History YMMV / Free

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: In the years since the show originally aired, what once was a series that helped revive interest in sports anime is now sometimes cited as a mediocre show with its main draw factor being cute boys with relationship subtext that goes nowhere. On the other hand, some fans don't mind this much, since those fans frame the show as a counterpoint to {{Moe}} and female fanservice shows, the writing for the show was fine (especially for season 1), and the subtext didn't ''have'' to be there if you weren't looking for it.

* ShippingGoggles: ''Especially'' prevalent in the original PV, where fans were writing fanfiction based on less than ten seconds of interaction between the boys. [[http://squick-too-quick.tumblr.com/post/44725923400 Case in point.]]

** New[[labelnote:ish]]he's a returning character from High Speed![[/labelnote]] character Sousuke inspired this in record time[[labelnote:*]]you could say... with [[JustForPun high speed]][[/labelnote]]. He's got a childhood connection to Rin, meaning [=RinHaru=] shippers feel threatened by the potential existence of new ship [=SouRin=]. Some even pre-emptively accused [=MakoHaru=] shippers of [[PairTheSpares Pairing the Spares]] so Rin won't be a threat to [=MakoHaru=]. Bear in mind that at the point in time these feelings erupted, this character had only been introduced in the promotional material for season 2. ''He didn't even have a canon color scheme yet.''

* DieForOurShip: Thankfully defined in terms of straight pairings; when two female characters (Gou and Amakata) entered the fray, the fandom sought hard to defy this trope and was determined on waiting before actually attacking them. Sadly, there have been some anti-straight pairing feelings [[http://frozenviolets.tumblr.com/post/48933996829/sugarkitty-chan-sonjanevermind-i-hate-this even BEFORE the two]] [[http://liebeliebe.tumblr.com/post/45581730711/hetamushitama-liebeliebe girls appeared]]. But in a lighter note, [[http://noticemesenpai.co.vu/post/54533691413/trapruka-its-called-swimbros-stop fandom immediately started shooting it down]]. So it pops up every now and then, but unlike other fandoms where Yaoi-loving fangirls are pretty much expected to hate on every female character in sight, most fans of ''Free!'' tend to like the female characters and call other fans out on their immature behaviour.

** Haruka's AmbiguousDisorder within the first two seasons made him come across as much more socially awkward compared to his teammates, from how exaggerated his love for mackerel can get to his extreme obsession with water, reaching a high point when he almost strips down to his swim trunks in public just to be in the water of a store's fish tank.

* BrokenBase: In regards to the Season 1 ending. A lot of people see Rei's decision to [[spoiler: give up his spot on the relay for Rin]] as an incredibly kind gesture and the perfect ending for his CharacterDevelopment, since it's a sign of how much he has grown and [[spoiler: how by [[AFriendInNeed putting the teams' needs over his own]], he's given them a much bigger chance to win the Nationals]]. Others see it as completely ''derailing'' his CharacterDevelopment, because this ending would be unfair after all the hard work he did, and it makes him seem like a permanent outsider.

** In season 1, Rin is either a damaged person who needs a big hug, or a selfish monster who should never be allowed near a pool. Rin became less controversial in Eternal Summer when he TookALevelInKindness, but another split formed with the announcement that he would be voiced by Creator/VicMignogna in the English dub.

* SequelDisplacement: There aren't a lot of people who actually knew that ''Free!'' was based off the ''LightNovel/HighSpeed2013'' series, rather than the other way around. It doesn't help that that series' second novel was adapted as a ''Free!'' {{prequel}} movie.

** The animation quality for ''Dive to the Future'' is a huge improvement over the already detailed and colorful ''Eternal Summer''.
* WhatAnIdiot: Yes, Rei, go ahead and swim. You're an inexperienced swimmer practicing at night, in open ocean water, while everyone else is sleeping. What could possibly go wrong? So much for being TheSmartGuy.
** For some, the mere fact that the team organized a swimming camp near the sea... with a guy who can barely swim among the assistants. It's often remarked in real life that '''you must never EVER try learning how to swim in open ocean'''.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Hey, remember those [[DarkerAndEdgier drowning anime]] jokes from earlier? [[spoiler: They became real in Episode 5.]]

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:Rei's hilariously overdramatic "death"]] in the OVA became this when just a few months later, Creator/DaisukeHirakawa played [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders another]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse popular supporting]] [[TheSmartGuy Smart Guy]] [[spoiler:who lays a trap of strings gets killed by a blond, [[KilledOffForReal but for real this time]]. The gush of [[SymbolicBlood water]] from his body even makes it look like the shot went right through him like The World's fist.]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow: A lot of fans felt that the last episode of season 1 did Rei no justice when [[spoiler: he gave up his part in the relay for Rin, and had to watch his team reuniting with their old teammate like an outsider]]. Cue episode 3 of season 2, where Rei got ADayInTheLimelight [[spoiler: by having all of his teammates worried for him, having him being taught how to swim by Rin and Rin admitting that he owed Rei for the season 1 stunt.]] And ''then'' came the last episode of season 2, where [[spoiler: along with Haruka, Makoto and Nagisa, Rei won the relay and they hugged each other in tears of happiness]].

** Despite the FandomRivalry, some fans of ''Anime/KOn'', do get along with fans of the other series, due to ''Free!'' essentially being a [[GenderFlip Gender swapped]] DarkerAndEdgier version of ''K-On!'' [[RecycledInSpace with swimming]].

* ShipsThatPassInTheNight: The Free fic with the most kudos in Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn is [[JerkassWoobie Sousuke]]/[[NiceGuy Makoto]], and there are currently more [[AngelDevilShipping Soumako]] fanfic than there are of [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Sourin]]. The pairing is also [[LGBTFanbase quite popular with gay male fans]], likely because out of all the characters they're the ones who best qualify as {{Hunk}}s. Before ES 14, [[CrackPairing Sousuke and Makoto had only ever interacted in High Speed 2, where Makoto was]] ''[[CrackPairing speaking for Haru]]''. They finally interact in season 3, having a phone conversation. ''Road to the World'' adds a scene where they actually talk face-to-face.

* CrackPairing: Makoto x Shovel was the most popular crack ship prior to Episode 1.
* DiagnosedByTheAudience:
** Haruka's obsession with swimming and water would be rather unsettling were it not clearly meant for comedy and constant shirtless scenes. He will even strip down to his swimsuit in public in order to step into a fish tank, which he did twice. The second season plays this a bit more seriously since he shows signs of having an anxiety disorder due to feeling pressured to figure out what to do after graduation and being afraid of change in general.
** Nagisa mentions that in middle school, [[spoiler:his parents made him study so much that there was no joy in his life at all. When he was told he would have to quit the swim club in favor of academics, he says that “everything he could see went dark”. It’s possible to interpret this as severe depression.]] Also appears ADH.
** Adding to his hyperactive and childish nature and his obsession with Gou, Momotarou has a strong interest in anything relating to stag beetles and [[NoSocialSkills doesn't seem to understand that not everyone is as enthusiastic about stag beetles or lucky meal toys as he is]].
** Shizuru [[TheQuietOne hardly ever speaks]], and when he does it's usually about something highly specific, such as the camel from the recruitment video or different types of seaweed.

* HilariousInHindsight: [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/1038593/chapters/2072005 One fanfic]] written after the end of Season 1 correctly predicted a red-headed energetic newcomer to the ''Free!'' cast who was a relative to one of the canon characters. Even the character's ''motif animal'', the sea otter, was predicted! [[labelnote: Fun Fact]]At least, initially. His motif animal has since changed to a sea horse after Momotaro's reveal. Other than that, the only difference between Momotaro and the fic's character is that the relative there was the beta for Rei, Kaede, repurposed as ''Haru's'' cousin. [[/labelnote]]

* DieForOurShip: Thankfully defied in terms of straight pairings; when two female characters (Gou and Amakata) entered the fray, the fandom sought hard to defy this trope and determined on waiting before actually attacking them. Sadly, there has been some anti-straight pairing feelings [[http://frozenviolets.tumblr.com/post/48933996829/sugarkitty-chan-sonjanevermind-i-hate-this even BEFORE the two]] [[http://liebeliebe.tumblr.com/post/45581730711/hetamushitama-liebeliebe girls appeared]]. But in a lighter note, [[http://noticemesenpai.co.vu/post/54533691413/trapruka-its-called-swimbros-stop fandom immediately started shooting it down]]. So it pops up every now and then, but unlike other fandoms where Yaoi-loving fangirls are pretty much expected to hate on every female character in sight, most fans of ''Free!'' tend to like the female characters and call other fans out on their immature behaviour.

*** Taken UpToEleven with this gem from ''Take Your Marks'':

* OneSceneWonder: Despite appearing in ''less than 10 seconds'' and only in the first episode, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWv_Fue4VHA Captain Haruka]] is surprisingly popular with Japanese fans (perhaps due to just [[HotBlooded how OOC he is]] compared to [[TheStoic the usual Haruka]]. There are at least a dozen doujinshis about him.

