History Main / TheUnexpected

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[-[[caption-width-right:350:Our two weapons are fear and surprise... and ruthless efficiency! Our ''three'' weapons... I'll come in again.]]-]

Your favorite franchise is getting a new game! All of your favorite characters are returning again to kick each other's asses!

But wait a second, we all knew that Hero Guy was going to be in the game, but One Episode Comic Relief Squid Guy!?! That's just crazy!

Enter TheUnexpected, a character that seems strange, or not that well known, who makes an appearance in an installment not expected by anyone. Even the most diehard fans didn't expect these guys.

Sometimes these character choices are praised, bringing in a previously unknown character to recent audiences, but others are somewhat controversial...

Expect most of these to be fighting game examples. GuestFighter can be considered a subtrope.

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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
* In ''OnePiece'', no one had expected Robin to join the Straw Hats. Granted, she had helped Luffy and betrayed Crocodile but it made her more of a wild card and after the battle, she had disappeared. Then just as the crew leaves Alabasta, Robin appears out of nowhere and requests to Luffy to join which he nonchalantly agrees.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]
* The revival of ''JusticeLeagueInternational'' has Godiva, a very minor DC superheroine mostly remembered for being in the GlobalGuardians, a really minor DC superteam.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''ToyStory3'' has the title character from ''MyNeighborTotoro'' as one of Bonnie's toys. He's visible in a lot of shots but he's also completely voiceless.
* Bio Hunter Silva, a villain introduced late into ''ChoudenshiBioman'', completely faded into obscurity after the series ended its run. However, around 30 years later, he has recently been added to the roster of a SuperSentai LegionOfDoom during ''Film/KamenRiderXSuperSentaiSuperheroTaisen'', and, as the trailers imply, he's going to have a major role as well.
* An unused ending of ''Film/FreddyVsJason'' would have featured [[Film/{{Hellraiser}} Pinhead]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Lots of unexpected characters pop up in the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' novel ''The Last Hope'', such as Redtail, Raggedstar and Mosskit. But almost nobody was expecting Brambleberry's cameo appearance at the beginning where she is one of the first cats to ever successfully give Jayfeather a lecture.
* SherlockHolmes and Watson (though not named, it's obviously them) appear in a segment of a ''[[FinalDestinationExpandedUniverse Final Destination]]'' novel in VictorianBritain.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Large-scale tours and festivals are bound to have this. Obviously everyone will know the headlining act, but when an unsigned band makes the line-up, people tend to scratch their heads (especially if they play the main-stage). For instance, Download Fest 2011, main stage with the likes of DefLeppard, SystemOfADown, LinkinPark and... The Pretty Reckless?
* Mass-artist compilations fall into this from time to time.
* In a media crossover-example, RhythmGames probably get this sort of reaction when they announce the new setlist for their next title, such as with RockBand 3 ("TheDoors, LynyrdSkynyrd, EltonJohn and... Phoenix?"[[hottip:*:The band's logo was used on the back of the case alongside names like {{Queen}}, JimiHendrix, TheWho and the {{Ramones}}]]).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXTekken'' has [[VideoGame/{{Infamous}} Cole Macgrath]] as part of its roster (naturally, only on the PlayStation versions).
** And now we've got [[VideoGame/FinalFight Poison]].
*** Toro and Kuro have now joined. As {{Sony}} Japan's mascots, they're also naturally exclusive to the Sony versions.
* ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesSmashUp'' has characters described as "Characters you know in addition to ones you wouldn't expect"...
** ...Which is completely true, everybody knew that Shredder, April, Casey, and the title characters would appear, but not an unnamed [[{{Mook}} Foot Soldier]] or an alien in a battle suit that was a one-shot character from [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 the 2003 show]] (as an {{Expy}} for Krang from the 80s show). And for established characters, there's the Fugitoid and [[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Night Watcher]] (who has a completely different gameplay from regular Raphael).
** And ''VideoGame/RavingRabbids''. Don't forget them.
* This isn't the first time a Ninja turtles has had really obscure characters. Excluding the Turtles and Shredder, almost the SNES entire cast of "VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTournamentFighters" was really obscure. The two biggest examples are Aska(an original character) and War(a very minor bad guy in the Archie comic book series).
