History Main / SmurfetteBreakout

* Gender inverted with Ryo Akizuki from ''VideoGame/TheIdolmasterDearlyStars''. At the time of the game's release he was the only male idol in the franchise ([[DudeLooksLikeAlady though you sure couldn't tell]] [[DraggedIntoDrag by looking at him]], and once his gender was revealed preorders of the game skyrocketed. Ryo was eventually made into a fully producable idol in the male idol spinoff ''VideoGame/TheIdolmasterSideM'', but his fellow ''Dearly Stars'' idols Ai and Eri have yet to be playable since, being relegated to occasional cameos.

* Out of the five protagonists of the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'', Estelle Bright is the sole female protagonist, representing the first two games of the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' trilogy. However, a combination of FirstInstallmentWins, the sheer rarity of a girl leading a major JRPG, and her memorably optimistic, yet abrasive personality has made her extremely popular even after the other LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters spanning hundreds of hours worth of gameplay. She's as much the face of her franchise as Cloud is to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy.''

* Daria Morgendorffer, a minor reoccuring character in WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead, got her own tv show, WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}, which can't be said for any otherwise more important cast members.

** Gwen Stacy was originally remembered in the 21st century only for being part of Peter's LoveTriangle with ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson ''[[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied and then]]'' [[ILetGwenStacyDie dying]]. However, her return in adaptations ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' and ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries''[[note]]the latter with a lot of praise for her actress Creator/EmmaStone[[/note]] resulted in Gwen getting fans again and many begging for her to return from the dead. This culminated with ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'', a massive crossover of all the alternate universe counterparts of Spider-Man, which introduced the Spider-Woman of Earth-65, a universe where Peter died and Gwen gained spider powers. "Spider-Gwen", as she became known, was so popular amongst fans that she received [[ComicBook/SpiderGwen her own comic series]], which became the highest debuting comic of 2015. Gwen Stacy later got ''another'' spinoff version of herself, [[ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool Gwenpool]], from a variant cover of ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}''. A far cry from her iconic "[[StuffedIntoTheFridge death for angst]]", and ironic considering she was originally killed off due to [[TheScrappy her lack of popularity]] compared to Mary-Jane.

[-[[caption-width-right:349:Pictured above: ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger''. Pictured below: Spinoffs, ''Film/AgentCarter'' [[Film/MarvelOneShots short film]], ''Series/AgentCarter'' TV series, and ''ComicBook/PeggyCarter of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' comics.]]-]

* When the stable Wrestling/{{Sanity}} was called up to the main roster, Wrestling/NikkiCross was notably absent. The reason for this was perhaps invoking this trope, as it was thought she could break out on her own. They were right; Nikki has had success as a former multi-time Women's Tag Team Champion and MoralityChain to Wrestling/AlexaBliss. As of June 2021, she was the last member of the stable left in the company. The others' post-heights in WWE: jobber (Eric Young), teaming with Drake Maverick in NXT (Killian Dain), and member of Imperium (Alexander Wolfe). This is, of course, not counting Sawyer Fulton, who was replaced even before the main roster move.

* After her introduction in ''New Leaf'', the fourth game in the series, Isabelle was quickly adopted by the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' fans, and the character is now utilized by Nintendo as the defacto mascot of the series over previous {{Breakout Character}}s like K.K. Slider, Mr. Resetti, and Tom Nook. She was PromotedToPlayable in a ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' DLC and featured as an Assist Trophy in ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS'' before becoming playable in the following entry. Ankha the [[AncientEgypt Egyptian cat]] is also rather popular, as well as the [[TheThreeFacesofEve three Able Sisters]].

