History BreakoutCharacter / WesternAnimation

*** WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} even proofed popular enough to got his own TV-show, ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' and it's [[WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie sequel]] [[WesternAnimation/AnExtremlyGoofyMovie movies]].

** While Donald is the biggest example, many well-known characters of the ClassicDisneyShorts started out as side characters and part of the supporting cast of Mickey Mouse before starring in their own series of shorts, most prominent are WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}, WesternAnimation/MinnieMouse, WesternAnimation/Daisy Duck and [[WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup Pluto]] who nowadays all are recognizable characters of their own.
*** WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} even proofed popular enough to got his own TV-show, WesternAnimation/GoofTroop and it's [[WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie sewuel]] [[WesternAnimation/AnExtremlyGoofyMovie movies]].
*** Speaking of WesternAnimation/GoofTroop, Max Goof was originally an {{Expy}} of Goofy Jr., Goofy's son from the classic shorts. However, Max became a popular character of it's own and made a lot of appearances in the early 2000s like in 'WesternAnimation/MickeysOnceUponAChristmas'' and it's [[WesternAnimation/MickeysTwiceUponAChristmas sequel]] and ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'' before vanishing into obscurity after his short life in the limelight.

*** Scrooge McDuck already was a breakout character in the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse, but he got a second chance to break out thanks to the popularity of the animated series ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales|1987}}'' which launched the now famous Disney Afternoon and cemented Scrooge as a big character in Disney's animation as well as the comics.

* Harley Quinn of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. Joker's PerkyFemaleMinion who was [[MadLove madly in love with him]]. Despite her sidekick status, she became so popular that she was [[CanonImmigrant brought into the main comic continuity]], where her popularity continued to the point where she's now synonymous with the Joker. By her 20th anniversary, she's become one of the most popular characters in the DC roster, appearing in countless comics and other media as a main character, in everything from the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'', to ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'', to ''Series/BirdsOfPrey2002''. To say nothing of [[ComicBook/HarleyQuinn her own ongoing]] comic and [[WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn2019 animated series]].

** Along with [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] (as mentioned in Films on the main trope page), the ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' franchise's [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries first 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]]. Her breakout status was first established when a 2004 Creator/DisneyChannel poll on fans' favorite episodes and experiments of ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' showed that she was the most popular one. Since then, [[Anime/{{Stitch}} the anime]] that came afterwards [[AscendedExtra featured her much more often]] (to the point that she had the most appearances among experiments in that show apart from Stitch and Reuben), she was made into a costumed character for the Ride/DisneyThemeParks (and said costume was later given a redesign to be more inline with the Stitch costume design-wise), and she appears on lots of merchandise, some of which are even sold in America over fifteen years after the end of ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' and the peak of the franchise's success there. In fact, Disney even made a dedicated character page for her on the official Disney Store website for the U.S., [=shopDisney=], and she was even added to mobile games such as ''VideoGame/DisneyTsumTsum'', ''VideoGame/DisneyMagicKingdoms'' and ''VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode'', allowing the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise to defy Disney's tradition of not acknowledging their SequelSeries to [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon their animated films]] years after they ended.

** Along with [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] (as mentioned in Films on the main trope page), the ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' franchise's [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries first 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]]. Her breakout status was first established when a 2004 Creator/DisneyChannel poll on fans' favorite episodes and experiment of ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' showed that she was the most popular one. Since then, [[Anime/{{Stitch}} the anime]] that came afterwards [[AscendedExtra featured her much more often]] (to the point that she had the most appearances among experiments in that show apart from Stitch and Reuben), she was made into a costumed character for the Ride/DisneyThemeParks (and said costume was later given a redesign to be more inline with the Stitch costume design-wise), and she appears on lots of merchandise, some of which are even sold in America over fifteen years after the end of ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' and the peak of the franchise's success there. In fact, Disney even made a dedicated character page for her on the official Disney Store website for the U.S., [=shopDisney=], and she was even added to mobile games such as ''VideoGame/DisneyTsumTsum'', ''VideoGame/DisneyMagicKingdoms'' and ''VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode'', allowing the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise to defy Disney's tradition of not acknowledging their SequelSeries to [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon their animated films]] years after they ended.

