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Broken Base / Western Animation

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Western Animation is no exception to the rule: the surest sign of a fan is their hatred for other fans.

Shows with their own pages

  • Adventure Time has a fiercely divided fanbase.
    • Princess Bubblegum's actions in several fifth and sixth season episodes have caused the fandom to split over whether she's a realistically pragmatic ruler doing what's necessary to keep her kingdom safe and stable, or a cruel, power-crazed tyrant who needs to be overthrown by any means necessary. This overlaps with the Lemongrab wars, with some pro-Lemongrab fans blaming all his more dangerously insane or actively malevolent behaviour on Bubblegum's ill-treatment of him. The Bubblegum vs. Lemongrab feud caused edit warring bad enough for the show's YMMV page on this wiki to be locked.
  • The American Dragon: Jake Long fandom is considerably torn between whether the art design change from season 1 to 2 was a good thing or not.
  • Arthur: While all members of the Periphery Demographic hate "So Funny I Forgot to Laugh", they're divided on why it's bad — some say that Arthur was indeed being a bully by calling Sue Ellen a sheepdog or likening her to one, and that this was too uncharacteristically mean. Others, however, sympathised with Arthur and thought Sue Ellen really did overreact and/or his friends were Unintentionally Unsympathetic for giving Arthur the Silent Treatment and calling him a bully and this was meaner than Arthur's dog jokes (especially Francine and Muffy, who some viewers saw as hypocrites since they usually insult others a lot).
  • The Avatar: The Last Airbender fandom is notorious for this:
    • The Zutara fans and Kataang fans get into Ship-to-Ship Combat for example. There's other Die for Our Ship moments that annoy the more sane fans of the show.
    • Season three is also controversial for the fanbase. If you don't like it and explain why, you're likely be harassed for not being a 'true fan', but if you do like it, you're dismissed as a drooling, zealot fanboy/girl/by
    • Azula's series finale Villainous Breakdown is a subject of much controversy as well. People who think the influence of Azula's father on her actions gives her a valid Freudian Excuse, and that Azula deserves to be forgiven and redeemed, are accused of downplaying her numerous wicked actions over the course of the series, including advocating genocide of the Earth Kingdom in the finale. People who think that Azula has no excuse for her actions, and that not only was her Villainous Breakdown well-deserved, but that she deserves to spend the rest of her life suffering in prison, are accused of overlooking Azula's mental fragility and her father's influence on her actions. The fact that Bryke left Azula's fate ambiguous will likely leave fans warring over this issue for a long time.
    • Heck, Azula herself is guaranteed to cause arguments in the fandom, between those who think she's way too powerful and those who think she's awesome. But then again, the same could be said for almost all the cast.
    • Gene Luen Yang's post-TV-series Spin-Off comics, Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise and Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search, are a very fraught topic in the fanbase, specifically the way they depict the later lives of the characters and the development of their romantic relationships. Again, Azula's characterization as well as character arc, usage, and pathos (what to do with the character) in these comics are also subject to heavy debate and argument.
    • How Aang defeats Ozai has created quite the break, itself. There are those who feel Aang's "energybending" trick (or as many call it "The Easy Button") was a lame Ass Pull for the sole purpose of not having Aang kill Ozai, rendering three seasons worth of training to master Water, Earth, and Firebending worthless. Others feel that if Aang hadn't mastered the elements and achieved true Avatar status, he never would've been able to access the energybending trick at all and saw it as a perfectly acceptable third option. And, of course, there's the overwhelmed minority who's just willing to chalk it up to Rule of Cool and apply the MST3K Mantra to any argument to "how".
  • Baby Blues is divided into two camps: those who feel it was a decent and underrated "adult" cartoon, and those who feel it is mean-spirited and a poor adaptation of its source material. Generally the division comes down to whether or not one has read the comic strip the show was based on.
  • Ben 10: Any of the Ben 10 sequels following the original series. You either Love 'Em or Hate 'Em.
  • The 2006 revival of Biker Mice from Mars had a rather divisive reception. While it was a Sequel Series rather than a Continuity Reboot and even had Rob Paulsen, Ian Ziering, and Dorian Harewood reprise their roles as the titular Biker Mice Throttle, Vinnie, and Modo, many fans of the original 1993 series didn't like the character redesigns or the fact that the original show's villains Lawrence Limburger, Dr. Karbunkle, and Greasepit were Demoted to Extra in favor of new villains the Catatonians and Ronaldo Rump.
  • The 2015/2016 reboot of Blinky Bill, to fans of the "classic" (1992-2005) series. Fans were extremely divided about the new character designs, and whether the switch to CGI animation was a good thing or not.
  • Blue's Clues: Was the show better when Steve was the presenter, or when Joe was the presenter? Fans of the "Joe era" are split between whether Blue's Room was a good idea (because it introduced new characters, and showed a new side of Blue because she can talk when she's in her room) or a bad idea (since having Blue talk makes her too different).
  • Bluey:
    • "Exercise" — Its fans see it as a fun episode with an important lesson on health, and enjoy the casting choice of a New Zealander as the doctor. However, there have been fights regarding the parents' Weight Woe at the beginning of the episode — some say it could make kids insecure about their own weights or that the scene is "fat-shaming", but others defend it by pointing out that other shows have used fat jokes, kids see their parents weighing themselves in real life without any issue, Bandit has been insecure about his health and/or weight before (e.g. "Granny Mobile"), and being overweight is sometimes bad for one's health. Eventually, the scene was cut out, but this also caused controversy, with some praising the cut, and others disliking it due to either the aforementioned reasons or seeing the show as a Sacred Cow.
    • People have argued over whether Bandit and Chilli should have a third child. Some say they should, since becoming an older sibling is something many kids go through and is thus useful to have on a kids' show, Chilli has expressed a desire to have a third kid before, and if the baby is a boy, that could even out the ratio of boys to girls in the child cast. Others, however, think that the baby would be a boring character since babies can't do much, or they feel like it would just be too much of a change.
  • Bob's Burgers:
    • Something that becomes more noticeable in later seasons is that more episodes focus on the kids, with Bob and the restaurant barely even appearing and even then not related to the main plot despite him being the title character. As a result, this has caused some minor contention from viewers about the show overusing the kids, causing Bob himself to feel out of place despite the title having his name in it. Fans who support this think it's a fair inversion to family sitcoms where the parent characters have gotten more focus than the child characters.
    • More than half of the women featured on the show are voiced by men, some of them, with Linda's actor in particular, intentionally doing a half-assed voice for them. Whether this is funny or annoying is dependent on the viewer.
  • The Boondocks:
    • This show is either a funny, thought-provoking show, or an example of what Dave Chappelle feared his show was turning into (i.e. a show that was getting the wrong kind of laughs, for the wrong reasons from the wrong group of people).
    • Starting with season 2 the series became Denser and Wackier. Along with this change came personality changes to multiple characters. Fans differ on what versions they prefer: season 1 or season 2?
    • Due to how animation production generally works (i.e., if you aren't South Park, then an episode takes at least nine months to make), the cartoon could not reference new political issues in the topical manner that the comic did. Fans of the newspaper comic are heavily torn over whether the show is a terrible adaptation or whether did they do the best they could?
  • Care Bears: Adventures in Care-a-Lot was a center of at least three known broken bases. To wit:
    • Canon foreigner and designated woobie Oopsy Bear. Feelings about him are split between "Want to cuddle him all the time" and "Stupid bear, don't like him". Didn't help that some fans also felt like he was put in to replace Good Luck Bear (he wasn't, it was just that Good Luck Bear was conveniently demoted to extra).
    • The demotion of Tenderheart Bear to extra and promotion of Cheer Bear to new leader. Likewise, Good Luck Bear only appearing in background.
    • The fact that the bears were redesigned to be less chubby. Feelings were split between "the redesign was long overdue" and "the redesign was uncalled for".
  • Cartoon Network: The biggest divider in CN's fanbase is without doubt when CN started going bad and whether it has improved since Adventure Time premiered on the network.
  • ChalkZone:
    • A number of fans seem to have mixed opinions regarding the music video segments. Some fans see them as being catchy and fun, while other fans find them to be too cheesy. Other fans take the middle ground and agree that some of the songs were awesome, while the others were kind of cheesy. And then there's the camp that liked the music videos more when they were in the target audience.
    • Season four's art style also caused this. Some fans loved ChalkZone's more detailed look, the real world becoming more colorful, and the real world scenes switching out the black outlines for colored outlines. Other fans felt as if the art evolution was a little "too much" and preferred the look of the first three seasons.
