History Main / BreakOutVillain

* Negaduck from ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck''. After the Negaduck I episode, Tad Stones (the Show Runner) said he liked Negaduck and wanted him brought back for more episodes; this resulted in Negaduck II, who the fandom embraced as perhaps not just the most popular villain but the most popular ''character'' on the show, period. When [[Comicbook/DarkwingDuck the revival comic book]] came around, the writer has said that he intended to have a F.O.W.L. story for the second arc and a Negaduck story for the third arc, but sheer fan demand made him swap the order.

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz started out as the antagonist of the B-Plot involving the boy's secret agent pet, Perry the Platypus. Before long, Doof wound up getting a lot more prominence, with heavier focus on his and Perry's battles, more manically tragic (and hilarious) backstories, a great deal of HiddenDepths, and an increased focus on his equally popular daughter Vanessa and his robot assistant Norm. He even got his own Twitter account, a weekly web series entitled "Doof's Daily Dirt" (for AlliterativeTitle), and [[spoiler: a prominent role in the second season of ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'']]. His voice actor, series co-creator Dan Povenmire, even does the voice every now and then for his followers on [=TikTok=].

* Springtrap from ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'' was just the game's only animatronic at first, [[ArtifactTitle despite not even being Freddy Fazbear himself]]. However, he wound up becoming a fan-favorite, and reached almost the same heights of prominence as the main four animatronics of [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys the series]]; getting a smaller iteration of him in Plushtrap in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4'', an appearance in [[Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheSilverEyes all]] [[Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheTwistedOnes three]] [[Literature/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheFourthCloset novels]], a cameo at the end of ''[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSisterLocation Sister Location]]'', and he returned for ''VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzeriaSimulator''. It probably helps that [[spoiler:via HauntedTechnology, he's also the GreaterScopeVillain of the franchise]].

* A very delayed case is Lord Death Man from the 1960s ''Manga/{{Batman}}'' manga. A one-shot villain in the manga, based on a forgotten one-shot villain from the Silver Age ''Batman'' comics called Deathman, he became so popular in the 2000s, after his story was republished in the translated ''Bat-Manga'' anthology, that he was introduced to the main DC universe in ''Batman Incorporated''. A version of the character also appeared in the ''ComicBook/Batman66'' comic series set in the 1960s ''Series/Batman1966'' TV continuity.

* On ''Series/Batman1966'' The Riddler quickly came to be one of the Dynamic Duo's most popular adversaries, likely because of Frank Gorshin's amazing performance as the character.

* On ''{{Series/Alias}}'', Mr. Sark was originally just a gofer for the Season 1 BigBad, [[TheSpook The Man]]. He was such a hit with the fans that he became TheDragon in Season 2, then became the DragonAscendant to [[BigBadDuumvirate share]] the Big Bad role in Season 3, went back to being the Dragon in Season 5, and, in fact, eventually managed to [[spoiler:be the ''only'' recurring villain on the show to make it all the way through the finale alive and free]].

Compare EnsembleDarkHorse, SpotlightStealingSquad. Contrast with TokenMotivationalNemesis, a major nemesis who is killed off as soon as the first story arc ends.

* ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'': Despite only being an EliteMook, the Hateful Avenger made an impact on the playerbase as they were easily the most dangerous enemies the beta run of [[ArrangeMode Contingency Contract]] had to offer. This popularity led to them getting more focus in later events; the second Contingeny Contract season, ''Operation Blade'', not only brought them back but dedicated the lyrics of its [[https://youtu.be/hpI5vMxYJ_k lobby theme]] to them, ''A Light Spark in Darkness'' introduced the Reunion swordsman Red, a named character inspired by the enemy class, and the final Contingency Contract season, ''Operation Basepoint'', closed things out with a unique [[KingMook boss variant]] for them that the game describes as the original Hateful Avenger from the beta coming back for a second round.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'': Similar to Ridley, Metal Sonic was originally just TheDragon to Dr. Eggman, appearing only as a boss in Sonic CD, and just one in a long line of [[RobotMe robotic ripoffs of Sonic]]. Eventually, his popularity skyrocketed to the point where [[spoiler: he was made the BigBad of ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''.]] He's generally considered the second most prominent villain after Eggman himself.

* [[VillainousHarlequin Harley Quinn]], everyone's favorite HenchWench from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. She was originally invented as a one-shot female henchmen to leap out of Commissioner Gordon's cake (the censors allowed The Joker to do it instead), and an overwhelming fan response turned her into a recurring villain and a CanonImmigrant into the comics. She even went on to be one of the few villains to [[BatmanGambit Out-Batman Gambit]] Batman himself and come ''this close'' to actually killing him. In 2016, she became the breakout star of ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' -- Creator/MargotRobbie's performance as her was one of the few things universally praised about the otherwise divisive film, even managing to steal the show from the long-awaited cinematic return of ''The Joker himself''.

** Despite only appearing in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3'' and dying in the same installment, Nemesis proved to be so popular that he made several appearances in crossovers and as downloadable content, such as in the ''Resident Evil'' chapter of ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' as part of the 25th anniversary, making him one of the most iconic villains in the series behind Albert Wesker.

*** Hol Horse was [[HeelFaceTurn originally going to join the Crusaders]], [[WhatCouldHaveBeen but this was scrapped due to Araki feeling he was to similar to Polnareff in personality]]. This didn't stop him from becoming the most popular minor villain in the series, resulting in him becoming the Part's only recurring minor villain, and managing to show up in all of the series [[VideoGame/JojosBizarreAdventureHeritageForTheFuture spin-off]] [[VideoGame/JojosBizarreAdventureAllStarBattle fighting]] [[VideoGame/JojosBizarreAdventureEyesOfHeaven games]]. To put this in perspective, Hol Horse was originally an AssistCharacter to J. Geil in the manga, but in the video games, it's the other way around. He even managed to costar in [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureCrazyDiamondsDemonicHeartbreak his own side story]].

*** Akira Otoishi may be the Part's DiscOneFinalBoss, but beyond that, he doesn't have that much going for him in terms of the manga or anime. He's still popular enough become a playable character in both ''[[VideoGame/JojosBizarreAdventureAllStarBattle All-Star Battle]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/JojosBizarreAdventureEyesOfHeaven Eyes of Heaven]]''.

** Fujino Asagami became the most popular antagonist from ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'' thanks to her cute design, tragic story, and interesting powers. She got her own side story in the epilogue, and made it into ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' as an Archer-Class Servant, making her the only Servant besides Shiki to not come from a ''Fate'' work.

*** Gilgamesh is one of the most popular characters in the entire Nasuverse, despite only acting as the BigBad for the ''Unlimited Blade Works'' route, appearing very late into the ''Fate'' route, and dying very quickly in the ''Heaven's Feel'' route. He was given major roles in ''LightNovel/FateZero'',  ''Manga/FateKaleidLinerPrismaIllya'', and ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'' and became the new playable Servant in ''VideoGame/FateExtra CCC'', and in ''Fate/Grand Order'' his new Caster form is a major ally.

*** The game features Jeanne d'Arc Alter, who originally appeared as a Ruler NPC. "Jalter"'s very concept as the EvilCounterpart of the already popular [[LightNovel/FateApocrypha Jeanne d'Arc]] led to her becoming an instant fan favorite, and she was retooled into a very powerful playable Avenger. She got a Lancer form and a Berserker form, both acting as the main character of the event they debuted in, and the Avenger form remains one of the few Servants in the game with an alternate costume.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': According to a ''Behind the Scenes'' segment on the DVD, in an early draft of the movie, Syndrome was supposed to be just a minor villain who appeared and was destroyed in the movie's opening, but as the staff grew to adore the character and the story was reworked, he got promoted to main antagonist in the final film.

** ''Series/ReturnOfUltraman'': [[WhipItGood Gudon, Twin Tails]], [[BigEater Bemstar]], [[BrainsAndBrawn Nackle, and Black King]].

* Quan Chi from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' who originally appeared as a {{filler villain}} in the short lived ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm'' but after he made a [[CanonImmigrant canonized]] appearance in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat Mythologies SubZero}}'', he's has been seen in every main game since ''VideoGame/{''. [[spoiler: Even after his death in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'', he still makes an appearance in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' as an alternate skin for a few playable characters.]]

** Nebula, Gamora's antagonistic sister from ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', started out mostly as an obstacle for the team to overcome who overall wasn't very important story wise. However, her complex circumstances and the performance by her actress lead her to have increasingly larger roles until she has one of the biggest primary arcs in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' over characters who are full on Avengers.

** Jon Cryer's Lex Luthor on {{Series/Supergirl}} seems to be one of these, helped by the fact that the actor seems to be having a ball with the role. He appeared as the BigBad at the end of season 4 and was killed by his sister Lena... but was then revived by The Monitor to participate in the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Where he ''literally'' wrote himself to be one of the saviors of the multi-verse. And made himself Supergirl's boss in the revived universe. Since then, he's been a regular on ''Supergirl'' season 5, scheming to gain even more power.

** Likewise, next in line of those bosses is King Leoric the Skeleton King. He also returns in ''III'' and in ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm''. He's also popular enough by fandom to get included in ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' and Blizzard cared enough for his image, leading to the lawsuit against Valve and the latter ends up having to change their Skeleton King into [[VideoGame/{{Dota 2}} Wraith King.]]

* [[spoiler: Adachi]] from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' was just yet another antagonist in the series, but his AffablyEvil personality and some memetic lines resonated with fans and he ended up slowly but surely making his way to major character status. First he was given a social link and his own ending in the games remake, then he was given a major role in the ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' sequel [[spoiler:and played an explicit role in defeating the main villain.]] He may not leave the ''Persona 4'' verse, but he has gotten the most attention out of perhaps any other villain in the series.

* The ''Videogame/{{Borderlands}}'' series has [[Characters/BorderlandsHandsomeJack Handsome Jack]], who after his debut in ''Videogame/Borderlands2'' managed to gain enough popularity to be the focus of [[Videogame/BorderlandsThePreSequel the Pre-Sequel]] that details his rise to power (along with a BodyDouble as a DLC playable character) as well as being a major character in the form of a VirtualGhost in ''Videogame/TalesFromTheBorderlands''. While his role in the base game of ''Videogame/Borderlands3'' was mostly just a sidequest detailing his past, his presence became the focus of the "Handsome Jackpot" DLC (which brought back the previously-mentioned Body Double as a major NPC). He's so associated with the series that [[CompilationRerelease a collection]] that includes ''2'' and ''The Pre-Sequel!'' was known as "The Handsome Collection".
* ''Videogame/{{Yakuza}}'': The series has many staple antagonist who are loved by the fan base, this includes: Daisaku Kuze from 0, Akira Nishikiyama from 1, Ryuji Goda from 2 and more. The latter 2 are known for appearing in subsequent games besides the remakes of their debut titles, Nishiki in 0 and Ryuji in Dead Souls.

* Initially, Galacta Knight appeared as a non-canon OptionalBoss in ''Videogame/KirbySuperStarUltra'', and supposedly ''died'' in said encounter. Then he appeared again in ''Videogame/KirbysReturnToDreamland'', then again in ''Videogame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', and yet again in ''Videogame/KirbyStarAllies'', and yet ''again'' in ''Videogame/SuperKirbyClash'' [[spoiler:as a TrueFinalBoss]]. The creators have stated that his appearance is non-canon each time given he never appears in any mode except the extra ones (and Super Kirby Clash is an entirely non-canon side game), giving them the ability to give the fans more Galacta Knight.
* Quan Chi from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' who originally appeared as a {{filler villain}} in the short lived ''WesternAnimation/{{Mortal Kombat Defenders Of The Realm}}'' but after he made a [[CanonImmigrant canonized]] appearance in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat Mythologies SubZero}}'', he's has been seen in every main game since ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 4}}''. [[spoiler: Even after his death in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat X}}'', he still makes an appearance in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 11}}'' as an alternate skin for a few playable characters.]]

*** This trope itself is discussed in Fate/Grand Order in regards to the Archer of Shinjuku, AKA [[spoiler:James Moriarty himself]]: specifically that [[spoiler:the reason that he appeared so little in the original stories was that Holmes specifically had Watson downplay his role to prevent him from being too infamous]].

* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'': Tirac from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyRescueAtMidnightCastle'' was only a one-shot villain who got killed off in his premiere, but he became the most popular villain in the G1 continuity for being [[VileVillainSaccharineShow a surprisingly vile piece of work]]. Fast forward a few decades to ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and his new incarnation became a SatanicArchetype and the antagonist for the fourth season's finale. Similarly, Grogar from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends'' was a oneshot villain from a four-episode serial but was powerful and memorable enough to become the leader of the villains ([[spoiler:or not, as it turns out he was actually Discord in disguise]]) in ''Friendship is Magic'''s final season.
* For an internal example in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is Queen Chrysalis, who has become the series first recurring villain with three full-scale appearances to date[[note]]Not counting enemies that appeared in flashbacks or the altered {{Bad Future}}s, of course[[/note]]. Though she's undergone some VillainDecay as of her third appearance, she's still a dangerous force to be reckoned with who's managed two subsequent {{Near Villain Victor|y}}ies that only failed due to ''sheer luck'' and outright spat in the face of any offers of redemption.

* Initially, Galacta Knight appeared as a non-canon BonusBoss in ''Videogame/KirbySuperStarUltra'', and supposedly ''died'' in said encounter. Then he appeared again in ''Videogame/KirbysReturnToDreamland'', then again in ''Videogame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', and yet again in ''Videogame/KirbyStarAllies'', and yet ''again'' in ''Videogame/SuperKirbyClash'' [[spoiler:as a TrueFinalBoss]]. The creators have stated that his appearance is non-canon each time given he never appears in any mode except the extra ones (and Super Kirby Clash is an entirely non-canon side game), giving them the ability to give the fans more Galacta Knight.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' has Accelerator, who with his sheer creepiness, snark, creative use of the power to control vectors touching him and an [[EvilLaugh insane cackle]][[note]]he had several[[/note]] was so popular among the fans that Creator/KazumaKamachi brought him back, [[spoiler: albeit as a self-loathing, brought down to normal crippled Anti-Hero (Grade 4-5). He still is the most amazing character of the whole set.]]

** ''Series/UltramanDyna'' has [[GiantEnemyCrab Reigubas]] (though he hasn't reappeared in later instalments), [[BioWeaponBeast Mons-Ahgar]], [[MixAndMatchHybrids Neosaurus]], [[WrestlerInAllOfUs Gregore-Man]], [[EvilKnockoff Terranoid]], [[HumongousMecha Deathfacer]] and [[TheJuggernaut Geomos]].

** ''Series/UltramanAce'': [[TerribleTrio Velokron, Vakishim, Doragory]], [[EvilKnockoff Ace Killer]], [[TakenForGranite Hipporito]], and [[MoonRabbit Lunatyx]].
** ''Series/UltramanTaro'': [[FeatheredFiend Birdon]], [[GalacticConqueror Temperor]], [[HybridMonster Tyrant]], and [[GloryHound Valky]].
** After ''Taro'', these become rarer: ''Series/UltramanLeo'' has [[BladeBelowTheShoulder Magma]], [[ManipulativeBastard Babalou]], and [[TeruTeruBozu Nova]]; ''Series/UltramanTiga'' has [[TheJuggernaut Golza]]; ''Series/UltramanGaia'' has [[EldritchAbomination Gan Q]]; and ''Series/UltramanNexus'' has [[{{Cerberus}} Galberos]].