%%Needs more context about popularity.** Along with [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] (as mentioned in Films on the main trope page), the ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' franchise's [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries first 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]], she was made into a costumed character for the Ride/DisneyThemeParks (and said costume was later given a redesign to be more inline with the Stitch costume design-wise), and she appears on lots of merchandise, some of which are even sold in America over a decade after the end of ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' and the peak of the franchise's success there. In fact, Disney even made a dedicated character page for her on the official Disney Store website for the U.S., [=shopDisney=]. Not only that, she was even added to mobile games such as ''VideoGame/DisneyTsumTsum'', ''VideoGame/DisneyMagicKingdoms'' and ''VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode'' because of her popularity, allowing the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise to defy Disney's tradition of not acknowledging their SequelSeries to [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon their animated films]] years after they ended.

%%*** 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)

* Although in ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' Anne and Sprig are the show's main characters, Marcy Wu quickly became the most popular and beloved character despite debuting in the middle of Season 2. One example of her popularity, compare the view counts between [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSjc4JVULo Sasha's Theme Song Takeover]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYPGZ6zSNdw Marcy's Theme Song Takeover]].

%%Needs more context to differentiate from EnsembleDarkhorse* Although in ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'' Anne and Sprig are the show's main characters, Marcy Wu quickly became the most popular and beloved character despite debuting in the middle of Season 2. One example of her popularity, compare the view counts between [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSjc4JVULo Sasha's Theme Song Takeover]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYPGZ6zSNdw Marcy's Theme Song Takeover]].

* Although in ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'', while Anne and Sprig are the shows main characters. Marcy Wu quickly became the most popular and beloved character despite debuting in the middle of Season 2. One example of her popularity, compare the view counts between [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSjc4JVULo Sasha's Theme Song Takeover]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYPGZ6zSNdw Marcy's Theme Song Takeover]].

* Although in WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}, while Anne and Sprig are the shows main characters. Marcy Wu quickly became the most popular and beloved character despite debuting in the middle of Season 2. One example of her popularity, compare the view counts between [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSjc4JVULo Sasha's Theme Song Takeover]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYPGZ6zSNdw Marcy's Theme Song Takeover]].

Although in WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}, while Anne and Sprig are the shows main characters. Marcy Wu quickly became the most popular and beloved character despite debuting in the middle of Season 2. One example of her popularity, compare the view counts between [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSjc4JVULo Sasha's Theme Song Takeover]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYPGZ6zSNdw Marcy's Theme Song Takeover]].

{{Amphibia}} Although Anne and Sprig are the shows main characters. Marcy Wu quickly became the most popular and beloved character despite debuting in the middle of Season 2. One example of her popularity, compare the view counts between [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVSjc4JVULo Sasha's Theme Song Takeover]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYPGZ6zSNdw Marcy's Theme Song Takeover]].

** [[CompetitionFreak Courtney]] is another major example. She's not quite part of the main crowd at first and gets eliminated about halfway through the first season. At this point, she was mainly known for being Duncan’s LoveInterest, a NiceGirl (as a case of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness from the first few episodes), and a minor foil to [[BigBad Heather]] for basically filling the role of AlphaBitch on the opposing team, albeit a far kinder and more sympathetic version than Heather. She doesn’t even qualify for Season 2! This all changes when she makes a surprise return as the BigBad halfway into Season 2. From there, she returned in Season 3 to get involved in a messy LoveTriangle with Duncan and Gwen and her popularity skyrocketed from there, thanks to both fans (those who sympathized with her for being cheated on) AND haters (those who thought she was unnecessarily cruel to Gwen) developing strong emotions for the character [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity one way or another]]. By the time Season 5, All-Stars, came around, her immense popularity made her an easy pick. By this point she’s considered one of the faces of the series, and also a member of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama''’s SpotLightStealingSquad.

** 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 [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts the cartoons]] than the Mouse himself, before serving as a the centerpiece for [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse an entire comic book universe]] that is ''overwhelmingly'' adored in Europe. Walt Disney is on record as saying that he never quite understood why people became so attached to the character.

** ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' had Perry the Platypus, the title characters' pet, and a secret agent, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz, one of the most pathetic villains ever created. It soon got to the point where Doofenshmirtz's plotlines with Perry pretty much usurped the title characters' plotline. Perry himself even got acquainted with Disney's merchandising, like in VideoGame/DisneyTsumTsum.

