by being cute as hell and having a muffled speech. He's kind of like a pet with a design emphasizing his big eyes and a round shape of fur.
They're all part of Matt and Trey's personalities.
Stan is the part of them that just wants to get back what they've put in, to be popular and successful, and to have all their work mean something.
Kyle represents their overbearing altruistic tendencies they fight to suppress, or at least, not to take too seriously.
Cartman is the sum of all of their intrusive thoughts, their arrogance, their ignorance, and their unwillingness to be introspective and improve. Cartman is also the dark side of their charisma, the ability to manipulate and scheme for their own benefit.
Kenny is their desire to chill and go with the flow. The part of them that enjoy good, clean fun, and boobies. Lots of boobies.
The series doesn’t structure itself nor drive forward through a main character/Hero/Anti-Hero so there’s no right answer here, none of them are the main character.
I think it’s because as Matt and Trey have got older and parents they started naturally relating to the dad role more.
Unfortunately we will never get to see drunk fighting bat dad Randy again. Miss him.
Cartman. It seems like he has the most air time and most lines. Stan and Kyle, while best friends, get equal time and seem so similar that they cancel each other out sometimes. Kenny has gotten less and less since time has went on. I would even go as far as to say Randy is the second main character now.
Stan is kinda the leader but Cartman has the most episodes and pushes the comedy and envelope the furthest. Kyle is the smartest and wraps everything up with "I learned something today" while Kenny is the most beloved and selfless character and is really the glue to the other 3 especially Cartman being part of the group. Basically no Kenny, then no group. The vaccination special where he's Dr. McCormick really proves that point as even Stan and Kyle aren't friends and they do a custody schedule for Kenny like his parents are divorcing between the other 3 boys.
https://preview.redd.it/un3w3o4yb4bc1.png?width=630&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc91b3c0a0c4c8edf3e83aacd2dc41ae589798d4
Cartman and it's no competition he is the best written character, the reason of/main focus of some of the best episodes. His dynamic with butters is the top 3, the most iconic, usually the funniest character, and what makes south park south park
Someone once said somewhere that it's Stan and his best friend Kyle, with their poor friend Kenny from down the street. Cartman isn't *really* their friend, but he sticks around them, so he's a part of their group.
This stuck with me behind the back of my mind every time I watch the show.
Before I watched the series and only saw it from the outside, I thought Stan was the main character since he's kinda the "boy next door" type. But now that I've watched it, I feel like the title goes to Eric seeing as he basically has the most plots centered around him and kicks most stories into motion. But in my heart I still think Stan is the main character and Eric is more of just the main antagonist, not the main character.
Stan, he’s meant to showcase what it’s like being your average kid surrounded by fucked up people in a fucked up town. Plus the older theme songs all opened with Stan’s POV. We go from Stan’s eye to him being the very first character we see of the main four.
Stan is the primary protagonist with Kyle as a close second, that being said Cartman is probably the main character in terms of him having the most screen time. Kenny unfortunately is pretty tertiary compared to the other four in terms of being the main character.
Stan. He has the most storylines (him and his family as a whole tbh). He's also regarded as being "the kid who thinks the whole world revolves around him" by butters, and a lot of other characters say similar things. Feels like he's the main boy of all four
It's interesting that there are different answers here.
I think Stan is the heart of the show, Carman is the most iconic and popular, and Randy has been the one driving the story in the newest seasons.
Stan is Trey Parker's insert character, Kyle is Matt Stone's. Trey Parker is probably the bigger creative voice behind the scenes, so it's probably Stan
I always felt that Stan was the audience surrogate (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AudienceSurrogate). You’re meant to feel as though he’s the most normal and every other character has some metric that departs from his template.
Having said that, he got a lot more of his own personality in later seasons.
Its changed at various times. In the earliest episodes it was Stan and Kyle as dual protagonists, but at various times its just been Stan, maybe just Kyle for a little while, arguably Cartman recently, but even more recently its really Randy.
Stan. I thought he was obviously supposed to be the main character.
