The Hero

Not to be confused with the Protagonist, the more general main character of the story.

The good boy of the story. The one who's out to get the bad boy and defeat him once and for all or something like that. They are likely a weakling born in a poor country, city, town, village, or other settlement with little to nothing special about them (unless they are the Chosen One). One day, the Call To Action beckons them to step forward and they're off on their adventure that will eventually end with them meeting up with the Villain.

The difference between a regular Hero and a Chosen One in the case of the Hero being the "only hope" for someplace (like a kingdom or the entire world) is if they weren't selected to be a savior by a legend (meaning an Old Story or foretelling) or other destiny-related entity outside of their control, then they are a Hero. If else, they are a Downplayed Chosen One provided that they also don't possess any special abilities before the Call To Action, thus making them a Basic Chosen One.

Before the Hero sets out on their journey, they must start somewhere, and that somewhere is usually their home. They may live with an Evil Family who harasses them to the point of them wanting to Nope Out Of The Home. Of course, with any Evil Family, they will pester the soon-to-be Hero to no end, from sunup to sundown, and for no apparent reason. After the Hero Nopes Out Of The Home, they may unintentionally begin their adventure by meeting someone or something that whisks them off on what they will soon find to be their adventure.

Since the Hero isn't God, they're teamed up with their ally, the Mentor (maybe), the Guide, the Antihero, the Villain (if the Villain part two or something worse shows up and gives them no choice but to collaborate with their enemy), their client, and the Temp Aid.

If the Hero needs to be sent out on an adventure, dangers are bound to show up. That's why they have powers to help them beat said dangers. But these powers can't be stronger than the Villain's or else that's being OP. Although the Hero's own abilities cannot be any stronger than their foe's (or foes'), their allies' can be. Such allies are the Hero's Ally (rarely), Mentor, and Temp Aid. In the fantasy genre, these abilities are commonly called spells. They can be found in tomes, wands, little trinkets, and other magical things.

The Hero may either start out with or obtain early on their journey an "I'm The Hero" Sign, such as a Power Medallion, Heart Of Purity, or Superb Emblem, that they (must) have with them at all times. If they're the Chosen One, they often have this "I'm The Hero" Sign implemented on their body in the form of a symbol, gem, or piece of metal.

So we can tell who our main protagonist is, the Hero will likely have some Unique Trait that sets them apart from everyone else, let it be that it impacts them positively, negatively, or hardly if at all. An example of this Unique Trait is somebody who is "flawed", meaning that they function differently from every other individual in the society. This so-called flaw is granted to give them a harder time in life, but as the Call To Action sounds the alarm, the Hero may have to put their Unique Trait to work and use it to Save The Day. At first, the Trait will be very unwieldy, but over time, the Hero harnesses its true power to see the good in it and use it to their advantage. The Trait may also be transformed into the Unique Ability after the Hero has truly mastered it and Saves The Day. At this point, those who originally shamed the Hero praise them for their Unique Trait and apologize for treating them wrongly before. A Hero who has a Unique Trait that must be reformed into a Unique Ability to be totally positive is not to be confused with a Chosen One who has a Unique Ability that is obviously positive from the moment the audience is introduced to it. Although others may demonize the Chosen One for owning their Unique Ability, it could be that they're just wrong and are only seeing the downsides of the Ability.

Like the Main, the Hero is rarely ever also the Fan Favorite. That honor mainly belongs to someone they're related to, like the Hero's Ally or even maybe the Villain who gets all the love from the audience.

The Hero's Mirrors
Nutshell: The main protagonist of the story and the one who we are expected to cheer for.

Enhanced: The main protagonist who almost never messes up on their adventures. Shift: The Ace.

Cruel: The main protagonist who has darker qualities that typical Heroes do not have, making them considerably closer to being evil. Shift: The Antihero.

Inverse: The Villain.

Atypical: Almost anything to describe a typical Hero but reversed (i.e they start off rich or are immediately better than everyone else). Because the Hero is already advantaged, they must be knocked down a few levels to make things interesting. For example, their city is destroyed, their parents are killed, they're warped off to another realm, making riches inaccessible, or The Villain Ruins Everything by causing any of the aforementioned troubles.

Up: After the Hero has won the Big Fight with the Villain or completed some other amazing feat, the Innocents recognize their greatness and hail them as a Super Hero.

Down: If the Hero is hurt greatly on their journey or gets in a Career-Ending Fight, they quit being the Hero and become the Quitter. Shift: Downer Retirement

Back: As they're young, the Hero is being taught by the Mentor before truly becoming the Hero. Shift: The Pupil.

Forth: The Hero who came to be what they are now from a previous Hero. They may receive the earlier Hero's gear with which they used to travel. Shift: New Generation.

Wrong: The main protagonist who barely gets their job done because of many reasons. Shift: The "Hero", Useless Hero, The Hero Can't Hero.