7 Side Characters That Steal The Spotlight

Main characters are focused on so much that I wanted to do a character appreciation for some of my favorite side characters. Those characters that are not on the page as much, but when they are they steal the focus and make the reader wish that they were the main character of the story.

Disclaimer: These are some of my personal favorites and even then they will not include all of my favorites. I will most likely forget some or not include some that others would call a side character because I would consider them a main character. So without further ado, lets get into it!

Winry Rockbell – Full Metal Alchemist (Manga and Anime) by Hiromu Arakawa

Winry is an absolute gem and an indispensable part of the FullMetal Alchemist team. Winry’s character is so versatile. She deftly fixes Ed’s metal arm one minute, knocks his head around a bit for being careless with it, and then continues to be an incredible friend who is so supportive and encouraging to the Aelric brotheres when they need it most. Winry is an amazing character who has earned her spot on this list.

Sevro Au Barca – Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown

I don’t know how much more I can say about Sevro than I already have. Despite being somewhat of a side character (you could probably make a good case for him being a main character), he has become one of my top favorite characters of all time. He is hilarious, irreverant, and just a little crazy. He is also sensitive, kind, and caring. He is a complex character that I think more than anyone deserves to be on this list. It doesn’t hurt that he is an absolute beast when it comes to war either!

Karrin Murphy – The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

I have only read the first 4 Dresden Files books. However, having only read those 4 I can already place Karrin Murphy on this list. She is fierce, bold, and courageous. She doesn’t take crap from anyone, especially Harry Dresden. She also has an emotional depth that is a huge boon to her character and is just an all around BA cop who deals with supernatural issues like the boss that she is.

Storm – The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne

Oh yes I am including an animal companions on here! Unfortunately there is no fanart for Storm so I just put a picture of a white wolf for her as she is a white Wolven, basically a really really large wolf. Storm is the goodest girl! However, if I stopped there I would be doing her an injustice. Every time Storm was on the page I didn’t really care about anything else. I’ve never feared for an animal companion’s safety as much as I did for Storm. She is utterly loyal, smart, and brutal when the situation calls for it. She is my favorite animal companion of all time and it would be a crime to exclude her from this list.

Elodin – The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss

Elodin is another side character that really steals the spotlight when he is on the page. An eccentric (understatement of the year) master at the university that Kvothe attends, Elodin is always doing things that seemingly make no sense, but then are later to be revealed as things that were done for a mysterious purpose. However, Elodin is also hilarious in that some of the crazy things he does are just that and you as the reader have to sift through the clues to find out which is which. Elodin is generally cheerful, but certain things will bring out an emotional depth in him. We only get small glimpses of that, but the brevity of those moments make them all the more powerful and Elodin even more compelling.

Captain Levi Ackerman – Attack on Titan (Manga and Anime) by Hajime Isayama

Captain Levi is best known for being the one man army that he is. He is a freaking BEAST. His skills with the ODM gear that let the scouts fight the Titans effectively are undeniable. He is an absolute thrill to watch in battle. However, this ofttimes stoic character has a deeply emotional side that only comes out here and there. These small moments of intense emotion have convinced me that out of all the characters in Attack on Titan, Levi cares about his comrades the most. Levi definitely fits the bill of stealing the spotlight every time he is on the page/screen.

M-Bot – Skyward Quartet by Brandon Sanderson

It still amazes me that I could get so attached to a sentient alien warship but here we are. M-bot has an unhealthy fixation on mushrooms, a sarcastic wit, and an emotional depth that you would never expect to come from an AI. M-Bot is a crucial character in the Skyward series, indespensable to Spensa, and a wonderfully hilarious and complex character in its own right. I love M-Bot!

There you have it. A list of 7 side characters that completely steal the show when they pop up on the page/screen. What are some of your favorite side characters? Are there any characters from the series I mentioned above that you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments!