Which hobbit is the central character of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?

Frodo Baggins is the central hobbit character of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Frodo inherits the One Ring from his older cousin Bilbo and accepts the task of carrying it from the Shire toward Mordor. The journey forms the narrative core of the trilogy, although the story follows many other characters and groups across Middle-earth.

At the Council of Elrond, Frodo volunteers to take the Ring onward. Samwise Gamgee becomes his most important companion, particularly during the dangerous passage through Emyn Muil, the Dead Marshes, and Cirith Ungol.

Frodo is not the Ring’s final destroyer in the simple sense of defeating it by willpower. At Mount Doom, the Ring’s destruction results from Gollum’s intervention after Frodo claims it. That distinction is an important part of Tolkien’s treatment of pity, mercy, and moral endurance.