History RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap / AnimeAndManga

* Speaking of Franchise/{{Gundam}}, there's Saji Crossroad from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00''. He spends most of Season One [[TrappedByMountainLions trapped by extremely boring mountain lions]], with his only glimmer of relevance being that Setsuna is his neighbor. Most of the reaction that early-episode Saji gets is "why does this guy get so much screentime?". Towards the end of Season One, though, ''[[FromBadToWorse everything that could go wrong for him]] [[TheWoobie goes wrong]]'', and after the TimeSkip [[spoiler:he is MistakenForTerrorist and sent to an A-LAWS prison colony, where he is found by Setsuna. He then joins Celestial Being simply because they are the only ones who would take him in, and TakesALevelInBadass as the pilot of the 0-Raiser.]] Somewhere along there the hate vanished.
** Also in ''00'', [[spoiler:Andrei Smirnov]] jumped full-on into the Scrappy Heap after [[spoiler:killing his father Sergei, the series' resident CoolOldGuy and one of the most {{reasonable authority figure}}s in the series, ''[[MurderByMistake because he jumped to a conclusion]]'']]. TheMovie gives him [[spoiler:a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome HeroicSacrifice, which jumped him out of "despised" if not into "well-liked". Obviously doubles with AlasPoorScrappy]].
** Also, Nena Trinity once she killed an even ''bigger'' Scrappy than herself: [[spoiler: Wang Lu Mei.]] Unfortunately, Nena wasn't able to do much of anything ''after'' being rescued from the heap, as she [[spoiler: dies ''immediately'' afterwards.]]

* The original ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' meanwhile had Kai Shiden, a self-professed coward with the face of a thug and a brash personality. While he does get some CharacterDevelopment over the course of the show, it's not until ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', wherein he reemerges as the UC equivalent of James Bond, and a number of sidestories that he becomes a veritable badass in his own right.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'' had Asem Asuno, the second generation protagonist. His angsting about not being [[PsychicPowers an X-Rounder]] and his need to prove himself to his father did not do much to endear him to the fanbase. Then comes a DyingSpeech from [[spoiler:his mentor Woolf]] about walking his own path and becoming his own pilot, and Asem proceeds to [[spoiler:kill Desil Galette]], despite a total lack of PsychicPowers, a rarity for ''Gundam'' protagonists. To rephrase, he beat the series' Newtype-equivalent with NO special powers at all, just pure skill. Suddenly the fans are singing the praises of Asem Asuno, the [[MemeticMutation SUPER PILOT]]! [[spoiler:His becoming a SpacePirate with appropriately themed Gundam in the next season has only increased his badass, as far as the fans are concerned.]]

* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Usopp was heavily criticized by the fanbase for dueling Luffy and leaving the crew over Luffy's decision to replace the irreparable Going Merry, causing some of his detractors to bring up his relative weakness compared to the rest of the crew. Later in the arc, he adopted the persona of Sogeking to avoid getting a large bounty for attacking Enies Lobby as well as to prevent his former crewmates from noticing who he was, although only Luffy and Chopper didn't notice, and demonstrated a powerful new weapon with new techniques and far greater accuracy. Then he later apologized for his actions and rejoined the crew. Considering how Oda works, [[IntendedAudienceReaction he had probably planned the story that way all along]].
*** It also helped that the duel itself was fantastic, as it showed that Usopp was more than a LethalJokeCharacter, to the point where he could actually go toe-to-toe with [[InvincibleHero Luffy]].
** As of post-TimeSkip, [[{{Tsundere}} Nami]] has since matured. CharacterDevelopment was starting to kick in already at Thriller Bark, where her concern for money didn't get in the way of her friendship with others.
** [[spoiler:Bellamy. Prior to the TimeSkip, he was just an [[SmallNameBigEgo arrogant]] dick that none of the fans liked, not helped by the fact he was a poor fighter who Luffy beat with one punch and without his devil fruit powers. Post-TimeSkip, he reappears in the Dressrosa arc, matured, respectful, and his fighting abilities significantly improved, along with some depth in his devotion to Doflamingo. Thanks to this CharacterDevelopment, he's started getting a bit of a following and is certainly no longer TheScrappy anymore.]]