* OlderThanTheyThink: Wrestling/TheFabulousMoolah was initially a valet for [[Wrestling/BuddyRogers "The Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers]] but eventually branched out on her own and became a pioneer for women's wrestling. She is recognised as the first ever [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-wm.html WWE Women's Champion]] and held it for over twenty years. However, Rogers is still a legend, so she doesn't overshadow him completely, he simply wasn't pushed as hard by WWE, who went so far as {{retcon}} the women's title record for Moolah and continued to use her well past her peak, while if one only watched WWE they'd mostly recognize Rogers as the guy who came before Wrestling/RicFlair.
* Wrestling/{{Sable}} was first Wrestling/TripleH's valet and then Wrestling/MarcMero's. He was popular in WCW as Johnny B Bad but the WWF fans cared little for Marc Mero and much more for Sable, to the point that this was made into an angle. She was given more attention and storylines and is now recognized as the first true WWE Diva. This also happened to Mero's second valet, Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}}, though she didn't become quite as big a WWF star as Sable. She did however get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.

* When, Wrestling/AlexanderRusev debuted on WWE programing in April 2014, it was obvious his valet Lana was stealing the spotlight away from him. The fact that Rusev was portrayed as not being conversant in English didn't help matters. This, in fact, was the [[InvokedTrope intent]], but it was {{Averted|Trope}} in the end. Despite the pairing of Wrestling/RusevAndLana working out well, Wrestling/{{WWE}} had big plans to split them up in 2015 in preparation for Lana [[BreakupBreakout becoming a solo star]], as Wrestling/VinceMcMahon liked her but not him. Lana was paired with Wrestling/DolphZiggler while Rusev was paired with Wrestling/SummerRae, who dressed and styled her hair much like Lana did. Fans hated the angle and both of them suffered from it, and was scrapped due to a combination of both Lana and Rusev getting hurt, and Lana posting about their real-life engagement on Twitter, which incurred Vince's ire. When both had recovered from their injuries, [[StatusQuoIsGod they were back together]].

* Wrestling/AlexaBliss became the manager to Blake and Murphy on NXT. Fans are usually indifferent to the two of them, but Alexa draws good reactions and has been pushed for the Women's Championship more than once. She became a high-profile star of her own when she parted ways with them, and soon became [[UpToEleven the first woman to hold both the Raw and Smackdown Women's Championship]]. As for the team she left behind: Buddy Murphy got a "hometown hero" Cruiserweight Championship reign in Melbourne, and since became a lackey to Wrestling/SethRollins. Wesley Blake reached the [=SmackDown=] brand after many years as part of the Forgotten Sons, though his push appears set to be derailed as a result of stablemate [[Wrestling/ChadLail Jaxson Ryker]]'s inflammatory political comments.

* When the stable Wrestling/{{Sanity}} was called up to the main roster, Wrestling/NikkiCross was notably absent. The reason for this was perhaps invoking this trope, as it was thought she could break out on her own. They were right; Nikki has had success as a former multi-time Women's Tag Team Champion and MoralityChain to Wrestling/AlexaBliss. As for the male members: Wrestling/EricYoung was a perpetual jobber until his budget cut release, Killian Dain was sent back to NXT, and Alexander Wolfe headed to NXT UK to become a member of Wrestling/{{Imperium}}. Sawyer Fulton, by comparison, never saw the main roster, and is better known as the lackey of Wrestling/SamiCallihan in Wrestling/ImpactWrestling.

* Out of the five protagonists of the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'', Estelle Bright is the sole female protagonist, representing the first two games of the ''VideoGame/TheLegendofHeroesTrailsInTheSky'' trilogy. However, a combination of FirstInstallmentWins, the sheer rarity of a girl leading a major JRPG, and her memorably optimistic, yet abrasive personality has made her extremely popular even after the other LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters spanning hundreds of hours worth of gameplay. She's as much the face of her franchise as Cloud is to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy.''

* Out of the five protagonists of the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'', Estelle Bright is the sole female protagonist, representing the first two games of the ''VideoGame/TrailsInTheSky'' trilogy. However, a combination of FirstInstallmentWins, the sheer rarity of a girl leading a major JRPG, and her memorably optimistic, yet abrasive personality has made her extremely popular even after the other LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters spanning hundreds of hours worth of gameplay. She's as much the face of her franchise as Cloud is to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy.''

* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'': Chip and Dale were already established Disney characters and the ostensible leads of the series. But Gadget was the one who became PopularWithFurries and the most memorable character due to her GeniusDitz nature. There's still a Gadget-themed roller coaster at Disneyland, twenty years after the series run.

[[folder: Film]]

* Princess Peach of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' proved to be popular enough to receive her own spin-off game: ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach''. The game was well received, though criticized for using the HystericalWoman trope as the main gameplay mechanic. In any case, she's never missed a single spin-off multiplayer game and proved to be quite the ActionGirl in some of them ([[https://youtu.be/zip4qJqhpzQ?t=11s especially]] in the ''VideoGame/MarioStrikers'' series). To say nothing of the occasions she becomes a party member in the [=RPGs=].
** In ''Super Mario'' and its spin-offs, several female characters stood up enough to receive some kind of representation in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', which is usually a good barometer of popular characters in the Nintendo universes. First, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''[='=]s Rosalina is the most notorious exemple as she became playable in the fourth game before more familiar and grounded ''Mario'' characters like Daisy and Waluigi. ''VideoGame/WarioWare''[='=]s DarkMagicalGirl Ashley is also noteworthy, receiving two songs in ''Brawl'' then promoted to Assist Trophy in ''Smash 4''. Finally, Goombella from ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' is probably one of the most popular companions from the ''Paper'' series, and as such is the only one of them to have its own trophy in ''Brawl'' and even in ''Smash 4'', ten years after her first and last playable appearance.

* Jasmine from ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' is a supporting character, while the story naturally about the titular Aladdin. That didn't prevent her from being included in the Franchise/DisneyPrincess franchise, where she is the only princess in the lineup who isn't the main character from their debut film.
* Tinkerbell from ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'' got her own spinoff franchise in the Franchise/DisneyFairies. Even before that, she was recognized as one of the company's mascots, even if she was no where near the level of Mickey and his friends. She's easily the most recognisable character from the movie for these reasons.

** Harley Quinn on ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' also qualifies. While not the only female member of the team, Harley had the most agency and the best dialogue of the team. This coupled with her sexy design and Creator/MargotRobbie's funny, menacing and [[NoStuntDouble athletically impressive]] performance made Harley one of the best characters in the film. Immediately people talked about a Harley spinoff, which eventually got optioned (by Robbie's production company) as ''Film/{{Birds of Prey|2020}}'', stretched to ''Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn''.

** Perhaps invoked with ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. Despite Comicbook/WonderWoman having a supporting role, a lot of press stemmed from the fact that she was making her live-action film debut. Wonder Woman got lots of praise, to the point of being the one thing ''universally'' loved about the film - and many expressed excitement for her upcoming long-awaited [[Film/WonderWoman2017 movie]]. Said movie ended up [[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wonder_woman_2017 becoming the first critical success]] of the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse and was massively popular amongst fans and critics alike. The film has gone on to become the most successful DCEU film at the domestic box office, and a [[Film/WonderWoman1984 sequel]] was fast-tracked while other movie projects that were discussed way before (some even since the days of ''Film/ManOfSteel'') remain in DevelopmentHell. She's the face of the franchise now, including being front and center on the DVD covers of BVS ''and Film/JusticeLeague.'' Doubly ironic, considering Wonder Woman used to be considered as the least popular (or the least well-known) of DC's Big Three heroes.

* Rika Nonaka and Renamon, the only girls in the PowerTrio of ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' became big breakout characters and are perhaps the most iconic characters not just in Tamers, but the entire Franchise/{{Digimon}} franchise, Renamon especially. During the series 15th anniversary, the duo represented the entire season of Tamers alongside [[TheHero Takato]], with Henry curiously absent.

