How nice is it to have an over powered Protagonist?

soulite

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I love when the protagonists within animes are over powered and constantly stay over powered. If the protagonist is going to be the hero of an anime please don't let him lose to a slime. I want to see him at least beat a dragon before he's defeated. (One exception is One Piece)
 
That's an unpopular opinion that you've got there... and, a perfectly valid one. I can also get on board with living vicariously through an overpowered protagonist.

But usually--and, a lot of writers and storytellers are taught that this is a must--they have to earn their victories, and really work for it, or else it won't be interesting.

I think that's like saying "happy people aren't interesting"; if zero conflict is uninteresting, then the artist isn't skilled enough. (Although, as a reader or watcher, I can point out aspects that didn't work for me, and zero conflict can be one of them.)

Like, Madoka by the end is essentially god, but she spent so much of the series just being, to us, an ordinary girl, who's bright and does her best, but is essentially helpless. If she became god in the middle of the series, then the ending would feel like it had gone on too long, or we'd keep expecting her to turn evil...which, narratively, she should because why end the story at the middle?

And people criticize Haruhi Suzumiya for being a "Mary Sue" in canon, type of character...but I disagree. For one thing, she never gets what she wants. Every day is conspired to be ordinary to her. Secondly, she has some major personality flaws that Kyon calls her out on (before getting reeled right in what with, "No, it is totally fine to drug and hit a sensitive and meek underclassman"--rubs me wrong, but it wasn't as if everybody will just let her; Kyon called her out, and doesn't seem to find joy in her antics, and I like that because it keeps up the contrast and chemistry and keeps it interesting.)
 
Not the protagonist, but a main/side character. I can understand another main character being an unstoppable powerhouse that the main protagonist looks up to and idolizes in some way. But for a show focused around the protagonist I think he should have to struggle. Where would we be if Goku was able/willing to just blow frieza up from the start? Or what if Yuske never had to work at his powers with Genkai and just shotgunned everyone to death?

Could you give me examples of series that the main characters are overpowered and win more or less easily? The only one I can really think of are those "help I'm trapped in a game" shows like SAO and Log Horizon. SAO Kirito is overpowered and easily beats on anyone that isn't invulnerable or a high level boss. Which he apparently solos when a mob of people couldn't beat the boss he shows off his dual swords on. Everything that wasn't challenging for the character was mostly boring except for a few scenes. And Log Horizon when it does have act
ion past the first 1-3 episodes is mostly against the environment, hordes of weaker creatures. That's not very compelling. The only real PVP was when they went to save Serara and then saved the kids from the kidnapping guild. Of which that second example doesn't even really count.
 
Naurto is the next best example, he's had the power since day one to win any fight and now is power is equal to that of a god.
 
Now you see I'm ok with Naruto now because he deserves after going out with Pervy Sage (may his soul rest in peace) and actually training for years. I don't like Goku as the Dragonball series goes on because he stopped training for month/years and just kept getting stronger.
 
To be honest, I hate it.
I don't want only one individual to hog the spotlight all the time :/
No wonder HxH is popular....
 
I feel you, idk why those anime gets more popular.
Every anime is like that. Only the main protagonist gets the spotlight all the time. Well, I don't mind stuff in seirei no moribito and youjo senki but the are very different and can't be compared to an overpowered main protagonist.
 
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