Line #46 EnsembleDarkHorse/Webcomics


1	%%%
2	%%
3	%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
4	%%
5	%%%
6	%%
7	%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%NOTE: WHEN SPLITTING A PAGE, PLEASE ADD THIS NOTICE TO THE NEW SUBPAGE:
8	%%
9	%%
10	%% Due to the nature of this trope, finding a proper image will be very tricky.
11	%% DO NOT add an image to this page or any of the other EnsembleDarkhose subpages without discussion in Image Pickin'.
12	%% See this IP thread for reference: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1467086178072723400
13	%%
14	%%
15	%%
16	->''"Outrageous Lime's magical girl power is to be disproportionately popular for someone who only showed up in one panel."''
17	-->--'''Creator/MaryCagle''', author of ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain''
18	----
19
20	* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'':
21	** Bard was only seen in a one-panel gag as the "fifth Light Warrior" who was unmade by Sarda [[RetGone before his birth]]. He is quite commonly mentioned in the comic's forum, with some members even managing to trick a few people that he actually was in the comic at first and the creator retroactively replaced earlier strips with Bard-free strips -- a tactic the author actually pulled off on a smaller scale before.
22	** There's also King Steve, the [[TheCaligula insane]] and [[TheDitz utterly incompetent]] {{Cloudcuckoolander}} ruler of Corneria, and the [[UnknownRival Dark Warriors]]. Despite their lack of plot relevance, they both get more attention than was originally planned, and the Dark Warriors also get [[spoiler:all the credit for killing Chaos]], since they [[SureLetsGoWithThat happen to look kinda like the Light Warriors]].
23	* Roast Beef, Ray and (to a lesser extent) Pat from ''Webcomic/{{Achewood}}'' were originally part of "The Dirtiest Guys in Town," a group of nondescript cats who hung out together in early arcs. Ray and Roast Beef later became the main characters of the strip and Pat a notable supporting character.
24	* Zexion from ''Webcomic/AnsemRetort'' is a prime example of this trope. Originally planned to be the straight man to Axel, he gradually became more of the {{jerkass}}, and his popularity grew with it. By Season 2, his gradual descent into being a jackass had become a free fall. His popularity grew to the point that Season 3 focused entirely on him, he's featured in the intro image to the website, and is arguably the most popular character in the entire series.
25	* ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'':
26	** Bloodstain gained a lot of popularity from a brief appearance as the first entity to help Fern -- enough to [[TheBusCameBack return with a speaking role]] after Fern's return to the Hospital.
27	** The Magboils are also well loved for providing many {{Funny Background Event}}s and {{Creepy Cute}}ness.
28	** Chip was immediately ''very'' well-received and already features heavily in recent fanart due to his nervous but friendly disposition and general relatability to those who have worked similar jobs. And he's just as CreepyCute as the rest of the cast, naturally.
29	** The [[spoiler: Eyeslob the commentators for an arc take over]] has also grown plenty of love from fans. Seeing how it essentially has the mind of an infant, the commentators nearly take a paternal/maternal affection towards it, trying to keep it from being manipulated by the antagonistic forces surrounding it.
30	* Midoribom a.k.a. Racer from ''Webcomic/BombermanLandParody'' is quite popular despite only appearing in that one comic in the entire Bomberman fandom. He is featured the most, though.
31	* ''Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily'':
32	** [[http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=266 Kingsonnn Dededoo]] initially appeared in one of the gag-a-day strips, but became a fan favorite on the forums. He has since made at least one more appearence.
33	** Despite being TheScrappy in the video games, Waluigi is -- '''[[color:purple: [[HostileShowTakeover WALUIGI TIME]]. Waluigi is funniest character in the comic. [[ThirdPersonPerson Waluigi]] makes everything better, and -- [[KilledMidSentence GACK!]]]]''' Ahem. Waluigi is an even bigger Darkhorse, as he debuted in a series of [[DadaComic Dada comics]] Matthew made for AprilFoolsDay. In fact, Waluigi's become so popular thanks to the comic that his canon counterpart's gone from Scrappy to BaseBreakingCharacter status.