    • In general, season four tends to get this- one half of the fans found the show to hit Seasonal Rot by that point, feeling the episodes weren't as memorable. Skrawl not appearing very often and hitting Villain Decay, the ending songs getting a new composer and rehashing old songs, and the show being outsourced to weaker studios for animation didn't help matters. Other fans didn't really mind too much and saw it on the same level as the rest of the show.
  • Considering how Seth Mcfarlane's previous shows fared, The Cleveland Show is of exceptional debate. Is it either a redundant lower quality copy of Family Guy with excessive "black guy" jokes, or a decent spin off that kept better moderation of humor and characterization than the former show?
  • Code Lyoko fans are torn over Code Lyoko: Evolution. Many are happy to see the series again while others are decrying the fact live action replaced the 2D.
  • Codename: Kids Next Door:
    • If you're a fan of the series, chances are you think the show's finale "OP: INTERVIEWS" is either a great ending to a great show or a straight up Gainax Ending from start to finish that messes up the formula of the show for the sake of having a Tear Jerker Bittersweet Ending.
    • The Galatic KND is either an awesome plot twist or a total Ass Pull.
    • Also, you may consider Chad stating that he's a Good All Along double agent during "OP: TREATY", despite the attacks on the KND he made since of the end of the 2nd season, to be either a last-minute Ass Pull made for arbitrary reasons, or an acceptable twist that you think actually makes sense.
    • Opinions also differ on Heinrich's Unsettling Gender-Reveal in "OP: CARAMEL".
    • There's also the Ship-to-Ship Combat, which is still going on in some form years after the show ended.
    • Did the show take itself too seriously? Was its Cerebus Syndrome a good thing or not?
  • Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is divisive among fans of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which this show is a sequel to. Some people think it's too fast-paced, that the main characters may be annoying, that Lady Elaine's character development made her too different, that it should have been live-action like the original, or even just that writing a sequel to the show was wrong somehow. Other people think the show is very heartwarming and cute, and that it continues Mr. Rogers's legacy, especially to more recent generations who didn't get to grow up with Fred Rogers.
  • The Danny Phantom fandom has an ongoing war between "true fans" and "anti-fans." The true fans believe in only writing fandom and drawing Fan Art they believe creator Butch Hartman would approve of, and tend towards being Moral Guardians over any fora they're part of. The anti-fans, on the other hand, believe in fanart as an expression of the fan's thoughts and fantasies, from crack / fandom pairings to drawing porn of the characters (which was probably how the war started anyway).
  • Daria:
    • The fanbase was once split over the issue of Character Development. Some enjoyed watching Daria open up to her peers, make new friends, get a boyfriend, soften her hard line, etc. Others, identified much more closely with Daria as a cynical misanthrope, declared They Changed It, Now It Sucks!.
    • The entire character of Tom Sloane was a massive splitting point for the fandom. Was he an interesting love interest or an annoying character only there for romance?
    • Was "Depth Takes a Holiday" a fun mix-up from the usual Daria formula or an episode too weird for canon?
    • Was "Daria!: The Musical" an interesting episode about the town going through a hurricane or a long musical with annoying songs?
  • Dexter's Laboratory:
    • Were the two seasons made without Genndy Tartakovsky's involvement good or a prime example of Seasonal Rot with horrible characterizations and many retcons?
    • Was the art style change a good thing or not?
    • Was Dexter's Rude Removal worth the wait, or was it disappointing?
  • The general quality of the Disneytoon Studios-made Disney Animated Canon sequels/prequels/midquels is often up for debate. Many agree that the vast majority of them are lazy cash-grabs meant to capitalize on the success of their predecessors, but which ones are the real stinkers and which ones are "diamonds in the rough"? Movies like Aladdin and the King of Thieves, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, Return To Never Land, and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time are cited as the best ones, while movies such as Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, and Mulan II are considered the worst. The rest of them are either liked by a vast majority, or hated by an equally vast majority. Either they're just bad movies that take a steaming dump on the original's legacy, or they're harmless movies that don't affect the quality of the first and can be enjoyable in their own right.
  • Doug:
    • When the show left Nickelodeon for ABC, the base was very broken over whether the new series was good or not. On one side, the Disney version's detractors disliked many of the changes made to the show, such as the characters receiving new clothes and hairstyles, locations being changed, some new characters being added like Guy Graham and Doug's new little sister, Cleopatra "Dirtbike" Funnie, and a few changes in the writing and voices. While some of the Doug fans that disliked the Disney episodes sometimes made valid reasons for not liking them (the episodes being written differently than the Nick ones, the new characters not being necessary, the colors were brightened too much, etc.), some of the other complaints end up boiling them down to them hating the show because "Doug's shirt looks different" or "Patti got a haircut". Other fans didn't mind too much, mainly as the changes were given reasons in-universe (note that the Disney episodes take place a year after the Nickelodeon episodes), and managed to gain a number of fans for the show that weren't able to see the Nickelodeon episodes first if they didn't have cable. The fanbase more or less breaks down to the fans who love the Nick episodes and despise the Disney episodes, and the fans that enjoyed both (though even fans of the Disney episodes will admit that the Nickelodeon seasons were better). And one change in the Disney episodes the fans tend to be unanimous on hating was Doug's new voice (Billy West didn't reprise the role for the series due to pay concerns).
    • Doug's 1st Movie broke the base even more; some fans (even fans of the Disney episodes) disliked how the movie had a more "fantastical" sense to it with the Lucky Duck Lake monster and other elements, not to mention it being a minor Cliché Storm. The same fans will also blame the movie for killing the franchise for performing badly with critics, despite it not being the case (the movie came out right before the last episodes aired; the show ended due to Disney's episode policy at the time and eventually the show's studio leaving Disney). Other fans admit that while the movie was indeed flawed, it wasn't as bad as others make it seem (but still far from a great movie) and had a number of good things about it; namely Doug and Patti's arc in the movie.
  • Ed, Edd n Eddy:
    • The episode "If It Smells Like an Ed". There are fans that either hate it for being the cruelest blow to the Eds ever, or consider it among their list of favorites for being the first half-hour episode in the series and having elements of a Detective Drama.
    • The later seasons of Ed Edd N Eddy had the kids attending school. Some fans thought it was a refreshing change of pace, others thought it ruined the series.
  • The Fairly Oddparents:
    • Grow Up Timmy Turner, the Live action version. There are people who detest this movie and who view it as violating canon. Also, Shipping Wars play a part in this because according to the live action movie Timmy and Tootie are meant to be. Not to mention that many fans point out that it seemingly violates the canon of "Channel Chasers". On the other hand, there seem to be a number of fans who are looking forward to it.
    • Even ignoring the rabid Ship-to-Ship Combat, The Fairly Oddparents is one of the most controversial cartoons of its time. Most fans believe it fell into Seasonal Rot but no one can agree on when. As early a season 3, after Channel Chasers, after Poof, after Sparky, or after Chloe? There's also a minority who like all the seasons.
    • The series in later seasons is markedly different from how it originally was, similarly to SpongeBob. The characters have gone through a lot of flanderization, more minor characters like Mr. Crocker and Timmy's dad were made into main characters, and much of the extended cast has become borderline background characters (such as Trixie, Timmy's friends, etc). Whether these changes were acceptable or not varies, which usually coincides with when fans think the series hit Seasonal Rot.
    • Mr. Turner and Mr. Crocker. Are they among the redeeming aspects of the later seasons in spite of their excessive screen time or one of the worst aspects because of it?
  • Family Guy is in basically the same position as The Simpsons now.
    • For a good summation of trends, cutaway gags have gone from unsteady experimentation to get the formula down, to legitimately funny cutaway gags that generally use the same formula (and so get old after a few years), to cutaways that derive comedy from subverting the expectations of those savvy to the formula, to cutaways that forget the "gag" part, the cutaways for which the gag is is based on mocking the very concept of cutaways. All of these are very different types of humor.
    • "Gay Stewie" vs. "Evil Stewie" is a major source of debate. Either the evil baby persona was hilarious and didn't need to be changed, or it had run its course after three or four seasons (or was simply never funny) and the altered personality makes him more three-dimensional as a character.
    • Multiple reviewers have complained that the newest seasons have effectively run out of ideas and don't make any effort to change things, while fans have either sympathized their position or sided with Seth MacFarlane and see them as ridiculous.
    • Brian's No-Holds-Barred Beatdown by Quagmire in "Quagmire's Dad" on whether Brian deserved it or not. And the Quagmire vs Brian running feud as a whole, particularly since it was conceived as a Take That, Scrappy! against Brian initially. Brian eventually hating Quagmire back and abusing and calling him out in a similar manner only made it even more polarising.
