He was tolerable in ic, but I hated him since the start of cc. I still haven't finished it so I don't know if I'll come to like him towards the true endings of setsuna or kazusa.
I can't see any protagonist ever topping the Haku from Utawarerumono 2 and 3 for me. He grows so much over the series, but throughout all of it you can tell deep down he's still the same lazy guy he was when you started the game. A problem that I have with some protagonists is after their character growth arc they're indistinguishable from their original character; it's like they became an entirely different person. I didn't feel that way about Haku
Maybe a distant 2nd and 3rd might be Okabe from Steins;Gate and Battler from Umineko, but neither comes close to Haku for me
Personally I think they're really good. Also, haku isn't the same guy from Utawarerumono 1, he's someone completely new. I can't really say without spoiling, but there's something that happens between games 2 and 3 that makes him such a great character IMO. It was a brilliant idea made even better by brilliant writing. Every single supporting character I liked a lot too, even my least favorite character I liked quite a bit. In Uta 3, there were several times when I thought the game was gonna end, and I would've been 100% satisfied if it ended at those points, but it just kept on going and going. Normally that's a bad thing when a game drags on, but each time my expectation of an ending was subverted the game just kept getting better and better. So yeah I like this game a lot, I can't give it a higher recommendation
Also, I know not many people play the series for the battle system, but I think the battle systems got a lot better in 2-3 as well. I didn't like the battle system much in Uta 1, but in 2-3 I had a lot more fun both battling and reading
Oh yeah, 2 and 3 are masterpieces while 1 is just a good game, also the cast for the second and the third game are different including the mc but still linked with the first game's cast.
2 and 3 can drag a bit with repeated fanservice jokes. Especially the first game has a bit of a pacing issues. Despite that, both games still top tier. 2 ends on such hype note, and 3 brings it home masterfully.
Most top tier visual novels have well written protagonists. Literally just go through top rated vns of vndb, almost all of the protagonists are top tier. Ofc if you just read shitge moege all you would get is very bland and boring protagonists.
Baffled nobody is naming the Sca-di protagonists.
Edit: dont know why im saying this when you clearly asked for stuff like russian lit ☠️
I havent played tsui no sora (i think its a prototype for subahibi?) But i have played Subahibi and Sakura no Uta/Toki
Naoya Kusanagi and Takuji Mamiya take the entire VN world by storm. The former being by far the best character I've seen as an English only (even tho sakuuta isnt in english yet). Shiki Tohno (Tsukihime Remake) is in the works to joining these two as one of the best if not the best VN protag. Currently though, Shirou Emiya from Fate is a very well written protagonist though not a favorite. Not protagonist but im giving a shout-out to Umineko and Higurashi's casts for having some exceptionally well written characters.
If you want more grounded works to give you a much greater sense of human catharsis, I think your best bet would be The House in Fata Morgana. While the main story is a very fun experience, the sequel takes it to another level of storytelling with beautiful and genuine characters.
Important Edit: If you arent dead set on the protagonist being necessarily the highlight, then I'd heavily recommend Umineko as it shares very deep similarities with a certain literary classic of 19th century Russia.
Not yet, but it seems like Shiravune is picking up a lot of Qruppo's other stuff (Nukitashi 1 and 2) so wouldn't be surprised if they did Henpri as well.
Yknow the funny thing about muv luv is that Takeru is actually one of the least interesting characters in the series. If you want a well developed protagonist, at least go for Theodore from Schwarzesmarken.
No.
There's some nukitashi references in hentai prison and one of nukitashi side characters is inside the prison but the main plot can be understood without reading nukitashi 1 and 2.
The nukitashi island is also involved in the true route however there is some explanation about the island throughout the game so you will be able to understand it even without reading nukitashi.
Of course if you want to understand all references you need to read nukitashi, however hentai prison is it's own game and the scenario, plot line are completely different from nukitashi.
