History Main / CharacterCheck

* Music/TheBeatles song "One After 909" on ''Music/LetItBe'' was one of the earliest songs that John Lennon and Paul [=McCartney=] wrote together, but it appears on their last-released album (it wasn't intended to be, but the project fell into DevelopmentHell for a while). Accordingly, it has a rather simple and poppy throwback feel that feels quite different to many of their later tracks, which tended to be more complex, multilayered and intricate. The whole album was originally intended to be this, as the project was initially seen as "back to basics" approach after the band had been focussing more exploring what could be done in the studio, but it didn't quite pan out that way (due in part to the CreativeDifferences between the band that partly resulted in the whole DevelopmentHell situation).

** A series-wise one involves Gilgamesh, the wandering warrior from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' who has managed to appear in multiple entries in the franchise (and yes, is confirmed to be [[DimensionalTraveler the same person nearly every time]]) despite being in a series that runs heavily on [[ThematicSeries Thematic Sequels]] for the most part. When he first appears, he mostly behaves like a dragoon from the series, using a BladeOnAStick and doing powerful [[DeathFromAbove jumping attacks]]. He later takes on a MultiArmedAndDangerous form that functions like a WalkingArmory, with this form most famously falling for using [[JokeWeapon Excalipoor]]. This was [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] into being obsessed with swords in particular in his second appearance, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', and "multi-armed guy who hunts for swords" became his schtick for a long time. However, later appearances have him going back to using Dragoon tactics much more, and one of his "hunt for a weapon" sidequests was for a halberd. ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'' even gives a possible justification for his obssession with swords (and armaments in general), with a Tonberry blacksmith named Mid explaining that Gilgamesh's oftentimes careless navigation of TheMultiverse causes him to lose his (quite valuable and powerful) weapons in various other dimensions. Games like ''VideoGame/{{Dissidia|FinalFantasy}}'' also establish that one of his bigger priorities is finding a way back to his home world... even if the idea of facing strong opponents and claiming their weapons as his own [[BloodKnight sidetracks him]] every now and then.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', Zenitsu Agatsuma becomes considerably more serious and focused at the end of the Hashira Training arc, after he received a letter that shocked his very core as it was the news of [[spoiler:Jigoro Kwajima's death, his beloved master]]; Zenitsu remains focused all the way to his match against [[spoiler:Kaigaku, revealing the tragedy Jigoro's death was in direct association with Kaigaku's betrayal of the demon slayer corps by turning into a demon himself]]. That event greatly developed Zenitsu's character into a fully realized heroic demon slayer, but right after the narrative makes sure to place Zenitsu back into his more comedic loudness and whining for a little while as he, and his friends, move towards the next battle in an extremely tense and serious arc: the Infinity Castle; as such Zenitsu grows more brave and knows how to act serious during battles by then, but his core comedic antics outside battle have not been erased.

* In ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'', Zenitsu Agatsuma becomes considerably more serious and focused at the end of the Hashira Training arc, after he received a letter that shocked his very core as it was the news of [[spoiler:Jigoro Kawajima's death, his beloved master]]; Zenitsu remains focused all the way to his match against [[spoiler:Kaigaku, revealing the tragedy Jigoro's death was in direct association with Kaigaku's betrayal of the demon slayer corps by turning into a demon himself]]. That event greatly developed Zenitsu's character into a fully realized heroic demon slayer, but right after the narrative makes sure to place Zenitsu back into his more comedic loudness and whining for a little while as he, and his friends, move towards the next battle in an extremely tense and serious arc: the Infinity Castle; as such Zenitsu grows more brave and knows how to act serious during battles by then, but his core comedic antics outside battle have not been erased.

** Q was introduced as a threatening god-like being who had judged humanity, found them wanting and had decided to exterminate the entire race. Almost immediately after his introduction, he was rewritten as an omnipotent prankster akin to [[Characters/NorseMythology Loki]]. Picard even stopped seeing him as a threat and more of a nuisance. But then there was the final episode, where Q was suddenly ready to destroy humanity again.

** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E16TwentyEightPranksLater 28 Pranks Later]]" has received criticism for reverting Rainbow Dash back to her Season 1 self by pranking Fluttershy even if she knows that she doesn't like it.

* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'' plays this for comedy by having Issei perform a CharacterCheck on ''himself''. [[TheGadfly Azazel]] compliments Issei on the maturity of a decision he just made, specifically noting the notorious ChivalrousPervert had left a woman's bust size out of it (ItMakesSenseInContext). Issei is startled to realize he's right, and looks to the teammate who most reliably calls out his perversions. She has nothing to add. Issei's narration meanders off into existential angst for a moment as he wonders how he forgot the things of beauty he's repeatedly professed to live for, before deciding [[IResembleThatRemark there are more pressing issues right now]].

* In ''Film/{{Paddington}}'', Mr. Curry, while he dislikes Paddington like in the books, is portrayed more as grumpy than as a jerk, even alerting the Browns to Paddington's whereabouts near the climax. In ''Film/Paddington2'', he is much more antagonistic to the bear, even using Paddington's wrongful arrest to his own advantage.

