History Main / AdaptationalProtagonist

* ''Fanfic/ResonanceDays'': Kyoko's not the main character in canon, being a supporting one and a minor one in the series and rebellion respectively. While ''Resonance Days'' is an ensemble story, Kyoko has by far the most focus and development of the group.

* ''Fanfic/{{Chiaroscuro}}'': as a PointOfDivergence a hard-working Shikamaru is rookie of the year and, thus, assigned to Team 7 with Naruto and Ino. Unlike canon, he's not Naruto's {{Deuteragonist}} and [[TheRival Rival]] but the sole protagonist whose genius and ninja career we explore.

* A tie-in book for ''WesternAnimation/Wish2023'', ''A Recipe for Adventure'', shows the film's events from the perspective of Asha's best friend Dahlia, a supportive side character. The book expands on her scenes and feelings throughout the movie and focuses on her decision to break the rules, stick with Asha, and defy her king.

* ''Fanfic/{{Chiaroscuro}}'': ForWantOfANail, a hard-working Shikamaru is rookie of the year and, thus, assigned to Team 7 with Naruto and Ino. Unlike canon, he's not Naruto's {{Deuteragonist}} and [[TheRival Rival]] but the sole protagonist whose genius and ninja career we explore.

SisterTrope of AscendedExtra, which is when a minor character gains more prominence (not necessarily the lead role). Another difference with that trope is that the promoted protagonist might not start as an extra but as a major or even main character. OppositeTrope of DemotedToExtra, for when a character with a major-to-moderate role gets degraded to a minor character. Compare BreakoutCharacter, which [[RealLifeWritesThePlot might be the reason]] to promote a character to the main role. Contrast ADayInTheLimelight, for when the work as a whole doesn't switch protagonists but devotes an episode to a non-protagonist character. It might overlap with RoleSwapAU if a character is swapped to the protagonist's role and the viewpoint changes to the former. See also HeroOfAnotherStory.

* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': The play turns Sweeney Todd into its VillainProtagonist thanks to a good helping of AdaptationalSympathy --which includes the loss of his daughter, the DamselInDistress Joanna. This is a far cry from the original ''Franchise/SweeneyTodd'' story, ''Literature/TheStringOfPearls,'' where Joanna is the protagonist trying to save her boyfriend from the villainous Todd, [[RelatedInTheAdaptation with whom she has no familial connection]].

* ''Fanfic/SAVETHEM'': Juju is made the protagonist of the story instead of Treat, Mochi or Moxie.

Note that this doesn't apply if the new main protagonist is an OriginalCharacter that didn't exist in the original material. It's meaningful when an adaptation shifts both the role ''and'' PointOfView of a secondary character, as it expands on what was previously established. Using a new protagonist amounts to tweaking the story to cater to that character even if the setting is largely the same. Likewise for a Continuity Reboot.

* Fred and George Weasley, and Tom Riddle are the primary protagonists of ''Fanfic/HowFriendshipAccidentallySavedMagicalBritain'' and the only narrators, while Harry Potter himself, although still important, only shows up a handful of times as a secondary character at best. Focusing on characters outside of Harry's year gives a slightly more normal look at life at Hogwarts without the "Boy Who Lived" stuff being as prominent. It also gives insight into the sheer amount of work, research, and ingenuity that goes into the twins' famous pranks, as well as a closer look into the founding and development of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and the owl-order service that preceded it.
* AmbiguouslyGay: During Moody's Imperius-breaking exercise, he compels Cedric to serenade the prettiest person in the room, which in Cedric's mind is apparently... Tom. Tom puffs up a bit, enjoying the ego-boost.

** ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': In the original ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games and their remakes (''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red and Blue]]'', ''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]'') and the second generation (''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold and Silver]]''), Brock and Misty are, respectively, the Rock-type and Water-type Gym Leaders who can be defeated by the player at the beginning of their journey and are forgotten about as soon as the player continues on the Victory Road. However, in this first anime series, Misty is introduced right in [[Recap/PokemonS1E1PokemonIChooseYou the first episode]] and becomes Ash's companion from then on. Come [[Recap/PokemonS1E5ShowdownInPewterCity episode 5]], Brock is introduced as the Pewter City gym leader, and, in the final minutes, decides to accompany Ash on his journey. The trio make up the ThreeAmigos protagonists and remain as such for the first 5 seasons for Misty and the first 13 seasons for Brock.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManAndHisAmazingFriends'': The show focuses on a young Peter Parker and his roommates and friends: the mutants Firestar (Angelica Jones) --created for the show-- and Iceman (Bobby Drake). In the comics, Bobby Drake is a regular member of the X-Men and has sparingly starred in his own arcs and comic series, being the PluckyComicRelief whenever he is a team player. Unlike the comics, Iceman becomes part of the ThreeAmigos protagonists and doesn't belong to the X-Men team (which pops here and there during the series).

** Similarly Red is only the protagonist in the gen I games and their gen III remakes while Ash, his anime counterpart remained the protagonist in the seasons that adapt the later games until he was replaced in Horizons.

** In the main timeline of the Marvel Comics, Mystique is introduced as a villain to Ms. Marvel in the late-1970s, later [[{{Transplant}} migrating]] to the [[ComicBook/{{XMen}} X-Men comics]] under Creator/ChrisClaremont during ''Days of Future Past'' (1981), and becoming a fixture. During certain periods of the comics, Mystique is affiliated with an X-team, but her stints are always part of some secret plan. In the ''First Class'' series, however, she becomes a major protagonist because she's reintroduced as Xavier's adoptive sister in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' (2011), and founds the X-Men with him in the same movie. She later returns as a member at the end of ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' (2016) and during ''Film/DarkPhoenix'' (2019).

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wolverine and the X|Men2009}}-Men'': In the comics, for decades Wolverine was a pivotal character of the rotating EnsembleCast of the main X-Men books, ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'' and ''ComicBook/AdjectivelessXMen''. Barring, of course, [[ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} his own comic book series]], sprung off the main books for his [[EnsembleDarkhorse popularity]]. Whenever there is an AnimatedAdaptation of the comics, it is almost always about the X-Men as a ''team'', with Professor Xavier, Cyclops, or Storm at the helm. However, this 2009 cartoon's premise is that the X-Men dissolve after a mysterious attack where Jean Grey and Professor Xavier disappear. Years later, it is up to Wolverine to [[PuttingTheBandBackTogether reunite the X-Men]] and step up as their de facto team leader. It's even {{lampshade|Hanging}}d in the title who the (new) protagonist is supposed to be.

* ''Fanfic/FromPorcelainToIvoryToSteel'': Sherry Polnareff in ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure/StardustCrusaders'' was a PosthumousCharacter whose death and rape by J. Geil was the motivation of her brother Jean-Pierre, the {{Deuteragonist}} to the Part's protagonist Jotaro Kujo. ''from porcelain to ivory to steel'' has Sherry [[SparedByTheAdaptation surviving the encounter] ] at the cost [[DeathByAdaptation of her brother's death] ], and primarily follows her effort to hunt down and kill J. Geil along with defeating DIO with the other Crusaders.

* ''WesternAnimation/MastersOfTheUniverseRevelation'' elevates Teela to protagonist while killing off Prince Adam/He-Man.

* ''Film/BramStokersDracula'': In the original ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'', following the first act --told from Jonathan's POV-- the novel rotates between the protagonists (as well as some minor characters), as the story is told primarily via letters, diary entries and so forth. Despite him being the primary antagonist, we never get Dracula's personal perspective. In the 1992 film, Dracula is positioned as the VillainProtagonist of the story, with his [[PromotedToLoveInterest relationship with Mina]] getting particular prominence. As such, Mina is also given more focus compared to the other protagonists.

