Line #24 YMMV/DGrayMan


1	* ArcFatigue:
2	** The development of [[spoiler:Allen and the 14th Noah]] suffered this as a result of multiple breaks Hoshino took, and because of the writers real-life issues that have caused the manga to be on hiatus since December 2012. As a result Allen [[spoiler:was suffering for years until finally being able to break free in a chapter that was released in 2017.]]
3	** In an extension of the above fatigue, some often cite that the ArcFatigue started from the moment of the weekly-to-monthly switch for the manga; having the story arcs going for much longer periods of real-time then previously before. [[BrokenBase The fans often debate]] if this is because Hoshino doesn't release enough content for a monthly release, and is stuck on a weekly release mind-set, or if it's because the fans themselves can't adjust to the new schedule and can't handle the, now slow, plot advancement then when the manga was on a weekly release.
4	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
5	** The Noah. Either they are a cool group of attractive and creepy badasses that contribute to the series Myth Arc, or a SpotlightStealingSquad that moves the series away from its original premise and their immortality causing them to long overstay their welcome. [[spoiler: Even Skin, who died, is eventually going to be revived.]]
6	** Johnny Gill. You either hate him for being completely irrelevant and a huge crybaby, or you feel sorry for him with all the traumatic experiences he's going through over the course of the story. Or both.
7	* BrokenBase:
8	** The changes to the anime adaptation. Allen's TrainingFromHell is almost a black comedy that makes Cross Marian downright unlikable, and it alters the order of some of the arcs during the first 25 episodes. On the plus side, Kanda comes across as more sympathetic when it comes to his allies during the Noah's Ark arc, and the anime develops a few characters who in the manga barely received characterization before dying (most significantly Suman Dark), as well as make the transition between some arcs less sudden.
9	** [[GenreShift The change of the manga from a traditional battle shonen series to a more mystery driven, drama-centered one]] has caused quite a few divisions between fans. Defenders claim it makes a more interesting and less cliched plot and it makes Allen’s struggle more personal and tragic, while detractors argue that the manga became way too convoluted and confusing at one point to the point of being almost unreadable, while neglecting popular characters (among them two of the main characters) in favor of more controversial ones (such as Johnny). The slow publication rate of the manga doesn’t helps either.
10	* CargoShip: Some fans have decided to ship Lavi with the armchair in which the Noah put him when they captured him and Bookman, as he has been absent from the plot so much they believe love has sparked among them of the time he has remained sit there.
11	* CreepyAwesome:
12	** All Noah are this by default, but the Millennium Earl is particularly badass even by their standards.
13	** Tyki Mikk. He's a sexy badass, yes, but he's a Noah, which means Nightmare Fuel is just part of the package.
14	* DieForOurShip:
15	** Lenalee gets this for getting in the way of Allen/Yu.
16	** Eliade tends to get this a lot from Krory/Miranda fans, which is ridiculous, [[spoiler:since she ''dies'' in Krory's introductory arc.]]
17	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
18	** Komui is fairly popular for being a genuinely funny comic relief character, while also being a serious and professional leader everytime the Black Order was facing a big crisis. It also helps [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure he's one of the few higher-ups who sees the Exorcists under his care as people and not as tools and that he worries about their well-being and safety]], and that his reason for joining the Black Order was to reunite and take care of her traumatized little sister. He has fared well too in the popularity polls despite his role decreasing more and more as the series progresses, ranking in the top 10 in the first poll, and still managing to get into the top 20 in the next ones.
19	** Krory and Miranda are loved by the fandom due their incredibly tragic backstories, as well as their progress throught the series, with Miranda becoming more confident and prettier the more the series advances (while still maintaining her charming gloominess from her introductory arc), and Krory turning into one of the most badass exorcists so far. A proof of their popularity is that, despite not having a great role after the Noah's Ark incident, they ranked the 5th (Miranda) and 6th (Krory) positions in the last popularity poll, surpassing other fan favourites who had a more active role in the latest arc, like Tyki and Road.
20	** In the Noah's side of things, Devit has shown to have quite the following. He got the 6th spot of the 2nd popularity poll, and ranked the 13th in the 3rd one. His brother Jasdero has his share amount of fans too, managing to get into the top 20 in both polls (ranking 13th in the 2nd poll and 17th in the 3rd one). Even their combined form, Jasdevi, managed to get into the top 20 in the second poll, getting the 16th rank.
