HiSET Reading Practice Test 2026 – Comprehensive Exam Prep

The important idea here is how characters function in a story. A character who interacts with the main character but isn’t the central focus is called a supporting character. These characters help move the plot forward, reveal more about the main character, and create relationships and tension, but the story’s primary attention stays on the protagonist or the main character.

Think of a best friend, a mentor, or a sidekick—someone who matters to what happens to the main character, yet the story isn’t told from their point of view nor is their life the main subject. In contrast, the main character is the one whose experiences the reader follows most closely. An antagonist is the character who creates conflict for the main character, often opposing them, and a narrator is the voice telling the story, which can be a character within the tale or an outside observer.

So the term that best fits the description is the supporting character.