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15* Interestingly, with ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' the Green Goblin's role is demoted to only his fight scene and the Max Dillon/Electro subplot is given only slightly more attention than the Goblin.
16* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'': The fourth installment, ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewLeaf'', introduces the alpaca couple Reese and Cyrus and their personal shop Re-Tail, essential for selling items at full value and customizing furniture. In ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'', the shop is not present in any capacity as the main buyer of unwanted items goes back to the Nooklings and the service of item customization is transitioned into a new system that goes with the new DIY features. As for the alpacas, their appearance is reduced to being mascots for the Wedding Season event that lasts all throughout June, and they otherwise make no appearance outside of it [[SubvertedTrope until the 2.0 update gave them year-round residence on Harv’s island (although you have to raise the money for their stand first).]]
17* ''VideoGame/AnotherCode'': Jessica gets this in the second game. While her role in the first game was never huge to begin with, mainly getting Ashley to go adventuring by getting kidnapped, she at least provided some exposition in both her appearances. In the second game, she appears briefly in the beginning seeing Ashley off and her only other time on-screen is via a phone call that serves more as a recap than anything.
18* Many playable characters from the first ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' game make cameo appearances as [=NPCs=] in the sequel, all that can be potentially killed without any impact to the main story, sometimes tied to side quests. Specifically:
19** Xan and Branwen appear in the tutorial to teach you about mages and clerics as temporary party members. They won't appear in the campaign.
20** Quayle now runs the circus in the promenade, initially seized by Kalah before you clear the latter's schemes. Quayle is like a foster father and a mentor to Aerie, whom he wants to join your party.
21** Xzar will approach you to investigate the Harpers' headquarters in search for Montaron, who disappeared inside. It is later revealed that the Harpers were tricking both you and Xzar to get the latter to expose himself, in order to kill him (Montaron was already dead).
22** Faldorn is leading the druids attacking Trademeet. You will have to defeat her to stop the conflict.
23** Ajantis will lead a team of paladins near Windspear Hills, but due to an illusion they are shown as ogres to you and viceversa. Conflict is inevitable even if you try to reason because he is notoriously LawfulStupid and will charge recklessly into what he perceives as monsters. Only after killing them the illusion disappears revealing the corpses of paladins, and if you have Keldorn in your party he will recognize Ajantis.
24** Tiax is an inmate in Spellhold. He will join the first battle against Irenicus, only to die.
25** Coran will ask you to free Safana from a werewolf called Lanfear. You were tricked: Safana wanted your bounty and made an agreement with Lanfear to ambush you. Things end in disaster when Lanfear kills Safana because the werewolf only wanted Coran as a love interest, being rejected afterwards. A fight ensues but Coran might survive.
26* Certain major characters of the ''Franchise/ForgottenRealms'' setting are this in ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', such as Elminster or Drizzt.
27* In the ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' pastiche game ''VideoGame/BattleMoonWars'', this is transferred from Sacchin to [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Servant Assassin]] instead. All Servants made it to the game, even [[spoiler:True Assassin]], who only appears in one route and is obviously less popular. Sacchin is at least playable and can be acquired. But Assassin wasn't even included in any of those series, [[spoiler:''not even as Caster's Servant'']]. Kotomine is also conspicuously absent, even though [[JustifiedTrope the plot explains why he isn't there]]. Then there's the representation of ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners''... we only got Ryougi, Touko, and [[spoiler:Araya]].
28* ''VideoGame/Bayonetta3'': The angels of Paradiso were the main mooks of [[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} the first game]] and most of the enemies in [[VideoGame/Bayonetta2 the second.]] In ''3'', Paradiso is uninvolved with the main storyline, and the angels only appear as side-enemies in optional missions. Their role as the antagonistic force is replaced by Singularity and his army made exclusively of Homunculi.
29* In ''VideoGame/TheBlackCauldron'', Taran's companions are given very reduced roles compared to the [[WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron film]], due to the limits of personal computers at the time. Eilowny only follows Taran around in the secret passages of the Horned King's castle, then disappears from the plot after they find a certain room. Fflewddur exits his cell and just disappears into thin air. Gurgi will appear randomly in the forest, but will only show up suddenly to help in certain endings.
30* ''VideoGame/BloonsTowerDefense 3'' introduced the [[SpikeBallsOfDoom Spike-o-pult]] as a tower, complete with its own set of upgrades. In the next games, it's no longer a tower of its own; rather, Dart Monkeys turn into a Spike-o-pult when upgraded.
31* Deis from ''Franchise/BreathOfFire'' was slowly demoted from sequel to sequel: In ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireI'' she was a normal (and very powerful) party member, in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII'' she became an non-essential optional (but still very powerful) party member, ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'' saw her a plot-important {{N|onPlayerCharacter}}PC and [[{{Mentors}} Master]] character to the party and ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' left her only a plot-important {{N|onPlayerCharacter}}PC (though she's somewhat part of the party [[spoiler:as she lives in Ershin]]). ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireDragonQuarter'' didn't even feature her, though she was at one point planned to appear.
32* The ''[[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcom Capcom vs. SNK]]'' series does this a lot. Popular characters expected to appear (such as [[VideoGame/FatalFury Andy Bogard]], [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting Robert Garcia]], [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Goro Daimon]], [[Franchise/StreetFighter Yang]], [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Jill Valentine]], [[VideoGame/IkariWarriors Ralf & Clark]], and even VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}) either get cameo appearances/assist roles, passing mentions or don't appear at all. (Though it should be noted that Creator/{{Capcom}}'s [[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNKMillenniumFight2000 two]] [[VideoGame/CapcomvsSNK2MarkoftheMillennium entries]] in the series restricted themselves to fighting game characters; Creator/{{SNK}}'s games, not so much.) This is very noticeable on the SNK side, as most of the ''KOF'' teams (sans the Women Fighters Team) are incomplete in the games. [[labelnote:(For example...)]]The Art of Fighting Team lacks Robert, the Fatal Fury Team lacks Andy, the Japan Team lacks Goro Daimon, the Villain Team lacks Billy Kane, and so on.[[/labelnote]] Some characters who appeared in the handheld title, ''[[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomMatchOfTheMillennium Match of the Millennium]]'' (such as [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Felicia, B.B. Hood]], [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade Akari]] and [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Leona]]) appeared in that game and then got cameos or nothing. Chang also shares his moveset with Choi in ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium Capcom vs. SNK 2]]'', but Choi got into ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos'' on his own, with Chang only getting cameos. On the plus side, the ''Card Fighters'' series contains nearly all major characters (and several minor ones) from practically all Capcom and SNK games... in the forms of cards, as it is a trading card game series.
33* Tawna, the title character's original girlfriend from the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' series, only made a few returns appearances following her role as DamselInDistress in [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot1996 the first game]]. The game designers decide to explain away her absence in [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot2CortexStrikesBack the second game]] by stating in the ([[MissingEpisode now-defunct]]) official website that Tawna left Crash for Pinstripe Potoroo. Barring an easily overlooked playable stint in 2006's ''Crash Boom Bang!'' (a ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' clone with little fanfare), Tawna wouldn't resurface until the ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootNSaneTrilogy'' in 2017, followed by an appearance as a [[DownloadableContent DLC]] racer for 2019's ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled''. ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' would see Tawna get PromotedToPlayable via an alternate version of her from another universe.
34* If a [[VideoGame/CapcomVs Versus game]] or some MascotFighter by Capcom (''[[VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution Capcom Fighting Jam/Evolution]]'' or ''[[VideoGame/SuperGemFighter Pocket Fighter]]'') is going to feature one of the ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'', it's usually going to be Morrigan or one of the other female characters in the series (Felicia, Hsien-Ko, and B.B. Hood). Q-Bee is not as lucky and Lilith often gets upstaged/overshadowed by Morrigan; [[FreakyFridayFlip Lilith Mode Morrigan]] in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfSuperHeroes Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' and ''VideoGame/CrossEdge'' aside, Lilith's appearances in the ''Vs.'' series are limited to appearing in her sister's attacks, intro/win poses, and endings, [[FullyAbsorbedFinale in step with]] [[FusionDance their]] [[SplitPersonalityMerge merger]] at the end of ''Darkstalkers 3''. Capcom did use Demitri--the original intended protagonist of the series before [[BreakoutCharacter Morrigan stole his thunder]]--for ''Capcom Fighting Jam'' and ''[[VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos SVC Chaos]]'' (along with ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', ''Cross Edge'', and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone''), as well as Anakaris in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2]]'' and ''Fighting Jam''. Jedah seems to have fared the best out of the remaining cast, appearing in ''Capcom Fighting Evolution'', ''Cross Edge'', and ''Project X Zone'' (as a non-playable boss) before making a surprise appearance in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' as a playable character in a 2D fighter [[TheBusCameBack for the first time in years]]. Meanwhile, Lord Raptor is a RecurringBoss in both ''Namco × Capcom'' and ''Project X Zone'', Donovan managed to get into ''Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo'', his protectee Anita appeared as a SecretCharacter in ''VideoGame/MarvelSuperHeroes'' (following the precedent set by [[Franchise/StreetFighter Akuma]] as a GuestFighter in ''VideoGame/XMenChildrenOfTheAtom''), and Pyron was also part of the ''Capcom Fighting Evolution'' roster. Besides cameos in ''Pocket Fighter'', Jon Talbain, Rikuo, Bishamon, and Sasquatch have received nothing (with the only other consolation for Jon being a DLC costume for [[VideoGame/{{Okami}} Amaterasu]] in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]''), while Victor and Huitzil have gone forgotten. Q-Bee and Huitzil also appear in ''Namco × Capcom'' and ''Project X Zone'' (Q-Bee only), though as minor enemies.
35* ''{{VideoGame/Cyberpunk 2077}}'': In the TTRPG, Michiko Arasaka, Kei's oldest daughter, was a semi-prominent character and deeply embroiled in the intrigues that plagued the highest echelons of the Arasaka family. In the video game, she is reduced to being mentioned in a missable piece of flavor text as being the leader of the less-hawkish faction within Arasaka's Board of Directors, and an almost silent appearance in one of the endings.
36* Butcher Joyce barely gets screen time and only optional dialogue in ''[[VideoGame/TheDarkness The Darkness II]]'', whereas he had a mission devoted to him in the original game.
37* In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' the romantic nature of Trish's relation to Dante was completely toned down once Creator/HidekiKamiya was no longer at the helm of anything ''Devil May Cry''-related; at the end of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry1'' she and Dante grew to be very close (their final theme tune that plays over the staff roll is even called "Seeds of Love – Trish & Dante") and in ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'' they appear to pretty much be a BattleCouple. Everything after that, however, gave a new angle to their relationship. In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'', Trish isn't in the story at all, Dante is alone, and she is merely an one-note unlockable character. [[Anime/DevilMayCryTheAnimatedSeries The anime]] (set before ''2'') made Trish work far away from Dante very often and played the fact she weirds him out due having his mother's appearance. ''VideoGame/{{Devil May Cry 3|DantesAwakening}}'' (a prequel in which Trish isn't present) introduced the fact Dante is not very lucky with girls despite his appearance, and in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4: [[UpdatedRerelease Special Edition]]'' Trish even teases Dante about his inability to "get the girl" at the end (contrasting him with [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Nero and Kyrie]]), showing the two are mostly just good partners currently.
38* In ''VideoGame/DinosaurPlanet'', Krystal was going to be the {{Deuteragonist}} and Drakor the BigBad, but in ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'', the former was demoted to a DamselInDistress and the latter to a late-game boss with no voice lines.
39* Lampshaded in the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' series:
40** Former main character Laharl is quite annoyed with the fact that he's been delegated to an optional unlockable unit from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2|CursedMemories}}'' onward.
41** [[LegacyBossBattle Legacy]] {{Superboss}} Baal has suffered a bit of this. In the first few ''Disgaea'' games, Baal is the most powerful {{Superboss}} the player can fight. In ''VideoGame/Disgaea4APromiseUnforgotten'', ''VideoGame/DisgaeaDimension2'' and ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 5}}'' the Baal fight was added in a patch, which essentially means Baal is Demoted to Free {{D|ownloadableContent}}LC.
42* ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'':
43** The titular character was only a playable character for the first ''VideoGame/{{Donkey Kong Country|1}}''; after that he was just someone who needed rescuing in the SNES games, though later be becomes playable again in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''.
44** Squawks in ''Donkey Kong Country Returns'' is demoted from his role in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble''. In those previous two games, Squawks was controllable and could fly around and shoot enemies. In ''DKCR'', he's reduced to sitting in the corner of your screen and letting you know when there's a puzzle piece nearby to be found. Incidentally, Squawks as a playable character actually made him an AscendedExtra from the very first ''DKC'' where all he did was hold a flashlight for you in one level... before eventually being demoted again.
45* In the original arcade versions of the first two ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', Machine Gun Willy was undoubtedly the main bad guy, as he was the final boss in the first game and the guy who shoots the Lee brothers' girlfriend Marian in the second game. In the NES version of the first game, he is simply the last guy Billy faces before the final battle with his brother Jimmy and is a complete no-show in the second NES game. The people who made ''Battletoads & Double Dragon'', aside from demoting him into a lackey to some made-up new villain, didn't even bother to get his name right. His BigBad status was restored in the GBA version though.
46* ''Franchise/DragonAge'':
47** In the first game, Jowan was meant to be a companion who would have joined after Redcliffe and taught the Blood Mage specialisation, but was cut early in development and his role in the story reduced to simply appearing in the Mage Origin and the Redcliffe questlines.
48** [[TheOrder The Grey Wardens]] in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII''. While some of the fandom complained, this was actually justified. With the Blight defeated in the first game and the Darkspawn driven back into the Deep Roads, what exactly was there left for the Grey Wardens to actually ''do?'' They would later return to the spotlight in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', [[TheParagonAlwaysRebels although not in the way most would expect]].
49* ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'':
50%%Needs context about his previous role** While Sun Quan was often {{overshadowed|ByAwesome}} by his father Sun Jian and (to a lesser extent) his brother Sun Ce in the series, ''[=DW6=]'' ups this to the point where ''his father'' gets a story mode over him, the ''actual ruler'' of Wu. Keep in mind that only five characters (plus two in the special edition) per faction as well as "other" characters Diao Chan and Lu Bu have their own stories. Practically, ''Wu itself'' could be considered this compared to Wei and (especially) Shu.
51%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** And in ''[=DW7=]'', with the addition of new faction ''Jin'', guess which one of the three kingdoms will be focused in the earlier eras instead of the later eras?
52** Pang De. He debuts in ''[=DW5=]'', and was quite the welcome addition. In ''[=DW6=]'', he was turned into a generic officer as WordOfGod thinks he's not unique enough, and his weapon and personality got transferred to Zhang Liao. He reappeared in ''[=DW7=]'' and ''[=DW8=]'' with a new weapon, but remains the only character to have ever been demoted to a generic officer.
53%%Needs context about his previous role*** Zuo Ci made a reappearance in ''[=DW8=]'', although he only has one personal stage to his name.
54** Even if he appears in all games since his debut, Guan Ping has been suffering this since ''7''. First, the most canon appearance he gets will be just about Fan Castle, where he will be unplayable and proceeds to die doing a failed YouShallNotPass. And with the inclusion of Liu Shan, his budding romance with Xingcai, which was introduced in ''5'', vanishes out of thin air as Xingcai focuses more on babysitting Liu Shan (may be historically justified as Guan Ping would've died far before Xingcai would come to age). They still give teases like they're still close friends in case of free modes, but that's it.
55** The Qiaos (Daqiao and Xiaoqiao) and Cai Wenji of Wu and Wei respectively suffer through this. In ''7'', it's best described that the Wu and Wei stories took place in a universe where neither existed while in ''8'' their only appearance in the story (let alone as playable characters) is in the ''Hypothetical'' path.
