Line #105 Main/NoAntagonist


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11	[[quoteright:205:[[Webcomic/IncidentalComics https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/incidental_comic_conflicts.png]]]]
12	[[caption-width-right:205:Lack of opposition ≠ no problems whatsoever. [[SidetrackedByTheAnalogy Checkmate, salvation.]]]]\
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18	->''"It's not an evil plan? I don't really know what to do when it isn't an evil plan."''
19	-->-- '''The Twelfth Doctor''', ''Series/DoctorWho'', "[[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime Twice Upon a Time]]"
20
21	The BigBad is supposed to help [[VillainsActHeroesReact drive the plot]], right? They provide the biggest obstacle for the hero to overcome. They give the audience (as well as MoralGuardians) [[HateSink something to channel their hate towards]] with terribly evil actions such as [[FinalSolution genocide]], [[ImmortalityImmorality committing crimes for immortality]], kidnapping ([[WouldHurtAChild or even worse]]), world-conquering, and [[KickTheDog kicking of puppies]], even they can scare the audience (and children) by being the [[CompleteMonster horrid monster]] they are through screentime. Usually, this is the case... except, of course, when they don't happen to be present at all.
22
23	Since all fiction essentially narrows down to {{conflict}} between two or more opposing forces, it is typical to represent these forces in the story's MainCharacters, with the story's focus character called TheProtagonist --usually ([[VillainProtagonist but not always]]) being the "[[TheHero good guy]]" ([[DesignatedHero from the perspective of the work, at least]])--and another in opposition to the protagonist called TheAntagonist, who is usually ([[HeroAntagonist but not always]]) the "[[BigBad bad guy]]" ([[DesignatedVillain again, from the perspective of the work]]).
24
25	Some stories, however, are cut from a different thread. Rather than representing the conflict as the "good guy" against the "bad guy", the central conflict is caused by other forces and does not feature characters in direct opposition to each other. Instead, the forces at work are more intangible and not bound to a set of characters.
26
27	This doesn't mean that there is no conflict or tension -- otherwise there wouldn't be a story. It simply means that the central conflict of the work has no characters who are a defined source of friction. This could mean that the conflict comes from an [[FatalFlaw internal struggle]], such as with addiction, or it could arise from tensions that must be resolved between the well-intentioned main characters. It could also be that the conflict arises from some sort of [[DisasterMovie natural/scientific disaster]], or from simply [[FightToSurvive trying to survive in a hostile environment]]. As long as there are no "bad guys", this trope applies. If villainous characters do appear in this kind of story at all, they will be a case of VillainOfAnotherStory and/or GreaterScopeVillain; they will not hurt, in any way, any of the story's main characters, even if they do horrible things to other unseen people.
28
29	It's possible that one of the characters will be the HateSink: not actually a BigBad, but someone who makes the characters' lives more difficult to give the audience an outlet for the bad-guy hating. For example, if Bob is seriously addicted to heroin and the work focuses on his battling his addiction, then a drug dealer that constantly supplies Bob would not count as the antagonist, even though the dealer is certainly not nice unless there is conflict generated between Bob and the dealer. In the case where it is not, the work would have No Antagonist. Therefore villains are technically allowed, but they can only cause harm indirectly.
30
31	In other words, if the central conflict is Bob vs his own drug addiction, it is this trope, but if it is Bob vs the evil drug dealer who secretly adds extra addictive chemicals to Bob's cannabis, then it is not.
32
33	The trope does, however, require an actual conflict taking place within the story--works with no real conflict, such as [[WideOpenSandbox sandbox games]], would not apply. Most SliceOfLife works have No Antagonist, due to the conflict being life itself, but that doesn't apply to all such series, where the antagonist can easily be someone damaging the life of the protagonist (for instance, the local [[TheBully school bully]]). This trope is also common in LitFic, where it is usually broken down into the categories "character vs nature", or "character vs themselves". {{Utsuge}}s, games focusing on sorrow and tragic events, also tend to lack any real villain, instead having the tragedy appear from intangible forces that the characters cannot just defeat through combat.
34
35	Not to be confused with ImaginaryEnemy, where there is also no antagonist at all, but the protagonist thinks there is. Compare PlotIrrelevantVillain, where there is a villainous antagonist but is of little to no importance in the big game. If the story has neither an antagonist ''nor'' a conflict, it most likely takes place in a SugarBowl.
