Future Diary (Mirai Nikki) has a rather weak protagonist, Yukiteru “Yukki” Amano, which made a lot of people dislike him and the whole series along with him. But is Yukki that bad?
Future Diary spoilers ahead!
Summary
- Yukki has a timid personality at the beginning of the series. Yuno completely outshines him.
- His transformation into a vicious player in the game to become a God also doesn't seem right; it could have been done better.
- Yukki acts appropriately for a middle schooler in that first part of the anime given that he is suddenly thrust into a deadly battle royale style game.
- Yukki might look pale next to Yuno, but few would argue that Yuno is a faithful representation of a middle school girl.
What Makes Yukki Unlikable
To be clear, whether Yukki is a bad protagonist is a complex question that might not even have a correct answer. But if you ask fans what they didn’t like about Yukki, the answer will generally concern his personality. Yukki, quite appropriately for a middle schooler, is very shy. While he is also kind and does his best to stop Yuno from killing people, he doesn’t get involved in a lot of action. He tends to cry when he is in danger, and in general, he is not exactly someone you would expect to be a main character anywhere. Fans did not like him for that.
Yukki does change over the course of the anime, but the change has been called rough and jarring. He turns into a vicious and cunning man very quickly, which might be realistic considering what he had lived through. Besides, his intentions of becoming a god remain kind and caring. But the turn itself could have been smoother, which is why, even for the people who keep watching Future Diary until then, Yukki does not suddenly become more likable. He is just suddenly unlikable in other ways.
Yukki and Yuno
Yuno, with her yandere personality, completely outshines Yukki. She is smart, cunning and vicious, and she gets things done. Fans love her. But we must remember that out of those two, Yuno is the one with unlikely qualities for a middle schooler. Crying, being afraid for one’s life, not being able to fight is normal for someone who is barely out of childhood, which means that Yukki is not unrealistic. It is just that viewers would rather have a different protagonist.
Yukki is not a bad protagonist, despite not being liked, and he is much closer to reality than the fan-favorite Yuno. It does not mean that you are wrong to hate Yukki; it just means that the posts in defense of Yukki have a point as well.