** [[DeadpanSnarker Noah]] is the most noteworthy example. In the first season, [[RedShirt he really only existed to be an early elimination]] so that [[SpotlightStealingSquad the main characters would get more focus]]. However, he became an EnsembleDarkhorse. After being completely absent from the competition in the second season, he is brought back with a few other EnsembleDarkhorse characters ([[MemeticLoser Ezekiel]], [[LovableJock Tyler]], and [[CasanovaWannabe Cody]]) to get a bigger role in the third season, World Tour. During this season, he made it to about the halfway point of the competition and became much more popular than before due to his surprisingly [[ThoseTwoGuys heartwarming friendship with Owen]] and [[FountainOfMemes getting funnier lines]]. Though the writers did not seem to catch on in time for him to make the ''All-Stars'' season, he is one of only four characters brought back for the spinoff series, ''WesternAnimation/TheRidonculousRace''. Furthermore, in that spinoff he not only gets his friendship with Owen developed even further than before, but he also gets [[PromotedToLoveInterest the main romantic plot of the season]] with newcomer [[CompetitionFreak Emma]]. Now he also prominently features in the other spinoff show, ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'' with just as much focus as the usual SpotlightStealingSquad characters of the series.

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

** [[DarkActionGirl Shego]] from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' started out as a flat sidekick to [[HarmlessVillain Dr. Drakken]]. Her portrayal by voice actress Creator/NicoleSullivan had the creators add more depth to the character, and her dynamic with Dr. Drakken became so popular that the duo became the most featured (and fleshed out) villains in the series.
** ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' had Perry the Platypus, the title characters' pet, and a secret agent, and Dr. Doofenshmirtz, one of the most pathetic villains ever created. It soon got to the point where Doofenshmirtz's plotlines with Perry pretty much usurped the title characters' plotline. Perry himself even got acquainted with Disney's merchandising, like in VideoGame/DisneyTsumTsum.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample** If you're a guy, [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Grumpy's]] got you covered. It seems the Disney characters with the most attitude tend to be breakout characters.
%%Needs more context about popularity.** Along with [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch Stitch]] (as mentioned in Animated Films on the main trope page), the ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch'' franchise's [[WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitchTheSeries first 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]], she was made into a costumed character for the Ride/DisneyThemeParks (and said costume was later given a redesign to be more inline with the Stitch costume design-wise), and she appears on lots of merchandise, some of which are even sold in America over a decade after the end of ''Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' and the peak of the franchise's success there. In fact, Disney even made a dedicated character page for her on the official Disney Store website for the U.S., [=shopDisney=]. Not only that, she was even added to mobile games such as ''VideoGame/DisneyTsumTsum'', ''VideoGame/DisneyMagicKingdoms'' and ''VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode'' because of her popularity, allowing the ''Lilo & Stitch'' franchise to defy Disney's tradition of not acknowledging their SequelSeries to [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon their animated films]] years after they ended.

* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes has had many breakout characters, including:

** Tasmanian Devil: Like Marvin, Taz only appeared in 5 Golden Age-era shorts (starting with 1954's "WesternAnimation/DevilMayHare"), but also became much more popular later on through merchandising and even getting his on show in the form of WesternAnimation/TazMania. It may come to as a surprise to some fans that Marvin and Taz only appeared in 5 of the original shorts.

* The Chipettes from ''Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks''. After their first appearance in the [[WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunks '80s cartoon]], they have become so popular and get more and more screentime overtime in the series becoming regular characters. Now the Chipettes are integral part of the franchise and appear in all media.

** Tinker Bell started out as a supporting character in ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'', but resonated with audiences to the point that she became practically the second mascot of Disney after WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse (appearing in many commercials and in the studio's VanityPlate). She ended up getting a whole [[Franchise/DisneyFairies spin-off franchise centered on her]].