* [[EarthBound Ness's]] appearance in the original ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. Captain Falcon to a certain extent as well, as he is from [[VideoGame/{{F-Zero}} a racing series]], not a platformer.
** The IceClimbers appearing in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Melee'' would qualify, since they previously only ever existed in a single arcade/NES title, and were only added to the roster for their gameplay potential. Mr. Game & Watch in the same game and R.O.B. in ''Brawl'' could also qualify, though they're quite a bit more significant to Nintendo's history as well. However, none of these can compare to when [[MetalGearSolid Solid Snake]] was confirmed as the series' first third-party character...and later, SonicTheHedgehog as the other.
** Then we have the [[MarthDebutedInSmashBros infamous]] case of Marth. Perhaps not too unexpected for Japanese gamers, but [[FireEmblem the series he hailed from]] had [[NoExportForYou never been released in the US]] prior to their inclusion. Even after FireEmblem came to the United States, it took several years for the [[FireEmblemAkaneia Akaneia]] games in which Marth was featured in to reach America and by then [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny they had aged poorly]] compared to the newer games in the series.
** Roy made his ''[[EarlyBirdCameo character debut]]'' in ''Melee''. [[FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem Sealed Sword]] came out a few months later. Even the Japanese were surprised.
** [[KidIcarus Pit.]] Who would've thought they would bring back a character that had not been in a game for over 20 years? [[hottip:*:[[IceClimbers well, okay...]] The only hint was his appearance as a trophy in ''Melee''.
** The {{Pokemon}} Trainer, as well. While the idea of having a playable Trainer was a somewhat popular choice, many wrote it off as very unlikely to happen. And even within the Trainer's moveset, while [[MakingASplash Squi]][[TurtlePower rtle]] and [[PlayingWithFire Chari]][[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons zard]] were popular choices, nobody expected [[GreenThumb Ivysaur]], even if it was the most logical counterpart to the other two.
*** Just to expand on that, Ivysaur is unexpected for two main reasons. 1) It's the middle evolution of a Pokemon. You could see Bulbasaur perhaps or Venusaur at a stretch, but Ivysaur? and B) It's the ONLY fully quadruped fighter in the series!
** Also, in the original Smash Bros' 1P mode, you fight classic Nintendo characters, the [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros Mario Bros.]], {{Giant|Mook}} DonkeyKong, [[{{Metroid}} Samus]], then "[[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Fighting Poly]][[MultiMookMelee gon Team!]]" Wait, what?
*** Similarly, when playing Melee's adventure Mode, if you've played it a few times you'll know about the Metal Mario fight. Then when you've unlocked Luigi, you find yourself fighting both [[OhCrap Metal Mario AND Metal Luigi]]
* Capcom's 2D fighting game based on the third part of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' has a couple. First up is Midler, the user of the stand High Priestess: since she is never seen clearly in the manga, the original author had to create her character design for the game from scratch! There's also the younger version of Joseph, based on his appearance in the second part of the manga.
* [[VideoGame/DeadRising Frank West]] in ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom: [[UpdatedRerelease Ultimate All-Stars]]'' had this reaction (of course, for many American gamers, nearly the entire Tatsunoko side counts, too). Also, the BigBad of ''TatsunokoVsCapcom'' is, of ''all possible people'', [[spoiler: YAMI. The final boss of ''Okami'', who was already a Giant Space Flea From Nowhere in his game, and no one else from ''Okami'' was in this game.]] In the other crossover games, we've got [[Comicbook/DoctorStrange Shuma-Gorath]] and [[{{X-Men}} Marrow]] in the ''MarvelVsCapcom'' series, [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting Ryuhaku Todoh]], [[VideoGame/FinalFight Maki]], and [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade Hibiki Takane]] (among others) in ''[[SNKVsCapcom Capcom vs. SNK 2]]'', and four ''RedEarth'' characters in ''VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution'', none of whom were Tessa.[[hottip:*:who appeared in ''Pocket Fighter'']]
** In the first ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomClashOfTheSuperheroes Marvel vs. Capcom]]'' game, there's also Jin Saotome from ''VideoGame/{{Cyberbots}}'', which had Americans asking, "Who the hell is Jin?"
*** Few were expecting ''VideoGame/{{Strider}}'' Hiryu and CaptainCommando to make a reappearance after about a decade in the doldrums.
** M.O.D.O.K. in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. Also unexpected (and before M.O.D.O.K.'s reveal) were [[DevilMayCry Trish]], [[VideoGame/{{Okami}} Amaterasu]], and [[{{X-Men}} X-23]]. Later, [[VideoGame/FinalFight Mike Haggar]] joined the fray and the manliness levels of the game ''[[RatedMForManly skyrocketed]]''. And near the end, {{Taskmaster}}. 'Nuff said.
*** Now with the UpdatedRerelease ''Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', we received [[MarvelComics Rocket Raccoon, Nova]], and [[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins Firebrand]]. [[VisualNovel/AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]] would also qualify if not for the fact that he was so highly requested.
** ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'' made some unusual decisions for its cast. On the Namco side, many of the characters are from old {{Arcade Game}}s, the most recognizable being ''VideoGame/DigDug''. The Capcom side is just strange; one of the playable characters is the shopkeeper from ''VideoGame/ForgottenWorlds'', and the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' and ''Franchise/MegaMan'' franchises are represented by ''[[ResidentEvilGunSurvivor Resident Evil: Dead Aim]]'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' - hardly the first choices for either series. In addition, Capcom's ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' is represented by minor characters; it can be argued Namco's ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul]]'' series was also represented by minor characters, but the fact that the two characters chosen were arguably more important in the first game of the series.
*** ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' is better at choosing more mainstream or recent characters. [[VideoGame/SpaceChannel5 Not that it's]] [[VideoGame/ZombieRevenge completely free]] [[{{Anime/Yumeria}} from this trope]]. Raise your hand if you were expected the main character from ''Dynamite Cop'', aka ''[[DolledUpInstallment Die Hard Arcade]]''
* Before appearing in ''Brawl'' as mentioned above, R.O.B. also showed up as a secret character in ''VideoGame/MarioKart DS''. For ''Mario Kart Wii'', surprises include [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry Funky Kong]] and [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros Dry Bowser]]. And in ''Mario Kart 7'', we have a Lakitu, a Wiggler, [[VideoGame/SuperMario64 Metal Mario]], and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy Queen Bee]].
* {{SNK}} has gotten into the act as well, from the many Another Striker cameos in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters 2000'' to such characters as [[VideoGame/MetalSlug Mars People]], [[VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins Red Arremer]] and the title character of ''VideoGame/{{Athena}}'' in ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos''. And nobody expected a ''VideoGame/KingOfTheMonsters'' character (Cyber Woo) in ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum''.
** And now they've bowled us over with one of the confirmed new fighters for ''The King of Fighters XIII''. Who is he? [[FatalFury Hwa Jai]], who has not been in a proper fighting game since 1991.
* ''SuperRobotWars'' is not above doing this. In addition to the usual legendary series and recent hits, any HumongousMecha that exists in any medium, no matter how obscure it is, has a chance to be included. ''CombatMechaXabungle'' and ''HadesProjectZeorymer'' are two such examples.
** Prior to ''SuperRobotWarsJudgment'', the term "robot" implied that only series featuring HumongousMecha can only be included. When ''Anime/TekkamanBlade'' and the subsequent ''DetonatorOrgun'' and ''IczerOne'' made their debut into the franchise, this was totally out of the blue, as these series were centered around PoweredArmor mechanics, not robots. In a sense, this was developer Banpresto's way of letting loose with formula, but also their willingness to redefine what exactly encompasses the terms "robot" and "{{Mecha}}".
** The ''SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration'' series mostly just features [[OriginalGeneration original cast members]] from other ''SuperRobotWars'' games. When the bonus chapters of the compilation/VideoGameRemake ''Original Generations'' was unveiled, it caught everyone by surprise when it included Fighter Roar, a character from the ''Great Battle'' series, another MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover by Banpresto, piloting a redesigned Compatible Kaiser, which appeared in just one game.
