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  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: The Mad Hatter. Not in the books themselves, or any of the original movies. But in any more recent adaptation, the Mad Hatter is likely to get a large amount of screen time.
  • Animorphs:
    • Toby Hamee gets a lot of love, for being generally smart and cool, co-starring with Tobias a lot, and being a walking reminder of The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, widely seen as one of the best books.
    • In general, if you played a major part in a Chronicles book, you're probably one of these — most of the protagonists of those stories are at best supporting characters and at worst Posthumous Characters, but they're pretty much universally popular in the fandom.
    • Tom only appears Yeerk-free once, but he's popular due to his tragic story and Heroic Sacrifice in the first book. Many a Fix Fic will give him a happier ending.
    • Despite only appearing in one book (that isn't well-regarded), Mertil and Gafinilan stand out in fans' minds for being the series' closest thing to a gay couple, and because the concept of other Andalites living on Earth is fascinating.
  • Pullings in the Aubrey-Maturin series has a far bigger fandom than some of his more recurring or prominent crew mates.
  • Battle Royale has Action Girl Takako Chigusa win legions of fans in just two notable scenes. To those who have read, don't think too hard about that. In the live action movie, she was played by Chiaki Kuriyama. Quentin Tarantino, a fan of the novel and film, cast her as Gogo Yubari for this exact reason.
  • Tony Foster from Tanya Huff's Blood Books. Originally just an informant to the protagonist Vicki Nelson, his role gradually grows until he becomes Henry's live-in boyfriend. Then he moves on to his own series where Vicki is almost entirely absent and Henry assumes the role of sidekick (although he would never admit it).
  • Boy's Life: Mr. Fixit Mr. Lightfoot, Owen Cathcoate/The Candystick Kid (an alleged retired gunslinger who is quite formidable regardless of whether his stories are true), unexpectedly gifted pitcher Nemo, hell-raising escaped pet monkey Lucifer, and Greaser Delinquents ghost Little Stevie are all secondary or minor characters with enormous presences in the fanbase.
  • Stefan and Jesper of Brotherband have a reasonably vocal fan following, despite being side characters who are referenced less and less as the series goes on. It helps that an inseparable duo of a Voice Changeling and an Impossible Thief is both a fun and shippable concept.
  • The Caster Chronicles:
    • Ethan's great-aunts get a lot of love from the fanbase for being absolutely hilarious (occasional Still Fighting the Civil War moments aside) and displaying the occasional keen Hidden Depths and insights about the hidden magical society around them.
    • Macon's (literal) seeing-eye dog Boo Radley is more popular than the average Team Pet in a YA book.
    • Ridley's sisters Ryan (The Cutie) and Reece (the Ice Queen) have little page time or dialogue throughout the books but are quite popular, with fans mourning their deletion from the movie.
    • Abby Porter, Winnie Reid, and Robert Lester Tate have less than a dozen combined mentions throughout all four books, but still get a bit of interest and sympathy for being the only three students besides Ethan and Link to show even the slightest friendliness to the Duchannces family.
  • Charles Dickens just wouldn't be Charles Dickens without his dark horses:
    • The Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist is probably the best remembered character of the novel in modern times, if not the most celebrated character in Dickens' whole body of work.
    • Another semi-minor but highly celebrated Dickens character is Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol, who became an Ascended Extra in most adaptations.
    • In Nicholas Nickleby, Mr Mantalini steals every scene he is in.
    • The Pickwick Papers: Samuel Weller was introduced in a minor supporting role as the main character's cockney valet partway through the serial, but quickly developed a massive following that almost single-handedly kick-started Charles Dickens' career.
    • Mr. Micawber from David Copperfield with a lot of thanks to WC Fields' unforgettable 1935 film portrayal.
  • In The Chronicles of Narnia, Reepicheep, a supporting character only appearing in two books out of six, is incredibly popular, possibly due to his swashbuckling style.
  • The Clone:
    • Dr. Agnew, for the way he loses his Agent Scully nature and then suffers a memorable Life-or-Limb Decision.
    • Dory Bornheim only shows up briefly, but is extremely well-liked for his action-packed yet tender efforts to save a class full of children from the monster.
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses: The secondary characters are quite commonly praised for being very interesting and nuanced, some moreso than others.
    • Tarquin, for being the genuinely nicest High Lord with a good amount of common sense and having dreams of overturning the racist aspects of Prythian culture.
    • Nesta's fiery spirit and Hidden Depths marked her as a fan-favorite, which only escalated when the sheer depths of her anger unnerved the king of Hybern. For readers who find Feyre, Rhysand and the Night Court's Inner Circle to be increasingly insufferable from the fourth book onwards, they also like that Nesta pushes back against them and frequently calls them out. Her popularity culminated in her receiving a starring role in A Court of Silver Flames.
    • Gwyn, a supporting protagonist introduced in A Court of Silver Flames, quickly became popular amongst readers. She's a sweet, courageous girl who strives to overcomes her tragic past, aspiring to restart the Valkyries and befriending and supporting Nesta, which earned Gwyn both sympathy and admiration from the fanbase. Her Ship Tease with Azriel was also appreciated, with many fans shipping them together following the book's publication.
    • The Suriel, a Creepy Awesome creature who will truthfully answer the questions of any who successfully captures it and helps Feyre a few times. They develop a surprisingly endearing Odd Friendship and many readers were devastated when Ianthe has the Suriel killed in A Court of Wings and Ruin.
  • In H. P. Lovecraft's Yogg-Sorothy, Cthulhu only had one story about him written by Lovecraft himself. However, his disciple writing more stories led to Cthulhu becoming the poster-squid... thing for the entire Chronology, with the fans dubbing it the Cthulhu Mythos.
  • Department 19 has Valentin Rusmanov, a secondary character whom enormous chunks of fans fell for during the second book, after a few brief appearances in the first, because he's suave, sarcastic and generally a fun and likeable character who steals the spotlight of any scene he's in. The author has actually expressed some surprise over his fanbase, but snarky, handsome vampires with sad bits of backstory and heroic roles are a recipe for this trope.
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid has Rodrick, who primarily serves the role of a Big Brother Bully in the books. Then the movies came out, which had him played by a good-looking actor and becoming a Troubled, but Cute Jerk with a Heart of Gold. Cue the legion of fangirls.
  • Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series, claims that this is the greatest danger when you create a throwaway character.
    • The best example is Death, whom he only created as a one joke character, but liked so much that he gave him multiple additional appearances in the first two books. Samuel Vimes and Granny Weatherwax also started out as support characters.
    • Mention should also go to Lord Vetinari, a Magnificent Bastard among Magnificent Bastards, and the Librarian, since Everything's Better With Apes Who Are Most Definitely Not Monkeys. They were both invented for one-shot gags, but morphed into characters that steal the show if given the slightest opportunity. Also see the Death Of Rats.
    • And Detritus, who started as a "splatter" and became Sergeant and head of the Watch's training academy, married to Ruby, and "adopted" Brick.
    • Pratchett began writing "Guards, Guards" intending for Carrot to be the main character. Then he slowly got more interested in a side character he'd only created to provide a point of view in Ankh-Morpork until Carrot showed up, and now Samuel Vimes is easily one of the series' most popular characters. It's gotten to the point where Pratchett has had difficulty writing books set in Ankh-Morpork without turning them into Vimes stories.
    • Ponder Stibbons, too, has a lot more fans than his small role seems to warrant. It helps that he's adorable.
  • Divergent:
  • Francesca, an adulterer from The Divine Comedy damned for lust, became the subject of a huge amount of Fan Art and other Fan Works in the 1800s for the unique Genre Shift to romantic-drama presented by her brief appearance.
  • Don't Call Me Ishmael!:
    • Razz's girlfriend Sally doesn't appear until the second book, but is better liked than some of the True Companions main cast.
    • Bruiser with a Soft Center Theodore may only become a Sixth Ranger to the gang in the third book, but many fans see him as a solid, indispensable character in that book.
    • Razz's cousin Cindy Sexton only appears long enough for one ill-fated date with Ishmael, but her Motor Mouth tendencies and Big-Breast Pride make her a memorable character.
    • Cool Teacher Ms. Tarango and Mr. Barker, the Stern Teacher with Hidden Depths, are probably the best-liked adult characters in the series despite their secondary or tertiary roles in each book.
  • Raistlin in the Dragonlance books, which are very much a literal Tabletop RPG ensemble to begin with.
    • Also from Dragonlance, Kang, Slith and the Doom Brigade. Their unexpected popularity resulted in an unplanned short story and many cameo appearances in other books.
  • The Dresden Files:
    • Waldo Butters is introduced as a medical examiner (and Back-Alley Doctor for Harry), a bigger nerd than even Harry, and is a Muggle Non-Action Guy. However his dorkiness mixed with a health dose of snark and totally willingness to help Harry whenever he can made him extremely likable.
    • Carlos Ramirez is prone to bluster and Casanova Wannabe tendencies, but is a Warden who's been watching Harry's back since he was introduced. He is also the somewhat unofficial leader of the younger section of the White Council who actually like and agree with Harry. He also certainly won a bunch of fans over with the line "Everyone else who lets me ride on their dinosaur calls me Carlos".
    • Toot-toot, since every single scene involving him is a Funny Moment and he occasionally gets to be really awesome.
    • Demonreach made waves for being such a strange and powerful creature who nonetheless comes out with some quality lines.
  • Fitz Kreiner, from the Eighth Doctor Adventures, doesn't seem to have been ever intended as a one-shot character, but looks like one for most of his first appearance, and was obviously initially conceived as the kind of character who could be Put on a Bus at a moment's notice by making him settle down with the Girl of the Week. Now he's either the second or third longest-running companion. He appeared in about fifty-five novels and one Big Finish Doctor Who audio play. Numerous fans have admitted to liking him better than the Doctor, and he's one of the few companions who seem to be disliked by only two or three people of a mind to complain about it on the Internet. Indeed, almost everyone thinks he's pretty groovy. It's probably got a lot to do with his Ho Yay with the Doctor, but there are tons of other reasons.
  • Murtagh from Eragon, who is often seen as cooler than the eponymous hero, and a lot less whiny about it.
  • Ex-Heroes:
  • Fate Series:
    • Fate/Zero:
      • Lancer, aka Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, managed to gain quite a following among fans, most likely for being a Suspiciously Similar Substitute of fellow Dark Horse, Cú Chulainn, while still being different enough to stand on his own. It's likely for this reason that he ended up as a bonus character in Fate/unlimited codes.
      • Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald is one of the less focused on Masters of the story, yet has gained a surprising following among fans thanks to his status as a Fountain of Memes. His Mystic Code, Volumen Hydragyrum, also sees a surprising amount of love, likely for its connection to Kayneth and many finding it to be oddly adorable. This is likely the reason it returns as a major character in the Lord El-Melloi II Case Files.
      • Kariya Matou is absolutely adored by the fandom, thanks to being the White Sheep of the Matou family and for being a sympathetic and Tragic Hero Antagonist whose goal is centered around saving Sakura (which, as anyone whose played Fate/stay night will know, he'll inevitably fail).
      • Assassin, aka the Hundred-Faced Hassan-i-Sabbah, is the least relevant of the Servants to the story as well as the first to die, yet they're still quite popular among fans, especially the one female Hassan. In fact, the popularity of the female member eventually resulted in her receiving a name, Asako, as well as making her the face of the Servant when they came to Fate/Grand Order.
      • Ryuunosuke Uryuu is the least relevant of the Masters to the overall plot, but still gained a following for being a hilarious yet absolutely terrifying Serial Killer and Disc-One Final Boss.
      • Out of all the characters, however, perhaps the best example of this would be Claudia Ortensia, Kirei's deceased wife. She never appears in the story, only being occasionally mentioned, with her name and appearance not being known until they were later revealed in Character Materials. But likely thanks to her connection to Kirei, she ended up becoming very popular, getting a large amount of fan art both alongside Kirei and by herself.
    • Fate/Apocrypha:
      • Toole, the homunculus Sieg saves on the battlefield, gained a lot of traction with the fanbase, particularly when she helps Sieg rescue the other Yggdmillennia homunuculi. Her resemblance to Maiya Hisau may have something to do with this.
