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Kaladin has basically been the protagonist of the entire first arc. That said, it’s improbable that he’ll have as much of the spotlight in the second arc as well. I’m going to do my best to explain my theories for all of the viable paths I see moving forward... [Open the spoilers to see my ideas and details about how each one of these scenarios could go down. The pros/cons are super general and just my surface-level opinions.] Option 1: Swearing the Fifth Ideal in Book 5 Pros: It makes a lot of sense! Kaladin is alive and happy, we have a main character who's made it to the Fifth Ideal, and the future Radiants have an example to follow and a person to advise them. Cons: It's predictable, for the most part, and lacks some spice. Option 2: Swearing the Fifth Ideal and Dying Right After Pros: It’s fun and quirky and different. Also, we wouldn’t have to worry about his level of involvement being too high or too low in the second arc. Cons: It just doesn’t seem likely. If swearing the 5th is the indicator that his character arc is over, it kinda seems weird to kill him off immediately after. Option 3: Stuck in the Fourth Ideal Pros: Kaladin gets a major wrench thrown in his plans, which would allow us to know him better outside of the fight. There’s also the added bonus of a sort of parallel character development to that which we’ve seen so far. Further, it’s just a nice change of pace from Kaladin’s current progression, and it’s also something we haven’t seen before in the series. Everything is so fast-paced. Kaladin could be the first to face stagnation. Cons: As much as I love the idea, I’m not sure if it’s entirely likely. From the what we’ve seen in the first 4 books, it looks like Kaladin is progressing pretty steadily toward finishing his character development in the first arc. (There are probably more cons to this, but I’m self-aware enough to admit my own bias.) Option 4: Kaladin Dies Before He Can Swear the Fifth Ideal Pros: It’s new, it’s different, and it has shock value. It also makes the transition of protagonists pretty seamless. Cons: It’s unlikely, given that every character is given a satisfying end to their arc. Also, it’s sad. If you stuck it through to the end, then let me know what you think! If I got any canon information wrong, feel free to correct me––it’s been a while since I’ve reread any of the books, and I wrote this all in a sleep-deprived haze, lol. Definitely looking forward to reading any debate/discussion on this.