History AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / Anime

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When anime and manga series gain substantial fandoms, people inevitably develop [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation differing views on the characters]].

The following now have their own pages due to sheer number of examples:

[[index]]
* ''AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/AxisPowersHetalia''
* ''AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/DeathNote''
* ''AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/HaruhiSuzumiya''
* ''AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/MazingerZ''
* ''AlternativeCharacterInterpretation/{{Pokemon}}''
[[/index]]

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* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Accelerator. He killed thousands of the sisters simply for the purpose of making himself stronger, and constantly taunted them as he did so. However, killing them wasn't his idea, and a portion of the fanbase believes that the taunting wasn't to be mean, but rather an attempt to get the sisters to display some sort of emotion -- since they didn't have a human response, [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman he saw them as being emotionless robots instead of human, and thus didn't feel bad about killing them]]. [[BrokenBase This issue is rather polarizing]]. Another possible interpretation comes from a scene from the anime where Accelerator says that he doesn't understand someone who would throw away their life, and he wants power because his life is what's most important to him, and that's why no matter how many sisters he kills he'll just laugh and say "Like I care." One way to look at this is [[SenselessSacrifice that he doesn't consider someone willing to throw away their own life to be worth anything]], or possibly doesn't consider them to be a person at all. Discussed by the character himself in Volume 6 with a member of the hive mind, where he argues his own actions were monstrous and she answers, "If the Misakas told you "I don't want to fight anymore"... Would you have stopped?' He seems unsure.
* ''Manga/AiKora'': Maeda Hachibei, ChivalrousPervert whose recklessness and BrutalHonesty gets him in over his head, or a stupid JerkAss who can't take no for an answer? Also, there are some fans who believe his "parts love" is less sexual and more like the obsessions of a fanatical art collector.
* ''Manga/AiYoriAoshi'': Miyabi Kagurazaki. Is her devotion to and protectiveness of Aoi simply a MamaBear thing, or a BodyguardCrush?
* In the ''Manga/{{Area 88}}'' manga and OVA, are the mercenaries tormented souls who became soldiers of fortune to escape their tragic pasts? Or are they hypocrites who are using their {{dark and troubled past}}s as cheap excuses to engage in immoral warfare? Or was entering the Asran foreign legion more exciting that just getting therapy for their traumas?
** Is Shin a {{reluctant warrior}} with a heartbreaking backstory, or a {{jerkass}} who [[spoiler: abandoned his girlfriend and threw away his moral compass in the end?]]
** Is Ryoko a beautiful example of {{undying loyalty}} and love, an immature idealist who is {{loving a shadow}}, or a disturbed young woman with a pathological obsession with her absentee boyfriend?
** Is Saki a patriot who is defending his beloved homeland from his father's predation, or an angry son who would sacrifice his people to lash out at his father? Is he an elitist who refuses to relinquish his power, or a realist who understands why his backwards country is not yet ready for democracy?
** Is Mickey naturally cheerful and charming, or [[StepfordSmiler is his friendliness a mask]] meant to hide his war trauma, cynicism, and regret?
* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'':
** After a string of FanArt pieces made their appearance ([[http://mastafuu.deviantart.com/art/OSAKAN-DESTROYER-AGAIN-35864322 like so]]), {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Osaka has been seen as a [[ProfessionalWrestling puroresu]] goddess by the name of "The Osakan Destroyer" Ayumu Kasuga. Her nickname comes from her finishing move, the running, flipping pile-driver called the [[strike:Canadian]] Osakan Destroyer.
** It's also assumed that Yukari and Nyamo aren't married because they are lesbians (although same-sex marriage isn't performed in Japan, it is recognized, if performed abroad), and possibly [[FanPreferredCouple together]] (though it's more often assumed they like each other but are not).
* Is Kazuo Kiriyama from ''Manga/BattleRoyale'' a mass murdering [[AxeCrazy psychopath]] or did the brain damage he suffer ruin him? TheMovie plays up the former by making him a random killer who signed up for the Program while the manga shows [[spoiler: he UsedToBeASweetKid who lost his mother and brother in the accident that damaged him]]. In the novel, it's ambiguous since he got the brain damage while in the womb.
* Quite a lot of characters from ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' get this, but the obvious example is Griffith: An iredeemable ManipulativeBastard, or a WellIntentionedExtremist VisionaryVillain who believes that UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans? Or just a genuine, pretty-decent-but-not-perfect dude whose [[AmbitionIsEvil dream]] spiraled out of control, as well as being twisted by severe trauma? It's basically the SlidingScaleOfUnavoidableVersusUnforgivable with the side question of whether or not BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil.
** Or is he TheStarscream / DragonWithAnAgenda, that secretly hates being subservient to The Idea Of Evil and having to share with the Godhand, and when he gets the chance will KillEmAll and [[CrapsackWorld rule everything]] himself coz ItsAllAboutMe?
* ''Manga/BGataHKei'':
** Yamada - a girl defined by her desire to acquire 100 sex partners by the end of high school. Clearly just a horny slut in an [[{{Fanservice}} ecchi]] plot, right? NO - many see her as a "normal" innocent girl being forced into a world she knows nothing of by our over-sexualized post-feminist society.
** Backed up by the fact that her quest for 100 men comes from a fear that she's weird "down there", i.e. a lack of self-esteem/self-confidence/poor body image.
** Thanks to character development we see Yamada has more to her than a libido.
** The concept of a girl (voiced by [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha Nanoha]], no less) who has an existent sex drive was too much for some otaku who wrote the show off based on the initial premise.
* ''Manga/BlackButler's'' Alois Trancy: [[CutePsycho psychotically mood-swingy]] EnfantTerrible who [[WoundedGazelleGambit deliberately engineers]] his innocent moments just to [[StalkerWithACrush get at Ciel]], or [[IJustWantToHaveFriends love-starved]] [[TheWoobie punching bag]] who simply [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil snapped from his]] DarkAndTroubledPast and is being [[TheManBehindTheMan manipulated]] by his [[DragonInChief butler]]? (To be honest, [[DracoInLeatherPants fangirls would love him]] [[JerkassWoobie either way]]...)
* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
** Kisuke Urahara: freespirited TricksterMentor who means well, even if [[OmniscientMoralityLicense his actions don't seem that all that benevolent at first]], or [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] SociopathicHero whom [[EvenEvilHasStandards even]] AxCrazy [[PsychoForHire Psychos For Hire]] like Mayuri consider to be an "''unpleasant'' person."
*** It's noteworthy that revealing that [[spoiler: Aizen]] wasn't actually dead wasn't Kubo's original plan. At first, TheManBehindTheMan to Gin was going to be Urahara.
** Mayuri himself is subject to different interpretations. On one side, maybe he's a crazy MadScientist who [[ForScience is willing to do anything to further his research.]] On the other hand, he may be trying to atone for what he did in the past by [[StealthMentor helping Uryu]] now that he knows who he is. A lot of people take the middle road and say he just does whatever he wants while being a [[JerkAss rude bastard to everyone around him]] because [[RefugeInAudacity he simply likes doing it]]. And the [[TakeAThirdOption Third choice]]: torture victim. For most of the time he's (supposedly?) been committing atrocities he and all potential witnesses were under the influence of somebody who could completely control their perceptions and who'd have had a strong interest in using, interrogating, and (to cover any tracks) breaking the mind of the current Chief of Research and Development. And that's not a short period of time.
** Even [[spoiler: Aizen]]: [[TheUnfettered Easygoing]], [[AGodAmI God complex-affected tyrant]] seeking to rule the world(s) through bloody war, or a heavy-handed, [[AffablyEvil genuinely kind]] WellIntentionedExtremist merely seeking to unite the worlds through peace, even at the cost of lives?
*** Or from the reader's perspective, is [[spoiler: Aizen]] an AssPull happy, faux-profound complexity addict in a universe that seems to conform to random plot twists; or is [[spoiler: Aizen a smug jackass who, realizing that his power is hypnosis and he's already very powerful in his own right, largely improvises and then tries to psyche his opponents out with absurd rants and claiming things are the will of the Hougyoku.]] [[Manga/TheTruthAboutBleach Or maybe it's just schizophrenia.]]
** Gin Ichimaru:
*** As ObviouslyEvil as he acts, or secretly an undercover agent for good? And does he really have a crush on [[MsFanservice Rangiku Matsumoto?]]
*** And what's the true nature of his relationship with Kira Izuru? Were they truly just captain and vice-captain, and Izuru's fragile self-esteem neurotic tendencies, and [[HoYay extreme loyalty]] coupled with Gin's mind games were enough to push him over the edge, or was there [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything something more going on?]]
** Head Captian Yamamoto: Wise, grandfatherly sage, or deranged, senile old douchebag who uses the letter of the law as an excuse for his dickery? More evidence to the latter in the most recent arc, the only times he's involved himself in the battle so far have been to seal off Aizen, Gin and Tosen from interfering, though when Wonderweiss' pet blew out the old man's inferno he did nothing to replace it and to one-shot Allon after the creature nearly killed four Vice-Captains. More recently in the manga [[spoiler: he's still not intervening despite the fact Aizen had just decimated the combined Shinigami/Vizard ranks alone]] despite being confirmed as one of the few individuals who could probably take Aizen in a head-on fight.
*** Is Yamamoto's obsession with always obeying the law just a matter of being LawfulStupid, or is it because he sees the danger that would be inherent to a PersonOfMassDestruction like himself setting the example that [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers you can do whatever you feel like if you're strong enough]]?
** There's even ''a lot'' of this for many of the Espada:
*** Coyote Starrk: Sympathetic but dangerous AntiVillain who fell in with the wrong crowd, or a blameless {{Woobie}} driven by loneliness and the desire to protect his TrueCompanions?
*** Tier Harribel: Cold DarkActionGirl loyal to Aizen, or MamaBear motivated entirely by a desire to protect her fraccion?
*** Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck: Was she effectively babysitting Nnoitra to stick it to his chauvinist beliefs, or was it due to her feeling obligated to protect a comrade (even if he was a prick)?
*** Ulquiorra Cifer: Dangerous and ruthless ManipulativeBastard that looks down on emotions, or stoic NobleDemon that wants to understand them? Furthermore, does he have LimaSyndrome for Orihime or not? And were his interactions with Orihime a form of psychological torture, or genuine attempts at trying to understand her POV or making her understand his?
*** Nnoitra Gilga: Vile chauvinist lashing out at everyone due to his own inferiority complex, or a man gripped with a deep despair for himself and the world that causes him to see death in battle as his only escape? As for his feelings towards Nel; horribly expressed lust or utter hate? Did he hate her because he felt she was babysitting him out of pity, or was it because she correctly pointed out his FatalFlaw?
*** Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez: AxCrazy BloodKnight that cares only about fighting and killing others for fun, or likable badass with a chance of helping the heroes?