A Character Check is when a character displays or makes reference to a personality trait that hasn't been bought up in the narrative for quite some time. Very common with {{Jerkass}} and/or antagonist characters who have since TookALevelInKindness or a turn for the comedic, this trope often a quick affirmation that despite recent developments, what used to be a defining aspect of the character is still very much present even if it doesn't come up in the story as often as it used to. Alternatively, if the check is themselves or someone else pointing out or realizing that they ''don't'' act that way anymore, it can serve as a declaration of how much a character has changed. It can also serve as a self-aware CallBack to [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness the early days of a work]], when the writers were still trying to figure out the personalities of their creations.

A Character Check is when the writer realizes the character is no longer behaving the way they were first portrayed, and tries to cover it up by throwing in a scene in which the character ostentatiously reverts to form. Related to AuthorsSavingThrow, but a Character Check seldom leads to any lasting change and is not necessarily popular with the fans, who may have become attached to the "new" version of the character and dislike the brief resurgence of the old one.

Very common with {{Designated Villain}}s or {{Jerkass}} characters who have moved into JerkWithAHeartOfGold territory; this sort of reminder of "how things used to be" is a frequent side effect of BadassDecay and VillainDecay. Also likely to result from DependingOnTheWriter. There is also a certain amount of TruthInTelevision here. Someone may have [[CharacterDevelopment changed over time]], but can still fall back on old habits now and again. However, [[RealityIsUnrealistic fictional characters are usually expected to behave more consistently]]. This trope may make the audience exclaim, "I ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat!"

* Spike in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' had a lot of these, with the most jarring and noticeable being the [[spoiler:attempted rape of Buffy in Season 6]]. Only slightly less subtle was the scene in which he [[spoiler:plays poker with other demons for kittens]].
** Willow reverted back to her perky early season self in a ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''/''Series/{{Angel}}'' crossover in one of the later seasons, after several BreakTheCutie moments mostly took away those qualities.

* Lola from Series/Zoey101 was a originally a Snarky JerkWithAHeartOfGold, Similar to her predecessor Dana. In season 3 Lola TookALevelInKindness and became more cheerful. However, she would still show signs of her original character from times to times by being a bit snarky with people.

** After Slim Shady got (first) significantly more evil and twisted than usual, to the extent of TooBleakStoppedCaring, in ''Relapse'', and (second) significantly LighterAndSofter than usual, in line with Eminem's CreatorRecovery, in ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'', "SHADYXV" is a big homage to his old style - rapping over an [[LyricalDissonance inappropriately perky sample]], snorting coke, [[SelfHarm self-harming]], killing and assaulting people, [[TheDissTrack dissing]] celebrities who don't deserve it for no reason (from Music/{{Macklemore}} to Music/LindaRonstadt to Santa Claus), and even rapping a passage in the NerdyNasalness voice he used on ''Music/TheSlimShadyLP'' and had [[VocalEvolution long since stopped using]]. Slim's [[EraSpecificPersonality personality continued to move with the times after this song, though]].

** Many characters had drifted to being more serious, as the events of Act 5 became very stressful and worrisome. This meant characters were less prone to cracking jokes, and more prone to simple kindness, depression, anger, etc. After a year's TimeSkip in Act 6 however, they have been shown to act more similarly to their original characterization, with their new characterization still lingering however. The most notable characters this has occurred with are John, Dave, and Karkat, though it has occurred with everyone affected by the TimeSkip to some extent, with the exception of Terezi.
** A whole two-page sequence shows Rose, who had been becoming far more serious and dark, being 'returned' to her original self by John in which he expresses concern about how she hasn't been making many jokes lately, and she kids along with him, pretending to be a StrawVulcan-type character.

* On ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', an entire group of people had this happen to them. The Maquis crew aboard ''Voyager'' initially had some serious problems trusting the Starfleet crew they were supposed to work with. By the time of the seventh season this had largely disappeared, as is natural considering how long they were stranded together. For some reason, the writers then decided to have an episode devoted to the mysterious murder of Maquis crewmembers, and immediately all the old distrust came out. Suddenly, all Starfleet officers couldn't be trusted, even to the point where they objected to Tuvok handling the investigation. Naturally, once the episode was over, the mixed ''Voyager'' crew became one big happy family again.

** A textbook example from ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' is how Vegeta behaves in the Buu saga, where he lets himself fall under the MindControl of Babidi just to feel "like himself" again.
** Topically this is what happened to Goku in the West: the Creator/{{Funimation}} dubs portrayed Goku as a hero with a strong heart of justice (to the point that many Westerners still consider him to be equivalent to Japanese Superman). While heroism was certainly an element of his character, in the original version he's ''far'' more interested in challenging anybody who'll give him a good fight (they just happen to be the villains), and he often tries to let villains go for this reason despite the atrocities they've committed. ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' fixes this, while ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' makes it stick with the newer ''Dragon Ball'' tales, although the sheer popularity of ''Z'' means this will never go away for many fans.