*** Banpresto did it again for ''[[EndlessFrontier Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier EXCEED]]'' with Mark Hunter, from a more obscure Banpresto ActionRPG called ''Gaia Saver''. At this point, anyone from any Banpresto-developed game has a possibility to appear in ''Original Generation'', be it the main series or its {{Spinoff}}s.
** Few people expected SuperRobotWarsZ 2 would add DaiGuard to the roster.
* The ''DragonBall'' games do this a lot. The ''Budokai Tenkaichi'' games have, among others, ''Grandpa Gohan'', [[DoctorSlump Arale Norimaki]], [[StraightGay General]] [[PuttingOnTheReich Blue]], [[{{Mooks}} Frieza Soldier]] (No, seriously, that ''is'' a character), [[{{Mooks}} Appule]][[hottip:*:his appearance was used for a quick joke in DragonBallAbridged in which he's playing the game as himself, beating up Bardock]], Spopovich, [[SquishyWizard Babidi]], and Nail. The [[EnsembleDarkhorse more popular characters]] are usually expected or asked for, but some of these are just unexpected.
** Before that, the original Budokai trilogy had this, especially Budokai 2 which featured [[FusionDance Gok]][[ImagineSpot ule]] as an unlockable fusion, and even WhatIf characters, specifically Tiencha (Tien and Yamcha after doing the Fusion Dance) and 4 different forms for Super Buu after absorbing Tien and Yamcha, Vegeta, Frieza and Cell.
* ''MeltyBlood'', a fighting game based on ''{{Tsukihime}}'', had Miyako Arima, a character barely mentioned to have existed, and even then not by name. Not to mention Neko-Arc, Mecha-Hisui, and Neko-Arc-Chaos.
* While both [[StarWars Yoda and Darth Vader]] were constantly advertised as playable characters in ''[[SoulSeries Soulcalibur IV]]'', having Vader's apprentice from ''TheForceUnleashed'' was not expected by many, particularly since [[EarlyBirdCameo his game had yet to be released at the time]].
** And [[KeroroGunso Angol Moa]]- sorry, [[{{Expy}} Angol Fear]] as a bonus character? Even more unexpected...
* In ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' people assumed early on Seymour would be in as the villain of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', but instead Tidus' father Jecht, who was more an {{Antihero}}[=/=]{{Antivillain}} than a real antagonist, got in over Seymour. [[MemeticBadass Not]] [[MemeticSexGod that]] [[DifficultButAwesome people]] [[RatedMForManly mind]]... Square actually [[WordOfGod decided to explain this one]]--Seymour had more of a rivalry/connection with Yuna, so having him in the game as the representative villain would have meant there was little going on between Tidus and Seymour story-wise, whereas Jecht provided a deeper father-son[=/=]rivalry dynamic.[[hottip:*:Though, in a strange case of an character playing the role of ''his own {{expy}}'', [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyII Emperor Palamecia]], to whom Seymour bears a very strong resemblance, was placed in the role of Yuna's main opponent in ''Duodecim''.]]
** Then in the prequel ''Dissidia 012'', who did we get new from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''? Not [[TheRival Seifer]], or [[TheChick Rinoa]], or even [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Edea]]. No, we get [[BadassNormal Lag]][[TheGunslinger una]] [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Loire]].
* NipponIchi games often have a number of characters from other games appear as [[TheCameo cameos]], which may fall under this trope. For example, the character Aramis from ''DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'' appears for all of one chapter and isn't even playable in any version of the game. [[AscendedExtra He becomes]] a DownloadableContent OptionalPartyMember in {{Disgaea3}}. Another example is in ''[[ZettaiHeroKaizouKeikaku Zettai Hero Project]]'', whose strongest BonusBoss is actually Valvoga from ''MakaiKingdom''. His only other appearance outside those two games were as part of a ''spell animation'' in {{Disgaea2}}.
** ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}'' has announced [[DisgaeaHourOfDarkness King]] [[DisappearedDad Krichevskoy]] as a {{DLC}} OptionalPartyMember. [[spoiler: However, it's technically Vyers/Mid-Boss, but with his power returned and the antennae grown back out. Still pretty awesome though.]]
* Harold the ghoul in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''. He's now the only character that appears in all 3 main Fallout games.
* The MascotFighter ''CartoonNetworkPunchTimeExplosion'' includes the channel's usual stable of characters... and CaptainPlanet, who actually ''predated'' the channel by a few years.
* NicktoonsMLB has five SpongeBob characters ([[CashCowFranchise natch]]): [=SpongeBob=], Patrick, Sandy,... Larry the Lobster and the Flying Dutchman? We also get [[InvaderZim Gaz]], [[TheRenAndStimpyShow Powdered Toast Man and a Yak]]. The 3DS version adds Hiro Mightypaw.
* Okay, so after an unusually long hiatus (filled by ''three'' side-games), ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}} 13''.0 has finally been announced, and we've got...'''four''' playable characters? Having Sanae playable again was expected as she'd been playable in 12.0 as well, but Youmu's return to playability (last appearance in a danmaku game: ''Shoot the Bullet'', as a boss) was a pleasant surprise.
** And then the demo revealed that [[spoiler: Yuyuko is the Stage 1 boss.]] It was possibly more unexpected than [[spoiler: Kogasa returning as the Stage 3 mid-boss, mostly because some fans [[IKnewIt did expect her]] to return in a future game this way.]]
* The PSP ZombieApocalypse shooter ''Infected'' allows you to play as the members of {{Slipknot}} along with... the vocalist from {{Chimaira}} (who says musicians need to get their own ''GuitarHero'' title to be put in a game?)
** Pretty much any musician appearing in a non-music game counts as this. Was anybody really expecting the ''FightClub'' video game to have Fred Durst from LimpBizkit as a playable character?
* The appearance of Sonic's Classic self in the teaser trailer for ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations''.
* While ''VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon'' promised to bring back every character that ever appeared in a ''MortalKombat'' game as playable, it's doubtful that very many fans (assuming they even ''knew who he was'') would have expected Meat making it to the roster, given that in his appearance in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' he wasn't so much a character as an alternate costume available for any character through a cheat code to make them look like a bloody skeleton.
** In VideoGame/MortalKombat9, [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy]] [[GuestFighter Krueger]] as a [[DownloadableContent DLC character]]. [[VideoGame/GodofWar Kratos]] as a PS3 exclusive character was unexpected as well when he was initially revealed.
* Kuina and Zeff from ''OnePiece'' appeared in ''One Piece: Grand Adventure'', the American made sequel to ''One Piece: Grand Battle''.
* Yugao Uzuki from the ''{{Naruto}}'' series, appearing in ''Clash of Ninja Revolution 2'', has to be one of the most unexpected characters on this list, appearing in the Manga for less then ''five panels'', showing none of her skills in these panels.
** She is so unknown that many assumed (and still do assume) she was a character created exclusively for ''Revolution 2'' along with Komachi and Towa, the other exclusive ANBU, despite appearing in the Anime and Manga as mentioned before.
** It doesn't help that she was unnamed in all English versions of the series up to that date (guidebooks referred to her as a generic female ANBU).
* Among the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters huge roster of characters]] in ''[[VideoGame/LEGOAdaptationGame LEGO Star Wars]] 3'' is Galen Marek, also known as [[TheForceUnleashed Starkiller]]. While there ''was'' a set made to promote ''The Force Unleashed'' (the Rogue Shadow set), few could've guessed that Vader's Apprentice would actually be in a ''LEGO game''.
* In ''BatmanArkhamCity'', the roster included such iconic Batman foes as Two-Face, Catwoman, and the Penguin. More of a surprise was Solomon Grundy; while he's [[TheLongHalloween had a few run-ins with the Dark Knight]], he was a foe of the original Green Lantern, and more commonly takes on various DCU heavy hitters.
* Opa-Opa, the spaceship from ''FantasyZone'', appearing in ''SonicAndSegaAllStarsRacing''.
* ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNK2MarkOfTheMillennium Capcom vs. SNK 2]]'' with Eagle, a fighter from the first iteration of ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'' otherwise not seen in years. There's also [[VideoGame/RivalSchools Kyosuke Kagami]] and [[VideoGame/TheLastBlade Hibiki Takane]] (though they're both still fan-favorites in their own series).