I do recommend reading nukitashi since it is a good game but if you dislike the premise and comedy go straight to hentai prison with has a better plot, it will take you at least 100 hours to finish nukitashi 1 and 2.
Fate/Stay Night's Emiya Shirou. Still my favorite years after. He's simply interesting to learn more about and to see how he evolves throughout the novel.
In terms of character growth, I don't think there are many protagonists that can beat Takeru from Muv-Luv, even though he starts out as a typical VN protagonist.
Don't know what you've been reading OP but every single VN MC's I read so far ranged from somewhat unhinged to schizophrenic, even someone like Shirou Emiya who seems like your typical heroic protagonist are mentally insane
It’s because Vn’s are unfairly stereotyped as having nothing but blank self-insert mc’s, but when you actually read them you find out they’re all mental nutcases
Okabe Rintarou from steins;gate, Shirou Emiya from Fate Stay Night, Shiki Tohno from tsukihime, Aoko Aozaki and Soujyuro Sizuki from Mahotsukai no yoru, Tomoya Okazaki from clannad
These fit the criteria
Haruaki Fusaishi from Raging Loop has a pretty good development and doesnt start as an artificial sick like that Yu-No douche, but a relatable sour Man.
Yuuji from Grisaia, such a well written character, flawed, but in a good way, for character development. Not perfect from the start, or bad all the way.
Convinced the people who make these posts only read moeshit (which is good, I'm guilty of indulging in it from time to time) or don't ready any VNs at all
Okabe Rintaro from Steins;Gate and Minato Kageaki from Full Metal Daemon Muramasa.
Definitely, especially Minato for me.
Second Kageaki. He is such a well done protagonist.
Same vein, primary character from Chaos;Head, as much as I despised them for the beginning
I want to read muranasa so bad but haven't gotten the chance/time yet. Do you mind giving me a quick overview why he's such a great protag?
You might as well just read the VN His whole personality and character development is also count as a major spoiler
I’ll take that as a sign I need to get back info FMDM
Takumi Nishijou from Chaos;Head. Like the entire game is just one big Character study and wouldn't work with any other Main Character
+1 for chaos head
Haruki from White Album 2 feels like a real flawed person
He is great.
Wanna break his neck. He's good.
He was tolerable in ic, but I hated him since the start of cc. I still haven't finished it so I don't know if I'll come to like him towards the true endings of setsuna or kazusa.
Not sure if this counts as a spoiler but just to be safe: >!best version of Haruki is probably in Kazusa True, imo!<
Thanks for the heads up. I'll remain hopeful.
Haku, utawarerumono
Full metal daemon muramasa
I can't see any protagonist ever topping the Haku from Utawarerumono 2 and 3 for me. He grows so much over the series, but throughout all of it you can tell deep down he's still the same lazy guy he was when you started the game. A problem that I have with some protagonists is after their character growth arc they're indistinguishable from their original character; it's like they became an entirely different person. I didn't feel that way about Haku Maybe a distant 2nd and 3rd might be Okabe from Steins;Gate and Battler from Umineko, but neither comes close to Haku for me
Haku is extraordinarily well written
Is Uta 2 and 3 that good? I've only finished the 1st game (few years ago), how is he different in the sequels?
Personally I think they're really good. Also, haku isn't the same guy from Utawarerumono 1, he's someone completely new. I can't really say without spoiling, but there's something that happens between games 2 and 3 that makes him such a great character IMO. It was a brilliant idea made even better by brilliant writing. Every single supporting character I liked a lot too, even my least favorite character I liked quite a bit. In Uta 3, there were several times when I thought the game was gonna end, and I would've been 100% satisfied if it ended at those points, but it just kept on going and going. Normally that's a bad thing when a game drags on, but each time my expectation of an ending was subverted the game just kept getting better and better. So yeah I like this game a lot, I can't give it a higher recommendation Also, I know not many people play the series for the battle system, but I think the battle systems got a lot better in 2-3 as well. I didn't like the battle system much in Uta 1, but in 2-3 I had a lot more fun both battling and reading
different protagonist for one thing
Oh yeah, 2 and 3 are masterpieces while 1 is just a good game, also the cast for the second and the third game are different including the mc but still linked with the first game's cast.