** During Team Rocket's phase as more dangerous, serious-minded villains in the ''Best Wishes!'' arc of the anime, they still had odd NotSoAboveItAll moments as a reminder this was the bumbling Team Rocket trio. ''XY'' then reversed it around -- they're back to being buffoonish, but still have several moments of being genuinely sinister and cold-blooded.

** Kiawe of the ''Sun and Moon'' series was a more situational case. He similarly started off a serious-minded battler in the vein of his game counterpart, though as the series itself transitioned to more lighthearted SliceOfLife, his comical traits were put in limelight more often. Most times the series returned to more intense plotsm however, he returned to form.
* ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'' plays this for comedy by having Issei perform a CharacterCheck on ''himself''. [[TheGadfly Azazel]] compliments Issei on the maturity of a decision he just made, specifically noting the notorious ChivalrousPervert had left a woman's bust size out of it (ItMakesSenseInContext). Issei is startled to realize he's right, and looks to the teammate who most reliably calls out his perversions. She has nothing to add. Issei's narration meanders off into existential angst for a moment as he wonders how he forgot the things of beauty he's repeatedly professed to live for, before deciding [[IResembleThatRemark there are more pressing issues right now]].
* In ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'', Endeavor, the #2 Hero, not only is a unpleasant jerk, but was so obsessed with raising a child who could surpass All Might (the #1 Hero) that he married a woman with an ice quirk to breed a SuperiorSuccessor. This obsession led to him abusing his son and chosen successor Shoto by giving him TrainingFromHell, neglecting his other children [[spoiler:save for Toya, who was heavily wounded in a training accident [[CreateYourOwnVillain and eventually became a supervillain]]]], and abusing his wife, resulting in her having a breakdown and scarring Shoto's face. Eventually, Endeavor [[spoiler:becomes the #1 Hero after All Might's retirement, and, realizing his triumph is a hollow one]], seeks to become a better hero and father. That said, the narrative reminds the viewers of Endeavor's past misdeeds, and shows that he's still a jerk. For example, when Midoriya and Bakugo intern for Endeavor at Shoto's request, Endeavor says he only took them on because his son asked, and despite mentoring them well, coldly says their success or failure won't affect his hero work.

* The writers of the tie-in comics for ''ComicBook/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' turned Yellowjacket back into Ant-Man.

** Gwenpool herself has her first defeat when she goes up against ComicBook/{{MODOK}}, dismissing him as "that lame supervillain who looks like [[{{cephalothorax}} a giant floating head]]". Unfortunately for her, whilst that's his MemeticLoser reception, the comics have always portrayed M.O.D.O.K dead seriously as a super-smart sadist who is always CrazyPrepared for opponents, wields PsychicPowers with extremely destructive capabilities, and actively revels in killing and torture.

* ''ComicBook/Prez1973'': The title character's talent for fixing clocks is used as a plot point in his first issue and then never mentioned again until he appeared in an issue of ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}.

* After Calvin gets LaserGuidedAmnesia in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'', he ends up with his original personality - that being the excitable little kid he was in [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes the comic strip]].
* After a surprising but understandable amount of cowering, Lina Inverse invokes this ''on herself'' in ''FanFic/FlamGush'' as a reminder that she is no longer the scared little girl she once was when facing [[spoiler: Erik]], glaring back to make him look away.

* The early chapters of ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'' made a half-hearted attempt to keep Professor Quirrell's canon feigned nervousness, but gave up very quickly and he basically just turned into an OCStandIn after that.
* In ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'', Dumbledore, (who introduces himself by yelling "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU MOTHERFUKERS!"), is shown "crying wisely" while delivering the news of Draco's suicide, [[LampshadeHanging with the author asking readers if that is out of character for him]].
* ''Webcomic/SonicTheComicOnline'': In a few comics, Amy [[TheTease teases Sonic]] like how she did prior to the {{executive|Meddling}}-mandated CharacterizationMarchesOn in the [[ComicBook/SonicTheComic original comic]].
* Desdemona from ''Fanfic/TotalDramaStranded'' is introduced as a manipulative strategist who will desperately do anything to keep herself in the game. She then begins a relationship with [[spoiler: Elijah]] and mellows considerably. However, in an extreme act of desperation, she is willing to [[spoiler: convince the others to vote him out.]]

* In ''Film/{{Paddington}}'', Mr. Curry, while he dislikes Paddington like in the books, is portrayed more as grumpy than as a Jerk, even alerting the Browns to Paddington's whereabouts near the climax. In ''Film/Paddington2'', he is much more antagonistic to the bear, even using Paddington's wrongful arrest to his own advantage.