** What about Ichigo? Is he a man who truly cares about his friends and will stop at nothing to save them, or has his trauma of his mother's death affected him so much that his need to protect people comes from his own perceived inability to save his mom?
*** Or is he a truly honorable (as opposed to "honorable") and heroic OnlySaneMan who is willing to buck the Soul Society to do what's right? A society seen to be horribly backward, unequal and archaic, hidebound to the point of reactionary, and unable to perceive the snakes in its own nest, when it's leadership isn't straight up LawfulEvil.
** Orihime: There's quite a debate among shippers on whether or not [[AllLoveIsUnrequited Orihime's unrequited love for Ichigo]] is innocent and sincere or borderline obsession. Unsurprisingly, the ones who follow the latter are [[DieForOurShip rabid Ulquiorra/Orihime or Ichigo/Rukia fans.]]
*** There's also the debate on her AngstWhatAngst and PluckyGirl traits in the X-Cution arc. Some Orihime haters are so adamant into thinking that [[StrawLoser Orihime is Doing It WRONG]] by [[CharacterDevelopment refusing to angst anymore]] about [[BreakTheCutie her troubled life]] that they have reached the extreme of saying she is [[UnfortunateImplications mentally disabled]].
** Shunsui Kyoraku could, on the basis of what little we know of him up until the Starrk fight, arguably fit under either Obfuscating Stupidity or Crouching Moron Hidden Badass. Or both. He can both genuinely like being a womanizing drunk and still play mind-games with any poor sod unfortunate enough to meet him when he feels obliged to actually fight. The different aspects we see suggested (unlike Starrk, he gets no internal monologue) aren't mutually exclusive, and in a sense the 'unpredictability' is ''entirely'' what he claims to be about.
** Yoruichi Shihoin, though the "alternate" part really only factors into her relationship vis-a-vis [[{{Tsundere}} Soi]] [[SingleTargetSexuality Fon]], which, despite a good deal of LesYay teasing from omakes and art both from the author and the anime creators, has not been properly fleshed out, leads to multiple interpretations by the fandom: is she cruelly playing fast and loose with Soi Fon's obvious feelings and leading her on for her own sense of fun, is she aware and simply does not wish to return the feelings but also does not want to burden Soi Fon with rejection, or does she love her but is merely torn between different obligations which cause her to feel she must keep Soi Fon at arm's length?
** Momo Hinamori: What are her feelings for Toshiro? [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Romantic]] or [[JustFriends platonic?]] And Aizen? Infatuation, UndyingLoyalty, or plain MoreThanMindControl?
*** Interestingly enough, she goes from calling Toshiro "Shiro-chan" when he's still a young boy to "Hitsugaya-kun" (although almost never the "Captain", as he insists) after he gets his Shikai, with the implication that going from FirstNameBasis to LastNameBasis indicates that she sees him as mature. Does this mean that she's starting to see him as more of an equal (even if he's higher-ranked and [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority more powerful]] than she is), or if she's going from seeing him as like a kid brother to a possible boyfriend?
** Does [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Ryuuken]] have Uryuu's best interests at heart, wanting to keep him out of [[GiveHimANormalLife a thankless, dangerous lifestyle]], and just have a [[LovingBully lousy way of showing it]]? Is he an AbusiveParent? [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Is he perhaps both]]? For the AbusiveParent score, it does not help that he has said some egregiously contemptuous and uncaring things to Uryuu and has a history of attempting to police whom his son does and does not have contact with (in as a child Uryuu's grandfather, and as a teenager "Shinigami and their associates", which amounts to pretty much everyone Uryuu knows aside from Ryuuken himself), which in RealLife is a major red flag for abusive behavior. On the other hand, Ryuuken has helped Uryuu when he needed it most (restoring his powers and treating his injuries after [[spoiler:Ginjo]] attacked him) and the events and revelations of the Final Arc have proven that Ryuuken was certainly telling the truth about how much danger his son is in. The "Breaded Eggs" position is more-or-less that Ryuuken did act out of love, and picked what he thought was the least-bad of a crappy set of options: [[RetiredBadass retiring]] as a Quincy and keeping Uryuu out of the spirit world entirely...but Ryuuken also took dissuading Uryuu MUCH farther than he ever should have. The DespairEventHorizon might have had something to do with that.
** On the subject of parents, there's Isshin Kurosaki. Is he a well-meaning man who did what he could to prepare Ichigo for the kind of life having spiritual powers would bring him, and who only held back on telling him about his past because he might not be ready to hear it? Or has him keeping so many secrets from Ichigo done nothing more than cause him undue pain, especially since Ichigo usually ends up hearing it from the villains instead? Does he treat his son more like a weapon than a person, encouraging him to put himself in harm's way and only getting involved in his struggles when he absolutely has to, and putting too much trust in Urahara's complex and morally dubious plans? There's also the question of whether his "training" Ichigo by randomly assaulting him is physical abuse, even if Ichigo mostly shrugs it off. Even [[LampshadeHanging a couple of the other characters]] (and Isshin himself) have said that his parenting skills kind of suck. In fact, at one point Isshin suggests that, of the pair of them, Ryuuken's actually the better father, because at least he's honest and consistent about what he wants for his son...as shitty as those expectations may be.
* ''Manga/BloomIntoYou''
** Koyomi's play coincidentally happens to match reality in a few ways, from Touko(who is desperate to maintain her façade as an ideal student) being cast as the amnesiac lead with an identity crisis to Sayaka(who is in love with Touko) being cast as the lead character's girlfriend. Since Yuu refused to disclose any personal details about Touko to Koyomi, did Koyomi simply make a lucky guess, or is she perhaps more knowledgeable about Sayaka and Touko than she lets on?
** Touko's character in the play, being an amnesiac who learns about herself at the same time as the audience, naturally invites this. Did she distance herself from her brother and the rest of her family because [[AloofBigSister she's naturally cold and distant]], was she simply concerned about how the family would get along, or was something else the case? How accurate are the three perspectives on her, and how honest are the people giving them?
** Ichigaya's claim that Mio Nanami wasn't the ideal StudentCouncilPresident everyone thought of her has can inspire a few interpretations of her character, assuming that what he says is true. Was Mio a slacker who enjoyed the perks of being seen as a model student, or was it possible that she was like Touko- a relatively ordinary person who'd been desperate to become someone special, even if it meant not being true to herself?
* ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura''
** Tomoyo:
*** Creepy [[SchoolgirlLesbians Schoolgirl Lesbian]] who [[StalkerWithACrush constantly videotapes]] her ten-year-old crush and dresses her in fetishy outfits...or poor little rich girl who showers Sakura with gifts and attention, going overboard because she's never really learned how to deal with having friends since other kids her age are either scared off by her bodyguards or only interested in her for her money.
*** And there there's this: [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6095074/10/Takamachi_Nanoha_of_2814 Daidouji Tomoyo, Badass]]
** Sakura:
*** Is Sakura merely a naive child that [[ObliviousToLove fails to notice the infatuations both Tomoyo and Syaoran have for her]] or [[SelectiveObliviousness deliberately trying to ignore their unsubtle showings of affection]] (and possibly her own) in fear of ruining her close friendship with them both. While her naivete and ditzy demeanor is pointed out many times over, it is worth noting her dispair when finally forced the face the truth about one of her friend's feelings (and how quickly she decides she feels the same way).
*** Alternatively Sakura is falling in love with Syaoran, just at the same progres rate as himself beforehand. Sakura is EXTREMELY affectionate and blissful around Syaoran, she constantly shows excitment upon his appearance, follows and blushes at him a couple odd occasions. Platonic or romantic, she certainly thinks the world of him. Her scenario is the same as Syaoran's prior to [[ShipperOnDeck others leaning him towards the former however]], both were ObliviousToLove and convinced they were infatuated with another that drawn them in with magic essence. Since Sakura did not get helped in their coupling she is becoming attached to Syaoran by herself (and may have even come to the same conclusion as he did ultimately), just at a more natural progression.
** Is Syaoran Li an initially arrogant {{Tsundere}} [[TookALevelInKindness gradually softened by Sakura's kindness]] or a [[ShrinkingViolet naturally meek and gentle character]] who hides behind a facade(which he gradually drops as he becomes more confident around his new found friends). Sakura herself notes later on how transparent she has come to realise his harsh demeanor is, after which Syaoran's arrogant attitude towards her more or less completely fades permanently.
-->'''Sakura:''' Syaoran-kun, you always act like that, but you never mean it.
-->'''Syaoran:''' Why do you say that?
-->'''Sakura:''' I know you, Syaoran-kun, you're a kind person.
-->''*Syaoran blushes bright red*''
** Is Terada-sensei [[TeacherStudentRomance genuinely in love with Rika]] or is he a sick pedophile taking advantage of a young girl's emotions?
* ''Manga/{{Citrus}}'':
** Mei Aihara - How much does Mei truly care for Yuzu? Does she truly value her for contributing to her development, or does she merely love her because she serves as an emotional crutch for her personal issues?
** Chairman - Does Mei's grandfather have at least some suspicions when it comes with Mei and Yuzu? If so, is his [[spoiler: pushing of another arranged marriage]] his way of ensuring that she would inherit the school without a hitch?
* Both of the Fujibayashi sisters in ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}''.
** Ryou - Is she a timid ClassRepresentative who has a crush on Tomoya and can't express herself freely to him or is she a [[spoiler: self-centered person who [[ManipulativeBastard manipulated]] ''her own sister'' into helping her get Tomoya as a boyfriend, knowing that said sister also likes Tomoya.]]
** Kyou - Is she a {{Tsundere}} in denial of her crush on Tomoya or is she a [[spoiler: [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bitch]] who used ''her own sister'' to get opportunities to get Tomoya to fall in love with her ''even when he was already dating said sister''. Then when she finally hooks Tomoya in, Ryou is left high and dry. Good thing [[DudeLooksLikeALady Kappei]] existed to date Ryou after Kyou hooked Tomoya in.]]
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
** Interpretations of Lelouch Lamperouge range from a troubled revolutionary fighting the good fight but brought down by bad luck, down to an egomaniac VillainProtagonist who [[ManipulativeBastard manipulates everyone around him and covers it up with a thin veneer of self-deluded ideals]], whose karmic backlash was not even half of what he deserved. You can also consider him what happens when WellIntentionedExtremist is both {{Deconstructed}} and taken to its logical extreme.
** Similarly, interpretations of his best friend Suzaku covers the range from a [[TragicHero tragic]] KnightInShiningArmor with a devotion to a more idealistic view of social change and several tragic losses to back him up, to a hypocritical and cynical KnightTemplar who is at best dangerously deluded. The general tendency amongst the fandom seems to be that the more you embrace the romantic view of one character, the more you embrace the negative view of the other. Lelouch's status as a MagnificentBastard, however, is usually not contested.
