What Do You Look For in a Main Character?

Well, first off, the character needs to be likable, they don't need to be perfect. But I've read books where halfway, I kinda just stopped rooting for them, and by the end, I didn't care at all.
Second, the character needs to have personality, my strategy to keep them from becoming one dimensional is to take one of two of my own qualities and build on them. For example, one of my protagonists has corny humor and is optimistic, but I give him some of his own qualities, like he's more extroverted then I am, and his flaws are that he doesn't know when it's not a good time to make a joke.I
Third, this goes with all charecters, they have to be unique, I'm not interested in a character who's dull. If this characters in a book, especially if their a protagonist or antagonist, I'll put the book down.
Finally, this is just a prefrance, but I enjoy books more when a protagonist is active and are out there fighting instead of hiding in their castle until the bad guy kicks down the door and says, "your a passive character in this story, main character"

Someone that cares for another person, thing, creature, anything else other than themselves. This is how I really like people that care for wild animals, or will pick a stranger off the street and give them some help, even if they're not a good person to others, or they have a sticky backstory.

I also tend to like characters that learn over time about their actions being bad or opening their eyes to what is really going on. I can relate to people being naive and not seeing the truth until they're smacked right in the face with it, especially in silly romance novels or in a lot more gritty, realistic fiction ones.

I LOVE sweet "cinnamon roll" characters. Anyone know what i'm talking about?

I feel like it makes for a more impactfull story when the main charcter gets hurt really bad (whatever this may look like) by the villen, and the main character is so sweet an trusting. It makes me feel for them more.

For me, it's really important for the main character not to be a Mary Sue type and to not be overly kind or naive. I have no idea if this will make sense but I prefer it when my main characters have some flaws/problematic aspects to their personality, because it makes the story far more interesting for me to read IMO. It's hard to get me to root for a character that has very little dimension to them; in all the stories and books I've read, I've resonated the most with characters that aren't perfect (or close to it, tbh).

So long as he acts logically given the rules of his own psychology and the mechanics of the story's natural world, I'll be very pleased with it. It makes a character even deeper.

I've always been fascinated by saints and martyrs. So, likely as a result of this, I'm a huge sucker for tragic heroes who are deeply flawed but idealistic, virtuous, strong, and would sacrifice themselves to save other people/the world.

I also love when protagonists have zero ambitions and want nothing more than to live a peaceful life and avoid conflict, but are forced by their morals to reluctantly take up the role of the leader because no one else will.

Humble, honest, self-deprecating, compassionate, and emotionally vulnerable heroes are amazing. Also, my favorite characters have a habit of dying, becoming disabled, not getting the girl/guy, and/or not getting their happy endings in some shape or form because they make some kind of sacrifice at the end of the book/movie/show.

Some examples are Fitzchivalry from the Farseer Trilogy, Harry Dresden from the Dresden Files, Kaladin Stormblessed from the Stormlight Archive, Vin from the Mistborn Trilogy, and Edward Elric from the first Fullmetal Alchemist show.

They're all such woobies. Their stories break my heart and I love them so much for it.

I'm someone who can pretty much like any character. But, there are two things that I cannot forgive in characters. One is a lack of agency. As much as I hate to say it, some characters, usually women, provide as much to the story as a lamp. I do not want to read three hundred pages about a protagonist who can't accomplish anything independently. If your character is just along for the ride and depends on others from start to finish, they probably shouldn't be the protagonist. Your protagonist is supposed to be at the head of the plot. They're the ones that are pushing against the conflict. I am not saying that your character can't depend on anyone, but please create a balance.
Secondly, I hate characters whose tragic backstories are used to justify horrible actions. By justify, I mean negate. For example, many Snape kinnies I have come across act as though he is a perfect saint. He's not a bad person for bullying Harry, Hermoine, and Neville because he was bullied. Listen, I was also bullied and driven to the darkest place of my life after losing my older sister, and I have yet to bully any small children. If you go through a traumatic experience, seek therapy. Do not use trauma as a way to make someone good again because those who are traumatized are not doomed to become monsters. I fought hard to be who I was today, despite years of intense trauma from multiple people in my life, and I do not need you to act like I'm some ticking-time bomb. I'm terrified of becoming like the abusers in my life, and it's insulting to see this kind of stuff. Trauma is not an excuse. It is not a valid reason to hurt others. Please stop saying it is. Trauma is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Yes, your villains can be traumatized. Traumatized people aren't perfect; don't use it as a way to make them redeemable. Someone should only be redeemable if they are willing to repent. Not because of their backstory.