34	* Doctor Hot from ''Webcomic/CheckerboardNightmare''. The author rolled with it and expanded his role, to further fan approval, but that didn't mean he had to like it. As his cast page describes him:
35	-->''Hacky, sensationalist TV pop psychologist who appeared in ONE LOUSY PANEL whose single-word catch phrase has been adopted by "Checkerboard Nightmare" fans.''
36	* [[spoiler:Android]] Nin Wah from ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty''. She ends up getting quite a bit of CharacterDevelopment that [[spoiler: the real one]] missed out on, and even TookALevelInKindness [[http://www.commanderkitty.com/2011/11/19/birth-of-a-spacer/ towards CK]]. The comments would often mention that they preferred this one over [[spoiler: the real Nin Wah]].
37	* ''Webcomic/ConventionalWisdom'' introduced [[http://conventionalwisdom.smackjeeves.com/comics/1882147/ichibancon-2014-page-14 three nameless kids]] in the Ichibancon 2014 comics. After one of the biggest fan responses in the comic's history, they're appeared in [[http://conventionalwisdom.smackjeeves.com/comics/1958605/animazement-2014-page-13/ every]] [[http://conventionalwisdom.smackjeeves.com/comics/2000785/otakon-2014-page-13/ major]] [[http://conventionalwisdom.smackjeeves.com/comics/2022843/awa-2014-page-4/ update]] [[http://conventionalwisdom.smackjeeves.com/comics/2028228/anime-usa-page-12/ since]].
38	* Fail-Druid and Rob from ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'', despite the fact that they're supposed to be annoying, are the most beloved characters in the series.
39	* Regina from ''Webcomic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'' appeared for a single panel in a flashback, then got an almost-blank [[http://web.archive.org/web/20060518005135/http://www.missmab.com/Cast/regina.php cast page]] a few years later. Her resultant fan following was... mind-boggling. Readers' minds were boggled right back when she finally [[http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_963.php appeared out of nowhere]] in 2009.
40	* ''Webcomic/{{Digger}}'' has Ed, who started off as just a random hyena-monster the author created because she couldn't draw a bear, and ended up being a {{Woobie}} and probably the most beloved character in the entire comic.
41	* Tempest of ''Webcomic/DomainTnemrot'' gained a large following on [[http://www.tnemrot.com/?p=251 her first page]] and when the story's focus switched to the main characters, there were complaints she didn't get more screen time.
42	* ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'':
43	** We have Caylin Bren, evil blonde leader of The Chosen. Caylin's head got exploded by Luna, but there's just enough evidence suggesting he could have lived through it that it didn't quiet his fans. He was also written into the maligned Snowsong story arc, appearing in several flashback strips. Bren's popularity appears to have waned over time.
44	** Later ''the'' EnsembleDarkHorse of the series became Punchy [=McStonefist=], the dwarf who everyone remembers for punching Dominic in the balls, followed by the TimeAbyss MagnificentBastard Rilian (who arranged for the aforementioned ball-punching as a SecretTestOfCharacter), Bort the Mongrelman, and Gerald, a smiley face made of newspaper clippings that acts as Quilt's CompanionCube.
45	* Alexander Hamilton is not, by any means, a major character in ''Webcomic/TheDreamer''. He showed up in the middle of Issue 9, played a small role, and was gone by the end of Issue 10. You would ''not'' know this from looking at his fanbase. Oh, the [[CrackShip shipping!]]
46	* ''Webcomic/DrFrost'': After his introduction, try and find a top comment in which [[TeamPet the very adorable puppy]] Pavlov ''isn't'' mentioned. Everybody seems to love him.
47	* ''WebComic/DumbingOfAge'': Aside from those that became {{Ascended Extra}}s such as Dina and Becky, there are still quite a few examples:
48	** Dina's parents only appeared in six strips so far, but are highly regarded by the fandom, due to being GoodParents in a series that sorely lacked them, and accepting all of Dina's idiosyncrasies, to the point they win Patreon polls to get an extra comic made about them on a semi-regular basis, the last time in October 2022, ''nine years'' after their last appearance in the main comic.
49	** Riley [=DeSanto=] rarely appeared in the strip itself, and only so Robin could make herself look good for her campaign, but she's also garnered a lot of fans for being the token kid in a comic about young adults, and being a worthy foil to Roz.
50	** Sayid, who initially was only introduced to provide a skateboard for Amazi-Girl to borrow, tends to do well on Patreon polls and even stars in a Slipshine comic.
51	** Joyce's father Hank is probably the most well known and popular parent of the comic due to him being more similar to Joyce than previously thought, him getting some actual CharacterDevelopment (compared to the other parents), him at least trying to be a good parent, and him accepting Becky's lesbianism right away (as opposed to HateSink Carol).
52	** Joyce's sister Jocelyne is also pretty popular for her very interesting storyline as an in-the-closet transwoman trying to deal with an increasingly divided family, and frequently wins Patreon polls as well (though she's been excluded from getting comics for a bit on the grounds of the spoiler policy).
53	* ''WebComic/EerieCuties'' has a few:
54	** [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/(chapter_6)_see_no_evil The Hellrune Coven]] were an instant hit before they ever spoke a word of dialogue, which Gisele Legace (the writer) took note of -- prompting her to give them their own SpinOff series: ''WebComic/MagickChicks'', where they became [[TheProtagonist the protagonists.]]
55	** Tiffany Winters borders on being a BreakoutCharacter, as she hooked fans almost immediately from [[http://www.eeriecuties.com/strips-ec/i_tiffany_winters her very first appearance]], due to being [[LargeHam a ham]] and [[GeniusDitz a ditz.]] She was so popular, in fact, that she was eventually given a bigger role in ''Magick Chicks'', where [[AscendedExtra she became a main character.]]
56	* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'':
57	** Chika, who won this status after five [[FourthWallMailSlot Q&A]] [[BSideComics comics]] with her, even despite general "enough of Q&A" reaction on EGS forum.
58	** Also, [[ShrinkingViolet Rhoda]], who didn't have much of a role until recently. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] [[http://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/?date=2006-06-30/ here]]
59	** Before either of them was Susan, who was originally intended by the author to be a minor secondary character and has long since become a firmly established member of the main cast with multiple tragic backstories and some of the most visible character development of any of them.
60	** These days, the people with best Dark Horse status would be Jay, Liz, and Charlotte.
61	* ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'' has several, some of which the authors delight in putting in, even as background characters. Most notable is [[FanNickname "Scarlett"]], the unnamed redheaded Unaroyal warlord who has since her first few appearances [[spoiler:been decrypted and joined Gobwin Knob]] and continued to appear frequently. Also, Vurp, the [[LastOfHisKind last surviving Hobgobwin]] after Chapter One, and to a lesser extent Sizemore, the most underused Caster. Now that Scarlett's been given a name ([[Creator/SylviaPlath Sylvia]]), she may count as an AscendedExtra by virtue of this trope.
62	* ''Webcomic/FarOutThere'' has Bridget and Alphonse. The pair of [[http://faroutthere.smackjeeves.com/comics/1027273/page-27-that-tingling-sensation-youre-experiencing-is-culture-shock/ mute, superpowered zombie children]] were only introduced to be the sidekicks of a secondary character, but they've since become the most popular creations in the comic.
63	* ''Webcomic/FreakAngels'' features 12 of the eponymous psychics, about eight of whom function as major characters. The spaciest and strangest of the lot, Arkady, is the most popular character with the fans. (Of course, she's also the only one who is perpetually sweet-tempered -- the rest of the Freakangels range from deeply cynical to downright murderous.)
64	* A Darkhorse Race would be the Jägers in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius''. Originally amusing background characters, they were so popular that they became a major plot element, and 4 joined the main cast. More specifically, [[FanNickname Da Boyz]], a trio of Jägermonsters sent to find a remaining Heterodynes (plus Jenka). Also the ''Girl Genius'' Wiki has a surprising amount of support for the ''nyar spider'', a small spider that appears in one comic, wraps up a bad guy for dinner, and is promptly squished. People were oddly happy when it turned out this was a species, not an individual.
65	* Chen of ''Webcomic/{{Godslave}}'' became fairly popular with the fandom thanks to being an easily-annoyable LeeroyJenkins and deciding that he's going to fight Edith, the protagonist, alone -- and holding his own. He spawned his own meme, Chen Chill, and some readers even ship him with Edith.