** Nunnally Lamperouge:
*** She seems simple on the surface: ThePollyanna IllGirl MoralityPet for her big brother. But popular speculation abounds that she uses her almost unbelievable niceness and her condition (which may be less severe than implied or even faked) to manipulate everyone around her. This interpretation, nicknamed "Dark Nunnally", can either be villainous (as the name implies) or well-intentioned (as shown in one fan-comic where she admits to the telepathic Mao that she's faking the whole thing, is completely aware that Lelouch is Zero, and is okay with being his ''raison d'être'').
*** The Dark!Nunnally interpretation is supported by three facts: One, it is apparently AllThereInTheManual that Nunnally's blindness is psychosomatic. Two, an [[AlternateContinuity AU manga exists]] in which she obtains a Geass rather than her brother, and it is revealed that she has been suppressing her negative emotions regarding her past and present suffering. [[spoiler: Three, there's episode 22 of R2...]]
** C.C. Virtuous paragon bringing light and hope to [[WorldHalfEmpty a world desperately in need of a hero]]; Faustian temptress actively seeking to corrupt the heroes with demonic powers; or a [[TheWoobie sad little girl]] who desperately wanted to be loved and was willing to do anything (including sell her soul) to get other people to acknowledge her existence?
** Charles zi Britannia: Well-intentioned Emperor who can't control the many inbred, parasitic, racist nobles he rules; or a lazy old man [[spoiler:who puts his self-stated beloved children not only in harm's way, but also in the middle of a war, who forces many of his third class citizens - that he considers every bit as worthy as his first class citizens - to suffer simply because he can't be bothered killing the treacherous sibling who murdered his favourite wife, and who controls the Secret Guild Of Psychics himself]]? Not that either of those are good things to be.
** Mao: Psychotic villain who deserves what he got, or TroubledButCute JerkassWoobie AntiVillain just trying to save his [[LoveMakesYouCrazy beloved C.C.]] from her [[spoiler:DeathSeeker status]]. Fanfic/CodeGeassMaoOfTheDeliverance presents a compelling basis for the latter!
** Diethard: SmugSnake who joins the Black Knights [[TheMuse in order to get closer to his muse Zero]] and then [[TheMutiny betrays him to Schneizel]] when things get dicey before ultimately [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betraying the Black Knights as well]] and joining up with Schneizel for good, as he's the new interesting thing, or loyal supporter to Zero who was forced to betray him or be killed alongside him, and only did so in the end because the situation was beyond salvation, and decided that without Zero he would no longer follow the cause of the Black Knights and joined the only other person who he was intrigued with, only to tragically be killed by his new idol at the orders of his old idol, who considers him [[NotWorthKilling not even worth finishing off himself]].
** The exact level of benevolence [[spoiler: Marianne]] actually has is a topic of some debate, even within canonical sources.
* The ending to ''Manga/DeadmanWonderland'' is very vague on Shiro's nature. Was she [[spoiler:EvilAllAlong]] and [[spoiler:[[ObfuscatingInsanity faked both]] her cute "Shiro" persona and her murderous "Wretched Egg" persona]]? Or is it a case of [[spoiler:a SplitPersonalityTakeover]]?
* Manga/DetectiveConan'':
** ''Shinichi Kudo: Genius, or selfish, immature JerkAss who places himself above the others and doesn't really get the meaning of death and for whom each dead person is nothing but challenge?
** Kogoro Mouri has been interpreted as having actually figured out Conan is actually solving the crimes ''for'' him and after awhile, just ''let'' him solve it for him while he receives the credit for it. Kogoro already isn't a bad detective; he's just got an extreme case of Tunnel Vision and wants things to be done as fast as possible, so he'll come to one conclusion a detective would, but then insist he's right until proven wrong. Whenever Ran or Conan are threatened, he actually becomes ''scarily'' competent. (Kinda like ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' whenever he knows Penny & Brain are threatened) There have been several other times where he actually got it ''mostly'' right, and several times where he solved the case and only needed a couple hints from Conan, or in one occasion, not only solved it but got a couple details that ''Conan'' missed. (It also helps that he tends to be more streetsmart while conan is more booksmart - Kogoro has more insight into peoples' emotions)
* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'':
** It used to be that every time you turned around in ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' fandom, someone had come up with a new interpretation of Ken's psyche.
** Arukenimon: cold-natured heartless bitch, or secret Kuudere who is reluctant to reveal her true feelings for Mummymon?
** Mimi: spoiled, sheltered, naive, exasperating in-verse ditz...or a master troll? Seriously. Watch Adventure from the beginning, and it's amazing how much more sense her character makes if her every word and action comes from the desire to make her friends facepalm. She has no pity, teams up with Sora occasionally (who catches on and enjoys joining in to a less extreme level), and is recognized and disapproved of by resident {{buttmonkey}} Jou. Bonus points for the sheer irony of her receiving the Crest of Sincerity. Extra bonus points since Tai's out of the loop and makes statements about how sincere and innocent she is. Mimi could be a sadistic genius.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** Son Goku is a true hero who always tries to do what's best even if it occasionally spills over into true stupidity... or he's a selfish, childish JerkAss who cares about martial arts, eating, and everything else in that order. (Everything else includes his wife and two children.) He could also be a noble but childish (and maybe brain-damaged -- Raditz ''did'' mention the possibility) man who cares deeply about his friends, the World and the Universe, and who is in fact stupid. The entire reason he's not evil and killing everyone is that he fell off a cliff and smashed his head on a rock. It is also possible that Goku may not be as stupid as one assumes when looking at him. At least, not for a guy who suffered head trauma and a ''[[NoSocialSkills very]]'' [[NoSocialSkills sheltered life]]. Keep in mind that Grandpa Gohan died before he could teach him everything, so he had to learn a lot of stuff by himself...and [[TeenGenius Bulma]] had to teach him. In particular, basic social skills and hygiene. Once he's confronted with something new, he learns it quickly. Even the social skills and hygiene he took quite well, being a loveable friendly guy, more than even his friends; and he could have even better social skills if he chose to live in the city. His fast learning and creativity is mostly seen in his fighting. The best example is his learning the Kamehameha wave, a move that took ''fifty years'' to develop, by mere observation. Also, he finds effective enhancements to the move, such as bending it, putting at least five times greater power to it, ''firing it with his feet'', etc. Even combat skills he has brilliance in. Even confronted with Tien growing extra arms, he moved his so fast that it ''looked'' like he sprouted eight and fought him that way. All in all, Goku was smarter than Bulma in only one respect...''basic survival skills in the wilderness''.
** There's also Goku’s wife, Chichi. Is she a crazy nut who's just waiting to finally snap? Or is she an overstressed {{Tsundere}} and mother [[OnlySaneMan having the only natural reactions]] to the trauma she's been put through? Or an overprotective MamaBear who should have thought about what she wanted for her children's future BEFORE she married a martial artist alien whose idea of a career is training with Master Roshi?
** Despite Characters like Mr. Popo, Killa, and Agent Black, Piccolo is viewed by many fans as being the surrogate Black Character. The fact that the ''actual'' black characters range from [[UnfortunateImplications somewhat unfortunate]] to [[EthnicScrappy downright offensive]] might have something to do with it. It also helps that he fits ScaryBlackMan quite well.
** Vegeta gets some of this as well. He's either seen as a misunderstood soul who was forced to commit many murderous acts. Or a selfish, unrepentant {{jerkass}} who shouldn't have been forgiven easily.
** Android 17: a constantly calm, confident warrior who rarely feels fear, or an apathetic DeathSeeker who wouldn't be bothered one way or another if he dies? ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' presents plenty of evidence for the latter, in which 17 even goes as far as to claim the erasure of all existence doesn't upset him despite including his wife, children, and wildlife he dedicates almost all his time to defending.
* This seems to be happening more and more in the ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}'' fandom now, particularly in regards to [[ConsummateLiar Izaya]] [[ManipulativeBastard Orihara]]. Since Izaya's a lying liar who lies, it's hard to take anything he says seriously in the first place. This is not helped by the fact that we never know what he's thinking and his permanent expression is only TechnicallyASmile, which is generally written as a 'smile to hide his emotions'. The fandom is divided in their opinions about him. Is he a hedonistic, sociopathic ManipulativeBastard who only does things ForTheEvulz and doesn't give a damn about anyone - not even his own family or [[MoralityPet Shinra]]? Or is he a sympathetic loner who [[IJustWantToBeLoved just wants to know what true feelings are]], genuinely cares for his family, and his desire to [[spoiler: create Ragnarok]] should be pitied, because he's only like that since he's '[[LonersAreFreaks lonely]]'? And for that matter, what are his ''real'' thoughts about [[spoiler: Shinra]]? Did Izaya really become an informant because of that incident in middle school, or for his own benefits? Is Izaya really trying to avenge [[spoiler: Shinra]], or is he just using it as an excuse so he can have someone (Nakura) to use?
** There are also many fans that seem to genuinely think his inherent hate for Shizuo means that he sees Shzuo on a higher level than all his precious humans and therefore, [[InsaneTrollLogic secretly loves him]]. Despite WordOfGod saying otherwise on many an occasion.
** That goes for Shizuo too, apparently.
** Lately, partly due to NoExportForYou, Mikado of all people is getting this.
* ''Manga/ElfenLied'':
** Every single diclonius, especially Lucy. One can interpret their murder sprees as innate genetic drives to [[KillAllHumans wipe out the human race]], desperate attempts to protect themselves from [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters the sadistic xenophobia of the human race]], or a simple genetic predisposition towards certain kinds of mental disorders. Or all the Diclonius are simply children who happen to get incredibly effective and deadly weapons at a young age without discipline or skill in using them. Thus, whenever they get angry or frightened, somebody's going to get chopped. After living with that a while and being hunted with proverbial {{torches and pitchforks}}, anybody's worldview would be rather bleak.
** The orphan girl from Lucy's childhood flashback. Was she really a malicious FalseFriend who took pleasure in the puppy being brutally murdered, and seeing Lucy pushed off the edge? Or was she a naive child who was honestly sorry and didn't realize the boys were going to murder the puppy? It's left ambiguous if her smile was real or [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness Lucy's imagination]].
* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** [[spoiler: Zeref]]. Was he once a {{Jerkass}} before something changed him into the meek person he is today? Does he have a SuperPoweredEvilSide that forced him to do it or did [[spoiler: The Black Dragon, Acnologia, make him do these things while Zeref was powerless to resist?]]
*** Or is he a mentally-disturbed sociopathic human-weapon whose vast powers have forced a disconnect with his conscience such that he has to forcefully remind himself that a human life has value or he can wipe out half a continent absent-mindedly without the "human life" PowerLimiter?