I don't usually look for something specific in characters as I try to visualise them as real persons whom I might or might not get along with in real life. However, if I had to pick out any qualities, I'd say I like characters who are genuine, who are stubborn but not obstinate, proud but not conceited.

I like ordinary characters who do not have any direction or purpose. I resonate with them more than extraordinary characters destined to do something great or clueless heroes who stumble upon miraculous power and save the day at the last minute. All of it feels very cliched and out of character to me. I prefer it when characters grow and develop but remain true to themselves in their heart. I love seeing the change and the growth through the little moments in the journey. It makes it more believable than when it is shoved in your face.

And I absolutely hate when the writer dumps the troublesome past of the character to make the readers sympathize with them. It feels forced and I cannot connect with them at all.

I guess when it comes down to it, it doesn't really matter. Give me an arrogant overachiever or a lonely nobody with a mountain of failures - I would love them all as long as they know what they deserve and do not settle for anything less. I love characters who have a fight in them and can stand up for themselves.

Aside from that, I have a special place for morally grey characters. Tragic heroes are fine and all, but there is something about the conflict and struggle (if done right) in morally grey or flawed characters that makes the entire experience so much more intense and genuine for me.

I generally try to be open to any kind of main character so long as their function makes sense within the story. For instance, I wouldn't be into a main character who is very brusque and gets their way anyway in a story that is otherwise unironically about how gentleness is good - too contradictory for me.

I do have my preferences, though!

- I have a fondness for well-written child characters being the main POV. I think there's a lot of room for curiosity and wonder and a different perspective on life when you have a child character, and I also tend to forgive the faults of child characters far more easily than I do for adults xD Some examples: Denver from 'Beloved', Coraline from 'Coraline', Alice from 'Alice in Wonderland', and also Riley Bloom from 'The Riley Bloom Series' (that was the one YA thing I really enjoyed when I was in its age demographic!)

- While most character motivations can be made interesting, I particularly like motivations that are in part philosophical (as in based on a character's beliefs and way of life) aside from being emotional/ personal. Any character's motivation can be interpreted both ways, but I like it when the story highlights this 'clash of values' aspect of conflicts between characters. Some examples: from anime, Chisato's (Lycoris Recoil) beliefs about the value of life and the unchangeability of the world at large come into play in her clashes with others; from books, Stevens' (The Remains of the Day) clinging to embodying 'dignity' makes him interesting and relatable to me.

Well, when I'm searching for a great main character, I want someone who's strong but flawed. I'm looking for someone genuine, someone I can root for. Somebody with a good sense of humor also helps. But above all else, a main character I can relate to is what's most important to me.

It all, depends... normally my charachters who are slightly weird, funny, and usually screw something up. I hate how in some books the protagonist is like, perfect, because then they become unlikeable, and you want them to mess up.

When I read a book, I want the main character to care about others that care about them (not entirely heartless) and yet have a certain strangeness to them, a creepiness if you will. Not in an evil way, just in a unique way. Like they're only evil to those who truly deserve it. That makes a story really interesting. (A good example of this is the Shadow House books. It's about these five kids that get trapped in a haunted mansion and have to get out. They've all got a dark past, but they aren't evil. The ghost kids are their "antagonists" but they're not really evil either. They're just trying to survive.)

All in all, I just want kind people who will do anything for their loved ones. It never hurts to just do the right thing.