* Sylar in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' was prone to these in Season 3, as the writers veered erratically between portraying him as TheWoobie and remembering, "Oh, yeah, this guy was a ''psychotic serial killer'' in Seasons 1 and 2." The utterly gratuitous [[spoiler:murder of Elle]] was a case in point.
* Lionel Luthor of ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' started out as a prime example of a MagnificentBastard. He was cruel, manipulative, and gloriously evil. In Season 5, he started acting like a good guy while acting as the "Oracle" for Jor-El. In Season 6 the writers wanted to "slap [the audience] in the face" with a reminder of who he used to be, so they had him blackmail Lana into marrying Lex. Then, sad to say, he went back to being a good guy.
* Sawyer from ''Series/{{Lost}}'' started out as the resident JerkAss with occasional glimpses of a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold heart of gold]] and gradually moves toward outright heroism over the course of the series. Throughout, however, he has moments reminding everyone that he is at best a HeroWithAnFInGood who WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency. One of the most notable examples occurs in the episode "The Long Con" in which he performs an elaborate con to get posession of the castaways' guns. Charlie asks Sawyer why he did it, and his response is that he's "not a good person. Never did a good thing in my life."
* In ''Series/{{MASH}}'', the whole Margaret arc. She went from Hot Lips to Margaret. At first there was some homage paid to Hot Lips, then the writers just gave up. Margaret underwent a lot of genuine CharacterDevelopment as the series progressed, becoming friendlier and less antagonistic. However, a rather noticeable Character Check occurred in the fifth season episode "The Korean Surgeon", in which Hawkeye and B.J. attempt to save a North Korean doctor who is a P.O.W. by [[PaperThinDisguise shaving his beard and giving him a haircut]] and telling everyone that he is South Korean, so that he can join them at the camp. Margaret and Frank discover what's going on, and threaten to go over Colonel Potter's head to resolve the matter; something they'd frequently do to Henry Blake, but not to Potter as he was far more competent, extremely well-connected, and Margaret respected him a lot more (as Potter was regular army). The threat (and indeed the whole plot) seems more suited to an episode from the first three seasons (when Blake was in charge), so it comes off as a bit jarring.

** The Fourth Doctor episode ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E4StateOfDecay State of Decay]]'' does this for ''two'' neglected personalities of the Doctor. After several serials of the Doctor's characterisation being unusually dark, grumpy and {{Chessmaster}}ly, ''State of Decay'' returns him to the witty and capricious mode he'd been in for the previous three seasons -- but the story itself is written with all the characteristic tropes of his ''first'' three seasons, being a GothicHorror {{Pastiche}} about weakened ancient godlike beings attempting to regain power. (Partial explanation: "State of Decay" was a recycled script. It was originally from the Gothic Fourth Doctor period that had been scotched at the time by ExecutiveMeddling and was later resubmitted; by that time the show's management had changed twice.)
** The Sixth Doctor was intended to be this -- after the Fifth Doctor, an extremely kind-hearted, subtle and humanlike incarnation, the desire was to return the Doctor to being a [[ComicalOverreacting flamboyant]] and [[NoSocialSkills socially tone-deaf]] character (similar to the popular Fourth Doctor [[DependingOnTheWriter in some of his madder characterisations]]) who was more threatening, morally-ambiguous, and borderline impossible to deal with (similar to the UrExample of the character, the First Doctor). Unfortunately, the writers failed to execute this with the subtlety it required, leading to a EstablishingCharacterMoment of him trying to choke his own companion during his post-regenerative trauma that cast a long and poisonous shadow over his personality in the eyes of fans.
** The TARDIS started out broken; completely unsteerable to the point where the Doctor can never leave a place and time that he's not completely done with, because he can never return. During the Fourth Doctor's tenure, he switched to using the "secondary control room", which allowed him to steer the TARDIS for the first time ([[FanWank onscreen, anyway]]), although due to his personality he often wouldn't and even installed a "Randomiser" to make control of it impossible again. The new series establishes right from the very beginning that the Doctor knows how to fly his TARDIS now, showing it capable of maneuvers stated to be completely impossible for most of the Classic Doctors (the earliest example being the Ninth Doctor's AndAnotherThing rematerialization in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose Rose]]"), but every so often a story will start with the Doctor mis-steering the TARDIS and ending up somewhere unwanted, such as "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E7TheIdiotsLantern "The Idiot's Lantern"]] ('50s Britain and not '50s America), [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E2ToothAndClaw "Tooth and Claw"]] (the Victorian era rather than the '70s), and completely {{Deconstructed}} in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E4AliensOfLondon "Aliens of London"]] (twelve months after Rose left instead of twelve hours). This is lampshaded during the Eleventh Doctor's tenure; the TARDIS briefly gains the ability to talk, and at one point the Doctor accuses her of never taking him where he wanted to go. She retorts that she always took him where he ''needed'' to go.
** After literally decades of the Doctor being depicted as young(ish) and often romantic (especially since the series' return in 2005), the introduction of the Twelfth Doctor was intended to be a return to the type of the character that led the show in the 1960s and early 1970s - older, wiser, grumpier, and less likely to fall in love with his companions. As the next item on this list shows, that last point ultimately didn't take.
** After two and a half seasons depicting the Doctor as "besotted" (Creator/StevenMoffat's term) with companion Clara Oswald, to the extent of obsession over her safety in Series 9, with feelings for her that caused him to abandon his principles, the Series 9 finale, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent Hell Bent]]", sees the Doctor's core memories of Clara erased and ends with him, at least for now, returning to being the indomitable Time Lord we've come to know. Only to zigzag immediately with "[[Recap/DoctorWho2015CSTheHusbandsOfRiverSong The Husbands of River Song]]" placing the Doctor into ''another'' romantic, bittersweet scenario in which he acts like a lovesick puppy, though it's implied he's taken some of the lessons from his experience with Clara to come out of it less damaged (justified in-universe by the fact he [[spoiler:has had most memories of Clara erased, most specifically anything related to being in love with her, but he still remembers he went down a dark path with her]]).
* Mary and Edith from ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' spent most of series 1 engaged in TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry, only for various deaths, intrigues and the First World War to make them realize there were far more important issues at hand. At times they seem to get along quite well, only for writer Julian Fellowes to remember they're supposed to dislike each other and throw in a barbed comment or two between them.
* One of the biggest complaints of the series finale of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' is that [[spoiler: Barney returns to his womanizing ways from seasons 1-5 after he and Robin get divorced]].
* The Cat in ''Series/RedDwarf'' was originally introduced as a DropInCharacter, somebody who was caught up in his own self-obsessed world, only occasionally interacting with the other crew, and sometimes even being a nuisance. This got forgotten over time, as he became more and more a part of their adventures, piloting the ship and making use of his SuperSenses to get them out of trouble. But the plot of the reunion special "Back to Earth" effectively hinges on reminding us of the early Cat, complete with a hilarious CallBack to an episode in the very first series.

* This was done subtly in the ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' episode "[[{{Recap/StargateAtlantisS03E08McKayAndMrsMiller}} [=McKay=] and Mrs. Miller]]". Rodney [=McKay=] calls Samantha Carter "blue eyes" and insists on checking some mathematics himself. While [=McKay=] has always been condescending (and there's nothing out of character about him wanting to check the work himself) it's out of character for the ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' version of [=McKay=] to talk to a female scientist in this manner. It is however completely in character for the original version of [=McKay=] when he was introduced in [=SG1=] (fitting since working with Carter in Stargate Command like he was doing in this episode was how he was originally introduced). Keep in mind, the original character was before he developed from "jerk the audience hates and wants to see fail while Carter wins" to "jerk with a heart of gold whom the audience sympathises with and even enjoys seeing charging in to save the day, even if it's still funny sometimes to see him suffer".

** Q was introduced as a threatening god-like being who had judged humanity, found them wanting and had decided to exterminate the entire race. Almost immediately after his introduction, he was re-written as an omnipotent prankster akin to [[Characters/NorseMythology Loki]]. Picard even stopped seeing him as a threat and more of a nuisance. But then there was the final episode, where Q was suddenly ready to destroy humanity again.

* Chelsea from ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' TookALevelInDumbass as the series [[{{Flanderization}} progressed]]. The sequel ''Series/RavensHome'' presents her as more in-line with her season 1 persona, if not even OlderAndWiser.

* ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'': After a full season of working on the side of the good guys and [[TookALevelInKindness taking a level in kindness]], Al Swearengen reminds everyone that he's a ruthless and sadistic throat-cutter by brutally torturing one of Hearst's {{mook}}s. Along the way, he admits that he's just doing it for fun and holds no illusions that he has any sort of moral high ground over the man.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': A giant complaint of the last season is that Jaime reverts back to his season one persona, pre-character development. Not only reigniting his UndyingLoyalty to Cersei but also making the absurd claim that he never cared about innocents when one of the most pivotal of his character moments was the reveal that he stained his reputation to save a city's worth of innocents.

* WWE's use of [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]] warrants a mention. First she was a hoe, then a silly dancing ex-ho, logical. Suddenly she was psychotic, obsessive, evil, held a grudge against Wrestling/TrishStratus of doubtful justification, claimed to hear voices in her head and saw things that were not there, such as carrying an imaginary title belt... not so logical. Then after Wrestlemania XX Victoria was silly dancer again, her seeming split with Wrestling/StevieRichards, who she claimed "needed help" was about the only nod to how she was prior. Then she turned heel and dropped all prior characterization but went crazy again for a feud with Wrestling/MickieJames (who transitioned into sanity much more sensibly). As the feud with Mickie went on though Victoria stopped being psycho and started being a goof, the only thing missing from her original character being the dancing.

* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Rosaria was introduced in Version 1.2 as a vigilante who was stalking Albedo because she suspected that he was a threat to the city of Mondstadt. In spite of showing up in a couple of [[TemporaryOnlineContent Version Events]] afterwards, she was conspicuously absent in the follow up to that story, and it wasn't until 3.5's event that she was shown tracking down a potential threat again. This doesn't last for long, since [[spoiler:while Scarlett was acting suspiciously, she simply wanted help fulfilling the prophecy her mentor left behind and didn't do anything wrong]].

** A series-wise one involves Gilgamesh, the wandering warrior from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'' who has managed to appear in multiple entries in the franchise (and yes, confirmed to be [[DimensionalTraveler the same person nearly every time]]) despite being in a series that runs heavily on [[ThematicSeries Thematic Sequels]] for the most part. When he first appears, he mostly behaves like a dragoon from the series, using a BladeOnAStick and doing powerful [[DeathFromAbove jumping attacks]]. He later takes on a MultiArmedAndDangerous form that functions like a WalkingArmory, with this form most famously falling for using [[JokeWeapon Excalipoor]]. This was [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] into being obsessed with swords in particular in his second appearance, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', and "multi-armed guy who hunts for swords" became his schtick for a long time. However, later appearances have him going back to using Dragoon tactics much more, and one of his "hunt for a weapon" sidequests was for a halberd. One such appearance, ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'', gives a possible Games like ''VideoGame/{{Dissidia|FinalFantasy}}'' also establish that one of his larger priorities is finding a way back to his world... even if the idea of facing strong opponents and claiming their weapons as his own [[BloodKnight sidetracks him]] every now and then.
** In the very beginning of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Cloud has a difficult and rude personality, characterised by various points where, in conversation, the player can choose between a couple of responses - usually a rude or abrasive one, and an apathetic or kind one. These scenes get fewer as the plot gets moving and Cloud's personality develops, and are completely abandoned after Cloud develops an agreeable, intentionally funny personality after reconstructing his memories, except for a scene towards the end of the second disc if the player chooses to have Barret in the party while hijacking the submarine - Barret will point out to Cloud that Cloud's whole personality is [[LampshadeHanging completely different]] to how it used to be and that he's come a long way, to which the player can have Cloud respond with either a rude or apathetic comment.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Rufus and Amberley were mostly diluted to {{Hero Antagonist}}s after the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'', however odd episodes made attempts to return them to center spotlight. Shades of their original characterizations also re emerged throughout Seasons Three and Four.
* Done to a few of the engines throughout the long run of ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', despite {{Flanderization}} altering a lot of their personalities drastically, their old forms from the original novels and episodes do occasionally return. For example, Thomas, now more a KindheartedSimpleton, will occasionally act cheeky or pompous, while Toby, now altered into a LovableCoward, will show glimpses of his BigBrotherMentor persona.
* ''WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck'' has two very clear personalities: the Screwball CloudCuckooLander - which is how he originally was during his debut and early years, followed by the {{Jerkass}} with a big case of SmallNameBigEgo and an intense greed streak.[[note]]Once in a while, there were also shorts where the two personalities are merged, most often by Robert [=McKimson=][[/note]] Nowadays, it is the latter personality -- the perpetual arrogant loser -- that takes center stage and has become the one most people audiences are familiar with, thanks primarily to director Creator/ChuckJones making ample use of it. However, some productions do attempt to merge the two personas, to varying degrees: ranging from occasionally slipping into "screwball mode" when it would give him something of an edge to being an snarky egotist with a thin grasp on reality (e.g. ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'').

** In season 8, we get a refresher course in what MadGod Discord can be like when rubbed the wrong way. In the end, they had to [[KarmaHoudini give him what he wanted, no strings attached]] to appease him.

* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': Even though Mitchell has been taking a level in kindness in Season 2, in “[[Recap/ReadyJetGoS2E16SunspotsSunspotOurSunIsAStar Our Sun is a Star!]]", he's just as mean as he was in Season 1. However, this episode takes place in January, and Mr. Peterson is shown taking down Christmas decorations, so it's possible that this episode could have taken place ''after'' "Holidays in Boxwood Terrace", where it was revealed that he only pretends to be a jerk, and Mitchell becomes part of the group. That episode was one of the very last Season 1 episodes, and Mitchell didn't start becoming nicer until "Try and Try Again", a Season 2 episode.

* A textbook example from ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' is how Vegeta behaves in the Buu saga, where he lets himself fall under the MindControl of Babidi just to feel "like himself" again.

* Due to being a LongRunner, the ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' anime frequently fazes in and out with characterisations:
** During Team Rocket's phase as more dangerous, serious minded villains in the ''Best Wishes!'' arc of the anime, they still had odd NotSoAboveItAll moments as a reminder this was the bumbling Team Rocket trio. ''XY'' afterwards reverses it around. They're back to being buffoonish, but still have several moments of being genuinely sinister and cold-blooded.
** For most of his later run, Brock was demoted to lovesick comic relief and MrExposition. However occasional limelight episodes did still demonstrate the cool headed battle competence he had in his earliest appearances. This is especially apparent in most of his one off reappearances since being PutOnTheBus.
** Kiawe of the ''Sun and Moon'' series was a more situational case. He similarly started off a serious minded battler, though as the series itself transitioned to more light hearted SliceOfLife, his comical traits were put in limelight more often. Most times the series returned to more intense plots however he returned to form.

* Da Orks in ''{{TabletopGame/Warhammer40000}}'' have a gestalt psychic field that allows them to impose ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve onto the material universe, mostly for the purpose of making their ramshackle technology actually ''work''. Occasionally a writer would try to make an Ork pick up a tree branch that he thought looked like a gun, and start magically firing bullets with it. These days this doesn't happen so much, partly by clarifying that [[BookDumb Orks aren't quite that stupid]], and partly by establishing that most if not all Ork technology do work in human hands, they just work ''better'' in an Ork's hands.

* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Rosaria was introduced in 1.2 as a vigilante who was stalking Albedo because she suspected that he was a threat to the city of Mondstadt. In spite of showing up in a couple of [[TemporaryOnlineContent Version Events]] afterwards, she was conspicuously absent in the follow up to that story, and it wasn't until Version 3.5's event that she was shown tracking down a potential threat again. This doesn't last for long, since [[spoiler: while Scarlett was acting suspiciously, she simply wanted help fulfilling the prophecy her mentor left behind and didn't do anything wrong.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}} 2'', Durandal was far less of a nutjob than the first game. Still, he does briefly stop to remind you that "If you [[TakeYourTime insist on stumbling around when our time here is limited]], I may just decide that you're not all that special after all and [[ThrownOutTheAirlock teleport you out into space]]." Probably justified in that he was going through the early stages of Rampancy in the first game (which includes a "psychotic anger" phase), and by the second game has calmed down and stabilized a great deal.
* In the very beginning of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Cloud has a difficult and rude personality, characterised by various points where, in conversation, the player can choose between a couple of responses - usually a rude or abrasive one, and an apathetic or kind one. These scenes get fewer as the plot gets moving and Cloud's personality develops, and are completely abandoned after Cloud develops an agreeable, intentionally funny personality after reconstructing his memories, except for a scene towards the end of the second disc if the player chooses to have Barret in the party while hijacking the submarine - Barret will point out to Cloud that Cloud's whole personality is [[LampshadeHanging completely different]] to how it used to be and that he's come a long way, to which the player can have Cloud respond with either a rude or apathetic comment.
* A series-wise one for ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' involves Gilgamesh, the wandering warrior who has managed to appear in multiple entries in the franchise (and yes, confirmed to be the same person) despite being in a series that runs heavily on [[ThematicSeries Thematic Sequels]] for the most part. When he first appears, he mostly behaves like a dragoon from the series, using a BladeOnAStick and doing powerful [[DeathFromAbove jumping attacks]]. He later takes on a MultiArmedAndDangerous form that functions like a WalkingArmory, with this form most famously falling for using [[JokeWeapon Excalipoor]]. This was [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] into being obsessed with swords in particular in his second appearance, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'', and "multi-armed guy who hunts for swords" became his schtick for a long time. However, later appearances have him going back to using dragoon tactics much more, and one of his "hunt for a weapon" sidequests was for a halberd.

* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': Rosaria was introduced in 1.2 as a vigilante who was stalking Albedo because she suspected that he was a threat to the city of Mondstadt. In spite of showing up in a couple of [[TemporaryOnlineContent Version Events]] afterwards, she was conspicuously absent in the follow up to that story, and it wasn't until Version 3.5's event that she was shown tracking down a potential threat again. This doesn't last for long, since [[spoiler: while Scarlett was acting suspiciously, she simply wanted help fulfilling the prophecy her mentor behind and didn't do anything wrong.]]

** The Fourth Doctor episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E4StateOfDecay State of Decay]]" does this for ''two'' neglected personalities of the Doctor. After several serials of the Doctor's characterisation being unusually dark, grumpy and {{Chessmaster}}ly, "State of Decay" returns him to the witty and capricious mode he'd been in for the previous three seasons -- but the story itself is written with all the characteristic tropes of his ''first'' three seasons, being a GothicHorror {{Pastiche}} about weakened ancient godlike beings attempting to regain power. (Partial explanation: "State of Decay" was a recycled script. It was originally from the Gothic Fourth Doctor period that had been scotched at the time by ExecutiveMeddling and was later resubmitted; by that time the show's management had changed twice.)
** The Sixth Doctor was intended to be this -- after the Fifth Doctor, an extremely kind-hearted, subtle and humanlike incarnation, the desire was to return the Doctor to being a [[ComicalOverreacting flamboyant]] and [[NoSocialSkills socially tone-deaf]] character (similar to the popular Fourth Doctor [[DependingOnTheWriter in some of his madder characterisations]]) who was more threatening, morally-ambiguous, and borderline impossible to deal with (similar to the UrExample of the character, the First Doctor). Unfortunately, the writers failed to execute this with the subtlety it required, leading to a EstablishingCharacterMoment of him trying to murder his own companion that cast a long and poisonous shadow over his personality in the eyes of fans.
** The TARDIS started out broken; completely unsteerable to the point where the Doctor can never leave a place and time that he's not completely done with, because he can never return. During the Fourth Doctor's tenure, he switched to using the "secondary control room", which allowed him to steer the TARDIS for the first time ([[FanWank onscreen, anyway]]), although due to his personality he often wouldn't and even installed a "Randomiser" to make control of it impossible again. The new series establishes right from the very beginning that the Doctor knows how to fly his TARDIS now, showing it capable of maneuvers stated to be completely impossible for most of the Classic Doctors (the earliest example being the Ninth Doctor's AndAnotherThing rematerialization in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose Rose]]"), but every so often a story will start with the Doctor mis-steering the TARDIS and ending up somewhere unwanted, such as "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E7TheIdiotsLantern The Idiot's Lantern]]" ('50s Britain and not '50s America), "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E2ToothAndClaw Tooth and Claw]]" (the Victorian era rather than the '70s), and completely {{Deconstructed}} in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E4AliensOfLondon Aliens of London]]" (a year after Rose left instead of a few hours). This is lampshaded during the Eleventh Doctor's tenure; the TARDIS briefly gains the ability to talk, and at one point the Doctor accuses her of never taking him where he wanted to go. She retorts that she always took him where he ''needed'' to go.