*** ''Or'', in light of [[WhamEpisode Chapter 436]], is it the opposite; was his threat to [[OmnicidalManiac wipe out all of humanity]] genuine, or is he actually forcing himself to think that way, as a last-ditch effort to keep his powers under control, in the hopes that [[spoiler:his brother, Natsu, kills him?]]
** Is Natsu really the IdiotHero who only fights, eats, sleeps, and annoys his guildmates, or is he a StepfordSmiler with abandonment issues who only willingly shows glee or burning rage? The scene in chapter 338 where he arrives at the banquet after having stolen the King's crown was very over-the-top, even for Natsu, and he had experienced a great deal of trauma during the ''Eclipse'' arc.
* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'':
** Is Saito just a creepy pervert played straight, or a deconstruction of [[ThisLoserIsYou the otaku/ordinary person]] thrown into a... [[UnusualEuphemism bountiful]] fantasy realm? How much does [[BrainwashedAndCrazy magical compulsion]] play into it?
** Is Louise a Deconstruction of a {{Tsundere}}, a SpoiledBrat who hasn't grown up enough to understand a real relationship, or so traumatized by years of [[IJustWantToBeSpecial teasing for not having magic]] that she isn't certain how to be in a relationship or trust people. Did her fiancé Wardes's treason exacerbate this, or is she over that?
** Does Kirche care about the boys she ReallyGetsAround with or is she using them? Or is she a BrokenBird seeking SexForSolace for some unrevealed reason? Is she persuing Saito because she likes him, or just to mess with Louise, and how much of her LesYay with Louise is real or fake? there are arguments for any and all of them, as well as the possibility that it [[CharacterDevelopment began as one reason and grew into another]].
* Are the Homunculi of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' simply the horrible results of centuries of child abuse at the hands of creator who never gave them a proper upbringing and never showed them any love?
** Envy is a particularly significant case due to the [=EdxEnvy=] pairing, mostly in [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist 2003 works]]. Especially in High School [=AUs=], he's been painted as hyper and crazy, homicidal, suicidal, sad, crazy, a rapist, a victim, popular, unpopular - in fact, the only thing that seems to remain the same is his femininity and that he is definitely not normal. [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8174299/1/Beauty_and_the_Beast_Edvy_100_Themes Beauty and the Beast: Edvy 100 Themes]] is chock full of this - for all that it's an Edvy collection, in one story he'll be hunting Ed down ruthlessly and in the next he'll be abandoning him for his own good.
** [[BigBad Father]]. The homunculi are individual portions of his very soul. Though they don't share the same experiences and development, their basic demeanor and motivations are the deep-seated desires of his heart. Greed's desire for friends? Envy's jealousy of humans? Wrath's anger at being out of control of the circumstances of his life? All of these can also apply to Father.
* ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'':
** There are even in-depth debates on Sousuke's "true" character. Namely, when he joined Kalinin in the organization in the past, had Kalinin been working for [[NebulousEvilOrganization Amalgam]] instead of Mithril, would he just continue to "follow orders" and kill indiscriminately? Or is he actually truly a "nice boy at heart," and would his true, kind nature from when he was 2-3 years old eventually show through? Is he ''truly'' such an [[ObliviousToLove oblivious dunce]] that has ''no'' clue whatsoever that [[EvenTheGuysWantHim so many people are lusting after him]]? Or perhaps he's [[SelectiveObliviousness actively turning up his obliviousness]] due to [[{{Asexuality}} intimacy issues]]? Maybe the reason why the PowerOfTrust gets his heart fluttering and makes him so incredibly flustered is because he ''himself'' finds it near impossible to place complete trust in others, and therefore values it so much when he receives it from others?
** In-universe, Kalinin's interpretation is that Sousuke is a [[TheSpartanWay lamb raised among wolves]], and [[BreakTheCutie thus forced to become one]]; toddler Sousuke was a curious and happy child who called him "An-oji", post assassin-school Sousuke is a hardened killer. The glimpses Kaname has of the other world, where Sousuke is a shy and gentle boy, support this.
** As for the love-related issues, the novels show that he is simply terribly inexperienced (even on a purely theoretical level), and quite possibly has never been given as much as a passing advice (from someone who was not Kurz), let alone an education on such matters (beyond say, the many ways prostitues can be used in assassination plots, and how it would be best to stay away from such frivolities altoghether). The extent of his knowledge is related to his instincts (which usually confuse him, but seem to be working quite normally), and also the strictly social aspects of marriage, which he learned in a Muslim country (how many sheeps/camels is Mao worth should Kurz choose to seriously pursue her?). That said, he ''does'' seem to have some basic understanding of the word "sex", once Kurz decides he needs to spell it out for him (he even compares Kurz's bragging to a man having a feast versus a starving man -- Sousuke himself, feeling that ''this'' is something that he wants, even he doesn't fully comprehend it. Also, [[spoiler: he kisses Kaname first in the last novel. Gently, but passionately.]]) He also understands enough of Gauron's intentions to protest that "It can't possibly feel good!" in the TSR Radio Comedy Show.
*** {{FridgeHorror}}: Considering his background, it's possible that any other reference Sousuke would have for sex are... [[AFateWorseThanDeath not of a good sort]].
* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'': Nakago, genuinely pitiable WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds with a tragic past which makes his actions understandable, or beyond all redemption who just enjoys author bias?
* ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer''
** Erika's [[JerkAss mean-spiritedness]] toward Miho is sometimes indicated as the result of [[GreenEyedMonster an unrequited love for Maho]]. She even comes off as a JerkassWoobie in some fan comics about this.
** Sodoko is often portrayed as a {{Tsundere}} toward Mako, whom she continually nags about her chronic lateness, and one alternate interpretation along those lines is that she cares about Mako and doesn't want to see her get held back.
** Maho Nishizumi's secret support for Miho. Is it simply [[ByronicHero a selfless sacrifice for her younger sister]], or [[LittleSisterHeroine does she have an imoutou complex]]?
** While many conclude that Miho's [[AbusiveParents mother]] Shiho's plans to disown her are simply proof that she judges Miho only by her ability to live up to her family's standards, others believe that if Miho is disowned, Shiho is essentially doing her a favor by freeing her from the family's standards. Shiho's reasons and motivation for [[spoiler:sighing in resignation and clapping for Miho after she defeats Maho in the finals]] are also under interpretation.
** Kuromorimine. Is it a school full of [[StopHavingFunGuys tankers who see it as their calling in life to crush "weak" teams and value victory over fun]]? Or are they arguably no worse than most in that attitude, with Erika a TokenEvilTeammate of sorts? The fact that Maho, their commander, is ultimately motivated by [[spoiler:sisterly love]], can be interpreted as her hiding her true nature to fit in, or proof that most Kuromorimine tankers are decent people at heart.
* Mimi Kitagami, protagonist of the obscure shoujo anime ''Gokujou!! Mecha Mote Iinchou'': Is she a genuinely nice girl (bordering on MarySue) who genuinely wants to help the girls of her school, a shallow BitchInSheepsClothing who only cares about beauty, or a StepfordSmiler?
* Ryuichi Sakuma from ''{{Manga/Gravitation}}'' is well-known for his shifting between the innocent, hyper buddy and the serious, suave singer. Some fans treat his dual behavior as a case of [[SplitPersonality multiple personality disorder]]. Others interpret his singer persona as the real Ryuichi, who deliberately acts naive and childish off-stage to give the public an image they can relate to more than his actual aloof self. (Face it, having the true persona be the innocent hyper buddy defies known psychology.)
* ''Anime/GuiltyCrown'' has some - Shu is suspected for having aspergers syndrome and Inori of having some unknown, serious social issues.
** Daryl is either a failed attempt at having redeeming qualities, mix of PsychopathicManchild and SpoiledBrat or [[TheWoobie poor kid who snapped after having to deal with serious parental neglect his entire life]]. The fact that we got only two scenes of said parental neglect so it's impossible to say how far it went makes it only worse.
** Gai is either true leader he is potrayed as or ManipulativeBastard.
** Even fans gets this treatment - some people considers big number of [[EnsembleDarkhorse Ensemble Darkhorses]] in the show to be caused not by them being likeable characters, but by the fact that Shu and Inori are [[TheScrappy so unlikeable]] that people leach on everybody else.
* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Is Madoka just being nice to make up for her self esteem issues? Is Sayaka a naive fool, or a noble victim? Is Mami a selfish loner masquerading as a hero of justice? Does Kyoko have the right idea about the magical girl world? How much of kyubey's claims can be trusted? Then there's Homura, probably the worst culprit, and interpretations of her have only increased since Rebellion...
* ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'':
** Let's start with the one and only [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Char]]. Manipulative bastard? Disillusioned extremist? Heartless warmonger? Does anyone but Tomino really know?
*** Add [[MobileSuitGundamTheOrigin smug rapist]] to the list, courtesy of the inimitable Yoshikazu Yasuhiko.
*** On the subject of his portrayal in ''Origin'', did Char become a jerkass because of his upbringing or was he a natural-born asshole? On one hand, he lost his parents at a young age, was nearly killed in several assassination attempts by the Zabi family, and his mentor was [[ConspiracyTheorist Jimba Ral]]. Conversely, he did have a CreepyChild vibe and his sister Sayla Mass had a kind-hearted personality even though she shared much of Char's volatile experiences.
*** Char's buddy Garma Zabi is the source of a '''canon''' ACI. In the original series he's generally a good guy who's maybe a little out of his depth but ultimately wants to prove that he deserves his position of leadership and didn't just earn it because [[{{Nepotism}} his dad is in charge]]. The updated retelling ''Gundam: The Origin'', however, paints Garma as a SpoiledBrat who cried to Big Brother Dozle about how Char was upstaging him and that he wanted an important job so he could show how great he was, and then proceeded to be a complete [[TheNeidermeyer Neidermeyer]] [[ItsAllAboutMe who only cared about his own image]].
** [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam Jerid]] [[TheRival Massah]]. A self loving overly confident bastard? Or a sad loser who gets used and betrayed and kicked over and over by life and everyone?
** ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam 08th MS Team]]'''s Ginias Sakhalin. He can be viewed as everything from a TragicVillain to even a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.
** Very good examples are ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'''s main antagonists. Is Treize TheChessmaster who planned every thing within the series to happen as it did [[spoiler:including his own death]]? Or was his intention to rule the world with force and therefore manipulate everyone even those closest to him? Zechs Merquise is the chivalrous knight who does not want to fight and longs for only peace. To others he's a born fighter who seeks battle and sees no purpose in a life without wars. (Though, the sequel movie answers some things discussions are still ongoing.)
** ''Anime/AfterWarGundamX'' has its antagonist as well. Are the Frosts poor unwanted people who seek righteous revenge on those denying them? Or are they warmongers who try to destroy humanity because of their hurt ego?