36
37	'''Important: "No Antagonist" means ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. If there are one or more [[TheAntagonist antagonists]] of any kind in the story, it is not an example. Make sure to thoroughly consider whether the story considers anyone, or anything, an antagonist before adding it here.'''
38
39	----
40	!!Examples:
41	[[index]]
42	* NoAntagonist/AnimeAndManga
43	* NoAntagonist/{{Film}}
44	* NoAntagonist/{{Literature}}
45	* NoAntagonist/LiveActionTV
46	* NoAntagonist/VideoGames
47	* NoAntagonist/WesternAnimation
48	[[/index]]
49
50	[[foldercontrol]]
51
52	[[folder:Advertising]]
53	* "Advertising/AmericanHondaPresentsDCComicsSupergirl": The first issue of this seat belt safety PublicServiceAnnouncement is about a young man getting severely injured due to his and other driver's recklessness, and his coma's impact on his family and loved ones.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Comic Books]]
57	* ''ComicBook/TalesOfTheJedi'': The final arc, "Redemption", takes place during peacetime and the conflict is around personal struggles left over from the wars.
58	* ''ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel\|MarvelComics}}'': In the classic graphic novel ''The Death of Captain Marvel'', Mar-Vell's [[ArchEnemy mortal enemies]] the Skrulls did show up, but not as antagonists - they were there to ''[[AntagonistInMourning mourn]]'' him, along with all the other heroes by his side. He died after losing a fight to the one foe he simply couldn't defeat - cancer.
59	* ''ComicBook/PierreTombal'': A GagSeries about a grave digger, with no real villains.
60	* ''ComicBook/GastonLagaffe'': A GagSeries about an employee in a publishing company, where there are tensions between Gaston and his co-workers ''and'' a police officer, but no real villains.
61	* ''ComicBook/FinalNight'' may be the only CrisisCrossover without an antagonist, and the focus is instead on attempting to survive a cosmic calamity. While the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Sun-Eater]] is a threat, it is depicted more as a force of nature or a hungry animal going after its normal food source than an opponent.
62	* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'':
63	** "[[Recap/TintinRedRackhamsTreasure Red Rackham's Treasure]]" is more about Tintin and his friends looking for a treasure than them fighting villains. The closest thing to a villain is a shark that attacks Tintin while he's diving. There's also "descendants" of Red Rackham who turn up at the beginning, wanting a share of the treasure, but they are chased off by Haddock in the first few pages.
64	** "[[Recap/TintinTintinInTibet Tintin In Tibet]]" has no villains, and in the end, even the supposedly monstrous Yeti is revealed to only be lonely and misunderstood.
65	** "[[Recap/TintinTheCastafioreEmerald The Castafiore Emerald]]" has people showing off prejudices against gypsies, and a couple of underhanded paparazzi take pictures and write stories without permission. But if you compare it to the villains in other Tintin stories, it is really nothing. And as for the thief, who had stolen the emerald? (It was only [[spoiler: a magpie]]).
66	* ''ComicBook/LifeIsStrange'': The first arc has no villain, with the conflict coming from Max's uncontrolled jumps between timelines.
67	* ''ComicBook/BenoitBrisefer'' album "Eglantine's secret": Benoit meets a girl with powers similar to him and has issues with his friends on a holiday camp. This counts as a Breather Episode and Oddball in the Series.
68	* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' story ''ComicBook/SupermansReturnToKrypton'': Superman gets stranded in pre-explosion Krypton, meets his parents, tries to start an unsuccessful planet-wide evacuation effort, and prepares to die when the planet blows up. There's no real villain in this story unless you count ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}'s brief and plot-unrelated cameo.
69	* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'':
70	** ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton1959'' is about ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} arriving on Earth after losing her parents and starting to adapt to her new life in the orphanage.
71	** ''ComicBook/TheUntoldStoryOfArgoCity'' revolves around Supergirl's attempts to rescue her biological parents, and afterwards, it focuses on Supergirl's conflicted feelings regarding her Kryptonian and Earth parents, and their struggle to do what is best for their child regardless of personal feelings.
72	** ''ComicBook/SupergirlsThreeSuperGirlfriends'' has no central villain due to being about Supergirl making new bonds as joining the ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes and then having some harmless adventures.