66	* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'':
67	** Boxbot is terrible. [[ChewToy Nobody likes Boxbot]]. [[TheWoobie Except for those that do]].
68	** [[PerkyGoth Cookie Monster]] has appeared in two comics and one [[LooseCanon bonus page]] so far, but almost all of the comments on those pages are about her. Turns out, one of her roles was transition to ''the whole chapter'' in the Foley House (her style obviously is -- and was confirmed to be -- influenced by [[TheFairFolk Foley kids]]).
69	* ''Webcomic/HannaIsNotABoysName'':
70	** Ples Tibenoch already had a massive fanbase ''before he was even introduced into the comic'', all based on a few doodles and lone illustrations from the author.
71	** Don't forget the unnamed cashier from the liquor store! He appears in maybe 3 pages of the whole story, yet fans have latched onto him, affectionately dubbed him "CA$H MONEY", and you should just see how much fanart he has.
72	* The fat Shetland Pony from ''Webcomic/HarkAVagrant'' has developed quite a fan following, considering that he was created for a one-off strip about a horse pooping. So much so that a limited edition run of [[http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=BEAT-PONYFIGURE&Category_Code=BEAT Fat Pony figurines]] were made. They have all since been sold. The Adventure Time episode "The Eyes" focuses on an unblinking fat Shetland Pony who, according to Word Of God, is based off of this character!
73	* Branch, from ''Webcomic/HomeOnTheStrange''. [[http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=97 This is how she started out]] -- as a person [[TheScrappy even the other characters couldn't stand]]. A more unlikely EnsembleDarkHorse has never been seen, but [[http://www.homeonthestrange.com/view.php?ID=101 exactly one sentence]] of CharacterDevelopment made her TheWoobie and a fan favorite. Fittingly, the epilogue centers around her: [[spoiler:she started playing ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', made friends on there, and is finally coming out of her shell.]]
74	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'':
75	** Given its very large GeodesicCast and tendency to fall into FourLinesAllWaiting, there's quite a few of these in the fandom, although to what extent you could call those characters "minor" is debateable. [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Wayward Vagabond]] was one of the first though, and gained quite a large following even before becoming a playable character.
76	** The best example would probably be Ms. Paint, a random background character in Prospit that became well-known due to her PunnyName and unique appearance, but has absolutely ''no'' bearing on the plot whatsoever.
77	** Another good example would be [[CrazySurvivalist Fedorafreak]], a character who has "appeared" in the form of background messages on John's dad's PDA a grand total of maybe four times. There are people who roleplay as him.
78	** ''All'' of the [[spoiler:post-scratch]] trolls in the series seem to be ''radically'' more popular among the fandom, judging by the staggering amount of fan art, fan fiction, and cosplaying there are of them as opposed to the actual main characters.
79	** [[CatGirl Nepeta]] is another good example. Despite being very popular among the fandom, and appearing in a ton of fanart, she's probably the least important of the trolls. All she's done that's of any significance is being Aradia's server player, having someone to fill the "Leo" slot of the troll's zodiac motif, and asking Rose to talk to Jaspersprite. The latter of those three leads to [[spoiler:Rose leaving Jaspersprite seemingly for good]], but that's still a relatively minor event.
80	** These trolls' [[FamousAncestor ancestors]] are also pretty popular, considering how eleven of them only had the sum total of two comparatively small arcs covering them, and a very quick recap given later into Act 6. The twelfth? [[spoiler:In a possible nod to this, she's the biggest villain in Act 6 bar Lord English himself.]] These people probably have more fan works devoted to them than the guardians of the main characters, who are, putting it simply, the human equivalent in their role of the GeodesicCast. Heck, on the wiki, their page is the second top right behind the one on trolls in general.
81	** Jake English became one ''very'' quickly, and his popularity borders on MemeticBadass at times. It probably helped that his debut finally gave some resolution to who the hell Jade's penpal was anyway. Although he would later go on to become something of a small BaseBreakingCharacter after he gets into the game.
82	** The main character of [[spoiler:Post scratch ]]Rose's book series, Calmasis, has to be the worst offender of this in the history of the webcomic. Possibly no more significant than a passing mention and possible foreshadowing of other events, [[AmbiguousGender s/he]] has hundreds of pieces of fanart and has already spawned several fan theories ''hours after their debut update.'' Yes, a character within a book within a webcomic who was only described in detail on one page has quickly risen to massive popularity, already rivaling several other main characters who were given thousands of pages to flesh out. Only this fandom could do this.
83	** Much like Calmasis, [[spoiler:Aranea]] suddenly garnered tons of fanart before speaking even a single line. But she would later become a BaseBreakingCharacter thanks to her actions later down the story, [[spoiler:and her rather unexpected role as a villain]].
84	** The Felt. Despite being a QuirkyMinibossSquad made specifically for the Midnight Crew Intermission, they became very popular among the fanbase. So popular that they may have increased their importance among the comic; Act 5 introduces Doc Scratch, a new member of the Felt, and reveals that Felt boss Lord English is a time-traveling demon with a connection to the Troll Universe. [[spoiler: It turns out Scratch and English [[TheManBehindTheMan masterminded the entire plot]] of ''Homestuck''.]] Speaking of the Midnight Crew...
85	* ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'':
86	** We have the ''Allosaurus''. He first appeared infrequently, but after fans grew very attached to him he started being more commonly featured, his growing popularity eventually led to a successful presidential campaign. He also has the distinction on of being one of the few characters that invariably prompts mass-hacking into the popularity polls.
87	** In a fan poll, the most popular character was... [[TheGrimReaper Death]] of [[KillItWithFire Insanely Overpowered Fireballs]], surpassing by a wide margin even the author, Steve, and Draak.
88	* ''Webcomic/LastRes0rt'' has Sedja the Efreet, a character that [[GenieInABottle lives in a bottle]] around Addy's neck. Despite only having a few pages where she's even seen in the comic, let alone in action... [[RuleOfCool well, who wouldn't like a character you shoot out of a gun?]]
89	* Berserker from ''Webcomic/LearningWithMangaFGO'' is the least important of the Servants original to the comic, but her adorable design [[spoiler:combined with being a hilarious depiction of Myth/PaulBunyan]] resulted in her becoming so popular that she eventually made her way to [[VideoGame/FateGrandOrder the actual game]], where she would receive far more development.
90	* WebComic/LinkedUniverse has Shadow from the ''Four Swords Manga''. His popularity was revealed to completely blindside the creator of the comic because ''he hasn't even appeared in the comic proper''. [[WordOfGod Jojo]] has said that they feel they have to do ''something'' with him because of how beloved he is.
91	* ''Webcomic/LookingForGroup'' has Richard, who is without a doubt the most popular character in the whole story.
92	* Corasyn from ''Webcomic/NothingComesNaturally''. An adorable little magenta WeaselMascot with odd, robotic speech patterns.
93	* ''WebComic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings:'' Jet's velociraptors. Every time they appear the comments either are gushing about how cute they are (for some context, they look like brightly colored toothy chickens), or are about how Jared or Fattest Pigeon should meet them.
94	* Kamikaze Kate from ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'' has managed to be far more popular than her number of appearances would seem to warrant.
95	* ''[[http://mortifer.smackjeeves.com Mortifer]]'' has a few examples:
96	** The best example would probably be Leonest. He was the first black marketeer the protagonists had to deal with, a demon-obsessed drug dealer. Thanks to his [[http://mortifer.smackjeeves.com/comics/243547/chap12-valentines-day-part-2/ cool design]] and deadpan attitude, he became instantly popular, and was upgraded to secondary cast member (Though all he did was hang out with the protagonists at their office between missions/during the BeachEpisode. It's implied that he started doing other work for [=SinTech=] that doesn't overlap with what the protagonists are doing).
97	** A rather odd example would be Matthew. While ostensibly a member of the main cast, he barely got any screen time -- only a small side plot about him stalking his brother's girlfriend that [[spoiler: eventually got co-opted by Joey anyway]]. Didn't stop Matthew from being more or less the strip's most popular character. [[spoiler: However, Matthew recently gained a ''lot'' more importance due to him becoming TheMole for Vlad. Amusingly enough, the reason for his betrayal was that he was never given anything to do -- in other words, [[DontExplainTheJoke because he didn't get enough screen time.]]