      • Roche Frain Yggdmillennia is one of the less important Masters in the story, but his Cheerful Child personality that acts as a front for much more cynical side ended up endearing him to a fans, which made his death particularly saddening for many. It seems that Type-Moon has caught on to this, as while he hasn't been brought back from the dead, his character has been used on a posthumous crux for Avicebron's Character Development in Fate/Grand Order.
    • Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver:
      • Rider, aka Ozymandias, is liked for his similarities to Gilgamesh, being the series' first Egyptian Servant, having Hidden Depths beyond his arrogance, and his powerful abilities.
      • Berserker, aka Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, gets killed off rather early in the series, but managed to gain a following thanks to Jekyll's Pretty Boy looks and personality. It's likely for this reason that he was used as one of the promo Servants for Fate/Grand Order.
      • Archer, aka Arash, originally started out as a Memetic Loser, due to his Suicide Attack Noble Phantasm, but managed to grow in popularity over his later appearance, thanks to his Nice Guy personality and his Heroic Sacrifice in the battle against Ozymandias. Being added into Fate/Grand Order, where he's considered one of the most useful farming Servants, certainly helped.
      • Lancer and Assassin, aka Brynhild and Hassan of Serenity, respectively, are both popular for similar reasons, specifically, their attractive designs, their tragic characterization and backstories, and them being two of the few female characters in a predominately male cast.
    • Fate/strange Fake:
      • Flat Escardos is the most popular original character to come out of strange fake, being well liked for his fun personality and surprisingly friendly relationship with his Servant. It's likely for this reason that he received a cameo appearance in the first episode of Fate/Apocrypha's anime adaptation.
      • Speaking of Flat's Servant, False Berserker, aka Jack the Ripper, is particularly popular among fans, especially those who dislike the Assassin class version of the character from Apocrypha, likely for being much closer to what one would expect out of a depiction of the infamous Serial Killer.
      • True Archer is another Servant who also sees a large amount of love among fans, likely for his awesome introductory battle against Gilgamesh, as well as for being Heracles summoned in the Archer class, a version of the character fans had been anticipating for a long time.
Fun Jungle:
  • Security guard Kevin Wilks (who has tertiary roles in two books and cameo roles in two others) is a fan favorite for his hilarious but likable Good Is Dumb characterization and Accidental Hero moment in the fourth book.
  • Dinosaur-obsessed rocket scientist Harper Weems only appears in Tyrannosaurus Wrecks, but is one of the better-liked one-shot suspects.
  • Lovable Jocks Dash and Ethan are less prominent than Teddy's other friends, but tend to get good reactions when they do show up for having some good Bully Hunter moments and humorous dialogue about how Ethan is an Agent Mulder.
  • FunJungle employee Krist Sullivan, who has a major role in the second book but is Demoted to Extra afterward. Fans appreciate how nice she is to Teddy and how she is also used to explore the important message that someone can love animals but not be qualified to care for them (which leads to her changing jobs from zookeeper to PR spokesperson after her bosses realize this).
  • In the Gaunt's Ghosts series Major Rawne started out as a relatively minor, two dimensional character. He is now one of the most complex and well loved characters of the series, to the point where the author Dan Abnett admitted that the grumpy Major was his favourite character, ahead of the titular Guant.
  • Edilio and Drake Merwin from the Gone series.
  • Billy Bunter began life as a minor character in the Greyfriars school stories. Comically greedy, snobbish, dishonest, inept, self-centred, lazy, stupid, mean, cowardly and always, always on the scrounge, he provided the perfect foil for his upright and honest classmates and became so popular that he eventually took on the title role for the series.
  • Harry Potter:
    • Blaise Zabini is only a name until the sixth book when he's at least given a gender and a race, but he has many appearances in fanfiction as a main character.
    • Theodore Nott also has plenty of fans despite his few appearances and lack of lines. Part of this may be due to the fact that he was supposed to have a larger role.
    • The Weasley Twins, Fred and George, mainly because they are the living example of Crowning Moment of Funny (which is also very necessary, as the books get so much darker as the series progressed).
    • Antonin Dolohov has his share of fans. Possibly due to being one of the more competent Death Eaters and almost always winning the duels he participates in.
    • Tonks. Fans absolutely love her, despite the fact that she doesn't appear until the fifth book and is a relatively minor character with only a few lines in the entire series.
  • Iorek Byrnison from His Dark Materials is probably the most iconic character in the trilogy, despite being a relatively minor character. But then, he's a badass armored polar bear warrior king. It's pure Rule of Cool in action. When he repairs a certain world-breaking weapon of the gods in The Amber Spyglass, his badassery is taken up a notch.
  • Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has a fanbase the size of a planet.
  • Stevie Rae, Rephaim and Kramisha are quite popular with the The House of Night Fandom.
  • Intruder in the Dust: One-armed backwoodsman Nub Gowrie (the father of the murder victim, who has some Hidden Heart of Gold moments) and Cool Old Lady Mrs. Habersham only appear in a few scenes each, but are probably the most iconic characters after Lucas. This is even more true in The Film of the Book, where Mrs. Habersham gets a little more focus in defending Lucas from a lynch mob and Nub's actor does a fantastic job of Playing Against Type.
  • Jack Ryan: John Clark had a small appearance in The Cardinal of the Kremlin, but the appearance proved to be very popular with the readers, causing him to get a larger role in later books and a backstory.
  • John Carter of Mars has Princess Dejah Thoris of Helium. While she is the Deuteragonist for the first book (which is named after her), she actually has less and less focus in the following books. This didn't stop her from becoming one of the most recognizable characters in the series, being subject to tons of pin-ups more than any other character and receiving expanded roles in other adaptations.
  • The anonymous undead penguin from Langley's Ark has a disproportionately large fan following, which was solidified in a Q&A session with the cast. Somewhere down the line, it became the Series Mascot.
    Langley: I would just like to add at this point that my name is even part of the title and the penguin has gotten more questions than me.
  • Charlie Parker is the main character of a detective series that puts Irish thriller writer John Connolly on the literary map, but fans loved Parker's gay assassins sidekicks Angel and Louis so much that Connolly finally wrote a novel The Reapers in which the two has the starring role and Charlie Parker remains in the sidelines until right before the end of the novel.
  • R.A. Salvatore originally meant for his popular dark elf character Drizzt Do'Urden to be a side-character for Wulfgar, Drizzt's barbarian pupil, in the first novel they appeared in; he claims to have come up with him on the spot when his agent asked for a sidekick for Wulfgar. Naturally, at this point, they're collectively known as the Drizzt books. This is one of the unusual cases where transitioning the Darkhorse into the main hero's role actually worked.
    • According to the introduction to one of the books, this conversion happened early in the writing process (basically, page one).
  • Les Misérables has several. The most ubiquitous is probably Gavroche, who has become the novel's unofficial mascot of sorts. Eponine and every single member of La Résistance also have huge followings, as does Quirky Miniboss Squad member Montparnasse.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality werewolf Dominil was a supporting character whose character arc was completed when she knifed Big Bad Sarapen in the guts in the first Lonely Werewolf Girl book, by the time the second came around she was promoted to main cast member with a new character arc.
  • Lorien Legacies:
    • Number Two/Maggie is a Posthumous Character who only appears in one tie-in novella and a couple of background cameos on the evacuation ship. However, her characterization as a nervous Bookworm and Camera Fiend who has learned some gymnastics and hand-to-hand combat to try and survive before her powers develop make her a memorable and endearing character who has a decent amount of fan art.
    • Nine's Cêpan Sandor is only in two prequel novellas, but he's probably better liked than some of The Chosen Many main characters due to being a carefree Brilliant, but Lazy Gadgeteer Genius with an interesting backstory that includes only becoming a Cêpan as a last minute replacement for Nine's original guardian.
    • Number Seven's human friend Hector is a particularly popular human character despite just being in one book. This is due to his status as a philosophical drunk who loves his mother and gets some Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass moments in the book's climactic battle.
  • The Mad Scientists' Club: Mayor Pain Alonzo Scragg, Clueless Deputy Billy Dahr, and helpful, surprisingly strong junkyard owner Zeke Boniface are probably as well-remembered as the main kids.
  • Torvald Nom from the Malazan Book of the Fallen series was originally just someone Karsa Orlong encounters and spends a chapter or two with in the fourth book, House of Chains, but even before he got his own point of view storyline four books later, he proved to be immensely popular among readers.
  • Jack Vranes from Michael Vey gets a lot of love for being a Badass Normal, his funny lines, and his Character Development into Michael's Big Brother Mentor.
  • Cristobal Junta, Deadpan Snarker Cool Old Guy Bad Ass Spaniard from Monday Begins on Saturday by Strugatsky Brothers. Arguably most popular Strugatsky's character ever.
  • The Moomins: The Joxter only appears in one book, but is one of the most popular characters due to being the father of Snufkin, another extremely popular character. He gained this popularity without even having appeared in Moominvalley, the 2019 Animated Adaptation that resulted in a Newbie Boom for the Moomin fandom. He gets as much fanart as some of the main characters as a result.
  • Naughty: Nine Tales of Christmas Crime
    • Arlo The Stoner appears in three stories in supporting or cameo roles and is one of the most entertaining characters in the collection.
    • Mrs. Claus from "Red Christmas" is a nonstop scene stealer with her Never Mess with Granny and Behind Every Great Man feats outwitting and outfighting various antagonists.
  • In Darth Paper Strikes Back, Kellen goes skateboarding, and gets made fun of by a bratty little kid. The kid only appeared in one chapter, but became very popular with the fandom.
  • Nico di freaking Angelo from Percy Jackson and the Olympians. He goes from this bratty little halfpint obsessed with a cardgame and always asking a million questions in Book 3, to something of an enemy in Book 4 because he blamed Percy for the death of his sister, to pulling the biggest Big Damn Heroes moment of the entire series in Book 5. He was also revealed to be gay in House of Hades, to the everlasting credit to Rick Riordan. It added a lot more to his character while never taking any of his awesomeness away.
    • Artemis and Apollo. Arguably the least featured Olympians, and they are the most popular on Fanfiction.net. Is it the fact that you have the 12 year old badass or the humor of Apollo's Haikus of terror?
    • Mocking Octavian is rising to become Percy Jackson's mocking Umbridge style game.
    • Leo, the wise-cracking sidekick with Hidden Depths in The Heroes of Olympus. While Jason & Piper (the in-universe heroes) had a murky reception, Leo instantly became a fan-favourite and universally adored. This status only increased in Mark of Athena, with his tragic past which is more brutal than most of the other heroes put together, status as the 'Seventh Wheel' among the happy couples and that despite this, he never stops joking the whole time.
  • Jack Reacher:
    • Neagley, Reacher's Distaff Counterpart and one of his few platonic close female acquaintances. She is the most frequently seen recurring character and gets an Adaptational Early Appearance in the show.
    • Dave O'Donnell, a former comrade of Reacher and Neagley, is only in one book but is quite popular for being a meticulous investigator who never goes anywhere without a knife in one pocket and brass knuckles in the other.
    • Holly Johnson from Die Trying, due to being a decently developed love interest and jaw-dropping Handicapped Badass.
    • In One Shot, Retired Badass Sgt. Cash is a very popular minor ally, especially after Robert Duvall played him in the 2012 movie.
  • John Putnam Thatcher: Pete Nicolls (The Baby of the Bunch among the Sloan bankers) and Lucy Lancer (the "witty and perceptive" wife of the chairman of the board) only have a few major roles before being Demoted to Extra, but are among the most popular protagonists for many fans.
  • The Kaiju Preservation Society: Mischievous Thrill Seeker Ace Pilot Satie is a secondary character at best, but he's probably the most popular person in the story.
  • Despite Phenomena having two chosen ones the series mainly focuses on Alk, who gets amazing titles, abilities and stuff. Despite this, Ilke, his twin sister and the second chosen one, is the most popular character in the series, even though this was during times where it was popular to hate female characters like Kagome, Hermione etc. for no other reason than being female.
