Jump to content

For Love of VNs: A list of Badass Protagonists


Clephas

Recommended Posts

This list is my gift for newbies who are looking for straight-out overpowered, god-level tier, or just generally strong protagonists.  In other words, this is my list of protagonists who are great in a fight.  This is a list of those protagonists and the VNs they are in. 

Vermilion Bind of Blood- Toshirou Kashima (the game is based in the US, so his name is first name first throughout the story) is a former samurai from just before the opening of Japan.  He became a vampire and lived until modern day, and he is a master swordsman and killer of his own kind.  His special ability as a vampire is the control of electro-magnetism, which can be done through touch or his blood. 

Electro-Arms- Kirihara Reiji is a delinquent protagonist who made a name for himself by essentially beating every other delinquent in town (he lives in Roppongi Hills in Tokyo).  From a young age, he developed the ability (non-supernatural) to see how things fit together and the flaws and habits of systems and people.  In any situation, he can find a way to win, and he is constantly looking for thrills.  While he is technically a delinquent, he doesn't harm normal people and generally only gets in fights with those who challenge him. 

Zero Infinity-  Akizuki Ryouga is characterized as a young man who quite naturally and without any outside influence, can reach levels of ability few others can match.  As the game's antagonist puts it, he is a 'natural-born monster' who, from the very beginning, has his own philosophy in life and is capable of putting it into action without any significant degree of stress.  As a fighter, he is the type that evolves so rapidly he leaves others in the dust.

Devils Devel Concept- Shigure Sora is perhaps the most powerful mortal being in his world.  With a combination of immense power, a naturally combative nature, and a near-infinite array of desires that are held only by the thinnest of leashes, he is perhaps the most 'out-there' non-rapegame protagonist I've encountered in a VN.  Able to kill the Demons entire clans of Hunters lose to with hardly any effort, as well as possessing an inhuman degree of ability to alter reality, he is a truly unstoppable force... unless he wants to be stopped. 

Silverio Vendetta- Zephyr Colerain is a cowardly deserter from the army of the first country to develop soldiers capable of using Astral.  However, that very cowardly nature makes him horribly deadly and an absolute realist when it comes to combat, ruthlessly using anything that comes to hand to survive and killing without mercy and often in sadistic ways to carve his path to life.  His personality is fundamentally cynical, self-doubting, and negative.  Outside of combat, he sponges off his adopted little sister while working dirty side jobs to bring in money. 

Akagoei series- Asagiri Kaito is the product of surviving in an environment that is harsh in ways that normal people would have difficulty comprehending.  While he is normally an apparently selfish and random person who does what he wants at any particular moment, regardless of the eyes and expectations of others, when provoked his brutally sadistic and ruthless side can come out.  He is a master martial artist and an experienced killer, but he has made a habit of showing neither side in everyday life.  He is described as a 'complete independent individual' by one of the games' major side-characters.

Dies Irae- Fujii Ren is your typical chuunige protagonist in personality, but where he stands out is his rapid growth as a fighter.  He goes from a complete amateur to a godslayer in the course of the game, and that is the reason he is on this list.  That said, I say he is 'overpowered' in a non-relative sense due to the ability to slow time (and later stop it relative to himself), which is something of a cheat ability, if you look at it objectively, lol.  Though, in the Shinza universe, no ability is truly absolute.

Paradise Lost- Lyle is the somewhat nihilistic anti-hero protagonist of Paradise Lost.  Possessing immense powers, including the ability to corrode matter, thrive in miasma-contaminated environments, and regenerate at an incredibly rapid pace, he is a devastating opponent by any standard.  Moreover, his strength of will is among the strongest of any protagonist I've seen in any VN.

Evolimit- Shiranui Yoshikazu possesses the 'common' ability over fire, but what makes him stand out as an overpowered protagonist is his bravery, the ability to 'climb the ladder' of evolution for the sake of others and gain immense power.  Depending on the path, he even possesses sufficient power to jump between universes or share his power over fire to every person on Mars.  He is perhaps the best example I've seen in VNs of the traditional 'hero' archetype.

Tokyo Babel- Tendou Setsuna is an incredibly powerful individual, even before his growth in the course of his pilgrimage through Tokyo Babel.  With nanomachines that rapidly accelerate regeneration, allow him to control his own metabolism and memory, 'perfect' genes, and the ability to naturally produce non-magical lightning and fire, his basic specs are frighteningly high.  His personality is grim and his emotions are somewhat dulled, his manner of speech somewhat mechanical.  Nonetheless, he does possess emotions, which develop during the course of his pilgrimage.

Bullet Butlers- Rick Arrowsmith is the only gunman on this list.  The wielder of a cursed divine artifact, a gun that devours the souls of those he kills and can unleash immense power at the cost of part of his soul, he is also a master of close combat and gunfighting.  His loyalty to his mistress causes him to cast himself into the flames again and again in her service.

Ikusa Megami series- Celica Sylphil, the former servant of the God of Adventurers and Storms known as the Godslayer.  His emotions are frayed from centuries possessing the body of the goddess he loved, and he is a master of the sword and storm magic. 

Judar Schwarka- A warrior from a lost tribe of Darkness-aligned humans in Dir Lifyna (the same world as the Ikusa Megami series).  He wields a greatsword as easily as a normal warrior would wield a shortsword, and he fights with ferocity and ruthless utilization of anything that comes to hand for the sake of his own survival.  (his alignment in D&D terms would be chaotic neutral, as he is a believer in strength and free will first and foremost)

Kikan Bakumatsu Ibun Last Cavalier- Okita Soushi (an alternate of Okita Souji from the historic Bakumatsu era), he is a master of the sword, carving away at his own life using a power that is unnatural for men to use.  As the game goes on, his sword only grows sharper and his soul steeped ever deeper in death and bloodshed.

Chrono Belt- This game has two protagonists, both of whom are overpowered, as anyone who played Ayakashibito or Bullet Butlers can attest to.  Their names are Kuki Youkou and Alfred Arrowsmith.  Kuki is the master of martial arts that taught the protagonist of Ayakashibito, as well as a man who can fight dragons with his bare hands.  Alfred Arrowsmith is a gunfighter who dwarfs his little brother Rick in skill, with a ruthlessness that Rick never possessed.

Sorcery Jokers- Senri is undoubtedly disproportionately overpowered, even for a chuunige protagonist.  His level-headed persona is perhaps his most attractive feature, not the least because the other protagonist is such a hotheaded idiot.

Draculius- Ogishima Jun is the son of a true vampire, and he possesses the natural power over other vampires that comes with his royal blood.  While he might start out undeveloped, he quickly grows in power as the story progresses.  On the surface, he seems to be a somewhat light-hearted young man with a tendency toward pacifism.  However, under that surface boils an intensely protective personality who can be driven to a horrible rage when those he cares about have been harmed.  He is also naturally gifted as a leader, and his desire for family attracts those who also desire it.

Note:  This is a tentative list that I made in a hurry while half-asleep, so please feel free to suggest additions to it.  The requirements I ask you to look for in a protagonist are someone who is powerful in an objective sense, becomes powerful in an objective sense, and/or becomes or is extremely powerful relative to those around them. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...