[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nys_1985.jpeg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:You'll come for the X. You'll stay for the Y.]]
->''"Wrestling/JohnCena may put asses in seats, but [[Wrestling/TheWorldsGreatestTagTeam Charlie Haas]] will make them sit on the edge."''
-->-- '''Website/UrbanDictionary'''

You're browsing around, and you find out about something that looks neat. A new TV show, a new movie, a new book, maybe a video game. You don't know anything about it, but it looks neat. Something about it jumps out at you. Could be the humor, could be the action, could be the eye-candy. So you decide to try it out.

And it turns out the show is pretty good, too, and you like it. But over time, you start to like it for a completely different reason. This show with the cute lead character actually has an interesting side character with an in-depth story that you're really getting into. Or this movie might be very funny, but it also has some great undercurrents of drama that you weren't expecting, and that really jump out at you. Either way, you end up really liking the show/movie/book/game/etc for a reason completely different from why you started to check it out.

This is an example of Come for the X Stay for the Y. You originally start to get into something for reason X, but in the end, it's reason Y that causes you to get hooked and stick around. Or, you may have initially been JustHereForGodzilla (and still want that) but ultimately took a shine to another element. The x reason for coming is something clearly visible in the first episode you see or earlier, and is interesting enough to tune in, but not to regularly follow a show with devotion. The Y reason for staying is something that it takes time to learn about the show, but is sufficient reason to continue to follow it. For example, viewers tuned into ''Series/StargateSG1'' because they enjoyed the movie, liked Richard Dean Anderson in ''Series/MacGyver1985'', liked science fiction, or just had a showtime subscription. Those things got them in the door, but would not be reasons to continue watching for years. The show actually gained viewership over the next 7 years because, while new people tuned in, long-time viewers continued to be interested due to other factors such as the story arcs, the relationships and interaction, the humor, and other factors worth tuning in for. The action, the amazing sets, the attractive stars, and other good aspects of ''SG-1'' might be nice pluses, are not really a Y. A Y is something unique and special about a show that makes it worthy to continue watching over time.

A note when adding examples: if you believe the X and Y can be flipped, the example doesn't fit here. If your X for coming to see the show, read the book or whatever is reason to keep reading or watching, then you came for X and stayed for X and this doesn't belong here. So, for example for the Bible one shouldn't write come for the Word of God, stay for the entertaining stories because most people who start reading for religious reasons might find it more enjoyable because of stories and like many non religious things about the Bible, but ultimately would read it purely for religious reasons alone. Likewise, a comedy show doesn't a Y of being funny as viewers tune in already for the reason of humor. In no situation is fan service ever a Y, especially for a show rated MA for nudity. This also is not simply a place to list shows you enjoy and what you like about them, it is for things where interest was originally for one things, but people stayed for another. Stargate SG-1 is a perfect example because it is very different from the Stargate Movie or [=McGyver=], but had many people tune in for those reasons, but who stayed because of unexpected aspects of the show such as the humor (something not present in the original movie). Playboy is another great example as many people originally subscribed for the nudity, but continued to read it even after nudity was removed because they valued the articles. In an era of free porn, Playboy would not have survived as people subscribing and paying money for naked pictures.

The TropeNamer is believed to be a [[https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=CLkBAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA11#v=onepage&q&f=false New York tourism campaign from 1985]]:
->You'll come for the foliage. You'll stay for the fairs.
->You'll come for the mountains. You'll stay for the music.
->You'll come for the great falls. You'll stay for the great wine.
->You'll come for the country air. You'll stay for the country inns.

See also SexSells, which is probably the largest sub-trope of this. WatchItForTheMeme may lead to this. Compare IReadItForTheArticles and contrast JustHereForGodzilla (where the X is all that counts).

Not to be confused with JustForFun/XMeetsY where a work or character is described as a fusion of other works or characters. Also not to be confused with ComeForTheGameStayForTheMods.
----
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Studio T-Rex: Come for the {{Hentai}}, stay for the incredibly smooth animation.
* ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'': Come for the harem of ridiculously titanic proportions, stay for the [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth wall breaks]], well-rounded characters, and the mega [[Webcomic/VirginVsChad Chad]] male lead.
* ''Manga/AssassinationClassroom'': Come for the teacher assassination, stay for the wacky humor and SugarWiki/{{WAFF}}.
** Come for the bizarre premise, stay for the character development and {{Wham Episode}}s.
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': Come for the AnyoneCanDie theme, stay for the realistic and intriguing WarIsHell storyline, and the characters.
* ''Anime/AzumangaDaioh'': Come for the cute pigtailed [[TheCutie Chiyo]] and the silly [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Osaka]], stay for the surprisingly well-written teen friendships.
* ''Literature/{{Baccano}}'': Come for the levels of gore on par with a Creator/QuentinTarantino movie, stay for [[SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing the best English dub since]] ''Anime/CowboyBebop''.
** {{Fangirl}}s [[MrFanservice come for]] [[DecoyProtagonist Firo]] [[MrFanservice and stay for]] [[AxCrazy Vino]].
* ''Manga/BoboboboBobobo'': Come for the SurrealHumor, stay for the ArchivePanic.
* ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'': Come for the ninja fights, stay for the touching drama.
* ''[[Manga/{{BECK|1999}} BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad]]'': Come for the awesome [[{{Woolseyism}} dubbed music]], stay for the best SliceOfLife this side of ''Series/TheWonderYears''.
* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': Come for Guts being a badass, stay for the compelling, human story and character development.
* ''Manga/BlackButler'': Come for Sebastian and the {{Ho Yay}}, stay for the compelling plot-line.
* ''Manga/BlackClover'': Come for the action and magic, stay for the surprisingly intricate storytelling and cast.
* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'': Come for the over-the-top Tarantino action, stay for the surprisingly deep philosophizing.
** Come for [[SociopathicHero Revy]], stay for the other [[ActionGirl action girls]].
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Come for the spinning leeks, stay for the sword fights.
** Come for the sword fights, stay for the characters.
* ''Manga/BootyRoyaleNeverGoDownWithoutAFight'': The manga is unabashedly ''ecchi'', with ample fanservice and sex scenes, both yuri and straight. However, once it begins its tournament arc, it has genuinely exciting and accurate fight scenes, with behind the scenes drama and tension to boot. It never stops being fanservice, but readers may come to realize they prefer the action to the smut.
* ''Anime/BrigadoonMarinAndMelan:'' Come for the robot battles, stay for the heart-wringing drama. Or, come for the SliceOfLife, stay for the epic science fiction adventure.
* ''Anime/CandyBoy'': Come for the hope of some {{Twincest}} {{Yuri|Genre}}, stay for a surprisingly sweet show about sisters, with some real heartwarming moments.
* ''Literature/CatPlanetCuties'': Come for the big-boobed alien {{catgirl}}, stay for the spy thriller.
* ''Manga/ACentaursLife'': Come for the {{cute monster girl}}s, stay for the [[PoliticalCorrectnessIsEvil political satire]].
* ''Chu-Bra'': Come for the {{Fanservice}}, stay for the character relationships and your brand new understanding of what middle-school girls go through.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Come for the mecha and WorldOfHam (and glorious Fanservice), stay for MORE ham and the resident MagnificentBastard's epic tactical [[ThePlan plan]]s while observing the fairly realistic feudal and social politics. And for why this show has a BrokenBase nearly as epic.
* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'':
** Come for the space battles, stay for the [[HeroicBloodshed Hong Kong Blood Opera]].
** Come for the spaceships and gunfights, stay for Spike (and [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Ed]]).
** Come for the action, stay for the ''[[AwesomeMusic/CowboyBebop soundtrack]]''.
** Come for the [[Music/YokoKanno soundtrack]], stay for the characters and the gorgeous art.
* ''Anime/CrossAnge'': Come for the fanservice and the controversy, stay for the action scenes, fleshed out characters and story.
* ''Anime/CyberpunkEdgerunners'': Come for the ultra-violent action and [[VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077 faithful recreation of the game's setting]], stay for [[Heartwarming/CyberpunkEdgerunners David and Lucy's heartfelt romance]], the social commentary, and [[EnsembleDarkhorse Rebecca]].
* ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'': Come for the vicious subversion of everything that makes the superhero genre what it is, stay for the surprisingly sympathetic characters and Music/YokoKanno [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic soundtrack]].
* ''Anime/DarlingInTheFranxx'': Come for Zero Two and the [[VisualInnuendo innuendo-driven]] action, stay for the [[Heartwarming/DarlingInTheFranxx incredibly moving]] love story.
* ''Literature/DateALive'': Come for the cute girls and the hilarity, stay for the interesting characters and the dark and intricate story.
* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Come for the [[MundaneMadeAwesome potato chips]], stay for the {{Magnificent Bastard}}s.
** For this one, it was Come for ThePlan, stay for the ''multiple'' {{Gambit Roulette}}s and the GambitPileup.
*** Admit it: ''Somebody'' came for the sexual tension and stayed because [[GambitIndex you had to.]] [[note]] Or vice versa...[[/note]]
** Or, come for the Shinigami, stay for the {{Gambit Roulette}}s... [[AffablyEvil and]] [[SociopathicHero Kira]].
** Or come for the delicately unresolved social commentary and ethical debate, stay for the coffee-fetching ButtMonkey, for some fans.
** Come to find out ''how'', exactly, one tracks down an untrackable killer, stay for the intricate plots and the excellent soundtrack.
* ''Manga/DescendantsOfDarkness'': Come for the supernatural detectives, stay for the character development and handsome death gods.
* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': Come for the [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant fighting monsters,]] stay for the very compelling and [[CharacterDevelopment constantly evolving]] characters, well written plots and the awesome soundtrack.
** For most seasons Come for the plot, stay for digivolutions.
* ''Literature/DirtyPair'': come for [[{{Fanservice}} the two girls in skimpy outfits]] and StuffBlowingUp, stay for the hilarious banter between said girls, and what turns out to be a generally good sci-fi action comedy.
* ''Manga/DrStone'': Come for the post-apocalyptic setting due to TakenForGranite, stay to watch how exactly does a lone scientist restore civilisation from scratch.
* ''Manga/DontMeddleWithMyDaughter'':
** Come for the SugarWiki/AwesomeArt and fanservice, stay for the hilarious superhero parody about a MILF trying to protect her 17 year old daughter.
** Or come for all the fanservice, then keep reading to see when, [[AllWomenArePrudes or IF]], anyone ever succeeds in [[VirginTension taking Clara's virginity.]]
* ''Manga/DragonBall'': Come for the RapidFireFisticuffs and explosions, stay for the quirky and fun characters and story, and the occasional truly poignant moment.
* ''Manga/ElfenLied'': Come for the {{Gorn}} and {{Fanservice}}, stay for the [[TheWoobie sympathetic]] and wonderfully human characters and ''[[TearJerker/ElfenLied heart-wrenchingly]]'' tragic story.
* ''Anime/EurekaSeven'': Come for the HumongousMecha on surfboards, stay for the awesome story line and catchy music.
* ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'': Come for the football games, stay for the [[Funny/{{Eyeshield21}} hilarious comedy]], likeable characters, and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt lush artwork]].
* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Come for the Fanservice and Badass magic, stay for the Nakama and other Heartwarming moments.
* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'': Come for the Badass protagonist and his way of making foes [[YouAreAlreadyDead already dead]], stay for the other Badasses and the ManlyTears.
* ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'': Come for the Gainax MindScrew and endless sexual symbolism, stay for [[CrazyIsCool Haruko]].
** Alternatively, come for the GainaxEnding, stay for the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic.
* ''Manga/FoodWars'': Come for the FanService, stay for the awesome food battles.
* ''Manga/FrankenFran'': Come for the implied yuri and fanservice, stay for the over the top BodyHorror and black comedy.
* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'': Come for the funnies, stay for the heartwarming.
** Alternately, come for one character, stay for ALL of them.
** Another alternative is to come for the silly, ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''-esque [[InvoluntaryShapeshifter transformation]] hijinks, stay for the [[CerebusSyndrome gradually more serious plot]] and deeper exploration of the characters.
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'':
** Come for Scar, stay for [[BigGood Hohenheim]], though less so in ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003''.
** Or, come for the kickass battles, stay for the likable characters.
* ''Manga/FutureDiary'': Come for [[{{Yandere}} Yuno]], stay for the developing relationship between her and Yukiteru.
** Or, alternatively, come for [[{{Yandere}} Yuno]], stay to see what other crazy, over-the-top and complicated scheme will the Diary Holders cook up to kill each other.
* ''Anime/FutureGPXCyberFormula'': Come for the {{Cool Car}}s, stay for the UsefulNotes/FormulaOne references and the exciting storyline.
* ''Gakuen Handsome'': Come for the [[SoBadItsGood laughably bad art and animation]], stay for the bizarre humor and unironically funny execution.
* ''VisualNovel/GakuenHeaven'': come for the actual HoYay, stay for the well-rounded characters and the [[ChildhoodMarriagePromise overdose]] of cute. Also, the catchy theme-tune and the decent animation.
* ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'': Come for the ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' tie-in, stay for the eye bleeding visual quality, deep character relations, and Music/YukiKajiura [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic soundtrack]].
* ''Manga/GetBackers'': Come for the HoYay and {{Fanservice}}, stay for the surprisingly intricate plot.
* ''Manga/GhostTalkersDaydream'': Come for the awesome artwork and {{fanservice}} (i.e. Misaki), stay for the compelling mysteries, well written characters, and plot.
* ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'': Come for the {{Moe}}, stay for the [[TankGoodness awesome tank battles]].
* ''Anime/{{Grenadier}}'': Come for the {{Fanservice}} and stay for the action and ImprobableAimingSkills.
* ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'': (As suggested on Reddit) Come for the [[UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny Mobile Suit battles]], stay for [[BelligerentSexualTension The]] [[ShipTease Meatbun]] [[Memes/{{Gundam}} Chronicles]]...
* ''Anime/GunXSword'': Come for the mid-air [[HumongousMecha mecha swordfights]], stay for the characters, the quirky sense of humor, and the tight, fast-paced plotting of the last 15 episodes.
* ''Manga/GunslingerGirl'': Come for [[BadassAdorable little girls kicking ass]], stay for the touching and well-executed drama centered around the girls and the political subplots.
* ''Manga/HajimeNoIppo:'' Come for the boxing, stay for the [[CharacterDevelopment personality growth]].
* ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' - Come for the {{dancing|Theme}} and [[MemeticMutation smoked cheese]], stay for the engaging story and complex characters.
** Also, come for [[GenkiGirl Haruhi]], stay for [[DeadpanSnarker Kyon]], [[HoYay Koizumi]], [[{{Moe}} Mikuru]], and [[BadassBookworm Nagato]].
* ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'': Come for the meta and fourth wall jokes, stay for the characters and the heartwarming moments.
* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': Come for the OTT violence, stay for the awesome plot.
** Alternatively: come for the violence, stay for Creator/{{Crispin Freeman}}'s Alucard and the Creator/NorioWakamoto-voiced Alexander.
** How about this: Come for the ultra-violent action-packed scenarios, stay for an excellent English Dub.
* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'': Come for the historical references, stay for the quirky characters and the [[HoYay/HetaliaAxisPowers Ho Yay]].
** Come for the [[BrokenBase infamous]] {{Fandom}}, stay for [[AwesomeEgo Prussia.]]
** Come for the HoYay, stay for [[MemeticMolester Russia]].
** Come for the HoYay, stay for the surprisingly in-depth (usually) {{Fandom}}.
* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'': Come for the "killer lolis" and horror, stay for the [[BadEnd depressing]] [[DownerEnding storyline]], TrueCompanions and [[HotBlooded willingness to stop]] the [[GroundhogDayLoop everlasting June]]... Also, the [[PseudoRomanticFriendship yuri]]-[[FanServiceWithASmile filled]] [[InnocentFanserviceGirl official art]].
** Also, the numerous {{Image Song}}s and ThePowerOfFriendship.
** The manga: Come for a better adaptation or just because you love the series, stay for everything you said took to eleven with sound novel stuff drizzled over it.
* ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'': Come for the Fanservice, Stay for the entertaining characters, interesting plot, awesome fight scenes, and all-around hilarity.
* ''Manga/HighschoolOfTheDead'': Take your pick. Either:
** Come for [[ZombieApocalypse the zombie outbreak]] and over-the-top action - stay for [[BestKnownForTheFanservice the gratuitous fanservice]] and in-your-face innuendo.
** Or: come for all the T&A, and stay to see how a group of teenagers learn to adjust to the harsh reality of life AfterTheEnd.
* ''Manga/HunterXHunter'': Come because it's by the [[Creator/YoshihiroTogashi author]] of ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', stay for the worldbuilding, surprisingly [[DarkerAndEdgier dark]]-yet-[[Heartwarming/HunterXHunter heartfelt]] story, and [[DeconstructorFleet unique take]] on {{Shonen}} manga... and then stay because you have to wait for the next chapter as [[SeriesHiatus the series goes on yet another long break]].
* ''Manga/ICantUnderstandWhatMyHusbandIsSaying'': Come for the comedy and {{Shout Out}}s, stay for the surprisingly deep romance.
* ''Manga/InitialD'': Come for the eurobeat, stay for the racing/street slang.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': Come for the [[{{Kiai}} "Ora Ora"]] and [[CarFu steamrollers]], stay for the epic battles of wits.
** Come for the [[VideoGame/JojosBizarreAdventureHeritageForTheFuture Capcom fighting game]], stay for the manga and anime it's based on.
** [[WatchItForTheMeme Comes for the infamous DIO's meme]], [[FountainOfMemes stay for other memes]], [[FanService play the]] [[VideoGame/JojosBizarreAdventureAllStarBattle games]] for EVEN more memes.
* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'': Come for the animation and soundtrack, stay for the A-grade NightmareFuel and a gripping story.
* ''Anime/{{K}}'': Come for the [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome beautiful animation]], SceneryPorn and {{Fanservice}}, stay for the engaging plot and great characters.
** {{Fujoshi}}, once the anime was aired: Come for [[HoYay KuroShiro]], stay for [[FoeYayShipping SaruMi/MikotoReisi]].
* ''Manga/KOn'': Come for the guitar play, stay for the [[SliceOfLife slice-of-life]] {{Moe}}.
** Or the other way around.
* ''Franchise/KagerouProject'': Come for the music, stay for the colourful cast of characters and [[TearJerker their interwoven tragedies]].
* ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'': Come for the over the top mind games and the Chika Dance, stay for the heartwarming romance and CharacterDevelopment.
* ''Manga/KamenNoMaidGuy'': Come for Naeka's boobs, stay for Kogarashi's [[CrazyIsCool awesomeness]]... and ActionGirl {{meido}} Fubuki.
* ''Literature/{{Kanokon}}'': Come for the fanservice, stay to see if it'll accept it is softcore porn and show some nipple.
** Which it does, if only for a handful of frames.
* ''Manga/{{Keijo}}'':
** Come for the [[{{Fanservice}} booty]], stay for the story.
** Come for the boobs, stay for the quirky and fun characters, the well animated and action-packed fights and the occasional truly poignant moment.
* ''Anime/KemonoFriends'': Come for the [[MoeAnthropomorphism cute ]] [[LittleBitBeastly animal girls]], stay for the silliness and the mystery surrounding Japari Park.
** Alternatively, come to make jokes about the hilariously cheap animation, stay for charming quirks of the [[LittleBitBeastly animal girls]] and the relaxing vibe of the storylines.
* ''Anime/KiddyGrade'': Come for the fanservice (and some hints of HoYay), stay for the philosophical thoughts and SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments.
* ''Anime/KillLaKill'': Come for the [[{{Stripperiffic}} ridiculously skimpy outfits]] the main characters wear and the incredibly over the top fight scenes, stay for the amount of likable (and [[LoveToHate hatable]]) and fleshed out characters.
* ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh'': Come for the HoYay, stay for the surprisingly dramatic plot and the protagonist's sincere devotion to his ideals.
* ''Franchise/LittleWitchAcademia'': Come for the {{cute witch}}es, stay for the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt beautiful visuals]], endearing and unique characters, and the incredibly charming atmosphere of both [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2013 the]] [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademiaTheEnchantedParade films]] and [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia2017 the series]].
** Alternatively, come for [[MemeticMutation "Anime Harry Potter"]], stay for the [[LGBTFanbase yuri fandom]]. Unless you were brought in by the aforementioned yuri fandom, that is.
* ''Manga/LoveAfterWorldDomination'': Come for the campy sentai parody and the DatingCatwoman premise, stay for the ''incredibly'' wholesome and drama-free relationship between the two leads.
* ''Anime/LoveLive'': Come for the cute girls and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic music]], stay for the surprisingly well-written characters and their funny antics.
* ''Manga/LuckyStar''. Come for the Haruhi references, stay for the lovable characters.
** Alternatively, come for Konata, stay for Kagami, Akira, and Misao (as well as the rest).
* ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'': Come out of a misguided loyalty to Robotech, stay for the epic soundtrack and frenetic space battling robots.
* ''Manga/MadeInAbyss'': Come for the character development, worldbuilding and SugarWiki/AwesomeArt, stay for the [[DisguisedHorrorStory dark themes]] and [[BreakTheCutie suffering]].
* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' is based upon this: come for the TokenMiniMoe of ''VideoGame/TriangleHeart3SweetSongsForever'' doing cute things (not to mention the {{fanservice}}), stay for the deep plot, the well-developed world and technology, and a [[GenreMashup genre-blend]] you've never seen before. Look at the evolution of the logo, the music and the episodes; it starts like a typical MagicalGirl series, but when [[GrowingTheBeard things get further]], it resembles a HumongousMecha series progressively more and more. Of course, now the whole thing's been reversed... see Video Games below.
** In short, come for cute loli MagicalGirl, stay for the drama. And the fighting. And [[MemeticMutation befrien]][[DefeatMeansFriendship ding]].
** Come for {{Badass|Adorable}} '''[[BadassAdorable Adorable]]''', stay for '''BADASS''' [[BadassAdorable Adorable]].
** The vast amount of cute females, lack of males, and lesbian subtext can make you stay too.
* ''Manga/MakenKi'':
** Manga version: come for Takeda Hiromitsu's art and character designs, stay for the intriguing conspiracy plot and [[CharacterFocus character driven arcs.]]
** Anime version: come for [[WorldOfBuxom all the boobs]] and [[MaleGaze zoom-lensed upskirt shots]] of [[MsFanservice Himegami's]] [[OncePerEpisode camel toe]], stay for some pretty cool fight scenes.
* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Come for the HumongousMecha action, stay for the endearing characters and drama.
* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'': Come for the {{Bishonen}} (and the girls aren't too bad to look at either, though they receive far less attention), stay for the obligatory HumongousMecha battles... and plenty of debate over war and peace.
* ''Manga/MonsterMusume'': Come for the CuteMonsterGirl {{Fanservice}}, stay for the comedy and lovable characters.
* ''Manga/MyBalls'': [[{{Pun}} Come]] for the hentai, stay for the comedy.
* ''Manga/MyDressUpDarling'': Come for the cosplay and the {{Fanservice}}, stay for the impressive character dynamics between the two leads and the [[AnAesop moral lesson]] that one shouldn't be judged for their hobbies.
* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Come for the superhero action, stay for the feels and interesting plot lines.
* ''Anime/MyHime'': Come for the fanservice and [[FanPreferredCouple lesbians]] that the fanbase always seems to talk about, stay for the fanservice, humor, and characterization.
* ''Manga/MyLovelyGhostKana'': Come for the hentai, stay for the heartwarming.
* ''Anime/NajicaBlitzTactics'': Come for the pantyshots, stay for the SpyFiction and Blade Runner-esque DoAndroidsDream themes.
* ''Manga/NanaAndKaoru'': Come for BDSM, stay for character development.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': Come for the {{ninja}}s, stay for the FanDumb.
** Come for the {{ninja}}s, stay for the world building and deep back-story.
** Or just come to see what all the fuss is about, and stay for the interesting plot development.
** Or come to see what the fuss is about, and stay for your new favorite [[EnsembleDarkhorse side character]].
** Come for the dubbed anime on Toonami, stay for Sasuke's possible HeelFaceTurn and favorite pairing outcome.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' Come for the {{fanservice}} from ''Manga/LoveHina'' {{Expy}}s, stay for the humor and ([[RuleOfCool epic]]) {{shonen|Demographic}} action.
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'': Come for the [[InnocentFanserviceGirl naked]] {{Moe}} girl (or [[WorkHardPlayHard Misato]]... or [[{{Tsundere}} Asuka]]), stay for the {{Deconstruction}}. [[MisaimedFandom And to watch the director cry himself to sleep when you find Rei attractive.]]
* ''Manga/NoMatterHowILookAtItItsYouGuysFaultImNotPopular'': Come for the CringeComedy with a socially-awkward protagonist [[ThisLoserIsYou who's basically you]], stay to watch her [[ComingOfAgeStory grow into a better person]].
* ''Literature/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'': Come for the {{moe}} [[DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu Cthulhu]], stay for the {{reference|Overdosed}}s.
* ''Manga/{{Noragami}}'': Come for Yato, stay for the [[Funny/{{Noragami}} laughs]], the [[Tearjerker/{{Noragami}} tears]], and the [[Heartwarming/{{Noragami}} "awww!"]].
* ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'': Come for the sugary magic and fantasy, stay for the CharacterDevelopment, character interaction, the recurring SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments, and the overall drama.
* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Come for the amazing things you heard about this show, stay for the [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments hilarious]], the [[TearJerker emotional]], the [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments warm]], and the [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome hardcore]] moments. [[TakeAThirdOption Or everything, really.]]
* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': Come for the humor, stay for the character development.
** Or come for the {{Bishonen}}, stay for the humor and {{Shoujo|Demographic}} [[AffectionateParody parodying]].
* ''Manga/PandoraHearts'': Come for the [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys sheer amount]] of {{Bishonen}}, stay for the deep characters, the complex storyline, the [[NightmareFuel/PandoraHearts Nightmare Fuel]], and of course, the CastFullOfPrettyBoys.
* ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'': Come for the [[LovelyAngels sexy heroines]], stay for the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''-esque humor.
* ''Manga/{{Parasyte}}'': Come for the [[BodyHorror body horror]], stay for the [[BuddyPicture buddy story]].
* ''Anime/{{Potemayo}}'': Come for the [[Manga/AzumangaDaioh Chiyo-chan]]-level [[UsefulNotes/{{Kawaisa}} cute]], stay for the many varied styles of humour and high weirdness.
* ''Anime/PrettyCure'': Come for the cute girls, stay for the some of the best ass-kicking fights of its genre.
** ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'': Come for the {{Magical Girl}}s, stay for the immense asskicking and friendship.
** ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar'': Come because you liked the first series, stay for the epic Cure power upgrades.
** ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'': Come because there are five Cures now, stay to see the first mascot become a Cure.
** ''Anime/FreshPrettyCure'': Come for the new cast following the filler of ''Yes! 5 [=Go!Go!=]'', stay for the dancing, action, and [[TheCutie Chiffon]].
** ''Anime/SuitePrettyCure'': Come for the new take on the original series, stay for the awesome music.
** ''Anime/SmilePrecure'': Come because you came across ''Glitter Force'' on Netflix, stay for the strong characters and powerful messages.
** ''Anime/HappinessChargePrettyCure'': Come for the cameos from previous Cures, stay for the friendship dynamics.
** ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'': Come for the beautiful Cure outfits, stay for the amazing animation and strong characters.
** ''Anime/MahoGirlsPrecure'': Come for the cute witches, stay for the LesYay.
** ''Anime/KiraKiraPrecureALaMode'': Come for the adorable bunny protagonist, stay to learn dessert recipes.
** ''Anime/HugttoPrettyCure'': Come for [[TheCutie Hugtan]], stay for the darker storyline and interesting Cure dynamics.
** ''Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure'': Come for the adorable alien Cure and fairy, stay for the unique story and to see the end card's horoscopes.
** ''Anime/HealinGoodPrettyCure'': Come because you need something cute to get you through 2020, stay for the riveting storyline and amazing characters.
** ''Anime/TropicalRougePrettyCure'': Come for Laura, stay for the humour.
** ''Anime/DeliciousPartyPrettyCure'': Come because you just can't get enough ''Anime/PrettyCure'', stay for the character development and adorable characters.
** ''Anime/HirogaruSkyPrettyCure'': Come because holy crap, [[BreakingOldTrends they broke all the Precure rules]], stay for the LesYay, awesome characters, and cameos from previous Cures.
* ''Anime/PrincessTutu'': Come for the ridiculous premise and MagicalGirl, stay for the deep characters, original plot, and affecting story.
* ''Manga/PrisonSchool'': Come for the I-can't-believe-it's-not-{{Hentai}}, stay for the GambitPileup and XanatosSpeedChess.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Come for the [[PuniPlush adorable]] {{Magical Girl}}s, stay for the tragic storyline, the [[DesignStudentsOrgasm art direction]], [[EldritchAbomination the witches]], and [[AwesomeMusic/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica the music]].
** Come to see a {{Deconstruction}} for the MagicalGirl genre, stay for the well-thought out {{Tragedy}} and [[TheWoobie Homura]].
* ''Anime/QueensBlade'': Come for the {{Fanservice}}, [[PantyFighter focus on warrior women]], stay for the [[GrowingTheBeard interesting story line and intriguing characters]]. And of course more [=Fanservice=].
* ''Manga/Reborn2004'': Come for the CastFullOfPrettyBoys, Stay for the Interesting Plot.
** Come for the Comedy, Stay for the GenreShift and Plot
* ''Anime/ReCreators'': Come for the [[RageAgainstTheAuthor plot]], stay for the amazing music and great characters.
* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'': Come for the [[HoYay/RevolutionaryGirlUtena Les Yay]], stay for the complex character relationships and the MindScrew.
* ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'': In TheEighties, it was come for the giant transforming robots, stay for a compelling and unpredictable science fiction SoapOpera that broke ''all'' the rules about television animation in North America.
** Or, more trivially, come for the sci-fi and the awesome space battles, stay to see if Rick will end up with Minmay or Lisa. [[note]]Admit it, you ''were'' interested in the LoveTriangle...[[/note]]
** Come back for the {{Macekre}} and the misplaced nostalgia, stay because despite every instance of Minmay singing the same song badly ''again'', obvious-in-hindsight AdaptationInducedPlotHole and so on, it's still a gripping story. And you're still trying to work out where "If mice could swim" came from.
* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'': Come for the {{cute monster girl}}s, stay for the [[GrowingTheBeard awesome fights]].
* ''Manga/RozenMaiden'': Come for the [[MemeticMutation Desu]], stay for the well developed cast of endearingly quirky characters. And [[WatchItForTheMeme moar Desu]].
* ''Manga/SailorMoon'': Come for the sexy heroines in skirts, two of whom at least are lesbian couples, stay for the battles, the complex time travel, Greco-Roman references, and moments to tear your heart up and then stitch it back together with heartwarming moments of love and comradary.
* ''Manga/{{Saikano}}'': Come for the lolicon, stay for the heartbreaking storyline, awesome fight scenes and gut-wrenching transformations.
* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'': Come for the CastFullOfPrettyBoys and the HoYay, stay for the epic characters, the [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome ridiculously far-fetched and fabulous plot]], the battles, the [[{{Tearjerker}} surprisingly emotive moments]] and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome music]] (amongst other things.)
* ''[[Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit Seirei no Moribito]]'': Come for [[GhibliHills the awesome art]], character designs, and fight scenes - stay for the compelling narrative, WorldBuilding, and supernatural wonder.
* ''Manga/{{Sekirei}}'': Come for the boobies, stay for the characters.
* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'': Come for [[{{Tsundere}} Shana]], stay for the developing relationship between her and Yuji, the [[AwesomeMusic/ShakuganNoShana music]], and action.
* ''Literature/{{Shimoneta}}'':
** Come for the girl [[ModestyBedsheet in the bedsheet]] featured on the cover art, stay for the parody about [[PoliticalOvercorrectness Japan's censorship laws]].
** Or, [[DoubleEntendre come for]] Anna's "Love Nectar" cookies, stay to see her [[CuteAndPsycho gradually come unhinged]] [[StalkerWithACrush in her pursuit]] of Tanukichi's love.
* ''Anime/{{Simoun}}''. Come for the lesbians, stop laughing for the music, stay for the war story and character drama.
* ''Literature/SpiceAndWolf'': Come for the [[{{Fanservice}} naked]] [[LittleBitBeastly wolf-girl]], stay for the character interaction and the [[IReadItForTheArticles economics lessons.]]
* ''Manga/SpyXFamily'': Come for the interesting premise and the espionage intrigue, stay for the endearing dynamic between the three leads, amazing cast of characters, and superb writing that balances action, drama, comedy and mystery. And Anya. ''Especially'' Anya.
* ''Anime/SSSSGridman'': Come for the Franchise/{{Transformers}} references, stay for the [[BestKnownForTheFanservice thighs and boobs]]. And the giant kaiju fights.
* ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'': Come for the [[PurpleProse self-proclaimed "Mad Scientist"]] and his Harem, stay for the suspenseful story that shows you what [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome really happens]] [[spoiler:when you see a traumatic event over and over again]].
* ''Anime/StrikeWitches'' and ''Anime/SkyGirls'': Come for the fanservice, stay for the history jokes (''Anime/StrikeWitches''), character development (''Anime/SkyGirls''), and dogfighting (both).
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': Come for the {{Reconstruction}}. [[HotBlooded Stay for the manliness]]. [[RuleOfCool And stay for the manliness]]. [[MundaneMadeAwesome And stay for the manliness]]. [[WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy Destroy us all!]] [[RunningGag And stay for the manliness]].
** Or, come for Kamina (or Yoko), stay for, well, whatever is up there.
*** Come for Kamina, stay for Simon.
*** Come for Kamina, stay for Nia.
*** Come for the Kamina stay for [[spoiler:[[HesBack the]] [[BackFromTheDead Kamina]]]].
* ''Anime/TransformersHeadmasters'': Come because it's an actual season 4 of Transformers, stay for the [[SoBadItsGood so inept it's freaking hilarious English dub.]] [[note]]Unless you bought the Creator/ShoutFactory DVD who don't have the English dub[[/note]]
* ''Literature/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'': Come for Leon's [[WatchItForTheMeme memetic]] SlasherSmile, stay for the surprisingly good CharacterDevelopment and humor.
** Or, for the novels, come for the main story, stay for the BadFuture AlternateTimeline ''Marie Route Side Story''.
* ''Manga/{{Trigun}} Maximum'': Come because of the anime, stay for the longer, more complex storyline, and characters that never showed up in the adaptation, or just didn't get as much [[CharacterDevelopment development]].
* ''Anime/VariableGeo'':
** Come for the {{fanservice}} and cool fight scenes, stay for [[SugarWiki/BetterThanItSounds the plot]] dealing with kidnappings and inhumane experiments [[NotJustATournament taking place behind-the-scenes]] by [[NebulousEvilOrganisation the Corporation]] sponsoring the tournament.
** Also employed InUniverse. Spectators come to see gorgeous vixens duke it out in the ring with SupernaturalMartialArts, and stay [[SexSells to see the loser strip in public.]]
* ''Manga/VenusVersusVirus'': Come for the [[HomoeroticSubtext yuri subtext]], stay for the action and... more yuri subtext.
* ''Manga/VinlandSaga'': Come for brutal Viking-on-Viking action, stay for the deep themes of violence and pacifism.
** Or come for the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Ninja Assassin Viking Warrior]] bent on vengeance, stay for his poignant CharacterDevelopment.
* ''Anime/VoicesOfADistantStar'': Come to see an eye-catching anime short created entirely by one man on his home computer, stay for one of the most poignant romances in the medium.
* ''Anime/WitchBlade'': Come for the {{Fanservice}} and asskicking scenes, stay for the SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments and [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments comedy]], topped with [[AnAesop aesops about the positive effects of the love between mother and children]]
* ''Manga/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches'': Come for the [[FreakyFridayFlip body-swap hijinks]], stay for the [[Funny/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches funny]] and [[Heartwarming/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches charming]] (and sometimes [[TearJerker/YamadaKunAndTheSevenWitches touching]]) depictions of high school students’ quirks and troubles, as well as the cute romantic moments.
* ''Anime/YoKaiWatch'': Come because you like ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'', stay for the humour.
* ''[[Anime/YuGiOhFirstAnimeSeries Yu-Gi-Oh! (Toei)]]:'' Come for this series' dark and twisted portrayal of [[Main/SuperPoweredEvilSide Yami Yugi]], stay for the unique variety of games being played, rather than just Duel Monsters.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh:'' Come for children's card games, stay for the [[WorldOfHam DUEL]] [[Creator/DanGreen MONSTERS]]!!!!.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'': Come for the crazy concept of card games on motorbikes, stay for the kickass plot and CastFullOfPrettyBoys.
* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'': Come for card games, stay for the plot and characters.
* ''Anime/ZombielandSaga'': Come for the [[NeverTrustATrailer supposed]] ZombieApocalypse, stay for the comedy and lovable [[IdolSinger idols]], with a dash of tourism promotion for the [[UsefulNotes/TheFortySevenPrefectures titular Japanese prefecture]].
** Alternatively: Come here for the zombie idols, stay for the [[LargeHam over the top necroducer]].
** Or even: Come here to find out whats up with the [[LookBothWays girl brutally hit by Truck-kun]] [[MemeticMutation meme]], stay for the surprisingly in depth and varied cast.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/NoonboryAndTheSuper7'': Come for the {{moe}} characters, stay for the unique premise, interesting plots, and funny villains.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comics]]
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'': Come for Batman kicking ass, stay for [[RoguesGallery the sheer amount of interesting rogues]] and sheer amount of badassery the good guys put out.
* ''ComicBook/{{Empowered}}'': Come for the {{fanservice}} and comedy, stay for the intricately-weaved plot and well-written characters.
* ''ComicBook/ScottPilgrim'': Come for the simple premise and video game references, stay for the surprisingly deep story that comes from it.
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': Come for another nice Creator/AlanMoore comic book, stay for [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Watch]][[DeconstructorFleet men]].
* ''Comicbook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'': Come for strange pastiche of Victorian fiction, stay for the [[Awesome/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen Crowning Moment of Awesome]], DeconstructorFleet, DarkerAndEdgier and much, much more.
** Come for the [[SarcasmMode amazing]] [[Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen movie]], stay for the real deal.
* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'': Come for the horror stories, stay for one of the best comic books that can be compared to a fantasy novel.
* ''ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool'': Come for ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}, stay for the complex plots, HomoeroticSubtext, and interesting character developments.
* Magazine/{{MAD}}: Come for the TV and Movie parodies, stay for ''ComicStrip/SpyVsSpy'', [[AskAStupidQuestion Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions]], and so forth.
* [[Website/{{Cracked}} Cracked.com]]: Come for the gut-busting "top five" lists, stay for the even more gut-busting fan poster contests.
* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'': Come to see just how crappy it is (since you figure that it's gotta be since everyone is saying so), stay because you realize that for the first 15 years or so of its run, the strip was actually funny.
* ''ComicBook/TheCrow'': Come to see where [[Film/TheCrow the Brandon Lee movie]] came from, stay because it's so much better than the movie.
* ''ComicBook/JasonVsLeatherface'': Come for the two horror legends fighting each other, stay for the bonding between them.
* ''ComicBook/AlbedoErmaFelnaEDF'': Come for the cute FunnyAnimal characters, stay for a truly mature political military science fiction drama.
* ''ComicBook/UsagiYojimbo'': Come for the cute FunnyAnimal characters, stay for the compelling and scrupulously accurate feudal Japanese drama.
* ''ComicBook/OmahaTheCatDancer'': Come for the sexy action with FunnyAnimal characters, stay for a compelling SoapOpera story with terrific dialogue and heart.
* ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': According to [[WordOfGod Ian Flynn]], it is "[[http://www.sonicstadium.org/2010/11/sonic-colors-adaption-interview-sonic-writer-ian-flynn/ Come for the Sonic, stay for the story]]".
* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'': Come for the [[AllMenArePerverts perversion potential]], stay for the plot and Ampersand.
* ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'': Come because it has WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck, stay for the memorable new characters.
** Or come for the fun of a Disney comic, stay for the epic writing.
** Or again come for the idea of as a superhero, stay for DarkerAndEdgier awesome, sweetness, humor and tearjerker.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3043801/1/A-Glass-of-Wine A Glass of Wine]]'' and ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10393227/1/A-Glass-of-Wine-Rebuilt its redux]]'': Come for the sex, stay for the heartwarming.
* ''Manga/{{Evangelion 303}}'': Come for the sex scenes, stay for the interesting AlternateUniverse and well-written romance and drama.
* ''Manga/{{RETAKE}}'': Come for the sex scenes, stay for the well written romance and character interactions.
* ''Fanfic/ScarTissue'': Come for the dark drama, stay for the touching romance and character analysis.
* ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'': Come for the PeggySue story, stay for the wonderful character development and heart-warming romance.
* ''[[http://www.darkscribes.org/stories/29720/29720 Six Days]]'': Come for the sex, stay for the incredibly well-done character development and romance.
* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': come for the crazy concept, stay for the relationship between the three main characters (or alternatively the Shinji/Asuka romance).
* ''[[Fanfic/NecaberintsPhalanx Phalanx]]'': Come for the unique concept, stay for the CharacterDevelopment.
* ''[[Manga/AhMyGoddess Scordatura]]'': Come for the LoveTriangle, stay for the humor and well, the LoveTriangle.
* ''[[VideoGame/GearsOfWar Snowblind]]'': Come for the concept, stay for the epicness.
* ''Fanfic/NobodyDies'': Come because it's freakin' hilarious, stay for the awesome fight scenes and well-thought-out universe expansion. Alternatively, come for Terrifying!Rei, stay for Woobie!Asuka.
* ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'': Come for the trope references and being advertised as a Website/TVTropes crossover, stay for the character interactions, the fighting scenes and the {{reconstruction}} of the harem plot.
* ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'': Come to [[BileFascination see if it really is as terrible as you've heard]], stay because [[SoBadItsGood you can't]] [[Funny/MyImmortal stop laughing]].
* Red Witch's newest fanfic sums up her entire output in its title: ''Come For the Madness, Stay For the Insanity''.
* ''Fanfic/TamersForeverSeries'' Come for the insanely hilarious antics and touchingly realistic romance. Stay for the incredibly engaging plot.