21	* EstrogenBrigade: Despite being officially marketed for boys (hence the ''shounen'' designation), women make up the vast majority of the series fanbase, in no small part due to the CastFullOfPrettyBoys [[AuthorAppeal deliberately designed that way]] by their female creator, whose art style and storytelling techniques are commonly found in ''shoujo''.
22	* FanNickname:
23	** Due his [[{{Jerkass}} harsh personality]], and, especially, for his... curious choice of mustache, Lvellie is often called [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]] by the fans.
24	** After it was revealed that the name of the 14th Noah is [[spoiler: Nea]], fans started to refer as him as [[spoiler: Nea Walker, using the surname of his brother Mana.]] Eventually, it was revealed that his true full name (as well as [[spoiler: Mana's one]]) is [[spoiler: Nea D. Campbell.]]
25	* FashionVictimVillain: The Noah underwent some strange costume changes after the Japan arc, quite a few of the male characters going from [[BadassInANiceSuit rocking some awesome suits]] to wearing some kind of bizarre belly shirts.
26	* GrowingTheBeard:
27	** The manga starts off as a MonsterOfTheWeek story, regularly introducing new Exorcists, but did not develop completely until the Ark story arc. Then the series went monthly, the story became more complex and the atmosphere greatly changed [[BrokenBase (for better or for worse, depending on who you ask)]], to the point it would be hard to imagine the series running in the Shonen Jump now.
28	** Related to that, most fans agree that the series truly starts picking up during the Fallen One arc. The arcs preceding it, while not bad by any means, mainly serve to introduce the characters and worldbuilding of the setting, having self-containing plots that end in that same arc and mostly dealing with missions of Innocence retrieval or Exorcist recruiting. However, the Fallen One arc begins the quest to find Cross that spans over several chapters, reveals more of the darker side of the Black Order and the Innocence (that until that point was considered a holy weapon to save humankind) and it’s ending [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore changes the course of the story forever]], kickstarting the events leading to the Noah’s Ark incident and Allen’s encounter with Nea’s shadow, which begins the next act of the manga. Coincidentally, the start of the arc in the anime marks the end of the {{filler}} presented in the first half of the animation, and follows the manga faithfully from that point on.
29	* IKnewIt:
30	** The Earl having horns under his hat. Doubly so for those who read ''Zone'', the oneshot that provided the inspiration for the entire series. Also that [[spoiler:his true form is not the big goblin gentleman, but rather a suit to hide his real appearance.]]
31	** On a meta example, there were fans that guessed that ''Hallow'' would be part of Creator/Funimation's summer simulcast season, despite not releasing the second half of the 2006 series on home video for five years until the legal issues between Funimation and Dentsu were sorted out. Turns out they were right. There were also people thinking that licensing ''Hallow'' for simulcast would lead to Funimation licensing the second half of the 2006 series. On June 30, 2016, the company announced just that; the second half of the 2006 series would eventually be released to home video starting October 10, 2017.
32	* IronWoobie: Allen Walker. Why yes, that [[WideEyedIdealist wide-eyed]] [[ThePollyanna smiling]] [[CheerfulChild boy]] was abandoned by his parents, raised in an abusive circus, watched his foster father die, was cursed by said father after some asshole in a top hat tricked him into bringing him back and then was forced to kill him ''personally'', was then taken in by Cross, who [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold despite his attitude]], somewhat [[HairTriggerTemper short temper]] and an obvious lack of experience did have his well-being in mind [[spoiler:and admitted to loving him if he were his own child and has been referred as one of the most important people to Allen, by Allen himself as of recent chapters]] but still put him through [[TrainingFromHell very harsh combat training]] and [[TricksterMentor stuck him with all his debts]], is constantly stuck with missions that carry heavy emotional baggage, was [[spoiler:[[UngratefulBastard betrayed by the organization he works for]]]], and then [[TheReveal found out]] [[spoiler:his foster father was crazy and may have never actually loved him, but [[EnemyWithin the soul of the evil 14th Noah]] [[TomatoInTheMirror that was sealed inside him]]]]. [[spoiler:And ''then'' it's revealed as of late that Allen's foster father, is actually the Millennium Earl, whom Allen hates and wants revenge against, not coming to find yet that he and his foster father are the same person. Then his mentor was attacked, and [[NeverFoundTheBody supposedly killed]], and Allen gets the pleasure of being led to the room by Tim, and seeing his mentor's blood everywhere, along with his mask. Then later coming face to face with the one responsible for his Master's attack, and getting to see what happened in the room that night. So now he's lost the second parental figure in his life, far as he knows. He finally breaks after leaving the Order and realizing he feels lonely and becoming sensitive, which gets worse after Tim gets reduced to dust and Allen realizes he lost both Tim and Cross, both of whom are incredibly important to him.]]
