History EnsembleDarkhorse / AnimeAndManga

** There was also a background character with a laptop whom the fans took to nicknaming "Poorfag-chan".

** More recently, [[spoiler:the original Thirteen Court Guard Captains]] all became very popular with fans despite the minor appearance they received, but [[spoiler:Furoufushi Saitou and Batsu'unsai Katori]] in particular became quick favorites.

* ''Anime/GhostSweeperMikami's'' Luciola. [[spoiler: Being [[ChivalrousPervert Yokoshima's]] first ''real'' love -- as in, not the primarily-lust he held towards Mikami -- helps a lot, it seems.]]

* ''LightNovel/BakaAndTestSummonTheBeasts'' has Hideyoshi Kinoshita himself. [[DudeLooksLikeALady There's]] [[StupidSexyFlanders a]] [[ViewerGenderConfusion reason]] [[AttractiveBentGender why]] [[UnsettlingGenderReveal he's]] [[EvenTheGuysWantHim popular.]] Heck, on one of the polls, he's ranked '''THE MOST''' popular LightNovel character, beating out [[LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}} Araragi]], [[LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex Touma]], and [[LightNovel/StudentCouncilsDiscretion Ken]].
** Just like Taniguchi and Misao, Hideyoshi also got his own solo ImageSong after the series. All three series were produced under Lantis, so this may be the case for any future Ensemble Darkhorses from a series they sponsor.

* An old fan favorite from ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' is Kaori Kanzaki. She even got her own spin off novel.
** Also, thanks to the ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'' anime, Saten and Harumi are very popular too. Saten has even taken over Mikoto herself on sites like Website/NicoNicoDouga.

* Ask any ''LightNovel/DateALive'' fan which character would they like to see more of and chances are that their answer is [[CuteAndPsycho Kurumi]]. How good is she? She's literally the difference between a bottom tier TwelveEpisodeAnime and a top tier one. People hated the first 6 episodes but loved the next 3 episodes for a reason.

* Tsuruya from ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' practically embodies this trope, especially the megas [[MemeticMutation internet meme]] point, [[BeamMeUpScotty nyoro~n]]!

* Kyoya Hibari from ''Manga/Reborn2004'' has been voted numerous times as the number one popular character in the series. Not to mention being voted and ranked the third most popular anime character in '08 from Animedia. He's one of Tsuna's guardians that initially had a very small role, only appearing once in a blue moon. However, it appears the mangaka has decided to give him a larger role in recent chapters to please the fans.
** On the subject, NietzscheWannabe Rokudo Mukuro had become very popular and had been voted many times as the most popular villain (and in a rather recent poll, the third favorite character in the series). The author seemed pretty surprised how popular he had become, and it's very likely that due to this, she decided to [[spoiler: give him more screentime by making him Tsuna's very unlikely guardian]].

* ''Manga/ShuumatsuNoWalkureRecordOfRagnarok'':
** Among the gods not set to fight in Ragnarok, [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hermes]] is the most popular, due to his [[SharpDressedMan cool design]], [[MrExposition providing knowledge of the fighters and their abilities]], and the implication that he's stronger than he looks. Many fans are hoping to see him fight at some point despite him not being set to participate in the tournament.
** [[Literature/TheBible Eve]] is quite popular among fans despite being a fairly minor character who's only relevant for a single fight, due to her [[MsFanservice attractive design]] and her [[HappilyMarried absolutely adorable relationship]] with fellow fan-favorite Adam.
** While all of the {{Valkyries}} have some form of popularity, Hrist is by far the most popular, due to her entertaining SplitPersonality, attractive design, [[spoiler:and the fact that her and [[UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro Kojiro]] end up giving humanity its first victory in Ragnarok]].
** [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Anne]], in spite of her brief role, is rather popular with fans, due to being the only person to treat [[UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper Jack]] with kindness when he was a child, as well as being one of the few people to root for him during his battle against [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Heracles]].
** UsefulNotes/JesusChrist makes a brief appearance cheering on [[spoiler:[[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Buddha]]]] during the sixth round. He ''instantly'' became popular among the fandom, due in part to having already been a character many have been wanting to see in the series, so much so that his appearance pretty much overshadowed ''anything else'' that happened in the chapter.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'': Among the less-major characters, [[TheMedic Sylphiel's]] replacement in the third season of the anime, [[{{Tsundere}} Filia]], has become extremely popular because of her status as an adorable, [[PluckyGirl headstrong, and mighty]] Golden Dragon with a lovely human form. Her being paired with [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Xellos]] is more or less one of the most popular pairings of the franchise.