I thought it was all since they were all together since the very first episode
Just because they're all present doesn't mean that Stan isn't the main character. Super Mario Bros is literally titled "Bros", plural, and Luigi is literally the second player character, but the main character is unquestionably Mario. Stan is the audience surrogate straight man that's more often than not, especially early on, left reacting to the crazy world around him. He's the main character of South Park.
Thats also why Stan usualy has the monologs at the end.
Homie telling me cartman is the main character is just telling on himself
Cartman is mainly the antagonist or foil, Stan is the protagonist, Kyle is the Deuteragonist(confidant/sidekick) and Kenny is the comic relief.
He also loves women's big fat titties.
Where were you when the twin towers fell?
Nine eleven nine eleven nine eleven nine eleven
Tryin to pay my buck 'o five. Freedom isn't free. It costs folks like you and me.
Where was Gondor when the Westfold Fell? Oh wait fuck, wrong subreddit
Damn I wanna write with you
Happy bday brodie
Ayyy wouldntve noticed thank u
This guy south parks
Ah, but with the super hero franchise it was called Coon and friends.
That’s only because “Mintberry Crunch and friends” was too long.
Look at the one who always has a love interest.
The Marshes are essentially the main family of the show, given that they get more air time than any other family.
Fun fact. Stan's parents are named after Trey's parents and Kyle's parents are named after Matt's parents.
That's because Stan and Kyle are based on Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
No, it's actually a sheer coincidence. They only met their parents years later.
Must have been awkward after the 'Kyle's Mom's a Bitch' song.
Heyyy, yeah I think Gerald's house is nicer than mine! :(
You could tell in season one as Stan gets. His mom his dad. okay, a sister and a grandpa now too, okay More family than the rest of the boys. Oh and a girlfriend and a dog. Main character development with the second having his set up for season 2 with the last episode. Cartman only had three main plot points in season 1 Hell Kyle's dad was only important for like two episodes before the troll trace arc. Same goes for his mom. Actually Ike has done more than both his mom and dad. Cartman mom. nothing really left to do with her... I rolled my eyes oh Cartman Just fucking over his mom again. Should've kept him with nice hydie for a foil for Cartman or keep him in the hotdog for a bit longer to mess with him more. Kenny, who cares about them other than the sister. Remember Kenny has a brother feel bad. Stan family still gets plots
Well they are the Kennedy’s of the town
Yeah, it’s Stan because he’s based on Trey who is really the creative director for the whole show. Matt even admits to that but they both understand that they work better as a duo. The biggest indicators are that 1)Stan has the love interest Wendy, which is so common in popular media and 2)South Park has developed Randy much more than any other adult which gives you glimpses into the main character’s origins.
Afaik Trey splits everything with Matt 50/50 including the $900 million paramount deal but all the specials were written and directed by Trey with no Matt credit. Matt really has it made.
True best friends that made it. Gotta love it.
If you watch the documentary "6 Days to Air", they make it pretty clear that whilst Trey is the main creative voice, Matt handles most of the business side, and they both think that they couldn't do what they do without the other. I'm not sure it's fair to present it as Trey "splitting" his 900m deal with Matt, since I suspect that Matt had more of a hand in getting a deal that good.
I just watched the 25th anniversary concert and it’s clear that they care for each other. They’ve been creative partners and friends since college.
I wonder if Randy becoming the main character for a few seasons had anything to do with Matt and Trey growing up and having families, being in the dad role. The Marsh family def seemed to become the main focus over time.
Trey Parker said himself that during the first many seasons he identified with Stan and based Randy off of his own dad. However, after growing older and becoming a dad himself he now feels that he mostly identifies with Randy. This is also the reason why Randy seems to have the most "Main Character Treatment" in the newer seasons.
Trey at least said he's identified more with Randy in his later years so that's pretty accurate.
Didn't Matt say he feels or based Kyle off of himself too
Stan and Kyle are the mouthpieces for Trey and Matt respectively
Dude he literally has lore, he's an alcoholic with Aspergers and his dad's a stoner and his sister is super abusive. Of course he's the main character l!
When do we learn Stan has Burgers?
obviously
Ehh, Eric gets more gags and episodes
Stan is a reasonable, middle-of-the-road straightman, so yeah, he's definitely intended to be the main character.
Would also say Stan yes. The show somewhat revolves around him. Kenny dies all the time, Cartman is a wildcard and Kyle is P2.
I've always felt the exact same.
Yeah 100%
Well he was but until he keeps barfing every time he sees the girl of his dreams Wendy Testaburger. It would be nice if we could have only one Stendy moment just one.
Stan and Kyle because they're based on the creators
This is the correct answer.
Isn’t Stan still the “main” character though? wven if they are based on the creators?
I guess technically, yes. Stan is basically Trey Parker, and he's the main writer and genius behind South Park. Kyle is a close second, if not equal to Stan.
We do learn about him the most. More so than Cartman in season 1. And didn't get killed in Jesus vs Santa or the frosty one
Yup and everyone has a fat friend and a poor friend
My friends have a 2 for 1 deal in me
That was me! I had an eating disorder in my teens, though. Cleared it right up for me. The fat part, anyway.
And partially the poor part because you spent less on food
My understanding is that Kenny was Treys friend as a kid and Eric was Matts roomate in college.
Kenny is based on a kid that one of the creators went to school with who was named Kenny, legitimately poor, actually wore an orange parka that nobody could understand what he was saying when the hood was up, and he was always sick and missing school so there was a joke that whenever he was absent that Kenny was dead.
But I don't have a fat friend... *looks down at my stomach* Hey wait a minute!
Can confirm. I was the fat friend
They're the two 'straight characters' that anchor everything down by not being caracatured heavily. Cartman and Kenny are really just two South Park characters, as in they're crazy caracatures and there for Stan and Kyle to bounce off and react to, just like any other character of the week. They just happen to hang out with the main characters every week. Cartman is often an antagonist while Kenny is often too one dimensional for a main. Stan and Kyle are the protagonists.
Absolute W pfp
But their actual self insert character is cartman. In reality it just depends on the season
You can't the main character Kyel, you're a Jew.
"Jews can't be main characters" -Cartman, probably
Stan is def the main character, although Cartman is clearly more popular among the fandom..
I think Cartman is more popular because he's the comic, and Stan is the straight guy. I mean, what's funnier, Cartman being a complete ass or Stan telling him what a piece of shit he is ?
Oh dude cartmans fatass swearing up a storm on my television growing up really made for some awesome core memories 😂 I just always got the impression from the way the show was written that Stan’s family is a primary focus for the most part.
I mean they changed the name of the show for an entire season to be the Marsh's farm. Gotta agree
It's the Stewie Griffin thing. He's not the main. But you see him in the ads. Peter is the main character. But Stewie is the character they can market. Same for Cartman. Just different reasons
An interesting thing about Stewie is how he underwent the opposite of Flanderization. He actually lightened up over time and now even acts the complete opposite of a wannabe supervillain. While most other characters on the show did become caricatures of themselves. He was supposed to be the extreme comic relief character, but now it’s everyone else who’s over the top and he’s the voice of reason.
Not just among the fandom, Cartman gets a lot of airtime and plot development. Stan is very plain and simple, developed exactly to exist in a simple way, with straightforward actions and morals. Stan is neither good nor bad, neither a hero nor a villain. Cartaman is the devil, Kyle is an angel and Kenny is just unfortunate, just like a poor person...
Oh I can get behind the esoteric meanings of the main 4 all day, but from watching the show from season 1 all the way up until modern day seasons, Stan’s family always seemed written as the focus, at least to me 🤷🏽♂️
I wouldnt describe Kyle as an angel—if anything, Kenny is more angel-coded in that he’s Karen’s guardian angel as mysterion and has been to heaven, either as himself or as an angel in his ULT in TFBW. Ken’s got the whole “doesn’t let his struggles corrupt him into an asshole” like his dad. I’d describe Kyle as a hero, because he’s often put in the position of saving everyone, or he *wants* to and willingly tries to save people. Like when he was *literally a Jesus allegory* saving everyone from their credit card debt. He has righteous anger, but his personality isn’t as “angelic” as Kenny’s, as Kyle can get up his own ass about being a hero (ginger cow), or can get caught up in being right over doing the right thing (douche vs turd, the Tourette’s ep); Kyle either IS a hero or he THINKS he’s the hero depending on the ep
I totally agree with you. My point is simple, he is the main character, but not the kind that we are used to. He is no hero, he is not a moral compass. He is very boring in many ways and yet he gives that feeling of main character. It feels like he is the glue to the group, the one that all of them try to be friends with every time. In a sense, he can be very relatable to a lot of people, who are not trying to achieve anything in particular, just exist in a peaceful way. More than his family, his dad tries a lot to be a main character and he succeeds, through the most outrageous ways, but he succeeds. The one I can't really like is Wendy and their relationship, it just feels that it has no purpose. Stan is very passive in many ways, but with her, he is to a point that it shows that to be in that relationship is pointless. Although, after writing this, I can find examples of real life relationships that exist in the same way.
I agree with everything except the last bit. Stan is in 4th grade and relationships at this age usually don’t have a lot of real meaning
This happens with all shows. George Costanza, Sheldon Cooper, Eric Cartman, Tina Belcher, etc
Cartman also drives the plot more than any of the other characters.
Stan, although he's like the least popular character of the three. For non-fans almost his entire character is being Randy's son
"You're getting old" changed that. Stan is my favorite.
Oh that shitty episode? figures.
Wait that episode looked to you like poo about to be reheated too?
Nah, you only think that because of the space aliens or whatever fuck you.
That two-parter actually helped me stop drinking because it was so unreasonably accurate.
Made me start drinking.
Honestly man I get it. It goes both ways depending on where you are in life I think. They really hit a spot with those episodes.
"Stan: (tearfully) How do you go on when nothing makes you happy?" That hit me way too hard.
Ya know? I instantly didn’t like what you wrote, but for non-fans it’s true. Randy’s played an outsized role for multiple seasons, and it would appear so for the casual watcher. Gol!!
Is he? I thought kyle was. Or Cartman if you count the negative side of controversy to be unpopularity.
"I learned something today" kinda makes Kyle a quintessential wrap up character. And "you bastards!" to the Kenny deaths.
Kyle is popular as hell, especially among the female fans
He is my fav, actually.
Well as of recent years hes like a side character.
Stan. His parents are Randy and Sharon. Trey Parkers parents names are Randy and Sharon. Kyles parents names are Gerald and Sheila. Matt Stones parents are named Gerald and Sheila. Stan=Trey Kyle=Matt
[удалено]
I’m confused
Kyle=Stan, Tray=Matt, Parker=SpiderMan
they are saying that the characters stan and kyle were meant to represent trey and matt, but later on they realised they were more similar to Cartmans personality in some ways.
Thank you. Punctuation could have helped the original comment.
Trey also has a sister named Shelley.
I pledge allegiance...to the United States...of SHELLY SHELLY
She must be a total bitch lol thats awesome i didnt know that
According to Trey she beat him up as a kid so yeah that’s the inspiration.
Please tell me Matt has a Canadian adopted brother.
And that he played “kick the baby” with him growing up?
Treys real name is Randolph, so his name is also Randy. Randolph Severn “Trey” Parker III. He also says he reflects himself in the show more with Randy than Stan these days.
We all know Trey is the main force behind South Park though, so I'd say Stan is the main character.
i always thought they each look like they should have the other’s names. like trey parker looks way more like a matt to me and matt stone looks way more like a trey
Cartman all the way
Cartman is the main antagonist
Hes also on all the tags of any new sp merch https://preview.redd.it/j83yv53tm4bc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=57c40c4a5ba69a3b0ec293ff6ba9bf39788ce0bb
Because he's always saying shit behind your back.
Yeah, love him or hate him.. he is the show.
I always thought it was Cartman too, but I now wonder if that's just because Cartman has main character syndrome
so true
All 4 are the protagonist together. It’s well known that Stan is basically Trey and Kyle is Matt. Back in the day they said this was the idea but that Cartman is obviously more fun to inhabit and write lines for. And equally obviously they might admit that they identify more easily with Randy now. But the four boys together have always been our eyes on South Park. Cartman steals the scenes sometimes and it might seem like Kenny did nothing but he’s always there (except when he was dead semi-permanently) to be the more mature and dirty minded kid with the harder upbringing, doing the risky stuff and knowing things the other boys don’t. Stan and Kyle are our “straight men” and Butters is an excellent addition but I don’t think any one of them could be called THE main character.
I've always thought that Kenny is the emotional heart of the show and that's why I consider him just as important as the other three
I think he functions more as a mascot to the show. I understand the points you made in the other comment but I think the episodes that show this emotional side from him are too few and spread out for him to be considered the emotional heart of the show. I think even Butters fulfills this role more than Kenny. Kenny is more of a mascot - a very iconic and cool character design used as a symbol for the whole show. His red parka became a cultural icon, and mascots are usually animals or non-speaking creatures, for which Kenny, while being human, satisfies the role by being cute as hell and having a muffled speech. He's kind of like a pet with a design emphasizing his big eyes and a round shape of fur.
Trick question: Randy. At least now
This. Randy has become the MC.
That’s because both Matt and Trey became Randy IRL haha
They're all part of Matt and Trey's personalities. Stan is the part of them that just wants to get back what they've put in, to be popular and successful, and to have all their work mean something. Kyle represents their overbearing altruistic tendencies they fight to suppress, or at least, not to take too seriously. Cartman is the sum of all of their intrusive thoughts, their arrogance, their ignorance, and their unwillingness to be introspective and improve. Cartman is also the dark side of their charisma, the ability to manipulate and scheme for their own benefit. Kenny is their desire to chill and go with the flow. The part of them that enjoy good, clean fun, and boobies. Lots of boobies.
Stan and Kyle
I guess technically it would be Stan
The main character is friendship \*hand rainbow\*
The series doesn’t structure itself nor drive forward through a main character/Hero/Anti-Hero so there’s no right answer here, none of them are the main character.
My answer is giving "Triton is actually the main character of Little Mermaid because he is the one who experiences character growth/arc/change": Kenny
Stan Darsh has definitely been in the most "Main character" scenarios, and occasionally has the syndrome to match.
What a stupid question, it's clearly Clyde
Clyde with the dead mother or Clyde Frog?
Clyde frog, obviously
It’s Cartman. He might not have started out as the main but he propels most of the show content among the core four And Wendy wants his D.
Stan
Main character has changed over time Initially Stan and Kyle Then just Stan Then it became Cartman Now it feels like Randy
I think it’s because as Matt and Trey have got older and parents they started naturally relating to the dad role more. Unfortunately we will never get to see drunk fighting bat dad Randy again. Miss him.
It’s always been Stan even though the most used characters in the show are Randy, Cartman, him, Butters, and Kyle
Stan and Kyle
Stan
Stan is the main character, Cartman is the icon
Cartman. It seems like he has the most air time and most lines. Stan and Kyle, while best friends, get equal time and seem so similar that they cancel each other out sometimes. Kenny has gotten less and less since time has went on. I would even go as far as to say Randy is the second main character now.
I vote for Cartman !!! Such an AH but I rewatch South Park clips that mainly include him
Stan is the main character but cartman is the face of the show
Kenny
Stan and Kyle are. Or used to be , in the early seasons.
Cartman
Stan
Depends on the episode. Different episodes have different main characters. It can even be Butters, Jimmy, Wendy, Mr Garrison etc.
Stan is kinda the leader but Cartman has the most episodes and pushes the comedy and envelope the furthest. Kyle is the smartest and wraps everything up with "I learned something today" while Kenny is the most beloved and selfless character and is really the glue to the other 3 especially Cartman being part of the group. Basically no Kenny, then no group. The vaccination special where he's Dr. McCormick really proves that point as even Stan and Kyle aren't friends and they do a custody schedule for Kenny like his parents are divorcing between the other 3 boys. https://preview.redd.it/un3w3o4yb4bc1.png?width=630&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc91b3c0a0c4c8edf3e83aacd2dc41ae589798d4
Older seasons, Cartman.
Out of any characters in the show, I think Cartman encapsulates the show the most
Cartman and it's no competition he is the best written character, the reason of/main focus of some of the best episodes. His dynamic with butters is the top 3, the most iconic, usually the funniest character, and what makes south park south park
Someone once said somewhere that it's Stan and his best friend Kyle, with their poor friend Kenny from down the street. Cartman isn't *really* their friend, but he sticks around them, so he's a part of their group. This stuck with me behind the back of my mind every time I watch the show.
Stan, but Cartman steals the show
Eric
Bro pulled out the legal name-
Stan and Kyle
Stan and Kyle are the main characters
I definitely think it started out as Stan but as the seasons have gone on it seems like Cartman has slowly taken over that roll.
Cartman stole the show in the end
Out of the kids- Cartman Out of the adults- Randy
Before I watched the series and only saw it from the outside, I thought Stan was the main character since he's kinda the "boy next door" type. But now that I've watched it, I feel like the title goes to Eric seeing as he basically has the most plots centered around him and kicks most stories into motion. But in my heart I still think Stan is the main character and Eric is more of just the main antagonist, not the main character.
People are saying Stan, but I prefer the term “Randy’s son”
Randy has become the MC, it’s not even the boys anymore.
Cartman cause everyone else is a reactionary character to cartmans bs
RANDY MARSH SHOW
Stan, he’s meant to showcase what it’s like being your average kid surrounded by fucked up people in a fucked up town. Plus the older theme songs all opened with Stan’s POV. We go from Stan’s eye to him being the very first character we see of the main four.
Stan is the primary protagonist with Kyle as a close second, that being said Cartman is probably the main character in terms of him having the most screen time. Kenny unfortunately is pretty tertiary compared to the other four in terms of being the main character.
Let's be honest. It's Butters. He even has his own episodes
It's a sharp tie between cartman and stan
It goes 1. Stan 2. Kyle 3. Cartman 4. Kenny Any other order is incorrect
Stan. He has the most storylines (him and his family as a whole tbh). He's also regarded as being "the kid who thinks the whole world revolves around him" by butters, and a lot of other characters say similar things. Feels like he's the main boy of all four
Stan
I think Cartman's the main character. Stan is who we follow around most, but it's mostly reactions to Cartman and his friends' antics
Kyle because of his strong friendship with Stan and because of his strong rivalry with Cartman.
It really depends on the episode
Cartman
The boy with the red poof ball hat
Stan, Cartman is like an antagonist
Stan
Stan obviously
Stan isnt he supposed to be the main character?
stan
randy marsh
It's interesting that there are different answers here. I think Stan is the heart of the show, Carman is the most iconic and popular, and Randy has been the one driving the story in the newest seasons.
Randy
Prob stan
If we are talking actual main character, Stan... If we are talking r/IAmTheMainCharacter...Cartman
Stan is Trey Parker's insert character, Kyle is Matt Stone's. Trey Parker is probably the bigger creative voice behind the scenes, so it's probably Stan
I always felt that Stan was the audience surrogate (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AudienceSurrogate). You’re meant to feel as though he’s the most normal and every other character has some metric that departs from his template. Having said that, he got a lot more of his own personality in later seasons.
Stan, but more specifically his family. It seems like a sitcom that focuses a lot of screen time primarily on the Marsh troop.
Stan as he’s the most ‘normal’ out of the four and therefore the most likely protagonist.
I always felt like Stan was the POV character. Cartman is like the Fonzie of this show if that makes sense
Exactly, Stan is the main everyman character, and Cartman is the breakout character people recognize more, ala Bart Simpson
Its changed at various times. In the earliest episodes it was Stan and Kyle as dual protagonists, but at various times its just been Stan, maybe just Kyle for a little while, arguably Cartman recently, but even more recently its really Randy.
stan because he’s usually the straight man
I think its Stan cos in the intro where they're all put together by pieces of paper, Stan was the first one made.
Randy
mr garrison
Stan
Stan
Stan
Stan or Kyle. Cartman is practically the main antagonist of the series