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEED'' is full of them. One of the most discussed: Fllay Alster. I won't even start the different views various people have of her. Also, some consider Lacus a manipulative bitch trying to reach her (entirely good) goals with all means neccessary. Also Kira's self righteousness is often considered over the top even if he is [[MessianicArchetype Jesus]].
** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' is pretty clear with most characters, but Nena Trinity invokes the most radical of opinions. Let's say either you hate her with a burning passion or sympathize with her as a tragic victim of circumstance. Ali al-Saachez is either regarded as a monster since he lives only to kill and fight in wars [[ForTheEvulz because he can]] or as a ColonelBadass for his ability to fight the Gundam Meisters, most of the time with inferior machinery. Graham Aker got this in the second season when he took the guise "Mr. Bushido". Either you viewed him as a Samurai who fights for only his honor or as a JerkAss who fights for no real reason whatsoever. And, then there's Regene Regetta: childish prankster, ambitious megalomaniac [[MagnificentBastard mastermind]], or [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned schemer]] intent on helping his twin brother Tieria advance the human race?
* The Claw in ''Anime/GunXSword'': WellIntentionedExtremist, OmnicidalManiac, or senile old man who has no idea what he plans to do? The series supports all three of these possibilities.
* In ''Manga/{{Guyver}}'':
** The brave and self sacrificing Proto-Zoaloard Masaki Murakami gave his life to stop Chronos. Or so he said, he did indeed give his life to stop the traitor Richard Guyot from usurping Archanfel's power. A year later and he's filled in Guyot's position, power and is now [[SdrawkcabAlias Imakarum]] and now against Sho Fukamachi, the hero of the story. Imakarum explains that his eyes have been open and will show no mercy to Sho. Most of the characters have determined he's been brain washed. However if one considers that perhaps Archanfel just might have been pulling the strings all along that Imakarum may have been a hidden agent in stopping Guyot. It would certa hor explain A LOT of things that Takaya did not make clearer. Such as how a prototype like Murakami survived for so long. It's pretty scary that a lot of things add up.
** Is Archanfel a hero fighting for humanity the only way he can, a villian with a [[{{AGodAmI}} God complex]], or a [[{{WellIntentionedExtremist}} hero that lost his way]]. He kills the first Guyver out of loyalty to his creators and to stop him from killing zoanoids, okay understandable. He saves the Earth after the Creators betray and abandon humanity and throw a planetoid at us, yay. He concocts a scheme to get revenge on Uranus by uniting humanity and having it wage a war against aliens, alright. Then he goes through with the scheme by brainwashing humans, killing them when experiments fail, mutating them agianst their will, and destroying the nation states of the world, WhatTheHellHero?! He couldn't have told humanity about any of this, asked people if they wanted to become zoanoids, or got elected Emperor of Humanity because he saved the planet and is offering the human race a future as rulers of the universe? Given his previous actions it just seems like he got real jaded after awhile.
** Similarly, Agito Makishima: WellIntentionedExtremist who opposes Chronos' tyranny, or simply a tyrant himself? Recent events seem to point to the later.
* ''Manga/HappySugarLife'': Does Satou truly love Shio, or does she love her primarily because she was still confused on what love was. Shio herself questions Satou on this, taking offense that Satou told her that she needed her to simply smile for her.
* It's not clear whether Alucard of ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' is [[PsychoForHire a vile monster rejoicing in bloody slaughter that he himself precipitates]] while [[TheCorrupter attempting to corrupt his master]], a DeathSeeker [[WhoWantsToLiveForever cursed with immortality]] and [[SuicideByCop hoping to get closer to]] TheGrimReaper, or [[TheAtoner a man hoping to repent for his many past sins]]. Or all three, or none of the above. Arthur Hellsing says InUniverse that it's the second.
* ''Manga/InuYasha'':
** Various {{fanfic}}s have posited that AloofBigBrother Sesshomaru is [[StealthMentor just testing him and forcing him to get stronger]].
** Is Miroku really a [[HandsomeLech pervert]], or is he merely desperate? After all, unless he has an heir before the Wind Tunnel consumes him . . .
* [[Anime/IrresponsibleCaptainTylor Justy Ueki Tylor]] -- Genius tactician and employer of ObfuscatingStupidity, or just plain lucky idiot? This debate was cultivated in-show.
** The greatest ammo the "genius" camp have is one episode where he agrees to be serious for a while -- he suddenly becomes an inspirational and incredibly effective captain. Additionally, when he [[spoiler: is brainwashed into acting more naturally, he is very perceptive and able to read into [[TheStarscream Wang's]] plans instantly.]].
** On the flip side, a couple of his plans don't even make sense if you assume he is a genius and some of his actions wouldn't fit into the ObfuscatingStupidity argument.
* Most readers of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'' are convinced that the ditzy secretary, Chika Fujiwara, is secretly a MagnificentBastard who is manipulating Kaguya and Miyuki for her own amusement. Evidence includes repeat circumstances of her causing the status quo to be maintained whenever one of them seems close to confessing, her coming from a family of skilled politicians, and she's the only one with a consistent positive score in the end-of-chapter win/loss results.
* One could think that [[SchoolgirlLesbians Yasuna]], from ''Manga/KashimashiGirlMeetsGirl'', falls in love with [[spoiler:[[{{Tsundere}} Tomari]] near the end of the manga, due to a number of [[{{ShipTease}} moments and reactions]] after they make a friendship truce after Yasuna [[{{IllGirl}} faints]].]]
* ''Anime/KillLaKill''
** The finale has caused a lot of bickering over whether any of the ships were made canon. On one hand, [[spoiler:Mako asks Ryuko]] on a date and ''straight up kisses her''; [[spoiler:Gamagoori]] is shown with a bouquet of flowers during the epilogue, implying that they're about to confess to someone -- very likely [[spoiler:Mako]] -- but the episode ends without showing ''who'' they gave them to, if they successfully make their intentions known, if that person fully accepts the gesture or not, or even if the flowers were meant to be given romantically.
** A similar function also happens with Ragyo, specifically [[spoiler:her death and the motives thereof. Did she kill herself just for the hell of it, out of pride, rather than take the redemption offered, or was death her redemption?]]
** Due to some of Nui's backstory and characterization, some wonder if she was truly a monster or, rather, deep within, she's a very broken soul who knows nothing else.
** Satsuki Kiryuuin. Was she ConditionedToAcceptHorror or is she a case of AngstWhatAngst
* Kashiwa's girlfriend in ''Manga/KyouKaraYonshimai'' doesn't want her to get [[{{transgender}} Sexual Reassignment Surgery]]. Is it due to her secretly not supporting Kashiwa's want to transition and wishing she was a WholesomeCrossdresser, or is she worried that the transition will make it harder for them to get married?
* Manami from ''Manga/{{Life}}'' is a complicated character. She's introduced as a SpoiledSweet, popular girl who befriends the troubled and depressed Ayumu. After several chapters that is revealed to be [[TheFakeCutie a lie]] and she's really a ''huge'' AlphaBitch and a [[TheBully bully]]. The issue is: Was Manami faking from the start or was she a nice girl who turned bad [[spoiler:after she thought her boyfriend was cheating]] and after she began hanging around the same crowd? Was her [[spoiler:InterruptedSuicide]] genuine or was she [[ManipulativeBastard manipulating]] Ayumu?
* ''Anime/LuckyStar'' has a few:
** Like does Kagami like Konata?
** Does Konata suffer from the same illness as her mom? Is her [[CatSmile mouth]] a deformity?
** Is Miyuki completely Japanese?
** Is Tsukasa secretly [[ObfuscatingStupidity evil]]?
** Does [[ChristmasCake Nanako]] like Yui, if so does she even know it?
** [[SatelliteCharacter Ayano]] oddly she has a few, mostly involving [[HoYay her relationship with]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse Misao]] . Does Ayano ''really'' have a boyfriend? If she doesn't, is she hiding it because she [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship likes]] Misao? Is Misao her girlfriend then, if so does she act like a boyfriend when in public? Or is she oblivious to her friends crush? Does she harbor feelings for Ayano?
** Given she's a common target for ComedicSociopathy and seems to have an inferiority complex, one wonders if Tsukasa might wind up as the group {{Yandere}} or CutePsycho. At the very least, she may be a Type A StepfordSmiler.
** [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5833524/1/Miyuki_Thespian_Extraordinaire This fanfic]] portrays Miyuki's personality as nothing more than an act. Her real self, portrayed through inner dialogue, is a bit of a [[BitchInSheepsClothing bitch]]. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Miyuki Takara, Grand Dragon Master of the Five Seasonal Winds!
** Fans also have [[http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=180023 Kurokona]], a deconstruction of Konata's OtakuSurrogate tendencies, portraying her disheveled with black hair, pale skin, glasses for bad eyesight after hours of video games and an isolated, bored and depressed demeanor. Many have theorized this is what could happen in Konata if she didn't have her friends.
* ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' has two in-universe examples in the form of Grace O'Connor. In the TV show Grace is [[spoiler: an outright villain, manipulating Sheryl and Ranka for her own goals of controlling the Vajra and taking over the Galaxy]]. In the movie [[spoiler: its revealed that she, like Brera, is only being controlled by Galaxy's implants against her will, and she actually deeply cares for Sheryl]].
* ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'':
** There [[http://ashitahadocchida.sakura.ne.jp/top.html are]] [[http://entropymax.com/ two]] FanWebComics well-known in the fandom that take very different approaches to Nanoha's character for the sake of their humor. The former envisions Nanoha as a very ChasteHero who is completely oblivious to everyone's feelings for her. The latter sees her as a [[HandsomeLech cruising playgirl]] who will befriend any and every cute girl that she meets. But as one blog stated, both are valid [[CharacterExaggeration exaggerated interpretations]] of the character thanks to the large amount of SubText in the series.
** Did Precia Testarossa reject Fate's last minute offer for help because she's quite obviously an evil bitch? Did she do it because she was beyond ''both'' [[MoralEventHorizon Event]] [[DespairEventHorizon Horizons]] and only wanted to die with [[spoiler: Alicia, the girl Fate was a clone of, [[LoveMakesYouEvil AND the reason of Precia's evil]].]]? (This is ''very'' strongly hinted by [[spoiler: Alicia herself]] in Fate's LotusEaterMachine.) Or was that a last glimmer of humanity so she didn't drag Fate (who lacked the power to help her anymore) down with her? This can be taken even further: Precia never hated Fate, so [[ItsNotYouItsMe her cruel actions and words toward Fate were meant to drive her away]] [[HiddenHeartOfGold so she wouldn't suffer when Precia died.]] In the movie, [[spoiler: As Precia is falling into the dimensional void has a flashback of Alicia saying she wants a little sister so she wouldn't have to be alone all the time, and asks why she never realises what's important until it's too late.]]