    • Meg's abuse being funny or not.
    • There is a sharp division on fans about who likes "Quagmire's Dad", "The Juice is Loose", "Road to the Multiverse", "You May Now Kiss the...Uh...Guy Who Receives" , "Tea Peter", "Go Stewie Go", "Be Careful What You Fish For" and especially "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven".
    • Fans and non-fans alike were effectively torn over the whale scene from "Peter Problems". Is it harmless dark comedy or a horrific display of animal cruelty?
    • "Brian & Stewie" is a fairly divisive episode among the fandom. Some people love the episode for taking a crack at serious storytelling, the heartwarming and tearjerking moments, and the complete lack of Cutaway Gags. Others hate it either for trying too hard to be deep or the infamous scene where Brian eats Stewie's poop. Seth MacFarlane took note of this during the 200th episode retrospective.
  • Final Space:
    • The fanbase seems to be split on Season 2. Many enjoyed it for the improved visuals and animation, character writing, as well as improving Gary as a character, and some have found it to be better than Season 1. However, there are quite a large amount of fans who were turned off by the rather unfocused plot and episodic format, new characters that didn't add much to the story, pointless sub-plots, and, perhaps most notably, the gross-out humor prevalent in many episodes.
      • Season Two's format. Some enjoy the more episodic nature of this season as it gives time to fully explore every character while others prefer season one's serialized approach as it feels much more like a dramatic, interconnected story.
    • Avocato being Back from the Dead. Many are happy that he's back as they felt that his death happened too early in the show and that he wasn't fully explored enough. Others believe that his death was the perfect send off for him and that his revival undercuts the sheer impact of Chapter Six's ending.
  • Futurama is catching up too, but nowhere near as much as The Simpsons.
    • Though it's fashionable among critics to bash the "new episodes," there's a lot of internal debate as to at what precise season/year/moment the show begins being "new."
    • The movies especially tend to be love-it or hate-it. Some were just happy to have new Futurama after 5 years. Others felt that it wasn't doing justice to the original run. The debate has (mostly) settled down, with people agreeing that the problem was format, having to create a movie that could be divided into four television episodes.
    • "Jurrassic Bark" is either loved for being a Tear Jerker or hated for the exact same reason.
  • Garbage Pail Kids fans can't agree whether the Garbage Pail Kids Cartoon is a decent adaptation of the trading cards or if it's just as bad or even worse than The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.
  • An overlap with Film and Live-Action TV: There are two factions of Ghostbusters fans: the Ghostheads, who prefer the Columbia Pictures film and its animated series The Real Ghostbusters, and the Go-ers, fans of Filmation's 1975 live-action series The Ghost Busters and 1986 animated series Filmation's Ghostbusters. The fandom is mostly divided on which animated series came first, and on which ghost-busting premise (proton packs vs. dematerializers) is better.
  • G.I. Joe
    • The DiC Entertainment continuation of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is the source of much contention. The opening "Operation: Dragonfire" arc is typically agreed to be the best thing to come from the DiC series, as well as the episodes An Officer and a Viperman and I Found You, Eevy, the former due to the genuinely funny and clever story, and the rather tragic and deep story that the latter offers, but aside from those episodes fans are divided over whether the DiC continuation is an embarrassing travesty to the original Sunbow series or a watchable, if somewhat flawed, show in its own right.
    • G.I. Joe: Renegades is also a source of contention with fans with some finding it to be an interesting reinvention and origin story for the franchise and others loathing it because its series premise, with Duke, Scarlett, and co. being framed for crimes they didn't commit by COBRA, made it basically an Animated Spiritual Successor of The A-Team (not helped by its versions of Roadblock, Flint, and Lady Jaye being expies for BA Baracus, Colonel Lynch, and Lt. Sosa respectively).
  • The Goof Troop fans who think Pete is the dad from hell and Goofy deserves to win Father of the Eon vs. the ones who think they're not so different, and that neither is totally awful but neither is perfect. This split seems to come mainly from people who prioritize kindness (or, alternatively, cruelty) and ones who prioritize competence. Though there are some who think Pete is a great father or that Goofy is a terrible one, they're usually outside the realm of the debate.
  • The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy:
    • Was the show's Reverse Cerebus Syndrome a good call, or did it lead to Seasonal Rot?
    • Thanks to Flanderization, a few characters became this. Is Billy still funny, or just a one-note annoyance? And is Mandy's cynicism still charming, or is she so evil that she's Unintentionally Unsympathetic?
    • Fred Fredburger was a pretty good comic relief in his first appearance, but some think he became a bit overused and aggravating.
    • Irwin is a mild example. There are a few people who find him too clingy, an unnecessary spotlight stealer, or dorky to the point were it was obnoxious. That being said, it seems like he's still very popular with fans, and Underfist did give him a shot at redemption.
  • Before Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie was finally made to resolve the show's remaining plotlines, Hey Arnold! fans were hotly divided on the infamous cliffhanger ending to the series. Fans were divided between those who were fighting for the movie's revival and those who were satisfied with how things ended, or felt the movie would not have lived up to a decade's worth of built-up fan expectations. Mentioning which "side" you were on was a quick way to start a bloody argument.
  • The Jetsons: Season Two is hated by some, who think Orbitty is a useless addition to the cast and the show isn't as good. On the other hand, some people think Season Two is better than Season One for getting rid of some of the Unfortunate Implications, mainly by adding people of colour to the cast (admittedly in relatively minor roles) and having Judy learn to drive and not be mocked for it because she's a girl like what happened with Jane in S1's "Jane's Driving Lesson".
  • The Un-Cancelled seasons of Johnny Bravo. While some fans liked the larger central cast and more kid-friendly humor, other fans hated the Flanderization and Art Shift.
  • KaBlam!:
    • The Life With Loopy shorts tended to have a pretty broken base among the show's viewers, mainly due to the animation style. One half found the style to be too creepy, and the combination of stop-motion animation, puppetry, and live-action a bit unnerving. The other half loved it for its artistic look, as well as giving the short a very unique look that really made it stand out. Though they do agree that the show wasn't immune to falling into the valley- the pilot episode especially.
    • A number of fans of Action League NOW! were disappointed with the short-lived Action League Now: The Series spin-off, as it consisted of the old shorts previously featured on KaBlam! instead of new episodes. However, a number of fans loved it anyway, especially those who wanted to watch the shorts on their own, or Action League Now fans who weren't too fond of the rest of KaBlam!.
    • Then there's the fans who were only watching the show for the Henry and June wraparounds and hated the cartoons vs. the fans who were only there for the cartoons and hated the wraparounds. And that's not even counting fans who only watched the show for one (or two) shorts and didn't care for the rest (the aforementioned Action League Now! gets this the most, though many Life With Loopy fans have admitted to only be there for the short, too).
  • While Kennedy Cartoons had a bit of a hatedom for a while, many fans began supporting them to the point where now fans are divided whether their bouncy animation was very well done or very ugly.
  • Kim Possible The eventual Official Couple of Drakken/Shego is often debated amongst some fans even after all these years. As usual, the issues are "Was it written/foreshadowed well or was it Strangled by the Red String?" and "Do they work better as friends or lovers?".The main Official Couple of Kim and Ron was also notorious over the rift it caused with the marginally less popular Kigo.
  • Sequel Series The Legend of Korra was even more prone to ideological splits, with new splits seemingly occurring with every new episode. Let's start from the top.
    • The fan base was initially divided over the steampunk setting. Fans that like the setting point out that ATLA already used it on a smaller scale, while others still scoffed at the number of technological advancements made. The debate was rekindled when the final season introduced a giant robot. An offshoot of the debate also concerns whether the show's setting is "too modern" for the type of stories that the writers want to tell.
    • The confirmation that Tenzin is Katara and Aang's son paradoxically caused a resurgence in Zutara/Kataang shipping wars (complete with Die for Our Ship). And, as with the previous series, there are plenty of shipping wars for the new cast, too, with no less intensity than ATLA's fights.
    • Some sections of the fanbase deemed Korra and her crew Replacement Scrappys.
    • One of the biggest points of contention was over Korra's race and ethnicity. One side insists that Korra is of color, and fanworks depicting her with lighter or white skin trivialize the importance of a dark-skinned woman as a main character. The other claims that race is a non-issue with fictional characters, and Korra's skintone should be a matter of fan creators' individual preferences. In-show, Korra shares an ethnicity and skintone with Katara and Sokka, who are of the explicitly Inuit/Yupik-based Southern Water Tribe (as opposed to the Northern Water Tribe, who're more advanced and feature generally lighter skin-tones).