* ''KingdomHearts3D'', an early article on the game had the name blocked out, but it mentioned the reviewer was really surprised by some of the new characters he saw. Turns out that ''no one'' could have predicted who he meant -- [[VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou Neku and his friends]]! All bets are off on whoever else might be getting in, in this or future games now.
** Here's another surprise: ''3D'' has the first Disney BonusBoss since the Ice Titan in ''Final Mix''. Who could it be? [[ThePrincessAndTheFrog The Friends on the Other Side?]] [[TheBlackCauldron The Horned King?]] [[{{Fantasia}} Chernabog, back for another round?]] [[spoiler:The answer is [[RunawayBrain Julius,]] the main antagonist of a fairly obscure seven-minute short.]]
** The final boss of the game? [[spoiler: '''Sora.''']]
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' got a sequel, not in the form of the much-desired ''Persona 5,'' but in an arcade-style fighting game ''[[VideoGame/Persona4Arena Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena]]''... with [[PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo Aigis]], Akihiko, and Mitsuru from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}''. Then there's Labrys, who was seemingly a new character created from the game...until Americans learned she had actually debuted in a ''Persona 3'' [[AllThereInTheManual Drama CD released only in Japan]].
* A rare case when ''a game itself'' can fit this: For a while, it was rumoured a new ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' game would be revealed at Jump Festa 2011. Fan speculation ensued. Would it be [[UpdatedRerelease Grey Version]]? [[VideoGameRemake A Ruby/Sapphire remake]]? No, we got [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u34bzH5Eo04&feature=player_embedded a crossover with]] '''''VideoGame/NobunagasAmbition'''''.
** And the game actually made it overseas as ''VideoGame/PokemonConquest'', blowing away predictions of NoExportForYou.
* TheElderScrollsVSkyrim: A game of swords, sorcery, dragons, and... [[VideoGame/{{Portal 2}} the Space Core]], as of a recent official PC-only add-on.
** In the main game, Sinderion the alchemist from Skingrad returns from ''Oblivion'' [[spoiler:in Blackreach, as a corpse. He was still doing research on Nirnroots when he died.]]
* The much-delayed PC version of RenegadeOps features... [[HalfLife Gordon Freeman?]]
* VideoGame/{{Final Fantasy XIII-2}}'s first North American DLC features a battle with Lightning, and everyone was expecting that. What they weren't expecting was for [[OneSceneWonder Sergeant Amodar]] to appear... and be a Commando-role ''monster''. Also, [[TheUnfought Jhil Nabaat]] is following in March.
* Probably one of the most insane examples is [[Franchise/StreeTfighter Ryu]] appearing a DLC boss in ''AsurasWrath''', a game that isn't even a FightingGame to begin with. What makes it even crazier, is that fighting him Changes the gameplay completely into a 2D fighter, Meters and life gauges and all ala ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', though Asura's bottom Gauges are different and more like his own game, of course.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer: Chaos Bleeds'' has Joss Whedon as an unlockable character.
* ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic And Sega All Stars Racing Transformed]]'' will have NASCAR driver Danica Patrick as a playable racer as a cross promotional stunt for the game; the car she'll be driving in the game will also be driven by her in future NASCAR races.
* VideoGame/{{PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale}}, given its [[PlayStation so]][[PlayStation2 ur]][[PlayStation3 ce]] [[PlaystationPortable mat]][[PlayStationNetwork er]][[PlayStationVita ial]], has this issue with detractors claiming the game won't have enough icons (such as the cake-loving VideoGame/FatPrincess being fully playable). Yet they truly took the cake after E3 2012, revealing they'd be making the Bouncer variant of the Big Daddy from {{Bioshock}} playable. They've had to give him the ability to use [[BioAugmentation Plasmids]] to pad out his gameplay.
* And in the [[FanRemake fan-made]] Megaman DL 2 [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb4kS1drE7E who is it]]that poor Snake Man finds himself pitted against? [[spoiler:Airman!]]
[[/folder]]
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