* The child actresses in the original ''Film/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' trilogy, as Creator/ChloeGraceMoretz and, to a lesser extent, Creator/PeytonRList have been the most successful stars since the series ended[[note]]although the other main child actress, Laine MacNeill, has done little since[[/note]]. The actors have not done much otherwise, as Karan Brar only remained relevant by appearing on the [[Series/{{Jessie}} same]] [[Series/{{Bunkd}} shows]] as Peyton List. Devon Bostick did OK since then thanks to his role on ''Series/The100'', but not by that much. Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Grayson Russell, and the Fielding twins (who played Manny) virtually vanished from the spotlight after the series ended.

* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'': Ashley Tisdale and Debby Ryan are the two biggest stars to come out of the franchise. Tisdale continued to make a name for herself in ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' and ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'', whereas Ryan got her own show in ''Series/{{Jessie}}''. And, when ''Jessie'' ends, Peyton List may go the same direction.

* Trish's arch-rival, Wrestling/{{Lita}}, benefited from this as well. She debuted as a valet to Essa Rios who was meant to be a pioneer of the Light-Heavyweight division. He ended up lapsing into obscurity (more so than Test and Albert) while Lita became popular with the fans for her high flying moves. She had previously been this in ECW as Danny Doring's manager, Miss Congeniality.

* The Scientist Supreme from Marvel comics is really [[LegacyCharacter a title given to the heads of AIM throughout comic book history,]] but for some reason the one female Scientist Supreme, Monica Rappacini, has been the primary one in other adaptations, from tentpole video game ''VideoGame/MarvelsAvengers'' to mobile game ''Marvel Strike Force''.

* {{Adorkable}} yet badass Lucina from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' became one of the most popular characters in the game and even the entire [[Franchise/FireEmblem franchise]] to the point that she is featured in numerous crossover games such as ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone''.

* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'': Chip and Dale were already established Disney characters and the ostensible leads of the series. But Gadget was the one who became PopularWithFurries and the most memorable character due to her {{Adorkable}} GeniusDitz nature. There's still a Gadget-themed roller coaster at Disneyland, twenty years after the series run.

** Gwen Stacy was originally remembered in the 21st century only for being part of Peter's LoveTriangle with ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson ''[[ComicBook/TheNightGwenStacyDied and then]]'' [[ILetGwenStacyDie dying]]. However, her return in adaptations ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'' and ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries''[[note]]the latter with a lot of praise for her actress Creator/EmmaStone[[/note]] resulted in Gwen getting fans again and many begging for her to return from the dead. This culminated with ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'', a massive crossover of all the alternate universe counterparts of Spider-Man, which introduced the Spider-Woman of Earth-65, a universe where Peter died and Gwen gained spider powers. "Spider-Gwen", as she became known, was so popular amongst fans that she received [[ComicBook/SpiderGwen her own comic series]], which became the highest debuting comic of 2015. Gwen Stacy later got ''another'' spinoff version of herself, [[ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool Gwenpool]], from a variant cover of ''{{SelfDemonstrating/Deadpool}}''. A far cry from her iconic "[[StuffedIntoTheFridge death for angst]]", and ironic considering she was originally killed off due to [[TheScrappy her lack of popularity]] compared to Mary-Jane.

** Perhaps invoked with ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice''. Despite Comicbook/WonderWoman having a supporting role, a lot of press stemmed from the fact that she was making her live-action film debut. Wonder Woman got lots of praise - and many expressed excitement for her upcoming long-awaited [[Film/WonderWoman2017 movie]]. Said movie ended up [[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wonder_woman_2017 becoming the first critical success]] of the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse and was massively popular amongst fans and critics alike. The film has gone on to become the most successful DCEU film at the domestic box office, and a [[Film/WonderWoman1984 sequel]] was fast-tracked while other movie projects that were discussed way before (some even since the days of ''Film/ManOfSteel'') remain in DevelopmentHell. Doubly ironic, considering Wonder Woman used to be considered as the least popular (or the least well-known) of DC's Big Three heroes.