History BreakoutCharacter / WesternAnimation

* Creator/{{Disney}}, being the world-renowned entertainment company that it is, has plenty of examples within its many works:

** Along with [[Disney/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] (as mentioned in Animated Films on the main trope page), the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise's [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries Western-animated series]] had its own breakout character, [[DistaffCounterpart An]][[LoveInterest gel]], which is impressive considering she was in only two episodes, with a cameo in a third episode and only a minor role in the franchise's [[WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch last film]]. Since then, [[Anime/{{Stitch}} the anime]] that came afterwards [[AscendedExtra featured her much more often]], and she appears on lots of merchandise, some of which was even sold in America a decade after the end of ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' and the peak of the franchise's success there.

** Lapis Lazuli becomes a regular character [[spoiler:after de-fusing with Jasper and coming to live with Peridot]].

* Peridot in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''. Introduced initially as a semi-regular villain, [[spoiler: she joins in the Crystal Gems after her HeelFaceTurn]].

* Peridot in ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''. Introduced initially as a semi-regular villain, [[spoiler: she join in the Crystal Gems after her HeelFaceTurn]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' ruthlessly parodied this concept in an episode where Bart accidentally becomes a cast member and breakout star of the Krusty the Clown show. ''The Simpsons'' are breakout characters from ''The Tracy Ullman Show''.

* ''WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker'': Woody first debuted in the WesternAnimation/AndyPanda short "Knock Knock" but ended up becoming so popular that he immediately spawned his own series of shorts, quickly eclipsing the [[TastesLikeDiabetes cute]] [[SmallAnnoyingCreature little panda]] in popularity.

* Sticks the Badger from ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom''. Her CloudCuckoolander ConspiracyTheorist personality made her a popular character and she has since crossed over into mainstream ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''-related works, such as ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games]]'', despite her status as a character from an AlternateContinuity.

* Sticks the Badger from ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom''. Her CloudCuckoolander ConspiracyTheorist personality made her a popular character and she has since crossed over into mainstream ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''-related works, such as ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympics Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games]]'', despite her status as a character from an AlternateContinuity.

** WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck upon his second appearance, (and his first on a WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse cartoon) where he effortlessly steals the picture away from everyone. It wasn't long before he became much more prominent on [[ClassicDisneyShorts the cartoons]] than the Mouse himself.... or pretty much every other Disney character.

* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' character Morgana Macawber ("[[PunnyName Macabre]]") and her weird undead family were introduced as a set of villains who disappeared (for many years, within the context of the episode) when their house vanished at sunrise at the end of the episode. Morgana's family was never seen again, but she herself [[PlotHole returned]] [[HandWave without explanation]] to play both [[DatingCatwoman a villain]] and later [[HeelFaceTurn a hero]], developing into a series semi-regular and Darkwing's LoveInterest. Similarly, villain Negaduck was originally an EvilTwin of Darkwing's who was accidentally created from his own body and was re-absorbed back into him at the end of the episode. Series creator Tad Stones liked the character so much that he was brought back to be Darkwing's ArchEnemy and was eventually established as [[RetCon being another Darkwing from a parallel reality]] called "[[MirrorUniverse the Negaverse]]". When the writers asked how they should explain Negaduck's return following his "death" in his debut episode, Stones replied, "What do you mean, 'how'? He's back. [[AWizardDidIt We did it]]."
* Creator/{{Disney}}:
** Tinkerbell, being practically the second mascot of Disney after Mickey Mouse (appearing in many commercials and in the studio's VanityPlate), has become a Breakout Character and now stars in [[Franchise/DisneyFairies a series of her own]].

** Along with [[Disney/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] (as mentioned in Animated Films on the main trope page), the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise's [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries Western-animated series]] had its own breakout character, [[DistaffCounterpart Angel]], which is impressive considering she was in only two episodes, with a cameo in a third episode and only a minor role in the franchise's [[WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch last film]].
** WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck upon his second appearance, (and his first on a WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse cartoon) where he effortlessly steals the picture away from everyone. It wasn't long before he became much more prominent on [[ClassicDisneyShorts the cartoons]] than the Mouse himself....or pretty much every other Disney character.

* WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat was originally concieved as a oneshot character for the film ''WesternAnimation/FelineFollies'', which was made solely because another animator was tardy with his work for the Paramount Screen Magazine, and Pat Sullivan and Creator/OttoMessmer agreed to fill in with a cartoon of their own. Felix's debut was so well liked by audiences that it immediately took off as a hit, graduated to his own standalone series and became one of the most iconic and influential cartoon characters of all time.

* WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}. He started as an extra in some of Mickey Mouse's cartoons and went on to get his own series of shorts, his own television series and his own theatrical movie that was popular enough for a direct-to-video sequel.

* [[DarkActionGirl Shego]] from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' started out as a flat sidekick to [[HarmlessVillain Dr. Drakken]], got a personality while being inserted into the pilot after the creators heard her voice actor Nicole Sullivan, and she and her dynamic with Dr. Drakken became so popular that they became the most featured (and fleshed out) villains in the series.