73	** ''ComicBook/ShouldAuldAcquaintanceBeForgot'' revolves around Deadman feeling upset because his good deeds are not acknowledged and Supergirl giving him counsel as discussing the nature of true heroism.
74	** ''ComicBook/SupergirlSpecial'' deals with Kara's feelings of inadequacy and survivor trauma, featuring no villains.
75	* ''ComicBook/{{Kinetic}}:'' No one in the story directly or indirectly victimizes the main character in any major respect, and he himself avoids embarking on a ProtagonistJourneyToVillain.
76	[[/folder]]
77
78	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
79	* ''ComicStrip/QuickAndFlupke'': There's no real antagonist unless you consider the policeman who just does his job, or Quick and Flupke, who are just playing pranks.
80	[[/folder]]
81
82	[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
83	* "Literature/TheLittleMermaid" is about a mermaid who turns into a human because she's fallen in love with a prince; if they marry, she'll stay human forever and get an immortal soul, but if he marries someone else, she'll die the next morning and [[CessationOfExistence get no afterlife]]. (And she can't tell him this, since she paid the Sea-Witch [[TongueTrauma with her tongue]].) Unfortunately for her, the prince has a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage set up with someone else. Unlike in [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 the Disney version]], neither the Sea-Witch nor the other woman are evil (though the former seems [[TrueNeutral amoral]]), and since none of the human characters know the mermaid's problem, you can't really blame them for not helping her out.
84	* "Literature/TheElfMaiden": Unless you count the fisherman's rival who left him behind on the island and was forgotten right afterwards, there is no central villain.
85	* "Literature/GoodDayFellowAxeHandle" is a comedic folktale about a misunderstanding causing a conversation full of non-sequiturs.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Fan Works]]
89	* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/CreamedCherries'' has no villain. The [[FawltyTowersPlot story]] (which is a [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E2122ShortFilmsAboutSpringfield Steamed Hams]] homage) is set into motion by some [[ScaryStingingSwarm angry bees]], but they aren't evil and are only acting in retaliation for Thumper trying to swat at them. Otherwise, the conflict is just a simple SliceOfLife story about Bambi trying to keep his lunch date with Faline from going awry.
90	* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9492424/1/The-Boredom-of-Yoto-Yokodera The Boredom of Yoto Yokodera]]'' has no villain, just a bunch of randomness.
91	* ''Fanfic/HalfPastAdventure'':
92	** Any given chapter is as likely to have an antagonist as not.
93	** The closest thing to an antagonist in the first chapter is the Candy Corn Colonel, who enforces Princess Bubblegum's grudge against the Duke of Nuts, but that's only framed in opposition to Macy for one scene which he isn't there for.
94	** The third chapter doesn't even have that, the main source of tension comes from Macy's insecurity about her place in her adopted family, which she projects onto the new ambassador.
95	** The chapters ''Huntress Spirit'' and ''Natural Harmonies'' together form a sort of training montage for Macy, coming together into a single story about her [[spoiler:becoming a huntress]]. There is no antagonist in either chapter.
96	* Whenever [[http://www.fimfiction.net/user/kalash93 Kalash93]] writes romance, expect to see this. A non-romantic example of him doing this is the short piece, ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/124263/1/songs-uncle-sings/sineva Songs Uncle Sings.]]'' It's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
97	* ''Fanfic/FlashFog'', a ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic, is a straight forward disaster story with the battle against the titular [[FogOfDoom fog]] providing the story's conflict.
98	* ''Fanfic/SeekingSato'', a ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' fanfic, lacks any villains besides unpleasant businessmen Asami has to deal with.
99	* While ''Fanfic/{{Stroll}}'' is kicked off by Octavia being kidnapped, the conflict of the story revolves around her attempting to return to Ponyville.
100	* Many of [[https://www.fimfiction.net/user/32519/JapaneseTeeth JapaneseTeeth's]] MLP fanfics all tend to follow this formula, being more about the characters and with no antagonists in sight. Examples include:
101	** [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/31793/A-Delicate-Balance A Delicate Balance]] is a shipping fanfic focusing on Twilight confessing her love to Applejack, followed by the two of them dealing with day-to-day relationship troubles. Misunderstandings do occur and at one point the couple have a really heated and intense argument, but it's all character-driven and there's no antagonist to be seen.
