The Main

The franchise mains them because even though they lack any special abilities, they can still hold their ground against a high tier.

The one the story focuses on more than anyone else in it. They might be the person the franchise is named after because of how main they are. They're the head of the Main Cast, as they are of the franchise as a whole (only if they can double as the Mascot), and are usually seen as a little more "important" than everyone else, meaning the other characters in the Main Cast don't have as much screen time or background as The Main.

The Main is, as made obvious by their title, the main character, so we see life through their eyes the most. We see them through their day-to-day life, at school or work, and out in the community interacting with the Secondaries. But even though the Main is likely the most important character of the franchise, they barely win. Their rivals and friends usually get the good things in life, like money and reputation, while the Main gets lost far behind everyone else.

The gist of the franchise the Main is in can be what their life is like, including where they live, who they're living there with, what they want out of life, and what every day of their life is like. The Main is rarely ever depicted being above many people in wealth and power, being an everyman character the audience could easily relate to, even if the Main has a job they likely don't themselves such as the head of a company that just barely gets by or the principal of a high school.

The age of the Main can vary greatly, from young child to old person. If they're a kid, the franchise will most likely be about their life at school and their friends (or lack thereof). They don't get the best grades in the class, but they're doing better than the Failure Student for sure. The Main will usually be bullied by, who else, the Bully and will try their best to not fight back, but if they do, they're in for a Karma for Retaliation plot.

The Main is not as morally adjusted as those around them. They might act cruel to villainous degrees to some characters, some not even the Bullies would try to reach. The Main may be a Hater Of Good, meaning they'll be hostile towards the Saintundefined to no end. Since the Main can't be as good as the Hero, their adventurous counterpart, sometimes, that's why the Better Friend exists: to steer them in the right direction and to neutralize whatever evil-like deeds they want to put to action in order to to harm others.

The Main is rarely ever rich and might even have some times when they're financially struggling. If the Main is the owner of a business, they may get few customers or not as many customers in comparison to other local businesses they compete with. It's common for business-maintaining Mains to have a rival who bests them almost all the time in the business world.