The main character is the most important person in any anime. They drive the story and often act as a vessel for the audience to learn about the world. Although there are a lot of tropes surrounding anime protagonists, especially ones from Shonen, most main characters are incredibly unique and relatable.

RELATED: 10 Best Fictional Anime Religions

However, not all protagonists are likable. While some series like Death Note have unlikeable protagonists on purpose, other series' protagonists are meant to be relatable to audiences but massively fail in doing so. Poorly written protagonists don't always ruin a series, but that's only because they are surrounded by far more interesting characters.

10 Shinji Is Too Real (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Shinji Receives His Congratulations In Neon Genesis Evangelion

Shinji is actually an incredibly well-written character but unfortunately for him, that's exactly why people hate him. He doesn't fall into the same category as other male protagonists, and for audiences who go to anime to escape the real world, they don't really appreciate when an anime character has real-world problems. To many, he is an annoying coward and because of that he nearly ruined his series.

9 Kirito Is A Blank Slate (Sword Art Online)

kirito smiling sword art online

While audiences are meant to see themselves in their favorite anime characters, no one likes it when a character lacks personality. Kirito is good at everything without trying and he's often surrounded by beautiful women even though he lacks any personality. There were opportunities for him to grow as a character, but the creator usually ignored them or dropped them after a few episodes. For fans who want their characters to grow as people, Kirito is incredibly frustrating.

8 Makoto Has The Personality Of A Rock (School Days)

Makoto Itou smiling From School Days

While it can be interesting when protagonists are bad people, it's not so great when a character is a bad person but still has zero personality. To many, Makoto is a self-absorbed jerk who only seems to care about getting with every girl in a ten-mile radius.

RELATED: 10 Worst Things About Nezuko Kamado

The show isn't exactly touchy-feely and it's pretty likely that his character is meant to be hated, but even terrible people need to have some redeeming qualities. Without any positive personality traits, the whole story just doesn't make any sense. In the real world, most women run away from men who treat them poorly, but School Days would have you believe they're ok with being mistreated.

7 Yukiteru Always Picks The Wrong Path (Future Diary)

Yukitero Amano in Future Diary.

Like Shinji, Yukiteru is a character with a very realistic story arc. He isn't a hero, he's just a kid that's given way too much responsibility. However, having a relatable character like him can be frustrating when they don't make smart decisions. The show is less likable as a whole because Yukiteru often ignores the most rational choices when they are presented to him. It's not necessarily a bad thing when a character doesn't have any heroic traits, but their decisions still need to make sense.

6 Meliodas Assaults Women (Seven Deadly Sins)

laid back Meliodas - the seven deadly sins

Anime fans have become incredibly tired of the pervert trope, and when it's the main character, fans tend to like the series even less. It's hard to root for a character when they're constantly groping the women around them. The worst part is he's never punished for it. While his tendency to sexually assault women hasn't ruined the story for many fans, others found his antics completely unbearable and dropped the series because of it.

5 It Shouldn't Always Be About Naruto (Naruto)

naruto pointing with chopsticks

As one of the most beloved characters in anime, it's hard to believe Naruto almost ruined his own series. His personality can be grating, but to some he is genuinely a well-developed character. However, towards the end of Shippuden Naruto felt less like an underdog who had to work hard to be strong, and more like a god.

RELATED: 10 Things Dragon Ball Can Do With Bardock In A Flashback Arc

Suddenly he was good at everything and the only one capable of winning the war. For fans who loved seeing the other characters contribute to the story, it was incredibly frustrating for them to take a backseat to Naruto. He may be the titular character, but the story wasn't always just about him.

4 Shirayuki's Hair Is The Only Thing Special About Her (Snow White With The Red Hair)

Surprised Shirayuki

Snow White with the Red Hair is beloved by many fans, but compared to other anime of the same genre, the series is definitely missing something – mainly because of the main character. Shirayuki is very generic in her characterization and she doesn't see much development throughout the series. If the only thing about her that makes her unique is her hair color, then fans don't have much reason to watch.

3 Tatsumi Is Forgettable (Akame ga Kill!)

Tatsumi As A Member Of Night Raid

Tatsumi is another example of a boring insert character. Although the anime leaves out many of his achievements from the manga, they don't really make that much of a difference to his character. For the most part, he is unintelligent and useless which takes away from the story. While he isn't the worst protagonist in the world, the fact that he is so forgettable makes it hard to enjoy the series.

2 Natsu Is A Generic Shonen Archetype (Fairy Tail)

Natsu versus Jellal

Fans often argue whether it's Natsu or Lucy that's meant to be the main character. While they both have main character energy, Natsu definitely plays a more prominent role in the story. The downside to that is he doesn't have that much character development. Not to mention, his character falls into a lot of Shonen stereotypes that most fans have grown tired of. While his character can be fun, he is also incredibly generic and boring. The fact that he's surrounded by so many good characters is probably why fans stuck with the series.

1 Ichika Is Incredibly Plain (Infinite Stratos)

Ichika from Infinite Stratos

A common problem with harem anime is that the main character is usually incredibly plain. Ichika is no different as he seems to attract girls without doing anything to warrant obtaining so much attention. It also doesn't help that all the girls have extreme personalities, so his plainness tends to stand out. Infinite Stratos is fun, especially for those who enjoy mecha anime, but getting used to such a boring protagonist is definitely a big ask.

NEXT: 10 Anime Relationship That Ended In Heartbreak