102	** [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/145660/octaves Octaves]] is about Vinyl Scratch dealing with the pressures of Fame and {{Executive Meddling}}, with Octavia being the viewpoint character to her story. The closest the story has to an antagonist is Vinyl's boss who puts restrictions on how she can produce her music, but [[TheGhost in addition to never actually appearing in the story]] he's also just doing his job and has no malicious intentions towards Vinyl.
103	** [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/393821/here-comes-the-sun Here Comes The Sun]], a successor of sorts to FIM's Season 1 Finale listed below, is a {{Slice of Life}} comedy fic about the mane 6 trying to prepare for the Summer Sun festival and make sure nothing goes wrong. The conflict comes from various mistakes made by the cast as well as Twilight's paranoia. Trixie is present, but has reformed from her previous canonical appearance and is more of a nuisance who doesn't purposely cause trouble in the story.
104	* There's no real antagonist in ''Fanfic/XMen1970'', whose plot revolves around the original ComicBook/XMen growing out of the team and going separate ways.
105	* ''Fanfic/KaraOfRokyn'''s final story arc "Kal & Lyla" has no bad guy, as it's about [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} the main character]] making a movie.
106	* ''Fanfic/UsAndThem'': The sequel, ''Life Renewed, Love Renewed'', has none of the epic elements of the first story, which dealt with the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII JENOVA crisis]]. The main thrust of the story here is Aeris' desire to return home and all the obstacles she has to overcome to get there.
107	* ''Fanfic/TheDarwinChronicles'' revolves around comedic shenanigans, so there's no real villain or enemy to beat up.
108	* ''Fanfic/AVeryKaraChristmas'' is a story about a person experiencing Christmas for the first time. The closest thing to a villain are two meddlesome, nosy schoolgirls.
109	* ''Fanfic/FuturesFreakMeOut'' is about Shinji and Asuka growing up together and developing their relationship after the war. There are no humongous mecha, giant aliens, conspirations, or even noteworthy love rivals here.
110	* ''Fanfic/PokemonStrangledRed'' basically consists of a kid playing a video game.
111	* In ''Fanfic/{{Jessica}}'', Cameron has plenty of hardships in the story, but none caused by a specific person in opposition to him.
112	* ''Fanfic/RolePlayingEvangelion'' is a comedy with hints of romance where the main characters engage in wacky antics.
113	* ''Fanfic/LongTimeNoSee'' is about Shinji going to Nerv's party reunion, fifteen years after the War, meeting old acquaintances, and reminiscing about his life.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Manhua]]
117	* ''Manhua/MyBelovedMother'' is a sci-fi drama manhua about a human boy RaisedByRobots who believes his biological mother is still alive, and repeatedly rejects his robotic mother's love and affections towards him while attempting to flee from home to locate his "real" mother. It doesn't have any antagonistic characters, with most of the conflict stemming from the protagonist's quest and assorted obstacles along the way.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Music]]
121	* Music/PinkFloyd's ''Music/TheWall'' is about Pink's inner struggle with the demons his life has brought down on him. While certain events and people did play a role in helping him build his "wall", there's no one you can point to and say that they're responsible for all of his issues... [[HisOwnWorstEnemy except himself.]]
122	%% ** Slightly averted in TheMovie, where the Teacher is a complete JerkAss. Pink also condemns the army brass who let his father's regiment get wiped out, and "[[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor Kind Old King George]] [VI]," who didn't even bother to sign the condolence letter in his own hand.
123	* ''Music/{{Quadrophenia}}'' by Music/TheWho is about Jimmy's struggle to both fit in and figure out who he is (and who he should be). Although the Rocker-Mod riots are an important plot point, and Jimmy's relationship with the Mods underscores and enhances his conflict, it by no means causes it. This is quite a contrast to ''Music/{{Tommy}}'' where the antagonist is seemingly ''everyone else''.
124	* ''Music/KidsPraise'': More albums than not have no actual villain -- often there are characters who need to learn a lesson or two, but no actively malicious characters. When they need an antagonist, Risky Rat fills in.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Pinball]]
128	* Unsurprisingly, many {{Pinball}} games run on this trope; justified for older pre-solid state games, which often relied on NoPlotNoProblem gameplay. And while modern pins can have antagonists who directly thwart the player (the Genie from ''Pinball/TalesOfTheArabianNights''), antagonist-free themes like ''[[Pinball/{{ACDC}} AC/DC]]'' or ''[[Pinball/PinBot Pin*Bot]]'' still often appear.
