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19!!Example Subpages:
20[[index]]
21* ''EnsembleDarkHorse/HankTheCowdog''
22* ''EnsembleDarkhorse/{{Redwall}}''
23* ''EnsembleDarkHorse/SergeStorms''
24* ''EnsembleDarkHorse/ASongOfIceAndFire''
25* ''EnsembleDarkHorse/StarWarsLegends''
26[[/index]]
27
28!!Other Examples:
29* ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'': The Mad Hatter. Not in the books themselves, or any of the original movies. But in any more recent adaptation, the Mad Hatter is likely to get a large amount of screen time.
30* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'':
31** Toby Hamee gets a lot of love, for being generally smart and cool, co-starring with Tobias a lot, and being a walking reminder of ''The Hork-Bajir Chronicles'', widely seen as one of the best books.
32** In general, if you played a major part in a ''Chronicles'' book, you're probably one of these -- most of the protagonists of those stories are at best supporting characters and at worst {{Posthumous Character}}s, but they're pretty much universally popular in the fandom.
33** [[ImpersonationExclusiveCharacter Tom only appears Yeerk-free once]], but he's popular due to his tragic story and HeroicSacrifice in the first book. Many a FixFic will give him a happier ending.
34** Despite only appearing in one book (that isn't well-regarded), Mertil and Gafinilan stand out in fans' minds for being the series' closest thing to a gay couple, and because the concept of other Andalites living on Earth is fascinating.
35* Pullings in the ''Literature/AubreyMaturin'' series has a far bigger fandom than some of his more recurring or prominent crew mates.
36* ''Literature/BattleRoyale'' has ActionGirl Takako Chigusa win legions of fans in just two notable scenes. To those who have read, [[GroinAttack don't think too hard about that]]. In the live action movie, she was played by Chiaki Kuriyama. Creator/QuentinTarantino, a fan of the novel and film, cast her as [[Film/KillBill Gogo Yubari]] for this exact reason.
37* Tony Foster from Creator/TanyaHuff's ''Literature/BloodBooks''. Originally just an informant to the protagonist Vicki Nelson, his role gradually grows until he becomes [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Henry's]] live-in boyfriend. Then he moves on to his [[Literature/SmokeAndShadows own series]] where Vicki is almost entirely absent and Henry assumes the role of sidekick (although he would never admit it).
38* ''Literature/BoysLife'': MrFixit Mr. Lightfoot, Owen Cathcoate/The Candystick Kid (an alleged retired gunslinger who is quite formidable regardless of whether his stories are true), unexpectedly gifted pitcher Nemo, hell-raising escaped pet monkey Lucifer, and GreaserDelinquents ghost Little Stevie are all secondary or minor characters with enormous presences in the fanbase.
39* Stefan and Jesper of ''Literature/{{Brotherband}}'' have a reasonably vocal fan following, despite being side characters who are referenced less and less as the series goes on. It helps that an inseparable duo of a VoiceChangeling and an ImpossibleThief is both a fun and [[HoYay shippable]] concept.
40* ''Literature/TheCasterChronicles'':
41** Ethan's great-aunts get a lot of love from the fanbase for being absolutely hilarious (occasional StillFightingTheCivilWar moments aside) and displaying the occasional keen HiddenDepths and insights about the hidden magical society around them.
42** Macon's (literal) seeing-eye dog Boo Radley is more popular than the average TeamPet in a [=YA=] book.
43** Ridley's sisters Ryan (The Cutie) and Reece (the IceQueen) have little page time or dialogue throughout the books but are quite popular, with fans mourning their deletion from the movie.
44** Abby Porter, Winnie Reid, and Robert Lester Tate have less than a dozen combined mentions throughout all four books, but still get a bit of interest and sympathy for being the only three students besides Ethan and Link to show even the slightest friendliness to the Duchannces family.
45* ''Creator/CharlesDickens'' just wouldn't be Charles Dickens without his dark horses:
46** TheArtfulDodger in ''Literature/OliverTwist'' is probably the best remembered character of the novel in modern times, if not the most celebrated character in Dickens' whole body of work.
47** Another semi-minor but highly celebrated Dickens character is Tiny Tim from ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', who became an AscendedExtra in most adaptations.
48** In ''Literature/NicholasNickleby'', Mr Mantalini steals every scene he is in.
49** ''Literature/ThePickwickPapers'': Samuel Weller was introduced in a minor supporting role as the main character's cockney valet partway through the serial, but quickly developed a massive following that almost single-handedly kick-started Creator/CharlesDickens' career.
50** Mr. Micawber from ''Literature/DavidCopperfield'' with a lot of thanks to WC Fields' unforgettable 1935 film portrayal.
51* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', Reepicheep, a supporting character only appearing in two books out of six, is incredibly popular, possibly due to his swashbuckling style.
52* ''Literature/TheClone'':
53** Dr. Agnew, for the way he loses his AgentScully nature and then suffers a memorable LifeOrLimbDecision.
54** Dory Bornheim only shows up briefly, but is extremely well-liked for his action-packed yet tender efforts to save a class full of children from the monster.
55* ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'': The secondary characters are quite commonly praised for being very interesting and nuanced, some moreso than others.
56** Tarquin, for being the genuinely nicest High Lord with a good amount of common sense and having dreams of overturning the racist aspects of Prythian culture.
57** Nesta's fiery spirit and HiddenDepths marked her as a fan-favorite, which only escalated when the sheer depths of her anger ''unnerved the king of Hybern''. For readers who find Feyre, Rhysand and the Night Court's Inner Circle to be increasingly insufferable from the fourth book onwards, they also like that Nesta pushes back against them and frequently calls them out. Her popularity culminated in her receiving a starring role in ''A Court of Silver Flames''.
58** Gwyn, a supporting protagonist introduced in ''A Court of Silver Flames'', quickly became popular amongst readers. She's a sweet, courageous girl who strives to overcomes her tragic past, aspiring to restart the Valkyries and befriending and supporting Nesta, which earned Gwyn both sympathy and admiration from the fanbase. Her ShipTease with Azriel was also appreciated, with many fans shipping them together following the book's publication.
59** The Suriel, a CreepyAwesome creature who will truthfully answer the questions of any who successfully captures it and helps Feyre a few times. They develop a surprisingly endearing OddFriendship and many readers were devastated when Ianthe has the Suriel killed in ''A Court of Wings and Ruin''.
60* In Creator/HPLovecraft's [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Yogg-Sorothy]], Cthulhu only had one story about him written by Lovecraft himself. However, his disciple writing more stories led to Cthulhu becoming the [[EldritchAbomination poster-squid... thing]] for the entire Chronology, with the fans dubbing it the Franchise/CthulhuMythos.
61* ''Literature/Department19'' has Valentin Rusmanov, a secondary character whom enormous chunks of fans fell for during the second book, after a few brief appearances in the first, because he's suave, sarcastic and generally a fun and likeable character who steals the spotlight of any scene he's in. The author has actually expressed some surprise over his fanbase, but snarky, handsome vampires [[spoiler:with sad bits of backstory and heroic roles]] are a recipe for this trope.
62* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' has Rodrick, who primarily serves the role of a BigBrotherBully in the books. Then the movies came out, which had him [[MrFanservice played by a good-looking actor]] and [[AdaptationalHeroism becoming]] a TroubledButCute JerkWithAHeartOfGold. Cue the legion of fangirls.
63* Terry Pratchett, the author of the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series, claims that this is the greatest danger when you create a throwaway character.
64** The best example is [[TheGrimReaper Death]], whom he only created as a one joke character, but liked so much that he gave him multiple additional appearances in the first two books. Samuel Vimes and Granny Weatherwax also started out as support characters.
65** Mention should also go to Lord Vetinari, a MagnificentBastard among {{Magnificent Bastard}}s, and the Librarian, since Everything's Better With Apes [[BerserkButton Who Are Most Definitely Not Monkeys]]. They were both invented for one-shot gags, but morphed into characters that steal the show if given the slightest opportunity. Also see the Death Of Rats.
66** And Detritus, who started as a "[[{{Bouncer}} splatter]]" and became Sergeant and head of the Watch's training academy, married to Ruby, and "adopted" Brick.
67** Pratchett began writing "Guards, Guards" intending for Carrot to be the main character. Then he slowly got more interested in a side character he'd only created to provide a point of view in Ankh-Morpork until Carrot showed up, and now Samuel Vimes is easily one of the series' most popular characters. It's gotten to the point where Pratchett has had difficulty writing books set in Ankh-Morpork without turning them into Vimes stories.
68** Ponder Stibbons, too, has a lot more fans than his small role seems to warrant. It helps that he's adorable.
69* ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'':
70** Some fans seem to really like [[WeHardlyKnewYe short-lived Erudite rebel Fernando]].
71** Considering the reaction to his character being cut from the first movie, SixthRanger Uriah seems to be this.
72* Francesca, an adulterer from ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' damned for lust, became the subject of a huge amount of FanArt and other FanWorks in the 1800s for the unique GenreShift to romantic-drama presented by her brief appearance.
73 * ''Literature/DontCallMeIshmael'':
74** Razz's girlfriend Sally doesn't appear until the second book, but is better liked than some of the TrueCompanions main cast.
75** BruiserWithASoftCenter Theodore may only become a SixthRanger to the gang in the third book, but many fans see him as a solid, indispensable character in that book.
76** Razz's cousin Cindy Sexton only appears long enough for one ill-fated date with Ishmael, but her MotorMouth tendencies and BigBreastPride make her a memorable character.
77** CoolTeacher Ms. Tarango and Mr. Barker, the SternTeacher with HiddenDepths, are probably the best-liked adult characters in the series despite their secondary or tertiary roles in each book.
78* Raistlin in the ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' books, which are very much a literal [[TabletopGames Tabletop RPG]] ensemble to begin with.
79** Also from ''Dragonlance'', Kang, Slith and the Doom Brigade. Their unexpected popularity resulted in an unplanned short story and many cameo appearances in other books.
80* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
81** Waldo Butters is introduced as a medical examiner (and BackAlleyDoctor for Harry), a bigger nerd than even Harry, and is a Muggle NonActionGuy. However his dorkiness mixed with a health dose of snark and totally willingness to help Harry whenever he can made him extremely likable.
82** Carlos Ramirez is prone to bluster and CasanovaWannabe tendencies, but is a Warden who's been watching Harry's back since he was introduced. He is also the somewhat unofficial leader of the younger section of the White Council who actually like and agree with Harry. He also certainly won a bunch of fans over with the line "Everyone else who lets me ride on their [[spoiler: dinosaur]] calls me Carlos".
83** [[FairyCompanion Toot-toot]], since ''every single scene'' involving him is a SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} and he occasionally gets to be [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome really awesome]].
84** [[GeniusLoci Demonreach]] made waves for being such a strange and powerful creature who nonetheless comes out with some quality [[TheComicallySerious lines.]]
85* Fitz Kreiner, from the ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'', doesn't seem to have been ever intended as a one-shot character, but looks like one for most of his first appearance, and was obviously initially conceived as the kind of character who could be PutOnABus at a moment's notice by making him settle down with the GirlOfTheWeek. Now he's either the second or third longest-running companion. He appeared in about fifty-five novels and one ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' audio play. Numerous fans have admitted to liking him better than the Doctor, and he's one of the few companions who seem to be disliked by only two or three people of a mind to complain about it on the Internet. Indeed, almost everyone thinks he's pretty groovy. It's probably got a lot to do with his HoYay with the Doctor, but there are tons of other reasons.
86* Murtagh from ''Literature/{{Eragon}}'', who is often seen as cooler than the eponymous hero, and a lot less whiny about it.
87* ''Literature/ExHeroes'':
88** Banzai, a SweetPollyOliver hero with interesting PersonalityPowers, has a decent amount of fans even though she only appears in some brief flashbacks.
89** Lady Bee and Billie Carter are tertiary characters at best, but (unlike most of the regular people on the Mount) are pretty well-liked due to being BadassNormal DisasterScavengers with some good CasualDangerDialogue. Lady Bee's KaleidoscopeHair and Billie's tattoos also add to their colorfulness.
90** The Driver doesn't show up until the second book and doesn't get too much characterization, but his MechanicalLifeforms powers, GoshDarnItToHeck habit, and the needling he gets about his AtrociousAlias make him popular.
91* ''Franchise/FateSeries'':
92** ''Literature/FateZero'':
93*** Lancer, aka [[Myth/CelticMythology Diarmuid Ua Duibhne]], managed to gain quite a following among fans, most likely for being a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute of fellow Dark Horse, [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Cú Chulainn]], while still being different enough to stand on his own. It's likely for this reason that he ended up as a bonus character in ''VideoGame/FateUnlimitedCodes''.
94*** Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald is one of the less focused on Masters of the story, yet has gained a surprising following among fans thanks to his status as a FountainOfMemes. His Mystic Code, [[ExtraOreDinary Volumen Hydragyrum]], also sees a surprising amount of love, likely for its connection to Kayneth and many finding it to be oddly adorable. This is likely the reason it returns as a major character in the ''Literature/LordElMelloiIICaseFiles''.
95*** Kariya Matou is absolutely ''adored'' by the fandom, thanks to being the WhiteSheep of the Matou family and for being a sympathetic and [[TragicHero Tragic]] HeroAntagonist whose goal is centered around saving Sakura (which, as anyone whose played ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' will know, [[ForegoneConclusion he'll inevitably fail]]).
96*** Assassin, aka the Hundred-Faced [[TheHashshashin Hassan-i-Sabbah]], is the least relevant of the Servants to the story [[spoiler:as well as the first to die]], yet they're still quite popular among fans, especially the one female Hassan. In fact, the popularity of the female member eventually resulted in her receiving a name, Asako, as well as making her the face of the Servant when they came to ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''.
97*** Ryuunosuke Uryuu is the least relevant of the Masters to the overall plot, but still gained a following for being a hilarious yet absolutely terrifying SerialKiller and DiscOneFinalBoss.
98*** Out of all the characters, however, perhaps the best example of this would be Claudia Ortensia, Kirei's [[PosthumousCharacter deceased]] wife. She ''never'' appears in the story, only being occasionally mentioned, with her name and appearance not being known until they were later revealed in [[AllThereInTheManual Character Materials]]. But likely thanks to her connection to [[TragicVillain Kirei]], she ended up becoming very popular, getting a large amount of fan art both alongside Kirei and by herself.
99** ''Literature/FateApocrypha'':
100*** Toole, the homunculus Sieg saves on the battlefield, gained a lot of traction with the fanbase, particularly when she [[spoiler:helps Sieg rescue the other Yggdmillennia homunuculi]]. Her resemblance to [[Literature/FateZero Maiya Hisau]] may have something to do with this.
101*** Roche Frain Yggdmillennia is one of the less important Masters in the story, but his CheerfulChild personality [[spoiler:[[HiddenDepths that acts as a front for much more cynical side]]]] ended up endearing him to a fans, [[spoiler:which made his death particularly saddening for many]]. It seems that Type-Moon has caught on to this, as while [[spoiler:he hasn't been brought back from the dead, his character has been used on a posthumous crux for Avicebron's CharacterDevelopment in ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'']].
102** ''Anime/FatePrototype: Fragments of Sky Silver'':
103*** Rider, aka [[UsefulNotes/RamsesII Ozymandias]], is liked for his similarities to [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]], being the series' first Egyptian Servant, having HiddenDepths beyond his arrogance, and his [[SuperpowerLottery powerful abilities]].
104*** Berserker, aka [[Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]], gets killed off rather early in the series, but managed to gain a following thanks to Jekyll's PrettyBoy looks and personality. It's likely for this reason that he was used as one of the promo Servants for ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder''.
105*** Archer, aka [[Myth/PersianMythology Arash]], originally started out as a MemeticLoser, due to his SuicideAttack Noble Phantasm, but managed to grow in popularity over his later appearance, thanks to his NiceGuy personality and [[spoiler:his HeroicSacrifice in the battle against Ozymandias]]. Being added into ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', where he's considered one of the most useful farming Servants, certainly helped.
106*** Lancer and Assassin, aka [[Myth/NorseMythology Brynhild]] and [[TheHashshashin Hassan]] of Serenity, respectively, are both popular for similar reasons, specifically, their attractive designs, their tragic characterization and backstories, and them being two of the few female characters in a predominately male cast.
107** ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'':
108*** Flat Escardos is the most popular original character to come out of ''strange fake'', being well liked for his fun personality and surprisingly friendly relationship with his Servant. It's likely for this reason that he received a cameo appearance in the first episode of ''Literature/FateApocrypha'''s anime adaptation.
109*** Speaking of Flat's Servant, False Berserker, aka UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper, is particularly popular among fans, especially those who dislike the [[ProfessionalKiller Assassin]] class version of the character from ''Apocrypha'', likely for being much closer to what one would expect out of a depiction of the infamous SerialKiller.
110*** True Archer is another Servant who also sees a large amount of love among fans, likely for his awesome introductory battle against Gilgamesh, as well as for being [[spoiler:[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Heracles]] summoned in the [[LongRangeFighter Archer]] class, a version of the character fans had been anticipating for a long time]].
111''Literature/FunJungle'':
112** Security guard Kevin Wilks (who has tertiary roles in two books and cameo roles in two others) is a fan favorite for his hilarious but likable GoodIsDumb characterization and AccidentalHero moment in the fourth book.
113** Dinosaur-obsessed rocket scientist Harper Weems only appears in ''Tyrannosaurus Wrecks'', but is one of the better-liked one-shot suspects.
114** {{Lovable Jock}}s Dash and Ethan are less prominent than Teddy's other friends, but tend to get good reactions when they do show up for having some good BullyHunter moments and humorous dialogue about how Ethan is an AgentMulder.
115** [=FunJungle=] employee Krist Sullivan, who has a major role in the second book but is DemotedToExtra afterward. Fans appreciate how nice she is to Teddy and how she is also used to explore the important message that someone can love animals but not be qualified to care for them (which leads to her changing jobs from zookeeper to PR spokesperson after her bosses realize this).
116* In the ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' series Major Rawne started out as a relatively minor, two dimensional character. He is now one of the most complex and well loved characters of the series, to the point where the author Creator/DanAbnett admitted that the grumpy Major was his favourite character, ahead of the titular Guant.
117* Edilio and Drake Merwin from the ''Literature/{{Gone}}'' series.
118* Billy Bunter began life as a minor character in the Literature/{{Greyfriars}} school stories. Comically greedy, snobbish, dishonest, inept, self-centred, lazy, stupid, mean, cowardly and always, always on the scrounge, he provided the perfect foil for his upright and honest classmates and became so popular that he eventually took on the title role for the series.
119* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
120** Blaise Zabini is only a name until the sixth book when he's at least given a gender and a race, but he has many appearances in fanfiction as a main character.
121** Theodore Nott also has plenty of fans despite his few appearances and lack of lines. Part of this may be due to the fact that he was supposed to have a larger role.
122** The Weasley Twins, Fred and George, mainly because they are the living example of [[Funny/HarryPotter Crowning Moment of Funny]] (which is also ''very'' necessary, as the books get so much darker as the series progressed).
123** Antonin Dolohov has his share of fans. Possibly due to being one of the more competent Death Eaters and almost always winning the duels he participates in.
124** Tonks. Fans absolutely love her, despite the fact that she doesn't appear until the fifth book and is a relatively minor character with only a few lines in the entire series.
125* Iorek Byrnison from ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' is probably the most iconic character in the trilogy, despite being a relatively minor character. But then, he's a badass [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot armored polar bear warrior king]]. It's pure RuleOfCool in action. When he repairs a certain world-breaking weapon of the gods in ''The Amber Spyglass'', his badassery is taken up a notch.
126* Marvin the Paranoid Android from ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' has a fanbase the size of a planet.
127* Stevie Rae, Rephaim and Kramisha are quite popular with the ''Literature/TheHouseOfNight'' Fandom.
128* In ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' trilogy we have Finnick -- he was only a minor character in ''Catching Fire'' and more minor in ''Mockingjay'' but he became extremely popular for his kindness, strength, sense of humor, and dedication.
129** Katniss might be the protagonist of the story, but in the Games depicted in the first book the Tribute who won the fan's hearts the most was [[FlowerMotifs Rue]]. She had all of Katniss's sister Prim's finer qualities while lacking the ShrinkingViolet, being a PluckyGirl-in-training despite her age and small size, and her bond with Katniss was extremely sweet. There's also Cinna, who makes fashion designing and makeovers ''[[MundaneMadeAwesome awesome]]'', and quickly won both readers and Katniss herself over thanks to his approachability and compassionate nature.
130** Foxface also gets a lot of love thanks to her cleverness, despite only appearing in one book, not having any speaking lines, and ''not having an actual name.''
131*** Thanks to the OneSceneWonder nature of the film, Thresh and Clove have also become this.
132** Johanna Mason also has quite the fan following.
133* ''Literature/IntruderInTheDust'': One-armed backwoodsman Nub Gowrie (the father of the murder victim, who has some HiddenHeartOfGold moments) and CoolOldLady Mrs. Habersham only appear in a few scenes each, but are probably the most iconic characters after Lucas. This is even more true in TheFilmOfTheBook, where Mrs. Habersham gets a little more focus in defending Lucas from a lynch mob and Nub's actor does a fantastic job of PlayingAgainstType.
134* ''Literature/JackRyan'': John Clark had a small appearance in ''Literature/TheCardinalOfTheKremlin'', but the appearance proved to be very popular with the readers, causing him to get a larger role in [[Literature/ClearAndPresentDanger later]] [[Literature/RainbowSix books]] and [[Literature/WithoutRemorse a backstory.]]
135* ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'' has Princess Dejah Thoris of Helium. While she is the {{Deuteragonist}} for the first book (which is named after her), she actually has less and less focus in the following books. This didn't stop her from becoming one of the most recognizable characters in the series, being subject to tons of pin-ups more than any other character and receiving expanded roles in other adaptations.
136* The anonymous undead penguin from ''Langley's Ark'' has a disproportionately large fan following, which was solidified in [[http://langleyark.com/qa.php a Q&A session with the cast]]. Somewhere down the line, it became the SeriesMascot.
137-->'''Langley:''' I would just like to add at this point that my name is even part of the title and the penguin has gotten more questions than me.
138* Charlie Parker is the main character of a detective series that puts Irish thriller writer John Connolly on the literary map, but fans loved Parker's gay assassins sidekicks Angel and Louis so much that Connolly finally wrote a novel The Reapers in which the two has the starring role and Charlie Parker remains in the sidelines until right before the end of the novel.
139* Creator/RASalvatore originally meant for his popular dark elf character ''[[Literature/TheLegendOfDrizzt Drizzt Do'Urden]]'' to be a side-character for Wulfgar, Drizzt's barbarian pupil, in the first novel they appeared in; he claims to have come up with him on the spot when his agent asked for a sidekick for Wulfgar. Naturally, at this point, they're collectively known as the Drizzt books. This is one of the unusual cases where transitioning the Darkhorse into the main hero's role actually worked.
140** According to the introduction to one of the books, this conversion happened early in the writing process (basically, page one).
141* ''Literature/LesMiserables'' has several. The most ubiquitous is probably Gavroche, who has become the novel's unofficial mascot of sorts. Eponine and every single member of LaResistance also have huge followings, as does QuirkyMinibossSquad member Montparnasse.
142* SugarAndIcePersonality werewolf Dominil was a supporting character whose character arc was completed when she [[spoiler: knifed BigBad Sarapen in the guts]] in the first ''Literature/LonelyWerewolfGirl'' book, by the time the second came around she was promoted to main cast member with a new character arc.
143* ''Literature/LorienLegacies'':
144** Number Two/Maggie is a PosthumousCharacter who only appears in one tie-in novella and a couple of background cameos on the evacuation ship. However, her characterization as a nervous {{Bookworm}} and CameraFiend who has learned some gymnastics and hand-to-hand combat to try and survive before her powers develop make her a memorable and endearing character who has a decent amount of fan art.
145** Nine's Cêpan Sandor is only in two prequel novellas, but he's probably better liked than some of TheChosenMany main characters due to being a carefree BrilliantButLazy GadgeteerGenius with an interesting backstory that includes only becoming a Cêpan as a last minute replacement for Nine's original guardian.
146** Number Seven's human friend Hector is a particularly popular human character despite just being in one book. This is due to his status as a philosophical drunk who loves his mother and gets some CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass moments in the book's climactic battle.
147* ''Literature/TheMadScientistsClub'': MayorPain Alonzo Scragg, CluelessDeputy Billy Dahr, and helpful, surprisingly strong junkyard owner Zeke Boniface are probably as well-remembered as the main kids.
148* Torvald Nom from the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' series was originally just someone [[BarbarianHero Karsa]] [[{{Deconstruction}} Orlong]] encounters and spends a chapter or two with in the fourth book, ''Literature/HouseOfChains'', but even before he got his own point of view storyline four books later, he proved to be immensely popular among readers.
149* [[ReformedBully Jack Vranes]] from ''Literature/MichaelVey'' gets a lot of love for being a BadassNormal, his [[DeadpanSnarker funny lines]], and his CharacterDevelopment into Michael's BigBrotherMentor.
150* Cristobal Junta, DeadpanSnarker CoolOldGuy BadAssSpaniard from ''Literature/MondayBeginsOnSaturday'' by Creator/StrugatskyBrothers. Arguably most popular Strugatsky's character ever.
151** Baron Pampa from ''Literature/HardToBeAGod''.
152* ''Literature/TheMoomins'': The Joxter only appears in one book, but is one of the most popular characters due to being the father of Snufkin, another extremely popular character. He gained this popularity without even having appeared in ''WesternAnimation/{{Moominvalley}}'', the 2019 AnimatedAdaptation that resulted in a NewbieBoom for the Moomin fandom. He gets as much fanart as some of the main characters as a result.
153* ''Literature/NaughtyNineTalesOfChristmasCrime''
154** Arlo TheStoner appears in three stories in supporting or cameo roles and is one of the most entertaining characters in the collection.
155** Mrs. Claus from "Red Christmas" is a nonstop scene stealer with her NeverMessWithGranny and BehindEveryGreatMan feats outwitting and outfighting various antagonists.
156* In ''[[Literature/OrigamiYoda Darth Paper Strikes Back]]'', Kellen goes skateboarding, and gets made fun of by a bratty little kid. The kid only appeared in one chapter, but became very popular with the fandom.
157* Nico di freaking Angelo from ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. He goes from this bratty little halfpint obsessed with a cardgame and always asking a million questions in Book 3, to something of an enemy in Book 4 because he blamed Percy for the death of his sister, to pulling the biggest BigDamnHeroes moment of the entire series in Book 5. [[spoiler: He was also revealed to be gay in House of Hades, to the everlasting credit to Rick Riordan. It added a lot more to his character while never taking any of his awesomeness away.]]
158** Artemis and Apollo. Arguably the least featured Olympians, and they are the most popular on Fanfiction.net. Is it the fact that you have the 12 year old badass or the humor of Apollo's Haikus of terror?
159** Mocking Octavian is rising to become Percy Jackson's mocking Umbridge style game.
160** Leo, the wise-cracking sidekick with HiddenDepths in ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus''. While Jason & Piper (the in-universe heroes) had a murky reception, Leo instantly became a fan-favourite and universally adored. This status only increased in Mark of Athena, with his tragic past which is more brutal than most of the other heroes put together, status as the 'Seventh Wheel' among the happy couples and that despite this, he never stops joking [[SadClown the whole time]].
161* ''Literature/JackReacher'':
162** Neagley, Reacher's DistaffCounterpart and one of his few platonic close female acquaintances. She is the most frequently seen recurring character and gets an AdaptationalEarlyAppearance in the show.
163** Dave O'Donnell, a former comrade of Reacher and Neagley, is only in one book but is quite popular for being a meticulous investigator who never goes anywhere without a knife in one pocket and brass knuckles in the other.
164** Holly Johnson from ''Die Trying'', due to being a decently developed love interest and jaw-dropping HandicappedBadass.
165** In ''One Shot'', RetiredBadass Sgt. Cash is a very popular minor ally, especially after Creator/RobertDuvall played him in the 2012 movie.
166* ''Literature/JohnPutnamThatcher'': Pete Nicolls (TheBabyOfTheBunch among the Sloan bankers) and Lucy Lancer (the "witty and perceptive" wife of the chairman of the board) only have a few major roles before being DemotedToExtra, but are among the most popular protagonists for many fans.
167* ''Literature/TheKaijuPreservationSociety'': Mischievous ThrillSeeker AcePilot Satie is a secondary character at best, but he's probably the most popular person in the story.
168* Despite ''Literature/{{Phenomena}}'' having two [[TheChosenOne chosen ones]] the series mainly focuses on Alk, who gets amazing titles, abilities and stuff. Despite this, Ilke, his twin sister and the second chosen one, is the most popular character in the series, even though this was during times where it was popular to hate female characters like [[Manga/InuYasha Kagome]], [[Literature/HarryPotter Hermione]] etc. for no other reason than being female.
169* ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'': Even those that groan at reading the book, nay even some haters, love Mr. Bennet and his snark.
170* The character Rupert Psmith from Wodehouse's Psmith series started out as a comedic sidekick to the titular character of the first book he appeared in, Mike Jackson. However Psmith's character became so popular that the roles have been reversed in every following publication which now all bore Psmith's name and even the original first book's title was changed from "Mike" to "Enter Psmith" and "Mike and Psmith".
171* Babs, the hooker who appears in the first chapter of the first story of ''Literature/{{Relativity}}'' was originally only supposed to appear once, and then disappear until much, much later in the series. However, fans loved her so much, the creators brought her back early, and she's appeared in several episodes she "wasn't supposed to".
172* ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'' spans over thirty books. ''One'' of them -- a novelisation of a video game set in the world, no less -- features Gorath, a dark elf chieftain, who defects to the side of the humans to prevent another war his people are trying to start that he knows would be too costly for them. Gorath is easily one of the most complex and intriguing characters in the entire cycle, not even counting being cool as hell -- unlike some other dark elf renegades *coughDrizztcough*, he is dignified and stoic, despite having a backstory that would justify anything from Wangst to a complete insanity breakdown. Even though he appears alongside such fan favourites and scene-stealing characters as Pug and Jimmy the Hand, fans and critics alike praise him and wish they could have seen more of him.
173* An InUniverse example is mentioned ''The Road Goes into the Distance'', an autobiographic novel by Alexandra Brushtein. The narrator mentions an obscure play where the only character that made an impression on her, only credited as "The Malabar Woman", was a small silent role; her only function was to [[DefiantToTheEnd defiantly shake her head]] when the villain demanded to know where the heroes were and [[HeroicSacrifice get killed]] in the same scene.
174* ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'':
175** Pick a character or kingdom. While there are mainly Wuists, Shuists, and Weiists, the three main kingdoms, every minor force gets a following as well. Minor characters as well.
176** Special mention has to go to Mi Heng, who appears in ''one chapter'' but is still one of the most popular characters. Every single line he has is a vicious insult towards whoever he's talking to, with no thought toward his personal safety even as he's about to be executed.
177* {{Satan}}, of [[Literature/TheBible biblical]] fame. In the Old Testament, he was a minor character, serving as an "accuser," and there is no evidence he's anything other than a loyal angel, albeit an [[LightIsNotGood asshole]] one. In the New Testament, he becomes the BigBad. Now, he's the TropeCodifier for the GodOfEvil trope, and seen by millions as the ultimate BigBad.
178** It's certainly the case in ''Literature/ParadiseLost''. Adam is nominally the hero, but he's far less interesting and spends a lot of time simply chatting with Eve and the archangels. By contrast, Satan gets a character arc and complex motivations, and ironically seems more "human". It attracted numerous criticisms of Milton at the time.
179*** However this may have been Milton's intention. He wanted to show how seductive evil can be, Satan possibly being an Oliver Cromwell type figure, though reading the book carefully shows deliberate MotiveDecay from Satan.
180* ''Literature/{{Redshirts}}'':
181** The main cast spends most of their time actively avoiding Kerensky until the third act. Nonetheless, fans like him quite a bit for being a humorous HandsomeLech who at least tries to befriend the main characters and has a surprisingly emotional drunken speech about how messed up his life is due to factors he can't begin to understand.
182** Dahl's lab mate Mbeke is no less of a DirtyCoward and CargoCult member than the rest of the veteran crew members, but she still has some fans due to having some good lines and not being as bad as some of the others.
183* Brought up InUniverse in Alexandra Brushtein's ''The Road Goes into the Distance''. The narrator attends a play and is impressed most of all by one BitCharacter, with no spoken lines and credited simply as "The Malabar". In said character's only scene, she makes a HeroicSacrifice when she refuses to say anything about the heroes' whereabouts and is killed by the enraged villain.
184* ''Literature/SamTheCatDetective''
185** The former circus cats, the Flying Fangs, only appear in the second half of the first book, but their energetic nature, rapport, and fighting skills make them some of Sam's most entertaining allies.
186** James Blond only appears in ''The Big Catnap'', but fans enjoy his haughty yet helpful attitude and surprising moments of bravery and toughness.
187* ''Literature/SecretSanta2007'':
188** Celia and Froggy are considered to be two of the best-written characters in the series, even though they aren't center stage in the first book and get DemotedToExtra afterward. [[spoiler:Them winning the school's cutest couple award during their cameo in ''Spring Fling'' is pretty well-received.]]
189** GirlPosse member Shawna is only a tertiary character in the first book, never appears afterward, and has some ClingyJealousGirl moments. Nonetheless, she's better-liked than several more prominent characters for her HiddenDepths and CharacterDevelopment.
190* ''Literature/SergeStorms'':
191** Suburban couple Jim and Martha Davenport only appear in a handful of books but are fan favorite recurring characters due to their constant CringeComedy humor, BewareTheNiceOnes, and gradual ProperlyParanoid wariness of being around their self-proclaimed friend Serge.
192** InspectorJavert Mahoney has fairly small roles in most of his appearances, but his humorous obsession with FilmNoir and gradual CharacterDevelopment made him popular enough that, at one point, he was the only character besides Serge with a page on Website/{{Wikipedia}}.
193** Bold but unlucky IntrepidReporter Reevis Tome and Brook Campanella (a CrusadingLawyer who takes to her job LikeADuckTakesToWater and has a few brilliant RefugeInAudacity moments) don't appear until the seventeenth and eighteenth books, respectively, but quickly became much-loved members of the recurring cast.
194** Sly "The Gentleman Bandit" [=McGraw=] only appears in four chapters of ''The Triggerfish Twist'' and only talks in one of them, but his intelligent, AffablyEvil personality and odd quasi-bonding with Serge make him one of the best-liked antagonists in the series.
195** Serge and Coleman's temporary traveling companion Rachael is only in ''Atomic Lobster'', but is a particularly entertaining and well-remembered guest character for some humorous [[ManChild womanchild]] moments related to her AddledAddict status and SitComArchnemesis bickering with Coleman, frequent MsFanservice scenes, and UnintentionallySympathetic moments.
196** Of the many {{Real Person Cameo}}s in the series, former Florida governor Claude Kirk might be the most iconic despite only being in two chapters of ''Nuclear Jellyfish''.
197** Story Long from ''Nuclear Jellyfish'' is one of the best-liked [[GirlOfTheWeek girls of the week]] for combining the best of both [[HasAType primary types of women Serge is attracted to]] ({{Femme Fatale}}s and {{Hot Librarian}}s). She does this by being a sometimes hot-headed stripper with hidden motives who is also taking college courses, tutors her friends in complex subjects, and shares Serge's fondness for Florida, trivia, and View-Masters.
198** Kenny and Darby, supporting characters from ''The Pope of Palm Beach'', are a pair of well-read surfers with a moving InterGenerationalFriendship. Some reviewers think they could have carried the book without Serge.
199** Chris from ''Naked Came the Florida Man'' is a pretty well-liked side character for her YouGoGirl subplot, despite it being largely devoid of the humor and violence that draws many readers to the series.
200* ''Literature/TheShadow'':
201** MasterOfDisguise Five Face, The Black Falcon (due to his similarities to [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler the Riddler]]), The Cobra (an EvilCounterpart to the Shadow), Marvin Bradthaw (for his PragmaticVillainy moments and for managing to destroy the Shadow's original Sanctum), and MasterOfDisguise Fifth Face are among the best-liked villains in the series despite only having one appearance apiece.
202** All of the Shadow's agents have decently large followings, but FairForItsDay characters Jericho Druke (with his TheBigGuy moments also being liked) and Dr. Roy Tam, Cliff Marsland TheMole (especially since he may have inspired ''Series/TheGreenHornet''), ReformedCriminal and ScarilyCompetentTracker Hawkeye, and AcePilot and former soldier-of-fortune Miles Crofton are less prominent than some of the others but no less popular.
203** SilkHidingSteel debutante Francine Melrue from ''Crime, Insured'' is such a good GuestStarPartyMember that many fans wish she'd become a regular cast member.
204** Rook Loy from ''Double Z'' is one of the most well-remembered henchmen in the series due to the suspenseful scene where the Shadow has to navigate the booby traps in Rook Loy's house.
205* Literature/SherlockHolmes has Irene Adler and BreakoutVillain Professor Moriarty. Irene Adler is in only one story and barely seen in person throughout, but she's the only person ever really seen to beat Holmes and is one of very few female characters in the canon, so she gets saddled with 'love interest' a lot. Moriarty appears in one story and gets mentioned in three, but him being anything but ''the'' enemy of Holmes has become unthinkable.
206** And then there's Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's BrilliantButLazy older brother, who only appears properly in two stories, has a non-speaking role in another, and is mentioned only once in another story, but he has a surprisingly large fanbase.
207* Gaeadrelle Goldring from ''[[TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}} The Cloakmaster Cycle]]''. She's a [[HalfHumanHybrid half]]-''[[Literature/{{Dragonlance}} kender]]'' who once "studied art of some kind" in "some place called [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Kozakura]]", with a crush on the protagonist, as awesome as only half-kender could, later [[spoiler:PutOnABus toward high-end [[PsychicPowers psionic training]]]] on top of this, no less. The potential to make the "Mary Sue Litmus Test" [[OverclockingAttack explode in colored flames]] is obvious, yet she's fine -- and many readers [[http://sjml.spelljammer.org/archive/oracle/200609/06-204721.html liked]] her [[http://sjml.spelljammer.org/archive/oracle/200812/23-041708.html a lot]].
208* Allegretto is mere CannonFodder who appeared(and got killed off) in 2 pages. Despite that fact, he is among the most famous ''Literature/{{Suggsverse}}'' characters of them all.
209* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse''
210** ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'' introduced quite a few. Pellaeon is perhaps the most notable, with his excellent character growth making him immensely popular among fans, to the point that he eventually became the person to end the Galactic Civil War. Thrawn himself, despite only appearing in a scant few books, is a borderline MemeticBadass, and regarded by many as the face of the ExpandedUniverse.
211** [[TricksterMentor Vergere]]. Her unique take on the Force and the complexity of her character have won her a fairly sizable fanbase that's still alive even after the Literature/NewJediOrder ended.
212* Within the Literature/{{Sweet Valley|High}} fandom, Lila Fowler (Jessica's primary snobbish friend) is wildly popular -- often more so than the Wakefield twins themselves (each of who have more than their fair share of detractors, for different reasons).
213* [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Prince]] [[TallDarkAndHandsome Garrid]] from ''Tales of the Frog Princess''. The audiobooks helped a lot. Must be the Romanian accent.
214* ''Literature/TeenPowerInc'':
215** Most of the featured cops in the series (minus a few like InspectorJavert Wildman in ''Dead End'') are decently liked for downplaying PoliceAreUseless now and then while still staying out of NonProtagonistResolver territory, even though only a few (such as Greta Vortek and Angela Maroni) appear in more than one book.
216** Nick's father, Demetrios, Tom's stepfather Brian and half-brothers Adam and Jonathan, and Richelle's mother Delia are probably the most fleshed out and entertaining characters among the gang's families (besides Elmo's father, a series semiregular), even though they rarely appear outside of books narrated by their respective relatives and don't always play big roles even in those books.
217* ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'':
218** Boo Radley is just as iconic as Scout the narrator and Atticus, even though he only has one brief physical appearance after being TheGhost early on.
219** Link Deas, Tom's BenevolentBoss, who voices support for him during the trial and tries to protect Helen from Bob afterward.
220** Newspaper editor BB Underwood (who has 3-5 scenes) is a racist, but he still attracts a lot of interest and discussion due to how he is waiting out of sight to help Atticus fight off the lynch mob before [[ShamingTheMob Scout shames them]] and later condemns [[spoiler:the killing of Tom Robinson.]]
221* Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium:
222** ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' has Glorfindel and Prince Imrahil, neither of whom made it into the movies.
223** Elladan and Elrohir are also very popular among the fans despite the fact that they were rather minor characters. Rather ironically, they did not make it to the movie even though in the book they actually appeared ''more'' than their younger sister, Arwen.
224** The Variags of Khand as a race in general. Despite only being mentioned in a few sentences and never being described in any aspect, there's an immense amount of speculation regarding the Variags on Tolkien fan sites.
225** Tom Bombadil's exclusion from the movies caused a long-lasting storm of fan rage. [[BaseBreakingCharacter On the other hand,]] many other fans consider him, and the two-and-a-half chapters devoted to him, to be utterly pointless, or at the very least utterly unfilmable. The fact that Tom has been excluded from the films and other adaptations, along with the sheer mystery behind his existence, has probably contributed to his semi-ironic fandom.
226** Erestor, especially in {{slash|Fic}} {{fanfic}}s. In the books, he's just Elrond's chief counsellor, who appears at the Council of Elrond but does not make any significant contribution (he suggests the Ring be given to Tom Bombadil, and doesn't think trying to destroy the Ring is a good idea). In fanfiction, however, his status as an OCStandIn who's relatively important in Rivendell but has very little defined personality made him a very popular character to make use of, especially when writing slash (Glorfindel/Erestor is actually one of the most popular ships in the fandom).
227** Princess Lothíriel of Dol Amroth was mentioned exactly ''once'', in the Appendices as Éomer's Queen, and we don't even know when she was born, let alone anything about her. But ''because'' she is the eventual Queen of Rohan, she has become immensely popular among Fourth Age fanfic writers, and is usually portrayed as a SilkHidingSteel ProperLady or SpiritedYoungLady who is skilled in healing.
228** Glorfindel also counts for ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', where he faces Balrog in single combat and even manages to defeat it by knocking it off a cliff. Gandalf apparently took notes. And like Gandalf, Glorfindel ''dies'' defeating the Balrog, even though it's the chronologically earlier story. Elves, unlike Men, were bound to the world so when they "died" they would sometimes be allowed to leave the halls of Mandos (the Vala in charge of the dead Elves) and reincarnate. This was less true reincarnation, though, and more along the lines of picking up where he left off. That's right, the Glorfindel from the Third Age is the same one from the First. ''[[VideoGame/TheBattleForMiddleEarth Battle For Middle Earth II]]'' showed us just how badass Glorfindel is.
229** Nerdanel and her son Maglor are disproportionately popular compared to the number of times they're actually mentioned.
230*** ''All'' of Nerdanel and Fëanor's sons. The only possible exception is Caranthir, who is often forgotten by fans.
231** The sheer amount of characters in the whole Middle-earth universe allows a fair share of this. Especially characters in ''The Silmarillion'', which wasn't originally supposed to be published. Special note goes to the other three Istari (Radagast, Alatar and Pallando) who are this even though the latter two ''never appear''. A lot of the Valar also qualify, given that they appear just in the beginning.
232* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' also has its fair share of Ensemble Darkhorses.
233** Jacob Black was originally meant to be a one-shot character who would introduce Bella to the myths of the "cold ones" (vampires), but Stephanie Meyer and the readers ended up enjoying him so much that he became very important to the overall plotline of the next three books and Bella's best friend and second love.
234** James was simply a member of the WackyWaysideTribe of nomadic vampires introduced in the first book whose only purpose in life was to hunt, kill and drink good blood, namely Bella's. He's described as being unremarkable in appearance, average even by human standards. But he became inexplicably popular with the fans when he was revealed to have a connection with Alice, and his lack of an established past made him a point of interest for theorists. It also did not help matters that Cam Gigandet, the actor who played him in TheFilmOfTheBook, was [[HollywoodHomely very admittedly attractive]], and when asked to come up with his own [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation interpretation of the character]], said that James was really a broken hollow shell of a person on the inside, coming damn close to making James TheWoobie as well.
235** Leah Clearwater earned this title for her DeadpanSnarker tendencies and the fact that she unflinchingly and unapologetically would [[WhatTheHellHero call out the other characters whenever they acted like idiots]]. She also had many of the makings of TheWoobie as well, having lost her father to a heart attack and her boyfriend Sam leaving her for her cousin Emily ever since becoming one of the wolves, and yet having everyone shun her and [[DesignatedVillain treat her like a bitch]], not caring at all about her heartbreak (something that thankfully changed when Jacob left the pack and was able to get to know Leah without any influence from the others' prejudice).
236** Leah's little brother Seth Clearwater has a small part to play in ''Eclipse'', and picked up a massive following for his adorable snark, bravery, and almost naive affableness. Come ''Breaking Dawn'', he had a lot more action and some of the best lines in the book.
237** Many of the Volturi became very popular amongst the fans as well, despite having not many lines or characters.
238** And after ''Breaking Dawn'', Nahuel, [[spoiler: a {{Dhampyr}} brought in by Alice to testify against the Volturi and convince them that Renesmee Cullen was not a threat to the vampires' existence, who was also a {{Dhampyr}} herself]] gained quite a fandom as well. His only real lines were his testimonials, but more of his character was revealed by Edward's mind-reading, making him a bit of a [[TheWoobie woobie]] as well. In FanFic, he's usually paired up with fellow darkhorse Leah. A bit of a CrackPairing, yes, but some can't help but find the idea of it very inexplicably cute.
239** And Angela is liked even by Anti-fans, due to the fact she's a genuinely sweet girl, but due to being a Muggle after Bella's a vampire we never see her again. A lot of antis like the humans (Mike, Jessica, etc) because they are looked down upon by Bella and Meyer for being better characters.
240** There is also a need to mention Tyler (and his [[MemeticBadass van]]).
241** Charlie Swan is another one who's quite popular even among the haters, who often call out Bella for the hell she puts her father through. It's not hard to find people online who even wish Charlie was the protagionist instead of Bella (or at least see from his prospective), [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot being a troubled father and badass cop in a small town plagued with supernatrual threats]].
242* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', there are many, many ensemble darkhorses out of the series' massive cast. However, a few do get special note.
243** [[CoolOldGuy Purdy]], who has become a huge MemeticBadass and well loved, even ending up [[spoiler: [[BreakoutCharacter joining ThunderClan]]]].
244** [[PintSizedPowerhouse Scourge]], a villain who only appeared in one book but gained lots and lots of fans and sometimes a DracoInLeatherPants status, simply because he's badass ([[spoiler:He killed Tigerstar with one hit! He took away ''all his nine lives'' with ''one swipe of his paw!'']]) He got to be so popular that the authors made a whole manga book about him, detailing his past and his StartOfDarkness as well as giving him a FreudianExcuse, which doesn't excuse him for his evilness but does give you a reason to feel sorry for him.
245** Ashfur is an odd case. He's the BaseBreakingCharacter to end all BaseBreakingCharacter[=s=]. You either love him or you hate him. He was only directly featured in about three books or so, but he's wildly popular ''and'' unpopular.
246** [[AxCrazy Mapleshade]], who gained a massive fanbase before even appearing in the series! And when she did show up...
247** Lionheart, Whitestorm, and Redtail all count for being MrFanservice.
248** Thrushpelt, a minor character from Bluestar's Prophecy, because he is Ashfur's exact opposite in that he actually [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy want Bluestar to be happy with her mate.]]
249** Flametail, a BreakoutCharacter who is the son of Tawnypelt, a Darkhorse in her own right, counts for being a CombatMedic with complete faith in [=StarClan=].
250** Most leaders and deputies in ''Literature/WarriorCats'' are Darkhorses. Case in point: Mistystar, Stonefur, Ashfoot, Tallstar, Deadfoot and Leopardstar. Crookedstar counts too, being a minor character who died in Book Five, yet placing second in the Ultimate Leader Election.
251** Snowkit, a very minor character killed off in ''A Dangerous Path'' has a massive fanbase because of his [[TheWoobie woobieism]]. He's a deaf kit who was carried off by a hawk.
252** Snowtuft and Shredtail, who died before their first appearance, mostly because EvilIsCool.