    • Another contention over Korra is the depiction of her build. Much like with the aforementioned skintone issue, it largely breaks into two camps. The first decries any fanwork that depicts Korra with less developed muscle tone than in canon. The second camp claims that Korra's build should be a matter of fan creators' individual preference. Depictions of Korra with greater muscle tone than in canon draw far fewer complaints.
    • Following the online premiere of the first two episodes, the fanbase fractured again, this time over whether or not Korra was being written as a saviour-esque character in regards to bender privilege.
    • And then there's the first season finale. It should be mentioned that Korra was supposed to be a twelve-episode Mini Series, which means it was going to be a series finale as well. Given the fanbase's reaction to the previous series's finale, this is fully expected. And it's for similar reasons, even.
    • While few would dispute that there's at least some grain of truth to first season Big Bad Amon's complaints of non-bender oppression by benders, fans are sharply divided over the extent to which the Villain Has a Point, from "there are a few bad seeds among benders, but there's no institutionalized oppression" to "the entire government is a vast Fantastic Racist conspiracy, benders are Nazis, and Amon is a freedom fighter!"
    • As of the Grand Finale Is Korrasami a brilliant move for representation for bisexual women, cheap attempt at being progressive, or Pandering to the Base?
    • Asami was originally an Equalist inside agent. However, that was scrapped in development. In hindsight, fans wonder if that would have been better on not. On the pro-Equalist side are people who think it was foreshadowed for much of Book 1 and would have liked Asami to have gone through a Heel–Face Turn similar to Zuko. People who dislike the idea don't like Asami as a stereotypical Femme Fatale or think she would have been handled poorly and have been locked up in jail for the entire series, instead of given a redemption plot or turning on the Equalists.
    • Suyin's relationship with Kuvira is a deeply debated one. There are a number of lines that imply Su adopted Kuvira as a child and had a strong bond with her however it is never outright stated in the series. Season four shows them always at each other's throats and with no relationship outside animosity. Whether Suyin was an emotionally Abusive Parent who didn't really think of Kuvira as anything more than a pupil, whether Suyin trying to assasinate Kuvira was right or not, whether Suyin had a double standard towards her son, and whether Suyin refusing to forgive Kuvira was right or not are debatable. This only adds onto Suyin's Base-Breaking Character status from Book 3.
  • The Lion Guard:
    • The series tore The Lion King's fandom to bits. The concept of Simba having a previously unmentioned son unnerved many fans however people could buy it if they either made the series take place after The Lion King II: Simba's Pride or they retconned the film out of existence. The series uses a middle ground: It takes place when Kiara was a cub however she has a slightly younger brother named Kion, and two other unrelated cubs exist. This is a complete retcon as the second film made it clear Kiara was an only cub and the only other cubs her age were Vitani and Kovu. Many fans are perturbed by the retcon—saying it would be more interesting if Kiara was Kion's teenaged/adult sister instead. Kopa fans in particular really hate Kion, seeing him as a poor Suspiciously Similar Substitute. Fans on the other hand either don't care or acknowledge the series as taking place in an Alternate Continuity from the films, much like Timon & Pumbaa was.
    • The series contains a Genre Shift into more fantasy elements that weren't mentioned before. The series wasn't completely naturalistic before however it didn't contain such obvious fantastical qualities such as the Roar Of The Elders or anthropomorphic issues such as The Lion Guard. This has upset people who enjoyed the fact the franchise was a normal animal story but others find it an interesting take that could be done well.
    • The series is an Edutainment Show yet contains multiple zoology errors. Fans have put its edutainment status into question for that reason while others give it artistic liberty or let the writers off easy as it is aimed at very young children.
  • The Warner Bros. fanbase is very divided over Loonatics Unleashed. Some see it as an interesting take on Looney Tunes that needed some work but is still awesome, while others see it as an utter disgrace that made Avery and Jones spin in their graves.
  • Looney Tunes
    • Is Daffy better as a screwy trickster or a greedy jerk? Fans of the former claim he's funnier, while fans of the latter claim he feels more "human".
    • Fresh Airedale is a very polarizing short. Some say it was supposed to convey a message of two-faced jerks coming out on top and the underdog being left out in the cold. Others say it was a mean-spirited, unfunny, flat-out horrible cartoon. This was dealt with in the DVD Commentary, in which a negative IMDb review was quoted.
    • Are Pepe Le Pew's shorts (in which he chases after a cat named Penelope, wanting to date her) funny or just creepy? Furthermore, even those who don't like his shorts are divided on the decision to exile him from continuity.
    • Is Speedy Gonzales the worst Ethnic Scrappy in the history of Mexican stereotypes, or is he a positive, badass portrayal of Mexicans worthy of his status as a beloved character in Mexico and Latin America themselves despite being a Mexican stereotype?
      • Speaking of Speedy, the shorts pitting him against Daffy in the mid-to-late 60s are highly controversial. Fan opinion on them ranges from “abomination” to “not the best, but solid in their own right”. The only thing these two camps can agree on is that See Ya Later Gladiator (their final pairing) NEVER happened.
    • Whether the Seven Arts shorts (1967-69) are even worth watching. Some shortsnote during that era are considered better than others, but the rest are very contentious, especially the ones featuring Cool Cat or Merlin the Magic Mouse.
    • Not as much as the Seven Arts or De Patie Freleng Enterprises shorts, but the shorts made during the early 1960s have a more mixed reception compared to the 1930s-50s shorts. Were they as funny as ever, were the budget cuts and heavier reliance on dialogue becoming more evident, or did they simply suffer from Tough Act to Follow?
    • The pre-1942 Chuck Jones cartoons are divisive among fans for their sluggish pacing and for being too similar to what Disney was making at the time. Jones himself was not fond of his early work. Some people don't mind this, while others find the cartoons horribly out-of-place.
    • The post-1955 Robert McKimson cartoons aren't as contentious as Chuck Jones' early work, but they sometimes get flack for their slower pacing and cheaper animation (to be fair, this wasn't his fault; after the studio reopened in 1953, McKimson got saddled with the animators that Jones and Freleng didn't want). While many fans say he continued to direct very funny cartoons afterward (e.g. Stupor Duck, Dime to Retire, False Hare), a few fans stick to his older work.
    • Even Bugs Bunny isn't immune to this, even by his own creators. Some view him as a charismatic icon that defined the cartoon Karmic Trickster trope or basically a heroic Smug Snake. The Bugs vs Elmer shorts are of particular debate, some believe they consist of some of the most iconic shorts in the series, others feel Elmer was so pitiful Bugs' usual runaround looked more like an unpleasant glorified bullying.
      • Both his earlier shorts (1940-1944) and later shorts (1955-1964) are a bit divisive. Some people cite that in the early shorts, Bugs was more of a Jerkass (Elmer's Pet Rabbit in particular is highly polarizing) and some people (including director Robert McKimson) think he's too watered-down and bland in later shorts.
    • The biggest debate among fans is who the best director is. Chuck Jones fans and Bob Clampett fans in particular aren't very friendly towards each other because not only are they the two most popular directors in recent years (along with Tex Avery, although his work at MGM is more popular), but Jones himself disliked Clampett. A lot of this is an extension of the screwy vs. greedy Daffy debate, since Clampett favored the former and Jones favored the latter. Robert McKimson's interpretation of Daffy was more a blend of the two.
  • Similar to the above, The Looney Tunes Show, with people debating over the different personalities/roles of the main characters, the neighborhood setting, and the overall sitcom comedy style replacing the slapstick and cartoon gags of the original shorts.
  • Milo Murphy's Law comes from the same creators of Phineas and Ferb , and starting in season 2, both shows became heavily integrated. One side argues that the show feels like less of its own thing due to heavily relying on the success of its predecessor. The other side doesn't mind it since it's just good to see the Pa F characters again, and feel that MML still stands on its own.
  • Miraculous Ladybug:
    • The hop from the 2D PV to the CGI series. While most are welcome to the change in art style and are impressed by the visuals, many others would have preferred to see the Animesque, Pretty Cure-styled visuals seen in the original PV.
    • There are those that are annoyed at how the show was changed from a relatively darker superhero series meant for teens and young adults into a Lighter and Softer show geared towards younger audiences, while others argue that this change will help it gain a wider audience, since networks were not interested in the series until it was toned down.
    • The relationship between Marinette/Ladybug and Adrien/Cat Noir. Many people find their relationship to be cute and adorable, while others can find it rather annoying, consdering how Marinette loves to crush on Adrien.
    • The season 3 finale. Fans have found it to be a solid conclusion to the season as it starts to set up major plot points for season 4 such as Marinette becoming the Guardian of the Miraculous; while others are annoyed with it because Chloe performed a Face–Heel Turn in it and begins to work for Hawkmoth and Mayura after thinking Ladybug betrayed her. They also have supposedly claimed her character development was thrown out the window (her becoming Hawkmoth's ally was foreshadowed in one season 3 episode, and remind you, Chloe was still a brat in most of season 2 such as in Despair Bear, Frightningale, and Reverser, and thus whenever she tried to become nice in those episodes, she would always revert back to being an Alpha Bitch).
  • The My Little Pony fandom is deeply broken when it comes to the generations:
  • Almost every animated show on post-2009 Nickelodeon is this in some way. Are they worthy of the Nicktoon brand, or are they a disgrace to the franchise? For example:
    • Is Fanboy and Chum Chum a clever little show with likable side characters or a annoying mess bogged down by the eponymous characters? (Themselves being Base Breaking Characters).
    • Was T.U.F.F. Puppy one of Butch Hartman's better and funnier TV shows or was it a bland and annoying one-trick-pony that didn't do more with its premise?
    • Did Sanjay and Craig succeed in being a charming love-letter to the 90s, or was it just another substance-less post-2009 Nicktoon like many of the others, and one that ripped off shows such as Regular Show? The show is generally considered to have discovered its identity and grown the beard starting in its second season, but there are still those who stand by their opinion that the show was never any good.
    • Is Breadwinners a fun, energetic show that also hearkens back to the 90s, or one of the most obnoxious shows in television history?
    • Is Pig Goat Banana Cricket a return to form for the network with its entertaining (if crazy) plots and characters, or is it nonsensical and rather ugly-looking show that's just more of the same?
  • The last season of Nina Needs to Go!: Some people like how she gets to learn other lessons that don't involve the bathroom and those lessons stick, averting Aesop Amnesia. Others think the show is less funny in Season Three.
  • The Penguins of Madagascar: "The Penguin Who Loved Me". An exciting Grand Finale that introduces new fan favorites, gives Kowalski a win and finally allows us to see Doris, Manfredi & Johnson? Or a disappointing ending that wastes Dr. Blowhole's return and the usual recurring cast in favour of Doris?
  • Phineas and Ferb: The Time Skip episode "Act Your Age". Detractors tend to say that the designs for the future versions of the kids look bad and that the plot feels like a "bad fanfiction" where nothing happens and then the problem is simply resolved at the last moments, but there are people who also appreciate what it does and find it to be a sweet resolution to Isabella's story arc. (Similarly the "I loved you as children, you loved me as teenagers" situation is either painfully stupid, or else sweetly realistic of young love.)
  • The 1960s Popeye TV shorts; some fans hate them for their cheap, stiff and often sloppy animation, while others, particularly fans of the comics, enjoy them for featuring Thimble Theatre characters, like the Sea Hag and Alice the Goon, who never appeared in the Paramount shorts.
  • The Powerpuff Girls (1998):
    • Was "A Very Special Blossom" a mean-spirited stain on the show's second season that made everybody too out of character, causing it to be some sort of a disservice to Father's Day, or was it a heartwarming one that shows another side to Blossom, wanting to make her father happy and at the same time learning a valuable lesson about stealing, and why it's wrong?
    • The final 2 seasons (made without Craig McCracken's involvement) gain pretty polarizing opinions. Some think that it ended the series on a very low note, with rather cringeworthy episodes that drag at a snail's pace and make the characters dumb for no reason, proving positive the staff were running out of ideas. Others think that those seasons are pretty good, with some memorable ones that bring some new things to the table and others that pay homage to creators of past cartoons, such as Jay Ward.
    • The 2014 re-designs of the girls have solicited reactions raging from "awww how cute!" to "OH GOD Kill It with Fire!". And now that the special itself has aired, opinions are divided on if the special was a fun and fast paced trip down memory lane that should lead to a revival series, or if it was a rushed mess that needs to just stay a one off. There is something of an agreement that the last few minutes of the special felt rushed and that it would have benefited from being longer, but whether or not if a person thought the rest of the special was good or not is, naturally, a matter of opinion.
    • The 2009 special. Some say it is the best episode of Powerpuff Girls while others say it is one of the worst. Still others prefer this episode as the Series Finale.
    • Whether or not the episodes "Equal Fights" and "Members Only" (which revolve around radical feminism and toxic masculinity respectively) fall under Values Dissonance or Values Resonance. Each episode also has an individual broken base:
      • "Equal Fights." Some believe that feminism was too weighty a subject for a lighthearted children's show (even Lauren Faust thinks so, even though she does agree with the episode's message), while others feel that its motives are clear and effective (at the very least, it's the best they could have done with this subject under these circumstances). Others split the difference and say it was a good Aesop but the execution could have been done better.
      • Many fans see "Members Only" as one of the funniest episodes of the series, but there are some who are rather peeved that the episode had Major Glory and the other Dexter's Laboratory superheroes being chauvinistic and condescending to the Powerpuff Girls.
    • "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" is either a beautifully animated episode with an incredible opera rock soundtrack that showed the writers weren't afraid to make bold choices or a mediocre special dragged down by a nonsensical plot and the poor singing voices from the VAs.
  • The Powerpuff Girls (2016): The 2016 reboot utterly wrecked The Powerpuff Girls fandom. The first official art showed off the girls' redesigns. Fans were either confused why they redesigned them at all if the changes were so minor, while others thought as the changes are so minor it isn't worth complaining about. The reveal that the girls' voice actresses were replaced upset many fans while others encourage using more new talent in the industry. The initial preview clips only made everything worse— fans made fun of the background characters designs, the flash animation style (specifically, the multitude of amateurish mistakes), and the way the new voices sound. Fans were also up in arms about the (outdated and incorrect) usage of memes and the mere fact that the physically three-year-old Bubbles and Blossom were shown twerking, accusing the writers of trying (and failing) to be relevant. Despite all the criticism, there is an equally large amount of fans who are happy to see the series come back and think the complainers have their Nostalgia Goggles on too hard, and that it isn't even made for the now-adult fans but is for a new generation.
    • "Horn, Sweet Horn", the episode with the pony who wanted to be a unicorn. While some have praised it for discussing gender identity in a way that wasn't too anvilicious, others have thrashed it because of the botched moral. The pony underwent a dangerous transformation procedure, not because he wanted to, but because Bubbles wanted it. She told him that he needed it. Not only does he become a monster, he discovers that he was a unicorn all along upon returning to normal. His horn was simply tucked away under his mane the whole time.The episode's writer later came out and said that the episode was not intended to be about gender identity, meaning the supposed commentary was merely something the producers spun up to make the show sound progressive.
    • Some praise the show for promoting girl power and feel that it's in step with the previous series. Others feel that it comes off as forced and (in light of dropping Ms. Bellum and reducing Ms. Keane's bust) disingenuous, hypocritical and laced with "Real Women Don't Wear Dresses"-like implications. It doesn't help that the girls often get kidnapped and rescued by male characters, including the Mayor.
    • The girls' personalities also came under fire. Some like the fact that they are a tad more mature than their original incarnations. They also like that the girls bicker at a more frequent basis, like any siblings would. Others feel that the writers have flanderized some of their more negative aspects: Buttercup's thirst for action, Bubbles' girlishness, and Blossom's need for order to the point where she's Obsessively Organized.
    • Some of the villains' portrayals are controversial as well. Mojo Jojo was the girl's main arch-enemy in the original series, but the reboot made him almost completely ineffectual and took away ALL of the original Mojo's vocal tics. Some find it fitting for the sake of humor, others think that it completely misses the point of the character.
    • The series being a sort of Soft Reboot Stealth Sequel. It obviously intends for fans to have seen the original series, despite the fact that the show hasn't had frequent reruns on Cartoon Network in a decade. Fans are split on this. Some are glad for the references and feel that they are a saving grace for the series. Others think that they tie the series down too much and make everything confusing (for example, how old are the girls now?)
  • Was the 2014 Rainbow Brite mini-series a horrible reboot or a genuinely decent series for a newer generation? Debates on its animation quality and its Denser and Wackier tone often occur.
  • The Real Ghostbusters: Some viewers think that Seasons 3-7 are terrible due to Slimer having a bigger role and Peter being closer to him, Janine's design changing, and the addition of the Junior Ghostbusters, who most viewers hated. Others, however, think that they're still enjoyable even if they are a bit inferior to the first two seasons. A third camp thinks that the shark was jumped in Season 6, whether from the beginning of the season or after either "Janine, You've Changed" or "Ghostworld", since they introduce characters from the unpopular "Slimer!" shorts into the main show.
  • Recess:
    • Fans are torn on the DTV movie, Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade, which was released two years after the show ended. One side loves it, while the other side found it too boring compared to the rest of the series. Both bases do agree, however, that T.J.'s new voice actor whomped.
    • Recess: All Growed Down and Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street have one half of the base complaining that they were only made up of previous episodes linked together, while the others are happy about that, as Disney stopped showing reruns in 2011 and there aren't any official season sets.
  • Regular Show:
  • The Ren & Stimpy Show: Everything after John K.'s original run on the series is polarizing. Many fans will say that the Games episodes are an insult to the original show, but many others will say they were good enough in their own right. Same with the Adult Party Cartoon episodes.
  • Rugrats (1991): Fans of the show can't seem to decide whether All Grown Up! was a good idea or if it was a horrible spinoff that killed every positive element from the source cartoon. The same can be said about the episodes that came after the show's first cancellation and resurrection, as well as Dil and Kimi showing up. At one point, these got more hate than the post-movie Sponge Bob episodes, despite not changing much apart from additional characters.
  • Rugrats (2021): Betty is made a lesbian and Howard is Adapted Out. Some people think this is a good way of adding diversity, while others think it's taking a step backwards and saying that all butch women are lesbians, or that removing Howard is wasting a character.
  • Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat:
    • A little some people hate the Alley Cats due to their jerky behavior, whereas most of them consider them funny and feel that they had a good heart in a couple episodes. Tai-Tai and her Sleeve Dogs also count as this, but the alley cats have more fans.
    • "The Favorite". Some fans find it okay due to Dongwa's lack of apology, whereas some felt that he got what he deserved earlier in the episode (that counts as him falling in the lake).
    • "On the Run". Most people hate it due to being mean spirited and bizaree. Whereas a little some find it enjoyable.
  • Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated:
    • Fans now have to make the same hard choice Shaggy faces: his best friend Scooby or his previous partner in mystery solving now romantic interest Velma.
    • Shaggy's relationship with Velma is one of these in itself. Many fans see it as a Romantic Plot Tumor (even those that shipped the two prior to the show) while others thought it added an interesting take on their characters.
    • The various changes to the characterizations are the commonly debated part of the series amongst Scooby-Doo fans. Velma and Fred are especially prone to this. Velma was always the fan-favorite but her interpretation in Mystery Inc is a divisive deal. Is she too sassy to the point of being an annoying jerk or is she the best Velma to date specifically due to her sarcasm?
  • She-Ra and the Princesses of Power:
    • In the same vein as Cassandra's in Tangled: The Series, whether or not Catra's redemption was well done. For a lot of people, it was a powerful piece of Character Development that put them through the grinder before successfully redeeming them as intended, making them deeply sympathetic and demonstrating how nobody is beyond atonement. For as many others, it was overly rushed favoritism that robbed the character of moral complexity or straight up turned them a Karma Houdini with no more than a slap on the wrist, by failing to fully acknowledge the scope of some of the terrible things they did, such as causing Angella to sacrifice herself, making them Unintentionally Unsympathetic.
    • Somewhat related to the above, the finale, particularly the Catradora romance. For obvious reasons it made a large part of the fanbase ecstatic, especially since many of them watched the show just for that pairing. But those same factors created a surpring number of detractors. For Catra herself is an incredibly divisive figure, to the point that many detractors used to be in the supportive group. Those who don't love the character and believe that Adora reciprocating her feelings at the end of her Redemption Quest was a case of of Throw the Dog a Bone, instead feel their increasingly cruel behavior and treatment of Adora pushed the ship into Romanticized Abuse territory, that said character's redemption was too rushed, and not enough to bring it back out of said territory. A lot of fans who were interested in the show for its other aspects believe that Catradora's focus at the end came at the expense of everything else.
    • Catra and Hordak's fans often conflict rather fiercely, with both being quite divisive. Most fans of Catra argue that she's a more interesting and sympathetic character, that she's cool and compelling, and that the narrative glosses over Hordak's crimes and potential mistreatment of Catra, while Hordak's fans often feel that he's a more compelling villain whose plotline is stolen from him by Catra, his angst is undermined by the show's focus on Catra, aren't happy that he loses every fight he has with her in what they feel is unrepentant shilling, and feel that the show seriously underuses Hordak. This isn't helped by their shipping tendencies, as Catradora fans often see Entrapta and Hordak's relationship as being creepy due to what is often seen as a power imbalance, whereas Entrapdak fans are quick to shoot back that they feel Hordak and Entrapta's relationship is built on mutual respect, trust, and encouragement, whereas Catra and Adora's relationship is toxic due to Catra's torment of Adora.
    • Although Double Trouble is well-liked as a character, their handling is divisive within among the show's LGBT fanbase, particularly trans and non-binary persons. Some very much appreciate having non-binary representation in a show aimed at younger audiences, particularly a character with an active role in the plot, not defined by sexuality and treated as being effective and even cool. Others are less thrilled, seeing Double Trouble's nonhuman status as essentially making them a glorified case of Bizarre Alien Sexes and seeing their role as an amoral trickster - namely one that can use their appearance to fool people into believing they're someone they're not - as playing into the belief that trans people are faking their identity to manipulate people.
    • While the character is well-liked, the show's handling of Entrapta became this over time. Supporters often point to the fact the show treated her as nuanced, the characters call her out for her misdeeds instead of her being Easily Forgiven, and the fact it makes an effort to make her a sympathetic neurodivergent character who, despite some moral ambiguity, ultimately sides with the heroes and aids them in concluding the conflict, which many felt was an admirable message and good representation for neurodivergent audiences. However, its detractors feel that the show was too unfavorable toward Entrapta, noting that the Princesses had tendencies toward her which could be perceived as ableist or cruel, such as ignoring and talking down to her even as she tries to aid them, and feel that the show placed emphasis on how Entrapta should change herself to earn their friendship despite their prior treatment of her while their own issues are never pointed out. Some think this carries the potentially negative message that neurodivergent people should change themselves to gain the friendship of neurotypical people.
  • Even the Sonic the Hedgehog fans are divided on which cartoon series was better for the series as a whole:
    • Was Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) a great cartoon series that greatly developed Sonic's character and added more depth to the series or was it an unfaithful adaptation of the beloved video games that was too dark for its own good?
    • Was Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog the most faithful animated adaptation of the Sonic games or was it an immature version of the famous hedgehog?
    • Was Sonic Underground a decent attempt at a whole different take on the franchise, or a bastardized mess that barely connected to the series in any way?
    • Even Sonic Boom was exposed to this before the show even premiered with Knuckles' new character design breaking the fan base in two. Does Knuckles' new character design fit greatly with the character's strength capabilities or should they have kept his original design from the video games? While the show got positive reviews after launching, fans remain divided. Half will say the show is funny and smart, while the other half will say it's too childish and/or fast paced. Also, being a new character, Sticks is a major Base-Breaking Character. Does she deserve her spot with the main cast? Are her jokes funny and original or forced and predictable? Is her voice cute or the annoying?
  • SpongeBob SquarePants:
    • Fans are split between those who like every season of the show and those who think the newer seasons are either downright unwatchable or simply not as good as the first three.
    • A lot of fans bring up episodes like "House Fancy", "A Pal for Gary", "Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful", "Yours, Mine and Mine", "Patty Caper", "Shuffleboarding", "Someone's in the Kitchen with Sandy", "One Coarse Meal", "I'm With Stupid", "The Great Snail Race", "Party Pooper Pants" (the latter three are part of the pre-movie era), "Driven to Tears", "A Day Without Tears", "Stuck in the Wringer", "Good Neighbors", "Boating Buddies", "The Splinter", "Demolition Doofus", "Face Freeze!", "Little Yellow Book", "Squid Baby", "Are You Happy Now?", "SpongeBob You're Fired", and "Ink Lemonade" when claiming the show has gone downhill. Whether the good episodes in the newer seasons can make up for these is a debated subject.
    • There are a handful of Season 1-3 episodes - as a general rule, "Grandma's Kisses", "Born Again Krabs", "Jellyfishing," "Nature Pants," "I Was a Teenage Gary," "Dumped," "I'm with Stupid," "Jellyfish Hunter," "Party Pooper Pants," "Ugh," "The Great Snail Race," and/or "The Sponge Who Could Fly" - which are viewed by some as premonitions of the show's downfall, by others as underrated classics, and by yet another group as episodes which are weaker than average for the show's golden era but still preferable to Seasons 6-8:
      • "Grandma's Kisses" — some love it for its moral about how wanting a relative's affection and keeping traditions you've had since childhood doesn't make you a baby. However, others hate it because Patrick is an even bigger Manchild than usual in the episode.