  • Pride and Prejudice: Even those that groan at reading the book, nay even some haters, love Mr. Bennet and his snark.
  • The character Rupert Psmith from Wodehouse's Psmith series started out as a comedic sidekick to the titular character of the first book he appeared in, Mike Jackson. However Psmith's character became so popular that the roles have been reversed in every following publication which now all bore Psmith's name and even the original first book's title was changed from "Mike" to "Enter Psmith" and "Mike and Psmith".
  • Babs, the hooker who appears in the first chapter of the first story of Relativity was originally only supposed to appear once, and then disappear until much, much later in the series. However, fans loved her so much, the creators brought her back early, and she's appeared in several episodes she "wasn't supposed to".
  • The Riftwar Cycle spans over thirty books. One of them — a novelisation of a video game set in the world, no less — features Gorath, a dark elf chieftain, who defects to the side of the humans to prevent another war his people are trying to start that he knows would be too costly for them. Gorath is easily one of the most complex and intriguing characters in the entire cycle, not even counting being cool as hell — unlike some other dark elf renegades *coughDrizztcough*, he is dignified and stoic, despite having a backstory that would justify anything from Wangst to a complete insanity breakdown. Even though he appears alongside such fan favourites and scene-stealing characters as Pug and Jimmy the Hand, fans and critics alike praise him and wish they could have seen more of him.
  • An In-Universe example is mentioned The Road Goes into the Distance, an autobiographic novel by Alexandra Brushtein. The narrator mentions an obscure play where the only character that made an impression on her, only credited as "The Malabar Woman", was a small silent role; her only function was to defiantly shake her head when the villain demanded to know where the heroes were and get killed in the same scene.
  • Romance of the Three Kingdoms:
    • Pick a character or kingdom. While there are mainly Wuists, Shuists, and Weiists, the three main kingdoms, every minor force gets a following as well. Minor characters as well.
    • Special mention has to go to Mi Heng, who appears in one chapter but is still one of the most popular characters. Every single line he has is a vicious insult towards whoever he's talking to, with no thought toward his personal safety even as he's about to be executed.
  • Satan, of biblical fame. In the Old Testament, he was a minor character, serving as an "accuser," and there is no evidence he's anything other than a loyal angel, albeit an asshole one. In the New Testament, he becomes the Big Bad. Now, he's the Trope Codifier for the God of Evil trope, and seen by millions as the ultimate Big Bad.
    • It's certainly the case in Paradise Lost. Adam is nominally the hero, but he's far less interesting and spends a lot of time simply chatting with Eve and the archangels. By contrast, Satan gets a character arc and complex motivations, and ironically seems more "human". It attracted numerous criticisms of Milton at the time.
      • However this may have been Milton's intention. He wanted to show how seductive evil can be, Satan possibly being an Oliver Cromwell type figure, though reading the book carefully shows deliberate Motive Decay from Satan.
  • Redshirts:
    • The main cast spends most of their time actively avoiding Kerensky until the third act. Nonetheless, fans like him quite a bit for being a humorous Handsome Lech who at least tries to befriend the main characters and has a surprisingly emotional drunken speech about how messed up his life is due to factors he can't begin to understand.
    • Dahl's lab mate Mbeke is no less of a Dirty Coward and Cargo Cult member than the rest of the veteran crew members, but she still has some fans due to having some good lines and not being as bad as some of the others.
  • Brought up In-Universe in Alexandra Brushtein's The Road Goes into the Distance. The narrator attends a play and is impressed most of all by one Bit Character, with no spoken lines and credited simply as "The Malabar". In said character's only scene, she makes a Heroic Sacrifice when she refuses to say anything about the heroes' whereabouts and is killed by the enraged villain.
  • Sam the Cat: Detective
    • The former circus cats, the Flying Fangs, only appear in the second half of the first book, but their energetic nature, rapport, and fighting skills make them some of Sam's most entertaining allies.
    • James Blond only appears in The Big Catnap, but fans enjoy his haughty yet helpful attitude and surprising moments of bravery and toughness.
  • Secret Santa (2007):
    • Celia and Froggy are considered to be two of the best-written characters in the series, even though they aren't center stage in the first book and get Demoted to Extra afterward. Them winning the school's cutest couple award during their cameo in Spring Fling is pretty well-received.
    • Girl Posse member Shawna is only a tertiary character in the first book, never appears afterward, and has some Clingy Jealous Girl moments. Nonetheless, she's better-liked than several more prominent characters for her Hidden Depths and Character Development.
  • Serge Storms:
    • Suburban couple Jim and Martha Davenport only appear in a handful of books but are fan favorite recurring characters due to their constant Cringe Comedy humor, Beware the Nice Ones, and gradual Properly Paranoid wariness of being around their self-proclaimed friend Serge.
    • Inspector Javert Mahoney has fairly small roles in most of his appearances, but his humorous obsession with Film Noir and gradual Character Development made him popular enough that, at one point, he was the only character besides Serge with a page on Wikipedia.
    • Bold but unlucky Intrepid Reporter Reevis Tome and Brook Campanella (a Crusading Lawyer who takes to her job Like a Duck Takes to Water and has a few brilliant Refuge in Audacity moments) don't appear until the seventeenth and eighteenth books, respectively, but quickly became much-loved members of the recurring cast.
    • Sly "The Gentleman Bandit" McGraw only appears in four chapters of The Triggerfish Twist and only talks in one of them, but his intelligent, Affably Evil personality and odd quasi-bonding with Serge make him one of the best-liked antagonists in the series.
    • Serge and Coleman's temporary traveling companion Rachael is only in Atomic Lobster, but is a particularly entertaining and well-remembered guest character for some humorous womanchild moments related to her Addled Addict status and Sit Com Archnemesis bickering with Coleman, frequent Ms. Fanservice scenes, and Unintentionally Sympathetic moments.
    • Of the many Real Person Cameos in the series, former Florida governor Claude Kirk might be the most iconic despite only being in two chapters of Nuclear Jellyfish.
    • Story Long from Nuclear Jellyfish is one of the best-liked girls of the week for combining the best of both primary types of women Serge is attracted to (Femme Fatales and Hot Librarians). She does this by being a sometimes hot-headed stripper with hidden motives who is also taking college courses, tutors her friends in complex subjects, and shares Serge's fondness for Florida, trivia, and View-Masters.
    • Kenny and Darby, supporting characters from The Pope of Palm Beach, are a pair of well-read surfers with a moving Inter Generational Friendship. Some reviewers think they could have carried the book without Serge.
    • Chris from Naked Came the Florida Man is a pretty well-liked side character for her You Go, Girl! subplot, despite it being largely devoid of the humor and violence that draws many readers to the series.
  • The Shadow:
    • Master of Disguise Five Face, The Black Falcon (due to his similarities to the Riddler), The Cobra (an Evil Counterpart to the Shadow), Marvin Bradthaw (for his Pragmatic Villainy moments and for managing to destroy the Shadow's original Sanctum), and Master of Disguise Fifth Face are among the best-liked villains in the series despite only having one appearance apiece.
    • All of the Shadow's agents have decently large followings, but Fair for Its Day characters Jericho Druke (with his The Big Guy moments also being liked) and Dr. Roy Tam, Cliff Marsland The Mole (especially since he may have inspired The Green Hornet), Reformed Criminal and Scarily Competent Tracker Hawkeye, and Ace Pilot and former soldier-of-fortune Miles Crofton are less prominent than some of the others but no less popular.
    • Silk Hiding Steel debutante Francine Melrue from Crime, Insured is such a good Guest-Star Party Member that many fans wish she'd become a regular cast member.
    • Rook Loy from Double Z is one of the most well-remembered henchmen in the series due to the suspenseful scene where the Shadow has to navigate the booby traps in Rook Loy's house.
  • Sherlock Holmes has Irene Adler and Breakout Villain Professor Moriarty. Irene Adler is in only one story and barely seen in person throughout, but she's the only person ever really seen to beat Holmes and is one of very few female characters in the canon, so she gets saddled with 'love interest' a lot. Moriarty appears in one story and gets mentioned in three, but him being anything but the enemy of Holmes has become unthinkable.
    • And then there's Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's Brilliant, but Lazy older brother, who only appears properly in two stories, has a non-speaking role in another, and is mentioned only once in another story, but he has a surprisingly large fanbase.
  • Gaeadrelle Goldring from The Cloakmaster Cycle. She's a half-kender who once "studied art of some kind" in "some place called Kozakura", with a crush on the protagonist, as awesome as only half-kender could, later Put on a Bus toward high-end psionic training on top of this, no less. The potential to make the "Mary Sue Litmus Test" explode in colored flames is obvious, yet she's fine — and many readers liked her a lot.
  • Allegretto is mere Cannon Fodder who appeared(and got killed off) in 2 pages. Despite that fact, he is among the most famous Suggsverse characters of them all.
  • Star Wars Expanded Universe
    • The Thrawn Trilogy introduced quite a few. Pellaeon is perhaps the most notable, with his excellent character growth making him immensely popular among fans, to the point that he eventually became the person to end the Galactic Civil War. Thrawn himself, despite only appearing in a scant few books, is a borderline Memetic Badass, and regarded by many as the face of the Expanded Universe.
    • Vergere. Her unique take on the Force and the complexity of her character have won her a fairly sizable fanbase that's still alive even after the New Jedi Order ended.
  • Within the Sweet Valley fandom, Lila Fowler (Jessica's primary snobbish friend) is wildly popular — often more so than the Wakefield twins themselves (each of who have more than their fair share of detractors, for different reasons).
  • Prince Garrid from Tales of the Frog Princess. The audiobooks helped a lot. Must be the Romanian accent.
  • Teen Power Inc.:
    • Most of the featured cops in the series (minus a few like Inspector Javert Wildman in Dead End) are decently liked for downplaying Police Are Useless now and then while still staying out of Non-Protagonist Resolver territory, even though only a few (such as Greta Vortek and Angela Maroni) appear in more than one book.
    • Nick's father, Demetrios, Tom's stepfather Brian and half-brothers Adam and Jonathan, and Richelle's mother Delia are probably the most fleshed out and entertaining characters among the gang's families (besides Elmo's father, a series semiregular), even though they rarely appear outside of books narrated by their respective relatives and don't always play big roles even in those books.
  • To Kill a Mockingbird:
    • Boo Radley is just as iconic as Scout the narrator and Atticus, even though he only has one brief physical appearance after being The Ghost early on.
    • Link Deas, Tom's Benevolent Boss, who voices support for him during the trial and tries to protect Helen from Bob afterward.
    • Newspaper editor BB Underwood (who has 3-5 scenes) is a racist, but he still attracts a lot of interest and discussion due to how he is waiting out of sight to help Atticus fight off the lynch mob before Scout shames them and later condemns the killing of Tom Robinson.
  • Tolkien's Legendarium:
    • The Lord of the Rings has Glorfindel and Prince Imrahil, neither of whom made it into the movies.
    • Elladan and Elrohir are also very popular among the fans despite the fact that they were rather minor characters. Rather ironically, they did not make it to the movie even though in the book they actually appeared more than their younger sister, Arwen.
    • The Variags of Khand as a race in general. Despite only being mentioned in a few sentences and never being described in any aspect, there's an immense amount of speculation regarding the Variags on Tolkien fan sites.
    • Tom Bombadil's exclusion from the movies caused a long-lasting storm of fan rage. On the other hand, many other fans consider him, and the two-and-a-half chapters devoted to him, to be utterly pointless, or at the very least utterly unfilmable. The fact that Tom has been excluded from the films and other adaptations, along with the sheer mystery behind his existence, has probably contributed to his semi-ironic fandom.
    • Erestor, especially in slash fanfics. In the books, he's just Elrond's chief counsellor, who appears at the Council of Elrond but does not make any significant contribution (he suggests the Ring be given to Tom Bombadil, and doesn't think trying to destroy the Ring is a good idea). In fanfiction, however, his status as an O.C. Stand-in who's relatively important in Rivendell but has very little defined personality made him a very popular character to make use of, especially when writing slash (Glorfindel/Erestor is actually one of the most popular ships in the fandom).