* ''Film/BramStokersDracula'': In the original ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'', following the first act - told from Jonathan's POV - the novel rotates between the protagonists (as well as some minor characters), as the story is told primarily via letters, diary entries and so forth. We never get main antagonist Dracula's personal perspective. In the 1992 film, Dracula is positioned as the VillainProtagonist of the story, with his [[PromotedToLoveInterest relationship with Mina]] getting particular prominence. As such, Mina is also given more focus compared to the other protagonists.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': In the original ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games and their remakes (''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red and Blue]]'', ''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]'') and the second generation (''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold and Silver]]''), Brock and Misty are, respectively, the Rock-type and Water-type Gym Leaders who can be defeated by the player at the beginning of their journey and are forgotten about as soon as the player continues on the Victory Road. However, in this first anime series, Misty is introduced right in [[Recap/PokemonS1E1PokemonIChooseYou the first episode]] and becomes Ash's companion from then on. Come [[Recap/PokemonS1E5ShowdownInPewterCity episode 5]], Brock is introduced as the Pewter City gym leader, and, in the final minutes, decides to accompany Ash on his journey. The trio make up the ThreeAmigos protagonists and remain as such for the first 5 seasons for Misty and the first 13 seasons for Brock. The same is then also true of Iris and Cilan in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite the Black and White seasons]], Clement and Bonnie in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY the XY seasons]]. Aside from Lillie, who is vital to the story of the [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Gen 7 games]], the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon Alola season]] adds Lana, Mallow, Kiawe, & Sophocles as major characters as well. Keep in mind, that these four were trial captains in the game, who don't appear much after their trials have been completed.

* ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'': When Creator/{{Nelvana}} brought the anime adaptation over to the West, several episodes were cut out or rewrote. Li Syaoran goes from LoveInterest to Sakura's {{Deuteragonist}}. Nelvana even renamed the series ''Card Captors'' to reflect their now equal standing. In the original version, Li starts out as TheRival for the Clow Cards and remains an important but secondary character.

** In the main timeline of the Marvel Comics, Mystique is introduced as a villain to Ms. Marvel in the late-1970s, later [[{{Transplant}} migrating]] to the [[ComicBook/{{XMen}} X-Men comics]] under Creator/ChrisClaremont during ''Days of Future Past'' (1981), and becoming a fixture. During certain periods of the comics, Mystique is affiliated with an X-team, but her stints are always part of some secret plan. In the ''First Class'' series, however, she becomes a major protagonist because she's reintroduced as Xavier's adoptive sister in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' (2011), and found the X-Men with him in the same movie. She later returns as a member at the end of ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' (2016) and during ''Film/DarkPhoenix'' (2019).

* ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': In the original ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games and their remakes (''[[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Red and Blue]]'', ''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]'') and the second generation (''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold and Silver]]''), Brock and Misty are, respectively, the Rock-type and Water-type Gym Leaders who can be defeated by the player at the beginning of their journey and are forgotten about as soon as the player continues on the Victory Road. However, in this first anime series, Misty is introduced right in [[Recap/PokemonS1E1PokemonIChooseYou the first episode]] and becomes Ash's companion from then on. Come [[Recap/PokemonS1E5ShowdownInPewterCity episode 5]], Brock is introduced as the Pewter City gym leader, and, in the final minutes, decides to accompany Ash on his journey. The trio make up the ThreeAmigos protagonists and remain as such for the first 5 seasons for Misty and the first 13 seasons for Brock. The same is then also true of Iris and Cilan in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite the Black and White seasons]], Clement and Bonnie in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY the XY seasons]], and so on.

* ''Literature/TheSquiresTales'': The main premise of the novels is retelling the Myth/ArthurianLegend from the perspective of characters other than the knights. For example, the story of Sir Gareth focuses on Lynet, with the dwarf, [[NamedByTheAdaptation named Roger]] ([[spoiler:or actually Gaheris]]) as {{Deuteragonist}}. Likewise, the story of Ywain is told from the perspective of Luneta.

* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' make the title character its VillainProtagonist with a good deal of AdaptationalSympathy, which includes the loss of his daughter, the DamselInDistress Joanna. This is a far cry from the original Franchise/SweeneyTodd story, ''Literature/TheStringOfPearls,'' where ''Joanna'' is the protagonist trying to save her boyfriend from the villainous Todd, [[RelatedInTheAdaptation with whom she has no familial connection]].

* ''Literature/TheSquiresTales'' usually retells Myth/ArthurianLegend this way, if the protagonist isn't an outright {{Canon Foreigner}}. For example, the story of Sir Gareth focuses on Lynet, with the dwarf, [[NamedByTheAdaptation named Roger]] ([[spoiler:or actually Gaheris]]) as {{Deuteragonist}}. Likewise, the story of Ywain is told from the perspective of Luneta.