** Yuuno: Does he, as a mage, simply [[OvershadowedByAwesome not hold a candle to Nanoha and the rest]] and is he better off doing research? Or is he a WeakButSkilled mage with a knack for [[StoneWall extremely powerful barriers]] and [[PortalCut potentially]] [[TeleFrag lethal]] uses for his [[NotCompletelyUseless powers]], who could be a match for much higher-ranked mages?
** In the course of discussions for ''Fanfic/{{Battle Fantasia| Project}}[[http://forums.spacebattles.com/showthread.php?t=184379 : Dawn of the Great Magical Girl Alliance!]], one can be led to wonder: Did the Takamachis leave Nanoha at home by herself during Shirou's hospitalization for truly benign purposes or were they being neglectful? Is Nanoha really a belligerent who beats people into being her friends when non-violent methods fail?
* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'':
** While many of the villains count, an unusual case would have to be [[{{Ojou}} Konoka Konoe]]. Some FanFiction depicts her as TheDitz and CheerfulChild; others lean towards her being incredibly sly to almost ChessMaster level. It can be hard to tell whether she's a GeniusDitz or just watching the others calmly and quietly while [[ObfuscatingStupidity behaving childish when she's mature inside]]. She's almost never been given a thought bubble in the 275-chapter course of the series, which makes things all the more confusing, which [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] the fanfiction authors' confusion. We may get some idea of what goes on in her head in one of the later chapters, when we get to see her fantasy of an ideal world [[spoiler:vis a vis Cosmo Entelechaia]]. In it, she's a child playing with child-Setsuna. [[CovertPervert Setsuna's]] fantasy is noticeably more... adult.
** While the differences are less dramatic, Evangeline in the same series can be interpreted in different ways, since she's a literal [[TheChessmaster go master]] to begin with. On one axis, she's somewhere between "villain past her prime who's being slowly subjugated to the effects of DefeatMeansFriendship" and "always was a NobleDemon who simply grew up in a rough place and needed a vicious reputation for protection." On an independent axis, she could be an [[ImmortalImmaturity eternally spoiled little girl]] whose VillainBall and StalkerWithACrush behavior got her BroughtDownToNormal and [[ApathyKilledTheCat staring into space]] for fifteen years until Negi "rescued" her... or an accomplished [[strike:[[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]]]] Go Master and StealthMentor and the prime mover behind most major events of the last thirty or so years, with her current position and relationships exactly what she wanted all along. Enough of Eva's surface personality is arguably fake that any point in that plane could be the real her.
* A few from ''Anime/MaiHime''
** The Blu-Ray special shows sides of [[spoiler:Reito]] that were never seen before, such as him having a devious smile when it appears that Mai has lost interest in Yuuichi, and anger when he's tricked into [[spoiler:burying himself in the sand so the [=HiME=] can feed him spicy food in revenge for the carnival]]. This may suggest that [[spoiler:hosting the Obsidian Lord]] may have had some impact on his personality, if such traits were not there all along.
** There is the possibility that [[spoiler:Shizuru]] was mind-controlled or somehow {{Brainwashed}} during her rampage, as her personality was the most dramatically altered of all the "antagonist" [=HiME=], she once appears with what appear to be MindControlEyes, and immediately after [[spoiler:coming back to life]], she breaks down crying and apologizes to [[spoiler:Natsuki]], which might indicate she only just realized what she had done.
* Was Nina of ''Anime/MaiOtome'' a hard-working and dutiful girl who ended up as an enemy as a result of being from the wrong country, following the duties of an Otome and the love of her father being used to guarantee her obedience? Or was she always obsessively pursuing her father, seeing her Otome career as a means to that end?
* [[Manga/{{Monster}} Johan Liebert]]. Is he [[ForTheEvulz truly heartless]]? [[DarkAndTroubledPast Or is he just broken?]] [[TakeAThirdOption Or is he heartless]] [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil because he was broken?]]
** And, even if he represents one of the latter two, can he still be exonerated for his actions or has he crossed the MoralEventHorizon one too many times? [[spoiler:Tenma (and Nina) ultimately decide on the former, in spite of everything]], but the viewers are left to ponder on it themselves.
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
** Sasuke: Emotionally unstable teenager seeking justified revenge? Selfish traitor? Or secretly undermining the bad guys from inside?
*** Or, [[spoiler:as his rant to the resurrected Itachi hints]] a traumatized boy who [[SurvivorGuilt feels guilty for surviving when his family didn't]] and [[DeathSeeker wants to die]]?
*** On the subject of Sasuke, there's his original FaceHeelTurn when he defected to Orochimaru. Did he abandon his friends because he felt they were making him weak as he claimed; or was it because he felt as if he was betraying the memory of his family by forming new bonds?
** One can see the Hyuga main family as jealously guarding its power against the branch relatives and promoting infighting, or the branch family as being jealous and presumably no better than the head family were one of their own number to take leadership. This may not apply to Neji, considering that his grievances with the head family were mainly based around what happened to his father, and he's willing to get along with them after learning the truth. [[SatelliteCharacter Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister]] is usually characterised accordingly in fanfiction, depending on the writer's intent.
** Itachi. His motives have been questionable since his first appearance, and after certain revelations the fandom has found a million ways to interprete his behaviour.
** Naruto's interaction with Sasuke is definitely subject to this.
*** Is it the effort of a good friend who sees, unlike his compatriots, that Sasuke is not beyond redemption and that redeeming him is key to breaking the cycle of violence in the Narutoverse? . . . Or is it the desperate act of a deluded fool, a boy who refuses to grow up and face the fact that difficult choices are sometimes called for among ninjas, a boy whose lonely, dejected childhood has left him with an unhealthy attachment to someone who has openly threatened his home and other friends?
*** Then let's add some more fuel to the fire: Is Naruto just a completely immature kid who can't take the world's reality, despite the fact he wants to be a leader to a nation, and a rather [[spoiler: unscrupulous one at that, if you consider what they are willing to do to keep themselves on top or because they're simply afraid.]] If you take all heroism and Messiah Prophecies, Naruto is just a immature brat who wants people's attention and got in a war he doesn't understand the beginning or end of it and wants to achieve peace, despite the fact such thing would render the whole point of his life as a ninja worthless(No War = No Need for SuperSoldier Ninjas). Also, he is the weapon the village wanted: Completely Loyal, despite the fact few people like him, Powerful, althought not powerful or intelligent enough to turn on his masters, and has the talent for converting people to see things his way or The village's way. He does have a talent for getting people to follow what he says, no matter just how fairy tale-esque it all sounds. One could think of him as a Brainwashing Machine even!
*** Or...here's another crazy idea: Is Naruto simply a person with an enduring sense of fairness, honesty, and empathy that make it impossible for him to live knowing that injustice, nihilism, and self-serving agendas reign supreme throughout the ninja world? Is he actually someone in a very unique position where he has the conviction and enduring hope for the betterment of the world in face of adversity, doubt, cynicism, and outright sabotage? Is he a model example of the figure(s) necessary to enact dramatic change in society by being that anchor by which other people can hold onto and look to as a source of inspiration, strength, and guidance for their own self-fulfillment?
*** [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9092514/1/Like-Me This fic]] actually brings up some good points regarding Naruto's character. Is he really the immature, hard-working, forgiving, optimistic boy we all know and love? Or is he really a devious, revenge filled prodigy who hides who he truly is from the people around him? Is he like Jiraiya or is he, in reality, like Orochimaru?
** The Leaf Village! It can be A) A Nation of strong Ninja who believe in union and Peace, B) A Power-Hungry Nazi-esque Empire who wants to control the world and everyone in it, C) A Self-Centered and Bigot Nation who has so many people wanting to kill them it's hard to even think of them as innocent, D) A Village filled with Hippie-esque delusional fools. E)Mostly good people who have difficulty accepting those who are different or who they think might be a threat. The way they act and the things they believe has shades of all these. And most fanfic writers go for B, C and D options most of time if they're going for Dark Fics or just Naruto becoming independent.
** The Uchiha Clan. Despite few individuals being shown from the clan, most fans interpret the clan as being filled with power-hungry bastards that deserved their deaths. Curiously, Mikoto(Sasuke's Mom) is usually exempted of this (Mostly because they think she's hot and [[{{Squick}} is a popular pairing with Naruto]]), along with Itachi because of DracoInLeatherPants.
*** Alternatively, since Mikoto seemed to be friends with Kushina, it might suggest that there were at least some who wanted to remain loyal to the village, but in response to (perceived or actual) threat of being persecuted for their supposed role in the Nine-Tailed Fox's attack, they decided to rebel.
*** Power-hungry bastards, or the sad end result of generations of war wiping out all the most emotionally stable members of a clan BlessedWithSuck by a powerset that combines the worst parts of PowerBornOfMadness and WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity, combined with ninja paranoia about keeping bloodline powers proprietary limiting the outbreeding that could dilute their hereditary cases of LoveMakesYouCrazy and [[LoveMakesYouEvil Evil]]?
** Fugaku Uchiha initially starts out as mainly concerned with his elder son's career in the ANBU, while viewing Sasuke as secondary at best, leading to a few different interpretations in and out of universe. Sasuke initially believes this is a clear-cut case of ParentalFavoritism, with Itachi being held up as the model older brother. Fugaku's wife Mikoto argues that Fugaku, as head of the clan, has to think of the clan's well-being (which is why he's concerned with Itachi's troubling behavior), but as a father, is proud of and cares for Sasuke. In ''Itachi's Story'', Itachi eventually comes to believe that Fugaku treats him as a tool, which may lead readers to believe that after Itachi's reliability comes into question, Fugaku started to see Sasuke as a replacement for Itachi.
** Madara Uchiha: One of the worst villains in manga history, or a senile TykeBomb who knows nothing but clan warfare?
*** Or neither. He's self-centered but by no means the worst even in Manga/{{Naruto}}. Nothing ever goes his way and he throws a tantrum, and now he's trying to force the world to acknowledge him as the god he believes himself to be.
** Kabuto Yakushi, although this is probably on purpose: a ChronicBackstabbingDisorder who was waiting for the chance to kill Orochimaru himself for power when Sasuke did it for him, a man who saw Orochimaru as a God, went crazy at his death and integrated his remains into his own body, or a man who joined the first person who gave him some sympathy because he had nothing left to lose?
** Is the Fourth Raikage an honorable, just leader who cares for his loved ones and is the right person to lead the alliance? Or is he hypocritical in seeking retribution for those who wrong him while forgetting his and his subordinates own misdeeds? And did he order the kidnapping of the three-year-old Hinata, was he trying to cover it up, or was he unaware of what one of his subordinates tried to do?
