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** Originally, [[EvilTwin Nale]] was supposed to be the only member of the [[PsychoRangers Linear Guild]] who survived their encounter with the. But fans latched on to the PsychopathicManChild Thog, so Rich Burlew made him (and Nale's girlfriend Sabine) recurring villains.
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** Originally, [[EvilTwin Nale]] was supposed to be the only member of the [[PsychoRangers Linear Guild]] who survived their encounter with the.the Order. But fans latched on to the PsychopathicManChild Thog, so Rich Burlew made him (and Nale's girlfriend Sabine) recurring villains.
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*** Nappa from DragonBallAbridged has easily become one of the series most popular characters, to the point where he had been making occasional appearances as a ghost despite having been completely forgotten in the original work after his death. The Abridged version of the Abridged series lampshades this by giving Nappa the line "I am hilarious and you will quote everything I say!"
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*** Nappa from DragonBallAbridged ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' has easily become one of the series most popular characters, to the point where he had been making occasional appearances as a ghost despite having been completely forgotten in the original work after his death. The Abridged version of the Abridged series lampshades this by giving Nappa the line "I am hilarious and you will quote everything I say!"
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* Tiffany from ''WebComic/{{Precocious}}'' has this spot decidedly locked down.
** Although Yvette, the shy grey cat who appears every now and then is also becoming popular.
** And now so is Ursula.
** Although Yvette, the shy grey cat who appears every now and then is also becoming popular.
** And now so is Ursula.
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Deleted this ** Mr. Scruffy could be considered a Darkhorse except he\'s actually very important to the plot (just not yet). — Examples Are Not Arguable.
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* Originally, [[EvilTwin Nale]] was supposed to be the only member of the [[PsychoRangers Linear Guild]] who survived their encounter with the ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]''. But fans latched on to the PsychopathicManChild Thog, so Rich Burlew made him (and Nale's girlfriend Sabine) recurring villains.
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* ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]'':
** Originally, [[EvilTwin Nale]] was supposed to be the only member of the [[PsychoRangers Linear Guild]] who survived their encounter withthe ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]''.the. But fans latched on to the PsychopathicManChild Thog, so Rich Burlew made him (and Nale's girlfriend Sabine) recurring villains.
** Originally, [[EvilTwin Nale]] was supposed to be the only member of the [[PsychoRangers Linear Guild]] who survived their encounter with
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** Then of course there's [[MemeticBadass O-Chul]] and [[MemeticBystander That Guy With A Halberd]].
** Not forgetting Daigo and Kazumi Kato, formerly Soldier #1 and Soldier #2.
** The [=MitD=] (Monster in the Darkness) is also a fan fave, and Mr. Scruffy could be considered a dark horse except he's actually very important to the plot (just not yet).
** The Booted Wight, Tsukiko's right hand minion (and the unofficial face of her undead mooks) is also quite popular.
** Not forgetting Daigo and Kazumi Kato, formerly Soldier #1 and Soldier #2.
** The [=MitD=] (Monster in the Darkness) is also a fan fave, and Mr. Scruffy could be considered a dark horse except he's actually very important to the plot (just not yet).
** The Booted Wight, Tsukiko's right hand minion (and the unofficial face of her undead mooks) is also quite popular.
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** Then of course there's [[MemeticBadass O-Chul]] and [[MemeticBystander MemeticBadass O-Chul.
** Fans love MemeticBystander That Guy With AHalberd]].
Halberd.
**Not forgetting Daigo and Kazumi Kato, formerly Soldier #1 and Soldier #2.
** The [=MitD=] (Monster in the Darkness) isalso a fan fave, and Mr. Scruffy could be considered a dark horse except he's actually very important to the plot (just not yet).
fave.
** The Booted Wight, Tsukiko's right hand minion (and the unofficial face of her undead mooks) isalso quite popular.
** Fans love MemeticBystander That Guy With A
**
** The [=MitD=] (Monster in the Darkness) is
** The Booted Wight, Tsukiko's right hand minion (and the unofficial face of her undead mooks) is
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* Sasha from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Riff's girlfriend for under two years out of the strip's 10+ year run, enjoyed lasting popularity despite not making any in-continuity appearances between mid-2002 and mid-2009.
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* Sasha from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'':
** Sasha. Riff's girlfriend for under two years out of the strip's 10+ year run, enjoyed lasting popularity despite not making any in-continuity appearances between mid-2002 and mid-2009.
** Sasha. Riff's girlfriend for under two years out of the strip's 10+ year run, enjoyed lasting popularity despite not making any in-continuity appearances between mid-2002 and mid-2009.
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** Most recently, Crushestro, one of the villains introduced in the "Paradise" arc, gained significant popularity due to his [[LargeHam over-the-top]] mannerisms. He recently made a reappearance for another BreatherEpisode. [[spoiler:He then later ended up [[EnemyMine teaming up with Torg]] to fight Bestseid.]]
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** Most recently, Crushestro, one of the villains introduced in the "Paradise" arc, gained significant popularity due to his [[LargeHam over-the-top]] mannerisms. He recently made a reappearance for another BreatherEpisode. [[spoiler:He then later ended up [[EnemyMine teaming up with Torg]] to fight Bestseid.]]
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links were broken. the original write up is in the discussion page.
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* ''SlightlyDamned'' Buwaro's CompanionCube treatment of his pet rock Thadius [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins1.jpg has]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins2.jpg rubbed]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins3.jpg off]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/soshika/soshika-clockworkthadius.gif on]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/FIZ/FIZ-thadiusmkii.jpg the]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/yoyobionicle/yoyobionicle-itsthadius.jpg fans]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/rodylg/rodylg-therockfell%20HAIKU.gif to]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/liam/liam-jealousbuwaro.jpg a]] [[RefugeInAudacity ridiculous]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/kimisakitsune/kimisakitsune-unf.png degree]]. Who even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/coshidragonite/coshidragonite-fanmail.jpg themselves]]. (Warning: "degree" is NSWF if you work with [[Literature/{{Discworld}} silicon-based]] [[AllTrollsAreDifferent lifeforms.]])
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* ''SlightlyDamned'' Buwaro's CompanionCube treatment of his pet rock Thadius [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins1.jpg has]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins2.jpg rubbed]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins3.jpg off]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/soshika/soshika-clockworkthadius.gif on]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/FIZ/FIZ-thadiusmkii.jpg the]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/yoyobionicle/yoyobionicle-itsthadius.jpg fans]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/rodylg/rodylg-therockfell%20HAIKU.gif to]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/liam/liam-jealousbuwaro.jpg a]] has rubbed off on the fans to a [[RefugeInAudacity ridiculous]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/kimisakitsune/kimisakitsune-unf.png ridiculous degree]]. Who even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/coshidragonite/coshidragonite-fanmail.jpg themselves]]. (Warning: "degree" is NSWF if you work with [[Literature/{{Discworld}} silicon-based]] [[AllTrollsAreDifferent lifeforms.]])themselves in some fan art.
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* Cassie [=SinClair=] from ''TheWotch'' seems to have a much bigger following than main character Anne Onymous, despite her appearances in canon being rather sporadic.
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* ''TheWotch'':
** Cassie [=SinClair=]from ''TheWotch'' seems to have a much bigger following than main character Anne Onymous, despite her appearances in canon being rather sporadic.
** Cassie [=SinClair=]
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** Also, in a less typical example, despite the main comic making Jason's receiving of a GenderBender as a major running gag it seems to be more popular in fan work to apply it to Robin instead.
*** Robin makes the cuter girl.
*** Or maybe it's just because Jason's transformations [[OverusedRunningGag were being overdone]] at this point.
*** Robin makes the cuter girl.
*** Or maybe it's just because Jason's transformations [[OverusedRunningGag were being overdone]] at this point.
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** Also, in In a less typical example, despite the main comic making Jason's receiving of a GenderBender as a major running gag it seems to be more popular in fan work to apply it to Robin instead.
*** ** Robin makes the cuter girl.
***girl. Or maybe it's just because Jason's transformations [[OverusedRunningGag were being overdone]] at this point.
***
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* A Darkhorse Race would be the Jägers in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. Originally amusing background characters, they were so popular that they became a major plot element, and 4 joined the main cast.
** More specifically, [[FanNickname Da Boyz]], a trio of Jägermonsters sent to find a remaining Heterodynes (plus Jenka). Also the ''Girl Genius'' Wiki has a suprising amount of support for the ''nyar spider'', a small spider that appears in one comic, wraps up a bad guy for dinner, and is promptly squished. People were oddly happy when it turned out this was a species, not an individual.
* Steve from ''QuestionableContent'' really only exists to give Marten a male friend, but he has a loyal following that wonder what he's up to during his long absences from the comic. When the answers [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1350 are like this]], it's no wonder.
** More specifically, [[FanNickname Da Boyz]], a trio of Jägermonsters sent to find a remaining Heterodynes (plus Jenka). Also the ''Girl Genius'' Wiki has a suprising amount of support for the ''nyar spider'', a small spider that appears in one comic, wraps up a bad guy for dinner, and is promptly squished. People were oddly happy when it turned out this was a species, not an individual.
* Steve from ''QuestionableContent'' really only exists to give Marten a male friend, but he has a loyal following that wonder what he's up to during his long absences from the comic. When the answers [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1350 are like this]], it's no wonder.
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* A Darkhorse Race would be the Jägers in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. Originally amusing background characters, they were so popular that they became a major plot element, and 4 joined the main cast.
**cast. More specifically, [[FanNickname Da Boyz]], a trio of Jägermonsters sent to find a remaining Heterodynes (plus Jenka). Also the ''Girl Genius'' Wiki has a suprising amount of support for the ''nyar spider'', a small spider that appears in one comic, wraps up a bad guy for dinner, and is promptly squished. People were oddly happy when it turned out this was a species, not an individual.
* ''QuestionableContent'':
** Stevefrom ''QuestionableContent'' really only exists to give Marten a male friend, but he has a loyal following that wonder what he's up to during his long absences from the comic. When the answers [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1350 are like this]], it's no wonder.