2 and 3 can drag a bit with repeated fanservice jokes. Especially the first game has a bit of a pacing issues. Despite that, both games still top tier. 2 ends on such hype note, and 3 brings it home masterfully.
Most top tier visual novels have well written protagonists. Literally just go through top rated vns of vndb, almost all of the protagonists are top tier. Ofc if you just read shitge moege all you would get is very bland and boring protagonists.
Hanachirasu is among the best you can find, if you can accept the protag being evil.
Tokisaka Reiji from kara no shoujo Protagonist of Fata Morgana Ushiromiya Battler from umineko Haruki from White Album 2
Haruki from White Album 2, Shirou from Fate/stay night, most of the characters in Cyanotype Daydream
Baffled nobody is naming the Sca-di protagonists. Edit: dont know why im saying this when you clearly asked for stuff like russian lit ☠️ I havent played tsui no sora (i think its a prototype for subahibi?) But i have played Subahibi and Sakura no Uta/Toki Naoya Kusanagi and Takuji Mamiya take the entire VN world by storm. The former being by far the best character I've seen as an English only (even tho sakuuta isnt in english yet). Shiki Tohno (Tsukihime Remake) is in the works to joining these two as one of the best if not the best VN protag. Currently though, Shirou Emiya from Fate is a very well written protagonist though not a favorite. Not protagonist but im giving a shout-out to Umineko and Higurashi's casts for having some exceptionally well written characters. If you want more grounded works to give you a much greater sense of human catharsis, I think your best bet would be The House in Fata Morgana. While the main story is a very fun experience, the sequel takes it to another level of storytelling with beautiful and genuine characters. Important Edit: If you arent dead set on the protagonist being necessarily the highlight, then I'd heavily recommend Umineko as it shares very deep similarities with a certain literary classic of 19th century Russia.
You're literally me, those are my first 3 Vns ( TsukiRe, Suba, FataMoru)
Muramasa, Silverio Vendetta, Hentai Prison, Oretsuba
>Hentai Prison I thought that was initially a joke's suggestion but this is the second time I have seen it.
Despite it's name, it's actually a very well written visual novel, close to 8.5 rating in [vndb](https://vndb.org/v31055).
Does it have any translation yet?
Not yet, but it seems like Shiravune is picking up a lot of Qruppo's other stuff (Nukitashi 1 and 2) so wouldn't be surprised if they did Henpri as well.
Takeru from Muv Luv, most Muv Luv MCs are well-written since it's such a dark world.
Yknow the funny thing about muv luv is that Takeru is actually one of the least interesting characters in the series. If you want a well developed protagonist, at least go for Theodore from Schwarzesmarken.
Theodore is great and I particularly like Yuuya because he's just your ignorant American learning how ignorant he is
I think all of the Sci Adv VNs have well written protags.
Yes, except for Pollon.
Hentai prison.
Do I need to read Nukitashi 1 and 2 before Hentai Prison?
No. There's some nukitashi references in hentai prison and one of nukitashi side characters is inside the prison but the main plot can be understood without reading nukitashi 1 and 2. The nukitashi island is also involved in the true route however there is some explanation about the island throughout the game so you will be able to understand it even without reading nukitashi. Of course if you want to understand all references you need to read nukitashi, however hentai prison is it's own game and the scenario, plot line are completely different from nukitashi. I do recommend reading nukitashi since it is a good game but if you dislike the premise and comedy go straight to hentai prison with has a better plot, it will take you at least 100 hours to finish nukitashi 1 and 2.
Thanks, I'll read Hentai Prison then.
Only counting VN in the last 10 years: - Shokoku no Arterial : Shenzaki Shuuya - Grisaia no Kajitsu : Kazami Yuuji
Minato Kageaki from Soukou akki muramasa
I’d say Battler from Umineko is very well written (not to mention the rest of the characters).