** Jiraiya. Is he a man who stayed away for Naruto's own good while secretly helping him from behind the scenes? A lazy pervert who abandoned his own Godson to peep on naked women and only connected with him because of an accident? Or does he secretly nurse a hatred for Naruto for being the cause of his beloved student Minato's death?
*** Yet another interpretation is as a result of viewing himself a FailureHero who only realized [[spoiler:at the end of his life]] that he actually did some good by teaching Naruto, is that he didn't believe he could adequately help Naruto.
** Kakashi Hatake is similar to Jiraiya. Is he a man who stayed away from Naruto to focus on Sasuke, a boy who was much like him at that age? Or is he a man with a guilt complex who abandoned his sensi's son because he secretly thinks he's responsible for the death's of all the important people in his life?
*** Alternatively, he chooses to help Sasuke because he's in the most danger at that point (Gaara presents a danger to his life, while Orochimaru presents a danger to his integrity and moral character). Naruto was far less likely to get killed by Neji (who, at worst, considers him a loser who can be beaten easily) or go down a dark path like revenge.
** [[spoiler: Obito Uchiha.]] Is his hatred against the world just a tantrum after his crush died? Or did her death make him realize how unjust a world is when people need to be sacrificed for others happiness?
*** Was his HeelFaceTurn motivated by [[TheAtoner the guilt of all the bad things]] he had done? Or just he [[EnemyMine turned against]] [[spoiler: Madara Uchiha]] after the latter revealed that [[spoiler: he orchestrated Rin's death]] then became a KarmaHoudini when [[spoiler: he got reunited with Rin in the afterlife]]?
* ''Anime/NeoHumanCasshern'': Is Casshern a righteous youngman who gave up his humanity (and thus, his identity as Tetsuya Azuma) for justice, and genuinely wants to save the world? Or a celf-sentered jerk whose only reason to become a Neo-Human was to avenge his dog Lucky and (later) save his parents? Or is he traumatized by the fact it is his father who unwillingly became the architect of mankind's doom, and thus all his acts are wrath-driven, as some kind of [[AxCrazy psychotic]] [[TheAtoner atoner]]? DependingOnTheWriter, Casshern is all these AT THE SAME TIME. [[INeedAFreakingDrink Need a drink?]]
* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'':
** Shinji Ikari can be seen as a TragicHero, a hero willing to put his life on the line to protect humanity but crippled by some severe psychological trauma; a DesignatedHero, a pansy who's unwilling to take risks until the fate of humanity is on the line, or a {{deconstruction}} of TheKidWithTheRemoteControl.
** Asuka Langley Sohryu can be seen like TheWoobie and a BrokenAce who suffers of InferioritySuperiorityComplex, masks her huge insecurities, neurosis and abandonment issues behind a front of false arrogance, and pushes everybody away because she thinks nobody would love her if they knew her real self, or they just would hurt her [[spoiler:right like her parents]], hurting herself further with it, but she is still a brave hero risks her life for the humanity and for giving her life some worth [[spoiler:and got mind-raped and awfully murdered by it]]... or like a bratty, loudmouthed, conceited Jerkass... or like an {{Expy}} from ''[[Anime/GreatMazinger Tetsuya Tsurugi]]'' and a deconstruction of the {{Hotblooded}} AcePilot, right like he was.
** Some believe that Yui Ikari wasn't as innocent -- or sane -- as she appeared at first glance. After all, she was involved with GEHIRN (the proto-NERV) before she met Gendo Rokubungi. [[spoiler: She deliberately arranged for Shinji to see her during the test that caused Eva Unit 1 to absorb her; and judging from her dialogue in ''[[TheMovie End of Evangelion]]'', that may not have been an accident.]] People debates whether she anticipated Gendo going crazy after she 'died' and trying anything to get her back.
** Is Rei a real person or a brain-washed, emotionless child soldier?
** Is Kaji a lovable tramp who only wants to help Misato, or is he evil and only in it for personal gain?
** Kaworu Nagisa: an Angel redeemed who gave up his own existence for Shinji? Or a monster just human enough to understand cruelty, manipulating Shinji's feelings to try to succeed and then lashing out in a psychological attack to make his destruction a PyrrhicVictory?
** Gendo Ikari: a MagnificentBastard who's manipulating everyone for the entire series? Or just someone who's made one relatively simple plan and had a lot of things work out in his favor? Did he plan to implement Instrumentality for the good of mankind, for some other reason, or was it just because he wanted to see Yui again? Is he really as bad as people think he is? Maybe he's just a deeply flawed person trying to save his MoralityChain of social relationships, as the few glimpses in his past make it seem similar to Shinji's present.
** [[OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness Seele:]] [[AGodAmI Monsters trying to become gods?]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist Trying to help out humanity through Instrumentality?]] Or are they just crazy cultists?
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Luffy:
*** He may just [[ObfuscatingStupidity pretend to be dumber than a rock]] because he likes to challenge himself, as evidenced by a number of overly convenient flashes of insight. The marine commodore Smoker even calls him out on this at one point. Luffy's reaction? A mysterious smile.
*** He's the grandson of a famous Vice Admiral and the son of a widely feared revolutionary leader. He's also the adoptive brother of one of the strongest pirate in the world's right hand men. Some of their intelligence must have made its way down to him. His "stupidity" often resembles an inability to focus. Maybe Luffy just has [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny ADD?]]
*** On the other hand, Luffy does make mistakes at critical points, including when the lives of his friends are on the line, such as when he seems ready to start a fight with the Drum Island militia even while Nami is deathly ill, or attacking Blackbeard while trying to go after Ace on his way out of Impel Down.
*** During the Impel Down breakout, Luffy rejects Crocodile's offer of help because of what he did to Vivi's country. Was he disgusted at the death and destruction Crocodile caused, or was he just angry at the guy for messing with one of his friends?
** Zoro: Hard-boiled badass who simply keeps his promises, or a HeartbrokenBadass who still longs for his [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend long gone best friend?]]
** Blackbeard: eventual {{Big Bad}} who's a deliberate {{Evil Counterpart}} to [[TheHero Luffy]], or [[DeconstructedTrope a disturbing presentation]] of what [[VillainByDefault piracy truly is]] and a deliberate send-up of the real Blackbeard?
** Kuma: A guy just doing his job? Or a {{Chessmaster}} StealthMentor for the Straw Hats?
*** It turns out that [[spoiler:he is part of the Revolutionary Army, and has been slowly roboticized, even his brain, but managed to get programmed with a "mission" to protect the Straw Hats' ship. Franky says they owe him a great debt, but the next time they meet, they will be enemies]].
** Crocodile in the Marineford Arc: is he in the process of pulling a HeelFaceTurn? Is he [[EvilPlan using the situation solely to his advantage to rise in the ranks of pirates once again]]? Is he projecting his [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou one-sided rivalry against Whitebeard]] on Luffy, or is he going to become [[Anime/DragonBallZ Piccolo to Luffy's Goku?]] Or maybe he's just doing it for the lulz?
** Hancock: Is she naturally [[{{Tsundere}} Tsun Tsun or Dere Dere]]? Is she a [[IceQueen cold-hearted woman]] [[MoralityPet who only spares kindness for]] [[SingleTargetSexuality Luffy]], or a [[DefrostingIceQueen nice woman]] who tends to [[BerserkButton go a bit nuts]] when Luffy's in danger?
** Doflamingo: Does he see Dressrosa's citizens as pawns, or does he truly care for them?
*** Later events in the manga indicate that it's [[spoiler:the former; he threatens to kill them all once his [[ItMakesSenseInContext toy transformation scheme]] was revealed unless they help him catch his enemies. Though with his crew, it's completely the latter]].
** One for a variety of crew members during the Thriller Bark Arc: The slasher smiles every crew member (Bar Luffy, Nami, and the yet to fully join Brook) give Oars when he is trapped by his horns in the ground, followed by the offscreen beat down given, may be less about fighting the enemy and more the fact that Oars, having Luffy's shadow, sounds and somewhat acts like Luffy. Thus beating the giant mercilessly allows them to vent off steam from having to deal with Luffy constantly (while they all love him, Luffy is hard to deal with sometimes).
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''
** Ranma Saotome is a slightly immature but decent young man trying to do right by various friends, family, and rivals without causing [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter massive loss of honor]] for all... or he's an egotistical, emotionally stunted JerkAss who's too screwed up to know what the right thing ''is'', let alone have the strength to do it. All the [[ShapeshifterModeLock lockfics, where Ranma is locked more or less permanently into his]] [[AttractiveBentGender girl form]], or other fics where there's [[LossOfIdentity a reason]] for Ranma to seriously reconsider his opinion on girls and eventually even [[TheMindIsAPlayThingOfTheBody become one in mind]] [[SecondLawOfGenderBending as well as body]].
** A [[TakeAThirdOption third interpretation]] is that, while he's generally an [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter honorable guy]], [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining all he knows is combat]]. This explains [[BelligerentSexualTension why he's always arguing with]] [[OfficialCouple Akane]]
** Akane Tendo, his fiancée, is shown in fanwork as one of these: an evil, murderous, [[StrawFeminist misandrist]] psycho who wants to downright murder Ranma for any of his screw-ups; a genuinely kind girl with identity issues who happens to have a huge BerserkButton that Ranma pushes often; or a saintly little victim who snaps only because of Ranma's constant and abusive {{Jerkass}}itude.
** ''Every'' character in ''Ranma'' gets this treatment at some point, from Ranma and Akane to their families (does Genma have an honorable side deep down, or is he completely irredeemable? And just how sweet ''is'' Kasumi, really?) to the Amazons (Cologne ranges from a cold warrior woman determined to drag Ranma back to China to a snarky old lady who enjoys watching Nerima's chaos)... Considering the massive amount of [[{{Fanon}} fanon]] and [[{{Fanfic}} fanfic]] that exist for the series, it would be more surprising if there ''weren't'' this many interpretations.
** An in-canon example; the anime treats many characters differently from the original manga, though precisely who, how differently, and whether this is good or bad is a matter of personal opinion. Example changes:
### Ranma and Akane are more prone to juvenile arguments and bickering in the anime; in the manga, they more or less get along with occasional bouts of surprisingly extreme arguing. At least they get plenty of moments of camaradrie, teamwork and generally enjoying being around each other in both media.
### Shampoo is less violent and more devoted in the anime, getting an episode in which she proves willing to defend Ranma even from her own family, no matter if it takes death (hers or ''theirs'') to do it. Her faith in Ranma and desire to be with him is played up more; for instance, the story where Maomolin attempts to turn her into a cat so he can marry her is changed to include a scene where she ''threatens to slit her own throat'' if he won't let her go. She seems to get on better with her rivals, or at least respect them more. Most notably, she saves Akane from a dangerous fall in the ''Immortal Phoenix'' OAV -- with a zinger about Akane's weight, but she does it.