98	* ''Webcomic/MyImpossibleSoulmate'': The [[CatGirl Bastet]] in purple (named Margot by the author) had the fanbase immediately attached to her.
99	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
100	** Originally, [[EvilTwin Nale]] was supposed to be the only member of the [[PsychoRangers Linear Guild]] who survived their encounter with the Order. But fans latched on to the PsychopathicManChild Thog, so Rich Burlew made him (and Nale's girlfriend Sabine) recurring villains.
101	** Thog's status received lampshading [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0788.html here]].
102	---> '''Tarquin:''' It's weird, no matter how many people he kills, the audience still thinks he's lovable.
103	** Then there's MemeticBadass O-Chul.
104	** Fans love MemeticBystander That Guy With A Halberd.
105	** Daigo and Kazumi Kato, formerly Soldier #1 and Soldier #2.
106	** The [=MitD=] (Monster in the Darkness) is a fan fave.
107	** The Booted Wight, Tsukiko's right hand minion (and the unofficial face of her undead mooks) is quite popular.
108	* ''Webcomic/OzyAndMillie'' has had a handful of one-shot, or even one-panel, characters who gained a fandom. They include Edwin the clueless juror, Emily the schoolgirl skunk, and Stevie the black cat. The latter two have reappeared on occasions when the cartoonist needed extra students, but they remain {{Flat\|Character}}.
109	* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' has Tycho's niece Anne, also known as Annarchy. While almost all cameo characters in Penny Arcade gain massive fan followings overnight, Anne deserves special mention, since when a poll was held to determine which minor character should get their own guest strip over [=ComicCon=], Anne won by a huge margin.
110	* ''{{Webcomic/Phantomarine}}'': Salty Joe.
111	* ''Webcomic/{{Precocious}}'':
112	** Yvette, the shy grey cat who appears every now and then is becoming popular.
113	** And now so is Ursula.
114	* ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'': [[Characters/HomestuckTheMidnightCrew the Midnight Crew]] debuted and appear exclusively in several donation commands, "[waging] merciless, donation-funded warfare against the protagonists in a non-canonical but nonetheless grand plotline.". They later became a fundamental part of the plot of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', both as themselves and as alternate universe counterparts. Such was their popularity that Hussie briefly gave serious consideration to doing a Midnight Crew adventure instead of ''Homestuck''. Not only do they appear, but their alternate reality selves play a big part in the comic. This also sets forth a very confusing game within a game scenario.
115	* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'':
116	** Steve really only exists to give Marten a male friend, but he has a loyal following that wonder what he's up to during his long absences from the comic. When the answers [[http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1350 are like this]], it's no wonder.
117	** The fourth-wall breaking filler character "Sweet-Tits" became an instant favorite, despite only appearing twice and never being coloured or given a proper name.
118	** According to the results of a "most popular character" poll, the most popular character (by far, scoring twice as many votes as the runner up) is... ...[[TheWoobie Hannelore!]] It surprised the hell out of the author.
119	* Zig Zag, the titular character's porn star boss in ''Webcomic/SabrinaOnline'', has gradually been taking over the strip, to the point that the December 2010 group of strips focuses on Zig Zag and doesn't feature Sabrina at all.
120	* Dr. Lee, from ''Webcomic/SkinHorse'' by Shaenon Garrity and Jeffrey Channing. She was in one series, as the {{Meganekko}} repressed MadScientist and one of the antagonists, but she is still being requested by fans, and drawn in fan art.
121	* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain:''
122	** Before she and her team were properly introduced, Outrageous Lime had fans interested in her (the name certainly helped) and even some fanart. The author remarked on [[https://twitter.com/cubewatermelon/status/941606314060500992 Twitter]]:
123	--->Outrageous Lime's magical girl power is to be disproportionately popular for someone who only showed up in one panel XD.
124	** Gwen ended up being the most popular of the three members of team Alchemical that bought it.
125	** Zoe, who has had only three appearances over the course of the comic at the time, scored fifth place in the popularity contest held during Chapter 9, scoring just ten votes below Gwen and more than 120 votes above the next character down, Bud. Further polls see her rise and hold on at third spot, helped by getting more comic appearances and joining the cast.
126	** Rue has less direct contact with the main characters and plot than Zoe, but nonetheless scores fourth in the overall popularity poll and shares top results with Zoe in a categorized "Goldies" fan-poll.
127	* ''Webcomic/SlightlyDamned'' Buwaro's CompanionCube treatment of his pet rock Thadius has rubbed off on the fans to a [[RefugeInAudacity ridiculous degree]]. Who even [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] themselves in some fan art.
128	* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'':
129	** Sasha. Riff's girlfriend for under two years out of the strip's 20+ year run, enjoyed lasting popularity despite not making any in-continuity appearances between mid-2002 and mid-2009. Eventually, she did return [[spoiler: to reveal that she was working for [[EvilCorporation Hereti-Corp]] all along]].
130	** There was also Bert, Torg's artist friend with a disturbing obsession with crotches. He proved to be so popular, [[spoiler: his life was spared in the KITTEN arc, which was written with the full intent of killing off a bunch of secondary characters. He was eventually killed off in the KITTEN II sequel arc, but still lasted much longer than originally intended, and even returned for a while as a ghost.]]
131	** Crushestro, one of the villains introduced in the "Paradise" arc, gained significant popularity due to his [[LargeHam over-the-top]] mannerisms. He made a reappearance for another BreatherEpisode. [[spoiler:He then later ended up [[EnemyMine teaming up with Torg]] to fight Bestseid.]]
132	* ''Webcomic/{{Sonichu}}'':
133	** Yawning Squirtle. He's so much of an Ensemble Darkhorse that he [[BreakoutCharacter has his own]] [[Webcomic/MoonPals webcomic]].
134	** Also Magi-Chan. His snark, lack of sycophantic behavior towards Chris (compared to the other characters), and apparent homosexuality (not intended by Chris of course) gave him this status.
135	* [[http://tapastic.com/episode/43379 Pocket]] from ''Webcomic/TheStoryOfAnima'', owing to his [[NonStandardCharacterDesign unique design]] and status as TheComicallySerious.
136	* Out of all of the characters in ''Webcomic/TwistwoodTales'', Dr. Crowley has proven to be the most popular around readers thanks to his hilarious sadistic methods and his charming personality.
137	* ''Webcomic/VampireCheerleaders'': While the cheerleaders, as a whole, are certified {{Base Breaking Character}}s, the lone exception is [[AsianAirhead Suki Taft.]] Despite her more negative qualities, she was [[CloudCuckoolander a fun loving]] [[http://www.vampirecheerleaders.net/strips-vc/mind_blown ditz]], at heart, who got along [[UnpopularPopularCharacter with Leonard]]; making her the only one of the cheerleaders anyone ''liked''. So in the comic's final volume, the other four were [[GraduateFromTheStory essentially written out]], while Suki flunked and had to repeat her senior year as means of keeping her in the story. The fans couldn't be happier.
138	* Katherine from ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'', a fairly minor supporting character, developed a fanbase rivaling most others, prior to the [[CerebusSyndrome major shift in subject and tone]]. Fan demand led to her being one of the few supporting characters who were carried over after the change; although her role remains minor.
139	* Lolrus from ''Webcomic/WhatDoYouDo'' is incredibly popular for something that only appears like 7 times out of over 700 panels.
140	* ''Webcomic/TheWotch'':
141	** Cassie [=SinClair=] seems to have a much bigger following than main character Anne Onymous, despite her appearances in canon being rather sporadic.
142	** This is probably due to shipping: Robin/Cassie is much more popular than Robin/Anne. Also, her sporadic appearances seem to help her avoid the IdiotBall.
143	** In a less typical example, despite the main comic making Jason's receiving of a GenderBender as a major running gag it seems to be more popular in fan work to apply it to Robin instead.
144	** Robin makes the cuter girl. Or maybe it's just because Jason's transformations [[OverusedRunningGag were being overdone]] at this point.
145

Context EnsembleDarkHorse / Webcomics