** Despite appearing in ''less than 10 seconds'' of the first episode, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWv_Fue4VHA Captain Haruka]] is surprisingly popular with Japanese fans (perhaps due to just [[HotBlooded how OOC he is]] compared to [[TheStoic the usual Haruka]]. There are at least a dozen doujinshis about him.

* HilariousInHindsight: Creator/MamoruMiyano (Rin's VA) recently [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2013-10-27/the-guy-who-voices-rin-from-free-admits-he-cant-actually-swim revealed]] [[IDontKnowMortalKombat HE doesn't know how to swim]].
** It's already smirk-worthy when Rin accuses Nitori of being his stalker but when you remember that a year before Creator/MamoruMiyano voiced ''Anime/{{K}}'''s Saruhiko Fushimi, a textbook example of a StalkerWithACrush, this gets an additional snicker and a fond "You hypocrite."
** [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/1038593/chapters/2072005 One fanfic]] written after the end of Season 1 correctly predicted a red-headed energetic newcomer to the ''Free!'' cast who was a relative to one of the canon characters. Even the character's ''motif animal'', the sea otter, was predicted! [[labelnote: Fun Fact]]At least, initially. His motif animal has since changed to a sea horse after Momotaro's reveal. Other than that, the only difference between Momotaro and the fic's character is that the relative there was the beta for Rei, Kaede, repurposed as ''Haru's'' cousin. [[/labelnote]]
** Remember when fans speculated during the PV era that Rin would join the swim team [[CasanovaWannabe to pick up chicks]]? Momotaro is essentially that prediction come to life.
** The English dub has Creator/ToddHaberkorn and Creator/VicMignogna as Haruka and Rin respectfully, who they are known to be [[FriendlyRivalry good friends and rivals]] in RealLife, actually voice the said characters who are actually rivals in the show.
** Dub viewers shipping [[Creator/JoshGrelle Nitori]] and [[Creator/JerryJewell Momo]] were hit by this when their English voice actors were cast as [[spoiler:a canon gay couple]] in ''Anime/YuriOnIce''.
** In ''VideoGame/IDOLiSH7'', Creator/TsubasaYonaga 's character is close friends with a blond named Nagi.
** Creator/RyoHirohashi was cast as Ayumu, a CovertPervert who will succeed Gou as club manager. This is [[Manga/MyHeroAcademia not the first time she has voiced a purple-haired pervert]], and said pervert is a huge fanboy of a character also voiced by Creator/AkenoWatanabe.
** Rin and Sousuke being police officers in the Future Fish AU became this with ''Anime/{{Sarazanmai}}'', which features Creator/MamoruMiyano and Creator/YoshimasaHosoya as (put simply) supernatural cops. Reo even has a similar name to and [[ScaryTeeth looks]] [[TsurimeEyes like]] a {{Palette Swap}}ped Rin.

* TastesLikeDiabetes:
** Season finales tend to go overboard with ThePowerOfFriendship, crying, and group hugs.
** Almost any scene involving [[PuniPlush Nagisa]] [[{{Keet}} Hazuki]].

** The existence of ''Dive to the Future'' in general: some feel that ''Eternal Summer'' and/or ''Take Your Marks'' ended the series on a satisfying note and the third season is an [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters overly crowded]] and unnecessary cash-grab. Others are excited about seeing the boys move on to college and live as adults.

* SeasonalRot: General consensus is that ''Dive to the Future'' is inferior to the previous seasons, even among its defenders. The [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters overly crowded cast]] with [[SpotlightStealingSquad too much focus on controversial new characters]] is usually cited as the main reason.

** There's also the LGBTFanbase.

** Rin x Sandwich, based on a scene in the third episode of''Dive to the Future'' where [[https://78.media.tumblr.com/53592a19520cd762be417d86c7fd8d63/tumblr_pcfmci0hic1ql2sjoo3_540.gif Rin eats a ham-and-egg sandwich and sucks the dripping off his thumb]], spawned an [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15432141 ironic fanfiction]] the night after the episode aired.

* FanPreferredCouple: Makoto/Haruka and Haruka/Rin by far have the biggest fan followings.
** Rei/Nagisa is pretty much uncontested by everyone in the entire fandom.
** For the het crowd, Gou/Seijuurou for the West, and Gou/Sosuke for Japan.

* LGBTFanbase: Did you honestly think a show like this was ''not'' going to have a horde of gay male fans? Makoto and Sousuke are particularly well liked, with Makoto coming in second in a poll for [[http://fire-kitsune-love.tumblr.com/post/59680180819/the-most-wanted-anime-boyfriend-voted-by-gay "The Most Wanted Anime Boyfriend" as voted by gay men]].