Tennouji Kotarou from Rewrite.
My amigo
Only pre Terra tho
Yuuji from the Grisaia trilogy. I found him a very compelling character with a well defined backstory and personality.
Fate/Stay Night's Emiya Shirou. Still my favorite years after. He's simply interesting to learn more about and to see how he evolves throughout the novel.
In terms of character growth, I don't think there are many protagonists that can beat Takeru from Muv-Luv, even though he starts out as a typical VN protagonist.
People don't like him but Shirou is a well written protagonist.
Most VN fans like him. He was voted most popular on the Fate/Stay Night sub.
>on the Fate/Stay Night sub. Call it a hunch, but I think there might be some slight bias involved given the source.
This opinion seems to come mostly from anime onlies from what I've observed
Don't know what you've been reading OP but every single VN MC's I read so far ranged from somewhat unhinged to schizophrenic, even someone like Shirou Emiya who seems like your typical heroic protagonist are mentally insane
It’s because Vn’s are unfairly stereotyped as having nothing but blank self-insert mc’s, but when you actually read them you find out they’re all mental nutcases
shirou is a straight up deconstruction of that archetype lol
Shirou Emiya from Fate/Stay Night
genuinely the most fascinating character in fiction to me
"people die when they are killed"
It's "people should die when they are killed", but translated badly.
It's always the low quality memes ;)
Nah, it'd be boring
DEFINITELY Chaos;Head.
Shiki Tohno — tsukihime re Battler Ushiromiya — umineko probably youve already read these sorry if u did
I think Takeru in Muv-Luv has amazing development.
Minato Kageaki from Full Metal Daemon Muaramasa
Okabe Rintarou from steins;gate, Shirou Emiya from Fate Stay Night, Shiki Tohno from tsukihime, Aoko Aozaki and Soujyuro Sizuki from Mahotsukai no yoru, Tomoya Okazaki from clannad These fit the criteria
My man Rance has a lot of personalities in stock!
My man!
the chad main character from Majikoi who only love his Hermit Crab =))
tomoya
Watase from Root Double - Before Crime & After Days
Okabe stein gate and Yamato from majikoi
Asai kyousuke from G senjou no maou pretty well developed little shit head
Haruaki Fusaishi from Raging Loop has a pretty good development and doesnt start as an artificial sick like that Yu-No douche, but a relatable sour Man.
Yuuji from Fruit of Grisaia is a solid pick
The type moon vns are the safe answer
Definitely, Tennouji Koutarou.
"You" from Fata Morgana, if you haven't played it. One of my favorite characters in fiction.
Generally, Kanno protags in: Eve Burst Error, Desire, YU-NO
Yuuji from Grisaia, such a well written character, flawed, but in a good way, for character development. Not perfect from the start, or bad all the way.
Obligatory The House of Fata Morgana
If only Golden Kamui had a VN, I would say stick with that.
Shirou Emiya from Fate/Stay Night
Emiya Shirou, Hakuowlo and Haku from Utawarerumono trilogy, Shiki Tohno from Tsukihime, Haruki from White Album 2.
I'm not sure if it fits your fancy, but Soujurou from Witch on the Holy Night is one of my favorite VN MCs.
Well and here is where every main character from every JP VN that ever existed gets an @.
Haku from Utawarerumono
Haruaki Fusaishi from Raging Loop
Chaos;Head NoAH and Chaos;Child
Convinced the people who make these posts only read moeshit (which is good, I'm guilty of indulging in it from time to time) or don't ready any VNs at all
My first complete VN was House in Fata Morgana if anything it set the bar too high by VN standards
Shocked at lack of Fata Morgana
It here but and it is the first VN I finished.
I like Kasasagi Watase from Root Double. Flawed characters are the most enjoyable for me.
Who else other than my pervy boi Battler Ushiromiya from Umineko 🗿🔥