56%%Needs context to differentiate from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome** Zhou Tai gets a demotion in the Hypothetical route of Wu in ''8''. In the Historical route he becomes an increasingly important character, but in the Hypothetical route he doesn't appear ''at all''.
57%%Needs context to differentiate from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome** Jiang Wei was another character to suffer removal from the story altogether in ''6'' due to WordOfGod.
58* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', Paladin Vargas, right-hand man to Sentinel Lyons and an [[GameplayAllyImmortality essential ally]] during "Following in his Footsteps", is reduced to an expendable RedShirt during "Take it Back!".
59* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'':
60** Terra in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' gets this treatment. The entire first half of the game is all about her origin and her [[HalfHumanHybrid half-esper-ness]], then TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt happens. Then Celes becomes the star and Terra's barely mentioned in the second half. Gau also suffers this; as soon as the player acquires the ''Blackjack'' airship, Gau loses all plot relevance, since the potential exists for the player to have him Leap on the Veldt and never bring him back to the group.
61** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', Freya features rather prominently in the first disc after her introduction, but pretty much as soon as [[spoiler:her race is massacred and she pulls a YouShallNotPass so Zidane, Dagger, and Vivi can escape]], she only appears in battle and a few minute scenes until the epilogue. Painfully ironic given that her character quote is "To be forgotten is worse than death."
62** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' winds up doing this to the so-called "hero" Vaan and his girlfriend Penelo a quarter of the way through the game once the other party members join and steal the plot. You'll hear nary a peep out of them for many hours until the end of the end, where they only finally get a starring role again in the epilogue. All things considered, Vaan's really more of AudienceSurrogate than a true protagonist, even if he [[SupportingProtagonist figures into]] Ashe's character arc.
63** Prior to the release of the game, [[spoiler:Jihl Nabaat]] was given quite a bit of attention for an extra from the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' trailers and information released on them. Just when you think [[spoiler:she would play a major part in the game and fight you, she gets killed off in a rather unceremonious fashion by Galenth Dysley before she has the chance to do so. Talk about getting taken out like some punk]]. They do get their own battle in [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2 the sequel's]] Coliseum area (via DLC) and [[DefeatMeansFriendship can be added to your party if defeated]], but that's a small consolation.
64** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' was also originally meant to have seven party members, but implementation problems led to Serah being reduced to an NPC. This led to [[TheHero Lightning]] becoming a more serious character which then led to [[SixthRanger Fang]] [[GenderFlip becoming a woman]].
65** Also done in ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'' where the focus is obviously on Lightning for majority of the game. She's the only playable character, although Hope plays a somewhat important role as her MissionControl. The rest of the characters are turned into [=NPCs=], some of which you fight, team up with or just talk to.
66** Lunafreya Nox Fleuret and Cor Leonis in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' both suffered this. Cor was originally the fifth permanent party member, where he would join the party halfway through [[WhatCouldHaveBeen the first game in the trilogy]]. When the development team was switched and they decided to go back to just a single game, Cor was demoted to a mentor and GuestStarPartyMember role. After replacing original heroine Stella, Luna found herself having a major presence in the new ''Final Fantasy XV Universe'' multimedia project, particularly ''Kingsglaive''. Her actual game presence, however, was largely cut down for conflicting reasons, leaving her with only a handful of scenes in the game. Patches and later an entire DLC episode was set to rectify this, however ''Episode Luna'' ended up being cancelled.
67%%Needs context about their previous roles** ''VideoGame/DirgeOfCerberus'' is another example. Cloud and Tifa were given nary more than a cameo, Barret was grouped with themes well. Red XIII meanwhile was by far the least shown named character in both installments and can barely even be called an extra at all by now.
68%%Needs context to differentiate from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome or PutOnABus** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', the entire original cast suffers from this, but especially Sazh. While the others make either physical appearances (Hope, Snow, Lightning) or are significant to the backstory [[spoiler: (Fang and Vanille)]] Sazh is only referenced a few times in passing, last seen flying an airship and mysteriously disappearing. (Though one of Snow's temporal messages implies he saw him floating around in the [[TimeTravel Historia Crux]]...) The only way for Sazh have an actual physical appearance in the game is via DLC.
69%%Needs context about how this is a demotion** Sazh, [[RunningGag once again]], gets the shaft in ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'' by isolating himself in the game to seem to be doing nothing (unless you glimpse him walking around a city).
70* ''Franchise/FireEmblem''
71** The series has its own way of dealing with this. If a character is vital to the story, they'll get critically wounded and will never be able to take part in battles again, though they'll still be present for the story segments. It's still common for characters to get demoted out of the story once they're recruited, thus allowing them to die their {{Permadeath}}, though. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' manages to do this with [[HelloInsertNameHere the Tactician]], your PlayerCharacter. Yes, this game managed to [[MindScrew render the]] ''[[MindScrew player him/herself]]'' [[MindScrew to be of minimal importance to the overall plot]]. In fact, they don't get any lines whatsoever in the main plot outside of the traditional line or two of dialogue when starting the final map.
72** Most characters cease to have dialogue by the first 1-3 chapters after you've recruited them. Although slightly subverted by the revolutionary character development advent of Support Conversations in the majority of later games (including almost every game released in English, save for a single oddity and a sequel), as well as the base conversations of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'' (which incidentally served the character development purposes in ''Radiant Dawn'').
73** Evident in ''Path of Radiance'', where the mysterious Volke [[NoMoreLies tells Ike the truth]] after getting 50,000 gold. Results in a DidntSeeThatComing where [[spoiler:Volke was originally hired to kill Ike's father if he lost control, and to do research on Lehran's Medallion]]. After that, Volke has little to no relevance in the entire game aside from being a good unit. And in ''Radiant Dawn'', Volke is hired to do research [[spoiler:by Count Bastian ''himself'']] about [[spoiler:the feral potion, because apparently, Elincia's uncle has been turned feral]] in Part 4. Which ends up not being relevant at all, because the person in question gets [[spoiler:healed by a heron]] and turns out fine. Volke shows up in the ''last chapter'' before Endgame, despite apparently having been doing this for the entire game.
74** Downplayed with Lyn in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade''. She's not exactly irrelevant after her tale, but she doesn't hold quite as much importance to the overarching plot as Hector or Eliwood. She still contributes greatly to the army, however, and remains a valuable member of the group.
75** The same game also does this to a few characters from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Binding Blade]]''. Fae and Sophia, both playable characters, are reduced to cameo appearances in ''Blazing Blade'', while Murdoch, TheDragon from ''Binding'', shows up in ''Blazing'' for a role so minimal it could have been filled by a {{Mook|s}}. Justified since ''Blazing'' is a prequel, so these appearances were more intended as inverted [[EarlyBirdCameo Early Bird Cameos]].
76** Largo is the only unit in ''Path of Radiance'' to not be playable in the sequel (this is due to [[GameBreakingInjury losing his arm in the interim between the two games]]).
77** The Second Generation characters became this in the 3DS games. When it was first introduced in the Japan-exclusive ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', the children characters became the main characters after the first 5 chapters of the game. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', they are mostly optional characters who have little relevance to the story of those games. While ''Awakening'' does have plot-related reasons to include the second generation due to time travel, and one of the second-gen characters, Lucina, is actually a main character and thus avoids the "extra" role most of the game, ''Fates'' makes the children completely irrelevant, and seems to be somewhat mishandled compared to how the concept worked in ''Awakening''.
78* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'':
79** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'':
80*** Toy Freddy and Toy Bonnie are only present in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3'' as shells in a box despite being more active in ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2''. They don't receive phantom hallucinations, nor do they appear in minigames with BB, Toy Chica and Mangle.
81*** Bonnie zig-zags this; while he's the only original animatronic who only appears as decoration around Fazbear's Fright and doesn't have a phantom counterpart, the BigBad of the game, Springtrap, is a predecessor/variant of him originally named "Spring Bonnie".
82** ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys4''
83*** The Toy animatronics are only present as toys in the after-night minigames despite being major characters in earlier games (though Mangle does get a Nightmare counterpart in the non-canon [[HalloweenEpisode Halloween edition]]).
84*** Despite being the GreaterScopeVillain of the series with increasing prominence as the games went on, the murderer is only seen in an EasterEgg cameo in the minigame after Night 2, making no impact on the plot whatsoever.
85%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* A common complaint about ''VideoGame/GoldenSun: [[VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge The Lost Age]]'' was that this happened to everyone but Isaac, Felix and Kraden once the two parties met up. The sequel, ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'', attempted to fix this, but that ended up causing [[MandatoryLine another problem]].
86* A rare storyline example in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas''. [[spoiler: Throughout the first half of the storyline, Ryder, one of CJ's childhood friends, plays a major role for the Grove Street Families, being the one who supplies the weapons to rob for the gang. Later on, he is revealed to be a traitor along with Big Smoke, yet no one says anything about Ryder while the whole focus is on Big Smoke's betrayal. In addition, he is unceremoniously killed off midway in the story without any impact or profound effect to the storyline as if he was a minor character not too different from a typical member of the Ballas]].
87* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'': Dizzy doesn't fare much better than [[spoiler:her mother]] despite being the [[{{Deuteragonist}} tritagonist]] of the series since her ''X'' debut. While she's understandably [[LivingMacGuffin targeted by]] the series' AncientConspiracy in ''X'' and ''XX'' due to her status/abilities as a Commander Gear and connection to Justice, the entries following ''Accent Core Plus'' see Dizzy's plot signifance significantly reduced. She spends all of ''[=GG2=]'' in stasis due to Ky ([[spoiler:[[SecretRelationship her "husband"]]]]) needing to freeze time around her to prevent Dizzy from undergoing sublimation, a fate that isn't reversed until the late stages of ''-SIGN-''. Though the newly resuscitated Dizzy does play [[GoingToGiveItMoreEnergy a key]] [[PhlebotinumOverload role]] in [[spoiler:defeating Justice once her corpse is "reactivated" by [[TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness the Conclave]]]] and gets to [[spoiler:reunite with Ky and their son Sin]], she's once again noticeably absent for the majority of ''-REVELATOR-'' save for joining in on a mass BigDamnHeroes moment near the end... despite the narrative being centered around [[spoiler:who gets to resurrect her "dead" mother first]]. At least ''[[CapcomSequelStagnation REV 2]]'' gives Dizzy her own story path in Episode Mode, lessening the sting a little.
88%%Needs more context to differentiate from KilledOffForReal** Isn't it sad, Justice? After the first game, sure it's understandable [[KilledOffForReal you're dead]], but you barely had any lasting impact beyond [[spoiler:possibly being Dizzy's mother]]. Even this wiki has forgotten it was YOU who was the first to use the Gamma Ray move in a ''GG'' game. There's also Kliff Undersn, who's only canonical appearance in ''[=GG1=]'' [[MentorOccupationalHazard ends with him dying at the hands of the aforementioned Justice]]. When they do appear, they're probably only added due to fan demand and are usually removed due to balance issues. Likewise, when given their own story paths in these appearances, these tales are retellings of either the first events of the first game or the specific dates from [[GreatOffscreenWar the Crusades]] prior to ''[=GG1=]''.
89%%Needs context about how their role decreased** The series' resurgence in TheNewTens with ''Guilty Gear Xrd'' provides an interesting wrinkle to the above example. [[spoiler:Justice is still an NPC, but factors greatly into the plot of both ''-SIGN-'' and ''-REVELATOR-''; the main villains of both titles seek to merge with her [[EmptyShell (mostly) vacant body]] for their own purposes. Additionally, flashbacks and other revelations throughout both installments heavy focus on Justice's former human identity, Aria. If that wasn't enough, while the Valentines seen throughout ''Overture'' and ''Xrd'' are all but said to be genetic copies of Aria (with the original even [[GeneticMemory regaining some of "her" memories]] upon her deathbed), ''-REVELATOR-'' newcomer Jack-O' turns out to more or less be the woman in question, essentially serving as a backup copy of Aria [[SoulJar holding half of her soul]] after Aria/Justice was corrupted by her contact with [[BigBad the Universal Will]] in the backstory. The ending of ''-REVELATOR-'' sees Jack-O' merging with Justice to revive Aria, who will presumably pick up the slack for her myriad previous identities in the next iteration of ''GG'']].
90* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the Arbiter goes from being a main character in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' to a one-line-wonder whose in-game A.I. has the intelligence of a slug in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}''. That said, Player 2 still gets to play as him in ''3''[='s=] co-op mode, allowing the Arbiter to establish a respectable position as the Chief's erstwhile ally and badass-in-arms. While the Arbiter has never regained a protagonist role, his importance has been reemphasized in later media, to the point where he's become one of the main {{Big Good}}s, showing up as an important SupportingLeader in ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians''.
91* This happens to Jacket (the protagonist of the first game) in ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber''. His role in the sequel is much smaller. However, this does make sense, considering that he's a convicted prisoner for the entire game after everything that he did in the first game.
92%%* ''VideoGame/TheIdolmaster'':
93%%Needs context about her previous role** ''[[VideoGame/TheIdolmasterCinderellaGirls Cinderella Girls]]'': Rei was first released on November 2011 (when the game launched), but didn't get a new card until the Halloween Party gacha in ''October 2013''. She's the idol who has spent the longest time having only one card.
94%%Needs context to differentiate from PutOnABus** ''[[VideoGame/TheIdolmasterDearlyStars Dearly Stars]]'': Yumeko. Hello and goodbye, Ms. Relatively Minor Character! No albums for you! By the time Ai and Eri make cameos for Ryou's day off card in ''[=SideM=]'', she's demoted even harder by virtue of being too booked to show up.
95%%Needs context about how his role changed** ''[[VideoGame/TheIdolmasterSideM SideM]]'': In-universe -- Nao was the star of the show he and Shiro were originally castmates on, but Shiro is the leader of their idol unit.
96* [[WrenchWench Keira]] in ''VideoGame/{{Jak and Daxter|ThePrecursorLegacy}}'': {{Love Interest|s}} and fixer of {{Broken Bridge}}s. Keira in ''VideoGame/{{Jak II|Renegade}}'': {{Love Interest|s}} and source of a few bits and pieces (one of which, yes, fixed a BrokenBridge). Keira in ''VideoGame/{{Jak 3|Wastelander}}'': appears in a few scenes doing exaggerated facial expressions and gets somewhere in the neighbourhood of one line (seriously, ''Tess'' had more importance to the plot). Thankfully, she was re-promoted in time for ''Jak X''.
97* All the characters from ''VideoGame/JumpStart'' (that weren't eliminated entirely earlier) had this happen to them in the massively multiplayer online game that's now the series' main product; only Frankie remains prominent.
98%%Needs context about their previous role* ''VideoGame/KessenII'' is likely the worst standing culprit to the above. The story opts for a fictional angle depicting Diao Chan as Liu Bei's primary love interest and completely focuses on his and Cao Cao's conflict. Wu is only seen ''twice'' in the entire game.
99* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'':
100** Naminé and Axel were major characters in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', but their roles were greatly reduced in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' (probably because, once Roxas was gone and Sora's memories were restored, Naminé didn't have much else she could possibly do except [[FusionDance remerge]] [[LiteralSplitPersonality with Kairi]], and Axel was ''supposed'' to die in the prologue as a tutorial boss, but he was SavedByTheFans and his role extension had to be small or it would clash with what was already plotted out).
101** After ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Donald and Goofy, who were consistent main characters alongside Sora, have been put more and more OutOfFocus, amounting to cameos in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]'', unlockable multiplayer mode characters in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'', {{Guest Star Party Member}}s in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded coded]]'', and background furnishing in ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance Dream Drop Distance]]'' [[spoiler:save for the VERY end]].
102** ''Also'' after ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Kairi was dropped from all importance while just Sora and Riku received further focus. Even in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', despite being trained as a Keyblade wielder, she still gets sidelined [[spoiler:by being killed by Xehanort]] yet again.