33	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt:
34	** As final as Allen’s DisneyDeath at the climax of the Fallen One arc may look, very few readers and viewers thought the main character would die so soon into the series. It doesn’t take much to show that Allen survived due to his Innocence saving his life. More obvious in the anime because [[SpoilerOpening the opening where these events happen shows Allen with his upgraded Innocence Crown Clown]], which he obtains in the following arc.
35	** In a similar situation, after [[TakingYouWithMe Lenalee apparently sacrifices herself taking down Eshi]], the possibility that she may be dead is brought as a serious matter and her allies in Anita’s ship (especially Lavi) get very worried that the result of the fight might have been fatal for her. Fans however really doubted that the heroine of the manga would die in such a way. Surely, Lenalee turns out to be alive thanks to her Innocence saving her like the above case with Allen.
36	** The Noah’s Ark arc features several of the heroes apparently dying when the crumbling rooms of the Ark finally give up and disappear in the nothingness with them falling into the void of the now empty dimension, including Kanda, Krory, Chaozii and Lavi. Since among those were two main characters, not many really bought that they would be gone for good. They were proven right when Allen brings back the entire Ark thanks to the melody of the 14th Noah, who also returns his friends along with the rooms.
37	** The confrontation with Alma ended with Kanda apparently dying alongside his beloved friend/partner in what looked like a perfect send off for the character. Later, it is shown that his Innocence has rusted and is unusable, which Zu Mei Chang declares it’s a sign he’s dead for good. Even with all this proof, a section of fans put his demise into doubt, as Kanda himself was never seen dying and, with him being the most popular character of the series, the chance that Hoshino would really kill him off seemed low. Those fans turned out to be right when, just after Allen escapes from the Order, Kanda not only turns out to be alive and well, but also turns out that the reason why his Innocence got rusted was because it was waiting for him to evolve into Crystal Type.
38	* MemeticLoser: Lavi has become the object of mockery and memes among fans for his lack of screentime after the Noah's Ark arc and being DemotedToExtra despite being one of the main characters, with even Hoshino poking fun at that in one of the omakes from the manga. This reached a new whole scale when Lavi was captured (off-screen no less) by the Noah at the end of the Artificial Exorcists arc and held as a hostage to make Bookman reveal the truth of the 14th Noah, with his last scene onscreen being Sheryl furiously slamming him against a wall to threaten Bookman. Following that, he hasn’t appeared at all in the manga except for flashbacks and imaginary spots, with fans wondering if he will even reappear at some point. It’s noteworthy to say he has been absent for '''an entire decade'''.
39	* {{Moe}}: Allen Walker. Among fandom, he's commonly described as "cute" and "very huggable." Also, being a wide-eyed CheerfulChild helps.
40	* MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler:The Black Order upper echelons when they ordered the creation of both The Second and Third Exorcist projects. Or if not that, when they order the execution of Allen.]]
41	* NarmCharm: Jasdevi's FusionDance. Relatedly, the Level 4 Akuma would look outright ''stupid'' if they weren't so terrifying.
42	* OneSceneWonder:
43	** Despite only being in a couple of chapters [[spoiler: before being killed]], Daisya Barry was well received by the fandom, thanks to his sarcastic personality and unique way of using his Innocence like a soccer player. It is noteworthy to mention that he has always managed to place in the top 20 in the popularity polls (outranking other, way more active characters) despite his brief role in the plot. For that, [[AdaptationExpansion the anime]] gave him more scenes, revealed his backstory and [[spoiler: expanded the scene where he dies]].
44	** In spite of only appearing in a single fight, [[EliteMook Eshi]] is remembered fondly by the fans due his spectacular fight with Lenalee, [[Creator/RyuseiNakao his memorable voice]] and for [[WakeUpCallBoss introducing the threat of the Level 3 Akuma to the audience]].
