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Reference.org
False protagonist
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<p>In fiction, a false protagonist is a <a href="/facts/Literary_technique/AIXweqEU">literary technique</a>, often used to make the plot more jarring or more memorable by fooling the audience's preconceptions and constructing a character who they assume is the <a href="/facts/Protagonist/LD8eN0Pr">protagonist</a> but is later revealed not to be. </p><p>A false protagonist is presented at the start of the fictional work as the main character, but then is eradicated, often by killing them, usually for <a href="/facts/Shock_value/CMqRaYTq">shock value</a> or as a <a href="/facts/Plot_twist/zf3UE6Ya">plot twist</a>, or changed in terms of their role in the story, such as by making them a lesser character, a character who leaves the story, or revealing them to actually be the <a href="/facts/Antagonist/AssYgnt1">antagonist</a>. </p>