**
* ''QuestionableContent'':
** Steve
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** And according to the results of a "most popular character" poll, the most popular character (by far, scoring twice as many votes as the runner up) is... ...[[TheWoobie Hannelore!]] It surprised the hell out of the author.
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** And according According to the results of a "most popular character" poll, the most popular character (by far, scoring twice as many votes as the runner up) is... ...[[TheWoobie Hannelore!]] It surprised the hell out of the author.
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* In ''IrregularWebcomic'' we have the Allosaurus. He first appeared infrequently, but after fans grew very attached to him he started being more commonly featured, his growing popularity eventually led to a successful presidential campaign.
** He also has the distinction on of being one of the few characters that invariably prompts mass-hacking into the popularity polls.
** He also has the distinction on of being one of the few characters that invariably prompts mass-hacking into the popularity polls.
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* In ''IrregularWebcomic'' we ''IrregularWebcomic'':
** We have the Allosaurus. He first appeared infrequently, but after fans grew very attached to him he started being more commonly featured, his growing popularity eventually led to a successful presidentialcampaign.
**campaign. He also has the distinction on of being one of the few characters that invariably prompts mass-hacking into the popularity polls.
** We have the Allosaurus. He first appeared infrequently, but after fans grew very attached to him he started being more commonly featured, his growing popularity eventually led to a successful presidential
**
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* In ''DominicDeegan'' we have Caylin Bren, [[BlondGuysAreEvil evil blonde leader]] of The Chosen. Caylin's head got exploded by Luna, but there's just enough evidence suggesting he could have lived through it that it didn't quiet his fans. He was also written into the maligned Snowsong story arc, appearing in several flashback strips.
** Bren's popularity appears to have waned over time. Nowadays, ''the'' EnsembleDarkHorse of the series is Punchy Mc Stonefist, the dwarf who everyone remembers for punching Dominic in the balls, followed by the TimeAbyss MagnificentBastard Rilian (who arranged for the aforementioned ball-punching as a SecretTestOfCharacter), Bort the Mongrelman, and Gerald, a smiley face made of newspaper clippings that acts as Quilt's CompanionCube.
** Bren's popularity appears to have waned over time. Nowadays, ''the'' EnsembleDarkHorse of the series is Punchy Mc Stonefist, the dwarf who everyone remembers for punching Dominic in the balls, followed by the TimeAbyss MagnificentBastard Rilian (who arranged for the aforementioned ball-punching as a SecretTestOfCharacter), Bort the Mongrelman, and Gerald, a smiley face made of newspaper clippings that acts as Quilt's CompanionCube.
to:
* In ''DominicDeegan'' we ''DominicDeegan'':
** We have Caylin Bren, [[BlondGuysAreEvil evil blonde leader]] of The Chosen. Caylin's head got exploded by Luna, but there's just enough evidence suggesting he could have lived through it that it didn't quiet his fans. He was also written into the maligned Snowsong story arc, appearing in several flashbackstrips.
**strips. Bren's popularity appears to have waned over time. Nowadays, time.
** Later ''the'' EnsembleDarkHorse of the seriesis became Punchy Mc Stonefist, [=McStonefist=], the dwarf who everyone remembers for punching Dominic in the balls, followed by the TimeAbyss MagnificentBastard Rilian (who arranged for the aforementioned ball-punching as a SecretTestOfCharacter), Bort the Mongrelman, and Gerald, a smiley face made of newspaper clippings that acts as Quilt's CompanionCube.
** We have Caylin Bren, [[BlondGuysAreEvil evil blonde leader]] of The Chosen. Caylin's head got exploded by Luna, but there's just enough evidence suggesting he could have lived through it that it didn't quiet his fans. He was also written into the maligned Snowsong story arc, appearing in several flashback
**
** Later ''the'' EnsembleDarkHorse of the series
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* [[SlightlyDamned Buwaro's]] CompanionCube treatment of his pet rock Thadius [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins1.jpg has]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins2.jpg rubbed]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins3.jpg off]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/soshika/soshika-clockworkthadius.gif on]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/FIZ/FIZ-thadiusmkii.jpg the]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/yoyobionicle/yoyobionicle-itsthadius.jpg fans]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/rodylg/rodylg-therockfell%20HAIKU.gif to]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/liam/liam-jealousbuwaro.jpg a]] [[RefugeInAudacity ridiculous]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/kimisakitsune/kimisakitsune-unf.png degree]]. Who even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/coshidragonite/coshidragonite-fanmail.jpg themselves]]. (Warning: "degree" is NSWF if you work with [[Literature/{{Discworld}} silicon-based]] [[AllTrollsAreDifferent lifeforms.]])
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* [[SlightlyDamned Buwaro's]] ''SlightlyDamned'' Buwaro's CompanionCube treatment of his pet rock Thadius [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins1.jpg has]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins2.jpg rubbed]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins3.jpg off]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/soshika/soshika-clockworkthadius.gif on]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/FIZ/FIZ-thadiusmkii.jpg the]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/yoyobionicle/yoyobionicle-itsthadius.jpg fans]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/rodylg/rodylg-therockfell%20HAIKU.gif to]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/liam/liam-jealousbuwaro.jpg a]] [[RefugeInAudacity ridiculous]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/kimisakitsune/kimisakitsune-unf.png degree]]. Who even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/coshidragonite/coshidragonite-fanmail.jpg themselves]]. (Warning: "degree" is NSWF if you work with [[Literature/{{Discworld}} silicon-based]] [[AllTrollsAreDifferent lifeforms.]])
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* L&H Michael from ''WebVideo/LooneyTunesIntroBloopers'' has quite the fanbase.
** [[ThoseTwoGuys Jimmy and Hank]] are also quite popular among the fandom.
** [[ThoseTwoGuys Jimmy and Hank]] are also quite popular among the fandom.
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* Grass Man from [[HarryPartridge Harry Partridge's]] Bo-Starr and the Champions of Galastrom appears to be a massive fan favourite.
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* ''[[Literature/TheMagicForIdiots Mabaka]]'' has [[CatBoy Maruchi]], Rokuro's magic teacher. He was almost certainly ''designed'' to be a [[{{Jerkass}} major prick]], yet most readers can't help but love him.
to:
* ''[[Literature/TheMagicForIdiots Mabaka]]'' Mabaka!]]'' has [[CatBoy Maruchi]], Rokuro's magic teacher. He was almost certainly ''designed'' to be a [[{{Jerkass}} major prick]], yet most readers can't help but love him.
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Updating this because the new trolls? AH. AHAHAHAHA. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. (Though I myself kind of like them in a weird sort of way.)
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** ''All'' of the trolls in the series seem to be ''radically'' more popular among the fandom, judging by the staggering amount of fan art, fan fiction, and cosplaying there are of them as opposed to the actual main characters.
to:
** ''All'' of the [[spoiler:post-scratch]] trolls in the series seem to be ''radically'' more popular among the fandom, judging by the staggering amount of fan art, fan fiction, and cosplaying there are of them as opposed to the actual main characters.
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** The main character of [[spoiler:Alpha!]]Rose's book series, Calmasis, has to be the worst offender of this in the history of the webcomic. Possibly no more significant than a passing mention and possible foreshadowing of other events, [[AmbiguousGender s/he]] has hundreds of pieces of fanart and has already spawned several fan theories ''hours after their debut update.'' Yes, a character within a book within a webcomic who was only described in detail on one page has quickly risen to massive popularity, already rivaling several other main characters who were given thousands of pages to flesh out. Only this fandom could do this.
to:
** The main character of [[spoiler:Alpha!]]Rose's [[spoiler:Post scratch ]]Rose's book series, Calmasis, has to be the worst offender of this in the history of the webcomic. Possibly no more significant than a passing mention and possible foreshadowing of other events, [[AmbiguousGender s/he]] has hundreds of pieces of fanart and has already spawned several fan theories ''hours after their debut update.'' Yes, a character within a book within a webcomic who was only described in detail on one page has quickly risen to massive popularity, already rivaling several other main characters who were given thousands of pages to flesh out. Only this fandom could do this.
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** Also Magi-Chan. His snark, lack of sycophantic behavior towards Chris (compared to the other characters), and apparent homosexuality (not intended by Chris of course) gave him this status.
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** Before either of them was Susan, who was originally intended by the author to be a minor secondary character and has long since become a firmly established member of the main cast.
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** Before either of them was Susan, who was originally intended by the author to be a minor secondary character and has long since become a firmly established member of the main cast.cast with multiple tragic backstories and some of the most visible character development of any of them.
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** Before either of them was Susan, who was originally intended by the author to be a minor secondary character and has long since become a firmly established member of the main cast.
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* Kamikaze Kate from ''{{Misfile}}'' has managed to be far more popular than her number of appearances would seem to warrant.
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* Kamikaze Kate from ''{{Misfile}}'' ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'' has managed to be far more popular than her number of appearances would seem to warrant.
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** Now that Scarlett's been given a name ([[SylviaPlath Sylvia]]), she may count as an AscendedExtra by virtue of this trope.
to:
** Now that Scarlett's been given a name ([[SylviaPlath ([[Creator/SylviaPlath Sylvia]]), she may count as an AscendedExtra by virtue of this trope.
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* Webcomic/{{Digger}} has Ed, who started off as just a random hyena-monster the author created because she couldn't draw a bear, and ended up being a {{Woobie}} and probably the most beloved character in the entire comic.
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Removed hate-wank from the end of CAD\'s entry
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* Fail-Druid and Rob from CtrlAltDel, despite the fact that they're supposed to be annoying, are the most beloved characters in the series. Largely because they have actual personalities, and aren't a bunch of AntiSue's.
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* Fail-Druid and Rob from CtrlAltDel, despite the fact that they're supposed to be annoying, are the most beloved characters in the series. Largely because they have actual personalities, and aren't a bunch of AntiSue's.