* Chikaru from ''LightNovel/StrawberryPanic'', with her cosplay outfits, QuirkyMinibossSquad, and casual indifference to the girl-on-girl action taken to ridiculous extremes, {{Wangst}}, and overall insanity quickly won her a spot in the fans' hearts.

** Out of the other three Legendary Heroes, Ren Amaki is by far the one who is the most liked, having the most altruistic qualities of the three and being a TokenGoodTeammate of sorts. It also helps that he's been [[MemeticMutation memetically compared]] to [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline Kirito]] and even sharing the [[Creator/YoshitsuguMatsuoka same voice actor]].

* ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'''s highly enthusiastic scientist, [[HotScientist Watari]]. In spite of only being a secondary character, he has a [[MrFanservice ton of fangirls]].

*** And Charlotte has now become an AscendedExtra and BreakoutCharacter in ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion''.

* [[ApocalypseMaiden Kaworu]] [[ArtificialHuman Nagisa]] from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. He only appeared in one episode, with about fifteen minutes of screen time -- counting all the freeze frames -- but being his optimistic, charming self, he managed to become one of the show's most popular -- motivating Gainax (who originally had intended him to be [[UncannyValley creepy and inhuman]]) to licence spin-offs and games putting him into a more prominent role compared to the series, along with Asuka and Rei themselves.

* Jeremiah "Orange" Gottwald from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is one of the poster boys for the Ensemble Darkhorse. Initially little more than a racist minor villain, the soul-crushingly [[HumiliationConga humiliating]] way in which [[MagnificentBastard Lelouch]] bests him turned him into both TheWoobie (or the ChewToy) and an IneffectualSympatheticVillain -- with a fan-following big enough that the producers rewrote his entire storyline, [[spoiler:preemptively sparing him from an ignoble early death and bringing him back for the Season 1 finale as an awesome cyborg, who then goes on to [[LevelGrinding level grind]] [[TookALevelInBadass in badass]], pulls a HeelFaceTurn and eventually gets one of the happiest endings.]] His first full appearance in the second season even seems to include a tip of the hat to the fans, as his last line of dialog seems to be directed more at the viewers than the person to whom he is speaking. This was picked up on by the English dub and he was voiced by fan favorite Creator/CrispinFreeman, who delivered that RealitySubtext line ''perfectly''.

** It may be hard to remember, but Ohgi was originally something of a fan favorite amongst the Black Knights, being a VoiceOfReason and his belief in Zero as lampshaded at the end of the Narita battle. This was all of course before he stage dived into scrappydom the following season after several rash decisions culminated in [[spoiler:[[EtTuBrute the betrayal]]]]. The movies [[CharacterRerailment even try changing some details so he acts more like how he used to be]], such as [[spoiler: not actually wanting to go through with the betrayal until they actually hear the truth out of Zero, attempting to stop Schneizel's men from shooting him anyway, and even attempting suicide for what ultimately happened before Lelouch stops him.]] [[AuthorsSavingThrow Having him go back to what originally made him one of these]] [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap is understandably appreciated.]]

** For being characters that serve little purpose other than to look cute and die quickly and unsympathetically after less than a minute's worth the screentime (or less than 5 seconds in the case of the former; see: {{mooks}}), the Valkyrie Squad and Monica have more fan art than many of the other female characters that are relative mainstays.
*** Part of this may be due to their minor but significant role in the novel: serving as Cornelia's squad-girls in combat, they're also used to provoke discussion with Cornelia, doing a great deal to flesh out Cornelia's nature. It may be because of being popular from this appearance that they were permitted to appear in the animation at all.
** Guilford has a decent fanbase, being one of the more down to Earth Britannians, and for [[FanPreferredCouple anyone who ships him and his charge, Cornelia]].
** Urabe, the first of the Four Holy Swords [[spoiler:to bite it in R2, for [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself in order to buy Lelouch and the rest of the Black Knights in Babel Tower enough time to escape, and kill Viceroy Calares]]. That he proclaimed his belief in and willingness to sacrifice himself for Lelouch was not lost on the fans, particularly after most of the remaining Black Knights later [[EtTuBrute turned on Lelouch]] after being manipulated by [[ManipulativeBastard Schneizel]]]].