      • "Born Again Krabs" — some hate it because Mr. Krabs insisted on selling an expired patty just because he was stingy, then cheerfully handed SpongeBob's soul over to the Flying Dutchman for literal pocket change. However, others like it because he learns his lesson afterwards.
      • "Jellyfishing" — fans think it's good that SpongeBob and Patrick are trying to be nice to Squidward and see the mishaps he gets into as funny slapstick, while detractors think that Squidward was too much of a Butt-Monkey.
      • "Nature Pants" — was it just too bleak seeing SpongeBob giving up on civilization to live in nature only to have a bad time there as well, or was it heartwarming because it ended on a Surprise Party?
      • "I Was a Teenage Gary" — was it an entertaining episode, or was Squidward being too mean to Gary by not giving him enough to drink? Similarly, was the vet an idiot for not realizing that Gary didn't need the "snail plasma" and was just dehydrated, or was that just an honest mistake? Finally, are the snail transformations funny, or just disturbing, especially since they don't go back to normal?
      • "Dumped" — was it a fun episode, or was it just too sad that SpongeBob spends most of the episode sadly looking for a pet, or too mean because of Patrick getting tossed the Jerkass Ball and rubbing Gary wanting to hang out with him over SpongeBob in SpongeBob's face?
      • "I'm with Stupid" — was it funny that Patrick fell for SpongeBob's Obfuscating Stupidity and started to believe that he was actually stupider than him, or was it just annoying since SpongeBob got the short end of the stick and Patrick didn't seem to notice or care?
      • "Jellyfish Hunter" — did Mr. Krabs take his greed too far, or was it fine that he was in the wrong?
      • "Party Pooper Pants" — some think SpongeBob being the eponymous party pooper was too mean-spirited and/or out of character, or, on the flip side, that him being thrown out of the house and arrested was too much, but others like it for the "life underwater" gag and Patrick eventually enjoying the party.
      • "Ugh" — was the caveman speak funny, or just annoying?
      • "The Great Snail Race" — was it a funny episode with gags like Patrick's rock, or was SpongeBob just too mean to Gary?
      • "The Sponge Who Could Fly" — are the citizens being too lazy and selfish by having SpongeBob do everything for them, or is it a funny episode and one of Patchy the Pirate's best moments?
    • Fans are also divided over the first movie - was it a hilarious animated comedy that did justice to its source material, or was it an overblown, cash-grab that foreshadowed the show's gradual decline? Was Season 4 the last good season, or the first bad one?
    • Opinions on Season 5 vary wildly. While it's generally agreed to be weaker than the first four seasons, some people find it to be good in its own right, some hold it at the same level as Seasons 6-8, and others find it So Okay, It's Average.
    • Some fans have noticed an increase in quality since Season 8, and admittedly there have been a few gems in that and Season 9 so far. Still, some fans refuse to acknowledge any improvements.
    • Season 9B onwards has gained a much more positive reception compared to Seasons 6-8, but some fans dislike them because of the increase in bizarre humor/plots, intentionally Off-Model animation, and widely hated episodes like "Ink Lemonade" and "The Nitwitting". The increase in continuity references also tends to be viewed either very positively or very negatively depending on who you ask. As the show's entry on Audience-Alienating Era points out, it's worth noting that many of the detractors of these seasons were children when Seasons 6-8 were still airing.
    • There's a group that prefers the Un-Cancelled seasons to the original seasons.
    • There's a split between people who like "House Fancy". Some people like it because Squidward wins at the end, while some hate it for either the infamous scene where Squidward's toenail is ripped off or for simply being boring.
    • "Toy Store of Doom" is also fairly divisive. Some fans enjoyed it for its interesting premise compared to other sixth season episodes, while others cited the frequent use of Padding in the episode.
    • Who is less sympathetic in "Breath of Fresh Squidward": Squidward for stealing SpongeBob's life or SpongeBob for becoming a Green-Eyed Monster that viciously chewed out Squidward for pogo-jumping with Patrick? This went to the point that the episode's page on the ScumBob Wiki (a website dedicated to the show's worst-received episodes) had to be locked due to excessive edit warring/fighting.
  • Never, ever bring up the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series on a forum. You will immediately be flamed for liking the new series over the old 2D Clone Wars cartoons. There are people who like the old series because it's more "mature", while the new series is a "kid's show". Then there are the people who say that the old Clone Wars series is "childish, plotless, and completely stupid", while the new Clone Wars series is "full of mature themes, real story, and wonderful characters."
  • Superjail!:
    • The show encountered a big example of this trope after the second season premiered, as the story format in episodes had changed along with the animation style (Augenblick had been too busy with Ugly Americans, so the job went to Titmouse). Many fans hated this change, although there were some that wound up on the defensive of any sort of criticism, claiming that anyone who didn't like any new stories had to be anti-character development and not a "real" fan. Likewise, certain season 2 critics also asserted that those who appreciated anything weren't real fans.
    • Season 3 was a less extreme example of conflicting fan opinions, although there are those that still miss the Augenblick team and consider the Titmouse episodes to be too cartoony in style.
    • Some fans of season 2 presented the opinion that season 1 was far too sexual and nonsensical, which others didn't agree with and made another divide.
    • Personality changes in the characters have divided other fans: Is Warden better when he's more sadistic or more childish? Did Jared's increase in snarkiness ruin his original Butt-Monkey personality? Were the Twins ruined and made too weak after having their alien heritage confirmed? You'll see quite the debate on these, among others.
    • Lord Stingray joining the cast is either seen as the staff bringing in a new character to keep the show fresh, or a completely unnecessary and obnoxious addition.
    • Alice's backstory confirming her as transgender. There are those that believe her story was a foregone conclusion and something that helped make her seem a little more sympathetic, while other fans claim it ruined their guessing games about her genitalia and became enraged that she didn't have an ambiguous gender or that her bulge just wasn't a sight gag.
    • The very existence of Rule 34 in the fandom can spawn much debate and flames in certain parts of the internet. It's either seen as reasonable to exist considering the adult nature of the show, or as an abomination and proof that fans are ruining the show for their own strange ships and fantasies. This is also coupled with Ship-to-Ship Combat over slash pairings (usually male/male, rarely female/female) vs. the het. Anime-style fanart or works by the East Asian portion of the fanbase are another can of worms.
    • There are even debates on whether or not the Mistress is more likable as a hippie since her radical personality transformation at the very end of "Stingstress". That, and what caused her to become a hippie (Alice sleeping with her) is known to upset a particular faction of fans because of the assumption that it was the creators thumbing their noses at Warden/Mistress.
    • Season 4 being six episodes (reasons currently unknown) has caused another split: Fans who still want to watch it, and fans who have decided the show's as good as cancelled/dead and claiming that no one should bother (the anger over Warden/Mistress not being canonized also overlaps with this viewpoint) .
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
  • Teen Titans:
    • The series was notorious for its Robin/Starfire vs. Robin/Raven fandom war. It got so bad that stating your preference was a quick way to make enemies. There were even little online cultures around the ships—Robin/Starfire fandom tended to consider themselves more well-adjusted than the alternative, whereas Robin/Raven fandom often considered themselves more mature due to the complex nature of their fandom. It is still a controversial subject in the fandom to this day.
    • The series finale "Things Change": Brilliant and bittersweet way to end the series where Beast Boy learns a lesson about letting go, or a confusing and anti-climactic mess that goes against the mood of the series and leaves way too many unanswered questions? The way the episode treated Terra also really upset contemporary fans who had other ideas of what would happen when she was revived.
    • Beast Boy/Raven or Beast Boy/Terra? Are Beast Boy and Raven even a thing or do fans have their Shipping Goggles on too tight? Word of God says they were meant to be platonic however most of the fandom disagrees. Bumblebee and Cyborg suffer from a similar case of Platonic Writing, Romantic Reading.
    • Should Red X's identity have been revealed, or does it not really matter who he is? Another debate that continues to echo long after the show's end.
    • Is Robin Dick Grayson or Tim Drake? There is nothing that suggests he is Tim - in fact everything from him being Starfire's love interest, to him being Nightwing, to the fact it's a New Teen Titans adaptation show very clearly he isn't - however it has been debated nevertheless.
