Usually, in almost any other group-based adventure, the hero's friends would protect the hero himself with their own respective skill-sets, whether it's strength, intelligence, or heart. But by the climax of those adventures, it's up to the hero and the hero alone to finish the fight and protect his friends back.
For example, the S4 story-arc of My Little Pony? I know that there are plenty of you people who have never watched the show, so everything I say is going to be a spoiler. Technically, in that arc, Twilight Sparkle's friends fought against their own Elements of Harmony, taught somepony else about their Elements, and received keys from them as a result. These keys were needed to open a blue box containing Rainbow Power, but once the Mane Five did their jobs, it was up to Twilight to finish the fight by overcoming her own Element of Magic, teaching a reformed former villain about her Element, and receive her final key from him as a result.
Another example of this was the finale to Sailor Moon Classic. Technically, all four of the title protagonist's teammates all died defeating enemies guarding the villain's lair, just to carve a path for her to reach the final battle.
And that's what definitely describes MOBA's like League of Legends and DotA 2. That is, four players protecting a fifth until he maxes out on levels and gear, at which point it's up to him to finish the fight. The Carry is usually the main-protagonist, and the four other characters are his supporting cast. The supporting cast protect the Carry/protagonist and help him increase his levels and equipment. But by the end game, the Carry/protagonist is on his own, as if he outgrew his friends to become his own individual person.
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