* ''Lightnovel/TheRisingOfTheShieldHero'':

** Although no other character can rival Atobe in this sense, as a team, Rikkai also qualifies as {{Ensemble Darkhorse}}(including [[IllGirl Ill Boy]] Yukimura, AloofBigBrother Sanada, TroubledButCute Kirihara, and the Platinum Pair of Yagyuu and Niou).

** The witch [[KnightOfCerebus Charlotte]] is seen for all of ''two minutes'' and is also quite popular. Probably because she's [[KillerRabbit ador]][[CreepyDoll able]]. And there's not really anyone else to ship Mami with. It's probably no coincidence that when the official ''Madoka Magica'' video game was announced, Charlotte was the first witch to appear in the preview images. [[spoiler:Like Kyubey, she's a strange example since she ''devours Mami alive'' yet much of the fanart revolves around her cute, innocent appearance.]]

* [[NiceGuy Judeau]] from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' has only a limited role yet he is one of the most popular characters of the series due to his "average joe" stance and his genuine kindness that stands out in comparison to the [[BlackAndGreyMorality often assholish main characters]]. It's up to the point where he's even a PlayableCharacter in ''VideoGame/BerserkAndTheBandOfTheHawk''.

* [[NiceGuy Judeau]] from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' has only a limited role yet he is one of the most popular characters of the series due to his "average joe" stance and his genuine kindness that stands out in comparison to the [[BlackAndGreyMorality often assholish main characters]].

** Ishigami. He's very popular for the running gags connected to his character, his pitiful nature, being a good friend to Shirogane, being rather similar to the fanbase and his tendency of shutting down Fujiwara. [[UpToEleven The reveal of his backstory shot his popularly through the roof.]]

* Cinque of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', she was taken out ''one episode'' after her introduction, giving her one of the least screentime amongst the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Numbers]]. She's also an [[OlderThanTheyLook older than she looks]] white-haired LittleMissBadass [[EyepatchOfPower wearing an eyepatch]] [[BadassLongcoat and trenchcoat]] [[KnifeNut and wielding a set of throwing knives]] [[MadeOfExplodium that she could make explode]] [[LadyOfWar and she speaks in an old-fashioned tone]] [[OneeSama and greatly cares for her younger sisters]]. She quickly became the most popular of the Numbers amongst the fandom and Seven Arcs noticed this. Not only did they let her be the only one amongst the older Numbers to pull a HeelFaceTurn, but she was also adopted by Subaru's family ''and'' was appointed the squad leader of the [=N2R=] Nakajima Sisters, the SiblingTeam made up of former Numbers.

Most anime are well-known for their LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, especially when they are LongRunners. Sometimes those characters weren't meant to be all that special, and sometimes, they can't even be considered part of the main cast. Whatever the case, they ended up fan favorites.

* Kanda of ''Manga/DGrayMan'' is so insanely popular that he's even managed to beat out Allen (a [[{{Bishonen}} gorgeous]], adorable man) in popularity polls on occasion. Once it was when the anime had him briefly PutOnABus, even.

* Goran, a [[FakeRussian Russian (well, the name itsef is Serbian, but it's at least somewhat plausible)]] contractor from the second season of ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'', who [[spoiler:apparently got himself killed]] with less than half-episode of screentime, managed to acquire a hugely active Instant Fandom seemingly just by [[BigEater eating hamburgers]] [[{{Bishonen}} cutely]].