* The ''VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon'' series has Ripto, who originally debuted as the BigBad of ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage''. He was originally intended to be a one-time villain in the vein of other antagonists Gnasty Gnorc and the Sorceress, but he proved to be such a beloved screen-stealer that he became the most iconic villain of the series, [[UnexplainedRecovery surviving his apparent death]] in ''Ripto's Rage!'' to return as the main BigBad in ''VideoGame/Spyro2SeasonOfFlame'', ''VideoGame/SpyroAttackOfTheRhynocs'' and ''VideoGame/SpyroEnterTheDragonfly'' as well as being used as the Spyro-representative villain in the crossover with ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot''. In fact Ripto's become so popular and iconic that fans were baffled when Gnasty Gnorc was included in ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' instead of him.

* Quan Chi from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' who originally appeared as a {{filler villain}} in the short lived ''WesternAnimation/{{Mortal Kombat Defenders Of The Realm}}'' but after he made a [[CanonImmigrant canonized]] appearance in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat Mythologies SubZero}}'', he's has been seen in every main game since ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 4}}''. [[spoiler: Even after his death in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat X}}'', he still makes appears as an alternate skin for a few characters in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 11}}''.]]

* Quan Chi from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' who originally appeared as a {{filler villain}} in the short lived ''WesternAnimation/{{Mortal Kombat Defenders Of The Realm}}'' but after he made a [[CanonImmigrant appearance in]] ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat Mythologies SubZero}}'', he's has been seen in every main game since ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 4}}''. [[spoiler: Even after his death in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat X}}'', he still makes appears as alternate skins for a few characters in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 11}}''.]]

* Quan Chi from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' who originally appeared as a {{filler villain}} in the short lived ''WesternAnimation/{{Mortal Kombat Defenders Of The Realm}}'' but after he made a [[CanonImmigrant appearance in]] ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat Mythologies SubZero}}'', he's has been seen in every main game since ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 4}}''. [[spoiler: Even after his death in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat X}}'', he still makes appears as an alternate skins for a few characters in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 11}}''.]]

* Quan Chi from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' who originally appeared as a {{filler villain}} in the short lived ''''WesternAnimation/{{Mortal Kombat Defenders Of The Realm}} but after he made a [[CanonImmigrant appearance in]] ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat Mythologies SubZero}}'', he's has been seen in every main game since ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 4}}''. [[spoiler: Even after his death in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat X}}'', he still makes appears as an alternate skins for a few characters in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat 11}}''.]]

** The devs of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' intended for Zenos Yae Galvus, the primary antagonist of the ''Stormblood'' expansion to be completely unlikable. However, they failed miserably as he gained quite the following. Perhaps it was the fact that he is the first character in the story to completely outclass and knock the Warrior of Light on their ass. Perhaps players felt sympathy for the fact that his father [[spoiler:showed [[NoSympathy zero concern or sympathy]] upon learning of his apparent demise, making the players wonder if his father had ever really tried to raise him to be a better person]]. It ''definitely'' helped his popularity when [[spoiler:his (at first apparently) FamousLastWords call the Warrior of Light his very {{first friend}}.]] Regardless, he gained quite the following, ending up as the first Villain rep for ''FFXIV'' in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy2015''. And whether it was due to his popularity or just the plan all along, [[spoiler:he is revealed to have survived his death. He then becomes a reccuring villain, notably playing up his infatuation with the Warrior of Light and using him as a MetaGuy for the devs to lampshade and directly address why so many players loved (or hated) him.]]