** Sadly, the process was reversed with Sekai Saionji. While she's portrayed in games and anime as being impulsive and idiotic yet having a good heart and showing remorse for her actions, Sekai in the manga is shown as quite the self-centered and manipulative bitch... and two of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation endings definitely go this route as well, ''without'' giving her the madness excuse that Kotonoha tends to have when she goes {{Yandere}}.

** Usopp was heavily criticized by the fanbase for dueling Luffy and leaving the crew over Luffy's decision to replace the irreparable Going Merry, causing some of his detractors to bring up his relative weakness compared to the rest of the crew. Later in the arc, he adopted the persona of Sogeking to avoid getting a large bounty for attacking Enies Lobby as well as to prevent his former crewmates from noticing who he was, although only Luffy and Chopper didn't notice, and demonstrated a powerful new weapon with new techniques and far greater accuracy. Then he later apologized for his actions and rejoined the crew. Considering how Oda works, [[IntentedAudienceReaction he had probably planned the story that way all along]].

** Usopp was heavily criticized by the fanbase for dueling Luffy and leaving the crew over Luffy's decision to replace the irreparable Going Merry, causing some of his detractors to bring up his relative weakness compared to the rest of the crew. Later in the arc, he adopted the persona of Sogeking to avoid getting a large bounty for attacking Enies Lobby as well as to prevent his former crewmates from noticing who he was, although only Luffy and Chopper didn't notice, and demonstrated a powerful new weapon with new techniques and far greater accuracy. Then he later apologized for his actions and rejoined the crew. Considering how Oda seems to work, he had probably planned the story that way all along.

* The ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'' manga portrays main character Makoto Itou as more sympathetic than his other versions (that of an idiotic {{jerkass}} who cares only about boning as many girls as possible). In the manga, he is portrayed as a well-intentioned idiot who actually ''cares'' for the girls, other than just schtupping them.

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'':

*** A rare example of where an ''entire'' series qualifies. Pokémon Journeys was liked...initially, but it all went down the drain by giving Goh too much screen time, Ash suffering another BadassDecay and Chloe not getting much development. Things started to finally look up when screen time was equally divided between the protagonists, Chloe started to develop as a character, Ash became even stronger and several loved characters from the previous series returned (such as Gary and Iris). Now it's currently one of the most liked series.

** Also, Erina who was previously seen as Soma's JerkSue rival. To many fans she was cruel, condescending, and simply unpleasant. Her haters started to find her more sympathetic thanks to CharacterizationMarchesOn to DefrostingIceQueen, her friendship with Hisako, the anime showing more of her {{Adorkable}} moments and [[spoiler: her {{Jerkass}} father returning to Totsuki, who was responsible for her bitchy behavior to begin with]], and showing that she and Alice truly love each other, despite their differences.

** Also, Erina who was previously seen as Soma's JerkSue rival. To many fans she was cruel, condescending, and simply unpleasant. Her haters started to find her more sympathetic thanks to CharacterizationMarchesOn to DefrostingIceQueen, her friendship with Hisako, the anime showing more of her {{Adorkable}} moments and [[spoiler: her UpToEleven {{Jerkass}} father returning to Totsuki, who was responsible for her bitchy behavior to begin with]], and showing that she and Alice truly love each other, despite their differences.

* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'': Diana Cavendish in the original films was initially very unpopular amongst fans, with many seeing her as a shallow AcademicAlphaBitch with very few redeeming and/or likable qualities. However, this began to change thanks to the [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017 2017 anime series]], which would tone down her meaner and bitchier qualities, while also fleshing her background out and giving her more CharacterDevelopment compared to the films, culminating in her becoming close friends with Akko in episode 20 and then later [[spoiler:becoming the one to bring her back from her DespairEventHorizon in episode 23, on top of being the one to join and help her in the battle against the Noir Rod in episode 25]]. Needless to say, her portrayal in the anime has redeemed her in the eyes of many fans.

* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'': Diana Cavendish in the original films was initially very unpopular amongst fans, with many seeing her as a shallow AcademicAlphaBitch with very few redeeming and/or likable qualities. However, this began to change thanks to the [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017 2017 anime series]], which would tone down her meaner and bitchier qualities, while also fleshing her background out and giving her more CharacterDevelopment compared to the films, culminating in her becoming close friends with Akko and then later [[spoiler:becoming the one to bring her back from her DespairEventHorizon, on top of being the one to join and help her in the final battle against the Noir Rod]]. Needless to say, her portrayal in the anime has redeemed her in the eyes of many fans.

* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'': The [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia 2017 series]] has redeemed Diana Cavendish in the eyes of many viewers who initially disliked her in the original films and manga. This is largely thanks to the series toning down her more stereotypical AlphaBitch qualities, while also fleshing her out and giving her more CharacterDevelopment compared to the films. While Diana was rather unpopular early on, thanks to the series, she would go on to become a favorite amongst fans.

* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017'': Although she [[BaseBreakingCharacter did have her fans]], Diana Cavendish was initially disliked by many viewers of the original films, due to her AlphaBitch attitude and {{Jerkass}} behavior to the cast making her too stereotypical and unlikable in the eyes of viewers, even with her HiddenDepths and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold inner heart of gold]] being shown. This changed however, when the TV series decided to take Diana into a slightly different direction, portraying her as being more of an mature, aloof and serious IceQueen than the alpha bully she was in the films. This portrayal has been met with a far more positive reception by viewers, and it, combined with her later CharacterDevelopment, has since made her into a fan favorite.

* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017'': Diana Cavendish was disliked by many fans in the films, due to her AlphaBitch attitude and {{Jerkass}} behavior to the cast making her too stereotypical and unlikable, even with her HiddenDepths and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold inner heart of gold]]. This changed however, when the TV series decided to take Diana into a slightly different direction, turning her into an aloof and serious IceQueen than the alpha bully she was in the films. This direction has been met with a far better reception by fans who despised Diana in the films, and it, combined with her later CharacterDevelopment, has since made her into a fan favorite.

*** Goh himself can be be under this. Considering that he was based on Pokémon GO's players, he was already not much liked since he just threw random Pokéballs at Pokémon without fighting them and still catch them, with one of his most infamous moments being when he caught a Dewgong. Then he was given excessive screen time but little to no development and it all culminated when he caught Suicune completely out of luck (and considering how legendaries are hard to catch in the games, some players even took it personally). And so Goh became one of the most hated protagonists of the anime. Things started to look up for him when he was finally given actual CharacterDevelopment and started to battle Pokémon once he realizes he can't simply rely on luck all the time. There are still some people who hates Goh but they are nowhere near as much as they were at first.

*** Goh himself can be be under this. Considering that he was based on Pokémon GO's players, he was already not much liked since he just threw random Pokéballs at Pokémon without fighting them. Then he was given excessive screen time but little to no development and it all culminated when he caught Suicune completely out of luck (and considering how legendaries are hard to catch in the games, some players even took it personally). And so Goh became one of the most hated protagonists of the anime. Things started to look up for him when he was finally given actual CharacterDevelopment and he started to battle Pokémon once he realizes he can't simply throw Pokéballs at them. There are still some people who hates Goh but they are nowhere near as much as they were at first.

** Sodachi Oikura got fan hate for constantly antagonizing Koyomi for things that weren't his fault, so much so that the fandom rejoiced when [[MegatonPunch Senjougahara punched her so hard she flew five feet in the air and half her face swelled up to the size of a grapefruit]]. That is, until, her backstory was revealed, which may be bar none [[TheWoobie the absolute worst in the series]]. It also provided some clarification to why she was so angry at him [[spoiler:She was his ChildhoodFriend. In their first year of high school, someone cheated on a very important test and she ended up blamed for it. Koyomi knew she didn't do it, but [[AccompliceByInaction refused to speak up]] because he wanted to preserve his social standing. That led to her being disgraced and having to move away for a couple years, all the while feeling betrayed that her OnlyFriend wouldn't defend her when it mattered]]. By the end of her arc, fans were genuinely happy when she'd reconciled with Koyomi and even [[RonTheDeathEater turned on Senjougahara for acting like a "smug asshole"]], even considering Oikura's earlier behavior.