* Gus Griswald from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' was just another member of the main six, and by the end of the series, he had the second largest amount of episodes focusing on him (with [[TheHero T.J.]] in the lead)
** Miss Finster and Principal Prickly became this, with the latter getting a pretty big role in ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'' and the former getting more merchandise. Miss Grotke on the other hand just became an AscendedExtra with a PeripheryDemographic and the show left it at that.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Patrick basically stole the show in the earlier episodes, that he eventually got tons of episodes centered around him. For most of the SpongeBob memes out there, Patrick has spawned the most out of the other characters.(ex.The Ugly Barnacle, Surprised Patrick)

* Tigger was a secondary character in the original ''Literature/WinnieThePooh'' books, appearing only in the second book, ''The House At Pooh Corner.'' In the Disney adaptations, he got bigger and bigger roles until he ended up as the franchise's main star apart from Pooh himself. He even gets top billing in ''My Friends Tigger and Pooh.'' Not to mention his own movie.
** Ironically ''The Tigger Movie'' also began the expansion of simiarly minor character Roo's role, with him gaining a much larger spotlight in later movies and ''also'' his own Direct to DVD movie. ''Pooh's Heffalump Movie'' also arguably featured Roo more as the main protaganist than the title character.
* ''WoodyWoodpecker'': Woody first debuted in the WesternAnimation/AndyPanda short "Knock Knock" but ended up becoming so popular that he immediately spawned his own series of shorts, quickly eclipsing the [[TastesLikeDiabetes cute]] [[SmallAnnoyingCreature little panda]] in popularity.
* In a somewhat meta-example, ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'' originated as one of many shorts and interstitials attached to the second half of ''WesternAnimation/MayaAndMiguel''. The ''[=WordGirl=]'' shorts wound up popular enough to get their own show, and has since out-lasted the largely forgotten ''Maya And Miguel''.

** Pinkie Pie's older sister Maud appeared in her self-titled episode in season 4 as an extremely stoic {{foil}} to Pinkie's antics [[MundaneMadeAwesome obsessed with rocks]]. In a cast full of quirky GenkiGirl types, her utter blandness proved a gold mine of CringeComedy that contrasted with everypony else. She was immediately adored by fans and seemingly the staff as well, as she got a [[OneSceneWonder surprise cameo]] in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'', two episodes in season 5 as a minor character and later a supporting role, and was a main character of a season 6 episode. By this point she's well on her way to eclipse Princess Luna in screentime.

* ''WoodyWoodpecker'': Woody first debuted in the AndyPanda short "Knock Knock" but ended up becoming so popular that he immediately spawned his own series of shorts, quickly eclipsing the [[TastesLikeDiabetes cute]] [[SmallAnnoyingCreature little panda]] in popularity.

* The same can be said for WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck upstaging WesternAnimation/PorkyPig (a Breakout Character himself).

* Brak was originally a minor character who showed up every once in a while in ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast''. He proved to be so popular that he replaced Moltar in the CartoonPlanet spinoff, and then eventually [[TheBrakShow got his own show.]]

** Butters went from being a [[LivingProp]] to being the fifth most prominent character on the show.

** Butters went from being a background character to being the fifth most prominent character on the show. Then there's Randy Marsh, who went from a geologist simply named "Randy" to "Stan's dad" (thus giving him a recurring role) to arguably being right behind Butters in terms of prominence.

* Pinkie Pie's older sister Maud appeared in her self-titled episode in season 4 as an extremely stoic {{foil}} to Pinkie's antics [[MundaneMadeAwesome obsessed with rocks]]. In a cast full of quirky GenkiGirl types, her utter blandness proved a gold mine of CringeComedy that contrasted with everypony else. She was immediately adored by fans and the staff seemed to be as well, as she got a [[OneSceneWonder surprise cameo]] in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'', two episodes in season 5 as a minor character and later a supporting role, and was a main character in an episode of season 6. By this point she's beginning to eclipse Luna's Princess Luna's screentime.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' has Discord that first appeared in the "Return of Harmony" as essentially a chimeric version of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]], and was so CrazyAwesome that many fans couldn't help but fall in love with him. Although TakenForGranite at the end of his debut, he was revived in season 3 to be successfully redeemed ([[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor of sorts]]) by Fluttershy, and was promoted to recurring character in season 4.
** And perhaps the quintessential example of this was Princess Luna. She appeared for all of thirty seconds and said one line in Season 1 and became one of the most popular characters in the fandom. But then Season 2 happened, in which she appeared and completely blew everyone's expectations out of the water, causing her already considerable popularity to skyrocket, becoming a full recurring character starting in Season 4 (due to Season 3's shorter episode count).

* ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' villains Dick Dastardly and Muttley became so popular on that show that they got their own, ''DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'', a season later. The only female racer, Penelope Pitstop, would [[ThePerilsOfPenelopePitstop get her own show as well]].

** Although the Simpson family are the main characters, the early seasons focused on Bart until Homer replaced him later on.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has both Sokka and Iroh. In the original drafts both were meant to have smaller supporting roles, [[TreacherousAdvisor with Iroh actually becoming a villain]]. In the course of development, the voice actors and writers did such a good job bringing them to life they got bigger roles than first intended; Iroh in particular.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': [[CuteMonsterGirl Marceline]] started as a somewhat more prominent than normal secondary character. Although she doesn't appear in many more episodes that she originally did, she has more or less became a main character.

* On ''WesternAnimation/CareBearsWelcomeToCareALot'', Wonderheart Bear was created for the series, but only had a few episodes where she was actually the main character of focus. At other times, she was just in a supporting role, or mostly background. In ''WesternAnimation/Care BearsAndCousins'', at least in the first six episodes, she is not only a main character, it's probably fair to say that she is the main character, even more so than any of the cousins.

** Along with [[Disney/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] (as mentioned above in Animated Films), [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries the franchise's Western-animated series]] had its own Breakout Character, [[DistaffCounterpart Angel]], which is impressive considering she was in only two episodes, with a cameo in a third episode and only a minor role in [[WesternAnimation/LeroyAndStitch the last film]].