Protagonist (Doki Doki Literature Club)

The Protagonist is the main protagonist of the 2017 horror visual novel Doki Doki Literature Club!. He is one of the five members of the Literature Club, and the only playable character in the game. He uses whatever name the player gives him, but he is a separate entity from the player themselves.
==Personality==
The Protagonist does not have any distinct personality in general and the game is purposefully subtle on his character, something that’s common with many harem/dating sim protagonists so the player can easily place themselves in their shoes. The game's creator, Dan Salvato, goes as far as to say that he doesn't consider him an in-game character, but rather "a blank slate that says whatever is convenient". This suggests that he only serves as a stand-in who provides dialogue for the player and allows them to interact with the literature club members.
The Protagonist is portrayed as a typically friendly and thoughtful young man, he often chides Sayori for her clumsy behavior but cares for her nonetheless. He agreed to consider and later visit the literature club for her sake, mainly because Sayori told the others that she would be bringing a new person. He is relatively shy, such as when he realized that he nearly had an upskirt view of Natsuki while helping her get her manga, and he frequently stumbles around Monika, a popular girl whom he shared classes with at one time but never got to know personally. Regardless, it is implied that he does harbor romantic interest for the girls, as he internally noted that making friends with them wouldn't be such a bad thing, but questions whether it had to stop there. Who he chooses to take interest in and bond with is entirely up to the player.
The Protagonist is also seen as a general average student whose content with watching anime and reading manga outside of his studies. This extends to the point where Sayori worries that he will become a NEET with no other interests or hobbies by the time they reach college. He is not a major fan of literature, and is seen as a beginner by Yuri when it comes to writing poems. His sole interest in reading is manga and not much else.
Despite this, the Protagonist holds an open-minded and unprejudiced viewpoint, willing to bond with Natsuki over reading her manga, and bond with Yuri over reading her books, taking time to analyse over both of them and seek out some common interest. He also wasn't unsettled by seeing that Yuri had a collection of knives. Based on some of these interactions, he isn't a person who judges people based on their interests alone.
The Protagonist is also considerate of others, willing to give them time and distance should they need it and doesn't push things. Upon learning of Sayori's depression, he does his best to reassure that he's there for her and that she isn't being a burden on him. The support he can give is limited however given that he knows nothing about how Sayori's depression is, despite knowing her for the longest. The Protagonist has been Sayori's childhood friend ever since they were young. It was thanks to her that he joined the Literature Club.
==Gallery==
Protaganist.png|The protagonist with Sayori.
==External Links ==
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