** Ayumi Sakagami/Cure Echo of the ''[[Anime/PrettyCureAllStars All-Stars New Stage]]'' trilogy was a massive BaseBreakingCharacter due to the fact that she essentially [[SpotlightStealingSquad stole]] the first ''New Stage'' film, with many fans feeling that her time should have been devoted to the past Cures instead (though many point out it wouldn't of saved the movie any more). This is made worse by the fact that, when she does become Cure Echo, she doesn't fight at all, only confronting Fu-chan before reverting back to normal. After being PutOnABus for ''New Stage 2'', she comes back for ''New Stage 3'', becoming a more proper Cure, being able to actually ''help'' the other Cures and getting fairy partners of her own with ''New Stage 2'''s Gurell and Eren.

* As of the last few years the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' series has actually gone a long way to making Precia Testarossa a much more sympathetic TragicVillain. When she was introduced in the shows first season she was [[HateSink hated]] pretty much instantly thanks to her first scene wherein she was shown [[AbusiveParents horrifically whipping]] [[TheWoobie Fate]] while the latter was tied up [[KickTheDog for not collecting enough Jewel Seeds]]. This hatred only increased when she revealed to Fate at the end of the season [[spoiler: that she was just a clone of Precia's daughter Alicia and that [[KickTheDog she had always hated Fate]]]]. The fact that [[spoiler: she ended up ([[DisneyVillainDeath presumably]]) falling to her death instead of having a fight with any of the main protagonists also left a bad taste in a lot of viewers mouths]] with many fans hoping she would return just so she could get the ass kicking she deserved. However with the release of the first movie fans actually got to see a more sympathetic side to Precia [[spoiler: seeing her hold Alicia's lifeless corpse in her hands and realizing as she fell to her death that she could have treated Fate like an actual daughter instead of a tool]]. This continued in ''VideoGame/GearsOfDestiny'' wherein she reconciles with her familiar Linith at the end of their arc [[TogetherInDeath as the two die peacefully in each others arms]]. Finally we have ''[[Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaINNOCENT INNOCENT]]'', wherein Precia becomes a [[DotingParent Doting Mother]] to both Alicia ''and'' Fate (as well as being funny to boot). Suffice it to say these portrayals have gone a long way to making Preica much more sympathetic in the fandoms eyes (it properly helps that audiences were introduced to the much more universally reviled [[InvincibleVillain Hücke]][[CreatorsPet bein]] about the same time, and in addition, there are worse mothers in anime introduced after this time frame, [[Anime/KillLaKill Ragyo Kiryuin]] is a good example of that, that Precia's old stigma of being anime's "Worst Mother Ever" has been passed down to someone else).

* Shiho's rescue from the Scrappy Heap in the transition from ''Anime/MyHime'' to ''Anime/MyOtome'' coincided with the removal of another Scrappy in Yuuichi. While this had the side effect of reducing Shiho's story importance in ''Otome'' to a comic relief character, none of the ClingyJealousGirl traits she showcased in ''[=HiME=]'' surfaced, allowing her to have some semblance of independence and avoid a FaceHeelTurn.

* Shiho is considerably more tolerable in ''Manga/MyOtome'' than her ''Manga/MyHime'' counterpart was, since she doesn't spend her time [[ClingyJealousGirl watching over Yuuichi]] (a.k.a. [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Series]]) like a hawk, and actually gets to be her own character for a change. At the very least, the complaints about her whininess don't seem to be as loud with the new series. Although some still prefer her ''Manga/MyHime'' self since she had more dramatic weight instead of being a RunningGag character.

* ''Franchise/PrettyCure'':

** The ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime: