History Main / FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator

* ComicBook/BlackPanther: Writer Creator/ChristopherPriestComics [[https://web.archive.org/web/20230202213804/https://sequart.org/magazine/70516/exploring-white-privilege-in-christopher-priest%E2%80%99s-black-panther-part-1-everett-k-ross/ realised]] early on that his run on the book needed a point-of-view narrator more closely aligned with its target audience than the enigmatic African warrior king of the title. Enter Everett K. Ross, State Department advisor and often hapless foil for T'Challa's schemes.

* Very common in Music/La Dispute's music, although "King Park" might be the most interesting example, the narrator is clearly omniscient and has the power to go back in time to view events and view them without interacting at all, yet how or what the narrator is is never explained. This is because this is of secondary importance to the [[TearJerker brutal events of the story that is viewed.]]

** Played straight in the rest of the Arsene Lupin books [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis where the narrator is a fictional version of author Maurice Leblanc]] who supposedly has a few interviews with Lupin from time to time.

* Most of the actual story in ''[[VideoGame/{{Diablo}} Diablo II]]'' is narrated by Marius, a random person whom the Dark Wanderer (Diablo) takes along to carry his stuff or something. He is eventually given the task to enter Hell itself to destroy Baal's soulstone, ie. to actually do something, but understandably chickens out. What's interesting is that if Marius is seen as First Person Peripheral Narrator, then the main character is Diablo, not the PlayerCharacter. But since the latter only runs around killing monsters and misses all the real story, even Marius himself seems more like the protagonist at times.

* Fone Bone in ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', where the closest thing to an actual protagonist is Thorn.

** Frank Carveth in ''Film/TheBrood''. The actor, Art Hindle, isn't even mentioned on the cover, while Samantha Eggar and Creator/OliverReed (who were both bigger-name actors and play more interesting characters) get top billing.
** Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) in ''Film/TheFly1986'', a good AudienceSurrogate in being as equally weirded out by what happens to her boyfriend Seth Brundle.

** To some extent, Cameron Vale of ''Film/{{Scanners}}'', who has literally no personality, while Michael Ironside and Patrick [=MacGoohan=] get much less screen time but are far more memorable and interesting.

* The ''Manga/ThusSpokeKishibeRohan'' series (A spinoff of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'') does indeed star the eponymous mangaka from ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond Is Unbreakable]]'' as the central focus and framing device, but aside from a select few stories, Rohan does not actively participate in their events. He instead serves as a passive observer and chronicler to said events. This is best exemplified by the series' Japanese title ''Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokenai'', meaning "Rohan Kishibe Does Not Move."

* Kim and Peg in ''Film/EdwardScissorhands''. The latter finds the title character, the former (her daughter) is the he falls for [[spoiler:and the narrator in the framing device]].

* In the film ''Film/{{Hoffa}}'', Creator/DannyDevito plays the narrative character who observes famous union leader Jimmy Hoffa's rise and becomes his most trust friend, who sticks by him [[DownerEnding until the end.]]

* The ending to ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' reveals that the whole thing has essentially been the scrapbook of Ellet, a (somewhat annoying) journalist who had made it her mission to document Squad 7's adventures.
* The narrator of ''VideoGame/{{Narcissu}}'', who is not even given a name in-game, largely serves as a chauffeur and plot-catalyst for the real focus of the story, Setsumi. [[spoiler:Justified by reason #1 above.]] Setsumi herself fits this role to some degree vis-a-vis Himeko in the prequel, but she does at least get quite a bit of character development. This is a bit less so in other adaptations.
* Innocence Smith in ''Mars: War Logs''. He's the sidekick to player character Roy Temperance for much of the game. After the opening cutscene he doesn't narrate much, but he does recount his and Roy's escapades in his diary. If [[spoiler:you screw up and Innocence is sent into exile]], though, [[spoiler:Roy]] recovers the war log, starts writing in it, and narrates the final cutscene.
* While the first and third games are more focused on [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]], s/he is essentially this for most of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', which is basically an anthology of 10 different character stories (12 with DLC, and 14 if you include Joker and EDI). The game mainly revolves around the CharacterDevelopment between these squadmates, with [[MagneticHero Shepard]] and the SuicideMission being the thing that [[YouALLShareMyStory links them all together.]]