* ''Manga/{{Haikyuu}}'': With its LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters and the sentiment of "the best thing about Haikyuu, you love all the teams. the worst thing about Haikyuu, you love all the teams." being shared by the big part of the fandom, there are several examples:

*** Also thanks to the Bloodbath, Iceland's started getting quite a lot of attention from fans for his unique combination of suaveness, awkward {{moe}} cuteness, and {{Bishounen}} appearance.
** It's a safe bet that as of 2012, a good chunk of the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters massive cast]] have become this. And it's pretty clear that Himaruya is also aware of this as well.

* ''Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo'' brings us Hishigi, a [[{{Bishonen}} Biseinen]] AntiVillain, whose badass and IronWoobie traits, along with a truly impressive level of HoYay with Fubuki, turned him from a fairly minor character into this.

** While Space Dandy has a lot of one-shot characters, [[TheWoobie Adelie]], [[{{Bishounen}} Prince]], [[BigBeautifulWoman Pine-Pine]], and [[MrFanservice Johnny]] stand out the most. A lot of fans really want to see them return in future episodes.

* Ask any ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' fan who their favorite character is, and chances are it'll be Dilandau, the [[WhiteHairBlackHeart white haired]], [[RedEyesTakeWarning red-eyed]], [[VocalDissonance squeaky]] [[Creator/AndrewFrancis voiced]], absolutely AxCrazy BloodKnight {{Jerkass}} PsychoForHire {{Bishonen}} who spends his days Bright-slapping his Dragonslayers, getting revenge on TheHero Van Fanel for scratching his face, disobeying his superiors, and setting things on fire ForTheEvulz. The fact that he has the wildest, craziest, and wackiest facial expressions in the series and that he's voiced by Creator/MinamiTakayama in the Japanese version only cemented his popularity. Folken and Jajuka also get a lot of love too.

%%

** Fujiwara is an interesting example. She started as the most popular character in the series, but as those around her became better developed [[StaticCharacter she more or less stayed the same]] and fell to the wayside. This can best be seen by contrasting those who are up to date on the manga and those who only watched the anime (which covered the earlier sections of the series), [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/458/676/fe6.jpg as summed up in this image]].

** Xellos himself is also well-loved: an [[NighInvulnerable allmighty]] demon who [[LovableTraitor loves to tease]] and is probably the biggest mastermind of ''any'' character, even moreso than some of the gods and demons that are stronger than he is.

** Another InUniverse version with the men of the shoujo manga Nozaki draws. In chapter 113, Nozaki despairs that male lead Suzuki is regularly outclassed in popularity polls by minor male characters (even though he dislikes writing for him), landing in third at the highest. his When he asks Sakura's friends what they think, they all favor side characters Nozaki can barely remember over Suzuki for various reasons, to his horror. By the end of the chapter, Nozaki writes a story for minor character Oze that charms readers so thoroughly Oze leapfrogs over Suzuki in the polls, keeping Suzuki in third.

* ''Manga/MonthlyGirlsNozakiKun'': Tomoda is an example both in-universe and out-of-universe. In universe, he's the MrExposition of a dating sim game which Nozaki and Mikoshiba play, but because of his unending support for the game's protagonist, the two end up focusing on him instead of either the protagonist or the love interests, to the point that they write a comic where Tomoda and the protagonist get together, in order to give Tomoda the story he deserved. Out-of-universe, even though all of this takes place within the span of a single chapter/episode as a one-off gag and is not mentioned again, Tomoda's gained a lot of popularity with the fans due to [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments how funny the scene is]].

* ''EnsembleDarkhorse/BeybladeBurst''
* ''EnsembleDarkhorse/DragonBall''

* ''EnsembleDarkhorse/MyHeroAcademia''
* ''EnsembleDarkhorse/{{Naruto}}''

** On the same vein of Seiko, Kizakura got a lot of fans for his MellowFellow vibe as well as being a genuinely SmartGuy and caring towards both [[spoiler:Kyoko and her father]]. He got 8th place in the popularity poll.

** Scotland. He's appeared once as a reference to England's miserable childhood (not even in person mind you) but is still extremely popular with the western fandom.

* {{Schoolgirl Lesbian|s}} Shizuru Fujino from ''Anime/MyHime'' was popular enough amongst fans that it likely contributed to her upgrade into a major recurring ally and part of one of ''Anime/MyOtome'''s {{Official Couple}}s.