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* [[spoiler: Android]] Nin Wah from ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty''. She ends up getting quite a bit of CharacterDevelopment that [[spoiler: the real one]] missed out on, and even TookALevelInKindness [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2011/11/19/birth-of-a-spacer/ towards CK]]. The comments would often mention that they preferred this one over [[spoiler: the real Nin Wah]].
Deleted line(s) 135 (click to see context) :
* [[spoiler: Android]] Nin Wah from ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty''. She ends up getting quite a bit of CharacterDevelopment that [[spoiler: the real one]] missed out on, and even TookALevelInKindness [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2011/11/19/birth-of-a-spacer/ towards CK]]. The comments would often mention that they preferred this one over [[spoiler: the real Nin Wah]].
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* [[spoiler: Android]] Nin Wah from ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty''. She ends up getting quite a bit of CharacterDevelopment that [[spoiler: the real one]] missed out on, and even TookALevelInKindness [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2011/11/19/birth-of-a-spacer/ towards CK]]. The comments would often mention that they preferred this one over [[spoiler: the real Nin Wah]].
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* ''[[Literature/TheMagicForIdiots Mabaka]]'' has [[CatBoy Maruchi]], Rokuro's magic teacher. He was almost certainly ''designed'' to be a [[{{Jerkass}} major prick]], yet most readers can't help but love him.
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* There is a fine [[spoiler:''literal'']] example of this in ''DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'': Bad Horse, who gets only a couple of songs and a brief cameo at the end. Nonetheless, he's become quite popular in the fandom.
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* There is a fine [[spoiler:''literal'']] example of this in ''DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'': ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'': Bad Horse, who gets only a couple of songs and a brief cameo at the end. Nonetheless, he's become quite popular in the fandom.
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* From ThatGuyWithTheGlasses:
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* From ThatGuyWithTheGlasses:Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses:
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** [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses. One of many contributors who joined the site in late 2008, and plucked from almost complete obscurity, he quickly rose to become one of the site's biggest draws in only a few short months. Part of this was his unique niche (he is one of two ComicBook reviewers on the site), part of it was his consistent schedule (and at first, he posted ''more'' than one video a week, because he had a backlog of video reviews from before he joined the site), and part of it was his ColbertBump from [[TheSpoonyOne Spoony]], who became a frequent collaborator. As early as January/February 2009, there was talk of him headlining a "comics and animation" section of the site called "Four Color Fantasy" (later renamed "Inked Reality"), but in fact he's so popular he's ''still'' listed separately, as an individual, on the site, a distinction shared only by Doug, Lindsay, Brad and Noah.
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** [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.Linkara]]. One of many contributors who joined the site in late 2008, and plucked from almost complete obscurity, he quickly rose to become one of the site's biggest draws in only a few short months. Part of this was his unique niche (he is one of two ComicBook reviewers on the site), part of it was his consistent schedule (and at first, he posted ''more'' than one video a week, because he had a backlog of video reviews from before he joined the site), and part of it was his ColbertBump from [[TheSpoonyOne Spoony]], who became a frequent collaborator. As early as January/February 2009, there was talk of him headlining a "comics and animation" section of the site called "Four Color Fantasy" (later renamed "Inked Reality"), but in fact he's so popular he's ''still'' listed separately, as an individual, on the site, a distinction shared only by Doug, Lindsay, Brad and Noah.
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* ObscurusLupa often does impressions of characters from the films she reviews. However, while reviewing the ''Film/{{Subspecies}}'' movies, her [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Radu]] impression took on a life of its own, and fans fell in love with her portrayal of him as a dopey, down-on-his-luck guy who's obsessed with boobs. He now has his own SpinOff, ''Radu Reviews'', and has been upgraded from just being a voice to having Lupa dress up as him, complete with [[LooksLikeOrlock giant Orlock hands]].
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** Some of the trolls have gained popularity after the show's renaming to True Capitalist Radio. The Internet Buttstalker, Tub Guy, Ghetto Capitalist, Horny the Clown and the Ban All Bronies guy/Btown also are popular trolls.
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* Con, from KilplixNFriends, to the point where he has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6zpb_HMSjk his very own video]].
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* Con, from KilplixNFriends, LetsPlay/KilplixNFriends, to the point where he has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6zpb_HMSjk his very own video]].
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* TeamStarKid, the group responsible for ''AVeryPotterMusical'' and ''MeAndMyDick'', has Jim Povolo. Despite getting a lot of the bit parts, he manages to steal ''every single scene he's in''.
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* TeamStarKid, Creator/TeamStarKid, the group responsible for ''AVeryPotterMusical'' and ''MeAndMyDick'', has Jim Povolo. Despite getting a lot of the bit parts, he manages to steal ''every single scene he's in''.
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* [[AxCrazy Flippy]] from ''HappyTreeFriends''.
** [[OnlySaneMan Flaky]] as well. The two are a FanPreferredCouple.
** [[OnlySaneMan Flaky]] as well. The two are a FanPreferredCouple.
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* Cuddles may be the SeriesMascot of ''HappyTreeFriends'' but [[AxCrazy Flippy]] from ''HappyTreeFriends''.
**and [[OnlySaneMan Flaky]] as well. The two are a FanPreferredCouple.undeniably the most popular characters. Unsurprisingly they're the FanPreferredCouple of the franchise.
**
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Describe WebOriginal and WebComic characters who [[EnsembleDarkhorse really caught on with the fans, despite not being a main character]] here.
[[folder: Web Comics ]]
* Midoribom AKA Racer from ''BombermanLandParody'' is quite popular despite only appearing in that one comic in the entire Bomberman fandom. He is featured the most though
* Roast Beef, Ray and (to a lesser extent) Pat from ''{{Achewood}}'' were originally part of "The Dirtiest Guys in Town," a group of nondescript cats who hung out together in early arcs. Ray and Roast Beef later became the main characters of the strip and Pat a notable supporting character.
* Fail-Druid and Rob from CtrlAltDel, despite the fact that they're supposed to be annoying, are the most beloved characters in the series. Largely because they have actual personalities, and aren't a bunch of AntiSue's.
* Sasha from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Riff's girlfriend for under two years out of the strip's 10+ year run, enjoyed lasting popularity despite not making any in-continuity appearances between mid-2002 and mid-2009.
** There was also Bert, Torg's artist friend with a disturbing obsession with crotches. He proved to be so popular, [[spoiler: his life was spared in the KITTEN arc, which was written with the full intent of killing off a bunch of secondary characters. He was eventually killed off in the KITTEN II sequel arc, but still lasted much longer than originally intended, and even returned for a while as a ghost.]]
** Most recently, Crushestro, one of the villains introduced in the "Paradise" arc, gained significant popularity due to his [[LargeHam over-the-top]] mannerisms. He recently made a reappearance for another BreatherEpisode. [[spoiler:He then later ended up [[EnemyMine teaming up with Torg]] to fight Bestseid.]]
* Branch, from ''HomeOnTheStrange''. [[http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=97 This is how she started out]] - as a person [[TheScrappy even the other characters couldn't stand]]. A more unlikely EnsembleDarkHorse has never been seen, but [[http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=101 exactly one sentence]] of CharacterDevelopment made her TheWoobie and a fan favorite.
* Originally, [[EvilTwin Nale]] was supposed to be the only member of the [[PsychoRangers Linear Guild]] who survived their encounter with the ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]''. But fans latched on to the PsychopathicManChild Thog, so Rich Burlew made him (and Nale's girlfriend Sabine) recurring villains.
** Thog's status received lampshading [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0788.html here]].
---> '''Tarquin:''' It's weird, no matter how many people he kills, the audience still thinks he's lovable.
** Then of course there's [[MemeticBadass O-Chul]] and [[MemeticBystander That Guy With A Halberd]].
** Not forgetting Daigo and Kazumi Kato, formerly Soldier #1 and Soldier #2.
** The [=MitD=] (Monster in the Darkness) is also a fan fave, and Mr. Scruffy could be considered a dark horse except he's actually very important to the plot (just not yet).
** The Booted Wight, Tsukiko's right hand minion (and the unofficial face of her undead mooks) is also quite popular.
* Cassie [=SinClair=] from ''TheWotch'' seems to have a much bigger following than main character Anne Onymous, despite her appearances in canon being rather sporadic.
** This is probably due to shipping: Robin/Cassie is much more popular than Robin/Anne. Also, her sporadic appearances seem to help her avoid the IdiotBall.
** Also, in a less typical example, despite the main comic making Jason's receiving of a GenderBender as a major running gag it seems to be more popular in fan work to apply it to Robin instead.
*** Robin makes the cuter girl.
*** Or maybe it's just because Jason's transformations [[OverusedRunningGag were being overdone]] at this point.
* Zexion from ''AnsemRetort'' is a prime example of this trope. Originally planned to be the straight man to Axel, he gradually became more of the {{jerkass}}, and his popularity grew with it. By Season 2, his gradual descent into being a jackass had become a free fall. His popularity grew to the point that Season 3 focused entirely on him, he's featured in the intro image to the website, and is arguably the most popular character in the entire series.
* A Darkhorse Race would be the Jägers in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. Originally amusing background characters, they were so popular that they became a major plot element, and 4 joined the main cast.
** More specifically, [[FanNickname Da Boyz]], a trio of Jägermonsters sent to find a remaining Heterodynes (plus Jenka). Also the ''Girl Genius'' Wiki has a suprising amount of support for the ''nyar spider'', a small spider that appears in one comic, wraps up a bad guy for dinner, and is promptly squished. People were oddly happy when it turned out this was a species, not an individual.
* Steve from ''QuestionableContent'' really only exists to give Marten a male friend, but he has a loyal following that wonder what he's up to during his long absences from the comic. When the answers [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1350 are like this]], it's no wonder.
** The fourth-wall breaking filler character "Sweet-Tits" became an instant favourite, despite only appearing twice and never being coloured or given a proper name.
** And according to the results of a "most popular character" poll, the most popular character (by far, scoring twice as many votes as the runner up) is... ...[[TheWoobie Hannelore!]] It surprised the hell out of the author.
* Kamikaze Kate from ''{{Misfile}}'' has managed to be far more popular than her number of appearances would seem to warrant.
* ''WebComic/OzyAndMillie'' has had a handful of one-shot, or even one-panel, characters who gained a fandom. They include Edwin the clueless juror, Emily the schoolgirl skunk, and Stevie the black cat. The latter two have reappeared on occasions when the cartoonist needed extra students, but they remain {{Flat|Character}}.
* Doctor Hot from ''CheckerboardNightmare''. The author rolled with it and expanded his role, to further fan approval, but that didn't mean he had to like it. As his cast page describes him:
-->''Hacky, sensationalist TV pop psychologist who appeared in ONE LOUSY PANEL whose single-word catch phrase has been adopted by "Checkerboard Nightmare" fans.''
* In ''IrregularWebcomic'' we have the Allosaurus. He first appeared infrequently, but after fans grew very attached to him he started being more commonly featured, his growing popularity eventually led to a successful presidential campaign.
** He also has the distinction on of being one of the few characters that invariably prompts mass-hacking into the popularity polls.
** In a fan poll, the most popular character was... {{Death}} of [[KillItWithFire Insanely Overpowered Fireballs]], surpassing by a wide margin even the author, Steve, and Draak.
* In ''DominicDeegan'' we have Caylin Bren, [[BlondGuysAreEvil evil blonde leader]] of The Chosen. Caylin's head got exploded by Luna, but there's just enough evidence suggesting he could have lived through it that it didn't quiet his fans. He was also written into the maligned Snowsong story arc, appearing in several flashback strips.
** Bren's popularity appears to have waned over time. Nowadays, ''the'' EnsembleDarkHorse of the series is Punchy Mc Stonefist, the dwarf who everyone remembers for punching Dominic in the balls, followed by the TimeAbyss MagnificentBastard Rilian (who arranged for the aforementioned ball-punching as a SecretTestOfCharacter), Bort the Mongrelman, and Gerald, a smiley face made of newspaper clippings that acts as Quilt's CompanionCube.
* Katherine from ''WapsiSquare'', a fairly minor supporting character, developed a fanbase rivaling most others, prior to the [[CerebusSyndrome major shift in subject and tone]]. Fan demand led to her being one of the few supporting characters who were carried over after the change; although her role remains minor.
* [[SlightlyDamned Buwaro's]] CompanionCube treatment of his pet rock Thadius [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins1.jpg has]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins2.jpg rubbed]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins3.jpg off]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/soshika/soshika-clockworkthadius.gif on]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/FIZ/FIZ-thadiusmkii.jpg the]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/yoyobionicle/yoyobionicle-itsthadius.jpg fans]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/rodylg/rodylg-therockfell%20HAIKU.gif to]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/liam/liam-jealousbuwaro.jpg a]] [[RefugeInAudacity ridiculous]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/kimisakitsune/kimisakitsune-unf.png degree]]. Who even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/coshidragonite/coshidragonite-fanmail.jpg themselves]]. (Warning: "degree" is NSWF if you work with [[Literature/{{Discworld}} silicon-based]] [[AllTrollsAreDifferent lifeforms.]])
* Bard from ''[[Webcomic/EightBitTheater 8-bit Theater]]'' was only seen in a one-panel gag as the "fifth Light Warrior" who was unmade by Sarda [[RetGone before his birth]]. He is quite commonly mentioned in the comic's forum, with some members even managing to trick a few people that he actually was in the comic at first and the creator retroactively replaced earlier strips with Bard-free strips - a tactic the author actually pulled off on a smaller scale before.
** There's also King Steve, the [[TheCaligula insane]] and [[TheDitz utterly retarded]] CloudCuckooLander ruler of Corneria, and the [[UnknownRival Dark Warriors]]. Despite their lack of plot relevance, they both get more attention than was originally planned, and the Dark Warriors also get [[spoiler:all the credit for killing Chaos]], since they [[SureLetsGoWithThat happen to look kinda like the Light Warriors]].
* [[http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=266 Kingsonnn Dededoo]] from ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'' initially appeared in one of the gag-a-day strips, but became a fan favorite on the forums. He has since made at least one more appearence.
** Despite being TheScrappy in the video games, Waluigi is - '''[[color:purple: [[HostileShowTakeover WALUIGI TIME]]. Waluigi is funniest character in the comic. [[ThirdPersonPerson Waluigi]] makes everything better, and - [[KilledMidSentence GACK!]]]]''' Ahem. Waluigi is an even bigger Darkhorse, as he debuted in a series of [[DadaComic Dada comics]] Matthew made for AprilFoolsDay. In fact, Waluigi's become so popular thanks to BitF, his canon counterpart's gone from Scrappy to BaseBreaker status.
* Dr. Lee, from ''SkinHorse'' by Shaenon Garrity and Jeffrey Channing. She was in one series, as the {{Meganekko}} [[HotScientist repressed]] MadScientist and one of the antagonists, but she is still being requested by fans, and drawn in fan art,
* Regina from ''DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' appeared for a single panel in a flashback, then got an almost-blank [[http://web.archive.org/web/20060518005135/http://www.missmab.com/Cast/regina.php cast page]] a few years later. Her resultant fan following was... mind-boggling. Readers' minds were boggled right back when she finally [[http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_963.php appeared out of nowhere]] in 2009.
* The [[Webcomic/HarkAVagrant fat Shetland Pony]] from ''[[Creator/KateBeaton Hark! A Vagrant!]]'' has developed quite a fan following, considering that he was created for a one-off strip about a horse pooping.
** So much so that a limited edition run of [[http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=BEAT-PONYFIGURE&Category_Code=BEAT Fat Pony figurines]] were made. They have all since been sold.
*** The Adventure Time episode "The Eyes" focuses on an unblinking fat Shetland Pony who, according to Word Of God, is based off of this character!
* Given its [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters very large]] GeodesicCast and tendency to fall into FourLinesAllWaiting, there's quite a few of these in the ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' fandom, although to what extent you could call those characters "minor" is debateable. [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Wayward Vagabond]] was one of the first though, and gained quite a large following even before becoming a playable character.
** The best example would probably be Ms. Paint, a random background character in Prospit that became well-known due to her PunnyName and unique appearance, but has absolutely ''no'' bearing on the plot whatsoever.
** Another good example would be [[CrazySurvivalist Fedorafreak]], a character who has "appeared" in the form of background messages on John's dad's PDA a grand total of maybe four times. There are people who roleplay as him.
** ''All'' of the trolls in the series seem to be ''radically'' more popular among the fandom, judging by the staggering amount of fan art, fan fiction, and cosplaying there are of them as opposed to the actual main characters.
*** [[FurryFandom Nepeta]] is another good example. Despite being very popular among the fandom, and appearing in a ton of fanart, she's probably the least important of the trolls. All she's done that's of any significance is being Aradia's server player, and asking Rose to talk to Jaspersprite. The latter of those two leads to [[spoiler:Rose leaving Jaspersprite seemingly for good]], but that's still a relatively minor event.
** Jake English became one ''very'' quickly, and his popularity borders on MemeticBadass / MemeticSexGod at times. It probably helped that his debut finally gave some resolution to who the hell Jade's penpal was anyway.
** The main character of [[spoiler:Alpha!]]Rose's book series, Calmasis, has to be the worst offender of this in the history of the webcomic. Possibly no more significant than a passing mention and possible foreshadowing of other events, [[AmbiguousGender s/he]] has hundreds of pieces of fanart and has already spawned several fan theories ''hours after their debut update.'' Yes, a character within a book within a webcomic who was only described in detail on one page has quickly risen to massive popularity, already rivaling several other main characters who were given thousands of pages to flesh out. Only this fandom could do this.
** Much like Calmasis, an [[spoiler: unknown dead troll]] suddenly garnered tons of fanart before speaking even a single line. Granted, [[spoiler: Aranea]] has since interacted with a good portion of the main cast, [[spoiler: and she was directly involved in setting up the events that led to the troll's session.]]
** The Felt. Despite being a QuirkyMinibossSquad made specifically for the Midnight Crew Intermission, they became very popular among the fanbase. So popular that they may have increased their importance among the comic; Act 5 introduces Doc Scratch, a new member of the Felt, and reveals that Felt boss Lord English is a time-traveling demon with a connection to the Troll Universe. [[spoiler: It turns out Scratch and English [[TheManBehindTheMan masterminded the entire plot]] of ''Homestuck''.]] Speaking of the Midnight Crew...
* ''ProblemSleuth'': [[Characters/HomestuckTheMidnightCrew the Midnight Crew]] debuted and appear exclusively in several donation commands, "[waging] merciless, donation-funded warfare against the protagonists in a non-canonical but nonetheless grand plotline.". They later became a fundamental part of the plot of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', both as themselves and as alternate universe counterparts. Such was their popularity that Hussie briefly gave serious consideration to doing a Midnight Crew adventure instead of ''Homestuck''.
** Not only do they appear, but their alternate reality selves play a big part in the comic. This also sets forth a very confusing game within a game scenario.
* Lolrus from ''WhatDoYouDo'' is incredibly popular for something that only appears like 7 times out of over 700 panels.
* Selby from ''WoodsForTheTrees''.
* ''{{Erfworld}}'' has several, some of which the authors delight in putting in, even as background characters. Most notable is [[FanNickname "Scarlett"]], the unnamed redheaded Unaroyal warlord who has since her first few appearances [[spoiler:been decrypted and joined Gobwin Knob]] and continued to appear frequently. Also, Vurp, the [[LastOfHisKind last surviving Hobgobwin]] after Chapter One, and to a lesser extent Sizemore, the most underused Caster.
** Now that Scarlett's been given a name ([[SylviaPlath Sylvia]]), she may count as an AscendedExtra by virtue of this trope.
* Yawning Squirtle from ''Webcomic/{{Sonichu}}''. He's so much of an Ensemble Darkhorse that he [[BreakoutCharacter has his own]] [[{{Moon-Pals}} webcomic]].