129	* In Creator/WilliamsElectronics' ''Pinball/Fire1987'', the only "antagonist" is the fire threatening the city of Chicago.
130	[[/folder]]
131
132	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
133	* ''Series/{{Gerbert}}'' has no antagonist and is more similar to a slice-of-life show, with simple conflicts a child may go through.
134	%% * ''Series/TheChicaShow'' has no antagonist for obvious reasons.
135	* ''Series/DonkeyHodie'' has no antagonist. Instead, it focuses on the problems Donkey Hodie and her friends face in their everyday lives.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
139	* This trope is attempted, unusually for tabletop RPG, by ''[[http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=SJG37-6714 Wings of the Rising Sun,]]'' a supplement for ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'' about a {{Rescue}} organisation.
140	[[/folder]]
141
142	[[folder:Theatre]]
143	* ''Theatre/CrossRoad'' is about the violinist Niccolo Paganini making a DealWithTheDevil. You would expect the devil, Amduscias, to be the antagonist here, and if he's the main character, as he is, then potentially, Niccolo might be the antagonist. But neither is true. The conflict centers around Niccolo's making his way through the world as he plays his life away (from the contract, he gets to play one million songs of genius, for which he pays with his life). Amduscias cares for Niccolo, steps in to protect him from time to time, and grieves for him after he dies. Niccolo isn't always happy with his choice, and thinks "IJustWantToBeNormal" from time to time, but in the end, he has no regrets.
144	* ''Theatre/DearEvanHansen'': There are literally no bad guys in this play. Instead, it's Evan's inability to escape from his lie, and the Murphys' quick acceptance of these deceptions as comfort, combined with Heidi's repeated attempts to please Evan, create most of the problems.
145	* ''Theatre/PeerGynt'' has no defined antagonist, unless you count the main character, who screws up splendidly and is his own worst enemy. Even the trolls, although sadistically cruel, spout some wisdom, and the Mountain King shows himself as fairly decent, even trying to get Peer back on track in the end. Even his daughter the green-clad woman states that Peer brought his problems on himself: "don`t blame me for this!"
146	* ''Theatre/WaitingForGodot'' is simply about [[ThoseTwoGuys two guys]] waiting for their friend to show up.
147	* The conflict of ''Theatre/{{Harvey}}'' is people's misguided attempts to "cure" Elwood of seeing the title rabbit. Since Elwood is pretty much the nicest man on the planet, not once does he object.
148	* The closest thing ''Theatre/NextToNormal'' has to an antagonist is Gabe - but Gabe is just [[spoiler:a recurring hallucination that Diana's mind has created]], and the real "antagonist" is Diana's mental illness.
149	* ''Theatre/{{Iolanta}}'' is about a blind girl finding love and gaining her sight, and the rest of the characters helping her.
150	* ''Theatre/{{Carmen}}'' has the {{Yandere}} Don Jose, who [[spoiler: picks a fight with Carmen's new lover Escamillo, and then murders Carmen in the end as Escamillo wins a bullfight]]. You wouldn't call him good, or allied with Carmen, but it's reductive to the story to label him an antagonist in the manner of a [[Theatre/{{Tosca}} Scarpia]] or [[Theatre/{{Othello}} Iago]].
151	* Music/{{Tsukiuta}}'s 6th play, ''Kurenai Enishi'', takes a step up from the 2nd and 5th by not having a villain. Instead, the fantasy world that the characters find themselves [[TrappedInAnotherWorld trapped in]] is plagued by a curse, and to lift the curse, and return to the human world, the characters must balance the light and dark energies by getting the leaders of the Black and White {{Tengu}} villages - who happen to be brothers - to put aside their feud. They do fight zombies, but the zombies come from a curse, not from a malevolent character. This also applies to the third play, but as MagicalRealism, it goes with the territory.
152	* ''Theatre/TheTwentyFifthAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee'' is more focused on fleshing out the six spellers and showing the progression of the competition, leaving very little in the way for an antagonist. The closest anyone comes to being a villain is one of Logainne's dads, who [[spoiler: deliberately spills soda on the ground, intending to disable William's technique and get him eliminated]]. Even then, this is treated as more of an obstacle and [[spoiler: the problem ends up being rendered moot since William ends up spelling just fine without his technique.]]
153	* ''Theatre/TheProducers'' is about two VillainProtagonist[=s=] trying to pull off a ZanyScheme to get rich with bad luck getting in their way.
