With Protagonist《主角》launching in just two days, it was time to look at the seven main female characters and highlight the actresses behind them. Below is their info, including links to social media accounts and previous works to view while waiting for the game’s launch.
Xia Meng (夏梦) – played by Lu Zixuan (鲁紫萱)
(The Dangerous Muse): A producer at the top of the pyramid. Is what she offers a shortcut—or the abyss?
Lu Zixuan is a prolific short vertical drama actress. Her credits include several hilariously long titles: You’re the Son of God, but Your Dad is a Saint《你是圣子，但你爹是圣人》and Young Master Ye, the Lady is Once Again Using Her Beauty to Commit Acts of Violence《叶少，夫人她又在恃美行凶》 Watch them below.
Gu Ying (顾樱) – played by Feng Ruohang (冯若航)
(The Fading Ember of Idealism): Your director. Will you be her redemption in despair—or become part of the reality that crushes her?
Feng Ruohang has been in just one FMV romance game to date, but it was a big one. She played Lan Yunrou in God bless or Goddess aka Ladies Don’t Tempt My Immortality aka KOKL 2. See a shot of her in that game below and an animated clip of one of the funniest scenes from the game that is even better with sound.
Tang Zhi (唐芷) – played by Shao Bao’er (邵宝儿)
(The Lost Star): A former child star who once shone bright. Her insecurity is an opening—her lingering innocence may become the sharpest test of your conscience.
Shao Bao’er has about three different versions of her name, which made her a nightmare to track. She seems to be a photo model but has been the leading female in a few costume dramas like The Eldest Princess Wants a Divorce《長公主要休夫》and Spring Grievances《春闺怨》See them below, although the first has no English subtitles.
Zhou Ruonan (周若楠) – played by Zhang Kaiyue (章凯玥)
(The Barbed Rose): Your classmate. Is her bullying pure malice—or does it serve another purpose?
Zhang Kaiyue is the most experienced of the cast when it comes to FMV games. She has been in several big romance titles: My Journey, Director Simulator, and Vanity Fair: The Pursuit. She was also the main character in Lost in the Secret. She even filmed some extra content for My Journey but it remains unreleased.
Cheng Jin (程今) – played by Zhang Yao (张垚)
(The Guiding Senior): Your undercover partner. Can you pass her tests and earn her trust?
Zhang Yao is almost a veteran actress. Born in 1997, she was in Legend of Longfeng Store《龙凤店传奇》aka [Beauties of the King] back in 2017 and has since played many side characters in dramas like In the Name《以她之名》aka [Return of the Queen] Watch them below, although the first has no English subtitles.
Yan Zhi (严知) – played by Zulimire Mira (祖丽米热Mira)
(The Caged Gardener): Your mentor. Is she the ladder that helps you reach the top—or the nail that pins you to the rules?
Zulimire Mira is actually an identical twin. Her twin sister Fira is more popular on Douyin though, which can’t be good for the ego. Mira did get 3rd place in a modeling competition in 2021. Hopefully her sister didn’t rank higher. Mira has also dabbled in acting. See her below in Manhunt《追凶》and also in a clip with her twin. Which one is Mira?
Lin Ranran (林苒苒) – played by Zhang Yuwen / Candy (张煜雯)
(The Pure Camellia): A microcosm of struggle within the system. Will you become her light—or push her deeper into darkness?
Zhang Yuwen might be the youngest cast member. Most of her credits are from when she was a child, like in No. 81, Beijing《京城81号》from 2014 when she was around 8yo. She did become an adult later in life, as many of us do, and played a victim in the movie Trending Topic《熱搜》See her as a kid in the first video @ 4:39
Protagonist still does not list English support so it is unlikely to include it at launch unless we have a My Journey situation when the developers add it but forget to update the store. The store page itself has been translated completely though, including image headers, which is unusual.
Although the store translation was probably made with the help of AI, it could indicate an intent to bring English to the game later. That might depend on sales though, and unfortunately it seems that the game that has failed to capture much interest in China.
Protagonist is set to release at 08:00:00 UTC on the 15th of July.