* Chikaru from ''LightNovel/StrawberryPanic'', with her cosplay outfits, QuirkyMinibossSquad, and casual indifference to the [[SchoolgirlLesbians girl-on-girl action taken to ridiculous extremes]], {{Wangst}}, and overall insanity quickly won her a spot in the fans' hearts.

* Jeremiah "Orange" Gottwald from ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is one of the poster boys for the Ensemble Darkhorse. Initially little more than a racist minor villain, the soul-crushingly [[HumiliationConga humiliating]] way in which [[MagnificentBastard Lelouch]] bests him turned him into both TheWoobie (or the ChewToy) and an IneffectualSympatheticVillain - with a fan-following big enough that the producers rewrote his entire storyline, [[spoiler:preemptively sparing him from an ignoble early death and bringing him back for the Season 1 finale as an awesome cyborg, who then goes on to [[LevelGrinding level grind]] [[TookALevelInBadass in badass]], pulls a HeelFaceTurn and eventually gets one of the happiest endings.]] His first full appearance in the second season even seems to include a tip of the hat to the fans, as his last line of dialog seems to be directed more at the viewers than the person to whom he is speaking. This was picked up on by the English dub and he was voiced by fan favorite Creator/CrispinFreeman, who delivered that RealitySubtext line ''perfectly''.

*** You can almost ''see'' the standing ovation Mashima is getting from the fandom for allowing Wendy to finally have a chance to truly shine--on her own (okay, fine, [[TeamPet Carla]] is with her)--for the first time since her fight with Chelia in the ''Grand Magic Games'' arc. [[spoiler:To clarify, it's not Natsu, Erza, or even Lucy who gets to defuse Face; it's Wendy. And she has to go through Ezel to do it.]] She [[ADayInTheLimelight did]] ''[[TookALevelInBadass not]]'' [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome disappoint]].

** Silver, an AntiVillain who's spawned a TON of WildMassGuessing, has an amusing personality, and a badass capable of instantly freezing [[spoiler:the spirit of a dragon MADE OF FLAMES]] and later Natsu, cutting off a rather obnoxious streak he had going on. Indeed, after TheReveal, his status only grew, despite the fact that [[spoiler:not only was he EvilAllAlong, but Silver wasn't even his original name - it's Deliora.]] Many are calling it the single greatest plot twist in the last ''hundred'' or so chapters... at least before he decided to reveal that the plot-twist was all a lie.

* ''Anime/GhostSweeperMikami's'' Luciola. [[spoiler: Being [[ChivalrousPervert Yokoshima's]] first ''real'' love--as in, not the primarily-lust he held towards Mikami--helps a lot, it seems.]]

* [[ApocalypseMaiden Kaworu]] [[ArtificialHuman Nagisa]] from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. He only appeared in one episode, with about fifteen minutes of screen time - counting all the freeze frames -, but being his optimistic, charming self, he managed to become one of the show's most popular - motivating Gainax (who originally had intended him to be [[UncannyValley creepy and inhuman]]) to licence spin-offs and games putting him into a more prominent role compared to the series, along with Asuka and Rei themselves.

** While not as popular as the above two, Maya Ibuki has a dedicated following which her small role would not attest to - her two fellow technicians, Makoto Hyuga and Shigeru Aoba, aren't nearly as well-liked. The fact that she's not nearly as screwed up as some the main characters probably helps.

** Team Taiyou, both in and out-of-universe. Everybody roots for the underdog, but Taiyou pulled it off with such aplomb - a group of reasonably-skilled players from the countryside, named for the rising sun of hope, saddled with Decks full of ComMons not worth their paper and the living embodiment of AwesomeButImpractical for an ace card, riding a D-Wheel held together with tape and force of will. Not only did they match the main characters at every turn through superior tactics and teamwork, but they did so using a Stall/Burn strategy, in a season where AttackAttackAttack was the order of the day. Though the WRGP Arc is often regarded as a sufferer of SeasonalRot, Taiyou's arc is basically the only thing everyone agreed to be fantastic, with the only common complaint being that [[BrokenAesop they lose.]]