* [[Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt Boxbot is terrible]]. [[ChewToy Nobody likes Boxbot]]. [[TheWoobie Except for those that do]].
* Ples Tibenoch of ''HannaIsNotABoysName'' already had a massive fanbase ''before he was even introduced into the comic'', all based on a few doodles and lone illustrations from the author.
** Don't forget the unnamed cashier from the liquor store! He appears in maybe 3 pages of the whole story, yet fans have latched onto him, affectionately dubbed him "CA$H MONEY", and you should just see how much fanart he has.
* ''[[http://mortifer.smackjeeves.com Mortifer]]'' has a few examples:
** The best example would probably be Leonest. He was the first black marketeer the protagonists had to deal with, a demon-obsessed drug dealer. Thanks to his [[http://mortifer.smackjeeves.com/comics/243547/chap12-valentines-day-part-2/ cool design]] and deadpan attitude, he became instantly popular, and was upgraded to secondary cast member (Though all he did was hang out with the protagonists at their office between missions/during the BeachEpisode. It's implied that he started doing other work for [=SinTech=] that doesn't overlap with what the protagonists are doing).
** A rather odd example would be Matthew. While ostensibly a member of the main cast, he barely got any screen time -- only a small side plot about him stalking his brother's girlfriend that [[spoiler: eventually got co-opted by Joey anyway]]. Didn't stop Matthew from being more or less the strip's most popular character. [[spoiler: However, Matthew recently gained a ''lot'' more importance due to him becoming TheMole for Vlad. Amusingly enough, the reason for his betrayal was that he was never given anything to do -- in other words, [[DontExplainTheJoke because he didn't get enough screen time.]]
* ''FarOutThere'' has Bridget and Alphonse. The pair of [[http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1027273/page-27-that-tingling-sensation-youre-experiencing-is-culture-shock/ mute, superpowered zombie children]] were only introduced to be the sidekicks of a secondary character, but they've since become the most popular creations in the comic.
* ''LastRes0rt'' has Sedja the Efreet, a character that [[GenieInABottle lives in a bottle]] around Addy's neck. Despite only having a few pages where she's even seen in the comic, let alone in action... [[RuleOfCool well, who wouldn't like a character you shoot out of a gun?]]
* Zig Zag, the titular character's porn star boss in ''WebComic/SabrinaOnline'', has gradually been taking over the strip, to the point that the December 2010 group of strips focuses on Zig Zag and doesn't feature Sabrina at all.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' has Chika who won this status after five [[FourthWallMailSlot Q&A]] [[BSideComics comics]] with her, even despite general "enough of Q&A" reaction on EGS forum.
** Also, [[ShrinkingViolet Rhoda]], who didn't have much of a role until recently. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2006-06-30/ here]]
* LookingForGroup has Richard, who is without a doubt the most popular character in the whole story.
* Corasyn from NothingComesNaturally. An adorable little magenta WeaselMascot with odd, robotic speech patterns.
* Alexander Hamilton is not, by any means, a major character in TheDreamer. He showed up in the middle of Issue 9, played a small role, and was gone by the end of Issue 10. You would ''not'' know this from looking at his fanbase. Oh, the [[CrackShip shipping!]]
* ''Freakangels'' features 12 of the eponymous psychics, about eight of whom function as major characters. The spaciest and strangest of the lot, Arkady, is the most popular character with the fans. (Of course, she's also the only one who is perpetually sweet-tempered -- the rest of the Freakangels range from deeply cynical to downright murderous.)
* [[PerkyGoth Cookie Monster]] from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' has appeared in two comics and one [[LooseCanon Bonus page]] so far, but almost all of the comments on those pages are about her. Turns out, one of her roles was transition to ''the whole chapter'' in the Foley House (her style obviously is -- and was confirmed to be -- influenced by [[TheFairFolk Foley kids]]).
* Tempest of DomainTnemrot gained a large following on [[http://www.tnemrot.com/?p=251 her first page]] and when the story's focus switched to the main characters, there were complaints she didn't get more screen time.
* PennyArcade has Tycho's niece Anne, also known as Annarchy. While almost all cameo characters in Penny Arcade gain massive fan followings overnight, Anne deserves special mention, since when a poll was held to determine which minor character should get their own guest strip over ComicCon, Anne won by a huge margin.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* From ThatGuyWithTheGlasses:
** The [[ThatDudeInTheSuede curtains]], every time fanmail appears, there is always one on the end dedicated to the curtains. Unfortunately, Suede didn't take then with him after he moved (they were his parents', but still...).
** [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Doctor Insano]].
** [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick Nella]]! It really says something that all videos she's in get dozens of comments about on how awesome she is and how she should have her own show. And the Chick seems to be listening - Nella now shows up in almost every episode.
** [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses. One of many contributors who joined the site in late 2008, and plucked from almost complete obscurity, he quickly rose to become one of the site's biggest draws in only a few short months. Part of this was his unique niche (he is one of two ComicBook reviewers on the site), part of it was his consistent schedule (and at first, he posted ''more'' than one video a week, because he had a backlog of video reviews from before he joined the site), and part of it was his ColbertBump from [[TheSpoonyOne Spoony]], who became a frequent collaborator. As early as January/February 2009, there was talk of him headlining a "comics and animation" section of the site called "Four Color Fantasy" (later renamed "Inked Reality"), but in fact he's so popular he's ''still'' listed separately, as an individual, on the site, a distinction shared only by Doug, Lindsay, Brad and Noah.
** takahata101 of TeamFourStar ended up getting a lot of attention thanks in part to his portrayal of Nappa. LittleKuriboh would even lampshade his popularity by mentioning one of the best way to have a abridged series is having takahata provide a voice in the show.
*** Nappa from DragonBallAbridged has easily become one of the series most popular characters, to the point where he had been making occasional appearances as a ghost despite having been completely forgotten in the original work after his death. The Abridged version of the Abridged series lampshades this by giving Nappa the line "I am hilarious and you will quote everything I say!"
** Dad from ''WebVideo/AwesomeVideoGames'' is very big with the show's fandom, to the point where they requested he get an episode all to himself. [[ADayInTheLimelight He eventually did get one with a larger focus on him]], where he transformed the show into "Computer Entertainment Related Programming" to review Jack Nicklaus' Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf (misspelled as JackNicholson Golf in the episode title and the episode itself) on the NES.
*** Similarly, Deacon (Dad's actor) from ''WebVideo/VideoGamesAwesome'' has become inordinately popular for a guy who sits in the background and says relatively little, probably thanks in part to some residual Dad-ness.
** Their only pop music reviewer, ToddInTheShadows, to a small degree.
* In the ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' toons, Strong Bad started out as a villain who was always doomed to lose to Homestar. Now he's debatably the most popular character, and definitely one of the most recognisable.
** To a lesser extent, there's Homsar. He first appeared as a one-shot gag to make fun of a typo, and over time, has been promoted up the ranks to become part of the main cast. HR's creators have [[SeriouslyThoughNo joked]] about avoiding giving Homsar his own cartoon since they would never need to use him again.
*** Same goes for Senor Cardgage.
** Trogdor and Stinkoman (Strong Bad's [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue-haired]] anime counterpart) are also very popular with the fans. They even appear together in the fifth episode of [=SBCG4AP=]!
** Also Eh! Steve from the ShowWithinAShow ''Sweet Cuppin' Cakes''. Strong Bad insists that the main character is Sherlock, some kind of "mix between a cow and a helicopter" who is constantly trying ([[FailureIsTheOnlyOption and failing]]) to get a worm out of the ground, and that Eh! Steve is a background character who delivers his CatchPhrase once an episode. Nevertheless, Eh! Steve is vastly more popular and a much more recognizable symbol of the show.
** Teen Girl Squad is another good example.
** Strong Bad Lampshades this, along with TheOtherDarrin in the email [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail177.html original]]. After the departure of "Original Bubs," his temporary replacement "Onion Bubs" became a fan favorite.
*** ''Onion Bubs!'' ONION BUUUUUBS!!!
** Played with in-universe in Strong Bad's commentary for an old King of Town toon. He hates every single thing about it except for the Blacksmith.
--->'''Strong Bad''': Oh, now ''this'' guy had some class. The Blacksmith, that guy was a good guy. I hung out with him after the cartoon; yeah, we had some good times...
* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' has Caboose, for whom the writers originally had no real plans other than for him to be a catalyst to annoy Church. Once he devolved into TheDitz of the group, he became very popular with the fandom however.
* From what you can tell by the amount of views for 6 of the SpeedPaints for ''WebAnimation/FairyFoxes'' done by creator [=StickFreeks=] herself, [[TheStoic Kai]], [[HotWings Kiki]], and [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Louie]] might be in that territory.
* [[AxCrazy Flippy]] from ''HappyTreeFriends''.
** [[OnlySaneMan Flaky]] as well. The two are a FanPreferredCouple.
* There is a fine [[spoiler:''literal'']] example of this in ''DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'': Bad Horse, who gets only a couple of songs and a brief cameo at the end. Nonetheless, he's become quite popular in the fandom.
** Bad Horse, Bad Horse! He rides across the nation, the Thoroughbred of Sin!
*** [[http://whiteknightproductions.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/the-bad-horse-facts Bad Horse's iron hoofs are made from Tony Stark's skin.]]
* In the ''LoadingReadyRun'' fandom, Andrew Cownden is extremely popular despite not being a member of the core Loading Ready Run crew. The reasons for this are most likely his acting ability, the infrequency with which he appears, and his awesome accent.
** During ''DesertBusForHope'', Roscoe the duck takes the dark horse title. It just wouldn't be the same without him.
* Originally just a mention in the WhateleyUniverse, Aquerna has become this trope. She's one of the least powerful students at [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]], and became popular enough that one of the {{Canon}} authors is now writing Aquerna stories too.
