Best Developed Lead Characters in a Drama

Main protagonist(s) typically undergo a very unique experience or go through multiple phases in their lives to show a real development to their character.

This is a twin list to Most Well-Written Characters in a Drama here. Please point/click your cursor on the word 'here'. 

Tae Ho Dec 20, 2019
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58 Voters Report
  • It's Okay, That's Love

    1. It's Okay, That's Love

    Korean Drama - 2014, 16 episodes
    8.6
    1,193 points by 12 voters
    Despite being a bit of a prickly pear, Jang Jae Yeol has become famous for authoring mystery novels and for hosting a popular radio show. While sitting on a talk show panel ...more
  • Just Between Lovers

    2. Just Between Lovers

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    8.5
    988 points by 10 voters
    A major accident takes the lives of 48 people. The lives of the survivors, those who lost loved ones and those connected to the parties blamed for the tragic event are also ...more
  • My Mister

    3. My Mister

    Korean Drama - 2018, 16 episodes
    9.0
    888 points by 9 voters
    Park Dong Hoon is a middle-aged engineer who is married to attorney Kang Yoon Hee. However, his life is not that happy as he has two unemployed brothers, Sang Hoon and Gi ...more
  • Prison Playbook

    4. Prison Playbook

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    9.0
    684 points by 7 voters
    Kim Je Hyuk, a famous baseball player, is arrested after using excessive force while chasing a man trying to sexually assault his sister. Shockingly to him and the rest of the nation, ...more
  • Age of Youth

    5. Age of Youth

    Korean Drama - 2016, 12 episodes
    8.5
    498 points by 5 voters
    Five girls in their twenties come to live together in a house called "Belle Epoque," which means "a beautiful time" in French. Each girl has a particular personality, background, and issues. In ...more
  • Good Doctor

    6. Good Doctor

    Korean Drama - 2013, 20 episodes
    8.3
    494 points by 5 voters
    Although Park Shi On is an autistic savant who lacked mental maturity and empathy, he graduated from medical school with distinction. His medical skills are exceptional, but he struggles to deal with ...more
  • Age of Youth Season 2

    7. Age of Youth Season 2

    Korean Drama - 2017, 14 episodes
    8.3
    398 points by 4 voters
    Five girls in their 20s share a house called Belle Époque. A year has passed since “Hello, My Twenties 1.” Each of them got a job, went back to school, is still ...more
  • Dr. Romantic

    8. Dr. Romantic

    Korean Drama - 2016, 20 episodes
    8.7
    394 points by 4 voters
    Kim Sa Bu was once a famous surgeon at the peak of his career at a major hospital. But he suddenly gives it all up one day to live in seclusion and ...more
  • The Untamed

    9. The Untamed

    Chinese Drama - 2019, 50 episodes
    9.0
    300 points by 3 voters
    Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji, two talented disciples of respected clans, meet during cultivation training and accidentally discover a secret carefully hidden for many years. Taking on the legacy of ...more
  • Healer

    10. Healer

    Korean Drama - 2014, 20 episodes
    8.8
    300 points by 3 voters
    Seo Jung Hoo is a special kind of night courier, known only as "Healer" by his clients. For the right price and with the help of a genius hacker, he gets his ...more
  • Fight for My Way

    11. Fight for My Way

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    8.5
    297 points by 3 voters
    Can you still go after your dreams without the right background? Ko Dong Man has always dreamed of becoming famous as a taekwondo athlete but now works as a contract employee in ...more
  • Cruel City

    12. Cruel City

    Korean Drama - 2013, 20 episodes
    8.5
    297 points by 3 voters
    It portrays the cruel life of the drug cartels and the story of revenge for a loved one. Jung Shi Hyun is a newly appointed under-boss of the drug cartel. He lives ...more
  • Reply 1988

    13. Reply 1988

    Korean Drama - 2015, 20 episodes
    9.1
    295 points by 3 voters
    Five childhood friends, who all live in the same Ssangmundong neighborhood of Seoul, lean on each other to survive their challenging teen years and set a path for their futures. Sung Deok ...more
  • Long Vacation

    14. Long Vacation

    Japanese Drama - 1996, 11 episodes
    8.2
    293 points by 3 voters
    Sena is a college music graduate who dreams of becoming a professional musician and a world-class pianist. Unfortunately, he has not been able to find any breakthrough opportunities and has to settle ...more
  • Kill Me, Heal Me