253** Onestar is a strange variation of this. Back when he was a warrior in the [[Literature/WarriorCatsTheOriginalSeries first arc]], he was definitely an EnsembleDarkHorse. But in [[Literature/WarriorCatsTheNewProphecy the second arc]] he takes a level in jerkass and by the [[Literature/WarriorCatsPowerOfThree third arc]] he became a [[TheScrappy scrappy]].
254** Bumblestripe, the kit of Graystripe and Millie is a darkhorse all because the [[FanPreferredCouple most popular pairing in the series]] is him with Ivypool.
255*** However, he has reached {{Scrappy}} status in some circles of the fandom for his characterization in arc six.
256** Hawkfrost is quite a Darkhorse. Despite only being Tigerstar's [[TheDragon dragon]] and serving a mere lackey role in the arcs after ''The New Prophecy'' he remains one of the most popular villains and is directly featured in the "games" on Website/WarriorsWish.
257** Hazeltail, a background character who has done exactly nothing in the series was very popular on the Warriors Official Forum and ranked very high on all the polls for the fanbase's preferred new [=ThunderClan=] leader.
258** Blackstar, [=ShadowClan's=] leader is massively popular. On the Warriors Official Forum, his fan club thread was ''[[{{Doorstopper}} 500 pages long]]'' and he even has his own Website/{{Facebook}} page.
259** Yellowfang, mainly for being a DeadpanSnarker CombatMedic. She even got her own Super Edition, for crying out loud!
260** Ravenpaw. He was part of Firestar's PowerTrio in the first book, then left and has only played a minor role since then. Despite this, he was popular enough to get his own manga series and have hoards of fangirls wishing for his return.
261** Sorreltail is one of the more popular characters and is possibly the most popular choice for [=ThunderClan's=] new leader, despite only playing a small role in ''The New Prophecy'' and being even less important after that.
262** Harrykit of [=SkyClan=] has earned many fans. He's even become a MemeticBadass, with people claiming that he's a wizard and his warrior name will be Literature/{{Harrypotter}}.
263** Brightheart. She's quite possibly the only character in ''Literature/WarriorCats'', which is practically defined by it's BrokenBase, who has no haters.
264** When people started comparing Mousewhisker, the least important character in [=ThunderClan=], to Creator/ChuckNorris on the [[Creator/ErinHunter author's]] Facebook, both his MemeticBadass[=ery=] and his [[EnsembleDarkHorse darkhorse status]] were assured.
265** Foxleap. He serves as a comic relief character in ''[[Literature/WarriorCatsPowerOfThree Power of Three]]'' and only ever plays an important role in the fourth book of ''[[Literature/WarriorCatsOmenOfTheStars Omem of the Stars]]'', but he has a large fanbase and all sorts of speculation over if he's the fourth.
266** The clan founders, Thunder, Wind, River, Shadow and Sky. Even though they have only one scene in the main series and appear very little in the ExpandedUniverse, they are extremely popular and all of them have achieved MemeticBadass status and many fanfics devoted to them. In fact, they seem to have attained BreakoutCharacter status as well, seeing as the [[Literature/WarriorCatsDawnOfTheClans fifth series]] focuses on them.
267** Antpelt has become a very popular character, despite only appearing in three books and [[spoiler: having his return be impossible]]. His fanbase is so large that it even managed to (The Forgotten Warrior spoilers) [[spoiler: make the incredibly popular Ivypool become a Scrappy temporarily when she killed him]].
268** Happykit. How minor is this character? Their sole appearance is in ''The Last Hope'' as [[spoiler:a dead [=ShadowClan=] kit that Pinenose is crying over]]. Even the name is fanon! Despite this, Happykit has received quite a few fanfics, and is legendary among the fandom.
269** Silver Frost, a cool elder from the Tribe Prime, seems to be the most popular character to appear in the preview chapters of ''Dawn of the Clans''.
270** ''Literature/WarriorCatsDawnOfTheClans'': The most popular character is easily Tall Shadow, the snarky, intelligent she-cat who may be [=ShadowClan=]'s founder. River Ripple has also gained quite a fan base, due to his easygoing, hippie-like nature.
271** Fernsong gained a lot of popularity ''before even appearing,'' for his implied sweet, oblivious, and likable nature. His ShipTease with [[spoiler:Ivypool]] doesn't hurt, either.
272** Puddleshine became this after the release of ''Thunder and Shadow'', for his compassion and dedication to his job despite [[spoiler:being forced into the position ''against his will'' after the death of Littlecloud.]]
273** Needletail is an interesting example. She debuted as a considerably popular character, liked for her rebellious personality and implied StepfordSmiler status. However, in the release of ''Thunder and Shadow'' she TookALevelInJerkass and became a ManipulativeBitch. Although she still had scores of fans, an equally vocal {{Hatedom}} emerged regarding her character. The following novel had her [[HeelFaceTurn become]] a more sympathetic IronWoobie, and she regained much of her former popularity.
274* Almost every fan of ''Literature/{{Wereworld}}'' will confess to loving [[LovableRogue Count Vega]], probably because he's a goddamn WickedCultured [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot exiled prince pirate captain who turns into a giant shark.]]
275* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime''
276** Hurin, the Sniffer from Shienar, plays a role in Book 2, The Great Hunt, although his main purpose is to provide Perrin with an opportunity to take his place where necessary. Part way into Book 3, he leaves to return to Shienar, and is not seen again until Book 12, The Gathering Storm, practically as a cameo. Despite this, he is a highly regarded character, and prior to the release of The Gathering Storm, he was perhaps the character that people most wanted to see return.
277** Narg appears in only one brief scene in the first book, where he plays dead, tries to lure [[TheHero Rand]] into a clumsy trap, attacks him when that fails, and dies. But because he's the only [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Trolloc]] with a name and a speaking role across the entire series, he's gone on to become downright memetic in the fandom.
278* ''Literature/WhenZacharyBeaverCameToTown'': Kate (TheHeart who DrivesLikeCrazy), morose and spiritual former draft dodger Ferris, and GoodBadGirl Scarlet and her boyfriend Juan are all secondary characters who some readers have called their favorite parts of the book.
279* Irial and Niall from ''Literature/WickedLovely'' are hands down the most popular, beloved and lusted over characters in the series. EvenTheGuysWantHim.
280* Molly Millions from the works of Creator/WilliamGibson. She is a secondary protagonist in ''Literature/{{Neuromancer}}'' and the short story "Johnny Mneumonic," and has a supporting role in ''Literature/MonaLisaOverdrive''. She quickly became the iconic character of "Neuromancer" and Gibson in general, being featured heavily in book covers and being the subject of the song "Mirrorshades" by the Information Society. She's by far the most popular fan-art subject for Gibson fans, to the point that someone unfamiliar with the authors' work might think there's an entire series dedicated to the character.
281* In ''Literature/YoungWizards'', Kit's sister Carmela doesn't even show up until the fifth book, and then it's only as a slightly dippy ''otaku'' big sister. Now she's a pretty major supporting character and kind of a GeniusDitz with languages to boot.
282** Dairine Callahan, the Nita's little sister, is seen by some as this and by others as [[CreatorsPet The Wesley]].
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