    • Princess Lothíriel of Dol Amroth was mentioned exactly once, in the Appendices as Éomer's Queen, and we don't even know when she was born, let alone anything about her. But because she is the eventual Queen of Rohan, she has become immensely popular among Fourth Age fanfic writers, and is usually portrayed as a Silk Hiding Steel Proper Lady or Spirited Young Lady who is skilled in healing.
    • Glorfindel also counts for The Silmarillion, where he faces Balrog in single combat and even manages to defeat it by knocking it off a cliff. Gandalf apparently took notes. And like Gandalf, Glorfindel dies defeating the Balrog, even though it's the chronologically earlier story. Elves, unlike Men, were bound to the world so when they "died" they would sometimes be allowed to leave the halls of Mandos (the Vala in charge of the dead Elves) and reincarnate. This was less true reincarnation, though, and more along the lines of picking up where he left off. That's right, the Glorfindel from the Third Age is the same one from the First. Battle For Middle Earth II showed us just how badass Glorfindel is.
    • Nerdanel and her son Maglor are disproportionately popular compared to the number of times they're actually mentioned.
      • All of Nerdanel and Fëanor's sons. The only possible exception is Caranthir, who is often forgotten by fans.
    • The sheer amount of characters in the whole Middle-earth universe allows a fair share of this. Especially characters in The Silmarillion, which wasn't originally supposed to be published. Special note goes to the other three Istari (Radagast, Alatar and Pallando) who are this even though the latter two never appear. A lot of the Valar also qualify, given that they appear just in the beginning.
  • Twilight also has its fair share of Ensemble Darkhorses.
    • Jacob Black was originally meant to be a one-shot character who would introduce Bella to the myths of the "cold ones" (vampires), but Stephanie Meyer and the readers ended up enjoying him so much that he became very important to the overall plotline of the next three books and Bella's best friend and second love.
    • James was simply a member of the Wacky Wayside Tribe of nomadic vampires introduced in the first book whose only purpose in life was to hunt, kill and drink good blood, namely Bella's. He's described as being unremarkable in appearance, average even by human standards. But he became inexplicably popular with the fans when he was revealed to have a connection with Alice, and his lack of an established past made him a point of interest for theorists. It also did not help matters that Cam Gigandet, the actor who played him in The Film of the Book, was very admittedly attractive, and when asked to come up with his own interpretation of the character, said that James was really a broken hollow shell of a person on the inside, coming damn close to making James The Woobie as well.
    • Leah Clearwater earned this title for her Deadpan Snarker tendencies and the fact that she unflinchingly and unapologetically would call out the other characters whenever they acted like idiots. She also had many of the makings of The Woobie as well, having lost her father to a heart attack and her boyfriend Sam leaving her for her cousin Emily ever since becoming one of the wolves, and yet having everyone shun her and treat her like a bitch, not caring at all about her heartbreak (something that thankfully changed when Jacob left the pack and was able to get to know Leah without any influence from the others' prejudice).
    • Leah's little brother Seth Clearwater has a small part to play in Eclipse, and picked up a massive following for his adorable snark, bravery, and almost naive affableness. Come Breaking Dawn, he had a lot more action and some of the best lines in the book.
    • Many of the Volturi became very popular amongst the fans as well, despite having not many lines or characters.
    • And after Breaking Dawn, Nahuel, a Dhampyr brought in by Alice to testify against the Volturi and convince them that Renesmee Cullen was not a threat to the vampires' existence, who was also a Dhampyr herself gained quite a fandom as well. His only real lines were his testimonials, but more of his character was revealed by Edward's mind-reading, making him a bit of a woobie as well. In Fan Fic, he's usually paired up with fellow darkhorse Leah. A bit of a Crack Pairing, yes, but some can't help but find the idea of it very inexplicably cute.
    • And Angela is liked even by Anti-fans, due to the fact she's a genuinely sweet girl, but due to being a Muggle after Bella's a vampire we never see her again. A lot of antis like the humans (Mike, Jessica, etc) because they are looked down upon by Bella and Meyer for being better characters.
    • There is also a need to mention Tyler (and his van).
    • Charlie Swan is another one who's quite popular even among the haters, who often call out Bella for the hell she puts her father through. It's not hard to find people online who even wish Charlie was the protagionist instead of Bella (or at least see from his prospective), being a troubled father and badass cop in a small town plagued with supernatrual threats.
  • In Warrior Cats, there are many, many ensemble darkhorses out of the series' massive cast. However, a few do get special note.
    • Purdy, who has become a huge Memetic Badass and well loved, even ending up joining ThunderClan.
    • Scourge, a villain who only appeared in one book but gained lots and lots of fans and sometimes a Draco in Leather Pants status, simply because he's badass (He killed Tigerstar with one hit! He took away all his nine lives with one swipe of his paw!) He got to be so popular that the authors made a whole manga book about him, detailing his past and his Start of Darkness as well as giving him a Freudian Excuse, which doesn't excuse him for his evilness but does give you a reason to feel sorry for him.
    • Ashfur is an odd case. He's the Base-Breaking Character to end all Base-Breaking Characters. You either love him or you hate him. He was only directly featured in about three books or so, but he's wildly popular and unpopular.
    • Mapleshade, who gained a massive fanbase before even appearing in the series! And when she did show up...
    • Lionheart, Whitestorm, and Redtail all count for being Mr. Fanservice.
    • Thrushpelt, a minor character from Bluestar's Prophecy, because he is Ashfur's exact opposite in that he actually want Bluestar to be happy with her mate.
    • Flametail, a Breakout Character who is the son of Tawnypelt, a Darkhorse in her own right, counts for being a Combat Medic with complete faith in StarClan.
    • Most leaders and deputies in Warrior Cats are Darkhorses. Case in point: Mistystar, Stonefur, Ashfoot, Tallstar, Deadfoot and Leopardstar. Crookedstar counts too, being a minor character who died in Book Five, yet placing second in the Ultimate Leader Election.
    • Snowkit, a very minor character killed off in A Dangerous Path has a massive fanbase because of his woobieism. He's a deaf kit who was carried off by a hawk.