* ''TheIrateGamer'' has one in the form of the Wise Sage, even some of the fans who snark and insult the show say he's a redeeming quality, in part probably because he acts slightly better than Bores, another reason why fans probably like him is the fact [[http://www.youtube.com/user/eallen001 the person]] who acts as the Sage doesn't defend Bores as much these days. Interestingly enough, the Sage doesn't appear after the Aladdin review, possibly implying that Bores is either not using him again, or [[SmallNameBigEgo the Sage was grabbing too much attention that he thinks is his]].
** He finally reappeared for a brief cameo in his ''Cool Spot'' review, but he didn't get any lines.
** Chris has seemed to figure out his Darkhorse status and now he's shoehorning in Wise Sage appearances hoping it will make his videos "look better".
* Rosa Fiametta seems to be one of the most liked characters for ''SurvivalOfTheFittest v4'' so far, alongside being a MemeticMolester[=/=]MemeticSexGod and LauncherOfAThousandShips. As well Orn "Dutchy" Ayers, a [[BiTheWay free-loving]], [[NerdsAreSexy comic-reading]], [[FunnyForeigner foreign]] [[TenderTears very sensitive]], Icelandic immigrant, who was held in high regard by many of the handlers ''before he even appeared for real''.
** Jared Clayton of [=SOTF-TV=] is also pretty popular, considering that he isn't even a contestant, just a mentor and has had all of one line (not even onscreen!) in the actual game. This is probably due to the in-character twitter the staff maintains for him, featuring [[DeadpanSnarker snark]] galore.
** Mr. Kwong, a teacher in v4. It's very unusual for a non-student to get much attention (either in or out of character), but you'd be hard pressed to find a handler that doesn't like him.
* Con, from KilplixNFriends, to the point where he has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6zpb_HMSjk his very own video]].
* WebVideo/TheHappyVideoGameNerd's basic shtick is showcasing retro gaming's [[EnsembleDarkhorse ensemble darkhorses]].
* TeamStarKid, the group responsible for ''AVeryPotterMusical'' and ''MeAndMyDick'', has Jim Povolo. Despite getting a lot of the bit parts, he manages to steal ''every single scene he's in''.
* The Godmonster of Indian Flats is more well known from StuartAshen's videos than the movie where he's the titular character.
* [[MetamorCity The Metamor City Podcast]] has Artax, originally created as an [[MrExposition expository engine]] to explain some of the more complex bits of the world's magic in universe, the fans have often cited him as a favorite character over several of the main characters.
* Cal Chuchesta of TheNeedleDrop
* Greg the Spider from ArbyNTheChief.
* The Queen of Rogues and Robbers was originally supposed to be a one-shot villain in ''TheQuestportChronicles'', but has been brought back every year due to her popularity.
* The Engineer from Radio/TrueCapitalist Radio. Many of the trolls who call into the show wish that he would host more than Ghost.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Web Comics ]]
* Midoribom AKA Racer from ''BombermanLandParody'' is quite popular despite only appearing in that one comic in the entire Bomberman fandom. He is featured the most though
* Roast Beef, Ray and (to a lesser extent) Pat from ''{{Achewood}}'' were originally part of "The Dirtiest Guys in Town," a group of nondescript cats who hung out together in early arcs. Ray and Roast Beef later became the main characters of the strip and Pat a notable supporting character.
* Fail-Druid and Rob from CtrlAltDel, despite the fact that they're supposed to be annoying, are the most beloved characters in the series. Largely because they have actual personalities, and aren't a bunch of AntiSue's.
* Sasha from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', Riff's girlfriend for under two years out of the strip's 10+ year run, enjoyed lasting popularity despite not making any in-continuity appearances between mid-2002 and mid-2009.
** There was also Bert, Torg's artist friend with a disturbing obsession with crotches. He proved to be so popular, [[spoiler: his life was spared in the KITTEN arc, which was written with the full intent of killing off a bunch of secondary characters. He was eventually killed off in the KITTEN II sequel arc, but still lasted much longer than originally intended, and even returned for a while as a ghost.]]
** Most recently, Crushestro, one of the villains introduced in the "Paradise" arc, gained significant popularity due to his [[LargeHam over-the-top]] mannerisms. He recently made a reappearance for another BreatherEpisode. [[spoiler:He then later ended up [[EnemyMine teaming up with Torg]] to fight Bestseid.]]
* Branch, from ''HomeOnTheStrange''. [[http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=97 This is how she started out]] - as a person [[TheScrappy even the other characters couldn't stand]]. A more unlikely EnsembleDarkHorse has never been seen, but [[http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=101 exactly one sentence]] of CharacterDevelopment made her TheWoobie and a fan favorite.
* Originally, [[EvilTwin Nale]] was supposed to be the only member of the [[PsychoRangers Linear Guild]] who survived their encounter with the ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]''. But fans latched on to the PsychopathicManChild Thog, so Rich Burlew made him (and Nale's girlfriend Sabine) recurring villains.
** Thog's status received lampshading [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0788.html here]].
---> '''Tarquin:''' It's weird, no matter how many people he kills, the audience still thinks he's lovable.
** Then of course there's [[MemeticBadass O-Chul]] and [[MemeticBystander That Guy With A Halberd]].
** Not forgetting Daigo and Kazumi Kato, formerly Soldier #1 and Soldier #2.
** The [=MitD=] (Monster in the Darkness) is also a fan fave, and Mr. Scruffy could be considered a dark horse except he's actually very important to the plot (just not yet).
** The Booted Wight, Tsukiko's right hand minion (and the unofficial face of her undead mooks) is also quite popular.
* Cassie [=SinClair=] from ''TheWotch'' seems to have a much bigger following than main character Anne Onymous, despite her appearances in canon being rather sporadic.
** This is probably due to shipping: Robin/Cassie is much more popular than Robin/Anne. Also, her sporadic appearances seem to help her avoid the IdiotBall.
** Also, in a less typical example, despite the main comic making Jason's receiving of a GenderBender as a major running gag it seems to be more popular in fan work to apply it to Robin instead.
*** Robin makes the cuter girl.
*** Or maybe it's just because Jason's transformations [[OverusedRunningGag were being overdone]] at this point.
* Zexion from ''AnsemRetort'' is a prime example of this trope. Originally planned to be the straight man to Axel, he gradually became more of the {{jerkass}}, and his popularity grew with it. By Season 2, his gradual descent into being a jackass had become a free fall. His popularity grew to the point that Season 3 focused entirely on him, he's featured in the intro image to the website, and is arguably the most popular character in the entire series.
* A Darkhorse Race would be the Jägers in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. Originally amusing background characters, they were so popular that they became a major plot element, and 4 joined the main cast.
** More specifically, [[FanNickname Da Boyz]], a trio of Jägermonsters sent to find a remaining Heterodynes (plus Jenka). Also the ''Girl Genius'' Wiki has a suprising amount of support for the ''nyar spider'', a small spider that appears in one comic, wraps up a bad guy for dinner, and is promptly squished. People were oddly happy when it turned out this was a species, not an individual.
* Steve from ''QuestionableContent'' really only exists to give Marten a male friend, but he has a loyal following that wonder what he's up to during his long absences from the comic. When the answers [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1350 are like this]], it's no wonder.
** The fourth-wall breaking filler character "Sweet-Tits" became an instant favourite, despite only appearing twice and never being coloured or given a proper name.
** And according to the results of a "most popular character" poll, the most popular character (by far, scoring twice as many votes as the runner up) is... ...[[TheWoobie Hannelore!]] It surprised the hell out of the author.
* Kamikaze Kate from ''{{Misfile}}'' has managed to be far more popular than her number of appearances would seem to warrant.
* ''WebComic/OzyAndMillie'' has had a handful of one-shot, or even one-panel, characters who gained a fandom. They include Edwin the clueless juror, Emily the schoolgirl skunk, and Stevie the black cat. The latter two have reappeared on occasions when the cartoonist needed extra students, but they remain {{Flat|Character}}.
* Doctor Hot from ''CheckerboardNightmare''. The author rolled with it and expanded his role, to further fan approval, but that didn't mean he had to like it. As his cast page describes him:
-->''Hacky, sensationalist TV pop psychologist who appeared in ONE LOUSY PANEL whose single-word catch phrase has been adopted by "Checkerboard Nightmare" fans.''
* In ''IrregularWebcomic'' we have the Allosaurus. He first appeared infrequently, but after fans grew very attached to him he started being more commonly featured, his growing popularity eventually led to a successful presidential campaign.
** He also has the distinction on of being one of the few characters that invariably prompts mass-hacking into the popularity polls.
** In a fan poll, the most popular character was... {{Death}} of [[KillItWithFire Insanely Overpowered Fireballs]], surpassing by a wide margin even the author, Steve, and Draak.
* In ''DominicDeegan'' we have Caylin Bren, [[BlondGuysAreEvil evil blonde leader]] of The Chosen. Caylin's head got exploded by Luna, but there's just enough evidence suggesting he could have lived through it that it didn't quiet his fans. He was also written into the maligned Snowsong story arc, appearing in several flashback strips.
** Bren's popularity appears to have waned over time. Nowadays, ''the'' EnsembleDarkHorse of the series is Punchy Mc Stonefist, the dwarf who everyone remembers for punching Dominic in the balls, followed by the TimeAbyss MagnificentBastard Rilian (who arranged for the aforementioned ball-punching as a SecretTestOfCharacter), Bort the Mongrelman, and Gerald, a smiley face made of newspaper clippings that acts as Quilt's CompanionCube.
* Katherine from ''WapsiSquare'', a fairly minor supporting character, developed a fanbase rivaling most others, prior to the [[CerebusSyndrome major shift in subject and tone]]. Fan demand led to her being one of the few supporting characters who were carried over after the change; although her role remains minor.
* [[SlightlyDamned Buwaro's]] CompanionCube treatment of his pet rock Thadius [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins1.jpg has]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins2.jpg rubbed]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/dragonfly/dragonfly-origins3.jpg off]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/soshika/soshika-clockworkthadius.gif on]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/FIZ/FIZ-thadiusmkii.jpg the]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/yoyobionicle/yoyobionicle-itsthadius.jpg fans]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/rodylg/rodylg-therockfell%20HAIKU.gif to]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/liam/liam-jealousbuwaro.jpg a]] [[RefugeInAudacity ridiculous]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/kimisakitsune/kimisakitsune-unf.png degree]]. Who even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] [[http://raizap.com/sdamned/fanart/coshidragonite/coshidragonite-fanmail.jpg themselves]]. (Warning: "degree" is NSWF if you work with [[Literature/{{Discworld}} silicon-based]] [[AllTrollsAreDifferent lifeforms.]])