45	* ParanoiaFuel: Akuma run on this. As they hide in the human society wearing the skin of the person who summoned them, they can remain undetected as long as they desire and can commit their murders with no one suspecting them. And while Level 1 Akuma tend to be single-minded and robotic, Level 2s and above are shown to be way more cunning and devious in their methods, which makes them even more dangerous. So far the only way to detect an Akuma before they reveal their status as one is with Allen’s cursed eye, who can see their souls after he was cursed by Mana when he was a child. Normal Exorcists have no way of finding out who is and isn’t an Akuma, however, [[ProperlyParanoid which makes them more nervous and distrustful against common people]]. In fact, the story has Allen go through an episode where his eye is unable to work due to the injuries he received in the Rewinding Town arc, which makes him understand the fear and paranoia all of his comrades normally feel when they’re on the job.
46	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Quite a few people found Miranda Lotto to be incredibly annoying during the Rewinding Town arc. Fortunately, it doesn't even take until the end of the arc for her to get a ''lot'' better.
47	* TheScrappy: Chaozii Han to a lot of the fans of the series, probably due to being one of the few non-bishonen male characters. His [[spoiler: turning on Allen without question when the Order declares him an enemy]] didn't help matters, either.
48	* {{Squick}}: Cyril is ''way'' too touchy-feely with Tyki (who may - pending canon confirmation to take this out of {{fanon}} - be his brother) and Road (his adopted daughter). Cyril loves "playing house" so much, it gives him a ''{{nosebleed}}.'' For their part, Tyki thoroughly dislikes Cyril's attentions while Road is either oblivious or doesn't care. [[spoiler: Being way older than she looks and possibly being a paedophile might have something to do with that]].
49	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The artistic changes done to the character designs in the ''Hallow'' anime, as well as some of the changes of seiyu, were met by unfavourable reviews most noticeably Yu Kanda's recast. It was probably inevitable, as most of the viewers had grown accustomed to the previous anime's designs.
50	* TooCoolToLive: Eshii. He had [[Franchise/DragonBall Frieza]] as his seiyuu, beats two badass Exorcists, and forced a third to go all out, has gravity powers, and is a capable fighter. He's also the only Level Three, [[spoiler: that doesn't get reduced to a humiliating state or beaten easily]].
51	* ViewerGenderConfusion: Jasdero is very bishounen, and has long blonde hair, and without the makeup looks very feminine. His fusion with Devit, Jasdevi, takes this up to eleven, having long blond hair with black highlights, and now sporting black lipstick.
52	* TheWoobie: The series is filled with them:
53	** [[TheProtagonist Allen]] himself. Check the entry under IronWoobie.
54	** [[StepfordSmiler Lenalee]]. Her DarkAndTroubledPast has left her pretty bitter and broken beneath her [[ThePollyanna smiling facade]].
55	** Considering his past, Lavi could easily be counted as one.
56	** Miranda was already a wreck before her introduction, and [[HarmfulHealing the nature of her Innocence]] doesn't exactly help matters. Perpetually depressed and stuck in a StableTimeLoop for who knows how long, her one reprieve comes upon meeting Allen and Lenalee. She then however has to witness them be brutally tortured by Road, and after awakening the true power of her Innocence, is afraid to deactivate it knowing it would cause her first true friends to regain their wounds. Even after becoming an Exorcist, she still suffers from extremely low self-esteem and the pressure of being the closest thing to TheMedic the Exorcists have, only compounded further when [[spoiler:Allen is branded a traitor and forced to leave the Black Order.]]
57	** Kanda, falls in the JerkassWoobie category after his horrible past is revealed. After the Second exorcist arc, he has also softened up to Allen, as he literally risked his life to let Kanda bid a peaceful farewell to Alma, further garnering a lot of fans' sympathy for him.
58	** The Akuma is general could be seen as this, though it would be more precise to put them in the WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds category. At the end of the day, these are really, ''really'' tragic beings; not only have they been forced to kill their own loved ones(who were in mourning, no less), but then are made to inhabit that body... and have no option but to keep killing, as they have no control over their actions. All of this, while the soul is completely ''aware'' of all the things it's being forced to do. And the only way out of this torment is their destruction. Just thinking about it is [[NightmareFuel horrifying enough]]. Allen definitely isn't wrong when he says that they are extremely sad beings that shouldn't exist.
59	** MANA. Full stop. In his 50 years of life the man has witnessed the death of his family at the hand of his twin, been tricked into thinking he murdered his own mother, been forced to murder his LivingEmotionalCrutch, been possessed by the in-universe version of Satan (and forced on the run from him), been mind wiped and mind raped, and then finally gaslit into an IdentityBreakdown so severe he thinks the Noah (who secretly despise him) are his family and can't recognize Allen as his own son.

Context YMMV / DGrayMan