** Thumper proved an endearing foil to ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' and for a long while Disney considered giving him his own spin off movie. While this never came to be (yet), he still appears on as much merchandise as Bambi himself and even has his own separate toy and storybook line, ''Disney's Bunnies''.
** Marie from ''WesternAnimation/TheAristocats'' (also mentioned in the Animated Films on the main page) quickly became a very beloved character by the company. Previously Thomas O'Malley and The Scat Cats served as Disney's choice to represent the film. Disney quickly picked Marie as the character to represent the film. Beginning in the early 1990s, Marie became Disney's answer to ''Franchise/HelloKitty'' and [[WhatCouldHaveBeen attempted on giving her animated starring roles]] ''twice'' . [[note]] The first was "The Aristocats: The Animated Series" were Marie, alongside Toulouse and Berlioz were the main characters. The second was "The Aristocats II" where Marie was the main protagonist. [[/note]] Currently Marie stars in tons of Aristocats related books, merchandise, a manga, and [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff is insanely popular in Japan and Brazil.]] As a result of Marie's popularity, ''The Aristocats'' is the only Disney Animated Film from the 1970s that's frequently used in merchandise and other Disney related works.

%%Needs more context about popularity affecting her role.* Helga Pataki in ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' started out as a HarmlessVillain with a fixation on Arnold before breaking out at some point mid-series. After an amazing amount of character development for her and Arnold became more of a FlatCharacter, many may argue that by the end, she was the true protagonist. She even had her own spin-off in the works after the show's end, though it didn't pan out.

* ''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.(e.g. ''JustForFun/TheUglyBarnacle'', Surprised Patrick)

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order.

** Pam wasn't even in the opening credits on the beginning, but she quickly became a fan favorite from Season 1 to 4, season 5 however, made her TheScrappy, as she held the IdiotBall and didn't let go, her addiction on cocaine became an OverusedRunningGag in the season and even lost her BigBeautifulWoman attributes for a typical StatuesqueStunner. She came back to being a main character with her old personality by Season 6.

** Ronnie Anne became popular when she has formally introduced in "Save The Date" thanks to emphasizing how [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold she's tough yet also has a good heart]] while also showing her more lovable behavior. Once she moved to the big city to live with her mother's extended family, she became more popular, and eventually got a whole 5 episode arc in season 4, and [[WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes her own show]].

** Discord first appeared as the BigBad of the two-parter "Return of Harmony" as essentially a chimeric version of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]], and was so awesome 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. Hes proven popular enough to receive a supporting role in pony life.
** The Great and Powerful Trixie only had one appearance in season 1, which made her extremely popular. She would only return in the season 3 episode "Magic Duel", to further acclaim. Season 6 has her become friends with Starlight Glimmer (who, at this point, has been promoted to full-on main character), which leads to her getting more appearances.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': The clones of Domino Squad were originally created as one-shot characters for the episode "Rookies". However, due to the episode and the squad proving so popular among fans, season 3 started with a flashback episode showing their backstory. Fives and Echo, the only surviving members of the squad, became recurring characters with their own subplot from that season onwards, with Fives eventually serving as the main character of the Order 66 arc, and Echo becoming one of the leads in ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheBadBatch''.

** [[CuteAndPsycho Izzy]] became a BreakoutCharacter much faster, arguably within the first season. [[TheQuietOne She does not get many lines in the first few episodes]] just like [[RedShirt the other characters who seemed to only exist to be early eliminations]]. However, due to having a major standout [[DeathInTheLimelight Elimination In The Limelight]] that showed just how hilarious her CloudCuckooLander personality and [[RapidFireComedy voice actress]] were, she gets reentered into the competition halfway through the season. And unlike [[TheBully Eva]], who was only brought back to be an antagonist for one episode, Izzy sticks around long enough to be one of the very last eliminations. Ever since then, while she has never become one of the central characters, she got much more focus on her antics in the second and third seasons, and then got TheCameo in both seasons 4 AND 5 when most of the focus had moved away from the original cast. Then, like Noah, she returns in ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaRama'' to get just as much focus as the other SpotlightStealingSquad characters.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': The clones of Domino Squad were originally created as one-shot characters for the episode "Rookies". However, due to the episode and the squad proving so popular among fans, season 3 started with a flashback episode showing their backstory. Fives and Echo, the only surviving members of the squad, became recurring characters with their own subplot from that season onwards, with Fives in particular eventually serving as the main character of the Order 66 arc.

** Discord first appeared as the BigBad of the two-parter "Return of Harmony" as essentially a chimeric version of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Q]], and was so awesome 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.

* ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'': Raimundo pretty much stole the show from Omi, being the character with the most development, and if anyone still wasn't sure of his status as the new main character, the finale proved them wrong.