* Bard from ''[[Webcomic/EightBitTheater 8-bit Theater]]'' was only seen in a one-panel gag as the "fifth Light Warrior" who was unmade by Sarda [[RetGone before his birth]]. He is quite commonly mentioned in the comic's forum, with some members even managing to trick a few people that he actually was in the comic at first and the creator retroactively replaced earlier strips with Bard-free strips - a tactic the author actually pulled off on a smaller scale before.
** There's also King Steve, the [[TheCaligula insane]] and [[TheDitz utterly retarded]] CloudCuckooLander ruler of Corneria, and the [[UnknownRival Dark Warriors]]. Despite their lack of plot relevance, they both get more attention than was originally planned, and the Dark Warriors also get [[spoiler:all the credit for killing Chaos]], since they [[SureLetsGoWithThat happen to look kinda like the Light Warriors]].
* [[http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=266 Kingsonnn Dededoo]] from ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'' initially appeared in one of the gag-a-day strips, but became a fan favorite on the forums. He has since made at least one more appearence.
** Despite being TheScrappy in the video games, Waluigi is - '''[[color:purple: [[HostileShowTakeover WALUIGI TIME]]. Waluigi is funniest character in the comic. [[ThirdPersonPerson Waluigi]] makes everything better, and - [[KilledMidSentence GACK!]]]]''' Ahem. Waluigi is an even bigger Darkhorse, as he debuted in a series of [[DadaComic Dada comics]] Matthew made for AprilFoolsDay. In fact, Waluigi's become so popular thanks to BitF, his canon counterpart's gone from Scrappy to BaseBreaker status.
* Dr. Lee, from ''SkinHorse'' by Shaenon Garrity and Jeffrey Channing. She was in one series, as the {{Meganekko}} [[HotScientist repressed]] MadScientist and one of the antagonists, but she is still being requested by fans, and drawn in fan art,
* Regina from ''DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' appeared for a single panel in a flashback, then got an almost-blank [[http://web.archive.org/web/20060518005135/http://www.missmab.com/Cast/regina.php cast page]] a few years later. Her resultant fan following was... mind-boggling. Readers' minds were boggled right back when she finally [[http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_963.php appeared out of nowhere]] in 2009.
* The [[Webcomic/HarkAVagrant fat Shetland Pony]] from ''[[Creator/KateBeaton Hark! A Vagrant!]]'' has developed quite a fan following, considering that he was created for a one-off strip about a horse pooping.
** So much so that a limited edition run of [[http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=BEAT-PONYFIGURE&Category_Code=BEAT Fat Pony figurines]] were made. They have all since been sold.
*** The Adventure Time episode "The Eyes" focuses on an unblinking fat Shetland Pony who, according to Word Of God, is based off of this character!
* Given its [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters very large]] GeodesicCast and tendency to fall into FourLinesAllWaiting, there's quite a few of these in the ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' fandom, although to what extent you could call those characters "minor" is debateable. [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Wayward Vagabond]] was one of the first though, and gained quite a large following even before becoming a playable character.
** The best example would probably be Ms. Paint, a random background character in Prospit that became well-known due to her PunnyName and unique appearance, but has absolutely ''no'' bearing on the plot whatsoever.
** Another good example would be [[CrazySurvivalist Fedorafreak]], a character who has "appeared" in the form of background messages on John's dad's PDA a grand total of maybe four times. There are people who roleplay as him.
** ''All'' of the trolls in the series seem to be ''radically'' more popular among the fandom, judging by the staggering amount of fan art, fan fiction, and cosplaying there are of them as opposed to the actual main characters.
*** [[FurryFandom Nepeta]] is another good example. Despite being very popular among the fandom, and appearing in a ton of fanart, she's probably the least important of the trolls. All she's done that's of any significance is being Aradia's server player, and asking Rose to talk to Jaspersprite. The latter of those two leads to [[spoiler:Rose leaving Jaspersprite seemingly for good]], but that's still a relatively minor event.
** Jake English became one ''very'' quickly, and his popularity borders on MemeticBadass / MemeticSexGod at times. It probably helped that his debut finally gave some resolution to who the hell Jade's penpal was anyway.
** The main character of [[spoiler:Alpha!]]Rose's book series, Calmasis, has to be the worst offender of this in the history of the webcomic. Possibly no more significant than a passing mention and possible foreshadowing of other events, [[AmbiguousGender s/he]] has hundreds of pieces of fanart and has already spawned several fan theories ''hours after their debut update.'' Yes, a character within a book within a webcomic who was only described in detail on one page has quickly risen to massive popularity, already rivaling several other main characters who were given thousands of pages to flesh out. Only this fandom could do this.
** Much like Calmasis, an [[spoiler: unknown dead troll]] suddenly garnered tons of fanart before speaking even a single line. Granted, [[spoiler: Aranea]] has since interacted with a good portion of the main cast, [[spoiler: and she was directly involved in setting up the events that led to the troll's session.]]
** The Felt. Despite being a QuirkyMinibossSquad made specifically for the Midnight Crew Intermission, they became very popular among the fanbase. So popular that they may have increased their importance among the comic; Act 5 introduces Doc Scratch, a new member of the Felt, and reveals that Felt boss Lord English is a time-traveling demon with a connection to the Troll Universe. [[spoiler: It turns out Scratch and English [[TheManBehindTheMan masterminded the entire plot]] of ''Homestuck''.]] Speaking of the Midnight Crew...
* ''ProblemSleuth'': [[Characters/HomestuckTheMidnightCrew the Midnight Crew]] debuted and appear exclusively in several donation commands, "[waging] merciless, donation-funded warfare against the protagonists in a non-canonical but nonetheless grand plotline.". They later became a fundamental part of the plot of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', both as themselves and as alternate universe counterparts. Such was their popularity that Hussie briefly gave serious consideration to doing a Midnight Crew adventure instead of ''Homestuck''.
** Not only do they appear, but their alternate reality selves play a big part in the comic. This also sets forth a very confusing game within a game scenario.
* Lolrus from ''WhatDoYouDo'' is incredibly popular for something that only appears like 7 times out of over 700 panels.
* Selby from ''WoodsForTheTrees''.
* ''{{Erfworld}}'' has several, some of which the authors delight in putting in, even as background characters. Most notable is [[FanNickname "Scarlett"]], the unnamed redheaded Unaroyal warlord who has since her first few appearances [[spoiler:been decrypted and joined Gobwin Knob]] and continued to appear frequently. Also, Vurp, the [[LastOfHisKind last surviving Hobgobwin]] after Chapter One, and to a lesser extent Sizemore, the most underused Caster.
** Now that Scarlett's been given a name ([[SylviaPlath Sylvia]]), she may count as an AscendedExtra by virtue of this trope.
* Yawning Squirtle from ''Webcomic/{{Sonichu}}''. He's so much of an Ensemble Darkhorse that he [[BreakoutCharacter has his own]] [[{{Moon-Pals}} webcomic]].
* [[Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt Boxbot is terrible]]. [[ChewToy Nobody likes Boxbot]]. [[TheWoobie Except for those that do]].
* Ples Tibenoch of ''HannaIsNotABoysName'' already had a massive fanbase ''before he was even introduced into the comic'', all based on a few doodles and lone illustrations from the author.
** Don't forget the unnamed cashier from the liquor store! He appears in maybe 3 pages of the whole story, yet fans have latched onto him, affectionately dubbed him "CA$H MONEY", and you should just see how much fanart he has.
* ''[[http://mortifer.smackjeeves.com Mortifer]]'' has a few examples:
** The best example would probably be Leonest. He was the first black marketeer the protagonists had to deal with, a demon-obsessed drug dealer. Thanks to his [[http://mortifer.smackjeeves.com/comics/243547/chap12-valentines-day-part-2/ cool design]] and deadpan attitude, he became instantly popular, and was upgraded to secondary cast member (Though all he did was hang out with the protagonists at their office between missions/during the BeachEpisode. It's implied that he started doing other work for [=SinTech=] that doesn't overlap with what the protagonists are doing).
** A rather odd example would be Matthew. While ostensibly a member of the main cast, he barely got any screen time -- only a small side plot about him stalking his brother's girlfriend that [[spoiler: eventually got co-opted by Joey anyway]]. Didn't stop Matthew from being more or less the strip's most popular character. [[spoiler: However, Matthew recently gained a ''lot'' more importance due to him becoming TheMole for Vlad. Amusingly enough, the reason for his betrayal was that he was never given anything to do -- in other words, [[DontExplainTheJoke because he didn't get enough screen time.]]
* ''FarOutThere'' has Bridget and Alphonse. The pair of [[http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1027273/page-27-that-tingling-sensation-youre-experiencing-is-culture-shock/ mute, superpowered zombie children]] were only introduced to be the sidekicks of a secondary character, but they've since become the most popular creations in the comic.
* ''LastRes0rt'' has Sedja the Efreet, a character that [[GenieInABottle lives in a bottle]] around Addy's neck. Despite only having a few pages where she's even seen in the comic, let alone in action... [[RuleOfCool well, who wouldn't like a character you shoot out of a gun?]]
* Zig Zag, the titular character's porn star boss in ''WebComic/SabrinaOnline'', has gradually been taking over the strip, to the point that the December 2010 group of strips focuses on Zig Zag and doesn't feature Sabrina at all.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' has Chika who won this status after five [[FourthWallMailSlot Q&A]] [[BSideComics comics]] with her, even despite general "enough of Q&A" reaction on EGS forum.
** Also, [[ShrinkingViolet Rhoda]], who didn't have much of a role until recently. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2006-06-30/ here]]
* LookingForGroup has Richard, who is without a doubt the most popular character in the whole story.
