Is there a word for someone who is usually in the minority?

My original question was "Is there a legitimate word for 'a balancer'?" but I think it's a little hard to understand...

Let's just say there is a person, and most of the time, he is in the minority. It can be very simple, such as: he simply hates a song everybody likes (and vice versa), or he has a very long list of 'underrated movies'. I guess he has a different (if not eccentric) taste comparing to most people..

On the other hand, he often does things that most people would refuse to do, too (whether he wants to or not). For example, most people wouldn't buy damaged goods, but he would. You can say he is sacrificing himself. To his mind, "If everybody wants perfection than who will care for the damaged?" or "There are certain people who would only accept the best, so there must be people who accept the worse, coexisting with the former."

This person does things that most people would never do, he stays in the minority so other people can be in the majority => some sort of "balancer"? You know, since he balances everything.. So, is there a word for people like him?

I know this is a long shot but please help me if you can, thank you!

Solution 1:

This person could be called a contrarian.

A contrarian, according to Merriam-Webster, is "a person who takes a contrary position or attitude". The term non-conformist could also apply. For someone in politics who opposes the majority, the word oppositionist is used. One adjective that could be used for consistently opposing a majority is anti-establishment.

Solution 2:

I would call such person a maverick.

maverick: a person who refuses to follow the customs or rules of a group

maverick: an unorthodox or independent-minded person

Alternately, consider oddball.

oddball: an eccentric or unconventional person

Solution 3:

If I understand correctly your definition of the "balancer", as you call him, I think you may be referring to what is usually called the defender of lost causes, meaning someone who for some reason is always on the part of people, things and situations which are the least accepted or preferred by the majority.

Solution 4:

The 'balancer' is engaged in what I would call a quixotic (or Canute-like) enterprise.

Solution 5:

An outlier, perhaps.

noun someone who stands apart from others of his or her group, as by differing actions, beliefs, religious practices, etc.: an outlier among Muslims; an outlier among conservatives. Synonyms: outsider, nonconformist, maverick; original, eccentric, bohemian; dissident, dissenter, iconoclast, heretic.