* ''Batman Versus Barney'': Come for the novelty - and sheer perversity - of seeing [[Series/BarneyAndFriends Barney the Dinosaur]] in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' continuity, stay because it's a surprisingly well-written and dark tale with violence and horror you'll scarcely see on the actual show, plus a thoroughly bloodthirsty and oddly obsessive [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]].
* ''Fanfic/MemoirsOfAMaster'': Come for an interesting alternate ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'' backstory for Master Shifu, stay for a wrenching emotional drama that puts the first film in powerful perspective.
* ''Fanfic/TheElementsOfHarmonyAndTheSaviorOfWorlds'': Come for an intergenerational ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' crossover, stay for [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} the Autobots]] and [[Franchise/GIJoe the Joes]]. Or Megan.
* ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'': Come for the weirdness factor, stay for the wholly original setting, carefully thought out plot, strong CharacterDevelopment, and writing style that's been compared to that of Joyce Carol Oates.
* ''Fanfic/{{Horseshoes and Hand Grenades}}'': Come for the PointOfDivergence plot, stay for the large amount of characters, fighting and the unraveling of Gentaro Kisaragi's past.
* ''Fanfic/{{Hivefled}}'': Come for the messed-up incesty Torture Porn, stay for the interesting plot and character development.
* ''Fanfic/{{Pokeumans}}'': Come for the concept, stay for the community.
** Come for the transformations, stay for the actual story.
* The [[http://archiveofourown.org/series/24545 Motion Practice]] series: Come for [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Phil Coulson and Clint Barton]] falling in love ([[Main/AlternateUniverseFic as badass lawyers]]); stay for Tony Stark and Bruce Banner realizing they're ''already'' in love (as badass lawyers).
* ''Fanfic/SonicXDarkChaos'': Come for the unique setting, stay for the BlackComedy and utterly ludicrous battle scenes.
* ''Fanfic/SoulEaterTroubledSouls'': Come for ''Manga/SoulEater''. Stay for the [[MythArc deepening plot]] and [[ExpandedUniverse additional elements]].
* ''Fanfic/AdviceAndTrust'' ([[https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/goto/post?id=6542832#post-6542832 Taken from a forum post]]): Come for the WAFF, stay for the analysis of Evangelion backstory and characters, debates over Rebuild, and the runs of comedy posts that you have to see to believe.
* ''Fanfic/OriginStory:'' Come for the superhero crossover between Marvel and DC, stay for the well-written story of self-discovery.
* [[Creator/RalphHayesJr RealityCheck]]: Come because of how notorious the author is for his controversial views, stay for the genuinely well-written (if sometimes [[WriterOnBoard preachy]]) stories.
* ''Fanfic/BlackCrayons:'' Come for the [[SugarWiki/{{WAFF}} utterly]] SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments between [[Film/TransformersFilmSeries Annabelle Lennox and Ironhide, weapons specialist of the Autobots]], stay for the awesome characters and interesting story, including a rewrite of ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon''.
* ''Fanfic/FallOfStarfleetRebirthOfFriendship:'' Come for [[CatharsisFactor catharsis]] of reading '''everything''' about ''[[Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic Starfleet Magic]]'' by the infamous Creator/DakariKingMykan getting [[DeconstructionFic torn apart at the seams]], stay for what makes a genuinely good story: CharacterDevelopment, entertaining characters, and well-choreographed fight scenes.
* ''Fanfic/MCURewrites:'' Come for the pairing of [[FanPreferredCouple Clint Barton/Hawkeye and Natasha Romanov/Black Widow]], stay for the wonderful written characters, very meaningful interactions, compelling stories and greatly choreographed action.
* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines:'' Come for the Harem tag on the story, stay for the surprising amount of other things in the fic ''and'' its ExpandedUniverse.
* ''Fanfic/LinkedInLifeAndLove'': Come for the team polyamory, stay for the intriguing backstories of Team STRQ and Roman Torchwick and canon veering off the rails.
* ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' Come for the potential crossover of a ''Pokémon'' character entering the ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'', stay for the deconstruction, the character focus and the psychological horror.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInTheTwelveDancingPrincesses'': Come because of Franchise/{{Barbie}}, stay for the exciting story, beautiful animation (by 2006 standards), and interesting characters.
* ''WesternAnimation/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'': Come for the two [[Creator/MrT memelious]] [[Creator/BruceCampbell actors]], or because you read the book as a kid, or for the 3D, stay for the plot, [[Funny/CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs the humor]] and the hot nerds.[[note]] unless, of course, [[WebVideo/AniMat you wear an orange hat]][[/note]]
** Come for the comedy, stay for the SceneryPorn of giant food.
* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'': Come for the funny moments, a HarmlessVillain and his adorable minions trying to conquer the world, stay for [[spoiler:[[Heartwarming/DespicableMe the story that leads to Gru's puppet book]]]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'': Come for the adorable MuggleBornOfMages, stay for the magical Madrigal family and intense tale of familial love and generational hardship.
** Alternatively, come because ''"[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic WE DON'T TALK ABOUT BRUNO~]]"'', stay for the magical Madrigal family and intense tale of familial love and generational hardship.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'': Come for the dancing hippos and WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse dressed as a wizard, stay for [[NightmareFuel/{{Fantasia}} Chernabog]] and the beautifully fluid animation.
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen|2013}}'': Come for the snow and the goofy snowman, stay for the SceneryPorn, character development and intense tale of familial love.
** Alternatively, come because ''"[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic LET IT GO! LET IT GOOOOO~]]"'', stay for the goofy snowman, SceneryPorn, CharacterDevelopment and the intense tale of familial love.
* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2010'': Come for the cool dragons, stay for an irresistible ComingOfAgeStory set to beautiful music.
* ''WesternAnimation/HulkVs ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}'': Come for...[[ShapedLikeItself Hulk vs. Wolverine]], [[EnsembleDarkhorse stay for]] ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}.
* The ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'' series: Come for the cute funny animals and their gags, stay for deeply soulful {{wuxia}} stories with blistering action.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'': Come for the LEGO, stay because the story is well written and the jokes are actually pretty darn funny.
** For [[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie2TheSecondPart the sequel]], come to see if it's as good as the first movie, stay for the original music and plot twists.
* ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'': This was invoked by Disney's original marketing for the film: Come to see who the heck is this weird blue alien and why is he in UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}}, stay for the deep, heartwarming story, Hawaiian and Music/{{Elvis|Presley}}-infused soundtrack, and charming characters (including the blue alien). Nowadays, the first part would be "Come to see who the heck is this weird blue alien in Hawaiʻi is and why do many people find him cute".
** For [[Franchise/LiloAndStitch its franchise]], come for the quirky titular duo, stay for [[Characters/LiloAndStitchExperiments his "cousins"]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'': Come for the cute animals and songs, stay for a moving animal version of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' set to a powerful musical score.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax2012'': Come because of Creator/DannyDevito, Music/TaylorSwift, and Creator/BettyWhite, stay for the memes.
* ''WesternAnimation/LovingVincent'': Come for the novelty of seeing an animated film made up entirely of oil paintings on canvas, stay for a deeply moving, well written and acted portrait of a brilliant man beset by his inner demons.
* ''Franchise/{{Madagascar}}'': Come for the FunnyAnimal characters, stay for a moving story about them realizing what home really means to them.
* ''WesternAnimation/MrPeabodyAndSherman'': For adults, come for a modern take on a classic ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'' segment while for kids, come for the funny dog cartoon, stay for a hilarious sci-fi comedy with an affecting story of an unorthodox but loving family fighting to stay together.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'': Come for the 2D animation and [[NightmareFuel/ThePrincessAndTheFrog nightmare fuel-erific]] villain, stay for the characters, the romance actually acted more realistic than the average Franchise/DisneyPrincess one, the music, the story and [[spoiler:well, let's just say they were following [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]]'s advice with this movie]].
* ''WesternAnimation/RaggedyAnnAndAndyAMusicalAdventure'': Come for the cute dolls and [[AmazingTechnicolorWildlife blue camel]], stay for the DerangedAnimation.
* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'': Come for the groundbreaking CGI, stay for the heartwarming and funny plot.
* ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'': Come for the adorable girl who can turn into a red fluffy panda, stay for [[BoyBand 4*TOWN]] and intense tale of familial love and generational hardship.
* ''WesternAnimation/WallE'': Come for the impossibly adorable robots, stay for the [[Heartwarming/WallE heartstring-pulling]] love story.
* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': Come for [[TheCameo the cameos from famous video game characters]], stay for the surprisingly sweet and original plot.
* ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'': Come for Music/TheBeatles music, stay for the trippy animation.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'': Come for the [[WorldOfFunnyAnimals soft, fluffy world of stuffed animal stand-ins]], stay for the [[FantasticRacism dark real-world social commentary on modern day prejudice]], and then stay ''even longer'' to [[ShipTease romantically ship Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde together]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Any Creator/RussMeyer film: Come for the Boobies, stay for the crazy-assed plot.
* ''Film/EightMile'': Come just to see if that dumb rapper Music/{{Eminem}} can actually act; stay for Eminem's [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct surprisingly awesome performance]], the entertaining storyline, the Oscar-winning soundtrack and the pleasant surprise of then '''48'''-year-old Creator/KimBasinger's [[BestKnownForTheFanservice still-beautiful bare ass]].
* ''Film/ThreeHundred'': [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Come! For! The! YELLING!!!]], stay for the action and heroics.
* ''Film/AnimalHouse'': Come for the food fight and the toga party, stay for some surprisingly sharp Swiftian satire and shockingly dark comedy. Oh, and [[FascinatingEyebrow John]] [[SilentSnarker Belushi]].
* ''Film/AnnieHall'': Come for the Creator/WoodyAllen[=/=]Creator/DianeKeaton element, stay (if you're reluctant about Woody Allen films) for the bittersweet romantic elements.
* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'': Come for Creator/{{James Cameron}}'s first epic since ''Film/Titanic1997'' and the 3D, stay for the characters and highly-developed alien geography, biology and culture.
* ''Film/BabePigInTheCity'': Come for the surprisingly dark story, stay for the wackiness of the film's climax.
* ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'': Come because your parents wanted you to see one of the movies from their past, stay because of the colorful cast and their funny, awesome, and heartwarming adventures.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** ''Film/Batman1989'': Come for Creator/JackNicholson as ComicBook/TheJoker, stay for Tracey Walter as [[EnsembleDarkhorse/LiveActionFilms Bob the Goon.]]
** ''Film/BatmanReturns'': Come for the Creator/MichellePfeiffer, stay for the Creator/TimBurton. (Originally, of course, it was vice-versa.)
** ''Film/BatmanForever'': Come because you've heard bad things about the Schumacher Batman films, stay because Creator/JimCarrey in green, sparkly, question mark spandex [[SoBadItsGood has to be seen to be believed]].
** ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'': Come to see if it's really the travesty for the Franchise/{{Batman}} franchise you've heard it was, stay because it's [[SoBadItsGood so bad, it's hysterically funny]].
** ''Film/TheDarkKnight'': Come to see if [[Creator/HeathLedger that guy from]] ''Film/AKnightsTale'' lives up to the hype as the Joker, stay for a film that adapts a comic about a vigilante who ''dresses as a bat'' into one of the most suspenseful crime thrillers in decades.
* ''Film/BicentennialMan'': Come for some lighthearted, family-friendly fun with Creator/RobinWilliams as an android, stay for said android's profound, sometimes {{tearjerk|er}}ing saga realizing what it means to be "human".
* ''Film/BlackSwan'': Come for the lesbian sex scene, stay for the ABSOLUTE BATSHIT INSANITY!!!!!
* ''Film/BlueIsTheWarmestColor'': Come for the many (and long) lesbian sex scenes, stay for the powerhouse, gut-wrenching, emotional roller-coaster depiction of a first true love.
* ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Come to see the inspiration for the most famous sci-fi/fantasy TV series of the past generation, stay to watch Creator/PaulReubens play an {{Ambiguously|Gay}} ManlyGay vampire.
* ''Film/TheCovenant'': Come for the {{fanservice}}, stay for Creator/SebastianStan ChewingTheScenery.
* ''Film/{{Downfall}}'': Come because of the [[MemeticMutation "Hitler Rant" parodies]], stay for the powerful acting, thoughtful characterization, and well-made sets.
* ''Film/EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind'': Come for the novelty of seeing Creator/JimCarrey in a ''serious'' role, stay for the novelty of Creator/KateWinslet in a ''free-spirited'' role as well as the brilliant plot and beautiful direction.
* ''Film/FightClub'': Come for the memes[[note]]We do NOT talk about the memes![[/note]] and Brad Pitt, stay for the black comedy and [[spoiler:one of the biggest [[EnemyWithin twists]] put in film history.]]
* ''Film/TheFly1986'': Come for notoriously gruesome BodyHorror and NauseaFuel as only Creator/DavidCronenberg can do it, stay for an achingly beautiful romantic tragedy by way of the ultimate Creator/JeffGoldblum performance and just-as-worthy work by Creator/GeenaDavis.
* ''Film/ForrestGump'': Come because of (or perhaps [[HypeAversion despite]]) [[WatchItForTheMeme its various quotes and memes]] getting pounded into you before you even had a chance to see it, stay for the classic rock soundtrack, the special effects, and [[{{Tearjerker}} a remarkably poignant storyline]].
* ''Film/FromDuskTillDawn'': Come for the thieves, bikers and strippers. Stay for [[spoiler:the vampires]].
* The ''Film/GodfreyHoNinjaMovies'': Come because [[GratuitousNinja it's got "ninja" in the title]], stay for the [[HighlyVisibleNinja most laughably ridiculous ninja costumes ever]] and general {{Narm}}.
* ''Film/TheGodsMustBeCrazy'' series: Come for the jungle animals, stay for the DeliberateValuesDissonance and EnforcedMethodActing. And for [[ComedicUnderwearExposure the white women winding up in their underwear]].
* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'': Come for the [[NarmCharm famously cheesy]] monster battles, stay for the genuinely epic saga of Nature vs. Technology, the chilling [[UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki nuclear]] allegory, and the occasionally [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome awesome practical effects]].
* ''Film/{{Hairspray|2007}}'' (the remake): Come for the cross-dressing Creator/JohnTravolta in a fat suit, stay for the lively music and {{plucky|Girl}}, sweet heroine.
* ''Film/AHardDaysNight'': Come for Music/TheBeatles' music, stay for the witty dialogue and humorous characterizations.
** Similarly, ''Help!''. Come for the Beatles' music, stay for the fun spy movie spoof.
** Also ''Film/AcrossTheUniverse2007''. Come for the music, stay for the clever story, interesting directing, and solid acting.
* The ''Film/HarryPotter'' movies. Come to see live action put into the plot... and stay for the actors.
* ''Film/HisKindOfWoman'': Come for its part in the FilmNoir canon, stay for a manic Creator/VincentPrice [[HamAndCheese gleefully]] going Franchise/{{Rambo}} on the bad guys while quoting Creator/{{Shakespeare}}.
* ''Film/TheHobbit'': Come for Creator/MartinFreeman, stay for Middle-Earth.
** ''The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'': Come for Smaug, stay for the SceneryPorn, visuals and action.
* ''Film/HotFuzz'': Come for the Brit-humor {{Deconstruction}} of every cop-movie trope ever, stay for the [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome awesome]] playing-straight of every cop-movie trope ever.
** That goes double for ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'' with zombie-movie tropes.
** Come to ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'' for the witty comedy and sci-fi parody, stay for the surprisingly deep story about alcoholism and moving on.
* ''Film/{{Imperium}}:'' Come for Creator/DanielRadcliffe talking his way out of trouble, stay for a lot of talk about the competing factions in the American White Supremacist movement!
* ''Film/{{Inception}}'': Come for the visual spectacle and the AllStarCast, stay for the MindScrew.
* ''Film/IndependenceDay'': Come to see 15 mile-diameter spaceships destroy iconic landmarks across the globe, stay for a highly entertaining AlienInvasion romp, Creator/BillPullman's RousingSpeech, Creator/JeffGoldblum as the GibberingGenius, and Creator/WillSmith being...Will Smith.
* ''Film/InglouriousBasterds'': Come for the promised revenge on the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazis]], stay for the rivetingly dialogue-based plot and copious amounts of {{Fanservice}}.
* ''Film/TheIrishman:'' Come for the DigitalDeaging making Creator/RobertDeNiro look like he did decades ago. Stay for De Niro ''acting'' like did decades ago.
* ''Film/TheKarateKid2010'': Come to see Creator/JackieChan as [[TheObiWan "The Miyagi"]] and expect a shoddy clone of [[Film/TheKarateKid1984 the 1984 original]], stay for a surprisingly decent and heartfelt beat-for-beat re-telling and the pretty neat fight scenes.
* ''Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist'': Come to see what all the controversy was about, stay because it's [[SoBadItsGood laughably bad]], and for [[{{Fanservice}} the naked Mary Magdalene]].
* ''Film/Life1999'': Come for a typical screwball Creator/EddieMurphy or Creator/MartinLawrence comedy, stay for a surprisingly deep and, ultimately, sad story.
* ''Film/TheLifeAquaticWithSteveZissou'': Come for the experience of seeing Creator/BillMurray do a riff on Jacques Cousteau, stay for the experience of seeing a fantasy for grownups.
* ''Film/{{Lincoln}}'': Come for UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln and his squeaky voice, stay for a powerful drama about a nation trying to remove a founding stain on its character.
* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'': Come for the epic chase scenes, stay for the great characters and the [[SceneryPorn breathtaking]] [[ShowDontTell visual storytelling]] and WorldBuilding...and the epic chase scenes.
* ''Film/MarsAttacks'': Come for the AllStarCast, stay for another classic Creator/TimBurton BlackComedy and the funny Martians.
* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
** ''Film/TheAvengers2012'': Come to see Marvel’s greatest heroes fight together, stay for ComicBook/{{Loki}} and the extremely witty and quotable Creator/JossWhedon script.
** ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'':
*** Come for the [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs trippy otherworld scenes]] and SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome, stay for the story.
*** Come for Creator/BenedictCumberbatch, stay for the [[SpotlightStealingSquad Cloak of Levitation]].
** ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': Come for Thor and (sometimes...) Loki fighting the Goddess of Death, stay for hilarious buddy comedy with the Hulk, surprising cameos, and [[Creator/JeffGoldblum the Grandmaster]]!
** ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'': Come for all of Marvel’s biggest characters in one place, stay for ComicBook/{{Thanos}}, the well-written story, and [[spoiler:the ''brutal'' DownerEnding]].
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': Come to see how our heroes will save the day, stay for ComicBook/CaptainAmerica finally [[AvengersAssemble finishing "the phrase"]], [[spoiler:ComicBook/IronMan's and ComicBook/BlackWidow's {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s]] and for what is possibly the most beautiful EndOfAnAge for the MCU.
* ''Film/TheMatrix'': Come for the action, stay for the mountain of symbolism.
* ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout'': Come to see the infamous Creator/HenryCavill mustache, stay for the awesome, intense action.
* ''Film/ModernTimes'': Come for Creator/CharlieChaplin in the cogs, stay for a satire on industrial society that is still painfully relevant today.
* ''Film/PacificRim'':
** Come for {{Kaiju}}, stay for giant robots punching them in the face.
** Come for the great director, stay for the spectacular CG.
** Come for the action, stay for the writing.
** Come for the giant robots punching Kaiju in the face, stay for the HamToHamCombat between Charlie Day, Burn Gorman and Ron Perlman.
** Come for the special effects and fight scenes, stay for the wonderful characters.
* ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'': Come for the strangest role Creator/RyanReynolds has ever played, stay to comb every frame for {{Mythology Gag}}s.
* ''Film/ThePrincessBride'': Come for the witty quotes, stay for the moving FairyTale story.
* ''Film/RealSteel'': Come for the giant robots fights (both in size of the fights and the fighters) stay for the characters and story of Father and Son bonding.
* ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera'': Come for the name(s) you recognize, stay for the music.
** Or: come for the camp, stay for the Graverobber.
* ''Franchise/RoboCop'': Come for the ultra-violent CyberPunk action, stay for a moving SuperHero/Sci-Fi satiric story of a man struggling to regain his humanity.
* ''Film/TheRoom2003'': Come to see if it's SoBadItsGood, stay because it really is That Bad, It's Good.
* ''Film/SnakesOnAPlane'': Come to see Creator/SamuelLJackson deliver his signature line, stay for the fun, SoBadItsGood, popcorn BMovie cheesiness.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek''
** ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'': Come to see Creator/WilliamShatner and a [[SpecialEffectFailure plastic-chested]] Creator/RicardoMontalban in HamToHamCombat and ''"KHHHHAAAANNNNNN!!!!"'', stay for the grand action and adventure as well as [[spoiler:Spock's massively [[TearJerker TearJerking]] HeroicSacrifice]].
** ''Film/StarTrek2009'': Come to see if Creator/JJAbrams [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks "ruined"]] ''Star Trek'' forever, stay for [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail a fun, entertaining and rather well-crafted movie]].
** ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'': Come for Creator/BenedictCumberbatch as well as Kirk and company taking on [[spoiler:Khan Noonien Singh]], stay for the war for the Federation's soul.
** ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'': Come to see if a ''Star Trek'' movie can be made by the ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious Fast & Furious]]'' [[Creator/JustinLin guy]], stay for a surprisingly grounded entry with well-written character dynamics and neat {{Shout Out}}s to ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''.
* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Come for flashy special effects, stay for the profoundly mythic saga.
* ''Film/{{Stargate}}'': Come for the SciFi, stay for the religious discussion.
* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'': Come to watch [[BugWar guys shoot giant bugs]], stay for the deliberately hammy propaganda and fascistic subtext. "[[MemeticMutation Would you like to know more?]]"
* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'': Come for the sight of a man flying, stay for a grandly majestic tale with brilliant acting that elevated the SuperHero genre into a big time film genre.
* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Come for the MediumBlending SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome (or, [[PerverseSexualLust in some cases]], [[MsFanservice Jessica]]), stay for the fantastic storyline and the countless cartoon cameos.
* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'': Come for [[MrFanservice the hot]] [[EstrogenBrigade guys]], stay for the characters and deep social commentary.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': Come for the [[{{Animorphism}} teens turning into animals,]] stay for the human drama.
** And for the [[{{Xenofiction}} number of alien cultures]] (particularly in the prequels and tie-ins).
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Come because you heard that all those fantasy books you love were inspired by it, stay because it's epic.
* ''Literature/MemorySorrowAndThorn'': Come for the next ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' Homage, stay for the deep and humane treatment of the subject.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': Come for the [[ChangelingFantasy wish-fulfillment fantasy,]] stay for the human drama and to find out [[TheVerse all the details]] of the deeply-plotted {{backstory}}.
* ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'' by Eric Flint (and several other people): Come for the [[FishOutOfTemporalWater crazy premise]] -- the town of Grantville is suddenly teleported from West Virginia in 2000 to Germany in 1632, and decides to start the American Revolution a few years early; stay for cool characters and ''[[ShownTheirWork insanely]]'' [[ShownTheirWork detailed research]] on every imaginable subject, from "Where in the world can you mine zinc?" to "What did the Pope really think about Galileo?"
* ''Literature/KushielsLegacy'': Come for the BDSM porn, stay for the political subterfuge.
** And for the [[ShownTheirWork history geeking.]]
* ''Literature/CharlesAndEmma'' is promoted under the blurb "Come for the science, stay for the love story."
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Come for the [[Funny/{{Discworld}} funny]], stay for the world-building.
** ''Literature/TheScienceOfDiscworld'': Come for the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', stay for the science.
** Alternately, come for the funny, stay for the unexpected wisdom and badass.
** Or, come for the funny, stay for the characters.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Come to know what all the fuss is about/check out the book to see if it's close to the tv-series, stay for the great and complex storyline and awesomely developed characters
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': Come for the urban fantasy, stay for the FirstPersonSmartass main character and [[SerialEscalation increasingly cool]] plotlines.
* Creator/TamoraPierce. Come for the female protagonists, stay for the detailed world-building and non-killing-people storylines. And to find out who everyone marries.
* ''Literature/ThePictureOfDorianGray'': Come for the HoYay, stay for the [[NightmareFuel/{{Literature}} Nightmare Fuel]].
* ''Literature/WutheringHeights'': Come for the romance and/or [[SayMyName name]] [[WatchItForTheMeme calling]], stay for the dark, absorbing story and interesting -- [[JerkAss if amoral]] -- protagonists.
* ''Literature/AnnaKarenina'': Come for the [[ItWasHisSled train]], stay for the well-drawn characters, history lesson and love story.
* ''The Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'': come for the HoYay, stay for the crack![[note]]''And'' the HoYay, too...[[/note]]
* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': Come for the badass main character, stay for the badass side characters. ''All'' of them.
* In the Creator/DaleBrown novel ''Warrior Class'', new POTUS Thomas Thorn's appeal is described this way: "if they had come to see [[RetiredBadass the monster]], they had stayed to hear the message."
* ''Literature/LeftBehind'': Come for the homophobia, stay for the... {{ho|Yay}}moeroticism.
* ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'': Come for the {{Cool Horse}}s, stay for - everything else. But especially the love stories. Or, y'know, the plot and stuff. Whatever.
* ''Literature/CodexAlera'': Come for the WorldOfBadass and CrazyIsCool GuileHero, stay for the deep and complex characters, well-plotted story, and the fact that you ''still'' {{underestimat|ingBadassery}}ed [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome the amounts of badassery involved]].
* The ''Literature/OldKingdom'' trilogy: Come for the HighFantasy ZombieApocalypse, stay for [[CrypticBackgroundReference the world you can never see enough of]].
* ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'': Come to see [[AdaptationOverdosed what all the fuss was about]], stay because, contrary to your expectations, [[NightmareFuel/{{Dracula}} you're too freaked out not to]].
* ''Literature/{{Abarat}}'': Come to see [[ShmuckBait if Clive Barker can pull off YA fiction]]. Stay because Creator/CliveBarker ''can'' pull off YA fiction!
** Come for the beautiful illustrations. Stay for the masterful poetry.
* ''Literature/{{Percy Jackson|AndTheOlympians}}'': Come for the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' comparisons, stay for the humor, the wise-cracking protagonist and the awesome [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]] allusions.
* ''Literature/DinosaursTheMostCompleteUpToDateEncyclopedia'': Come for the SugarWiki/AwesomeArt, stay for the [[Funny/DinosaursTheMostCompleteUpToDateEncyclopedia Funny Moments]].
* ''Literature/AfterManAZoologyOfTheFuture'': Come for the interesting concept, stay for the delightfully bizarre creatures.
* ''Literature/WarriorCats'':
** Come for the cute kittens that make it seem like it was written for kids, stay for the {{Tearjerker}}s from constant character deaths and broken relationships between clans.
** Come for the cute kitties, stay to watch them violently murder each other.
* ''Literature/ReadyPlayerOne'': Come for the video games and abundance of awesome 80s references, stay for the incredibly well written plot and interesting characters.
* ''Literature/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShi'': Come for the [[QueerRomance slow-burn gay romance]], stay for the characters, intricate plot, and gorgeous fight scenes.
* ''Literature/HorusHeresy'': Come for ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'''s backstory, stay for WorldOfBadass and CrazyIsCool.
** ''Know No Fear'': come for the Ultramarines done right, stay for Creator/MichaelBay - esque scenes of total destruction.
*** Come for new and [[{{Retool}} revamped]] Olleanius Pius, stay for Roboute Guilliman being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.
** ''Fear To Tread'': come for Sanguinus, stay for his {{bromance}} with Horus.
** ''Horus Rising'': come for Horus, stay for [[EnsembleDarkhorse Gavriel Loken]].
** ''Age of Darkness'' anthology: come for HoYay in ''Reflection Crack'd'', stay for MindScrew in ''The Serpent Beneath''.
* ''Literature/BlackLegion'': Come for the been-there-since-forever faction, stay for the surprisingly deep and complex characters.
* ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'': come for the "EvilOverlord [[VillainWorld already won]]" premise and/or [[TheCaper the heist]], stay for the GambitPileup, the CharacterDevelopment, the romance, and/or Vin beating up everyone.
* ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga'': Come to see what the big screaming deal is, stay because you can't look away.
* ''Franchise/CthulhuMythos'': Come for the [[EldritchAbomination sanity-shattering eldritch monsters]], stay for Lovecraft's PurpleProse and the sheer ''imagination'' put into it.
* ''Literature/DavidCopperfield'': Come because it's [[Creator/CharlesDickens Dickens]], stay because it's [[HomoeroticSubtext gay]].
* ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'': Come for the cute animals, stay for the medieval action and storylines.
* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': Come for the ToiletHumor an silly antics you loved as a kid, stay for the clever lampshading and satire of the American education system you love as an adult.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/AmericasGotTalent''[=/=]''Series/BritainsGotTalent'': Come for the contestants' sad backstories, stay for the {{Camp}}.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Come for the sexy vampire and the generally sexy cast, but stay for the well-done and intriguing {{Story Arc}}s and some random humor sprinkled in.
* ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays with Creator/MichaelPalin'': Come for one of the stars of ''Creator/MontyPython'', stay for the genuine sense of adventure.
* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'': Come for the superhero show, stay for the actually rather well-written plot.
** Or come for the protagonist's abs, stay for the plot.
* ''Series/TheATeam'': Come for [[MemeticBadass Mr. T]], stay for [[CrazyIsCool Murdock]].
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': Come for the glossy computer animation special effects, stay for a grandly ambitious science fiction television epic.
* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'': Come for the SciFi, stay for the political drama.
* ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'': Come for the puppets, stay for the lovable characters, good music, timeless humour, and [[FountainOfMemes Tutter]].
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Come for the geek culture, stay for [[BreakoutCharacter Sheldon.]]
* ''Series/BigTimeRush'': Come for the [[MrFanservice cute guys]], stay for the {{hila|rityEnsues}}[[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments rity]], HoYay, and [[BoyBand surprisingly]] [[EarWorm good]] [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic music.]]
* ''Series/BreakingBad'': Come for Hal from ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', stay for the surprisingly well-written plot and one of the most [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain complex]] {{Character Development}}s in [=TV=] history.
** Come for the premise, stay to watch the absolute hell ''everyone'' faced throughout the series.
** ''Series/BetterCallSaul'': Come for its relation to ''Breaking Bad'', stay for Jimmy's eventual corruption into Saul Goodman.
*** Come for the crime plots, stay for Jimmy and Kim's romance.
* In general, ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' is: Come for the vampires and the hot chicks with superpowers, stay for the incredibly well-done dialogue and characterization.
** Stay for Giles and/or Spike became common reasons among the female audience.
** Or come for the horror tropes, stay for the humor and characterization.
** One feels compelled to throw in a quote from the show directly referencing the Trope title (though, of course, not the trope itself):
--->'''Xander:''' Sunnydale: Come for the food, stay for the dismemberment.\\
'''Nancy:''' There's food?
* ''Series/CallTheMidwife'': Come for the Heartwarming, stay for the gut-wrenching and the social history.
* ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'': Come for Nathan Fillion, stay cause it's actually a good show. or for Stana Katic.
* ''Series/Charmed2018'': Come for the return of [[Series/Charmed1998 one of the biggest guilty pleasures]] of TheNineties, stay because it's [[DenserAndWackier silly and funny]].
* ''Series/{{Community}}'': Come for Joel [=McHale=] from ''Series/TheSoup'', stay for the characters, meta humor and brilliant parodies.
* ''Series/CriminalMinds'': Come for Creator/MandyPatinkin, stay for Creator/MatthewGrayGubler. And the plot and stuff.
* ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'': Come for Creator/ElizaDushku, stay for the intriguing sci-fi storyline and fascinating characters.
* ''Series/DonkeyHodie'': Come for the Creator/MuppetPerformers providing work on the series and the fact that it's a spin-off of ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', stay for the fun storylines, loveable characters and amazing music.
* ''Series/DoomPatrol2019'': Come for Creator/BrendanFraser, stay for the amazing performances across the board, relentlessly clever writing, and brilliantly surreal storytelling.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': Come because it's Joss, stay because of the perfectly-balanced cast.
** Come for Creator/JossWhedon, stay for Creator/NathanFillion [[EstrogenBrigade in tight leather pants]], Creator/MorenaBaccarin [[MsFanservice taking a sponge bath]] or Creator/AdamBaldwin's smutty dialogue, cunning hat and [[EstrogenBrigade occasional shirtlessness]].
*** Come for Joss, stay for Creator/SummerGlau as a kickass, psychic assassin is how it generally works it. For proof, scroll down to ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles''.
** Or, come for the hype, stay for everything else.
* ''Series/FridayNightLights'': Come for the football, stay for the human drama. Interestingly enough, TV execs realized this was what was happening and started targeting the female audience in commercials.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Come for [[SitCom the humor]], stay for the LoveDodecahedron!
** Or come for [[{{SitCom}} the humor]], stay for the relatable TrueCompanions and SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Come for the {{Fanservice}}, stay for the superb acting, storyline, and Tyrion Lannister.
** [[SeasonalRot Post-Season 6]]: Come for the hype, stay for the [[WatchItForTheMeme memes]].
* ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'': Come for Creator/BettyWhite, stay for the friendship and humour.
* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'': Come because Leigh-Allyn Baker is hot and Mia Talerico's super adorable, stay because the show's legitimately funny.
* ''Series/GoodOmens'': Come for a wacky end of the world plot, stay for the slowest of all slow burn love story between two (mostly) man shaped beings.
* ''Series/{{Gotham}}'': Come for the struggles of James Gordan in his Sisyphean war against the corruption of Gotham City, stay for a [[Franchise/{{Batman}} boy]] who would grow FromNobodyToNightmare to that beleaguered cop's enemies. Also stay for the progress of Oswald Cobblepot, a small time gangster flunky who would become one of Batman's greatest enemies, The Penguin.
* ''Series/TheHauntingHour'': Come for Creator/RLStine's name being on, stay because it's actually [[NightmareFuel pretty scary]].
* ''Series/{{House}}'': Come for Creator/HughLaurie, stay for the enthralling character subplots. The medicine's okay, I guess…
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': come for Barney Stinson's antics, stay for the ContinuityPorn.
* For many Americans, ''Series/JeevesAndWooster'', ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'', and ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie''. Come for pre-''Series/{{House}}'' Creator/HughLaurie, stay because they're ''amazing''.
** For non-Americans, ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' is come for Creator/RowanAtkinson, stay because of the hilarity.
* ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'': Came hoping that this show can redeem ''Game Of Thrones'' post season 6, stayed for dragons and Matt Smith.
* ''Series/{{Jessie}}'': Come because Creator/DebbyRyan's hot, stay because the show's really funny.
* ''Series/KamenRiderExAid'': Come for the action and wild suit designs, stay for the characters and plot loaded with twists and turns that betray your expectations.
* ''Series/KitchenNightmares'': Come for Creator/GordonRamsay ripping apart terrible restaurants, stay for him mending broken families and relationships.
* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'': Come for the actors you know, stay for the top-notch stories, character development, and acting (from ''everyone'').
* ''Series/LifeOnMars2006'': Come for the [[FishOutOfTemporalWater time travel]], stay for the Gene Hunt [[DeadpanSnarker snark]].
* ''Series/LoisAndClark'': Come for Superman, stay for the Clark and Lois romance.
* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Came to see how far away the writers will stray from the source material, stayed for the endearing friendship between Elrond and Durin IV, and the Balrog, and [[StupidSexyFlanders Stupid Sexy Sauron]].
* ''Series/MadMen'': Come for the fascinating look at an earlier era where everyone smoked, had three-martini lunches and were openly chauvinistic, stay for the complex characters and surprising plot turns.
* ''Series/MorkAndMindy'': Come for Creator/RobinWilliams in his StarMakingRole as a [[AmusingAlien wacky alien]], stay for the heartwarming InterspeciesRomance of the title characters and the sly social satire of the late 70s/early 80s.
* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'': Come for the puppets, stay for the brilliant off-the-wall humor and beautiful musical performances.
* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'': Come for the hilarious movie riffing, stay for the wacky and creative host segments.
* ''Series/MythBusters'': Come for the truth behind those many UrbanLegends you may have heard, stay for the character dynamics, the humor, the crazy gadgets and experiments, and the [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill even crazier amount of overkill]].
* ''Series/NakedAndAfraid'': Come for the uncensored butts, stay for the mysery... mean, survival drama.
* ''Series/NancyDrew2019'': Come to finally see Nancy Drew in a modern-day TV show, stay because SheIsAllGrownUp.
* ''Series/{{Nashville}}'': Come for [[Series/FridayNightLights Connie Britton]] and the music, stay for Creator/HaydenPanettiere showing serious acting chops. And the music.
** Alternately, come for the Panettiere {{Fanservice}}, stay because of the drama.
* ''Series/{{The|OfficeUK}} [[Series/TheOfficeUS Office]]'': Come for the pranks and the quirky, awkward, and inappropriate humor, stay for the large buffet of genuinely sweet romantic subplots.
* ''Series/OnlyFoolsAndHorses'': Come for the memorable jokes and catchphrases, stay for the surprisingly complex characters.
* ''Series/Peacemaker2022'': Come for Wrestling/JohnCena, stay for the GrayingMorality, off-kilter worldbuilding, and incredibly sharp dialogue courtesy of Creator/JamesGunn
* ''Series/PlanetDinosaur'': Come for the dinosaurs, stay for the science.
* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'': Come for the action, stay for Music/RonWasserman.
** For both ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' and ''Franchise/SuperSentai'': come for the rangers, stay for the CombiningMecha.
** ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'': Come for the return of [[MemeticBadass Tommy]], stay for his students.
* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'': Come for the {{fanservice}}, stay for the mystery. And Hanna's kooky lines.
* ''Series/PushingDaisies'': Come for the clever premise, stay for Lee Pace.
* ''Series/{{QI}}''. Come for the trivia, stay for the jokes. Or vice versa. Either way.
* ''Series/ResidentAlien'': Come for Creator/AlanTudyk flexing his comic chops in his first ever lead television series role as a HughMann alien trying to blend in as a small-town doctor with a secret mission to KillAllHumans. Stay for Tudyk in some fine dramatic acting and a nuanced dramedy with a fantastic ensemble cast and some amazing moments of both hilarious comedy and heartfelt drama.
* ''Series/{{Riverdale}}'': Come to watch a LiveActionAdaptation of the ComicBook/ArchieComics, stay for the dark storyline and complex character development.
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'': Come for the medical, stay for the endearing cast and [[AwesomeMusic/LiveActionTV brilliant music]].
* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': Come for the one-liners and {{catchphrase}}s, stay for the brilliantly constructed plots.
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': Come because it's Franchise/SherlockHolmes [[SettingUpdate in the modern day]] written by Creator/StevenMoffat and Creator/MarkGatiss, stay for the ''blazing'' chemistry between Creator/BenedictCumberbatch and Creator/MartinFreeman. And the sheer cleverness of it all. And the HoYay. The buckets and buckets and ''buckets'' of [[HoYay/{{Sherlock}} Ho Yay]].
* ''Series/{{Skins}}'': Come for the lesbians, stop for the music, hang around for the storyline, stay for the realization that it's the new ''AsIf''.
** Given the single-character emphasis some TV guides had for series 3, you could also easily say "come for Effy, stay for Naomily."
* ''Franchise/{{Stargate|Verse}}'': Come for the SciFi, stay for the humor!
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'': Come for the sexy Captain, stay for the sexier, repressed British weapons officer.
** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': Come because it's a classic, stay for the world's [[TheNotLoveInterest greatest]] [[HoYay/StarTrek love]] [[HeterosexualLifePartners story]].
** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Come for the Captain, stay for the android. And Worf. And Dr. Crusher.
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': Come for the FieryRedhead, stay for the CharacterDevelopment and ongoing {{Story Arc}}s.
** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Come for the hot Captain, stay for the [[HilarityEnsues hijinx]]. And the heartwarming.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Come for the [[MrFanservice pretty boys]], stay for the intelligence, the psychology and the seriously good acting.
* ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'': Come for Creator/SummerGlau, stay for the amazing character development and jaw-dropping plot twists.
* ''Series/TopGear'': Come for the cars, stay for the funny.
* ''Series/TrueBlood'': Come for the sexy vampires, stay for the character development and intriguing plot.
* ''Series/TrueDetective'': Come for the Noir detective atmosphere, stay for the incredibly deep, compelling mystery and interesting characters.
** Alternately, come for the actors, stay because you ''have'' to know just who in the hell the Yellow King, and where Lost Carcosa, are.
* The ''Franchise/UltraSeries'': Come for the [[NarmCharm famously cheesy]] {{Behemoth Battle}}s, stay for the uplifting themes, likable characters, creative kaiju and aliens, and the occasionally [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome awesome practical effects]].
** ''Series/UltraSeven'': Come because Turner Broadcasting kept mocking the show on their GagDub and ''WesternAnimation/CartoonPlanet'', stay for the serious and thought-provoking stories worthy of the best sci-fi TV series both of its time and today.
** ''Series/UltramanMebius'': Come for the nostalgia trip and MilestoneCelebration, stay for the endearing cast who grow from a RagtagBunchOfMisfits to a BadassCrew of TrueCompanions
* ''Series/VeronicaMars'': Come for Kristen Bell, stay for the surprisingly-dark-yet-still-compelling plot complications.
* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': come for the glitzy music and {{Fanservice}}-tastic main cast, stay for the colorful characters [[HiddenDepths and surprisingly mature plot undertones]].
** For an increasing number of viewers, came for the whole show but only staying for Jade West and/or [[Music/ArianaGrande Cat Valentine]].
** For others, came for the buzz and attractive cast but staying for the massive Les Yay[=/=]HoYay subtext.
* ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs'': Come for the awesome dinosaurs, stay because you can't believe they actually made you cry for a pterosaur in the fourth episode.
* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': Come because Creator/MariaCanalsBarrera (or Creator/SelenaGomez) is [[ParentService smoking hot]], stay because the show is actually pretty funny.
* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'': Come for the [[ActionGirl kick-ass heroine]], stay for the [[LesYay subtext]] (or the humour).
* ''Series/YouAreMyDestiny'': Come for Creator/{{Yoona}}, stay for the engaging plot and interesting storyline.
** Or come to see if a Music/GirlsGeneration member can actually act, stay because ''[[SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct she can]]''.
* ''Series/{{Younger}}'': Come to watch the return of Music/HilaryDuff to series TV (albeit in a supporting role), stay for the commentary on ageism in the workplace.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Magazines]]
* In-universe example of a sort - ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'''s parody of the United States Army's "Army Strong" ad campaign, called "[[http://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2014/12/30/madvertising-tuesday-army-stuck Army Stuck]]," included the jab "Come for the dough. Stay for the quagmire."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* When you discover a new genre of music (sometimes without even realizing it), it can be: come for this reknown artist, stay for all the others.
* ''Music/WeirdAlYankovic'': Come for the song parodies, stay for the well-written and hilarious original songs.
** Or come for a parody or two and stay for his vast amounts of ingenious parodies.
* ''The Aston Shuffle'': Come for the collaboration with Tommy Trash (''Sunrise (Won't Get Lost)'')/the support act for the Music/SwedishHouseMafia, stay for the awesome music and remixes.
* ''Music/PinkFloyd'': Come for [[Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon Money]], [[Music/TheWall Comfortably Numb, and Another Brick in the Wall, Part II]], stay for what more there is to offer.
* DeathMetal: At least one case of coming for the awesome, hard hitting metal, staying for the ability to piss off most passerby. And [[WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad the jiggy juggas]].
* Music/FrankZappa: Come for the [[RefugeInAudacity well-written lyrics]], stay for the music.
* Music/TaylorSwift. Come for the sappy love music. Stay because she's cute.
* [[KoreanPopMusic K-pop]]: Come for the cute [[BoyBand guys]] and/or [[GirlGroup gals]], stay for the catchy tunes. Most would vouch for vice versa, though.
* Music/IronMaiden: Come for [[{{Mascot}} Eddie]], stay for the EpicRocking, Dickinson's LargeHam, the {{Filk Song}}s, [[Awesome/IronMaiden the awesome]] [[GreatBallsOfFire shows]] and of course, [[AwesomeMusic/IronMaiden the awesome music]].
* [[https://www.youtube.com/user/bandarestart Restart]]: Come for the [[MrFanservice cute guys]] in colorful clothes, stay for the [[EarWorm catchy]] and sometimes [[SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel heartwarming]] music. Or the other way around.
* Music/JonathanCoulton: Come for [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} Still Alive]] and/or [[VideoGame/{{Portal 2}} Want You Gone]], stay for the [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain mad scientist ballads]].
* Music/TheBeatles. Come for the Pop music, stay for the experimental stuff and drug trips.
** Or come to check out all of the hype and stay for the surprising amount of personality that the fab four manage to inject into their songs.
*** Come for Music/PaulMcCartney, stay for Music/JohnLennon (or vice versa of course).
*** Alternatively, come for the Lennon-[=McCartney=] songs, stay for the Music/GeorgeHarrison ones.
*** Or even more alternatively, come for the Early Lennon/[=McCartney=] songs, stay for the awesome variety of tunes that sound incredibly good melody-wise that [=McCartney=] wrote later on (or Lennon's ability to transmit ideas and manifests into music. Or for Harrison's sheer musical growth). Or all of them.
* Music/{{KISS}}: Come for the makeup and spitting blood, stay for the riffs, some gleefully twisted humor, and the SurprisinglyGentleSong [[{{Tearjerker}} "Beth."]]
* Music/OingoBoingo: Come because of Creator/DannyElfman, stay for an extravagant musical freak show that [[GenreBusting defies categorization]].
* Music/EltonJohn: Come for the [[MakingASpectacleOfYourself goofy glasses]] and [[CostumePorn wacky costumes]] (at least until TheNineties), stay for the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic catchy, diverse and well-written music]].
* [[Music/JohannSebastianBach Bach's]] Toccata and Fugue in D Minor: come for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATbMw6X3T40 toccata]], stay for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATbMw6X3T40#t=2m41s fugue]].
* Music/{{Mothy}}: Come to see what the hell the [[Music/EvilliousChronicles Story of Evil]] is, stay for the characters, the overwhelmingly complicated plot and mythos, and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic music]].
* Music/{{Beyonce}} and Music/{{Rihanna}}. Come for the [[MsFanservice really hot women]]. Stay for the [[EarWorm catchy tunes.]]
* Music/WarrenZevon. Come for "Werewolves of London" and other moments of BlackComedy or other wittiness. Stay for the [[{{Tearjerker}} genuinely sad ballads]].
* Music/{{Vocaloid}}: Come for the cute characters, stay for some [[AwesomeMusic/{{Vocaloid}} really awesome music]].
* Music/DavidBowie: Come for the memetic charisma and sexiness, stay for the [[NewSoundAlbum amazing variety of genres]], ambitious concepts, visual spectacles, and the CreatorThumbprint that ties it all together.
* Music/InsaneClownPosse: Come for [[CrossesTheLineTwice the twisted humor]], stay for [[{{UsefulNotes/Juggalo}} the weirdly intricate fan subculture]] and [[Creator/PsychopathicRecords the record label filled with living cartoon characters]].
* Music/StarBomb: Come because you're a fan of ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'' and/or Music/NinjaSexParty, stay for the cavalcade of (often lewd) video game humor that you really can't find anywhere else.
* Ben Prunty: Come because you enjoyed the ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'' soundtrack, stay because his other albums also make excellent study music.
* Music/BillyJoel: Come for the SillyLoveSongs ("Just the Way You Are") and jokey novelty songs ("We Didn't Start the Fire"), stay for the amazing piano skills of the "Piano Man", all the songs from ''The Stranger'', commentaries on life in general ("Piano Man", "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "My Life", etc.) and DeadpanSnarker moments.
* Music/MotleyCrue: Come for either all the tabloid stories about the members' shenanigans in the 80s-2000s or BileFascination for HairMetal, stay for the [[EpicRiff epic riffs]] and memorable songs.
* Music/LimpBizkit: Come for BileFascination, stay for Wes Borland's guitar skills.
* Music/{{Oliver}}: Come for "Good Morning Starshine", stay for his love songs and covers.
* Music/JeanMichelJarre: Come for the tunes from ''Music/{{Oxygene}}'' and ''Music/{{Equinoxe}}'' and other {{Instrumental}}s you may have overheard somewhere, stay for the more epic album tracks and bootlegs of bombastic live shows.
* Music/OliviaRodrigo: Come for "drivers license", stay for her angsty songs that feels like if Music/TaylorSwift and Music/{{Paramore}} had a daughter.
* Music/{{Edguy}}: Come for the joke songs and {{Reconstruction}} of HairMetal. Stay for the surprisingly philosophical songwriting, superb arrangements, and really good lead vocals.
* Music/BlindGuardian: Come for the AdaptationExpansion of Literature/LordOfTheRings, stay for the broad and expansive storytelling and epic WorldOfHam.
* Music/{{Avantasia}}: Come for the {{Guest Star Party Member}}s, stay for the epic stories, top-notch GenreMashup, and playfully poetic songwriting.
* Music/{{Queen}}: Come for iconic hits like "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", stay for their operatic and ambitious deep cuts.
* Music/{{Eminem}}: Come for those funny novelty songs with colourful MTV-bait videos, stay for the complex, intelligent lyrics and virtuosic performances.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
* Literature/TheBible: Come for UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}; stay for the other 62/69 Books.
* Literature/JourneyToTheWest: Come for Sun Wukong's legendary badassery, stay for the clever dialogue and entertaining banter between the characters.
* UsefulNotes/{{Neopaganism}}: Come because you were the kid who loved Myth/ClassicalMythology and/or Myth/NorseMythology, stay for the genuinely modernized and relevant take on spirituality.
* UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}}: Come because references to it in Japanese media made you curious, stay for the interesting metaphysics and substantial ValuesResonance.
* Unitarian Universalism: Come because you aren't sure about this "hell" thing, stay for the positive community and in-depth discussion of theology.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* In general: Come for the {{Face}}s, stay for the {{Heel}}s.
* Wrestling/{{ECW}}: Come for the [[{{Gorn}} bloodshed]] and {{Garbage Wrestl|er}}ing, stay for the incredibly well-done matches, surprisingly deep characterization, brilliant promos, and awesome commentary from Wrestling/JoeyStyles. This is as opposed to the Wrestling/{{WWE}}-backed ECW {{Revival}}, where you come for the name, and stay for Matt Striker's awesome commentary.
* Wrestling/{{WCW}}: Come for the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder nWo]], stay for the cruiserweights and all the tales of the backstage drama.
* [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]]: Come for Wrestling/KurtAngle and Wrestling/{{Sting}}, stay for the X-Division.
* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}. Come for the {{Funny Animal}}s, stay for the brilliant wrestling and intricate storylines.
* Wrestling/{{WWE}}: Come for Wrestling/JohnCena, stay for the talent in (post-2013) [[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]].
** For NXT: Come for the new talent and the popular independents stars. Stay because the women there can actually wrestle.
* Wrestling/LuchaUnderground: Come for the Lucha, stay for the amazingly athletic matches, entertaining storylines and colorful characters.
* Wrestling/DefiantWrestling (as [[WebVideo/WhatCultureWrestling WCPW]]): Come for Whatculture, stay for the high-quality booking and matches from both top-level stars and some of the hottest english indie talent.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sports]]
* BeachVolleyball: Come for the {{Fanservice}}, stay because it's actually an exciting sport.
* Cycling: Come for the workout. Stay because it's saving you $100/wk in gas and meds.
* UsefulNotes/SuperBowl: Come for the football, stay for the commercials (sometimes the main reason people are watching the Superbowl, except maybe hopes for another WardrobeMalfunction; the halftime show can be either the X or the Y).
* Swimming: Come for the sexy girls/guys in skimpy clothes. Stay for the exercise, competition, and [[StupidSexyFlanders even more hot people in little clothing.]]
* Tactical shooting: Come because it looks badass. Stay because you really are having a great time becoming a badass.
* UsefulNotes/IceHockey: Come for the players, stay for the spectacle of the world's fastest team sport (including the [[HockeyFight fights]]).
* [[UsefulNotes/OlympicGames The Olympics]]: Come for the sport, stay for the backstage drama and/or the athletes' back stories.
* Sailing: Come for the [[SceneryPorn pretty boats and ocean views]], stay for the competition, TechnologyPorn, and backstage drama. And more pretty boats and ocean views.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Come to see what the fuss is about, stay for the adventures you will have and the stories you will share.
** Or, come for the funny-shaped dice, stay for the funny faces your DM will make when he hears your character's latest in-game plan.
** Come for the fun, stay to [[{{Munchkin}} break the]] [[MinMaxing game]] [[GameBreaker over your]] [[GoodBadBugs knee]].
*** For the [[GameMaster Dungeon Master]] in you, come for the excuse to build your impassable dungeon to crush your friends, stay for the moments when you let the same friends win anyway, because their solution was just that [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome COOL!]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': Come because [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks you didn't like 4th Edition]], stay for the main setting's worldbuilding, alternate interpretations of classic creatures, and delightfully obscure and[=/=]or crazy new creatures.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Come because your D&D friend said it was worth a shot, stay for the ability to punch gods' faces in.
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Come to build an army of [[FantasyKitchenSink all different kinds of monsters and spells]], stay for the surprisingly in-depth and realistic color/alignment system.
* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': Come because you watched [[Anime/YuGiOh one]] [[Anime/YuGiOhGX of]] [[Anime/YuGiOh5Ds the many]] [[Anime/YuGiOhZEXAL different]] [[Anime/YuGiOhARCV anime]], stay for the surprisingly fun to play and complex card game with many, MANY different cards and archetypes.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': Come for the [[DarkerAndEdgier Grimdark]], Imperium and the Space Marines, stay for incredibly rich backstory and variety of different factions.
** Necrons: come for [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot undead space robot alien Terminator expies]], stay for EldritchAbomination and [[GentlemanAdventurer Trazyn the Infinite]].
* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'': Come for the tense drama, mystery, and horror set in [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft's]] universe, stay for the gallows humor you and your friends end up using to deal with your characters going insane and dying horribly. Or, come for the monsters, stay because you're too insane now to care!
* ''TabletopGame/DeltaGreen'': Come for the spy thriller meets Cthulhu Mythos, stay for the hijinx and the kick-assery.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Dominion}}'': Come because you're interested in deckbuilding, stay to try out your latest insane combo.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* Creator/CirqueDuSoleil: Come for the surreal acrobatics, stay for the heartwarming characterizations, fantastic music, and some of the greatest [[NonIronicClown non-ironic clowns]] in the world.
* ''Theatre/MissSaigon'': Come for the helicopter, stay for the love story set against the Vietnam War.
* ''Series/WalkingWithDinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular'': Come for the life-sized dinosaurs, stay for the [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]] between the mother T-rex and her baby.
* ''Theatre/LesMiserables'': Come for the ginormous barricade and/or well-known songs, stay for the epic story.
* The BBC's Hollow Crown series, particularly ''Theatre/HenryIVPart1'', ''Theatre/HenryIVPart2'' and ''Theatre/HenryV'': Come for the Creator/TomHiddleston {{fanservice}}, stay for the Shakespeare.
* And [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]] in general: come because Academia said he was very good, stay because he actually is very good.
* ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'': (Original West End production) Come for the beloved story, the SceneryPorn, and [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory "Pure Imagination"]] as the ClimacticMusic; stay for the fantastic original songs, the BlackComedy, and the surprisingly tender celebration of creativity, artistic and otherwise.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In general, especially these days, video games as a whole can be considered a case of come for the graphics and atmosphere. Stay for the gameplay and/or story.
* Platform/{{Steam}}: Come for Creator/{{Valve|Software}}'s amazing games, stay for the wealth of other games you never would have heard of otherwise.
** Come because [[CopyProtection your new game requires it]], stay because "holy crap did you ''see'' those sale prices?" and for the community support.
* Platform/GOGDotCom: Come for the UsefulNotes/{{DRM}}[=-=]free games and/or a game launcher that synchronizes with your other launchers, stay for the classic computer games of yesteryear and new ones that may interest you.
* itch.io: Come for UsefulNotes/{{DRM}}[=-=]free games, stay to discover indie gems.
* {{Killer app}}s do this for their respective systems. People come for the must-have game, stay for all of the other fun games available on the system.
* The Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem did this intentionally because UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 made consoles very hard to sell on their own: Come for [[VideoGame/RoboticOperatingBuddy R.O.B.]], stay for ''VideoGame/{{Super Mario Bros|1}}.''
** Some gamers' reasons for owning a Nintendo console: "Come for [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]], stay for all the other Nintendo all-stars".
* {{Speedrun}}s: Come to see your favorite game beaten quickly as possible, stay for all the tricks you never thought were possible.
* Platform/NintendoSwitch: Come for the portable/console hybrid concept, stay for all of your favorite games' ports.
* ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'': Come for [[VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth Akatsuki]] and/or [[VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle Blitz]]{{tank|Goodness}}, stay for the other strange and unique characters (one of which has the ability to [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment make a fish fall on you every time you jump]]).
* ''VideoGame/Asuka120Percent'': Come to see school girls fighting, stay for the tight gameplay (depending on the game) and cool soundtrack.
* ''VideoGame/AtelierRyzaEverDarknessAndTheSecretHideout'': Come for [[LegFocus the heroine's thighs]], stay for the complex, engaging ItemCrafting mechanics and well-written characters.
* ''VideoGame/{{Azure Striker Gunvolt|Series}}'': Come for the "''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' {{spiritual successor}} with PsychicPowers" premise, stay for the involved story and world-building, electrifying and challenging gameplay, and [[ThemeMusicPowerUp the cyber divas' music]].
* ''VideoGame/AzurLane'': Came for Enterprise, stayed for the History Lesson and the FanService.
* ''Videogame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'': Come for Creator/MarkHamill as Joker, stay for the awesome gameplay and atmosphere.
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'': Come because it's an open-world ''Batman'' game, stay because it averts TheProblemWithLicensedGames with its storyline, the rogue's gallery, and the environment.
** Come just to be Batman and beat up all the bad guys from the comics, stay for the gameplay and the bonus challenges.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'': Come for the titillation, stay for the boss fights, SerialEscalation, and the million and one [[Shoutout/{{Bayonetta}} shoutouts]].
** Alternatively, come for the combat, stay for the spectacle, try and figure out the plot, end up really loving how the main character manages to be both a ShamelessFanserviceGirl and [[HiddenDepths engaging and well-written]].
* ''VideoGame/{{BEMANI}}'': Come to see the {{memetic|Mutation}}ally [[ThatOneBoss hard boss songs]], stay for the [[Music/{{BEMANI}} massive variety of in-house and commissioned music]].
* ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac'': Come for the odd plot and gross visuals, stay because you really want to find all the items now.
** Alternatively: Come for the modern "{{roguelike}}" qualities, stay because you REALLY want to get Polyphemus and Technology 2 again.
* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'': Come because you heard it was ''VideoGame/SystemShock''[='=]s spiritual successor, stay for the story, the plot twists, its haunting atmosphere, and all the cool powers you can wield.
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': Come for ''Guilty Gear'' [[SpiritualSuccessor in HD]], stay for BANG INSTALL.
** Come for probably the closest thing you'll ever get to another 2D ''Videogame/GuiltyGear'', stay to find out why the bug guy can't talk.
** Come because you heard it has some interesting characters (one of which does '''REAL SOVIET DAMAGE!'''), stay because it has a ''lot'' of interesting characters. In a very complex and interconnected plot.
* ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'': Come because they put a tank in a fighting game [[labelnote:*]][[MarthDebutedInSmashBros that you've heard of]][[/labelnote]], stay because that's only the start of the crazy things this game lets you do.
* ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'': Come for the cutesy cartoony robots blowing things up, stay for the simple yet engaging gameplay, colorful cast of characters, catchy music, and the multiplayer.
** ''VideoGame/{{Bombergirl}}'': Come for the sexy and cute anime girls based off ''Bomberman'' and Konami's other properties blowing up each other's clothes off, stay for the hectic MOBA-styled take on ''Bomberman''[='=]s gameplay, silly comics, upbeat music, colorful cast of girls, dressing the girls up in various outfits, and blowing up each other's clothes off.
* ''VideoGame/BookOfMarioThousandsOfDoors'': Come for [[RecursiveTranslation the nonsense that comes out of characters' mouths]], stay for the weird consistencies that imply and add up to a new lore in the middle of craziness.
* ''VideoGame/BookwormAdventures'': Come for the gameplay, stay for the increasingly compelling plot.
* ''Videogame/{{Borderlands}}'': Come for the [[GunPorn guns]]. Stay for the humor and {{Shout Out}}s.
* ''VideoGame/BunnyMustDie'': Come for the absurd plot, stay for the equally absurd bosses, Metroidvania gameplay, and off-the-wall humor.
* ''Videogame/CallOfDuty'': Come for the multiplayer. Stay because the single player never ceases to amaze.
* ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}'': Come for a NintendoHard platformer, stay for the protagonist's depression, Lena Raine's [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic engaging soundtrack]], and strawberries.
* ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'': Come for the character creator, stay because you're a superhero.
* ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'': Come to win the games in different endings, stay for the leaders.
* ''VideoGame/ClashOfClans'': If you go to your Capital Peak in the game's Clan Capital and you tap the "Info" button for the Clan House, the last sentence of the description reads "Come for the view, stay for the spectacular Raids."
* ''Videogame/CommandAndConquer'': Somewhat subverted in the "General's Challenge" mode in the ''Zero Hour'' expansion pack - one of Dr. Thrax's taunts is "You'll come for the toxin, but you'll stay... '''because you're dead!'''"
** Come for the invention of the RTS genre's gameplay style, stay for the awesome story. As Kane puts it in ''Tiberian Sun'', "Come for the sunshine but [[DarkMessiah stay for the people]]!"
* ''VideoGame/CryptOfTheNecroDancer'': Come because you like {{Roguelike}}s and/or {{Rhythm Game}}s, stay to rage on Aria's campaign.
** Alternatively, come to dance on a soundtrack (re)composed by one of your favorite musicians, stay to dance (and slay) on all the others.
* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'': Come for the 1930s cartoon aesthetic and the [[AwesomeMusic/{{Cuphead}} jazzy soundtrack]], stay for the [[NintendoHard challenging boss fights]].
* ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' come for the legendary [[NintendoHard difficulty]] stay for the intrigated lore.
* ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'': Come for the fighting, stay for the girls... or the other way around.
* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Come because you loved ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' and because Gaster is implied to be behind every mystery, stay because it subverts this game you know and love and because of the main character's reliable struggles as the other reindeer.
** [[Recap/DeltaruneChapter1TheBeginning Chapter 1: The Beginning]]: Come for [[TheCutie Ralsei]], [[MinionWithAnFInEvil Lancer]] and [[ThatOneBoss Jevil]], stay for Susie's CharacterDevelopment, SelfDemonstrating/RouxlsKaard and SelfDemonstrating/{{Starwalker}}.
** [[Recap/DeltaruneChapter2ACybersWorld Chapter 2: A Cyber's World]]: Come to [[SelfDemonstrating/{{Queen}} get the banana]], [[SelfDemonstrating/{{Spamton}} to be a BIG SHOT]] and for our pal Nubert, stay for the RealismInducedHorror behind the antagonists' schemes and the teenagers' psychology, and to see a socially awkward deer girl [[Funny/{{Deltarune}} grabbing an insufferable blue bird by the coat]].
*** Or come for [[AwesomeMusic/{{Deltarune}} the music]] and [[Memes/{{Deltarune}} the memes]], stay to realize by yourself that the Snowgrave route [[AluminumChristmasTrees is not a creepypasta]].