103** A Disney example would be pretty much everyone from ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013''. Even though Arendelle appears as a world in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', Sora only interacts with each of the Frozen cast once which has no bearing on the plot before they are relegated as background characters where the plot goes on exactly like the movie without Sora's further input to the point that he might as well not be there in the first place. Special mentions to this trope however goes to Prince Hans in that despite being the main villain of ''Frozen'', only appears in two brief non-speaking appearances before randomly turning into a Heartless as the world's BossBattle.
104* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'':
105** [[CommutingOnABus The series demotes the protagonist of the previous arc for the following arc.]] Kyo's importance to the plot during the Orochi Saga was downgraded to make room for K' in the NESTS Chronicles and then K' himself moved down to make way for Ash Crimson in the Tales of Ash arc. After being demoted the character continues to add to the story (Kyo was used as a base for [[SendInTheClones a series of clones]] in the NESTS arc and K' got to fight [[FinalBoss Mukai]] in ''2003'') but it's the current main character who gets the spotlight and wraps up the saga.
106** The American Sports Team from ''The King of Fighters '94'', only returned as playable characters in one game and that was ''[[DreamMatchGame KOF '98]]''. Their other appearances in the series were mostly just background and ending cameos. Even worse, the team is reduced to {{Butt Monkey}}s; officially, they get mugged for their invitations '''every. Single. Year.'''
107** While she isn't the most important character to start with, Ryo Takamisaki's ''KOF: G'' has poor Yuki only ''in one scene at the beginning''. Also qualifies as borderline DerailingLoveInterests: said scene [[{{Flanderization}} makes her little more]] than a ClingyJealousGirl opposing Athena [[MistakenForCheating over Kyo]], and once Kyo explains everything and Yuki relents, she's [[PutOnABus not seen through the rest of the story]].
108** Happens to Kensou in some of Athena's games, specially the DatingSim ones where the player character assumes the role of her manager or just an average guy seeking for love. Since said games are from the player character's POV, Kensou serves only as a cameo, in a continuity where apparently he won't compete with the given player character regardless of his feelings, or actually such affections aren't romantic at all. Exception goes ''[[VideoGame/AthenaAwakeningFromTheOrdinaryLife Awakening from the Ordinary Life]]'', as mentioned in this page before, Kensou gets the chance to be a great support to Athena.
109** ''2003'' newcomer Duo Lon received a form of this come ''XIV''. ''[='99=]'' introduced a plot point about a great power of mysterious origin residing within Kensou (and also shared with fellow Psycho Soldier Bao) known as the Dragon Spirit, with the following installment introducing the Hizoku, a group of Chinese assassins. Their former leader, Ron, appears as a [[AssistCharacter Striker]] for Zero in ''2001'' and [[VillainTakesAnInterest expresses an interest in Kensou's power and his apparent mastery over it]] come ''XI'', with the reveal that he's also allied with Lin (a Hizoku member first seen in ''2000'' who was hunting down Ron) and Misty (the lover of Igniz, the FinalBoss of ''2001'' who tried to usurp command of the NESTS cartel). Ron's son, the aformentioned Duo Lon, is brought into the KOF tournament while looking into leads on his father, and ''XIII'' even suggests that Saiki, the ArcVillain for that leg of series, has been in contact with Ron. If you were expecting that ''XIV'' would finally bring these long-teased plot threads center stage, [[ArcFatigue you'll be disappointed]]: Duo Lon isn't even present for the events of neither that game's tournament, nor its successor ''XV''. However, it is possible that future installments in the next arc will "remedy" the situation.
110** Ryuji Yamazaki's the only surviving member of the Hakkesshu attempting to resurrect Orochi, [[ScrewDestiny not that he gives a shit or anything about it]], and with Orochi's justifiably minimal presence after the climax of the Orochi Saga, seeing as he's no longer the BigBad and has made way for new villains with their own followers, Yamazaki has only seen three non-{{Dream Match|Game}} appearances since ''[='97=]'' (''KOF 2003'', ''XIV'', and ''XV'', the middle of which coming some ''[[LongBusTrip thirteen]]'' years after ''2003''). Even then, his status as a Hakkesshu has been left in the dust, and he's now a relatively minor villain in the grand scheme of things.
111* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'':
112** Whispy Woods' appearances dropped for a short bit after ''Kirby 64'', just appearing on the title screen of ''VideoGame/KirbySqueakSquad''. He also saw a significant drop in appearances in the 3DS games, only appearing in ''VideoGame/KirbyTripleDeluxe'' and ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' through keychains, stickers, and a sub-game after being replaced by a flower and robot counterpart respectively.
113** King Dedede only appears in ''Squeak Squad'' as the WarmUpBoss (surprisingly enough) and only contributes to the plot by having Kirby believe he was the one who stole his strawberry shortcake. Similarly, he saw a drop in appearances following ''Triple Deluxe'', only appearing in ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheRainbowCurse'' via a clay figure (as his colors were stolen at the beginning of the game) and ''Planet Robobot'' in the first and final cutscenes.
114** Little spotlight was given to [[BreakoutCharacter Meta Knight]] during the 3DS games. He only appears in ''Triple Deluxe'' via a balloon from the Circus Copy Ability and a few keychains and a clay figure in ''Rainbow Curse'' (given that his colors were stolen at the beginning of the game). He was, however, given a slight comeback in ''Planet Robobot''.
115** All of the major villains of ''VideoGame/TeamKirbyClashDeluxe'' were also hit with this. Originally the BigBad of ''Deluxe'' [[spoiler:(at first)]], Taranza ended up being knocked down to a RedHerring for Parallel Nightmare. [[spoiler:King D-Mind was also brought down to the DiscOneFinalBoss.]] This is because of the removal of the [[spoiler:Black Mirror]], which also meant that the true BigBad of ''Deluxe'', [[spoiler:Dark Taranza,]] wound up becoming new gear for Doctor Healmore.
116* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'':
117** Bastila and Carth, the two main romance options and the most plot-relevant party members in the first game, become this in the second. Carth is only seen during cutscenes and a brief meeting with the Exile near the end of the game. The only time Bastila appears in person is a cameo near the end of the game, provided the player makes the PC from the first game a Light Side male. Otherwise she only appears as a vision in Ludo Kressh's tomb and if the first game's PC is Dark Side, as a hologram of a Sith holocron in the abandoned Sith Academy. Depending on the first game's PC's gender, Bastila or Carth also appears as a hologram of their message to T3-M4.
118** Taking ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' as a whole into account, this occurs with the Sunrider family. In the ''ComicBook/TalesOfTheJedi'' comics they had a prominent role in the Old Republic era, with Nomi Sunrider becoming Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Her daughter Vima was initially intended to take the place of Bastila Shan but was AdaptedOut [[ScrewedByTheLawyers due to copyright issues with her surname]]. In spite of this, the Sunriders are mentioned in-game by Jolee Bindo with some in-game gear alluding to them, as well as a brief holocron cameo from Nomi in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' (but under her maiden name Da-Boda instead). It's also mentioned in supplementary material that Vima herself trained TheExile from ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords''. The cancelled novel ''Mandorla'' was intended to bridge the gap between the two series but was never published, leaving the ContinuitySnarl in place.
119* ''VideoGame/TheLastBlade'':
120** Yuki is the main heroine of the series, but has ''never'' set foot outside her own series, unlike {{Breakout Character}}s Akari [[note]]''VideoGame/SNKGalsFighters'', ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomMatchOfTheMillennium'', and ([[MascotFighter technically speaking]]) ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum''[[/note]] and Hibiki [[note]]''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium Capcom vs. SNK 2]]''[[/note]]. Also, she took a tremendous dive in [[CharacterTiers character rankings]] in her transition from ''The Last Blade'' to ''The Last Blade 2''.
121** Juzoh and Mukuro/Shikyoh are reduced from playables to just mini game-only characters in the GBC version of the game. Musashi [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome just disappears completely]].
122* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III'' demotes everyone from Class VII, sans [[TheHero Rean]], into supporting casts to make way for the new Class VII. Meanwhile Altina Orion, who was originally an antagonist in ''Cold Steel II'', is now promoted to main character status.
123* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyroDawnOfTheDragon'':
124** Volteer and Cyril are chatterboxes in the first two games, but in ''[=DotD=]'' they each get a single line.
125** A DeletedScene originally was intended for them to have their normal chatterbox status, but it was cut.
126* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
127** Impa. According to the ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'', originally Ganon was just the bad guy and it was Link, Zelda, and Impa forming a PowerTrio that protected Hyrule. Then ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' came around and Ganon became the third member of the trinity.
128** Goriyas. These dog-faced boomerang throwing mooks were, alongside Moblins, the "signature mooks" of the first two games. Then in the third game, ''A Link to the Past'', they were demoted to rarely seen mooks that behaved nothing like they used to, and may not have been intended to be Goriyas in the first place[[note]]in Japan the mooks were called Kopi, they were renamed in the English translation[[/note]]. After that, a single NPC Goriya can be found in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', offering to trade its signature boomerang for one of Link's items, then one appearance as a miniboss in one of the ''Oracle'' games, and that was their last appearance in the series.
129** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', Princess Zelda is one of the Seven Maidens, so her kidnapping by Agahnim prompts Link to rescue her and the other Maidens during his journey within the DarkWorld; even during her captivity, Zelda provides hints to Link via telepathic panels in some dungeons (like Sahasrahla does). In contrast, the only reference to Zelda in the game's sequel (''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'') is that Link briefly mistakes Marin for her. This is because she's back in Hyrule and the game takes place outside its borders. Furthermote, in the followups of both games, the ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'', Zelda only makes an actual appearance in a linked playthrough across both games, being entirely absent in whichever game is played first; however, the manga indicates that she's the one who sends Link to the aid of Din and Nayru.
130** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Princess Zelda takes an active role by guiding Link into his quest to retrieve the Spiritual Stones and find a way to stop Ganondorf; during the future era, she disguises as Sheik to teach him warp songs and give him the news on what happened to all areas affected by Ganondorf's dark tyranny, and during the final battle she uses her power as the seventh Sage to help Link seal the Gerudo king to bring peace to Hyrule once again. In contrast, the game's sequel ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' only has her appear in a vision to make Link "remember" the Song of Time. This is inevitable, since Zelda remains in Hyrule while Link is forcefully dragged into Termina by the Skull Kid.
131** There were initially going to be three ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'' with Farore playing a large role in the third, but the developers decided it'd be too complicated to link three games so they made her the Oracle of Secrets instead.
132** Vaati in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures'' gets shunted to the side very early in the game. While he is freed by Link due to him [[NiceJobBreakingItHero pulling out the Four Sword and breaking the seal]], [[spoiler: it turns out it was all a ruse by Ganon. Ganon used the Dark Mirror to create Shadow Link so it could cause chaos and have Link pull out the Four Sword to release Vaati and trick Link into thinking Vaati was the one behind everything. Vaati not only has the standard boss battle theme when you fight him, but he also has absolutely no dialogue at all]].
133** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds'' does this to [[spoiler:Ganon. While he has [[GreaterScopeVillain a major influence on the backstory]] by virtue of his role in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', this game sees him quickly revived by and then [[FusionDance fused with]] Yuga, who did all this just to get the Triforce of Power. After said fusion, his only real role in the plot is as a collective unit with Yuga. On top of that, [[TheVoiceless he doesn't have a single line]] before the fusion.]]
134** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'', Teba gets demoted to extra by becoming Rito Village's new elder, which severely reduced his favorite hobby to go hunting in favor of looking out after the village within its grounds (peaks?). In his stead, though, it's his son Tulin who [[TakingUpTheMantle takes over the mantle]] as a GuestStarPartyMember.
135* ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' series:
136** Several major players in the series, including Tojo Chairman Daigo Dojima and EnsembleDarkhorse Majima, get only a few small speaking roles and have little influence on the plot of ''VideoGame/Yakuza6'' despite the power and impact they had earlier in the series. This is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by a crackdown on yakuza following the events of ''VideoGame/Yakuza5'' [[spoiler: as well as a manipulations of a few ambitious underlings who want them out of the way for their own play at Tojo Clan leadership]].
137** Sohei Dojima, if the games are played in chronological order; in the prequel ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' he's at the height of his power, the leading crime boss of Kamurocho and the one orchestrating the battle for the Empty Lot in a bid to become Chairman of the Tojo Clan. In all other games, [[spoiler:he's dead, KilledOffscreen by Nishiki in the first half hour of ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'' when he attempts to rape Kiryu's LoveInterest Yumi. About the only impact Sohei has is his legacy, as his wife is trusted enough to be Acting Chairman following the assassination of the Fifth Chairman and his son, Daigo, is considered the only man worthy enough to become Chairman in ''VideoGame/Yakuza2''. Heck, Sohei's name isn't even ''mentioned'' after ''2'' and Daigo is considered the only Dojima of note for the rest of the series.]]
138* ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom'':
139** The game offered a fight against Asagi, the protagonist of their next planned game as a {{Superboss}}. Unfortunately, the game got scrapped. Instead of trying again, they've left poor Asagi wandering from game to game, bemoaning her bad luck, and occasionally [[HostileShowTakeover trying to take over the game from the main characters]].
140** There's also Zetta's original body. Zetta loses his original body in the beginning of the game and turns into a book. He regains his original body at the end of the game, but in his subsequent appearances in other Creator/NipponIchi titles he only appears in book form. [[spoiler:This is finally averted in ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}''.]]
141* Examples from the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series:
142** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', most party members from ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. While [[CowboyCop Garrus]] and Tali are the only ones to return as party members, Mordin, Thane, Legion and Miranda play important roles in the main game. The rest appear in side missions.
143** Harbinger, the BigBad of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', despite still [[spoiler:being the leader of the Reapers]] in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', only briefly appears once at the end of the game. He doesn't get any lines, and the only actual indication that [[spoiler:the Reaper who tries to kill Shepard (again)]] is Harbinger is because you're specifically told that it's him and his appearance is unique among [[spoiler:the other Reapers]].
144** Wrex, Liara and Kaiden/Ashley, who all were party members in the original game, become extras in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', forced to undergo their own missions parallel to Shepard's quest. They all become important again, come ''Mass Effect 3'', [[spoiler:depending on who you've left alive]]. Wrex becomes a major ally (and a GuestStarPartyMember in the ''Citadel'' DLC), while the others are available to join as permanent party members again.
145** For that matter, even Captain/Councillor/Admiral [[BigGood David Anderson]] receives this treatment in the second game. Although not a party member, in the first game he does serve as a major driving force for Commander Shepard and plays a pretty important part late in the game. In the sequel, he only really has one scene with Shepard, and even then, it's optional. In the third game he again becomes a major figure, serving as a GuestStarPartyMember early on and again playing a key role in the climax.
146** Legion and Morinth from ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' Citadel DLC were the only two squadmates without their own lines. Somewhat justifiable as Legion's appearance in the game was tied into the Rannoch arc [[spoiler: which resulted in his death, either way]], while Morinth is said to have been on the run and [[spoiler: likely had been turned into a Banshee by this point]]. [[spoiler:Mordin]] gets this treatment to an extent too, though he gets some recorded lines found on a holopad next to your bed after the party. However, he doesn't make a physical appearance, since [[spoiler: he's either dead or ''faking'' his death]].
147** In a non-character example, the Citadel itself somewhat becomes this in the second game. In the first and third games, it somewhat acts as a secondary HubLevel after the Normandy and was the scene of several important plot developments, while in the second game it's only briefly visited to accomplish a few sidequests, the most important ones being the loyalty missions of two characters. Depending on how the player plays the game, they may be able to accomplish everything they need to do in the Citadel in just ''one'' visit!
148** Omega in turn gets this in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', due to having been invaded by Cerberus between games. While Shepard eventually allows it to be retaken in the ''Omega DLC'', it's sadly not visitable afterwards.
149** Zigzagged with Admiral Hackett. In ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' he served as a frequent contact for side missions but never appeared. In the base game of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' he goes through this, being nowhere to be seen, until a single [=DLC=], although he does appear in the flesh. This is completely reversed in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' where he becomes Shepard's most frequent and trusted contact for the entirety of the Reaper War, and forms basically a BigGood ensemble for the galaxy between himself, Shepard and Anderson.
150** The Feros mission only carries consequences forward into the sequels if you played through it in the actual game; using the ''Mass Effect: Genesis'' comic to create a scenario for ''2'' excises it completely, leaving both the Thorian and Zhu's Hope as non-entities.
151%%Needs context about their previous role** The entire hanar ''race'' in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. There are zero conversations with them and only background references.
152* ''Franchise/MegaMan'':
153** It seems like Creator/{{Capcom}}'s once beloved mascot has now suffered from this. After a series of games starring the "Blue Bomber", Zero, who was first introduced in ''VideoGame/MegaManX'', has seemingly taken over. By ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'', [[SpotlightStealingSquad Zero]] had the storyline with more CharacterDevelopment, while Mega Man (and, to a lesser extent, X) was portrayed as one track-minded. Then followed a series of handheld games starring Zero called ''VideoGame/MegaManZero''. This alone wouldn't be a problem, but then you had Capcom cancelling the much talked about ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends 3'', which received a huge backlash from fans. And in the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' series of fighting games, [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic the original Mega Man]] was once a playable character, but he once again was replaced by Zero, whom as of ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' is easily one of the best characters in the series. Then there was the promise to put Mega Man in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'', only for Capcom to use the crappy American box-art version from [[VideoGame/MegaMan1 the original]] 8-bit UsefulNotes/{{N|intendoEntertainmentSystem}}ES game, which again received hateful responses. The streak of bad luck finally ended when the original 8-bit Mega Man was revealed as a playable character in [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU the fourth]] ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' game. Later on down the line, Capcom themselves would introduce Mega Man X as a playable character in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'', but all remained quiet on the platformer front... until ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' was officially announced for a 2018 release during the 30th anniversary stream.
154** Within the [[VideoGame/CapcomVs Vs. series]], there's the [[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Servbots]], who started out as both [[AssistCharacter Tron Bonne's helpers]] and independent {{joke character}}s in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'', reappeared as Tron's non-playable helpers in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', and finally got stuck in background cameos in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom''. They would get bumped back "up" to AssistCharacter status in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' and ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' due to Tron's appearances in those games.
155** Pat Sprigs (aka Gemini Spark), from ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'', is a major character in the first game, to being an optional boss in the second, to only having a few references in battle cards in the third game.
156* ''Franchise/MortalKombat'':
157** Kano and Sonya went from two of the original seven characters in ''VideoGame/{{Mortal Kombat|1992}}'' to background stage props in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII''. The got much better in later games.
158** Kitana got a much smaller role as a simple cameo in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' in Liu Kang's ending (though she was intended to be playable and remains DummiedOut) before being restored as a playable character in ''Gold''.
159** Several characters who were only playable once or twice (like Stryker, Kintaro, Kai, Fujin) returned as {{N|onPlayerCharacter}}PCs in ''Deception'''s Konquest Mode.
160** In ''VideoGame/MortalKombatShaolinMonks'' the {{Secret Character}}s from ''II'' Smoke and Noob Saibot were demoted from hidden AI-only characters to an optional quest giver and a minor cameo respectively. The third secret character, Jade, averted it however.
161** Motaro was originally the strong MiniBoss preceding Shao Kahn in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat3'', yet he's neither a playable fighter nor a fightable boss in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9''. [[spoiler:This is because [[PlotlineDeath he is killed by Raiden in a cutscene and later appears as a dead body.]]]]
162** ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' has Rain, Sindel and Baraka, who all become AI-controlled opponents exclusive to Story Mode. Tanya was originally among these characters, but DLC promoted her back to playable status.
163%%Needs context about the size of their previous roles** Ermac went from becoming a canon character in ''Ultimate'' and ''Trilogy'' to a simple background mention in Kenshi's backstory in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance''. Kabal was similarly just mentioned/shown dead in Mavado's story. Both got better in ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception''.
164* Happens to Chou-Chou, the main character of ''VideoGame/MugenSouls'', in the sequel ''Mugen Souls Z''. In the beginning of ''Z'', she loses her powers and gets shrunk down to a chibi sized version of herself. From there, she's practically useless except for being the supporting guide for Syrma, the game's main character, who she rides on.
165* In the ''VideoGame/{{Neptunia}}'' series, one could argue that this trope applies to ''everyone'' who isn't one of [[SpotlightStealingSquad the main four goddesses]], but none more so than IF and Compa, who went from being important main characters who formed a PowerTrio with Neptune in the first game, to quickly becoming less and less important to the story with each new game (with some games even having them not show up at all), most of the time only being playable as DownloadableContent, if at all.
166%%Needs context to differentiate from KilledOffForReal* Odin gets this pretty bad in ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'', despite being the ''title character''! Despite making a decent role in everyone's storyline (except Cornelius', where he essentially just cameos early on), and all of the truly massive amounts of storyline hyping he gets, Odin gets [[spoiler:knocked off rather easily at the end of the game, where he gets overwhelmed by the undead and killed by a Halja]].
167* After being playable racers in the second game, ''VideoGame/NickelodeonKartRacers 3: Slime Speedway'' demotes [[Franchise/{{Rugrats}} Angelica]], [[WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife Heffer]] and [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Shredder]] to non-playable [[AssistCharacter pit crew members]].
168* ''WesternAnimation/PetAlien'': The tie-in game ''VideoGame/PetAlienAnIntergalacticPuzzlepalooza'' does this to Tommy Cadle, the main protagonist and focus character of the show. As the focus is on the titular aliens trying to rescue him, he spends the bulk of the story as a DistressedDude who doesn't even physically appear in-game, only having brief, non-speaking cameos in the opening cutscene, credits and the Marathon menu.
169* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'': Captain Olimar is the only named character in the first game and the primary one in the second. In the third, he remains TheGhost for most of the story as the new main characters try to track him down and, when found, [[spoiler:is catatonic and needs to be rescued]]. He's only playable in the battle mode and in DLC for Mission Mode. In ''Pikmin 3 Deluxe'', however, he does star in a new side story.
170* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Since the games are [[NonLinearSequel Non-Linear Sequels]] and each new generation introduces a brand new region filled with new characters, this is inevitable. Only a handful of human characters are reoccurring, and almost all of these are just [=NPCs=]. The Pokémon themselves fare better, but their availability fluctuates from game to game: a Pokémon species may be all too common or be the main focus of the plot in one set of games while being virtually non-existent in the next.
171* ''VideoGame/PokerNightAtTheInventory'': [[Franchise/SamAndMax Max]] is one of the players, and [[VideoGame/TalesOfMonkeyIsland Winslow]] is the host and dealer. In ''VideoGame/PokerNight2'', Max is just a side character, while his partner Sam is now a player. And Winslow is no longer the dealer, merely guiding the PlayerCharacter to the Inventory and asking the other players to produce their prizes at certain times. The dealer is now [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} GLaDOS]].
172* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'':
173** Flora Reinhold is [[spoiler:the Golden Apple]] in the [[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage first game]], and is demoted to being a secondary character in the [[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheDiabolicalBox second game]], being replaced by [[spoiler:Don Paolo [[LatexPerfection in disguise]]]] for most of the game. The [[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture third game]] fixes this, promoting her to being a playable character, though she only gets a few puzzles to solve, and doesn't appear until about halfway through the game. Flora does not appear in the [[AnachronicOrder prequel trilogy]], but she is a [[TheCameo cameo]] in the FramingDevice of ''Anime/ProfessorLaytonAndTheEternalDiva''. This also stung a bit for ''[[VideoGame/LaytonsMysteryJourneyKatrielleAndTheMillionairesConspiracy Layton's Mystery Journey]]'', as while Katrielle does mention [[VideoGame/LaytonBrothersMysteryRoom Alfendi]] as her brother, Flora (who technically is her adopted sister) is only referenced through an optional costume.
174** Granny Riddleton started off as a mysterious secondary character in the first two games, but was replaced by a [[TalkingAnimal talking bee]], and later by her [[CreepyChild granddaughter]] in the third game, though she did get a small appearance near the beginning of the third game. In the fourth, however, she simply appears as a cameo before being replaced by a cat. She does come back in full force for the [[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheMiracleMask fifth game]], under the guise of Elizabeth, only to once again be replaced by the cat in the [[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheAzranLegacy sixth]], making only a brief cameo to introduce said cat. By [[VideoGame/LaytonsMysteryJourneyKatrielleAndTheMillionairesConspiracy the seventh game]], whose gameplay format and structure make it so none of the puzzles are missable anymore, Granny is now an ordinary NPC who only appears in some chapters.
175* ''VideoGame/ThePunisherCapcom'' treats Jigsaw, Frank's archenemy, as a BossInMooksClothing for the penultimate level before the dealing with FinalBoss ComicBook/TheKingpin.
176%%Needs context about their previous role** Pretty Boy, one of the Franchise/XMen enemies the Reavers is also a bit player.
177* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': Lidelle, the Ocean Prince, and Ms. Accord are all playable characters in their debut game, ''Fever 2''. They zigzag this trope after ''15th Anniversary''; they don't appear in 7, are made playable again in ''20th Anniversary'', become cameos in ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris Tetris]]'', and become playable again in ''Chronicle''. With the exception of Lidelle (who appears in exactly one story mode cutscene), none of them appeared in ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris2 Tetris 2]]'' at first, but an update made all three playable.
178* Subverted with VideoGame/{{Rayman}}. In the original ''Rayman Raving Rabbids'' game, Rayman is plot-critical and the only playable character. In the second game, he's still playable, but you can play as a Rabbid and Rayman's story doesn't get resolved. In ''TV Party'', he only appears in cutscenes. From ''Rabbids Go Home'' onward, though, his series and the Rabbids' series were separated, and he thankfully got back in his own spotlight in ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/RaymanLegends''.
179* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'': The series has always been known for bringing in and kicking out new and old characters like a revolving door, but even then, the five characters with the biggest stage presences (Chris and Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy, and Ada Wong) aren't immune from this. Claire gets the worst of it -- after being a major player character for two games (''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'' and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica''), she's off the map until the CG film, ''Anime/ResidentEvilDegeneration''. While she's still in the fight against bioterrorism, she takes a passive role at the company [=TerraSave=]. Chris also has less presence in favor of Leon in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil6'', but his status as the hero of ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil5 RE5]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilRevelations Revelations]]'' might have something to do with that.
180%%Needs context about how the size of his role changes** Luis from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' isn't playable in The Mercenaries, despite the fact that he showed himself to be capable of using a gun in the main story and is a total badass, yet [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 HUNK]], who has no bearing in the story of ''[=RE4=]'', appears.
181* In ''VideoGame/{{Robopon}} 2'', Lisa, Cody's girlfriend, has a bit part compared to the first game, which she lampshades.
182* ''VideoGame/RosenkreuzStilette'': Spiritia and her fairy Lili are kidnapped at the very beginning of Freudenstachel, and not seen again until the FinalBoss leaves her BrainwashedAndCrazy in the finale. And she's the main heroine! Justified as Freudia was always planned to star in her own game, and her main goal is to bring her back.
183* ''VideoGame/SagaFrontier's'' Fuse is much like Sacchin; he was supposed to have his own quest route and be a playable hero and so on and so forth, but when time constraints ate the development team, that got dropped entirely (along with a lot of the playable characters' sidequest material - the game wasn't exactly a polished work). He's recruitable by any/all the other characters but all that remains of what would've been his storyline is a few debug rooms. Woe!
184* The Silver Saint Sagitta Ptolemy was one of the bosses in ''VideoGame/SaintSeiyaOugonDensetsu'', but appeared briefly in the prologue introduction of its sequel game.
185%%* ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'':
186%%Needs context about their previous roles** In ''VideoGame/SakuraWars3IsParisBurning'', the Imperial Combat Revue members appear as minor characters from the seventh through the ninth episodes.
187%%Needs context about their previous roles** By the time of ''VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove'', Sakura Shinguji and Ichiro Ogami only appear in the prologue to send Shinjiro Taiga off to New York City.
188* ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'': Ukyo Tachibana, despite appearing in nearly every game, is this. He was first introduced as TheRival for Haohmaru (being based on UsefulNotes/SasakiKojiro while Haohmaru is based on UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi). Then in the second game, they introduced Haohmaru's true rival with the story connections to go: Genjuro Kibagami. Afterwards, Ukyo became more irrelevant to the main storyline, going so low as being beaten like a CannonFodder in Haohmaru's ending in ''IV'', but still appear in the games [[EnsembleDarkhorse due to fan demand]].
189%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Several characters in the series, including Earthquake, Wan-Fu, Genan, Sieger, Jubei and Cham Cham (although a few of them returned as playable characters in later games, and Jubei was included in certain ports of ''Samurai Shodown III'').
190%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Metal Gear Petit [=Mk2=] in ''VideoGame/SDSnatcher''.
191* ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic and All Stars Racing]]'' did this to [[VideoGame/NightsIntoDreams NiGHTS]] who is demoted to a cameo. Which is better than nothing: originally [=NiGHTS=] wasn't to appear at all, and it was only after an extensive emailing campaign by a fan site that [=NiGHTS=] was placed in as the flag-bearer. The sequel added [=NiGHTS=] to the playable roster, with VideoGame/{{Ristar}} taking its place as the flag-bearer.
192* ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'':
193** Kojuro becomes an NPC once again in ''[=SB3=]'' after only becoming playable for an expansion and PSP game. Then he's playable once more in ''Utage''.
194** Toshiie like several others, ''Sengoku Basara 3'' made him into an NPC, but was made playable in ''Utage''. He's back to being an NPC in the fourth game.
195** Matsu joins her husband in NPC land in ''Sengoku Basara 3'', but became playable in ''Utage''. Like her husband, she returns to NPC status in the fourth game (at least until the expansion).
196** Keiji hasn't been a poster boy since his debut in ''2'', and these days even Masamune and Yukimura's second-in-commands Kojuro and Sasuke as well as Motonari and Motochika get far more merchandise released for them in comparison.
197** In ''Devil Kings'', Mitsuhide/Reaper got demoted to an NPC. Then, when he becomes Tenkai in ''[=SB3=]'', he's an NPC once again, before becoming playable in ''Utage''. And now Mitsuhide is an NPC again in ''[=SB4=]''.
198** As of ''Sengoku Basara 4'' Yukimura's no longer a poster boy, with the more popular Mitsunari taking his place as main character and Masamune's rival. Eventually subverted, since the rivalry is still very much present, and it even gets an exclusive.
199** While prominent in some of the promotional material, Yukimura is starting to suffer from this in ''[=SB3=]''. He is less important to the overall storyline than some of the unplayable characters. When fought in other characters' story lines, he is usually a filler opponent that does nothing to advance the story. Even in Masamune's story line, where Yukimura would be expected to feature more prominently, his role is pretty minor and serves very little role in the story.
200** Like Kojuro Sasuke's an NPC in ''Sengoku Basara 3''. And back to a PC in ''Utage''.
201** Kenshin goes from PC to NPC in ''Sengoku Basara 3'' due to Shingen's absence. He returns to PC status again in ''Utage'' along with Kasuga, but returns to NPC status in ''4''.
202** Like Kenshin, Kasuga's an NPC in ''Sengoku Basara 3''. She returns to PC status in ''Utage'' along with Kenshin as well as returning to NPC status in the fourth game (at least until an expansion comes along). She has one scene in "The Last Party". And she's unconscious when it happens.
203%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Also in the ''Ranse Ranbu'' manga, at least in the first volume. Partially justified as it was based on the first game (and he appeared in the second one).
204%%Needs context about their previous role** Oddly subverted in ''[=SB4=]'': Mitsuhide himself is a NPC, but his alter ego, Tenkai, is playable.
205%%Needs context about their previous role** Shingen is an NPC in ''4'', but isn't PutOnABus, unlike in ''3''.
206* In ''[[VideoGame/SeventhDragon 7th Dragon (2020-II)]]'' Rin is largely outside the spotlight. The personal drama now centers around Emelle.
207* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'':
208** Brahma, despite being equal to Shiva and Vishnu in Hinduism, makes very few appearances in the franchise. The second ''Digital Devil Saga'' game does make use of his appearance...and gives it to Brahma'''n''', a totally different concept, while Shiva and Vishnu are high-end Bonus Bosses.
209** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'': [[spoiler: Beelzebub's role as Dragon has also been taken over by Lilith, and only appears as an OptionalBoss.]] Also, [[spoiler:Mastema]], who played a major role in the [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney previous game]], plays very little role in the main game. DLC, however, gives him an expanded role.
210** Because the Snow Queen Quest was removed from the ''[[VideoGame/{{Persona 1}} Persona 1]]'' {{Macekre}} ''Revelations: Persona'', Yukino, the only character that retained her Japanese heritage, was reduced to a GuestStarPartyMember in the Western release.
211%%Needs context about their previous roles** Also, Belial is fought as a boss in Lucifer Palace, the final dungeon in the game on the Neutral and Law routes. However, Nebiros is simply a random encounter found earlier in the game. In addition, while Metatron can be fused, he sadly plays absolutely no role at all in the plot.
212* In the first two ''VideoGame/{{Skate}}'' games, Reda was the [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] camera man. In the third, he opens up a skateboard shop, puts himself in charge of sales, and hands the camera over to Shingo. He still [[ContinueYourMissionDammit calls you from time to time to constantly remind you that you should do photo shoots and other stuff.]]
213* First Umbrella was removed from the initial roster of ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'', then when the DLC began to come out of DevelopmentHell she was replaced by Big Band as the second planned DLC character, and then lost BOTH of the DLC Voting events to Eliza and Beowulf. This is {{lampshade|Hanging}}d when Squigly and Big Band were funded. [[http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4731/1361897584898.png Official artwork was created]] [[http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/7690/1363293045574.jpg to thank the fans]] [[http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/127/20130327005900600k.jpg for donating.]] In all of the pictures, Umbrella is looking very annoyed.
214%%Needs context about their previous role* Willie Trombone is only briefly present in the intro and ending cutscenes of ''VideoGame/{{Skullmonkeys}}''. And as a power-up.
215* This happened to ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' with ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}''.
216** While originally launched as a new ''Spyro'' game it quickly became its own franchise, being more of an original franchise than a sequel. Spyro himself never plays a role larger than any of the other characters, and only the first game has Spyro's name in the title.
217** For the first ''Skylanders'' Spyro came with every copy, had three variations, and was in the title. In the other installments, he's dropped out of the title and Spyro isn't even available with a copy of the game.
218%%Needs context about their previous role** Hugo appears in the introductory scene of ''Giants'' to give the Skylanders their mission, but doesn't come along on the adventure.
219%%Needs context about their previous role** In ''Swap Force'', Cali only appears once in an early cinematic.
220* In ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs2012'', Tran Ma is originally a minor character who provides Wei and Jackie with cars as they try to get initiated; he vanishes into the background [[SlidingScaleOfGameplayAndStoryIntegration the moment you unlock the better car dealers]].
221* Dimitri in ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'', who goes from playable character to informant for the gang as they time travel. Which is strange seeing that he has his old voice actor in the credits.
222%%Needs context about their previous roles* In ''VideoGame/TheSmurfs2'', the Winslows are only given a brief cameo contained entirely within a cutscene, where Papa and the others briefly pop into New York to learn Gargamel's whereabouts before immediately leaving them behind.
223* In ''VideoGame/SOCOMUSNavySeals'', Kahuna returns as a member of Bravo Element in SOCOM Tactical Strike (Even though he was the protagonist in the first game), while Sandman gets demoted to being under Wraith's command.
224* Every character in ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' who isn't [[TheHero Sonic]] or [[BigBad Eggman]] had this happen to them to varying degrees, due in part to the growing criticism towards the overabundance of characters:
225** Tails is a downplayed example. He's still a recurring character in the series, particularly for his role as the resident ExpositionFairy. But expect this to happen to him whenever there's a new ArcHero that teams up with Sonic for a game.
226** Knuckles showed up very rarely for a period of time in the mid-2010s, and even when he did, he didn't contribute much to the games he was in. Knuckles did briefly return to prominence in the ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'' sub series where he was one of the co-stars, but things didn't really start to change until ''VideoGame/SonicMania'', the "Final Horizon" DLC for ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'', and ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'' gave him playable roles again.
227** Amy Rose was severely downplayed during the same period as Knuckles, and some would say longer; while the fourth of the series' main characters along with Knuckles and Tails, she rarely got much focus outside games where she was a playable character. In the Game Gear spinoffs she appears in the [[VideoGame/SonicDrift two Drift games]], and in the first ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdventure Adventure]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SonicHeroes Heroes]]'', she becomes a main character. In ''[[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 Adventure 2]]'', she has an important role helping Shadow follow his HeelFaceTurn, but otherwise spends her time lamenting she doesn't have much to do, though she is Sonic's alt in the multiplayer. ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 '06]]'' gives her a minor role. After that? Non-playable cameos in ''[[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed Unleashed]]'', ''[[VideoGame/SonicGenerations Generations]]'', and briefly ''[[VideoGame/SonicLostWorld Lost World]]''... and that's it. She was one of the main five characters in ''VideoGame/SonicBoom'', but like Knuckles, Amy didn't get playable roles again until "The Final Horizon" in ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'' and ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'' (though she was added into the four Genesis-era titles with ''Sonic Origins Plus'').
228** Cream the Rabbit got thrown OutOfFocus big time. While the comics and spinoffs gave her more attention, she didn't have any playable roles between 2004's ''VideoGame/SonicAdvance3'' and 2023's ''VideoGame/SonicDreamTeam'', a gap of almost 20 years. Even her roles in side games started to dwindle by the 2010s, most notably being cut from Team Rose in ''VideoGame/TeamSonicRacing'' in favor of a trio of Chao.
229** The members of Team Dark, namely Shadow and Rouge, used to had a starring role in almost every game after their debut culminating in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'', where they arguably had the most plot importance over Sonic's group. Afterwards however, they basically hardly show up as a unit at all. Shadow and Rouge still get attention every now and then, but it's a far cry to when they were treated as (respectively) TheRival to Sonic and an on-and-off ImpliedLoveInterest to Knuckles. Poor Omega, meanwhile, barely even gets to appear nowadays, and he tends not to do much when he does.
230** Both Silver and Blaze were the secondary stars of their respective debut games, but have both since fallen by the wayside. They're both more or less relegated to the Spin off titles and the occasional cameo nowadays outside of MilestoneCelebration games like VideoGame/SonicGenerations and VideoGame/SonicForces.
231** Flickies for ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'', where they can be seen on Little Planet, yet are not relevant to the badniks like in the other classic games (instead, flowers pop out of them).
232** The Chaos Emeralds also go from being a central plot point of the series to an optional extra sidequest in both versions of ''VideoGame/SonicColors''. Averted with the DS port of ''Colors'', where gathering all of them allows you to access the TrueFinalBoss and also to witness the GoldenEnding.
233** Of the Babylonian Rogues introduced in ''VideoGame/SonicRiders'' as major characters, only Jet the Hawk stuck around in any meaningful capacity, and even then his appearances are mostly limited to rival character status in spinoffs like ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames''. Wave the Swallow and Storm the Albatross more or less vanished into the ether as soon as the ''Riders'' series wrapped up, and appear so little it's easy to forget they exist.
234** Dr. Eggman's Badniks are usually the most prominent enemies in the games. However, they are not very heavily featured in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' due to the G.U.N. robots being the primary enemies instead. The Badniks are generally only found in the pyramid levels, and are limited to Kiki, Unidasu, Gohla, and E-1000.
235%%Needs context about their previous role** The wisps in general in ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld'', since there is no explanation for their presence. One kind of them, the White Wisps, just get cameos since Sonic does not need them to boost.
236%%Needs context about his previous role** Chaos has no real role in ''VideoGame/SonicBattle'''s plot; his appearance is just for the sake of having Emerl copy skills from him.
237%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** From ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' onwards, the only playable appearance by a character other than Sonic were Tails and Metal Sonic in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 Episode 2'', as well as Tails piloting vehicles in bonus stages of ''VideoGame/SonicRushAdventure'' and ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''. They do however make playable appearances in various spin off titles.
238* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'': ''Soulcalibur III'' began the shift of focus more towards certain storylines, even as it fleshed out all of them. As a result, certain characters who were present since the start of the series faded more into the background as it went on.
239%%Needs context about their previous roles** ''VideoGame/SoulcaliburV'''s redesigned Story Mode [[ContestedSequel received criticism]] because only the main characters, Patroklos and Pyrrha receive any kind of backstory and characterization. Two returning characters actually have NO dialogue and leap out of nowhere in order to be fought. Nine of the returning characters don't make a single appearance in the game's story. Made worse by the fact that it's no longer possible to read character bios in the game. In order to learn what the rest of the characters have been up to since the 17 year time skip, one has to view their official online profiles. There's also Algol, but averted with the artbook, revealing [[spoiler:he is TheManBehindTheMan. While everybody else is caught up in destroying the soul swords, he's secretly corrupting the world's energy flux in the hopes of conquering it when everybody is weakened.]]
240%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Berserkers, Assassins and Lizardmen in ''Soulcalibur II''. The characters they're based on (Rock, Hwang and Aeon respectively) do return in ''III'', though [[note]]though in Hwang's case, it was in the updated arcade version[[/note]].
241%%Needs context about their previous role* ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'': Alexemia only gets one scene in the Demon Path, sadly, and it's being summoned to heal everyone after Revya beats the crap out of them.
242* Aldous plays a pivotal role in the first game of ''VideoGame/{{Spectrobes}}'', but by ''Portals'' he is just a supporting character who goes missing for most of the plot, and there's no mention of him at all in ''Origins''.
243%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Gryvon in Series 2 of ''VideoGame/{{Spellbinder}}''.
244* Previously in ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'', the Damsel and the [[spoiler:Tunnel Man]] were secret playable characters, but were removed from the available roster in the remake.
245* Randy Marsh went from a major supporting character in ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'' to a only having a few scenes in ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'' where he's a violent drunk.
246* Spark himself gets this in ''VideoGame/SparkTheElectricJester2'', being demoted to a small cameo in the opening. This is actually a major plot point for ''VideoGame/SparkTheElectricJester3'', as his absence in the second game means he's completely oblivious to many plot points [[spoiler: such as Float's UnexplainedRecovery being highly suspicious]] that the player would pick up on, but Spark wouldn't.
247* [[VideoGame/Splatoon1 The first]] ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' features a StreetUrchin named Spyke, who serves an important role as your FriendInTheBlackMarket. He can sell you other players' gear, as well as providing some other gear ability-related services. From ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' onward, Spyke no longer interacts with the player, as his role has been taken over by Murch. Murch does occasionally mention Spyke helping out with your gear orders, but he is only ever seen in ''Splatoon 2'' as a background character inside a café. He's completely absent from the base game of ''Splatoon 3'', with Murch continuing to play the role of gear assistant, though the "Inkopolis" DLC [[TheBusCameBack brought Spyke back]] along with several other supporting cast members from ''Splatoon 1''.
248* Victor Coste serves as a partner in the tutorial for ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Blacklist'', but is put into critical condition by a grenade by the end of it, and remains in the hospital for the game's duration until the ending.
249* ''VideoGame/SpriteWars'':
250** Alexis hasn't seen much screen time in later comics.
251** Dianna like Alexis, has been seen a little less as of late.
252%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample*** Dorangonnosuke-san.
253%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Kuilen Felgard in the Global campaign.
254* ''VideoGame/SpyroEnterTheDragonfly'':
255** Moneybags appears in just one level, doing his usual gem-coercing schtick. Despite this, he's listed in the manual along with Hunter and Bianca as if he's a prominent character.
256** Bianca, despite appearing in the opening cinematic, shows up only one other time at the beginning of the game and is never seen again outside the background of the ending cinematic.
257* ''VideoGame/TheStalinSubway'' features Russian Lieutenant Gleb Suovorov as the protagonist. The sequel set 3 years later sees Gleb mysteriously disappearing and his wife, Lena, becoming the new player hero, with Gleb only appearing in person in the final cutscene.
258* In ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft|I}}'', Mojo was prominent in ''Enslavers'' but was only in one mission of ''Dark Vengeance''.
259* ''VideoGame/StarcraftIIWingsOfLiberty'':
260** Kachinsky was supposed to have his own mission chain but it was scrapped. He does get to be the default profile picture for people who haven't earned avatar achievements yet, and is seen wandering around every room on the ship, as well as being the voice of the [[spoiler:short-lived committee debating mutiny against Raynor]].
261** Scout is seen a few times as a campaign unit but is otherwise replaced by the Phoenix.
262** Liberty from the ''VideoGame/StarCraft Novels'', was going to the one behind the news reports in ''Wings of Liberty'', but the developers decided his anti-Dominion bias would limit the scope of his stories, so he was replaced with Kate and Donny.
263* In earlier versions of ''VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm'', Lassara was to be initially hostile to Kerrigan, remembering all she did as the Queen of Blades, but seeing Kerrigan show mercy to the other colonists softened her and she began to speak more familiar and openly to her. This entire subplot was dropped from the final game and Lassara is little more than a Protoss to talk two for all of two missions[[spoiler:, before she gets turned into the host for a [[ChestBurster Zerg Larva]] so Kerrigan can sabotage a shuttle headed towards Shakuras and prevent the Protoss from alerting the Golden Armada]].
264* About half the cast of playable characters in ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'' falls into this. Nel, Albel, and Mirage are fairly important characters in disk 1, then in disk 2 fade into obscurity. Adray, Peppita and Roger do this as well, though they never had a particularly major hand in the plot to begin with (Roger being the only 100% optional character). Since you are only allowed to bring along two characters out of Nel, Albel, Roger, and Peppita, the game has to fit their dialogue in rather awkwardly, and the other characters rarely if ever acknowledge their presence. Mirage is perhaps the most painful example, however -- she doesn't even get this courtesy, since she was added in a version after the original released in Japan, and as such essentially gets no dialogue at all after she joins the party!
265%%Needs context about their previous role* Chancellor Martok and Admiral Sela in the penultimate campaign in the first game of ''VideoGame/StarTrekArmada''. You control their ships but they have no lines or actual role in the plot.
266* In Season 8 of ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'':
267** Most of the EMH's part of the tutorial was cut for the redesigned tutorial.
268** On a bigger level, the Federation and the Klingons have special Bridge Officers who are meant to be part of the big crew. However, after major backlash over the Romulan addition, Tovan Kiev, they were rendered optional.
269* The ''Star Trek Supremacy'' FanSequel to ''Birth of the Federation'' (a Star Trek Master of Orion-clone) does this on a civilizational level -- the Ferengi are demoted from a playable major civilization to a minor faction to woo or conquer. Their place as a major faction is instead taken by the Dominion.
270* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': In-between ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' and ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha 3'', Cody was demoted to background cameos and the occasional mention. Haggar got it even worse; he has yet to appear as a playable character in any ''Street Fighter'' games, though he did appear in a few ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVs Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' games. Possibly explained in ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6'', which features a "Haggar Memorial Stadium"--implying he died at some point, which ''would'' prevent him from appearing.
271%%Needs context about their previous role** Happened to most of the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' cast during the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' series and the [[VideoGame/CapcomVs Vs. series]], as most of them (such as Balrog, Vega, Fei-Long, and E. Honda) only appeared in ending or stage cameos. But each new ''Alpha'' and ''Vs''. game gradually brought back characters from II until the console version of ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'' featured all the remaining characters needed to fill out the entire ''Super VideoGame/StreetFighterII Turbo'' roster.
272%%Needs context about his previous role** In ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXMegaMan'', Rush doesn't even appear as a power like Rush Coil--he only appears in the [[UnexpectedShmupLevel shoot 'em up segment]] in Rose's stage, and that's it.
273%%** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'':
274%%Needs context about their previous role*** Too bad most of the time, it's just Yun as the player character, with Yang appearing as an AssistCharacter at best.
275%%Needs context about his previous role*** Sean was originally supposed to be the only shoto fighter, but due to fan backlash Ryu and Ken were added. This most likely changed Sean from something else completely and since 3rd Strike he's rarely been mentioned in any form.
276* ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'':
277** Adam in the sequels. He still appears in the games, but he's been demoted to a non-player role, although he does become a considerable DeusExMachina in ''3''.
278** In the second game, Bongo is demoted to a GiantMook. To add insult to injury, his [[YouDontLookLikeYou appearance gets changed entirely]].
279%%Needs context about her previous role** Nora. Specifically to being one of Electra's palette swaps in the sequels.
280* ''VideoGame/{{Strider}}'' Hiryu's rival from ''[[VideoGame/StriderArcade Strider 2]]'', Hien, went from being a recurring boss character to a PosthumousCharacter ([[AndYourRewardIsClothes represented by an unlockable costume]]) in the [[VideoGame/Strider2014 2014 ''Strider'' remake]].
281* In ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'', Sorensen complains that Lu is stealing the post of Babbage's apprentice away from him.
282* In ''VideoGame/SuperDemoWorldTheLegendContinues'', Yoshi in general is a lot less common than he was originally, being mostly restricted to the {{Bonus Stage}}s. In fact, Red Yoshi is the only colored Yoshi to appear in a regular level, and only once.
283* Even ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Super Mario]]'' has a few:
284** Mario's first appearance is the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'', where the plot revolves around rescuing a DamselInDistress, and said DamselInDistress is a woman named Pauline. As the big ape goes on to be the star of his own series and Mario's recurring damsel is now a certain princess of Mushroom Land, Pauline is a ''very'' rare sight in either series, despite being there from the beginning, predating mushrooms, pipes, coins, dashing with "B," [[WesternAnimation/SuperMarioBrosSuperShow the Koopas, the Troopas, the Princess, and the others]]. You could be a very avid longtime fan of both series and never know she existed. (She does appear in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, though.) She makes her big return to the main Mario series in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', though, with a large role in the game. She won't be forgotten again anytime soon, gaining many fans who may never realize just how much OlderThanTheyThink she really is.
285** A handful of characters have never been in any main platformer apart from being playable characters in sporting/party/karting/[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros smashing]] games. To name a few:
286*** Since their one-time role as the BigBad in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins'' respectively, Donkey Kong and Wario have stopped playing any meaningful role in the ''Mario'' franchise and instead appear in minor ones, but have gone on to bigger things in their own SpinOff franchises to make up for it.
287*** Birdo has only ever been in a total of ''two'' games where she had any meaningful role in gameplay. Her debut in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' and an appearance in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' as an enemy in both games.
288%%Needs context about how his role changed*** Finally, we have none other than Waluigi, who has only ever been a staple of Mario spin-off games in '''every single appearance''' since his debut in ''VideoGame/MarioTennis'', to the point of hijacking [[SelfDemonstrating/HostileShowTakeover one of our articles]] in Website/ThisVeryWiki out of boredom. However, Nintendo is at least well aware enough of his MemeticBadass status among fans to [[LampshadeHanging hang a lampshade on it]] in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''.
289%%---> '''Waluigi Cap description''': ''A cap with an upside down L on it. It's barely used.''
290%%---> '''Waluigi Suit description''': ''This outfit makes you want to lurk in the shadows, waiting for a turn in the spotlight.''
291** [[VideoGame/SuperMarioLand Tatanga,]] who went from BigBad and FinalBoss in the first ''Land'', to regular boss in the second, to vanishing off the face of the planet.
292** [[VideoGame/MarioandLuigi Fawful,]] who went from TheDragon to a mere shopkeeper... and right back to BigBad by the next game.
293** [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy Rosalina.]] Despite helping Mario save both Peach and the entire Galaxy from Bowser in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'', as well as being a playable character in the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' games, in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', she actually does not appear until ''after'' Bowser is defeated at the end of the game. Averted in ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'', where she's playable, as with many non ''Mario Kart'' spinoffs like ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' and various sports titles afterwards. And then [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros she became a Smasher]] in a ''major'' aversion.
294** Princess Peach in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar''. After some CharacterDevelopment and being PromotedToPlayable in the previous games (even in the first game where she was a DamselInDistress she was still a playable character [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething who actually helped in the final battle]]), she cameos in the intro, and [[spoiler:doesn't reappear until the endgame; the main crisis was the loss of the Royal Stickers and Comet Pieces instead of her (barely mentioned) kidnapping, and her only lines in the game are just replacing Kersti's as a [[VoiceForTheVoiceless voice for Mario]] in the first few minutes of the ending in her absence]].
295** Franchise/DonkeyKong was a main playable character in ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' until [[VideoGame/MarioParty5 the fifth installment]], since which he became a MiniGame sponsor. And in ''Mario Party DS'', he was just a statue adorning the third board (enchanted to be such according to the game's Story Mode), and didn't appear at all in ''Island Tour''. He's PromotedToPlayable again in ''10'', though. A Koopa Kid was a playable character for a couple games as well, but lost his playable status in ''Mario Party 7'', and [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome vanished]] [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute in favor of Bowser Jr.]] afterwards.
296** Zigzagged with Boo. He was also playable starting with ''VideoGame/MarioParty5'' up to ''VideoGame/MarioParty8'', before Boo was removed from the roster in ''VideoGame/MarioParty9''. However, in ''VideoGame/MarioPartyIslandTour'', Boo was put in the roster for one last party with Mario and company... or so it seemed, until ''VideoGame/MarioPartyStarRush'', where he is exclusive to Mario Shuffle, and although he does not participate in the minigames, players can use his amiibo and "haunt the competition".
297** Dry Bones, Blooper, and Hammer Bro. were playable in ''VideoGame/MarioParty8''. In ''VideoGame/MarioParty9'', the former two are only bosses, while the latter hosts the Battle minigames.
298** ''VideoGame/MarioParty10'': After having been playable in ''Mario Party 9'', Koopa, Shy Guy, and Magikoopa/Kamek are all reduced to non-playable characters that appear during certain minigames.
299** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyStarRush'': After having been playable characters in ''VideoGame/MarioPartyIslandTour'', Boo and Bowser Jr. only appear as enemies in certain mini-games. They are only playable in Mario Shuffle, and only if the player has access to their amiibo.
300** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyTheTop100'': After having been playable characters in ''VideoGame/MarioPartyStarRush'', the previous 3DS ''Mario Party'' game, Toad, Toadette, and Donkey Kong are all reduced to non-playable characters, while Diddy Kong is completely absent. Toad and Toadette both serve as the game's hosts and appear in certain minigames, while Donkey Kong only appears as the opponent of the returning minigames hosted by him in ''VideoGame/MarioParty7''.
301** ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars'': After having been playable in ''Super Mario Party'', Bowser and all of his troops return to their original roles as non-playable characters that appear during certain minigames and board events.
302** ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'': After having been a playable character alongside Blue Toad in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' and ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'', Yellow Toad now passes out items in the Toad Houses.
303** Luigi undergoes this in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey''. In [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy four]] [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2 successive]] [[VideoGame/SuperMario3DLand 3D]] [[VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld games]] in the series, he was a fully playable character. In ''Odyssey'', he is only the host of a minigame that's available only after beating the FinalBoss, and one that was added in a post-release update at that.
304** After having appeared as an unlockable powerup in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'', Weird Mario only appears as a non-obvious EasterEgg involving doors in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2'', as well as during one of the Super World minigames.
305** Luigi in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1''. He only appears as player #2 in a two-player game, which is itself greatly diminished in importance due to the game's lack of co-op play, which was the main draw of the original Mario Bros. He doesn't even appear on the game's cover, nor is he mentioned in the manual's storyline.
306** ''VideoGame/MarioBros'' has Shellcreeper. These turtles are the first enemy of the game, but are supplanted by the Koopa Troopas starting in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1''. Because they are [[TheSpiny not stompable]], the need to avoid confusion with their more famous successor makes them a very rare sight in anything but pure remakes of their debut game, and even some of those remakes replace Shellcreepers with Spinies.
307* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'': Since the franchise is a MegaCrossover between dozens of HumongousMecha anime, this happens in pretty much every single game because it would be impractical (if not outright impossible) to have every single character from the constituent anime play as major a role as they do in the originals.
308%%Needs context about their previous roles** ''Shin Getter Robo'', ''Dancougar'', and ''Trider G7'' have no plot relevance in ''VideoGame/ShinSuperRobotWars'', while ''Gundam Wing'' and ''G Gundam'' get the bare minimum of its characters. In fact, [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Heero Yuy]] is a SecretCharacter in this game.
309%%** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsBX''
310%%Needs context about their previous roles*** The humans in ''SD Gundam Gaiden'' are not playable.
311%%Needs context about their previous role*** Unicorn has Barely any units at all.
312%%Needs context about their previous role*** Macross 30 has Only 3 units (out of 5), and no plot..
313** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsClassic'': Ever since ''Original Generation 2'', Ring has yet to rejoin the playable roster. Justified that she's all tied up with her duties as the CEO of Mao Industries. [[spoiler:Made more unlikely for her to reappear in a Huckebein for future events, given the entire destruction of the Huckebein series in the ''Second Original Generation'']].
314** In spite of being the titular character and more or less the hero of his series, Anime/{{Betterman}} Lamia's reduced to a handful of roles in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact3'' and always is a NPC ally on missions he appears.
315%%Needs context about her previous role** Unless you [[NintendoHard meet the conditions]] [[SecretCharacter to recruit her]], [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Haman Karn]] won't appear in the storyline of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsDestiny'' at all.
316%%Need context about their previous role** Compared to the three girls, Calvina tends to get shafted in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsJudgment'' supporting materials and fanworks.
317%%** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsK'':
318%%Needs context about their previous role*** ''Anime/MazingerZ'' gets zero plot aside from some involvement of [[BigBad Dr. Hell]] in the OpeningScrol.
319%%Needs context about their previous roles*** Many characters from ''Anime/{{Godannar}}'' only appear in intermission scenes; their respective mecha don't even appear at all.
320%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsL'': Isn't it sad, [[spoiler: [[Anime/RebuildofEvangelion Mari, Kaworu]] and [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Auel]]]]?
321** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Gaiden'' hammers this trope to one of Duminuss' Homunculi, Laliar. In his origin game (''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsReversal SRW R]]''), at least he gets to get involved in the grand schemes along with his siblings, joining some factions to screw them up. But in ''OG Gaiden''... Tis gets to deal with the Wendigo and G Thunder Gate, Despinis gets to guard a {{brainwashed}} Lamia, [[spoiler:and later ends up surviving, unlike in the original series]]... and Laliar? He's relegated into just contacting Tis and Despinis from afar in case they're about to screw up, and doesn't do much in the grander scheme (obviously, he had a bigger role in his original game).
322%%Needs context to differentiate from AscendedExtra*** A similar case can be seen with the BridgeBunnies. Early in ''OG 1'', Rio becomes a pilot and stays that way until the end of ''OG 2''. After [[spoiler:Daitetsu's death]], Eita and Tetsuya end up taking charge and commanding the Kurogane to the best of their abilities. And poor Eun, best friend to the Hiryu Kai's captain Lefina? She is just there to give bits of information every so often, lacking even the hint of ADayInTheLimelight. However, this is subverted beginning in ''2nd Original Generation'' where she is now one of the "sub-pilots" of the Hiryu Kai.
323%%Needs context to differentiate from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome and PutOnABus.*** Warrior Roar is unavailable as a "sub-pilot" for Kouta in the ''Second Original Generation'', in contrast to his previous appearance in ''Original Generation Gaiden''.
324%%** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsReversal'':
325%%Needs context to differentiate from AscendedExtra*** Fiona Gureden is rendered as a sub-pilot for the Excellence Rescue in the ''Second Original Generation''. ''Moon Dwellers'' brings her back as a pilot with the new Excellence Gunstriker, alongside Raul who has his own.
326%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample*** [[MemeticMutation Yes, we know, Laliar...and we're sorry]].
327%%** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsUX'':
328%%Needs context about their previous role*** [[Anime/Gundam00AWakeningOfTheTrailblazer Descartes Shaman]] only appears during a MAP event.
329%%Needs context about how their roles changed*** Marvel (also Cham), Lunamaria, and Athrun did not get any new lines at all this game. Especially sad for Marvel since she barely has any recorded lines at all. Lunamaria also has no unique battle lines, while Athrun has a few reused ones from Z (lines for fighting humans and the final boss lines seen here).
330%%Needs context about his previous role*** Dimitri Magarov from Linebarrel appears only once to be trashed by three Jinrais in an event.
331%%Needs context about his previous role*** Mamoru if he survives, he can only be swapped with Hiroto as the pilot of Mark Funf. Even though they could just remodel the Mark Elf for Mamoru's use.
332%%Needs context about his previous role*** Vespasianus who only gets one event map appearance with his Deus Machina, though he is around in conversations.
333** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsV''
334*** Usually in the previous games that featured ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico'' and/or ''The Prince of Darkness'', all of the Three Angels were playable. Here however, only Ryoko Subaru and her Aestivalis Custom are playable, while her friends Hikaru and Izumi only show up for the [[CombinationAttack Formation Attack]].
335*** This is the first game to feature ''The Prince of Darkness'' that does not include Kusakabe as a boss; despite being the BigBad of the movie, here he only appears in a few cutscenes, whereas Hokushin is given more prominence. And this was after ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsBX BX]]'', which featured on the original TV series, had him as the final boss of the Nadesico storyline.
336*** After decades of being the premier Captain and unofficial leader of numerous SRW armadas, [[MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack Bright Noah]] finally takes a step back, and [[Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2199 Okita]] leads Earth Fleet Tenku instead. There is even a scene where [[spoiler: Okita tells Bright to take over command of the fleet should he die before completing their mission]].
337*** [[Anime/Gundam00AWakeningOfTheTrailblazer The ELS]] are reduced to an afterthought compared to the other games where they appear, only appearing in ''two'' scenarios ('''one''' scenario if you didn't pick their route).
338*** [[Manga/ShinMazingerZero Minerva X]] got hit with this hard, turning from the heroine of the manga to an NPC that only appears in two scenes and never interacts with the protagonists. Effectively making her appearances {{Big Lipped Alligator Moment}}s for those who never read the manga.
339%%Needs context about how their role size changed*** [[Anime/ShinMazinger Viscount Pygman]], just like in ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsBX BX]]'', only makes a cameo in a cutscene before getting killed. This time around, Tetsuya does the deed.
340** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsW'':
341*** [[Anime/GoLion Emperor Dai Bazaal]] barely shows up until it's time to fight him at the end of the [=GoLion=] plot, despite being the BigBad and a regular in his series. To add further injury, his death isn't even the point of the scenario, as [[Anime/GaoGaiGar Palparepa]] and [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsW Applicant]] appear after he dies and takes the spotlight. Can be {{justified|Trope}} in that Dai Bazaal's always been mainly an OrcusOnHisThrone and [[TheDragon his son]] [[Anime/GoLion Sinclyne]] is the more active villain. Unfortunately, for any players who don't know much about ''[=GoLion=]'', Dai Bazaal feels like a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere.
342*** In an odd way, [[Anime/DetonatorOrgun Tomoru Shindo]] get's something like this. The other major characters of the series, Youko, Dr. Kanzuki and Orgun, along with some of the villains, show up multiple times in the first half of the game, with Orgun himself being a major presence, while [[TheHero Tomoru]] himself doesn't show up until about the last third of the game.
343%%Needs context about their previous role*** A variation, where material (characters, missions, etc) for ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSeed Gundam SEED]]'' are fairly scarce. Aside from a skirmish against Mwu La Flaga, a later mission where you get to play as him, and a couple of cameos, SEED's events and stories don't even appear until halfway through the game, and even then, are mostly passed over in favor of its spinoff ''Manga/MobileSuitGundamSEEDAstray''. A particularly glaring example being the Artemis Base battle. When the Zaft forces show up, the ''Archangel'' actually ''leaves'' as soon as it exits the base, leaving the ''[[Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico Nadesico B]]'' and the Junk Guild and OriginalGeneration crew to deal with them.
344** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ'': ''Tengoku-hen'' does this. [[Characters/SuperRobotWarsZ Xine Espio, Marguerite Pistail, Toby Watson, Denzel Hammer, and Esther Elhaas]] are demoted as "summon attacks" for the OriginalGeneration battleship ''Solarian''. That's just ''for starters''.
345%%Needs context about how their roles changed*** Also does this to [[Anime/TurnAGundam Sochie and Miashei]] where they were assist characters for the Turn A Gundam but not here, [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny Rey, Lunamaria, and Athrun]] who are just "summon attacks" for Shinn and Kira, and
346%%Needs more context to differentiate from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome, PutOnABus, and/or AdaptedOut. *** ''Tengoku-hen'' also pulls a variation of this in regards to ''Literature/FullMetalPanic''. This game was the first one to use the complete storyline from the original light novels, whereas all previous ''SRW'' appearances used the AnimatedAdaptation that only covers five out of the twelve novels. However, none of the characters introduced in the latter half of the story appear in battle, because Banpresto didn't want to cast voice actors and make the producers of the eventual anime version feel beholden to keep their casting choices. As a result, the only named antagonist to actually be fought is the BigBad [[spoiler:Leonard Testarossa]], and even then it's only because [[spoiler:he put in a brief cameo in ''The Second Raid'' and therefore already has a [[Creator/DaisukeNamikawa voice actor]]]].
347%%Needs context about her previous role*** Despite being one of the most powerful leaders and Newtypes in Universal Century, [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Haman Khan]] gets shafted into playing second-fiddle to [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Paptimus Scirocco]] and Durandal in ''Z''. When it seems she's about to make her move, she's suddenly PutOnABus, [[spoiler:unless the player takes the secret ZEUTH Route split, allowing her to be recruited (or more accurately, lets her force her way into ZEUTH)]].
348%%Needs context about their prevoius roles*** [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Soma Peries and the GN Archer]] only appear as an attack for [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 Allelujah Haptism and the Gundam Arios]] in ''Saisei-hen''; likewise, [[Anime/SuperDimensionCenturyOrguss Athena]] for Kei. In contrast, [[Anime/CodeGeass Nagisa Chiba and Shogo Asahina]] go from attack-only units to full-fledged units in this game.
349%%Needs context about their previous roles*** [[Franchise/CodeGeass The Knights of the Round and Jeremiah Gottwald]] do appear in ''Jigoku-hen'', but are not playable. Instead, they are tasked with rescuing [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Relena Peacecraft]] and other important figureheads during scenario 49. Likewise, Athrun and Lunamaria, but are instead a ChekhovMIA.
350* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
351** Pichu and Mewtwo were both playable characters in ''Melee'', but were demoted to trophies in ''Brawl''. Mewtwo, at least, returns in the fourth game's DLC.
352** Dr. Mario was demoted to a sticker and two songs in ''Brawl'', one of which was just a carry-over from ''Melee''. ''Wii U/3DS'', however, promotes him back to playable.
353** After being a playable character in ''Melee'', Roy was nothing more than a sticker and unused playable data in ''Brawl''.
354** Lucas and Wolf went from playable characters in ''Brawl'' to regular trophies in ''U/3DS'' (Lucas was later announced to return playable via DLC), and some of their moves instead appear as customization options for Ness and Fox respectively. The Ice Climbers were demoted to a simple trophy as well. Snake has it the worst of the cut Brawl veterans, with his entire series being [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome completely removed]].
355** While every ''playable character'' above got brought back for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', this fate befell the Subspace Army -- the primary antagonists of ''Brawl''[='s=] adventure mode -- in the ''World of Light'' adventure mode. Except for Galleom returning as a boss, the entire Subspace Army, [[spoiler:including Tabuu himself are reduced to spirits.]]
356** With the release of [[VideoGame/Persona5 Joker]] in ''Ultimate'', it's only natural that the other Phantom Thieves would show up in his home stage, as well as taking part in his Final Smash alongside him. The sole exception to this is [[spoiler:Goro Akechi]], who instead gets relegated to a Spirit and an alternate costume for Joker. Admittedly, this is because [[spoiler:he was never really considered one, as the Phantom Thieves only let him join because they didn't have any other way to lure him into their trap, and he only joined because he wanted to kill Joker]].
357%%Needs context about the Alloys' previous role.** The Fighting Alloys don't have as big a presence in ''Brawl'' as the Wireframes.
358* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashFlash'':
359** [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Renji]] and [[Anime/DragonBallZ Vegeta]] were originally planned to be full characters in the sequel, but they were demoted to Assist Trophy and background character respectively.
360** Super Sonic is a Final Smash in ''Super Smash Flash 2'' instead of a separate character like he was in the first game.
361* By the 2nd season of ''VideoGame/SwordGirls'', the four heroines of each faction are nearly unmentioned in the story. Its only main focus was [[spoiler:Iri joining Vita and befriending Sita]].
362--->"If destiny exists, the girls will meet again. They have no say in it"
363* Strategy [=RPGs=] with large casts such as ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'' or ''VideoGame/KnightsInTheNightmare'' do this, and they have reason for it. Due to some of them having {{permadeath}} the story is purposely written so that they could have been killed off at any point in the story after recruitment, whereas the characters whose death will result in a game over (namely the player character) will remain in the story at all times. In some [=JRPGs=], particularly those where you can change the makeup of your party, characters often stop developing after you recruit them, particularly because they do not necessarily have to be present at any given scene.
364%%* ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'':
365%%Needs context about their prevoius role** Woodrow gets considerably less spotlight than the other four Swordian masters. This spreads even to his Swordian, Igtenos, who remains deactivated for a majority of the game, and thus not having a speaking role in any of the scenes or skits until near the last stretch.
366%%Needs context about their previouss role** Swordian Berselius doesn't even get any speaking roles, [[spoiler: though this is justified since it was being possessed and its original personality is dead]].
367* Loni Dunamis is a playable ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'' character who makes cameos or gets shout outs in other games.
368%%Needs context about their previous role** Also, [[spoiler: Swordian Chaltier]] is with the party the ''whole time'', and yet only speaks to the party right [[spoiler: before his death]].
369%%Needs more context to differentiate from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome or PutOnABus.* Veigue Lungberg's the frigging hero of ''VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth'', yet he's mostly not included in spinoff games while his friends get in first. Case in points: ''Radiant Mythology 1'' and ''Versus''.
370* Spoofed in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' Drama CD ''Viva Tales of!'' to promote ''Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology''. It got Veigue Lungberg of ''VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth'', being the protagonist and all, in the interview. Then he finds out that he's not in the actual game (with other characters like Eugene Gallardo and Annie Barrs actually in). Cue to him crying and shouting '''[[SayMyName CLAAAAAAIIIIIRREEEEE!!!!!!!]]''' (He got in the sequel, though).
371%%Needs context about their previous roles* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2'', everyone from the original except Jude and Milla. There's still the Character Episodes, but aside from that, don't have a major involvement in the story arc itself.
372* Alisha from ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'' has most other examples beat. In early promotional materials, she was given the spotlight right along side the lead Sorey. She even got her own figure and a Pre-Order Mystic Arte. So naturally fans assumed that she was the heroine of the game. But as the game got closer to release, fans began to notice that she was becoming less and less prominent in the promotional materials. Then come the actual game, Alisha drops from the party (and plot) partway through, and doesn't really matter much from then on. She does get ADayInTheLimelight thanks to dlc, but it's still a far cry from fans' expectations.
373* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'':
374** Eddy Gordo became an extra costume for Christie in ''Tekken 4''. This meant that the storyline he had in ''Tekken 3'' was cut off in favour of one which also included Christie. Many people complained and so he returned as a separate character in ''Tekken 5 Dark Resurrection'', and later in ''Tekken 6''.
375** While the original games saw Paul Phoenix as a legitimate rival to Kazuya, and a formidable presence in the tournament, all of the games from ''4'' on have seen his story become more silly and less tied to the overall plot with each subsequent game. Really, it set in as early as ''2''. In the first game, he is TheRival to Kazuya, the main character and son of [[BigBad Heihachi]]; in the second, he is TheRival to Kuma, Heihachi's ''pet''.
376** Asuka Kazama was set up as having an important relationship with the Mishimas in her first appearance in ''Tekken 5'', specifically that she could revert her cousin Jin back to human after he went into demon mode. In ''Tekken 6'', she instead was saddled with Lili developing a comedic one-sided rivalry (with more than a little LesYay) against her and all her relevance to the main plot disappeared.
377** Jin Kazama in Tekken 7, while significant to the story, is not the main focus of the story mode like the last installments from 3-6 since 7 focuses more on the Kazuya vs. Heihachi story line like in the first 2 Tekken games. He was also shown off a few trailers after the reveal trailer for the game.
378* ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'' series:
379** Rikimaru, the main protagonist/playable character in the first games was demoted to the {{N|onPlayerCharacter}}PC Master of the player's character in ''Tenchu Z''.
380** Tesshu went from being a SecretCharacter and third leg to Rikimaru/Ayame in ''Wrath of Heaven'', to a meager small cameo appearance in ''Fatal Shadows''. Gets (somewhat) better in ''Time of the Assassins'', where he gets his own {{Prequel}} story.
381* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' games:
382** In the 1991 [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] [[VideoGame/TinyToonAdventures game of the same name]], Dizzy was one of Buster's three helpers. In the sequel, ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventures2TroubleInWackyland'', you only see him in the closing credits after you beat the game.
383** In ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventuresBabsBigBreak'' for Platform/GameBoy, Plucky and Hamton were both playable characters alongside Buster. In the sequel, ''Tiny Toon Adventures 2: Montana's Movie Madness'', they give Buster advice before the stages begin and are featured in Gogo's bonus roulette, wherein they restore Buster's health meter to its full extent if he lands on either of them.
384%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample* Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, and Pluto in ''VideoGame/ToontownOnline''.
385* All characters in ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' (except protagonists Reimu and Marisa, of course) get shunted to the side after their debut game is finished. The exceptions to this are the occasional player characters (Sakuya, Youmu, Sanae, and the other playable characters in the fighting games) and the characters who appear in the [[AllThereInTheManual side materials]] (covering everyone who don't appear or have appeared already in the main games). This has been gradually getting better in later games, though.
386** In general, any character that debuted in either the first or second stage of any game. Expect Cirno, who is treated like a mascot. It took until 2023's''VideoGame/TouhouJuuouenUnfinishedDreamOfAllLivingGhost'' for a stage one boss (Nazrin and Seiran in this case) to appear as a playable character in any capacity, much less a main series shooter.
387** Both Flandre Scarlet and Ran Yakumo were Demoted to Extra after their debut in their respective ''Extra'' Stages. Flandre was basically a one-shoot character, and Ran was, after her debut, almost exclusively shown in the shadow of Yukari Yakumo as a helper. However, Flandre gained a prominent role in ''Foul Detective Satori'' with some more character development, then a playable role in ''VideoGame/TouhouGouyokuIbunSunkenFossilWorld'' where she [[spoiler:defeats the FinalBoss when no one else could]]. As for Ran, she appeared as a playable character in the aforementioned ''Unfinished Dream of All Living Ghost'', where her backstory is revealed and she does a lot of work in resolving the incident.
388** Yuuka Kazami, from all the Windows games, has a prominent role only in Phantasmagoria of Flower View, as an extra character, and was serving basically a role of a reminder to PC-98 era. She hasn't appeared again since.
389** Sakuya got that treatment after Scarlet Weather Rhapsody was released in 2008, then again after a one-note appearance in ''Double Dealing Character'', released in 2013, as a playable character. Again, though, she gains a prominent role in the first arc of ''Foul Detective Satori'' as the first suspect, then again in ''VideoGame/TouhouKouryuudouUnconnectedMarketeers'' as a playable character alongside Sanae (the only time they've been playable in the same game). In this case, it's justified in-universe, as she doesn't involve herself in incidents which don't threaten the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
390** Eientei residents other than Reisen (Tewi, Eirin, and Kaguya) were pretty much out of focus after side works dedicated to them ended, while Reisen went on to have roles in ''VideoGame/TouhouKanjudenLegacyOfLunaticKingdom'' and the fighting games starting with the [=PS4=] version of ''Urban Legend in Limbo''.
391* While the gameplay of ''VideoGame/TouhouMother'' leans decidedly towards the ''MOTHER'' side of things, the characters from said series are for the most part pushed to the wayside - even [[VideoGame/MOTHER3 Lucas and Claus]] are mere side characters. [[spoiler:There's a reason for this.]] Not so on the sequel though, where Ness enters the scene proper as a playable and important character.
392* ''VideoGame/ToyStory3'': Lotso only appears in one level in this version and is mostly treated as an afterthought. [[spoiler:Justified, likely to avoid spoiling him being the BigBad for people who haven't yet seen the movie]].
393* ''VideoGame/TransformersFallOfCybertron'':
394%%** Ratchet.
395** Bumblebee is used for two chapters in the original and only get used in the tutorial here.
396** Ironhide goes from one of the main playable characters in the original to not even getting used here, and he's featured in the trailer.
397%%** Warpath.
398%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Jetfire gets hit with this, although he's still playable during the final battle.
399%%** Soundwave.
400%%** The Aerialbots.
401* ''VideoGame/TriangleHeart3SweetSongsForever'':
402** Virtually most characters in this game who carry over to ''Nanoha'' -- especially Kyouya -- suffer a steep decline in importance in the original series, and are virtually phased out in ''A's'' and ''[=StrikerS=]''.
403** In-game example: Shinobu is the ''winning girl'', right? So why does she get so few scenes in the anime?
404* Sies was playable in ''VideoGame/TroubleWitches'', but never made so in ''Trouble Witches NEO!''.
405* In the 2012 reboot of ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'', while Axel himself doesn't appear, his vehicle is available as DownloadableContent.
406* ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'':
407** Victor Sullivan in ''VideoGame/Uncharted2AmongThieves'', who was a major character in the first game but only accompanies you for two chapters of the second before deciding he wants out. In ''Drake's Deception'', Sullivan becomes a main character once again, only for the main female leads of ''Among Thieves'', Elena and Chloe, to be demoted to extras.
408** Sadly Elena Fisher in ''[[VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception Drake's Deception]]'', she's not seen until the middle of the game when she tags along through most of a single chapter. When Drake goes after a captured Sully, he tells her to stay behind so as not to risk her welfare. Unlike the first game, she completely understands and helps Drake one more time by helping him get on Talbot's plane, then bows out until the ending.
409** Then it's Chloe Frazer's turn in ''VideoGame/Uncharted4AThiefsEnd''. She was a major character in ''2'', has a minor role in 3 alongside newcomer Charlie Cutter, before both of them disappeared entirely in ''4'' with only a few mentions here and there. Chloe eventually returns in a standalone game ''VideoGame/UnchartedTheLostLegacy'' and is even PromotedToPlayable as the new main character.
410* Corrosion, Hyena and Memphis went from selectable characters in ''2004'' to AI bots in ''VideoGame/UnrealChampionship2TheLiandriConflict''.
411%%Needs context about his previous role* Though he's important to the storyline of ''VideoGame/UnrealTournamentIII'', Malcolm can't be chosen as playable.