  • Teen Titans Go!:
    • Whether it is a fun comedy that manages to properly make fun of the characters and the DC Universe as a whole or an abomination that mocks the memory of the original series is a debate that overshadows almost everything else regarding the Teen Titans...other than the quality of the New 52 comics run.
    • "Why are you getting so worked up over a kid's show?" (or variations thereof) being asked in relation to Teen Titans Go! tends to bring up debates over whether detractors' problems with the show are justified (such as over whether or not the show is even kid-friendly, thanks to the heavy Black Comedy tone and the rampant aesops) or are just them over-reacting to a show not meant for them in the first place.
    • Even fans of the show have mixed reactions to the shows way of handling criticism. The target demographic probably hasn't even seen the original cartoon and doesn't get the jokes, but there have been no less than three episodes poking fun of fans of Teen Titans who loathe Go. To some, the episodes come off as extremely immature on part of the writers while others at least find them amusing.
    • "The Cape": Is it a legitimately funny Gag Dub of an episode from the 2003 series mentioned above or just another shallow jab at the show's detractors.
    • "Serious Business" is seen by some as a funny episode, while others find the Toilet Humour too immature, the reveal that bathrooms are sentient too surreal, the fact that the Titans have fun in the bathroom too weird, or a combination.
  • Tiny Toon Adventures: Plucky Duck and his subplot in How I Spent My Vacation with Hamton and his family falls into this category. Fans regard Plucky’s treatment throughout the movie as completely unfair, with the duck being an undeserving Butt-Monkey who gets no reprieve from his plight, even at the end of the story. However, fans also believe that Plucky, being a Jerkass, completely got what was coming to him for his behaviour throughout the show.
  • Tom and Jerry has had a broken base for decades, and it should come as no surprise seeing that the protagonist and the antagonist in any given short is sometimes left up to the viewer's opinion. Jerry's hatedom can be quite passionate, however (because, unlike Tom, he has no reason to be mean since he's a mouse, while Tom trying to catch Jerry is normal for cats).
  • Toonami fans were split on TOM4 (the flat-faced robo-alien one). Naturally, they were also split when the original TOM replaced Moltar. As well, Cartoon Network's Network Decay propagates this.
  • In a less extreme case of the above, people are divided on whether Toon City is on par with TMS Entertainment, Studio Ghibli, Carbunkle Cartoons, Startoons, Disney's studios in Los Angeles, Japan, and Australia, and the like, or if they're only on par with the likes of Rough Draft Studios, Moi Animation, DR Movie, and JM Animation.
  • Most fans agree that the Transformers franchise has had its ups and downs, but which is which is forever the subject of heated debate. Transformers: Animated is simultaneously the best and worst show ever.
    • Or maybe the franchise has been "Ruined FOREVER!" (the trope naming franchise, actually): "Fans realize something Hasbro does not, that robust 25-year-old billion-dollar franchises, while seemingly healthy, are in actuality as fragile as two bricks tied together with tissue paper." That line pretty much describes the fanbase's position on everything.
    • There are Transformers fans who think the original was the ONLY series, with all other subsequent series to be inferior knockoffs. These people are known as "Geewunners", and can be identified by their distinctive rallying cry of "TRUKK NOT MUNKY!". On the flipside there are "Reeduners"(a derogatory take on "geewun" based on "G1", a parody of "redone") who hate everything old and groan every time a past series is referenced.
    • Arguments over the Bay films, comic vs cartoon, Marvel vs Dreamwave vs IDW...
    • The 2009 film Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen divided the fanbase, with half of the fans considering the film an unwatchable monstrosity that ruined the reputation of the franchise, and the other half loving it regardless, looking past the tacky storyline and bad acting and instead enjoying the plentiful amounts of action, huge explosions and highly complicated special effects in the film.
    • Among series there is a division between how the difference between Autobots and Decepticons, or Maximals and Predacons, are depicted. Some series, like The Transformers, the Marvel Comic's continuation, Transformers: Animated, and Transformers: Beast Wars (2021) depict the two opposing forces as distinctly different types of robots with differences in their inherent design purpose and mentalities, that makes the two inherently different. Other series, like the first ongoing Transformers universe by IDW Publishing and the Aligned Continuity depict Autobots and Decepticons as inherently the same, but societal factors created the divides that led to the formation of Autobots and Decepticons. Fans are divided on their preferences between these two approaches, as fans of the former like the motif of the conflict between military hardware (the Decepticons) with overwhelming firepower and the more scrappy underdogs who aren't necessarily designed for it (the Autobots), the potential for exploring the greater ramifications of one kind defecting to the other's side, and because it was what Generation One did, while fans of the other think that the inherent differences between the Autobots and Decepticons create unintentional messages about racial differences and prefer stories where the societal problems that caused the war give the Decepticons some more moral depth without sacrificing too much morality from the Autobots (as these stories typically write Optimus as someone with his own problems with the system he desired reform to and thus in having him lead the Autobots they are typically not directly related to the baggage of a corrupt system) while also opening up more interesting stories about both a pre war Cybertron under the flawed system that led to the war and to more plausible stories set in a post war Cybertron seeking to keep those problems from returning.
      • It's seriously to the point where the only thing fans can agree on is their hatred of Pat Lee, and Squick at Kiss Players. And even then, there's room for other opinions, especially those who find creepy imagery, and therefor Kiss Players, funny.
  • Trollhunters has three particularly big ones, all in Season Three: Was turning Jim into a troll a necessary sacrifice to defeat Gunmar, or did it undermine the repeated importance the narrative placed on Jim being the first human called to the Trollhunter job? Is Merlin a well-meaning but callous Old Master too concerned with the 'bigger picture' to care about individual feelings, or avillain who doesn't realize how evil he is, or deliberately hiding behind a Wise Old Folk Façade? Was Barbara Lake and Walter Strickler getting back together heartwarming, or disturbing, considering how he manipulated her before his Heel–Face Turn?
  • The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat:
    • An in-universe case appears. Fans of "The Fuzzy Bunny Show" argued over which part they like more. (When he says "nick woo" or "neck woo"). They even fought over it.
    • Out-of-universe, opinions differ on which of Felix's voice actors was better; Thom Adcox-Hernandez or Charles Adler.
  • Some crossover here between animation and comic book fandom, over wither Ultimate Spider-Man is a good show with funny jokes or a cheap, pandering replacement for The Spectacular Spider-Man that got Marvel's best cartoon in years cancelled to be replaced by similar crap.
  • Did the more character-focused, less humorous 4th season of The Venture Bros. Grow the Beard or ruin the series?
  • To a lesser degree to the previous shows above, Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production also has a broken base regarding the style of the show. Half of the fanbase like the fact that the show is returning to the slapstick nature of the original Looney Tunes classic cartoons, while the other half of the fanbase don't like the new designs of the characters, especially Yosemite Sam and Foghorn Leghorn.
  • What's with Andy?:
  • The Winx Club fandom has been hit with this.
    • There are fans that are split between those who enjoyed seasons 5-current (ex. bringing back previous characters and exploring Tecna's homeworld) and those who think the newer seasons are downright unwatchable due to the retcons being made, the girls still attending Alfea despite having graduated back in the first film, flanderizations being made, and simply not being as good as the first four.
    • They are also divided over the following English dubs:
      • 4Kids; Most call it a superior dub to the original Rai version and have been known to grow up with this version, while others disliked it due to it's plots, music, theme song, and names changing as well as other edits, which created an alternate continuity.
      • Cinelume; This half of the fanbase believes this is the dub that is the most important due to having no scenes cut, edited, or censored; while the other half has prefered other English dubs like 4Kids (which they tended to grow up with) or Atlas Oceanic (which produced the 4 one hour specials and redubbed seasons 3 and 4).
      • Atlas Oceanic; Most have liked this dub due to it's voice acting and the redubs of seasons 3 and 4 staying closely true to the original ones; while others criticize it mainly because the four specials that were produced had redone animation in it.
    • The het ships such as; Bloom x Sky (there are many fans that adore their chemistry while others hate it since they tend to be perfect and dramatic at times), Musa x Riven (they tend to enjoy their rocky moments; others critcize it for being an abusive relationship) and Aisha/Layla's relationships with Roy and Nex (some have enjoyed seeing Aisha gaining new love interests; others hate it for getting in the way of the Nabu x Aisha ship and not being as good as that ship).
  • The fan base for Wolverine and the X-Men (2009) is often split with some fans liking the fact that the show was able to adapt some of the current X-Men story lines, while the other side of the fan base complained about the show giving too much attention to Wolverine and not enough attention to the other X-Men characters.

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