* ''Videogame/DevilMayCry'': Come for the epic action. Stay for the epic action, cheesy dialogue, and unforgiving challenge.
* ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'': Come for the DarkFantasy HackAndSlash, [[MemeticMutation stay a while and listen]].
** Come for the action, stay for two weeks without a break.
* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'': Come for the LevelGrinding, stay for the titillation.
* ''VideoGame/{{DeusEx}}'': Come for the conspiracies, stay for the Shakespeare/John Milton/Khalil Gibran references.
* ''DJMAX Technika'': Come for the interesting gameplay, stay for Platinum Crew (or to painfully wait for the day your arcade gets it).
* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': Come for the bloody demon-slaying action, stay for the gameplay that helped [[TropeCodifier popula]][[GenrePopularizer rize]] the FPS genre and [[AwesomeMusic/{{Doom}} rockin' music]].
** ''VideoGame/Doom64'': Come for the classic ''Doom'' gameplay, stay for the {{darker|AndEdgier}} atmosphere and eerie soundtrack.
** ''VideoGame/BatmanDoom'': Come to play as [[Franchise/{{Batman}} the Dark Knight]] in ''Doom'', stay for the craftsmanship [[SugarWiki/GeniusProgramming built on the Doom Engine alone]].
** ''VideoGame/DOOM2016'': Come because you're a fan of the original ''Doom'' and for the over-the-top TestosteronePoisoning, stay for the renewal of the old formula and [[AwesomeMusic/DOOM2016 Mick Gordon]]'s soundtrack.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'': Come for ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins 2'', stay for the intense drama of the [[GreyAndGrayMorality morally gray plot]], Hawke’s [[BrokenAce tragic story]] and the VideoGameCaringPotential of your TrueCompanions.
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'': Come for insane architecture stay for the... is it really tracking where all of the teeth landed and... are those guts? Did they just get... wow, I didn't even know bones got bruised.
* ''Videogame/DynastyWarriors'': Come for the {{foe tossing|Charge}}, stay for the WorldOfHam.
* ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'': Come for the horrifying final boss, stay for the cute and funny rest of the game!
** Or, alternatively, come for the cute and funny characters and {{Affectionate Parod|y}}ies of [[{{Eagleland}} American life]] and various RPG cliches, stay for the increasingly weird and [[MoodWhiplash unsettling]] plot twists leading up to the epic [[NightmareFuel/{{Mother}} Nightmare Fuel]] of the last dungeon and boss.
* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', if you visit Sanguine's shrine, one of the worshippers will tell you "I came for the parties, and stayed for the parties."
** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': Come for the mods, stay for the intricate plot of each faction.
*** Come for the mods, stay to find out how badass your PlayerCharacter could get.
* ''Videogame/Eldritch2013'': Come for the VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}-like graphics, stay for the stealthy, fun, and surprisingly tough and scary FPS. Or, come for the CosmicHorrorStory, stay for the ability to punch penguins [[FishPeople and Deep Ones]], summon [[BlobMonster Shoggoths]], and hold the souls of {{eldritch abomination}}s.
* ''VideoGame/EternalFighterZero'': Come for the Creator/KeyVisualArts characters, stay for the fights, and the countless [[ShoutOut references]] to other fighting games.
** And the opposite can be true as well: come because it's a FightingGame, stay for the Creator/KeyVisualArts characters, the multiple references to the original visual novels and the heartwarming concept of having them fighting and doing something different [[NoPlotNoProblem for no particular reason]]. Bring tissues? Not this time.
* ''[[VideoGame/EuroTruckSimulator Euro Truck Simulator 2]]'': Come to to see what all the fuss is about, stay for the relaxing gameplay and customization.
* ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'': Come for the intriguing Lovecraftian setting and the great writing... and because you're wondering what this whole "Seeking Mr. Eaten's Name" thing is all about; stay for the lore and the addictiveness (just what intrigue will your character get into ''next''?).
* ''Videogame/{{Fallout}}'': Come for the ludicrously gleeful amount of gore, stay for the equally gleeful deconstruction of every 50's future-tech optimisms ever.
** ''Videogame/{{Fallout 3}}'': Come for the [[NukeEm Fatman]], [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill MIRV]], and [[RayGun Alien]] [[DisintegratorRay Blaster]], stay for the [[GottaCatchEmAll weapon schematics, unique weapons, sidequests, Bobbleheads]], and [[SceneryPorn drop dead gorgeous landscapes.]]
** ''Videogame/FalloutNewVegas'': Come for [[CrazyIsCool the people]], stay for [[WideOpenSandbox the sunshine]].
* ''Videogame/FamiliarsIo'': Come for the fact that the developer fit the whole game in a [[Website/{{Twitter}} tweet video embed]], stay for the deep metagame.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': Come for the RPG gameplay, stay for the complex storylines, large ensemble casts, and [[AwesomeMusic/FinalFantasy epic compositions]].
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'': Come for [[MonsterClown Kefka]], stay for an excellently-made game in general.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': Come for the story, stay for the characters, sidequests, high level of customization, and the [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer Gold Saucer]].
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': Come for the [[MemeticMutation laughing scene]], stay for the character development, storyline, and the beautiful environments.
* ''Videogame/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon'': Come for the awesome slow-mo action, stay for the surreal atmosphere and the [[NightmareFuel/FirstEncounterAssaultRecon Nightmare Fuel]].
** For the first game: come for the ArtificialBrilliance, stay for [[StringyHairedGhostGirl Alma]].
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': Come because [[MarthDebutedInSmashBros of that blue-haired sword-dude in that fighting game]] and stay for the mentally stimulating strategy, lovable characters, and intricate stories.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': Come for the strategic gameplay and stories, stay for the [[RomanceSidequest waifus and husbandos]].
* ''Videogame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': Come because you saw other people play it and who have been scared of UglyCute robots [[JumpScare screaming on their faces]], stay to realize that the game is legitimately frightening, to uncover the hidden lore of the game, and to make your own crazy theories.
* ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'': Come for the gratuitous Force usage, stay for the plot.
** For others... Come for the plot, [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill stay for the insane amount of ways to SLAUGHTER your enemies.]]
* ''Videogame/GearsOfWar'': Come for [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon the rifle with a chainsaw for a bayonet]] and OTT violence, stay for the tactical combat.
* ''Videogame/GhostTrick'': Come because it's the SpiritualSuccessor of ''Franchise/AceAttorney'', stay for the plot twists, smooth animation, plot twists, deep mysteries, plot twists, and [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment plot twists]].
* ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'': Come for the over-the-top violence, stay to find out which God [[PlayerCharacter Kra]][[VillainProtagonist tos]] is going to kill next.
** ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'': Come for the announcement of a new God of War game, stay for the heartwarming story about Kratos raising his son and atoning for his acts in the previous games.
* ''VideoGame/GoddessOfVictoryNikke'': Come for the beautiful android women and their well-animated 2D JigglePhysics, stay for the surprisingly good gameplay and gut-wrenching storyline.
* ''VideoGame/GrooveCoaster'': Come for the ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' remixes and Music/{{VOCALOID}} songs, stay for MASAKI and to spam ThatOneBoss chart until you Full Chain it.
* ''VideoGame/GuildWars'': Come for the lack of monthly fees, stay for the lack of grind (and the SceneryPorn).
* ''Videogame/GuiltyGear'': Come for the 2D fighting revival, stay for the insanely whacked out characters.
** Or, come for the insanely whacked out characters, stay for the incredible background music.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'': Come for the tactical combat, stay for the plot and [[AwesomeMusic/{{Halo}} the soundtrack.]]
* ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'': Come for a cute CollectAThonPlatformer, stay for the snarky humor, [[HumanoidAbomination Queen Vanessa]], bosses' tragic backstories and [[AwesomeMusic/AHatInTime the soundtrack]].
* ''VideoGame/HeartsOfIron'': Come for the strategy, stay for the [[FanWorks/HeartsOfIron mods]].
** ''VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope'': Come for the AlternateHistory, stay for the weird mix of [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt dread]] and [[BittersweetEnding hope]].
** ''VideoGame/EquestriaAtWar'': Come for the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic ponies]], stay for the [[DarkFic horrors of war]] and [[SugarWiki/BetterThanItSounds surprising amount of effort]].
* ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'': Come for the cute bug-like characters, stay for the lore and the [[AwesomeMusic/HollowKnight beautiful ambient soundtrack]]... and because you got lost again.
* ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'': Come for the ridiculous amount of gore, stay for the JigsawPuzzlePlot and [[AwesomeMusic/HotlineMiami killer soundtrack]].
** ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'': Come for more of the same, stay for [[AwesomeMusic/HotlineMiami even more awesome music]], [[MindScrewdriver an utterly insane plot]], and because [[NintendoHard you keep dying]].
* ''VideoGame/HuniePop'': Come for the fanservice, stay for the engaging MatchThreePuzzle gameplay.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ikaruga}}'': Come because you heard it was ''Radiant Silvergun''[='=]s spiritual successor, stay for the jaw-dropping scenery, [[AwesomeMusic/{{Ikaruga}} epic soundtrack]], relentless difficulty, and its simple yet elegant game design.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ingress}}'': Come for the [[AugmentedReality GPS-oriented gameplay]], stay for the [[FireForgedFriends friendship-building]], Anomaly events, [[AlternateRealityGame lore treated as if it were reality]], and to discover new points of interest around your area.
* ''JewelryMasterTwinkle'': Come for its resemblance to a DatingSim, stay for hours.
* ''VideoGame/KanColle'': Come for [[MsFanservice Shimakaze]] and her IconicOutfit, stay for just about any other ship girl that you end up interested in.
* ''VideoGame/KatanaZero'': Come for the RocketTagGameplay and techno soundtrack, stay for the PTSD and MindScrew.
* ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'': Come for [[JustHereForGodzilla Pit]] [[MarthDebutedInSmashBros from Brawl]], stay for the lovable characters.
* ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'': Come for the bizarreness and uniqueness, stay for the genuinely interesting plot.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': Come to see the spectacle of Square Enix crossing over with Disney, stay for the [[TheEpic deep]], [[JigsawPuzzlePlot complicated]] plot, memorable characters, and addictive gameplay.
** Alternatively: Come to see what the fuss was about, stay to see what insane plot twist the writers pull next.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'': Come for the humor, stay because you're addicted.
* ''Videogame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'': Come because you want more ''[[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic KOTOR]]'', stay for [[ZenSurvivor Kreia's teachings]] and the GenreDeconstruction.
* ''VideoGame/LastScenario'': Come to see if the storyline [[SlowPacedBeginning gets better]] than it [[ClicheStorm begins]], stay for the tactical and balanced battle system, get hit in the face by some PlotTwist and finish the game for the improbably gorgeous story [[MindScrew to understand what happened]]. And also for the surprisingly deep philosophical undertones and excellent writing.
* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'': Come to see what the fuss is all about, stay for the interesting gameplay, enormous variety of champions whose abilities and characters make you want to unlock them and the lighthearted, good-natured development team.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'':
** Come because your friends said it was the best zombie game ever. Stay because it is the best zombie game ever.
** Come for the {{Gorn}}, stay for the Gorn. And the multiplayer. And the [[Funny/Left4Dead survivors' interactions]].
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'': Come for Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, stay for Midna.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'': Come for the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast ALTTP]] references, stay for the fun and amazing gameplay.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDIGames The CD-I games]]'': Come for [[MemeticMutation MAH BOI,]] stay for the OverNineThousand [[FountainOfMemes other Memes]].
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'': Come to see why people were so excited, stay because [[QuicksandBox that un-summitted peak on the edge of your vision is a challenge to your honour]].
* ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet'':
** People who Play: Come for [[BadassAdorable Sackboy]], stay for the community levels.
** People who Create: Come for the character customization, stay for doing whatever you want in Create Mode.
** People who Share: Come for the level editor, stay because you really want that pink ribbon.
* ''VideoGame/{{maimai}}'': Come because the cabinet looks like a washing machine, stay to record yourself playing it (if the on-cabinet cameras are there).
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** Playing as a female Shepard: come for the [[HoYay lesbian alien sexual tension]], stay for Creator/JenniferHale's voice acting.
** Either Shepard: Come for the alien sexual tension, stay because of the CharacterDevelopment, TrueCompanions, and because Bioware [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments got]] you [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome right]] in the [[{{TearJerker}} feelings]].
* ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'': Come for the John-Woo bullet-time gun play, stay for the metaphors and ''noir''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}'': Come for the goofy/cool [[MonsterOfTheWeek Robot Masters]] that you can fight in any order, stay for the [[NintendoHard challenging]] gameplay and [[AwesomeMusic/MegaMan addicting music]].
* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'': Come for Solid Snake, stay for the gripping storyline, well-developed characters, and treasure trove of {{Easter Egg}}s.
** ''Videogame/MetalGearSolid'': Come for the Stealth Action, stay for the complex story (or the other way around).
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'': Come for a MindScrewdriver for ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', stay for the fascinating relationships between Snake, The Boss, Ocelot, and EVA.
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'': Come for Creator/PlatinumGames, stay for the gameplay, awesomeness and [[TookALevelInBadass Rai]][[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap den]]. Or: Come for the memes, stay for the deep political debate behind them.
* ''VideoGame/MetalWolfChaos'': Come for "[[MemeticMutation the most]] '''[[PatrioticFervor American]]''' [[MemeticMutation game ever made]]" from [[Creator/FromSoftware the same guys]] that brought you ''VideoGame/OtogiMythOfDemons'' and ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'', stay for the BMovie-tier story, cheesy voice-acting, [[RuleOfCool over-the-top]] action, the [[GunPorn assortment of]] cool guns you can play with, and [[DieChairDie the massive amount of destruction]] you can create.
* ''Videogame/{{Metro 2033}}'': Come because it's from the same team that did ''S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'', stay for the story, characters, and tough combat.
* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': Come for the BestKnownForTheFanservice {{Trope Namer|s}} for SamusIsAGirl, stay for her DarkAndTroubledPast and [[Awesome/{{Metroid}} all-around asskicking]]. Also, the plot, gameplay, ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' [[SpiritualAdaptation homage]], and [[AwesomeMusic/{{Metroid}} music]].
** Come for [[Characters/MetroidRidley that cool monster]] everyone wanted in VideoGame/SuperSmashBros, stay for the complex duality between him and Samus... and for the other monsters.
* ''VideoGame/MightyGunvolt'': Come for the retro-styled {{crossover}} of ''Gunvolt'', ''Mighty No. 9'', and ''Gal*Gun'', stay for the simplistic retro gameplay.
** ''Mighty Gunvolt Burst'': Come for the revamped {{crossover}} of ''Mighty No. 9'' and ''Gunvolt'' ft. ''Gal*Gun'', stay for the classic ''Mega Man''-styled gameplay, addicting Burst Combo system, the robust weapon customization system, and the wide roster of characters to play as.
* ''VideoGame/MightyNo9'': Come for a [[SpiritualSuccessor new]] ''VideoGame/{{Mega Man|Classic}}-styled'' game from Creator/KeijiInafune and Creator/IntiCreates, stay for the colorful characters, catchy music, and the arcade-styled, high-speed take on ''Mega Man''[='=]s classic gameplay... [[OverShadowedByControversy or]] [[HypeBacklash not]].
* When ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' was just starting to get popular it was: Come to see what all the fuss is about, stay because it's more addictive than heroin.
** Or: Come for the building, stay for the survival.
** Or: Come for the survival mode, stay for the exploration and creator mode.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': Come to see the huge monsters, stay because you want to carve those monster parts needed for all the awesome-looking equipment and so you can have a jolly old time beating up said monsters with your friends.
* ''Mushihime-sama Futari'': Come for the TrueFinalBoss, stay for [[ExpansionPack Black Label]].
* ''VideoGame/NetHack'': Come to see what the fuss is about, stay because "this shit won't beat me."
* ''VideoGame/NightsOfAzure'': Come for the Yuri, stay for the characters, the story and the cute romance.
* ''VideoGame/PacMan Championship Edition DX'': Come because, well, it's ''Pac-Man'', stay until you S-rank all the stages.
* ''VideoGame/{{Palworld}}'': Come for the [[BlackComedy "Pokemon with Guns and slavery"]] memes and the many controversies surrounding it, stay for the surprisingly fun interactions with your Pals, base building, exploration across [[SceneryPorn gorgeous landscapes]], and great soundtrack. And the guns.
* ''VideoGame/PanelDePon'': Come for the adorable artstyle, stay for the addictive gameplay.
* ''VideoGame/PanzerDragoon'': Come for the [[HomingLaser laser]]-[[BeamSpam breathing]] dragons, stay for the [[SceneryPorn beautiful (and surreal) scenery]], great soundtrack, ''Space Harrier''/''[=RayStorm=]''-esque action, and the heartwarming bond of a dragon and its rider.
* ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and ''VideoGame/Persona4'': come for the dating sim elements, stay for the fun battle system, deep character development and awesome J-pop music.
** The ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series in general is like this: come for ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'''s fame and unique dating sim aspects, stay for the darker themes and modern day settings the rest of the franchise has [[note]]not that the two ''Persona'' games are exactly lacking in that department[[/note]].
* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'': Come for the gameplay, stay to save up for a costume that's worth millions of meseta in the player market.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Come for the [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter cute critters]] -- and possibly [[HypeAversion to see what all the fuss is about]] -- stay for the deep, strategic {{R|olePlayingGame}}PG, and possibly [[GottaCatchThemAll pure obsessive-compulsion]]. Or come for the monsters, stay for the sheer ''imagination'' of the games' worlds.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeon'': Come for the ability to play as a Pokémon, stay for the surprisingly epic plot with plenty of {{Tearjerker}} material.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonGO'': In a vein similar to its sibling game ''VideoGame/{{Ingress}}'': Come to catch Pokémon while out in the real world, stay to make friends, meet up with them, and explore places you would normally not visit.
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'': Come for the brilliant puzzles, stay for the dark humor and [[MemeticMutation the cake]]... or the other way around.
** Come for [[TheCakeIsALie the cake]] and stay for SelfDemonstrating/{{GLaDOS}}.
** Come for [=GLaDOS=], stay for the rest of the game.
** ''VideoGame/Portal2'': Come for the multiplayer campaign, stay for SelfDemonstrating/{{Wheatley}}... and Cave Johnson.
* ''VideoGame/PunchOut'': Come because you like boxing, stay for the quirky cast and complex gameplay.
* ''VideoGame/PuzzleQuest'': Come for the tricked-out "Bejeweled", stay to find your favorite mix of classes, items, spells and mounts.
** Inversely, come for the story and humor, stay for the gameplay. There are many custom maps for these two games that focus solely on puzzle solving.
* ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun'': Come because you heard it was [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes obscenely rare]], stay for the bosses, brutal difficulty, awesome music, and engrossing story (if you can understand Japanese or playing the Xbox LIVE Arcade port).
* ''[[Creator/AliceSoft Rance]]'': Come for the novelty of [[HGame an RPG where you can have graphic sex with NPCs and party members alike]], stay for the surprisingly deep and engaging story that rivals even mainstream [=RPGs=].
* ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'': Come for the weapons and gameplay, stay for the stories and humor.
* ''VideoGame/RaymanOrigins'': Come for Rayman and fun gameplay, stay for the [[FairySexy nymphs]].
** ''VideoGame/RaymanRedemption'': Come for the Mr. Dark battle, stay for the other expansions and improvements.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'': Come for the [=GTA=] setting in the Wild West, stay for the intriguing story and [[spoiler:a brutal DownerEnding]].
** ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'': Come for the graphics and winter shenanigans [[spoiler:(horse-balls)]], stay for the amazing gameplay, story and [[spoiler:the BittersweetEnding]].
* ''VideoGame/RhythmThiefAndTheEmperorsTreasure'': Come for the rhythm games, stay for the incredibly cute story.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'': Come for the [[ImprobablyFemaleCast improbable cast]] of {{magical girl}}s, stay for the tight ''Mega Man''-esque gameplay, [[AwesomeMusic/PCOnly awesome soundtrack]], [[SceneryPorn gorgeous scenery]], engaging story, and the [[ReferenceOverdosed numerous shout-outs]].
* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'': Come for the farming and dungeon crawling, stay for the [[RomanceSidequest waifus]].
* ''VideoGame/SenranKagura'': Come for the [[WorldOfBuxom boobies]]: stay for interesting characters and their interactions, surprisingly deep story that isn't afraid to get dark, and fun gameplay. And boobies.
* ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'': Come for the cute, shapeshifting belly dancer protagonist and the [[WorldOfActionGirls other equally attractive women]] that make up the bulk of the cast. Stay for the awesome {{Metroidvania}} gameplay, excellent comedic writing, and some kicking music.
** Come for to see who that character everyone wants in VideoGame/SuperSmashBros is , stay because it’s a great game.
* ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'': Come because you want to know where this funny blue character [[SirCameosALot who makes cameos everywhere]] comes from, stay to play the culmination of 8-bit NintendoHard games, for the {{Villain Protagonist}}s own campaign, and Jake Kaufman's [[AwesomeMusic/ShovelKnight chiptune bangers]].
* ''Videogame/{{Silent Hill|1}}'': Come for the [[NightmareFuel/SilentHill1 Nightmare Fuel]], stay because you just have to know [[MindScrew what in]] [[JigsawPuzzlePlot the hell]] [[GainaxEnding just happened]].
