Content Warning: This section discusses genocide, rape, sexual assault, and scientific racism.

Rin is the protagonist of the novel. She is an anti-hero and lacks typical heroic qualities like selflessness, bravery, generosity, and compassion. Instead, she is quick to anger and struggles to communicate effectively. The Phoenix—the god who gives her fire power—exploits her temper, which causes her to lose control of her power. For instance, when Rin spots Daji at the parade, she becomes angry and “burn[s] over half of [Unegan’s] body” (32), showing how her anti-heroic, fallible attributes lead her to cause her allies destruction and suffering. Later, during the final battle at Arlong, Rin is “paralyzed by fear and despair” and all she wants “to do is find a hole and hide” (562); this shows how she lacks courage and a sense of responsibility, like typical heroes.  

However, Rin grows to understand herself and her country better through the course of this novel. Due to the events she survived in The Poppy War, the previous novel in the trilogy, Rin begins The Dragon Republic by relying on opium to numb her all-consuming guilt and rage. Rin’s journey to regain her powers is contingent upon her journey to heal from her past traumas.