* In ''{{VideoGame/Drakengard 3}}'', Zero is undoubtedly the main character. [[spoiler:In the larger scheme of things, however, the protagonist is [[ItMakesSenseInContext a cyborg girl trying to initiate a]] CosmicRetcon. The character makes her first appearance after the credits roll for the first time and keeps getting involved more directly in the subsequent timelines that unfold.]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'': Vaan. The main characters are pretty clearly Ashe, Basch and Balthier, but Vaan is along mostly to serve as viewpoint character.
* Issun, the ExpositionFairy, narrates ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}''. This is appropriate, since he's the VoiceForTheVoiceless for Amaterasu, a wolf, and also her Celestial Envoy (the one charged to spread the news of her great deeds so people will praise her).
* The night guards from the ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' series act like this. Yes, the game is about their survival against the [[HomicideMachines killer animatronics]], but they really don't have a big impact on the plot or backstory - at best, they can discover it. [[spoiler:''3'''s unnamed Fazbear's Fright guard ''might'' have burned down the building, but it's only slightly implied, with no confirmation.]] ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4'' and ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation'' avert this, however, with ''4's'' child protagonist - who is substantially more involved in the plot - and ''Sister Location's'' enigmatic "[[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Eggs Benedict,]]" who [[spoiler:[[AmbiguousSituation may or not be]] [[SerialKiller William]] [[TheDreaded Afton]] or his [[CameBackWrong formerly-dead]] [[TheDutifulSon son,]] [[AmbiguouslyEvil Michael,]] who seems to be on track to becoming the series' HeroAntagonist.]]
* ''The Beetmonger's Journal'' is told by Aubrey Foil, assistant and chronicler of archaeologist Victor Lapot.
* ''Country Tales'' is narrated by the main character's love interest.

* ''It Could Happen To You'' is narrated by Angel Dupree, a reporter and photographer working undercover as a homeless man and writing about the main characters. It's actually something of a twist that there ''is'' a first person narrator rather than a third person omniscient one - Angel Dupree doesn't get introduced as a character until near the end of the film, and he never refers to himself in his narration prior to TheReveal.

* The so-called "protagonist" of the book version of ''Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau'' does nothing but get thrown overboard, land on an island and watch more interesting people do experiments; Moreau and his experiments are the actual protagonists. The various film versions tend to give him a more active role, sometimes as Moreau's final experiment (and success)

* The Creator/HGWells novel ''Literature/TheTimeMachine'' is set up as a frame tale narrated by another, who relates what the time traveler has told him about his adventures.
* Similarly, Wells' short story ''Literature/TheDoorInTheWall'' is told by someone whose friend is seeking the eponymous door.

* Just about all of H.G. Wells' books, including the above-mentioned ''Island of Dr. Moreau'' and ''The Time Machine,'' use this trope. Perhaps the only novel to avert this is ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds,'' where the unnamed narrator is the protagonist by default because no other major characters last for more than a handful of chapters or have any real motives or character development.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'':

* In the ''Manga/DeathNote'' prequel novel ''LightNovel/AnotherNote,'' the narrator is Mello, a character introduced in the manga's second half who was not present for any of the story's events and is only writing them down because the characters involved died in the first half. While this does call into question some of the finer details he relates (and at least one huge assumption he makes about the killer), his distance (and decision to focus his narrative on the character he knows the least about) helps to obscure the story's major twist-- which he promptly mocks you for falling for.

* Zig-zagged in ''LightNovel/AFoxsTale''. The present day segments are narrated by Marcus Minev, a historian who wants to learn more about Ember Wulf, the protagonist of the series. However, the past scenes are narrated from Ember's first person POV.

* The narrator of the ''Al(exandra) the Great'' series of young adult books from TheSeventies falls into this. The eponymous Al is the focus of the books, but they're told from the perspective of the girl who becomes her best friend. The narrator is never even give a ''name''.

* Creator/StephenKing does this in two books in the novella collection ''Literature/DifferentSeasons''. The film version ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' is mentioned above, and its novella counterpart ''Ritay Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption'' is narrated by Red. The final novella, ''Literature/TheBreathingMethod'' features a double version of the trope. The main frame story is told by a middle aged lawyer named David, who attends a men's club where they tell stories, and their Christmas storytelling is always a tale of the uncanny. The main story is told as a flashback by Dr. Emlyn McCarron, about a patient he had many decades before. It's really Jane's story, but "It is the tale, not he who tells it" that's important here.

* Eva Procorpio has become this in ''ComicBook/{{Shakara}}'' - while Shakara is undoubtedly the protagonist, the story was primarily told through Eva's narration shortly after she was introduced. Then she started getting more screentime than Shakara.
* Evey Hammond in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'' - V is certainly the lead character, but the story follows Evey as exposure to V changes her.
* [[UnfortunateNames Sexton Furnival]] in ''[[ComicBook/TheSandman Death: The High Cost of Living]]''. Death/Didi is the axis around which the story revolves, with Sexton just having been dragged in after her. But he's the one with real CharacterDevelopment; hanging out with Death for the day renews his interest in living, rather than committing suicide out of sheer ennui like he wanted to do at the beginning.

* Johnny Frost in the graphic novel ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'', a henchman who works for the title character. Also done on occasion with ComicBook/HarleyQuinn. As a general rule, one is not allowed to hear ComicBook/TheJoker's thoughts in any medium.