** ''Videogame/SilentHill2'': Come for [[MemeticMolester Pyramid Head]], stay for the epically tragic characters.
* ''VideoGame/{{Skullgirls}}'': Come for the [[MsFanservice sexy]] {{catfight}}s, stay for the polished gameplay, whimsical cast of characters, interesting universe, amazing music, fluid animation, and [[ShoutOut/{{Skullgirls}} shouts-outs]] [[ReferenceOverdosed aplenty]].
** Come for the weirdness, stay for the funnies.
** Come for the funnies, stay for the well-developed world and actually really good gameplay.
** Come for the game, stay for the sheer community of the developers and fans.
* ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'': Come for the [[MerchandiseDriven toys]], stay because the gameplay's surprisingly solid.
* ''VideoGame/SoulSeries'':
** ''[=SoulCalibur=] II'': Come for [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], stay for the refined fighting gameplay.
** Alternatively, come for the awesome fighting, stay for the {{Guest Fighter}}s.
** Come to take over the world, stay because [[JustOneMoreLevel you're addicted.]]
* ''Videogame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters'': Come for Gig, stay for the surprisingly addictive gameplay. And the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Crowning Music of Awesome]]. And Gig.
* ''VideoGame/SolatoroboRedTheHunter'': Come for a rare high-quality UsefulNotes/FurryFandom game, stay for badass protagonist and great dramedy.
** Come for the Furry, [[GrappleMove stay to throw stuff.]]
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'': Come for the simplistic yet fun gameplay, stay for the [[AwesomeMusic/SonicTheHedgehog kickass music]] and [[SceneryPorn gorgeous stages]]... ''and'' the simplistic yet fun gameplay.
** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'': Come because you never could have a Platform/SegaCD, for the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeArt animated cutscenes]], [[BestLevelEver Stardust Speedway]] and [[BestBossEver Metal Sonic]], stay to explore the gigantic levels, for one of the best formula in Special Stages, and because [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic both soundtracks are absolute bangers]] in their own ways.
*** Or come for the "[[NightmareFuel/SonictheHedgehogCD Fun is infinite]]" Easter Egg and the infamous American Game Over music, stay for the rest of the game.
** For certain 3D games: Come for the Sonic[=/=]Shadow gameplay, stay for the engaging [[GameplayRoulette variety of characters and gameplay styles]].
** ''VideoGame/SonicRoboBlast2'': Come because you heard of a free ''Sonic'' fangame in 3D which works like 2D games, stay for the modded content.
*** Alternatively, come to unlock [[TheGlomp Amy Rose]], stay to play [[TokenEvilTeammate Fang]] the [[TheGunslinger Sniper]].
** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogTripleTrouble16Bit'': Come because you have no other way to play [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogTripleTrouble the original]] Platform/GameGear game and because it looks prettier, stay for the single player coop gameplay, the revamped soundtrack and the multiple plot twists.
* ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'': Come because ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' or ''LetsPlay/NerdCubed'' praised it, stay for the subversive, [[MindScrew mind-screwy]], [[GenreDeconstruction deconstructive]] plot that makes you question the nature of shooters.
* ''[[VideoGame/SpyroTheDragon1998 The]]'' ''[[VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage Spyro]]'' ''[[Videogame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon Trilogy]]'': Come for cute, simple, and relaxing games to simply pass the time... and stay for the great level design, some of the best platforming on [=PS1=], witty humor, pretty colors, and some of the best game soundtracks ever composed.
* ''VideoGame/{{Subnautica}}'': Come for the beautiful yet terrifying alien ocean, stay for the epic and masterfully unfolded story.
* ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'': Come for the 108 characters from your party, stay for the amazing political plots, fun gameplay and likable characters amongst the 108s.
* ''VideoGame/SummonNight Swordcraft Story'': Come for the [[HoYay/VideoGames lesbian subtext]], stay for the likable characters and fast paced battle system.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': Come for the immensely catchy iconic Overworld theme song and simple and fun platforming games, stay for... [[RuleOfFun everything]] [[UniversalAdaptorCast else]].
** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'': Come because you want to discover this ''Mario'' game which {{speedrun}}ners surpass themselves [[SequenceBreaking/SuperMario64 to complete the most]] [[SelfImposedChallenge/SuperMario64 ridiculous ways possible]], which has [[WebAnimation/SuperMario64Bloopers countless machinimas]] and who's [[WebVideo/SuperMario64Classified supposedly personalized]], stay to see what Mario actually is capable of, to explore all these big worlds, and to try the aforementioned things by yourself.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker2'': Come to create your own ''Mario'' levels, stay to beat the insanely difficult ones made by everyone else.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'': Come because of Cappy, stay for the immersive worlds and the exploration that comes with them.
** ''VideoGame/MarioKart'': Come to see your favorite characters driving go-karts and throwing items on each other, stay for the complex driving skills and to beat time trials.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'': Come because it's a Creator/{{Nintendo}} FightingGame, stay for the chaotic and thrilling gameplay.
** Alternatively, come because your favorite character is in it, stay because of all [[ColbertBump the other characters you'll learn about and come to enjoy playing with]].
* ''Videogame/SuperRobotWars OriginalGeneration'' exists as a result of this trope occurring in the main series. People came for the ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Gundam]]'' (or whatever your favorite series is) and stayed for the entirely new characters.
** Come for Gundam, stay for Huckebein.
** Or, come for the over the top attacks and story, stay for the intricate battle system.
* ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'': Come for the GenreBusting combat system, stay for the strong characterization, {{Deconstruction}} of JRPG storytelling conventions, and really likable main casts despite well-executed GrayAndGreyMorality.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'': Come for the madcap FPS action, stay for the gorgeous animation and wacky characterization.
** Or vice versa -- come for the unique art style and humor exhibited in the "Meet the Team" videos; stay for the well-balanced and refreshingly lighthearted multiplayer combat. People who were not "gamers" by any stretch, but got sucked into ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' and/or ''Portal'', wound up loving the whole ''Orange Box'' set, and eventually settled into the world of video games.
** Come for the madcap FPS action, stay for the hats.
** Come for Heavy, stay for the rest of the team.
* ''Videogame/TetrisTheGrandMaster'': Come because you're bored of mainstream ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'', stay for the hope of one day getting Grand Master rank and the surprising lack of FakeDifficulty.
* ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'': Come for "''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' in 2D", stay for Metroidvania-inspired gameplay, the streamlined crafting, awesome loot, epic bosses, developing your character's stats, creating a world to call your own, and the numerous shout-outs.
* ''VideoGame/ThunderForce'': Come because it's an awesome ShootEmUp series, stay for the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic.
* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': Come for the BulletHell, the {{Fighting Game}}s, the [[AwesomeMusic/TouhouProject music]], the characters, the [[Memes/TouhouProject memes]], the art, the {{doujins|hi}}, the [[FanficRecs/TouhouProject stories]], the [[FanficRecs/TouhouFanVids videos]], or the {{fandom}}, and stay for [[JustForFun/TropeOverdosed everything else]].
* ''VideoGame/TriangleHeart3SweetSongsForever'', and possibly the whole ''Triangle Heart'' franchise: Come for the fandom prestige of actually knowing what ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' was spun off from, stay for the characters and the FantasyKitchenSink.
* ''VideoGame/TwistedWonderland'': Come for the pretty boys based on different Disney characters, stay for the surprisingly deep and heartbreaking stories attached to them.
* ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'': Come because you like ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'', stay because Creator/ArcSystemWorks have done it again. [[labelnote:*]]Technically it was developed by French Bread, but Arc published it.[[/labelnote]]
** Come for the interesting character gimmicks, stay to figure out how [[StormOfBlades Hilda]] and [[SomeDexterityRequired Vatista]]'s combos work.
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'':
** Come because you heard it's like ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'', stay to see just how the game reacts to your every decision.
** Come because you heard nobody has to die. Stay [[spoiler:to kill them all and have an epic battle with one of the {{Final Boss}}es]].
** Come because you heard about [[SelfDemonstrating/{{Flowey}} the psychotic flower]] and [[SelfDemonstrating/{{Sans}} the lazy skeleton]], stay for [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} the wacky skeleton]], [[HotBlooded the over-the-top fish lady]], [[StupidSexyFlanders the stupid sexy robot]], and [[EndearinglyDorky the dork lizard lady]]... and all the others!
** Come because of [[EpilepticTrees absurd theories]] [[WildMassGuessing you read online]], stay to [[NotSoAboveItAll make your own]].
** Come for Megalovania, stay for the rest of the soundtrack... and to search for leitmotifs absolutely everywhere.
* ''VideoGame/UntitledGooseGame'': Come because you were told that the goose is [[MemeticBadass insanely powerful]], stay to see [[BadassNormal it doesn't even need this aforementioned power]] to be the most threatening animal in existence.
* ''VideoGame/UrbanDead'': Come for the Zombies, stay to survive.
* ''VideoGame/VirtualOn'': Come for the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}''[=-=]esque mechas, stay for the other mechas you might end up liking, fast-paced gameplay, and awesome music.
* ''VideoGame/WanganMidnight Maximum Tune'': Come to drive your favorite sports car on Tokyo's highways, stay to battle your friends or froth at the mouth at your ten millionth failed Time Attack attempt.
* ''VideoGame/WarCraft III'': Come for the awesome gameplay and storyline, stay for [[VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients DOTA]]. Seriously, people have actually brought the game just to play DOTA.
* ''VideoGame/WarioWare'': Come for [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Wario]], stay for the quirky universe, addictive minigames, and the fun [=WarioWare=] Inc. employees.
** Or alternatively, come for Wario, stay for [[EnsembleDarkhorse Ashley]].
* ''VideoGame/TheWarriors'': Come because you loved [[Film/TheWarriors the movie]], stay for the bonus games (including a ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon''-style arcade throwback) and for an even more awesome time capsule of [[TheSeventies '70s America]] than the 1979 original was!
* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'': Come for dual assault rifles, stay for the engaging story and characters.
* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'': Come to see where those weird kids from ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'' came from, stay for the memorable cast, engaging story, unique gameplay, and [[AwesomeMusic/TheWorldEndsWithYou amazing soundtrack]].
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'': Come to learn more of the [[FountainOfMemes memetic Shulk]] and the game's [[NoExportForYou interesting]] [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes history]], stay for the engaging story and immersive and [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome beautiful]] world.
* ''VideoGame/YuGiOhDuelLinks'': Come for the original series nostalgia, stay for the relatively balanced gameplay and card pool.
** Alternatively, come for the duels and stay for the characters and their interactions.
* ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'': Come for the NightmareFuel, stay to interpret and analyze the psychological landscapes of the dream world.
* Both ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' and ''Zone of the Enders HD Collection'': Come for the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' demos, stay for the addictive gameplay.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'': Come for the [[MundaneMadeAwesome ridiculous premise]], stay for the addictive mysteries, quirky characters, and WorldOfHam.
* ''VisualNovel/ChoicesStoriesYouPlay'': Come for the romance, stay for the intriguing stories that leave you wanting more.
* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'': Come for the waifus, stay for the horror. Or come for the dark subversion that you can't help hearing about and stay for the surprisingly endearing (if deeply flawed) waifus.
** Alternatively, [[spoiler:come because you've heard about [[FourthWallObserver Monika]], stay to [[TearJerker/DokiDokiLiteratureClub cry on Sayori's depression]]]].
* ''VisualNovel/{{DRAMAtical Murder}}'': Come for the {{yaoi|Genre}}, stay for the lovable characters, engaging story and hilarious fandom. And [[LargeHam Akushima]].
* ''VisualNovel/ExtracurricularActivities'': Come for the bara furry {{Fanservice}}, stay for the endearing realistic characters and exceptional writing.
* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': Come for the swords, stay for the CharacterDevelopment and [[{{Determinator}} unbreakable]] main characters.
** Alternatively; come for [[HistoricalDomainCharacter the Servants]] and the series' interpretation of them, stay for the batshit insane-level intricacy of world-building that spans the entire Franchise/{{Nasuverse}}.
** For Unlimited Blade Works specifically, come for [[MemeticMutation GARcher]], stay for GAR Lancer.
* ''VisualNovel/HatofulBoyfriend'': Come for the wacky pigeon dating, stay for the surprisingly good writing and compelling (pigeon) characters.
* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'': Come for the scenes left out from the [[AllThereInTheManual anime]] and [[AllThereInTheManual TIPS]], stay for the same reasons you stayed for the anime and ''more''.
* ''VisualNovel/KanaLittleSister'': Come for one kind of jerker, stay for the [[{{Tearjerker}} other]].
* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'': Come for hot cripple sex, stay for the well written and lovable characters, the witty dialogues, and the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic fantastic soundtrack]], not to mention the intelligent and mature observations of some very difficult themes.
* ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'': When the game first came out, many came for the many good endings and adorable wooable characters, and stayed for the many {{Bad End}}s. Once it became notorious for these bad endings and especially with the animated adaptation going this route, it has come to be the other way round for many newcomers.
* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'': Come for the magic, stay for the mystery.
** Alternatively, come for the {{memetic|Mutation}} {{troll}}ling and [[{{Gorn}} bloody deaths]], stay for the romance.
* ''{{Franchise/Danganronpa}}'': Come for the goofy looking bear, stay for the unique characters, witty dialogue, elaborate murders and dark themes of despair and sadness.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/HololiveERROR'': Come for the novelty of your favorite VirtualYouTuber in a horror setting, stay because you're trying to wrap your head around how ''[[MindScrew indescribably batshit]]'' the narrative is.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'': Come for the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' geekery, stay for the wicked {{deconstruction}} of just about every RPG trope ever invented.
* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'': Come for the [[InstantChucks Chainsaw Nunchucks]], stay for the hilarious writing.
* ''Webcomic/AxeCop'': Come for the webcomic written by a kid, stay for the CrazyIsCool.
* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'': Come for the ''Franchise/StarWars'' and TabletopRPG jokes, stay for the CharacterDevelopment as the players and GM become TrueCompanions.
* ''Webcomic/TheDreamer'': Come for the time travel drama/romance and American history, stay for the [[EstrogenBrigade hot guys]] (or vice versa).
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Come for the {{Gender Bend|er}}ing, stay for the CharacterDevelopment.
* ''Enjuhneer'': Come for the geek-college, stay for the increasingly in-depth characters.
** Also, come for the geeky-ness, stay for the geeky-ness.
* ''Webcomic/{{Fanboys}}'': Come for the video game humor, stay for the sickeningly cute romance.
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': [[ComicBook/XXXenophile Come for the hope that it is similar to the author's past work]], stay for the well-drawn [[MadScientist MAD SCIENCE]]!
** Come for the Steampunk, stay for the Jägers.
** Also, the Heterodyne museum advertised: "Come for the crushing, stay for the snow cones".
* ''Webcomic/GoodbyeChains'': Come for the [[YaoiFangirl gay]], stay 'cause it's ''hilarious''.
** Come for the humor, stay for the gut-wrenching feels.
* ''Webcomic/{{Heartcore}}'': Come for the hot succubus heroine, stay for the action, comedy, and stellar artwork.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Come because you just finished ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', stay for the intricate characterization, intense action, [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic sick beats]], and the sheer amount of both JustForFun/{{trope|Overdosed}}s and [[WMG/{{Homestuck}} theories]]. [[ArchivePanic It's not like you'd be able to leave any time soon!]]
** Alternately: Come for the [[DoubleEntendre horny aliens]], stay for the ''actual plot''.
* ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'': Come for the entertaining idea, stay because it's ''hilarious''.
** Come for [[BigFriendlyDog Peanut]], stay for [[EnsembleDarkhorse King]].
* ''Webcomic/{{Insecticomics}}'' has a storyline with a title like this: ''Come For the Wedding, Stay For the Open Bar!''
** ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'': Come for the insanely overpowered fireballs, stay for [[TheRant the often insightful comments and literal rants]]. Doubly so now that the comic itself is essentially finished but the rants keep getting updates.
* ''Webcomic/KiwiBlitz'': Come for the cute art and MiniMecha action, stay for a well-thought-out {{deconstruction}} of classic {{mecha}} and {{superhero}} tropes.
* ''{{Webcomic/Lackadaisy}}'' Come for the adorable kitties and gorgeous art, stay for the dark, complex, historically accurate storyline and the realistically endearing characters. And then cry because of the ScheduleSlip.
** And rejoice because updates have finally become monthly and will stay that way.
* ''WebComic/MagickChicks'': Come for the [[{{animesque}} animesque artwork]] and PG-13 rated LesYay, stay for the [[WorldOfActionGirls superempowered cast of heroines]], compelling mysteries, and the occasional crossovers with [[WebComic/EerieCuties its parent series.]]
* ''Webcomic/MegaTokyo'': Come for the crazy, stay for the drama. And the surrealism. And the RentAZilla.
** Or, come for the cute girls, stay for the story.
* ''Webcomic/MenageA3'': Come for [[DistractedByTheSexy the hot girls/guys]], stay for the zany characters and story.
* ''Webcomic/{{Misfile}}'': Come for the {{Fanservice}}, stay for the emotional story, funny jokes, and well-done {{Deconstruction}} of the entire GenderBender genre.
* ''Webcomic/MountainTime'': Come because it's utterly surreal and/or absurd and/or just amusingly stupid; stay because it starts to make a weird kind of sense.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Come for the [[TabletopGames role-playing]] parody, stay for the well-done CerebusSyndrome.
* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'': Come because you're the only person on the planet who hasn't read it, stay for the sick humor and the less-sick vocabulary lessons.
* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'': Come for the robots, stay for the well-developed interpersonal relationships, the constant introductions to new indie-rock bands, and the fact that it never forgets to be funny. Oh, and don't forget [[TheMerch to buy a T-shirt]].
* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal''. Come for hilarious subversions on beloved tropes, stay for shirtless Zach.
* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'': Come for the gag-a-day sci-fi starring a talking pile of crap, stay for the deep, serious, intricately plotted SpaceOpera epic starring [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Guns]] you never saw coming.
* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': Come for the tragic MagicalGirlGenreDeconstruction, stay for the thoughtful magical girl genre [[DeconReconSwitch reconstruction]]. [[CastFullOfGay And the gay.]]
* ''Webcomic/{{Sunstone}}'': Come for the well-drawn fetish artwork, stay for the characterisation, story-telling, and sense of humor.
* ''Webcomic/TheUnspeakableVaultOfDoom'': Come for the LovecraftLite antics of the Great Old Ones, stay because of the deep references to [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraft]] and because 'Zatoth is just too damn adorable for the embodiment of ultimate cosmic madness.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Website/TVTropes: Come for the laughs, stay for the [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife crippling addiction!]]
** Come to look something up. Stay for the witty remarks.
*** Come for the interesting, [[ImpossibleMission stay awhile... STAY FOREVER!]]
*** Come to find out what the hell everyone else is talking about, stay because [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife you have no choice.]]
*** Come for the fun, stay because it is a better place to look up media than [[Website/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]] is.
*** Come because of ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'', stay because of WikiWalk.
* ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'': Come for the humor and wacky characters, stay for the surprisingly deep storyline that [[CerebusSyndrome eventually emerges]].
* DarthWiki/DarthWiki: Come for the fun, stay for the cries of agony!
** SugarWiki/SugarWiki: Come because of [[PotHole one of these]], stay because GoodFeelsGood!
* WebVideo/TheMusicVideoShow: Come for the nostalgic (sometimes current) {{music video|tropes}}s, stay for the riffing of said videos.
* ''Website/ChannelAwesome'': Come for the reviews, stay for the [[DeadpanSnarker Snark]].
** WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic[=/=]WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick: Come for your nostalgic movie getting bashed[[note]] or to think dirty thoughts about the PrettyBoy/[[MsFanservice hot girl]][[/note]], stay for their [[HiddenDepths genuinely]] [[JerkassWoobie interesting]] [[{{backstory}} characters]].
** WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall: Come for the reviewer who IS A MAN! PUNCH! Stay for the very well-written storylines.
* [[{{WebAnimation/Asdfmovie}} asdfmovie]]: Come for the RapidFireComedy and BlackComedy jokes, stay for BaitAndSwitch moments.
* Fandom: Come for the porn, stay for the people (and the porn).
** Alternatively, come for more of the characters and plot of your favorite shows, stay to look at porn of said characters.
* JournalRoleplay: Come for the character interaction, stay for the drama.
* WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd: Come for the nostalgia, stay for the catharsis.
* WebVideo/TheJokerBlogs: Come for the acting, stay for the suspenseful story.
* [[http://www.thehillywoodshow.com/ The Hillywood Show]] Come for the Creator/JohnnyDepp impressions and ''[[Literature/TheTwilightSaga Twilight]]'' parodies, stay for the stellar musical numbers and professional production values.
* The Escapist: Come for the [[WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation Yahtzee]], stay for ''WebVideo/{{Unskippable}}'' and ''WebVideo/DoomsdayArcade''.
* NASA Edge and Space Vidcast: Come for the humor, stay for the quotability and the spaceflight.
* Platform/{{Facebook}}: Come to communicate with your friends, stay for the games.
* ''Cat Tales'': Come for the {{Fanservice}}, stay because it's better written and better characterized than anything DC Comics has done in years.
* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Come for the [[GenderBender TG wish fulfillment]] stories, stay for the superhero battles and the humor.
* ''WebVideo/ImAMarvelAndImADC'': Come for the {{Crossover}} factor, stay for the characterization, witty dialogue, and many [[Funny/ImAMarvelAndImADC hilarious highlights]].
* ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'': Come for the parody of ''Anime/YuGiOh'' (let's face it, it's a pretty easy target), stay for the parody of absolutely everything.
** Come to see where the memes came from, stay for the hilarious alternate take on an anime even if you've never seen the original.
* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': Come for Homestar, stay for [[EnsembleDarkhorse Strong Bad]]!
** The trope is referenced in an Easter Egg featuring the ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad'' in the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail "death metal":
--->'''What's-Her-Face:''' Cheerleader! Are you here to see Brainkrieg?\\
'''Cheerleader:''' I come for the wuggas, but stay for the jiggy juggas.\\
'''Brainkrieg:''' ''(offscreen)'' Jugga jigga wugga!
* VideoGame/{{Valenth}}: Come for the pretty adoptable artwork, stay for the surprisingly complex storyline.
* WebAnimation/{{Eddsworld}}'s description from their twitter page: "Come for the fun. Stay for the {{pun}}s"
* Personality Cafe: Come for the personality typing, stay for the community.
** Or come because Typology Central banned you, stay for the community.
* ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'': Come because your favorite voice actor is in it, stay for the genuinely good plot and characters that manage to come out of these improv ''Dungeons and Dragons'' sessions.
* Platform/FanFictionDotNet: Come because you like the work, stay for awesome expansion upon {{canon}}.
** Or you come for more of your favorite works and stay to find truly great fics hidden underneath piles of Sues and Yaoi.
** Alternatively, come to make crappy fanfics, stay to gradually improve and make something fairly interesting! (It takes some time though!)
* ''WebVideo/DragonBallAbridged'': Come to watch Nappa slowly drive Vegata insane, [[spoiler:''stay'' to watch Ghost Nappa slowly drive Vegeta insane]].
** Come for Goku, stay for Freeza.
** Come to see if it's as good as ''Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series'', stay because if anything it might well be better.
* Website/{{Neopets}}: Come for the cute creatures, stay for the games.
** Or alternatively, come for the games, stay for the plots and possibly the community.
* ''WebVideo/MarbleHornets'': come for [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender Man]], stay because [[NightmareFuel/MarbleHornets you're too afraid to move]].
** Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos: come because of Website/SomethingAwful or Videogame/SlenderTheArrival, stay because of the intense [[AlternateRealityGame ARGs]]/blogs/vlogs, EpilepticTrees, conspiracy theories, and [[NightmareFuel the fear that you'll]] [[NightmareFuel end up impaled on a tree somewhere]] [[ParanoiaFuel if you dare so much as look behind you]].
* [[http://www.patheos.com/community/slacktivist The Slacktivist's blog]]: Come for ''Literature/LeftBehind'' getting [[{{MST}} ripped a new one]], stay for the political and philosophical posts. And ''Literature/LeftBehind'' getting ripped a new one.
* ''WebVideo/IncognitoCinemaWarriorsXP'': Say for the [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]]-inspired riffing, stay for the surprisingly engaging plot.
* ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft'': Come for Gypsy Pinkie, Sweetie Bot or the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic music]], stay for its humor and its surprisingly deep plot (for an AbridgedSeries, at least) and SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments.
* ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'': Come for the [[Creator/{{Egoraptor}} Internet]] [[WebVideo/JonTron celebrities]] riffing on video games, stay for the heartfelt and genuine friendship between the two.
* Website/SCPFoundation: Come for SCP-087 or SCP-173, stay for the [[BunnyEarsLawyer quirky characters]], [[NighInvulnerability SCP-682]] and because [[NightmareFuel/SCPFoundation you're too scared to leave.]]
** Come for the horror, stay for the [[TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow [DATA EXPUNGED] ]]
* [[LetsPlay Let's Plays]]: Come for the games, stay for the players (and co-commentators!).
* LetsPlay/TheRunawayGuys: Come for your favourite member, stay for all of them.
* [[LetsPlay/FreelanceAstronauts Freelance Astronaut]] pipes! once said, "Come for the masturbation jokes, stay for the puns," but really, see the entry for Let's Plays in general.
* Nuzlocke stories: Come because you like the originals, stay for the variety of stories on the same base idea.
* WebVideo/{{danisnotonfire}}:
** Come for the British accent, stay for the existential crisis.
** Come for the [[PrettyBoy cute guy]], stay for the cute guy who's actually [[DeadpanSnarker hilarious]] and ''[[HiddenDepths smart]]''. (And the existential crisis.)
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Come for the intricate battles and hot chicks, stay for the comedy and character development.
** Come for Team RWBY, stay for Team JNPR.
* ''WebVideo/EpicRapBattlesOfHistory'': Come to see what this weird concept is (or because everyone goes on about it), stay to see which pairings they put together next and the brilliant lines.
* ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'': Come for the fights and answering "Who would win?", stay for the witty script before the fight, or, if you're that kind of person, the flame wars after it.
* ''Website/KnowYourMeme'':
** Come to look up where that one meme came from, stay for the hilarious image galleries.
** Come for the softcore Nintendo porn, stay for the political analysis.
* ''Podcast/TheBlackGuyWhoTips'': Come for the recaps of ''Series/GameOfThrones'' and ''Series/TheWalkingDead'', stay for the social commentary, interesting guests and [[RefugeInAudacity no-holds barred comedy]].
* ''[[WebVideo/ThomasSanders Sanders Sides]]'': Come for the laughs, stay for the CharacterDevelopment and [[AnAesop surprisingly uplifting messages and morals]].
* ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'': Come for the {{Alternate Character Interpretation}}s and the comedy, stay for the CharacterDevelopment, [[{{Dramedy}} feels]], and [[ExternalRetcon improvements to the story]]. And the comedy.
* ''WebVideo/TFSAtTheTable'': Come for [[Creator/TeamFourStar the players]], stay for the plot.
* One of the page banners on ''Website/{{Reddit}}'' says 'Come for the cats, stay for the empathy'.
* ''Podcast/{{Rifftrax}}'': Come for ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' alumni riffing on A-list movies, stay for all the B-movies and shorts they couldn't get around to on TV.
* Actually invoked by Website/{{Tumblr}} on their login screen: "Come for what you love. Stay for what you discover."
* ''WebVideo/TheSpiffingBrit'': Come to see the horrific exploit he did with your favourite game, stay for the cheery dry wit and [[BritsLoveTea a nice cup of tea]].[[labelnote:*]]Yorkshire Tea, preferably. And pass the biscuits[[/labelnote]]
* ''WebVideo/TacticalCupcakes'': Come to see covers of your favorite FNF mods, stay for the rich LORE!
* ''WebVideo/KiwamiJapan'': Come to see how Kiwami crafts knives out of bizarre materials, stay for the {{ASMR|Video}} and comedy.
* ''Website/{{Serina}}'': Come to see unusual concept, stay for the crazy ways canaries and guppies left alone on an alien planet can evolve, as well as the epic struggles and emotional stories told from the lives and histories of said creatures' descendants.
* ''WebAnimation/MinilifeTV'': Come in search of a decent Brickfilm, stay for the evolving story and [[AnimationBump animation]].
* ''WebVideo/WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYou'': Come for the horrible stories, stay for Tara's tangents and the genuinely sweet friendship and platonic chemistry between the hosts.
* ''WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld'': Come for the silly builds and cool minigames, or come ''back'' [[RevisitingTheRoots for the childhood nostalgia]], stay to [[JustHereForGodzilla find out what the heck [=HitTheTarget=] is up to]] ''this'' time (after all these years).
* ''WebVideo/YourMovieSucksDotOrg'': Come to see how much your movie sucks, stay for the film recommendations.
** Come for [[Film/CoolCatSavesTheKids Cool Cat]], stay for [[Film/SynecdocheNewYork Synecdoche]].
* ''WebVideo/ColeAndMarmalade'': Come for the funny kitties, stay to learn all about cats.
* ''Website/TheOtherWiki'': Come to look up information you need, stay reading random articles.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TwelveOunceMouse'': Come for the [[BileFascination terribly crude art]], stay for the complex story, well-defined characters, and awesome soundtrack.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'': Come for the [[MsFanservice attractive girls]], stay for the humor and friendship.
* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Come for the overall weirdness, stay for the surprisingly deep CharacterDevelopment.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': Come for the MediumBlending, stay for the well thought-out humor and strong worldbuilding.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': Come because it's by the same creator as ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', stay because it's better at character and story.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Come for the FrogMen and the silly hijinks, stay for the teenage girls and the riveting MythArc.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': Come for the puns and slapstick, stay for the surprisingly highbrow (and the surprisingly lowbrow) subject matter.
** Or come for the Warners, stay for ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain''. ([[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 Revival included!]])
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'': Come for the ''Franchise/LeagueOfLegends'' references, stay for the surprisingly DarkerAndEdgier take on it.
** Come for the animation, stay for the origin of the one of the franchise's most iconic villains.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': Come for the bending hijinks, stay for the sincere and unexpectedly wise writing.
** Or "come for the bending hijinks, stay for the all-around awesomeness."
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Babar}}'': Come for the SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel, stay for the DarkerAndEdgier moments.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'': Come for the cute characters, stay for the creative plots, awesome music, and [[FountainOfMemes memes galore]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': Come to watch Franchise/{{Batman}} [[Awesome/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries be awesome]], stay to see just how very very wrong the AnimationAgeGhetto is.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': Come for Batman. Stay for the new spin on the villains.
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'': [[RuleOfThree Come for Batman]], stay for the hilarious stories and {{Mythology Gag}}s.
* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': Come for the character-driven comedy, stay for the [[QuirkyHousehold surprisingly wholesome family dynamics]] that put [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons the Simpsons]] and [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Griffins]] to shame.
* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': Come for the Horse, stay for the three dimensional characters, complex themes and the Horse being a deconstruction of dickish characters like [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Peter Griffin]], [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Modern Homer Simpson]] and [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark Eric Cartman]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BlinkyBill'': Come for the anthro animals and Aussie charm, stay for the cynical, witty humour and surprisingly heavy themes.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'': Come because it always trends on Creator/DisneyPlus, stay for the heartwarming family moments and emotional scenes.
* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'':
** Come for the 'munks, get stuck due to your crush on Gadget.
** Come for the nostalgia, stay for [[DarkerAndEdgier Tom Clancy-level]] {{fanfic}}s.
* ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'': Come for the JFK memes, stay for the brilliantly ruthless lampooning of teen soaps.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': Come for the MagicalGirlfriend in a Box, stay for either the UnresolvedSexualTension or the [[AbortedArc abandoned government conspiracy plot]]. (Or for [[{{Keet}} Odd]].)
* ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'': Come for the creative childhood adventures, stay for the underlying story arc and character development.
* ''WesternAnimation/CupcakeAndDinoGeneralServices'': Come for the BileFascination of others comparing it to widely-hated shows like ''Pickle and Peanut'' or ''Breadwinners'', stay for the superb animation and MediumBlending, numerous likeable characters, positive themes with well-executed lessons, and contagiously cheerful tone.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Detentionaire}}'': Come for the intricate, ambitious, and engaging plot, stay for the diverse cast of awesome characters, the IKnewIt moments, the CerebusSyndrome, and the badass theme tune.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': Come because you're tracking Launchpad [=McQuack=]'s history backwards from ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'', stay for the more ActionHero things he gets up to, the more serious plots and surprisingly endearing grouch Scrooge [=McDuck=].
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': Come for the reboot of [[WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987 the beloved Disney Afternoon series,]] stay for the humor, character interactions, clever {{mythology gag}}s and building of a Disney Afternoon UltimateUniverse, [[EvilIsHammy Flintheart Glomgold]], and a long-awaited answer for what happened to Della Duck.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Come for the pop-culture references, stay for the [[CrossesTheLineTwice line-crossing]] BlackComedy.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Fangbone}}'': Come for the similarities to ''Star vs. the Forces of Evil'', stay for the worldbuidling, character dynamics, and the original ''Literature/{{Fangbone|ThirdGradeBarbarian}}'' books.
* ''WesternAnimation/FillyFuntasia'': Come [[WatchItForTheMeme because]] of its similarity to ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', stay because its own brand of unique settings, lore, and its cool soundtrack.
** Alternatively, come for the Ponies, stay for [[EvilIsCool Wranglum]] (and to a lesser extent, Battiwigs).
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': Come for [[MagnificentBastard Bender]] and the {{Nerdgasm}} of science fiction combined with ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''' humor. Stay for the [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments heartwarming]] but bittersweet romance, the devastatingly [[{{Tearjerker}} tragic]] time-displacement story; the complex, carefully constructed characters; and the scattering of episodes that reach the level of truly sublime television.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'': Come for Demona's sexiness, stay for the story.
** Come for all the hype, stay because you've started {{Shipping}} Elisa/Goliath.
** Come for [[XanatosGambit David Xanatos]], stay for the strong and interesting characters... especially [[MagnificentBastard David Xanatos]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee'': Come for the titular GleefulAndGrumpyPairing, stay for the strong characterization.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Come for the [[BadassAdorable cuddly twins]], stay for the surprisingly deep and layered mystery plot.
** Alternatively: Come for the mystery, stay for the incredibly witty writing, [[CharacterDevelopment character development]], and the SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments ([[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment and the mystery]]).
* ''WesternAnimation/GreenEggsAndHam2019'': Come for the bizarre premise, stay for the great comedy, characterization, and faithfulness to [[Creator/DrSeuss its source material.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/GrojBand'': Come for the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic (or because its from the creators of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''), stay for the offbeat comedy, the Corey/Laney ShipTease, and the ride-or-die fandom.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hilda}}'': Come for the cute characters and magical creatures, stay for the consistently breathtaking animation, the epic soundtrack, the cozy yet adventurous atmosphere, the finely-crafted personalities, and those episodes that truly achieve reach the level of masterpiece television.
* ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'': Come because you keep seeing it trend on Twitter for some reason, stay for the thoughtful character writing, deep emotional themes, and Amelia.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'': Come for [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter GIR]], stay for the social satire.
** Or come because it's Creator/JhonenVasquez, stay because it's the best "[[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids kid's]]" show ever.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jellystone}}'': Come for the Creator/HannaBarbera nostalgia, stay for the surreal humor.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'': Come for the LGBTFanbase and [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece totally radical]] [[EightiesHair 80s imagery]], stay for the storylines.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Justice League Unlimited]]'': Come for [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries the Batman]], stay for the [[ComicBook/TheQuestion Question]].
** Come for [[SequelSeries the new adventures of the founding team members]], stay for [[HeroesUnlimited all the lesser-known DC characters]] you've been introduced to.
** For both ''Justice League'' and ''Justice League Unlimited'':
*** Come for WesternAnimation/{{Batman|TheAnimatedSeries}} and WesternAnimation/{{Superman|TheAnimatedSeries}}, stay for everyone else.
* ''WesternAnimation/KiddVideo'': Come for either the [[{{Surrealism}} bizarre imagery]] or the 80s music videos & imagery, stay for the catchy, memorable original songs.
* ''WesternAnimation/LetsGoLuna'': Come because it's made by Joe Murray, stay for the wacky, well-timed humor and beautiful art.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLooneyTunesShow'': Come out of either hopeful nostalgia or BileFascination, stay for [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap its unique take on Lola]] and the surprisingly hilarious second season.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': To paraphrase Common Sense Media, "come for the laughs, stay for the ensemble cast and the heartwarming themes."
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}}'': Come for the outright [=LOLs=] and brutal soundtrack, stay for the surprisingly deep plot and fantastic characters. And the buckets of HoYay.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiddlemostPost'': Come because it's the first original Nicktoon amidst a sea of reboots, stay for the beautiful MediumBlending and deep characters.
* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': Come to learn more about Alaska, stay for the lovable characters.
* ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'': Come for the parody of MoralGuardians and [[UsefulNotes/AmericanChurches Fundamentalist Christianity]], stay for the dark characterization.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyAdventuresWithSuperman'': Most, if not all (admittedly), come for the cute shorthaired tomboy version of Lois Lane and stay for either: A.) to see how [[WillTheyOrWontThey her deepening relationship]] with Clark develops. Or, B.) to see how Clark [[HowDoIShootWeb develops into the iconic hero]] he'll eventually become.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'': Come for the BadassAdorable RobotGirl, stay for the lovely Art Deco artstyle and fun writing.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Come for the stylish art style, stay for the clever writing, memorable characters, and humor. Or as it was put so eloquently [[Website/FourChan "somewhere on the internets"]], "come for the trolling, stay for the ponies."[[note]][[WhereItAllBegan This is literally how the fanbase got its kickstart]], believe it or not. 4Chan's /co/ board came to see what all the fuss was about after reading a scathing article titled "''The End of the Creator-Driven Era in TV Animation''", fully intending to mock it, and stayed when they found the show was surprisingly appealing for not just young girls, but for adults as well.[[/note]]
** For a lot of folks, it was also "Come to see what this 'brony' thing is about, stay for the writing, characters, etc."
** Come for the [[WatchItForTheMeme Memes]], stay for the incredible animation, characters, and writing.
** Come for the music and the adorable. Stay for the entire show.
*** Inverted for [[FanworkOnlyFans a certain segment of fans]]: come for the quality show, stay for the crazy and creative fandom.
** Come for [[{{Tomboy}} Rainbow Dash]], stay for whoever is your pony [[GratuitousJapanese waifu]][[note]]or horsebando[[/note]] [[GratuitousFrench du jour]] now.
** For some people: Come for the [[MemeticMutation memes]], stay for the [[Rule34 clop]].
** For yet others: Come for the [[MemeticMutation memes]], stay for the fan works, still [[ArchivePanic don't binge the show itself]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheMysteriesOfAlfredHedgehog'': Come for the {{animesque}} animation style, stay for the fun characters and clever nature lessons.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': Come for the {{Isekai}} adventure and the [[PortmanteauCoupleName Lumity]], stay for the MythArc and serialized story itself.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': Come because you're bored, stay for the writing, the music, the entertaining cast, the subtext and the humor.
** [[LaymansTerms So... come because you're bored,]] [[FridgeBrilliance stay for the entire show?]] [[note]]"I for one am starting to get bored, and boredom is something up with which I will not put!"[[/note]]
** Or, come for Phineas and Ferb, stay for everyone else, but especially Doof.
* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'': Come because you watched it as a child, stayed because of the complex character relationships.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'': Come for the Canadian nostalgia (or for the hype Canadians always give it if you're not Canadian), stay for the CharacterDevelopment, the amazing New Wave soundtrack, the sincere and mature yet charming and family-accessible writing, and the beautiful backgrounds.
* ''WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite'': Come for the whole idea of a 80s girl toy line themed around beings who [[PaintingTheFrostOnWindows literally spread colors throughout the world]], stay for the storylines.
* ''WesternAnimation/RandyCunninghamNinthGradeNinja'': Come for the crazy premise and Jhonen Vasquez character designs, stay for the jokes, CharacterDevelopment, and incredible plot.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': Come for the science facts, stay for the clever writing, SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, and Dr. Amy Mainzer.
* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'': Come for the weirdness, stay for the huge amount of character development and heart.
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': Come for the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' parody, stay for the clever twists on science fiction and imaginative art style.
* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'': Come for the pop culture references, stay for the amazing stop-motion animation and witty humor.
* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'': Come for the nostalgia and slapstick, stay for the still-relevant satire on the struggles of adulthood and [[{{demographically inappropriate humour}} adult humour]].
* ''WesternAnimation/RubyGloom'': Come for the cute characters, stay for the comedy.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': Come for [[BadassAdorable the adorable, asskicking main duo]], stay for [[GrowingTheBeard the promising]] CerebusSyndrome, funny jokes, and good writing.
* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': Come for all the ''Star Wars'' references, stay for the story of the Republic slowly losing itself in the Clone Wars to eventually become TheEmpire.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
** Come for the laughs and nice animation, stay for the tearjerking, heartwarming character moments and songs.
** Or come for the life and times of "the ultimate little brother" and three [[ActionGirl action girls]], stay for the epic plot and deep characterization.
* ''WesternAnimation/StickinAround'': Come for the stick-figure style (or for Bradley), stay for the kids' wacky imaginations.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheStrangeChores'': Come because it's from the creators of ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'', stay because of the supernatural shenanigans and SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'': Come because your little brother has it on the television, stay because... oh my god, they can't really be doing '''the''' Terra storyline in a kids show?!
** Come for the superhero action and the wacky hijinks, stay for the character interactions and the surprisingly mature storylines.
* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': Come for the funny RealityTV parodies, stay for the awesome characters.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Come for the adventure parody, stay for surprisingly deep characters and strong {{continuity}}.
* ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'': Come for the SugarWiki/FunnyMoments, stay for the [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments touching ones.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wishfart}}'': Come for [[IntentionallyAwkwardTitle the "WTF" title]], stay for the creative plots, clever humor, and rounded characters.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'': Come for the girls in spandex, stay for the [[GambitPileup awesome plot]]. The same goes for ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub''.
* ''WesternAnimation/WorkItOutWombats'': Come for the cuteness, stay for the deep cast of characters and surprisingly good advice.
* ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum'': Come for the historical figures, stay for the wholesome friendship moments and lessons.
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'': Come for the ShipToShipCombat, stay for the {{Reconstruction}} of the whole DC Universe, and refreshing new spins on beloved characters.
[[/folder]]
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