* Author's skill - maybe if the author made a better character, they wouldn't blend together with other characters.
* Convergence of consumer expectations - you expect the character to be "mostly a good person", to have them solve problems, to take initiative, and so on.
* A consequence of another phenomenon where the villain has all the complex plans and initiative and the protagonist mostly reacts to the villain's actions.
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What is that personality, what is that "normal person" protagonist?
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The key aspect of it is that the protagonist follows common sense and makes decisions based on the circumstances surrounding them. It mostly happens to protagonists, but it may happen to POV characters, and in some cases to non-POV characters as well. You just experience the character and think to yourself - "yep, normal person, nothing unusual here, move along". Which isn't to say it's bad! Some amazing characters have this aspect, and it doesn't hurt them.
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It's probably easier to show with some examples, before I dig too deep into an idea I still haven't explained properly.
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- Taylor Hebert from Worm
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- Zorian from Mother of Learning
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- Subaru from ReZero
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- Mine from Bookworm Isekai
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- Mikado from Durarara
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- Phos from Land of the Lustrous
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They all have it, in my opinion. I can name many more characters. In general, there are probably more characters who have it rather than don't have it. They just do things. They have some goals, and they work on them. They take in their surrounings and adjust their actions.
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Maybe, most of all, they are understandable. I can disagree with Taylor or Phos but I can kind of get how they got to their conclusion. Meanwhile the characters who don't fit this aspect of "protagonist syndrome" are usually harder to understand.