* The ''Manga/ThusSpokeRohanKishibe'' series (A spinoff of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'') does indeed star the eponymous mangaka from ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond Is Unbreakable]]'' as the central focus and framing device, but aside from a select few stories, Rohan does not actively participate in their events. He instead serves as a passive observer and chronicler to said events. This is best exemplified by the series' Japanese title ''Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokenai'', meaning "Rohan Kishibe Does Not Move."

* Cecil, host and narrator of ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'', reports all the news, gossip, and horrifying calamities going on in town, but rarely does much himself since he's usually in his radio booth when the most... ''exciting'' things are happening. This is sometimes a real source of frustration, such as when his beloved [[HotScientist Carlos]] is in danger.

* ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'': her name is stamped on the product and her face is everywhere in the opening, closing, and promotional material, but the story is told from the point of view of UnreliableNarrator Kyon. That said, later on he starts regularly engaging in the plot instead of just commenting on it, shifting him into more of a SupportingProtagonist.

* ''Manga/MetroidSamusAndJoey'' gives [[VideoGame/{{Metroid}} Samus Aran]] a KidSidekick and tells most of the story from his perspective... apparently just so that it can portray Samus as ''[[TheAce even more]]'' of a LivingLegend than she is in the games. Once Joey inherits his father's [[BarrierWarrior Field]] [[BareFistedMonk Knuckle]] he becomes surprisingly good at ''assisting'' Samus, but [[SupportPartyMember his abilities are poorly suited to defeating enemies on his own]].

* OriginalCharacter Erin Blogger for the ''Manga/DeathNote'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/StoryOfTheCentury''. An exchange student aspiring to be a journalist, she becomes entangled in the Kira case after [[HeKnowsTooMuch seeing things she shouldn't have]] (she sees Misa being arrested in front of the school) and serves as the narrator for all of the case-related events that unfold afterwards. She does have [[UnwittingPawn a hand at changing the case's outcome]] and gets some CharacterDevelopment out of the whole thing [[BreakTheCutie (albeit the harsh way)]], but it would seem that the real protagonist of the fanfic is [[AntiHero L]], with whom Erin develops a [[VitriolicBestBuds complex]] [[AMatchMadeInStockholm relationship.]] The fanfic, and its accompanying companion oneshots, offer a study on all the involved characters to varying extents, but L gets the most scutiny, especially in the [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction of his canonical role as]] [[BigGood the Big Good in the series.]]
* The story ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/18141674 Shiraha no ya ga tachishi mono]]'' is about the saniwa, but is narrated by Yagen.

* In ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', Burr is kind of a quasi-example. He's clearly not the main protagonist, and the majority of the songs concern events that either don't feature him or aren't hugely relevant to him personally, some of which he does provide narration for (such as "Say No To This"), but he ''is'' the second most important character, and by the end of the musical his narration becomes much less peripheral and much more personal. Compare the opening to "What'd I Miss", in which he otherwise doesn't appear:
-->How does the bastard, orphan, immigrant, decorated war vet, unite the colonies through more debt? Fight the other founding fathers 'til he has to forfeit, have it all, lose it all, you ready for more yet?
** ...to the opening for "Your Obedient Servant", set to the same melody:
-->How does Hamilton, an arrogant, immigrant, orphan, bastard, whore's son somehow endorse Thomas Jefferson, his enemy, a man he's despised since the beginning, just to keep ''me'' from winning?

* Traudl Junge fulfills this role in ''Film/{{Downfall}}'' in regards to Hitler, which makes sense, since she was one of the few people in Hitler's bunker to survive and tell her story. [[DrivenToSuicide The movie]] [[CyanidePill portrays this]] [[AteHisGun very blatantly.]] [[HerrDoktor Dr. Schenck]] also falls into this to an extent, except in regards to the general [[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt chaos]] and [[SceneryGorn destruction]] of besieged Berlin.

%%* Thomas, Marquis d'Apcher in ''Film/BrotherhoodOfTheWolf''.
%%* Karen in ''Film/{{Blade}}''.

* Nick Carraway in ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby''. However, some critics have contended that, in his extremely passive way, he's actually something of the villain of the story, since he ''knows'' all these people around him are heading for disaster but never intervenes in their poor decision-making, instead simply [[PassThePopcorn sitting back to watch]].

* Dostoyevsky's ''The Posessed'' (a.k.a ''Devils'') has an unnamed narrator who has a minor role in the events, but he knows everyone and described a lot of scenes he hasn't witnessed... ahem.
** Dostoevsky likes this technique. ''Literature/TheBrothersKaramazov'' uses the same shtick, with an unnamed narrator implied to just be someone who has lived in the town for many many years and knows all the local gossip, but for all intents and purposes is effectively omniscient.

* "Chief" Bromden from ''Literature/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest'', who takes center stage over the hero [=McMurphy=] because his hallucinations [[RuleOfSymbolism highlight the symbolism of the book]], and because we have to look up to [=McMurphy=]. We can't ''be'' him.

* The ''Literature/HyperionCantos'' novel ''Endymion'' has Raul as the First Person Peripheral Narrator to Aenea.