    • Snowtuft and Shredtail, who died before their first appearance, mostly because Evil Is Cool.
    • Onestar is a strange variation of this. Back when he was a warrior in the first arc, he was definitely an Ensemble Dark Horse. But in the second arc he takes a level in jerkass and by the third arc he became a scrappy.
    • Bumblestripe, the kit of Graystripe and Millie is a darkhorse all because the most popular pairing in the series is him with Ivypool.
      • However, he has reached Scrappy status in some circles of the fandom for his characterization in arc six.
    • Hawkfrost is quite a Darkhorse. Despite only being Tigerstar's dragon and serving a mere lackey role in the arcs after The New Prophecy he remains one of the most popular villains and is directly featured in the "games" on Warriors Wish.
    • Hazeltail, a background character who has done exactly nothing in the series was very popular on the Warriors Official Forum and ranked very high on all the polls for the fanbase's preferred new ThunderClan leader.
    • Blackstar, ShadowClan's leader is massively popular. On the Warriors Official Forum, his fan club thread was 500 pages long and he even has his own Facebook page.
    • Yellowfang, mainly for being a Deadpan Snarker Combat Medic. She even got her own Super Edition, for crying out loud!
    • Ravenpaw. He was part of Firestar's Power Trio in the first book, then left and has only played a minor role since then. Despite this, he was popular enough to get his own manga series and have hoards of fangirls wishing for his return.
    • Sorreltail is one of the more popular characters and is possibly the most popular choice for ThunderClan's new leader, despite only playing a small role in The New Prophecy and being even less important after that.
    • Harrykit of SkyClan has earned many fans. He's even become a Memetic Badass, with people claiming that he's a wizard and his warrior name will be Harry Potter.
    • Brightheart. She's quite possibly the only character in Warrior Cats, which is practically defined by it's Broken Base, who has no haters.
    • When people started comparing Mousewhisker, the least important character in ThunderClan, to Chuck Norris on the author's Facebook, both his Memetic Badassery and his darkhorse status were assured.
    • Foxleap. He serves as a comic relief character in Power of Three and only ever plays an important role in the fourth book of Omem of the Stars, but he has a large fanbase and all sorts of speculation over if he's the fourth.
    • The clan founders, Thunder, Wind, River, Shadow and Sky. Even though they have only one scene in the main series and appear very little in the Expanded Universe, they are extremely popular and all of them have achieved Memetic Badass status and many fanfics devoted to them. In fact, they seem to have attained Breakout Character status as well, seeing as the fifth series focuses on them.
    • Antpelt has become a very popular character, despite only appearing in three books and having his return be impossible. His fanbase is so large that it even managed to (The Forgotten Warrior spoilers) make the incredibly popular Ivypool become a Scrappy temporarily when she killed him.
    • Happykit. How minor is this character? Their sole appearance is in The Last Hope as a dead ShadowClan kit that Pinenose is crying over. Even the name is fanon! Despite this, Happykit has received quite a few fanfics, and is legendary among the fandom.
    • Silver Frost, a cool elder from the Tribe Prime, seems to be the most popular character to appear in the preview chapters of Dawn of the Clans.
    • Warrior Cats: Dawn of the Clans: The most popular character is easily Tall Shadow, the snarky, intelligent she-cat who may be ShadowClan's founder. River Ripple has also gained quite a fan base, due to his easygoing, hippie-like nature.
    • Fernsong gained a lot of popularity before even appearing, for his implied sweet, oblivious, and likable nature. His Ship Tease with Ivypool doesn't hurt, either.
    • Puddleshine became this after the release of Thunder and Shadow, for his compassion and dedication to his job despite being forced into the position against his will after the death of Littlecloud.
    • Needletail is an interesting example. She debuted as a considerably popular character, liked for her rebellious personality and implied Stepford Smiler status. However, in the release of Thunder and Shadow she Took a Level in Jerkass and became a Manipulative Bitch. Although she still had scores of fans, an equally vocal Hatedom emerged regarding her character. The following novel had her become a more sympathetic Iron Woobie, and she regained much of her former popularity.
  • Almost every fan of Wereworld will confess to loving Count Vega, probably because he's a goddamn Wicked Cultured exiled prince pirate captain who turns into a giant shark.
  • The Wheel of Time
    • Hurin, the Sniffer from Shienar, plays a role in Book 2, The Great Hunt, although his main purpose is to provide Perrin with an opportunity to take his place where necessary. Part way into Book 3, he leaves to return to Shienar, and is not seen again until Book 12, The Gathering Storm, practically as a cameo. Despite this, he is a highly regarded character, and prior to the release of The Gathering Storm, he was perhaps the character that people most wanted to see return.
    • Narg appears in only one brief scene in the first book, where he plays dead, tries to lure Rand into a clumsy trap, attacks him when that fails, and dies. But because he's the only Trolloc with a name and a speaking role across the entire series, he's gone on to become downright memetic in the fandom.
  • When Zachary Beaver Came To Town: Kate (The Heart who Drives Like Crazy), morose and spiritual former draft dodger Ferris, and Good Bad Girl Scarlet and her boyfriend Juan are all secondary characters who some readers have called their favorite parts of the book.
  • Irial and Niall from Wicked Lovely are hands down the most popular, beloved and lusted over characters in the series. Even the Guys Want Him.
  • Molly Millions from the works of William Gibson. She is a secondary protagonist in Neuromancer and the short story "Johnny Mneumonic," and has a supporting role in Mona Lisa Overdrive. She quickly became the iconic character of "Neuromancer" and Gibson in general, being featured heavily in book covers and being the subject of the song "Mirrorshades" by the Information Society. She's by far the most popular fan-art subject for Gibson fans, to the point that someone unfamiliar with the authors' work might think there's an entire series dedicated to the character.
  • In Young Wizards, Kit's sister Carmela doesn't even show up until the fifth book, and then it's only as a slightly dippy otaku big sister. Now she's a pretty major supporting character and kind of a Genius Ditz with languages to boot.
    • Dairine Callahan, the Nita's little sister, is seen by some as this and by others as The Wesley.

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