412* In early promotional materials for ''VideoGame/ValiantHearts'', the British pilot George was billed to be one of the playable main characters. However, in the game itself, he only shows up as an NPC for a single mission as an aerial spotter.
413* ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'': Hrist spends much of the second game hunting her sister's SoulJar. Her appearance in the third is restricted to complaining about not having a starring role in the BonusDungeon.
414%%Needs context about her previous role** So far, Celia's never been playable in any game, and it's heavily implied that her fate was to be destroyed in Ragnarok along with every other mortal.
415* This happens ''mid-game'' for everybody but the main protagonist of ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume''. Characters are given compelling, interesting motivations and backstories, but the minute they decide to join the party as anything other than guest characters, the only time they say a word or even show up outside of battles is [[ExplosiveOverclocking when you decide to sacrifice them to your Plume]].
416* ''VideoGame/VirtuaFighter'':
417** Wolf has a self-contained arc in the anime, but largely unconnected with the major arcs of the stories. Lastly, he doesn't appear in the final battle of the anime, best he got is a mention in recognition of his past arc.
418** Jeffry. Much like Wolf above, although his treatment is a tad better in the second season, where he and Lion are blackmailed into fighting each other, in Jeffry's case to save his family.
419* Nick in ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead''. [[spoiler: If he survives Episode 2 he is noticeably less involved in the story of Episode 3 and only makes a brief appearance in Episode 4 before being found as a walker.]]
420* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'':
421** Ogres suffered this in the series. In ''VideoGame/WarcraftII'' they were the most important part of the Horde next to orcs and the only non-orcs who led orc clans and there were several important ogre-mage characters. In ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' they were no longer part of the Horde, and now had the small role of neutral mercenaries and hostile creeps. They were also inexplicably weaker compared to the [[EliteMooks powerful units]] they were in ''Warcraft II'' and resorted to using clubs rather than GoodOldFisticuffs. In the expansion pack a [[NonhumanHumanoidHybrid half ogre]] was introduced, and an ogre/goblin HeroUnit was introduced. Most importantly they rejoined the Horde in the story hinting at a greater role in future games. But then, in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' the ogres' home is destroyed by [[EvilWearsBlack black]] [[AlwaysChaoticEvil dragons]] and they show up for a minor role in one zone. As of the extension ''Cataclysm'' they are the only race from ''Warcraft II'' not playable in some form.
422** Happened to the Blood Elf race - except for Kael'thas - in the ''Frozen Throne'' expansion of ''Warcraft III''. The "human" campaign largely on the plight of Kael'thas and his Blood Elf remnants... for about two and a half missions. Then they grew OutOfFocus as the story importance shifted to Illidan and his Naga (the fact that the Blood Elf forces were completely irrelevant compared to the much stronger Naga didn't help). By the middle of the Undead campaign, the Blood Elves were out-and-out {{Mooks}} with the exception of [[TheDragon Kael'thas]] himself.
423** While trolls in general seem to be the go-to race for evil mooks, troll heroes tend to either vanish into obscurity or be DrivenToVillainy. And the playable Darkspear tribe's late (and somewhat rushed) addition to the baseline game to begin with has been largely sidelined.
424** The draenei have pulled up even with trolls in that regard. While they did get quite a bit of focus in the beginning of the Burning Crusade, they were overshadowed by the blood elves after the Black Temple. Like the trolls, they didn't do much of anything in WOTLK. And finally, in Cataclysm, they're the only race to not get a new class?despite rogue, druid, and (if you stretch a point) even warlock being at least theoretically possible. At least they make up a decent percentage of the Earthen Ring faction...but seeing as shamanism is canonically a tiny and new splinter of their culture, that's not saying much.
425** Worgen, who despite being the new Alliance race in ''Cataclysm'', are shipped off to Darnassus at the end of their starting zone and promptly forgotten about. Their only other major appearance is in Silverpine Forest, a ''Horde'' leveling zone, where they are the antagonists. Alliance side, they make only a few token appearances as generic {{Non Player Character}}s, most of who could be changed to a human or a Night Elf without impacting anything. Their induction into the Alliance as well as the effects it had on the Worgen and the other races was instead put into the ExpandedUniverse novel ''Wolfheart'', much to the annoyance of Alliance players.
426** After leading the Horde forces in Hellfire Peninsula and setting up Thrallmar in ''Burning Crusade'', Nazgrel has more or less faded into the background in ''World of Warcraft''. He isn't mentioned as a candidate for Warchief despite being Thrall's close advisor and he never gives his thoughts on Garrosh's appointment.
427** Many of the ''Warcraft'' mangas were written about Trag Highmountain, 6 issues, but he's only an NPC in game. His gossip text claims he wanted to join in on the Ashen Verdict's assault on Icecrown Citadel, but he was never present.
428** Lor'themar Theron had a somewhat important role in the comic as the SecretKeeper, but nothing ultimately came of it, though he casts off the trope in ''Mists of Pandaria''.
429** While ultimately not a super-important player, Nathanos Blightcaller being demoted from being quest-giver and target of two extensive questlines in vanilla to a simple class trainer is pretty damn degrading.
430** Cairne Bloodhoof played a big role in ''Warcraft III'' but doesn't do much in [=WoW=]. And when he finally plays a major role, [[ADeathInTheLimelight he dies]].
431%%Needs context about her previous role** Compared to Illidan and ''especially'' Kael'thas, Vashj receives very minimal attention in ''Burning Crusade''. It consists of a directionless plot in Zangarmarsh that goes entirely unresolved and then, seven or eight levels later, of returning to the area and killing her.
432%%Needs context about their previous role** Anub'Arak’s first appearance in ''Wrath of the Lich King'' was as a level 74 dungeon boss, which outraged many players. Then the Argent Coliseum was completed, and he turned up again, just a wee bit harder.
433%%Needs context about how the size of her role changes** Tyrande Whisperwind in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. At the end of ''Cataclysm'' she makes appearances in the time-traveling adventures leading to Deathwing's demise, as a boss in End Time and as an ally in Well of Eternity
434%%Needs context about their previous role** Vol'jin essentially did nothing but hang out with Thrall after turning Rexxar and Rok'han into spirit wyverns in ''Warcraft III : The Frozen Throne'', until taking back the Echo Isles just before ''Cataclysm''.
435%%Needs context about their previous role** Rokhan is just a quest giver who helps players taking down a frost wyrm in ''Wrath of the Lich King''.
436%%Needs context about their role changing** Famously, being able to play as a Revantusk Troll is one of the most popular demands of Horde players (Next to being able to play as a Mag'har). While the Revantusk tribe have a very large role in the Hinterlands questing, unlike their Alliance counterpart, High Elves, they are practically unknown outside of it.
437* Mike, despite previously being a major character and getting his own ImageSong, seems to do nothing now besides show up in scenes with the Crygors in ''VideoGame/WarioWare''. He does get to host a multiplayer minigame in ''VideoGame/GameAndWario'', though.
438* Mercy's role in ''VideoGame/TheWarriors'' is far smaller and less significant than in the movie. As her subplot with Swan is removed in the game, she barely does anything throughout her time in the game.
439* Joseph [=DeMarco=], one of Aiden's main targets in the trailer for ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'', ends up as an illegal auction organizer in the game. You kick his ass at the end of the [[spoiler: Human Trafficking]] sidequest.
440%%Needs context about her previous role* ''VideoGame/WrestleAngels'': Chigusa Yuuki. While she is part of the roster for ''Survivor'', she has the "honor" of being the only returning character from previous games to not have any events or an alternate persona.
441* Creepers are ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'''s iconic ActionBomb {{Mascot Mook}}s, but in ''VideoGame/{{Wynncraft}}'', a RolePlayingGame built in Minecraft, Creepers' brief appearances throughout the world can be counted on one hand.
442* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'':
443** By the time Disc Two rolls around, Fei, Elly, Citan and Bart are the only playable characters who are really important to the plot anymore. By that point in the game, the ''villains'' get more dialogue than most party members.
444** This fate eventually befalls most of the secondary playable characters, but a notable example involves the NPC Hammer. During the Kislev story arc, Hammer is almost omni-present. His network of black-market goods, information, and mechanical skill are vital in eventually helping the main character escape imprisonment. After the escape, Hammer virtually disappears for twenty-odd game hours, only re-appearing near the end of the Solaris arc. He understands that he has been DemotedToExtra, and the knowledge drives him to cross the MoralEventHorizon at a certain point.
445* ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' has MOMO Mizrahi, a little Realian girl. In the first two games she was one of the most important characters because her father/creator Joachim placed the "Y-Data" (which included coordinates to a planet that EVERYBODY wanted to get to) inside her mind. One of the main points of the first game is to get MOMO to a research facility where this data can be analyzed, and in the second game that actually occurs. She also serves as a foil and love interest for Junior (she was modeled after his old romantic interest, Sakura, who happened to be Joachim's biological daughter, effectively making MOMO her sister). And...then the third game comes, and she has very few lines and one or maybe two scenes that actually give her any real attention. It's as if she lost any real importance once they got the Y-Data out of her and just stayed on as a playable character because people were used to her being around.
446* ''VideoGame/XMenLegends'':
447** Emma Frost. Playable character in the first game, NPC in the second. Still, that's better than some other characters who were playable in the first game (such as Jubilee) who don't appear at all in the second game. Probably to make room for the Brotherhood characters.
448** Poor Magma only ever gets mentioned in a trivia question in the second game, despite being the main character from the first.
449%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Beast himself suffered from this in the first act [[spoiler: until he's captured and BrainwashedAndCrazy, then returned to this after being defeated, which also undoes the brainwashing]].
450* Kai is a major character as a romance option in his origin games (the Anime Sim Dates and ''VideoGame/MemoryDays''), but has only a supporting role in ''VideoGame/XolgaAndMrToko''. However, it's not as bad as other examples, since his perspective of the story is shown in episode three.
451* ''VideoGame/{{Xonotic}}'' demoted most of the weapons which made the cut from its SpiritualPredecessor's ''VideoGame/{{Nexuiz}}'' to "Toy" status, only available through a mutator, such as the HLAC, the Mine Layer, the Rifle, the T.A.G. Seeker, the Grappling Hook and the Port-O-Launch. Inverted with the Fireball, which instead was given the [[{{BFG}} Superweapon]] status.
452* Luciana Rune Artwaltz is ''very'' important in ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'' (although she appears under [[TagTeamTwins her sister's]] name for most of her appearances), but does almost nothing in its prequel, ''VideoGame/BlazeUnion'', instead shifting the focus onto the aforementioned twin sister Aegina. Then again, you can't do all that much on an injured leg. Aegina herself falls out of the spotlight in two of the three MultipleEndings - but in the third one, Luciana dies.
453* ''VideoGame/YggdraUnison'':
454** In the remake, Nessiah finally has a role in the story (and is an unlockable player character) compared to the orignal.
455** In an amusing aversion, this is about the only game in the whole of the Episode II part of the franchise where Luciana ''doesn't'' get shafted for once. She even gets her own story in the drama CD.
456%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** [[{{Narrator}} Nessiah]], Marietta, and Nana-chan in the original.
457%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** And in the drama CD, most of the cast that doesn't join the Royal Army in ''VideoGame/YggdraUnion'', along with half of the Imperial Army. The fact that Elena seems to be absent has been met with many complaints from the fanbase.
458%%Needs context about their previous role** Pamela, Gordon, and Nessiah aren't even in the key visual.
459* Poochy, who got his own level in ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'', appeared as a selectable character in ''[[VideoGame/PanelDePon Tetris Attack]]'', had a minor role sniffing out fruit in a couple levels of Yoshi's Story, and since then has only gotten two cameo appearances in ''VideoGame/MarioKart: Double Dash!!'' and ''VideoGame/MarioParty Advance''. TheBusCameBack in time for ''Yoshi's New Island'', though, and he returns in ''VideoGame/YoshisWoollyWorld''.
460* ''VideoGame/YouDontKnowJack'':
461** Schmitty, who hosted ''TV'', part of ''The Ride'', ''Louder, Faster, Funnier'', ''5th Dementia'', ''Mock 2'', and ''The Lost Gold'', was reduced to the announcer of each episode's Wrong Answer of the Game prize in ''2011''. [[note]] On the other hand he was the announcer for "Sports", Volume 2, "Movies", Volume 3, and Offline.[[/note]]
462** Same goes for Buzz. After Volume 2, he only has a little participation in ''The Ride''. Also Bob.
463** In the game show, Cookie Masterson was demoted from TheHost to TheAnnouncer.
464* ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'':
465** Happens to Adol's partner Dogi in ''Videogame/YsMemoriesOfCelceta''. Averted for most of the other games, as he was originally a OneSceneWonder who randomly shows up to bust Adol out of prison in the first game, and an optional EasterEgg if you do a little {{Backtracking}}. Both the creators and the fans took a liking to him, making him one of the few reoccurring characters.
466** Lilia, the hero's love interest in ''VideoGame/YsIIAncientYsVanishedTheFinalChapter'', was reduced to a minor supporting character in ''VideoGame/{{Ys}} IV'', and [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome completely forgotten]] afterward. Semi-justified as Adol spends his time traveling, and it's an unusually large world in the Ys series.
467** The island of Ys itself, and by proxy goddesses Feena and Reah. While they only show up near the end of the second game, they're over all fairly important for the first two installments, but rarely appear after. They do however show up in ''VideoGame/YsOrigin'', as it's a prequel and Feena makes the occasional guest appearance in side works and remakes.
468%%Needs context about his previous role* ''VideoGame/YuGiOhCapsuleMonsterColiseum'' has Yugi himself. He only shows up in a few short scenes, as Yami Yugi handles everything else.
469%%Needs context about their previous role* ''VideoGame/YuGiOhMonsterCapsuleGB'' has probably the only instance of Ryou Bakura getting more screentime than Yami Bakura. The Spirit of the Ring doesn't appear in person at all until after the game is beaten.
470%%* ''VideoGame/YuGiOhTheSacredCards'':
471%%Needs context about their previous role** Yugi. A painful example since the story still revolves around Marik seeking the God Cards and destroying Yami Yugi, yet you're the one who faces all the Rare Hunters and Yugi is basically not in the game until the finals begin.
472%%Administrivia.ZeroContextExample** Joey, too, since you defeat all of the players that he dueled in the manga/anime.
473* Crow in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'':''World Championship''. [[spoiler:In 2010, he was supposed to be the fifth Signer, but was scrapped so the Player can become it instead. And in 2011, he is injured through most of the final chapter (Alongside everyone else, minus you, Yusei and Jack), forcing you to take his place.]]
474* Deadra, Ghat's partner[=/=]love interest from ''VideoGame/ZenoClash'', is absent for most of ''VideoGame/ZenoClash2''. She left Ghat after his sulking about the Golem's laws became unbearable, hoping the Golem could bring prosperity to Zenozoik. She eventually becomes disillusioned with the Golem's laws, though, and leaves for the wilderness to start her own town. You briefly meet her about halfway through the game, and you can recruit her as part of an optional sidequest near the end.
475* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'':
476** Leo goes from being the main character in the first game, to a supporting character in ''The 2nd Runner''
477** Nohman is the BigBad of the entire series, serving as a PostClimaxConfrontation HopelessBossFight in the first game, and the primary antagonist for the whole of the [[VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEndersThe2ndRunner sequel]]. But in ''Dolores, i''? He's just some cocky jerk who shows up to mock Pleminger's BAHRAM unit.[[spoiler: It's revealed in backstory materials that Nohman was running his own gambit to take over Bahram via the chaos Radium's plan created.]]
478%%Needs context about their previous role** Early on in the ''[[VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEndersTheFistOfMars The Fist of Mars]]'', if you decide to spare [[spoiler:Nadia]], you begin a process which will lead to her having a HeelFaceTurn. There could have been a virtual goldmine of tension between her and the EvilerThanThou newcomer Amante, or at least something about her learning and growing. Unfortunately, she doesn't even get twenty more lines in the whole game.

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