Has Barney Nearly Become the Main Character?

"Dad, when are you going to tell us about our mother?" "Oh... you see... I couldn't ignore those legendary Barney stories now, could I?"

A few days ago, when I was lying in bed waiting for my brain to give me a break and let me fall asleep, I thought about what some fans have considered: that How I Met Your Mother is now really about Barney and his story. The latest seasons have indeed given more story time for Barney, and in many cases less for Ted, the main character of the show. But could we go so far as to say that Barney is close to, if not already has, becoming the main character?

Before we go any further, what defines not a main character, but the main character? In my Google travels, I discovered that many definitions of 'main character' redirect to the term 'protagonist'. When we think of the protagonist, we generally just think of, "oh, the main good guy/girl that does all the good/right/moral/heroic things".  Considering this understanding, Barney - out of everyone in the gang - would fit that category the very least: he's a womaniser, liar, trouble-maker, cheater and a downright disgusting, flawed and arrogant human being. Recently, he has become more distant from some of these characteristics, but when you, and the public, ask yourself, "what makes Barney...  Barney?" these characteristics would be the first to spring to mind.

But what about a more formal definition of 'protagonist'? *According to thefreedictionary.com it is "a leading or principal figure" or "the principal character in a work of fiction" and according to thesaurus.com it is the "person who takes the lead; central figure of narrative".

When I was reading these definitions, I could only think of Future Ted (and, by extension, Present Ted). Afterall, he is the one telling the story - the narrator. Everything we are shown is in his point of view and depends on his description. He is also not totally reliable: he was either not present at scene and has to make up what had happened, has to reconstruct what other characters have said to him (both truthful and ridiculous accounts), or deliberately manipulate something because of his young two-person audience (like "sandwiches" for example). In short, (Future) Ted has control of the story, and, ultimately, that story is about how Ted met his kids' mother. To further support this argument:

• Ted is the first character introduced (other than the kids).
• Main events that drive the big story concern Ted.
• Ted is the "I" in "How I Met Your Mother", afterall.
• The show is striving for a goal: to meet the mother, and that is Ted's goal too.
• Future Ted has a unique, personal connection with the audience that no other character has.
• Ted goes on a personal journey that we tag along with: from being single in New York to being settled down with a wife and two kids.
• Ever read a book or seen a movie where the main character bored the hell out of you by being too likable? Generally, the audience will prefer more interesting supporting characters than the main one we're stuck with (seriously, whose favourite character is Harry Potter himself?). Barney is overwhelmingly the general favourite character on the show, and some fans complain about Ted being "annoying" (whiny, correcting, self-centred at times, his near-constant desire for the One, etc.). 
• Plus, as we get closer to the end of the show Ted's clear, bright spotlight will be on again once the mother arrives.

Thus, I believe (Future and/or Present) Ted is still, and always has been, the traditional main character of the show.

But what about Barney? Surely he's more than just a supporting character? During the first couple or so seasons, Ted was clearly the main star of the show, and Barney was there to mainly provide some, if not most, of the humour (depending what sort of jokes you prefer). He wasn't even a big part in Ted's storyline. But as the show continued, we saw more of Barney and more storylines focused on him, and he provided even more comic-relief. Before his engagement to Robin, Barney had nearly taken over the whole show. Why?
Barney is to How I Met Your Mother how Sheldon is to The Big Bang Theory: the break-out character. These are characters who start off small, but over time gain a lot of popularity, and since a show is more likely to get a bigger audience if that character's role is expanded, the creators pour all of their love and creativity into that character, which results in more that-character-based episodes and character development. This can diminish the main character's spotlight.
Think about it. The show's 100th episode chose to do a musical number... about Barney's love for suits. How Ted meets the mother... because they were both at Barney's wedding. Why the memes "True Story" and "Challenge Accepted!" exist... because of Barney. Why we get so upset when Robin rejects Barney... because it's Barney. Most of the show's popular, important and widespread things can be traced back to Barney. 
With a popular character comes an effect on the show's advertising. To back me up, take a look at these DVD covers.
       
Ted: "Yep, this my story!"
Barney: "As Ted's best friend, I'm here with him."










Ted: "Still front and centre!"
Barney: "Ted, I'm happy for you and all, but let's see if rearrangements can be made..."











Barney: "That's better! Now everyone can see my handsome face. How does it feel in the smaller circle, Ted?"
Ted: "Good for you Barney, but I'm still top-ish!"










Ted: "Why do I get the edge of the bed and Barney gets the middle?"
Barney: "Quick! Roll over so Ted falls off!"
Ted: "At least I got to bring my personal, special yellow umbrella."









Ted: "Are you sure this isn't a dream? Not only are we standing on clouds, but I'm in the bottom row! And Barney's still in the middle!"
Barney: "This is awesome! I got you guys to suit up!"
Ted: "At least I'm prepared if it rains."
Barney: "Ted, there won't be any rainclouds 'cause you're NOT getting wet with that suit on!"






Barney: "Even when we're walking on the street I'm in the middle! I even have Robin's attention, AND my number one rule is written up high in the sky!"
Ted: "I'm this close to walking out and never coming back!"








Barney: "This will never stop being awesome! Even with 'the ducky tie' written on the pavement!"
Ted: "So that's where my umbrella went! It turned into a tiny neon sign that I can't hold now. At least I have Robin's attention."







Not only does Barney catch the viewer's eye more and more as the seasons progress, the last three covers are "Barney themed".
Plus, have you ever seen a promo on TV or YouTube, etc., that doesn't have Barney in it nowadays? Even here where I live, I have not seen one single advertisement on TV for Season 8 that isn't Barney-focused.

So if Barney isn't the traditional main character, what is he besides the breakout character? He's our main character. He's in the spotlight so much because we love him. If it weren't for our reaction to him, Barney would not have been given nearly as much attention as he has today. We crave for more Barney episodes, and it's absolutely fantastic when we can read his new blog entries or see a new play from the Playbook.
Ted remains the show's traditional main character, but Barney wins the audience. He's the first search result when you enter "HIMYM" into the search engine that is your brain. To us, he is the main character in a sense - because for the audience, he represents How I Met Your Mother.

* the internet sources viewed as of the eighth of March, 2013:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Main+character
http://thesaurus.com/browse/protagonist