** After two and a half seasons depicting the Doctor as "besotted" (Creator/StevenMoffat's term) with companion Clara Oswald, to the extent of obsession over her safety in Series 9, with feelings for her that caused him to abandon his principles, the Series 9 finale, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent Hell Bent]]", sees the Doctor erase his core memories of Clara and ends with him, at least for now, returning to being the indomitable Time Lord we've come to know. Only to zigzag immediately with "[[Recap/DoctorWho2015CSTheHusbandsOfRiverSong The Husbands of River Song]]" placing the Doctor into ''another'' romantic, bittersweet scenario in which he acts like a lovesick puppy, though it's implied he's taken some of the lessons from his experience with Clara to come out of it less damaged (justified in-universe by the fact he [[spoiler: has had most memories of Clara erased, most specifically anything related to being in love with her, but he still remembers he went down a dark path with her]]).

* The Cat in ''Series/RedDwarf'' was originally introduced as a DropInCharacter, somebody who was caught up in his own self-obsessed world, only occasionally interacting with the other crew, and sometimes even being a nuisance. This got forgotten over time, as he became more and more a part of their adventures, piloting the ship and making use of his SuperSenses to get them out of trouble. But the plot of the reunion special "Back To Earth" effectively hinges on reminding us of the early Cat, complete with a hilarious CallBack to an episode in the very first series.

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''ComicBook/Prez1973'': The title character's talent for fixing clocks is used as a plot point in his first issue and then never mentioned again until he appeared in an issue of ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}.

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* The early chapters of ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'' made a half-hearted attempt to keep Professor Quirrell's canon feigned nervousness, but gave up very quickly and he basically just turned into an OCStandIn after that.

* In the epilogue of ''Fanfic/NeonGenesisEvangelionGenocide'', Asuka is reintroduced after a four-year TimeSkip having a loud fight with an airport valet that she doesn't trust to park her ridiculously expensive sports car, and there are also references to her entitled and bratty behavior in other respects (such as once having kicked a security guard in the groin for getting into her personal space). It's then revealed that much like the original series, a lot of this is just for show or to cover up her insecurities, and she's considerably [[CharacterDevelopment changed and matured since her piloting days.]]
* After Calvin gets LaserGuidedAmnesia in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'', he ends up with his original personality - that being the excitable little kid he was in [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes the comic strip]].
* After a surprising but understandable amount of cowering, Lina Inverse invokes this ''on herself'' in ''FanFic/FlamGush'' as a reminder that she is no longer the scared little girl she once was when facing [[spoiler: Erik]], glaring back to make him look away.
* ''Webcomic/SonicTheComicOnline'': In a few comics, Amy [[TheTease teases Sonic]] like how she did prior to the {{executive|Meddling}}-mandated CharacterizationMarchesOn in the [[ComicBook/SonicTheComic original comic]].

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* In ''Film/{{Paddington}},'' Mr. Curry, while he dislikes Paddington like in the books, is portrayed more as grumpy than as a Jerk, even alerting the Browns to Paddington's whereabouts near the climax. In ''Film/Paddington2'', he is much more antagonistic to the bear, even using Paddington's wrongful arrest to his own advantage.

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A Character Check is when the writer realizes the character is no longer behaving the way he or she was first portrayed, and tries to cover it up by throwing in a scene in which the character ostentatiously reverts to form. Related to AuthorsSavingThrow, but a Character Check seldom leads to any lasting change and is not necessarily popular with the fans, who may have become attached to the "new" version of the character and dislike the brief resurgence of the old one.

''ComicBook/{{Prez}}'': The title character's talent for fixing clocks is used as a plot point in his first issue and then never mentioned again until he appeared in an issue of ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}.