154	[[/folder]]
155
156	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
157	* ''Ride/DespicableMeMinionMayhem'' at Ride/UniversalStudios has no villain, unlike the movies it's based off of. Instead, the conflict is caused by a Minion training course gone wrong.
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	%%[[folder:Toys]]
161	%% * The ''Franchise/SylvanianFamilies'' series, being a pure SliceOfLife SugarBowl, does not have villains - or at least not in the main toyline. The [[WesternAnimation/SylvanianFamilies 1987 TV show]] averts this trope by adding villains named Gatorpossum and Packbat.
162	%%[[/folder]]
163	%%
164
165	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
166	* {{Utsuge}} games often tend to lack a villain.
167	** Most of the paths in ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' lack an antagonist. Shizune's father acts as one in hers, though he's mostly an ineffectual jerk, Lilly's parents [[spoiler:put her and Hisao's relationship in jeopardy by having her move to Scotland]], and the art teacher does inadvertently cause Rin's breakdown, but otherwise the characters deal with regular teen problems.
168	** In ''VisualNovel/PrivateNurse'', Hiroki is his own worst enemy, as it's implied that his sickness is as much psychological as it is physiological.
169	** ''VisualNovel/KanaLittleSister''. Kana's sickness and impending death due to kidney failure is the only "force" opposing the protagonist of the game.
170	** ''VisualNovel/CrescendoJP'' has the conflict be the characters' psychological issues and a possible splitting up at graduation.
171	** A lot of Creator/KeyVisualArts visual novels generally don't have an antagonist, as many of their works focus on CharacterDevelopment instead:
172	*** Most routes of ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters''. [[spoiler:Haruka's has her family and Kud's sorta has the islanders at the end, but the conflict in Komari's is all about her brother's tragic death to disease, Mio's presents Midori as the villain but the conflict is actually getting Mio to feel good enough about herself to want to live, and Kurugaya's is about the dream world breaking down]]. More than that, the main plot of the game itself follows this: [[spoiler:while Kyousuke appears to be the villain for a while, he's merely reacting to the real issue, which is the bus crash that almost killed everyone except Riki and Rin, and the weakness of the latter two and their lack of ability to move on or take care of themselves afterwards]].
173	*** ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}''[='s=] main conflict primarily focuses on how characters deal with their own troubled pasts and overcome their own flaws to become better people. More specifically, Tomoya is a cold person thanks to his [[AbusiveParent abusive father]] and Nagisa has low self-confidence due to her illness, but when they both meet each other, Tomoya slowly becomes open towards his own feelings while Nagisa shows more confidence on herself. [[spoiler: Tomoya even learning from his own mistakes and bad choices (such as neglecting his own daughter after Nagisa's death) he made during ''After Story'' route even allows him to push the ResetButtonEnding that allows him to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong]]. The closest Clannad has to an antagonist is a soccer team filled with {{Jerk Jock}}s, and that is mostly meant to set up Youhei's CharacterDevelopment.
174	** Both ''VisualNovel/{{Narcissu}}'' and its prequel ''Narcissu 2nd'' have no antagonist, as their plots are about [[spoiler: sick girls dying whilst [[ContemplateOurNavels musing about God and Christianity, fate, the fleeting nature of life, and the finality of death]]]].
175	* ''VisualNovel/AsterAsks'': The story has some conflict, but it's driven entirely by Aster's awkwardness and insecurity.
176	* ''VisualNovel/DreamDaddy'': In all routes to date every dad, there isn't anyone that seems to be particularly getting in your way. The closest thing to an antagonist is Robert briefly warning you against dating Joseph in the latter's route, which is very brief and hardly a conflict.
177	* The ''VisualNovel/{{Infinity}}'' series in general.
178	** ''VisualNovel/{{Never7}}'' is mostly about the protagonist trying to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong, but all of the deaths he tries to prevent were the results of accidents, and where the main cause of everything is [[spoiler:what was supposed to be a harmless science experiment GoneHorriblyWrong AND [[GoneHorriblyRight Right]] at the same time.]]
179	** ''VisualNovel/{{Ever17}}'' has no real antagonist. There are some bad people alluded to, mainly [[MegaCorp Leiblich Pharmaceutical]], but [[GreaterScopeVillain the cast does not really come into conflict with them]]. The story is directly about trying to escape the park before it is crushed by water pressure and indirectly about figuring out what is actually going on.