* Corasyn from NothingComesNaturally. An adorable little magenta WeaselMascot with odd, robotic speech patterns.
* Alexander Hamilton is not, by any means, a major character in TheDreamer. He showed up in the middle of Issue 9, played a small role, and was gone by the end of Issue 10. You would ''not'' know this from looking at his fanbase. Oh, the [[CrackShip shipping!]]
* ''Freakangels'' features 12 of the eponymous psychics, about eight of whom function as major characters. The spaciest and strangest of the lot, Arkady, is the most popular character with the fans. (Of course, she's also the only one who is perpetually sweet-tempered -- the rest of the Freakangels range from deeply cynical to downright murderous.)
* [[PerkyGoth Cookie Monster]] from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' has appeared in two comics and one [[LooseCanon Bonus page]] so far, but almost all of the comments on those pages are about her. Turns out, one of her roles was transition to ''the whole chapter'' in the Foley House (her style obviously is -- and was confirmed to be -- influenced by [[TheFairFolk Foley kids]]).
* Tempest of DomainTnemrot gained a large following on [[http://www.tnemrot.com/?p=251 her first page]] and when the story's focus switched to the main characters, there were complaints she didn't get more screen time.
* PennyArcade has Tycho's niece Anne, also known as Annarchy. While almost all cameo characters in Penny Arcade gain massive fan followings overnight, Anne deserves special mention, since when a poll was held to determine which minor character should get their own guest strip over ComicCon, Anne won by a huge margin.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* From ThatGuyWithTheGlasses:
** The [[ThatDudeInTheSuede curtains]], every time fanmail appears, there is always one on the end dedicated to the curtains. Unfortunately, Suede didn't take then with him after he moved (they were his parents', but still...).
** [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Doctor Insano]].
** [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick Nella]]! It really says something that all videos she's in get dozens of comments about on how awesome she is and how she should have her own show. And the Chick seems to be listening - Nella now shows up in almost every episode.
** [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] on ThatGuyWithTheGlasses. One of many contributors who joined the site in late 2008, and plucked from almost complete obscurity, he quickly rose to become one of the site's biggest draws in only a few short months. Part of this was his unique niche (he is one of two ComicBook reviewers on the site), part of it was his consistent schedule (and at first, he posted ''more'' than one video a week, because he had a backlog of video reviews from before he joined the site), and part of it was his ColbertBump from [[TheSpoonyOne Spoony]], who became a frequent collaborator. As early as January/February 2009, there was talk of him headlining a "comics and animation" section of the site called "Four Color Fantasy" (later renamed "Inked Reality"), but in fact he's so popular he's ''still'' listed separately, as an individual, on the site, a distinction shared only by Doug, Lindsay, Brad and Noah.
** takahata101 of TeamFourStar ended up getting a lot of attention thanks in part to his portrayal of Nappa. LittleKuriboh would even lampshade his popularity by mentioning one of the best way to have a abridged series is having takahata provide a voice in the show.
*** Nappa from DragonBallAbridged has easily become one of the series most popular characters, to the point where he had been making occasional appearances as a ghost despite having been completely forgotten in the original work after his death. The Abridged version of the Abridged series lampshades this by giving Nappa the line "I am hilarious and you will quote everything I say!"
** Dad from ''WebVideo/AwesomeVideoGames'' is very big with the show's fandom, to the point where they requested he get an episode all to himself. [[ADayInTheLimelight He eventually did get one with a larger focus on him]], where he transformed the show into "Computer Entertainment Related Programming" to review Jack Nicklaus' Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf (misspelled as JackNicholson Golf in the episode title and the episode itself) on the NES.
*** Similarly, Deacon (Dad's actor) from ''WebVideo/VideoGamesAwesome'' has become inordinately popular for a guy who sits in the background and says relatively little, probably thanks in part to some residual Dad-ness.
** Their only pop music reviewer, ToddInTheShadows, to a small degree.
* In the ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' toons, Strong Bad started out as a villain who was always doomed to lose to Homestar. Now he's debatably the most popular character, and definitely one of the most recognisable.
** To a lesser extent, there's Homsar. He first appeared as a one-shot gag to make fun of a typo, and over time, has been promoted up the ranks to become part of the main cast. HR's creators have [[SeriouslyThoughNo joked]] about avoiding giving Homsar his own cartoon since they would never need to use him again.
*** Same goes for Senor Cardgage.
** Trogdor and Stinkoman (Strong Bad's [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair blue-haired]] anime counterpart) are also very popular with the fans. They even appear together in the fifth episode of [=SBCG4AP=]!
** Also Eh! Steve from the ShowWithinAShow ''Sweet Cuppin' Cakes''. Strong Bad insists that the main character is Sherlock, some kind of "mix between a cow and a helicopter" who is constantly trying ([[FailureIsTheOnlyOption and failing]]) to get a worm out of the ground, and that Eh! Steve is a background character who delivers his CatchPhrase once an episode. Nevertheless, Eh! Steve is vastly more popular and a much more recognizable symbol of the show.
** Teen Girl Squad is another good example.
** Strong Bad Lampshades this, along with TheOtherDarrin in the email [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail177.html original]]. After the departure of "Original Bubs," his temporary replacement "Onion Bubs" became a fan favorite.
*** ''Onion Bubs!'' ONION BUUUUUBS!!!
** Played with in-universe in Strong Bad's commentary for an old King of Town toon. He hates every single thing about it except for the Blacksmith.
--->'''Strong Bad''': Oh, now ''this'' guy had some class. The Blacksmith, that guy was a good guy. I hung out with him after the cartoon; yeah, we had some good times...
* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' has Caboose, for whom the writers originally had no real plans other than for him to be a catalyst to annoy Church. Once he devolved into TheDitz of the group, he became very popular with the fandom however.
* From what you can tell by the amount of views for 6 of the SpeedPaints for ''WebAnimation/FairyFoxes'' done by creator [=StickFreeks=] herself, [[TheStoic Kai]], [[HotWings Kiki]], and [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Louie]] might be in that territory.
* [[AxCrazy Flippy]] from ''HappyTreeFriends''.
** [[OnlySaneMan Flaky]] as well. The two are a FanPreferredCouple.
* There is a fine [[spoiler:''literal'']] example of this in ''DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'': Bad Horse, who gets only a couple of songs and a brief cameo at the end. Nonetheless, he's become quite popular in the fandom.
** Bad Horse, Bad Horse! He rides across the nation, the Thoroughbred of Sin!
*** [[http://whiteknightproductions.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/the-bad-horse-facts Bad Horse's iron hoofs are made from Tony Stark's skin.]]
* In the ''LoadingReadyRun'' fandom, Andrew Cownden is extremely popular despite not being a member of the core Loading Ready Run crew. The reasons for this are most likely his acting ability, the infrequency with which he appears, and his awesome accent.
** During ''DesertBusForHope'', Roscoe the duck takes the dark horse title. It just wouldn't be the same without him.
* Originally just a mention in the WhateleyUniverse, Aquerna has become this trope. She's one of the least powerful students at [[SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy]], and became popular enough that one of the {{Canon}} authors is now writing Aquerna stories too.
* ''TheIrateGamer'' has one in the form of the Wise Sage, even some of the fans who snark and insult the show say he's a redeeming quality, in part probably because he acts slightly better than Bores, another reason why fans probably like him is the fact [[http://www.youtube.com/user/eallen001 the person]] who acts as the Sage doesn't defend Bores as much these days. Interestingly enough, the Sage doesn't appear after the Aladdin review, possibly implying that Bores is either not using him again, or [[SmallNameBigEgo the Sage was grabbing too much attention that he thinks is his]].
** He finally reappeared for a brief cameo in his ''Cool Spot'' review, but he didn't get any lines.
** Chris has seemed to figure out his Darkhorse status and now he's shoehorning in Wise Sage appearances hoping it will make his videos "look better".
* Rosa Fiametta seems to be one of the most liked characters for ''SurvivalOfTheFittest v4'' so far, alongside being a MemeticMolester[=/=]MemeticSexGod and LauncherOfAThousandShips. As well Orn "Dutchy" Ayers, a [[BiTheWay free-loving]], [[NerdsAreSexy comic-reading]], [[FunnyForeigner foreign]] [[TenderTears very sensitive]], Icelandic immigrant, who was held in high regard by many of the handlers ''before he even appeared for real''.
** Jared Clayton of [=SOTF-TV=] is also pretty popular, considering that he isn't even a contestant, just a mentor and has had all of one line (not even onscreen!) in the actual game. This is probably due to the in-character twitter the staff maintains for him, featuring [[DeadpanSnarker snark]] galore.
** Mr. Kwong, a teacher in v4. It's very unusual for a non-student to get much attention (either in or out of character), but you'd be hard pressed to find a handler that doesn't like him.
* Con, from KilplixNFriends, to the point where he has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6zpb_HMSjk his very own video]].
* WebVideo/TheHappyVideoGameNerd's basic shtick is showcasing retro gaming's [[EnsembleDarkhorse ensemble darkhorses]].
* TeamStarKid, the group responsible for ''AVeryPotterMusical'' and ''MeAndMyDick'', has Jim Povolo. Despite getting a lot of the bit parts, he manages to steal ''every single scene he's in''.
* The Godmonster of Indian Flats is more well known from StuartAshen's videos than the movie where he's the titular character.
* [[MetamorCity The Metamor City Podcast]] has Artax, originally created as an [[MrExposition expository engine]] to explain some of the more complex bits of the world's magic in universe, the fans have often cited him as a favorite character over several of the main characters.
* Cal Chuchesta of TheNeedleDrop
* Greg the Spider from ArbyNTheChief.
* The Queen of Rogues and Robbers was originally supposed to be a one-shot villain in ''TheQuestportChronicles'', but has been brought back every year due to her popularity.
* The Engineer from Radio/TrueCapitalist Radio. Many of the trolls who call into the show wish that he would host more than Ghost.
[[/folder]]