    15. Kill Me, Heal Me

    Korean Drama - 2015, 20 episodes
    8.7
    200 points by 2 voters
    A traumatic childhood experience leaves Cha Do Hyeon, suffering from memory loss and dissociation. The latter has resulted in the creation of seven distinct personalities. Wanting to regain control over his life, ...more
  • The Story of Ming Lan

    16. The Story of Ming Lan

    Chinese Drama - 2018, 78 episodes
    8.8
    199 points by 2 voters
    Set in the Northern Song dynasty, the story follows Sheng Ming Lan, an unfavored concubine-born 6th daughter of an official. After losing her mother at a young age, Ming Lan is raised ...more
  • 1 Litre no Namida

    17. 1 Litre no Namida

    Japanese Drama - 2005, 11 episodes
    9.0
    199 points by 2 voters
    15-year-old Ikeuchi Aya is an ordinary girl, the daughter of a family who works at a tofu shop, and a soon-to-be high schooler. However, odd things have been happening to Aya lately. ...more
  • Another Miss Oh

    18. Another Miss Oh

    Korean Drama - 2016, 18 episodes
    8.2
    196 points by 2 voters
    Two women, both named Oh Hae Young, find themselves constantly mixed up in each other’s lives because of their shared name. From confusion over boys and grades in high school to ending ...more
  • SKY Castle

    19. SKY Castle

    Korean Drama - 2018, 20 episodes
    8.8
    195 points by 2 voters
    Han Seo Jin, Noh Seung Hye, Jin Jin Hee, and Lee Myung Joo all live with their families in SKY Castle, a luxury private neighborhood hosting wealthy doctors and professors. All of ...more
  • Six Flying Dragons

    20. Six Flying Dragons

    Korean Drama - 2015, 50 episodes
    8.7
    191 points by 2 voters
    A fictional, historical drama about the ambition, rise and fall of real and fictional characters based around Yi Bang Won. Yi Bang Won was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in ...more
  • Mars

    21. Mars

    Taiwanese Drama - 2004, 13 episodes
    8.2
    100 points by 1 voters
    Han Qi Luo, an extremely shy art student went to the same college as Chen Ling, a popular play boy. By chance one day they met at a park when Chen Ling ...more
  • Secret of Three Kingdoms

    22. Secret of Three Kingdoms

    Chinese Drama - 2018, 54 episodes
    8.2
    100 points by 1 voters
    The last hope of the crumbling Han Dynasty bears an unspeakable secret with the power to destroy the imperial rule it seeks to save during the turbulent Three Kingdoms era, tied to ...more
  • Soredemo, Ikite Yuku

    23. Soredemo, Ikite Yuku

    Japanese Drama - 2011, 11 episodes
    8.5
    100 points by 1 voters
    Fukami Hiroki's younger sister was killed by a friend. Hiroki then meets the killer's sister, Toyama Futaba, 15 years after the incident. Both of their families have been burdened with grief, but ...more
  • Scarlet Heart

    24. Scarlet Heart

    Chinese Drama - 2011, 35 episodes
    8.4
    100 points by 1 voters
    A car accident sends Zhang Xiao back in time into the body of one of her previous reincarnations, a 16-year-old aristocratic Manchu girl, Maertai Ruoxi, who lived during the Qing Dynasty. Despite ...more
  • The Bund

    25. The Bund

    Hong Kong Drama - 1980, 25 episodes
    8.0
    97 points by 1 voters
    Set in the 1920s Republican era in China, the story tells how triad members Hui Man Keung and Ting Lik struggle to survive in Shanghai (then an international settlement), and their rise ...more
  • Tomorrow with You

    26. Tomorrow with You

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    8.0
    94 points by 1 voters
    Yoo So Joon is the successful CEO of a real estate company who has the ability to time travel when he takes the subway. Going back and forth in time, he sees ...more
  • Stranger

    27. Stranger

    Korean Drama - 2017, 16 episodes
    8.8
    93 points by 1 voters
    Hwang Shi Mok underwent brain surgery as a child to curb his violent temper, which left him devoid of emotions. Hwang becomes a prosecutor known for his piercing intelligence and logic, but ...more
  • Girls' Generation 1979

    28. Girls' Generation 1979

    Korean Drama - 2017, 8 episodes
    8.1
    93 points by 1 voters
    Lee Jung Hee is the second daughter of a family that owns a lingerie factory. She leads a group of teenage girls with whom they have chaotic adventures together. She meets Bae ...more
  • WATCHER

    29. WATCHER

    Korean Drama - 2019, 16 episodes
    8.2
    92 points by 1 voters
    An inspector who decided to live as a watchdog for the rest of his life after being betrayed by a trusted senior. A young police officer who lives suspecting that his father, ...more

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