180	** Kokoro's route in ''VisualNovel/{{Remember11}}''. Mayuzumi is a jerk and Hotori allegedly has a homicidal split personality, but ultimately any deaths are from natural causes, people freaking out in the bad endings, or caused by [[spoiler:the twins, who, being infants, have no idea what they're doing]]. Satoru's route is a whole different story.
181	* In ''VisualNovel/KindredSpiritsOnTheRoof'', there aren't any antagonistic figures or even romantic rivals; the main struggles for each couple are their personal conflicts and weaknesses. For example, while Miki Aihara's classmates often make her their errand girl, they're less of a problem than the fact that [[ExtremeDoormat Miki can't say no to anyone]]. Similarly, while Miyu's traditional parents force her and Matsuri to [[SecretRelationship keep their relationship secret]], the main problem is that Matsuri has a hard time keeping to the rules they agreed on, while Miyu is unwilling to compromise.
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder:Webcomics]]
185	* ''Webcomic/TheBugPond'': Being a character-driven slice-of-life webcomic, it has no central villain. The closest it ever gets is the occasional predator who's not given any motivation or real personality outside being a temporary menace.
186	* ''Webcomic/{{Dissonance}}'': Two researchers deal with a new life form that challenges what they thought they knew about evolution, and their own {{Angst}}. Even the life form - a catlike creature that can walk on two legs - is friendly and completely non-hostile.
187	* ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge''. Possibly to the frustration of fans, most of the conflict is derived from interpersonal relationships and inner demons. When an actual [[RapeAsDrama antagonist designed purely to be hated]] shows up, however...
188	* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt''. The comic presents many opportunities for villains to cause mayhem, but they either never act out on it or are revealed to be misunderstood good guys. At least, until the coming of WalkingSpoiler [[spoiler:Loup]]...
189	* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' is a RomanticComedy at heart. There are no antagonistic characters present, with the conflicts mainly coming from relationship troubles. Except for [[spoiler: Corpse Witch]] and her treatment of [[spoiler: Bubbles.]]
190	* ''Webcomic/{{Sunstone}}'' has no villain or other antagonist, with the main problems that Ally and Lisa face stemming from their own fears and failings and their inability/unwillingness to [[CannotSpitItOut just spit it out]].
191	* ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' has a complex save-the-world plot without any antagonistic characters. Instead, the conflict comes from the difficulty in figuring out how to save the world, as well as difficulties in carrying the required plans out. Certain people can't be told certain elements of certain plans, but those people are still working towards saving the world. It's all very confusing.
192	[[/folder]]
193
194	[[folder:Web Original]]
195	* ''WebAnimation/AoharuMangaLibrary'': There are several stories where there are no antagonist characters; it's just Keiichi dealing with his own awkward feelings towards the heroine while trying to be as supportive as possible, or they get into a misunderstanding on their own.
196	* ''WebAnimation/MinilifeTV'':
197	** The only characters to cause any sort of conflict in "That's So Gay!" are two rude guys who make homophobic remarks towards Todd, but they have very minor roles and Todd isn't even aware of their actions until Chris and Ian tell him about them.
198	** In "Trouble Ian Paradise", the conflict comes from Ian hiding from Chris that he's [[spoiler:the mayor of Minilife City]] rather than an antagonistic force.
199	** There's no villain in "The Lost Undead" and the conflict instead stems from Snowball struggling to accept [[spoiler:the death of his friend, Rob]].
200	* Unlike other {{Story Arc}}s on the site that have the reviewers fighting bad guys like Mechakara or Dark Nella, most of the drama that WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic deals with comes from his own issues.
201	** While the participants of the [[WebVideo/TGWTGYearOneBrawl First Anniversary Brawl]] are divided into teams (critics vs gamers), none of them are shown as more heroic or villainous than the others. In fact, none of them have much motivation beyond "beat the other guys up as much as possible."
202	* ''Literature/TheGreenWanderer'' is entirely about an orc trying to figure out what to do with his life and seeking redemption after committing several sins in his past. He only runs into three villainous characters during his journey, all of whom only appear for one scene, and none of whom drive the plot forward, have any personal connection with the protagonist, or are even relevant to the overall plot.
203	[[/folder]]

Context Main / NoAntagonist