### Ukyo is more passionate about martial arts. In one late manga story, she loses a duel to a [[UnknownRival Forgotten Rival]] from her childhood and is quite blase about it -- she's just glad he'll leave and stop bothering her. In the anime, one episode is centered on her being defeated by a rival in the art of Martial Arts Cookery, which leaves her horrorstruck, guilty and and outraged at her "weakness". She even chews Ranma out for a thoughtless but well-meaning comment that she thought was him saying martial arts shouldn't matter so much to her because she's a woman. She also genuinely values her friendship with him in the anime; though she in the depths of her heart wants him to return her romantic feelings, she is willing to back down from her schemes if they are putting their friendship at risk. (See the [[SheCleansUpNicely "Great Girly-Girl Gambit"]] episode).
### The Kuno siblings are treated more sympathetically in the anime. Kodachi grew up without any parental figure except Tatewaki; she is several times implied to be a well-meaning but ('''very''') strange who is quite lonely and who clings to Ranma because he's the closest thing to a real friend she has. Tatewaki, meanwhile, was cruelly abused by their father before he bogged off to Hawaii; he has been caring for himself, his sister, and their estate on his own ever since.
### Ryoga's connection to Akane is depicted as more intense in the anime, making him either more sympathetic or more pathetic, depending on your feelings about him. He deliberately tries to save Ranma from being permanently enchanted to love Shampoo with a RedStringOfFate because seeing him acting so loving to her is upsetting Akane. Granted, he collapses into an indecisive panic when he realises that letting Shampoo win means he can have Akane by default; but at least he tries. He makes a passionate speech about how he will always love Akane and watch over her from the shadows in the OAV adaptation of the Ryugenzawa story. In an anime-unique OAV, he leaves in the middle of the night because he knows he'll be tempted to sabotage Akane's upcoming battle to win back the rights to be the official Tendo Dojo heir (and Ranma's fiancee), and he can't bear to hurt her by doing that. In one episode, he absently contemplates staying as P-chan all the time to be Akane's pet 24/7. Finally, the an anime episode that introduced Anna Brown, who would be an {{Expy}} of Akari if she hadn't come ''first'', he admits that he could fall in love with her and may never be this happy again if he leaves... and yet he is still unable to resist telling her that he can't stay and going back to Akane.
### In the anime, Mousse is depicted as a ''very'' creepy StalkerWithACrush. In the final arc of the manga, Shampoo gets mind controlled, and he gets the opportunity to make her his slave. He instead frees her... only for her to go right back to stalking Ranma. He remarks that he's going to be kicking himself for years.
* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'':
** [[spoiler:Anthy]]:
*** While no one thinks she isn't TheWoobie, many people think she is a ManipulativeBastard worse than her brother, having turned [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil cruel and spiteful]] after how many years of her in a state of AndIMustScream. Mostly she seems to think she has no choice in the matter. People who support the interpretation believe she's just being a coward, although the "pure Woobie" interpretation says that she's so broken she didn't realize that she had the capacity to take a stand.
*** There are ''definitely'' people who don't see her as TheWoobie, and refuse to consider her as anything other than a "wimp" or a "passive-aggressive bitch." This mentality is less common among people who've been fans of the series for a reasonable time, but it can be frustrating to see the casual dismissal of her character among those who really, really have no idea what they're talking about.
** What about movie Anthy? She's just badass.
** Our protagonist. Most fans see Utena as a noble Determinator who manages to fight off the negative influences of the broken and deluded people around her. However, a small subset of the fandom don't see steadfast uprightness so much as just another, albeit more resilient, form of her fellow students' misconceptions. After all, she is [[spoiler: maninpulated by Akio]] in the end, just like everyone else, including Anthy. Who's to say that her worldview was not just as simplistic, selfish, and/or flat-out delusional as those she shatters in other people (rather painfully, it must be added) over the course of the series?
* In the final episode of ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'', the use of the Neutron-S missiles was said to be ordered by Admiral Rick Hunter. ''WesternAnimation/RobotechTheShadowChronicles'' (as well as the Prelude comic) attempts to avert this by showing his hesitation. [[spoiler: It was discovered that the missile warheads cause the formation of a black hole, so he tried to warn Vince Grant that the missiles should not be used against Earth]] but that's neither here nor there. The original plan was a "Scorched Earth Tactic" which would have killed millions of humans as well as hopefully destroyed Invid Reflex Point. Despite the fact that the comic attempts to give the impression that Rick Hunter simply agreed with a committee decision, the ''Shadow Chronicles'' film once again simply indicates that he is the originator of the order. Your opinion of Hunter will depend on whether you've read the Prelude Comic or not.
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon''
** Someone [[FanWank explained]] that Chibi-Usa looks nothing like her mother Usagi because she was the lovechild of Mamoru and Rei, with her hair dyed and contacts added to disguise her resemblance to her actual mother.
** There were at least two more versions: Chibi-Usa's real mother is either Luna or Sailor Pluto (all three characters have red eyes in the [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]]). The latter idea was supported by the fact that Chibi-Usa is attached to Pluto even after they both end up in the present maintaining [[SecretIdentity Secret Identities]].
** On the other side of her parentage, one fic has Chibi-Usa's real father be Rubeus because he has red hair and Usagi has blonde, which combine to make pink; and he and Chibi-Usa both have red eyes.
** All of Chibi-Usa's earlier quirks (besides being a BrattyHalfPint, wielding weapons that no five-to-eight year old should be wielding, wetting herself, chasing after her father, etc.) makes more sense when you consider these things:
### She's arguably 900 years old in a world that either has a longer average lifespan or has completely overcome death.
### She's [[HalfHumanHybrid a half breed of human and Moon Person]] (or whatever you care to call them), and most of them are out for her blood.
### She is screwed up from the backstory for R for sitting in the shadow of her parents and eventually ensuring the destruction of the future world.
### She is Usagi's biological child, and she inherited her problems but has not had her character growth!
** WordOfGod stated that Chibi-Usa is pink out of a reference to how albino rabbits have pink eyes.
** Sailor Pluto -- silent guardian of time, or [[EpilepticTrees engineer of dystopian future?]]
** Neo Queen Serenity can easily come across as a dictator, depending on whether you're willing to take it on faith that "purification" and "brainwashing" aren't the same thing.
* ''{{Manga/Saki}}'':
** Saki is either an optimistic young girl doing her best to reconcile with her sister or an unstoppable demon who gleefully destroys the dreams of other young girls just so she can get back at Teru. To be fair in this game there's always loser and winner, and Saki is determined to win all the way to final when she saw Shiraitodai is in different block.
** Teru has several, since she has almost no screentime outside of Saki's flashbacks and dreams, at least until Achiga-Hen
*** Teru's saying that she has no sister is typically seen as a cruel act that is proof that she's a JerkAss who is not the sister Saki remembers. But implications at a tragedy in the Miyanaga family's past suggest that Teru might have been emotionally affected in some way, and their estrangement may not be due to her hating Saki.
*** It's indicated in Achiga-Hen that Teru puts on a [[StepfordSmiler polite and cheerful act for the press]], while she is privately a colder and more aloof individual. However, [[spoiler:after Toki collapses in front of her after their match]], she is completely shocked, and later expresses [[spoiler:concern about Toki's well-being]] under her breath, which could indicate a kinder side of Teru she may not even be aware of herself.
*** Another alternate interpretation suggests that whenever Teru's giving off an imposing aura, she, like her sister, is secretly scared or desperate to find the bathroom.
** Nodoka's father. Is he [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure willing to give Nodoka a chance to prove herself at Mahjong despite not thinking much of it]], and [[OpenMindedParent likely to change his mind]]? Or was his offer to "consider" letting her stay if she wins the national tournament- a small concession with a difficult to achieve condition- made in the belief that Nodoka won't be able to succeed, and possibly insincere at that?
** Is Coach Kubo of Kazekoshi a tough, but fair mahjong coach, or does she excessively punish her players for minor mistakes? Additionally, has she been like this all along, or is this in response to Kazekoshi losing to Ryuumonbuchi in the prefecturals last year, which caused her to believe that Kazekoshi had become complacent and needs to take their games more seriously?
* In ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'', this often happens with the main characters -- Makoto, Sekai, and Kotonoha:
** For Makoto, it's whether he's truly a cold-hearted [[TheCasanova Casanova]] or just a regular person who is having a normal reaction to being surrounded by hot women who want to have sex with him. He ''is'' a hormonal teenager, after all. Doesn't help that the manga and the anime seem to have different versions of Makoto.
** In Sekai's case, it's whether she's an innocent girl overcome with passion from her [[MatchmakerCrush Matchmaker's Crush]], or a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative bitch]] who tried to win her man by offering herself to him despite his already having a girlfriend.
** For Kotonoha, there's the ongoing debate over whether she was a normal girl who was [[BreakTheCutie broken]] by the abuse she suffered over the series, or if she had a mental disorder from the beginning.
* The interpretations of the main characters in ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' are not only a subject of many debates in the fandom, but have basis in ''canon'':
** Ken: Rebellious JerkAss who only cares about himself, frustrated and lonely guy struggling to carry the weight of being TheHero on his shoulders, or upstanding moral boy scout? His feelings for Jun seem to change an awful lot. Does he ignore her, see her as "one of the guys" or could he return the affections she holds for him? And then there are fans who think he's gay due to his [[ChasteHero utter cluelessness when it comes to women]].
** Joe: SociopathicHero who just wants to blow stuff up and fight, overtly tragic [[TheWoobie woobie]] or fast-driving flirt? [[HoYay His own feelings towards Ken]] are subject to debate as well.
** Jun: DependingOnTheWriter, she's either smart, capable ActionGirl with good business sense or a [[{{Chickification}} victim of 1970s Japanese sexism]]. Her feelings for Ken also vary in their intensity from girlish crush to real love...and to some fanfic writers angsty pining.
** Jinpei: His young age makes him subject to a lot of changes in his maturity level and role as TheSmartGuy; sometimes he shows great skill and insight for someone his age and other times he's a MouthyKid whose inability to sit still gets him in trouble.
** Ryu is either the pudgy PluckyComicRelief BigEater or the GentleGiant, though most of the time they overlap. FanFic tends to Flanderize the former, though. Also, his BookDumb country boy tendencies vary from episode to episode.
** Some folks consider Dr. Nambu to be a manipulative TricksterMentor (or just a manipulative ass), but others see him as a bona fide TeamDad.
** Red Impulse: Abusive asshole or a man torn between being a good father vs his life's work? And let's not even go into ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'', especially for Mark and Jason vs Ken and Joe...
* An in universe example in ''Manga/SkipBeat'': Kyouko is cast as the villain in a remake of a late 80's drama. The character is a [[RichBitch Rich]] BitchInSheepsClothing who has a huge resentment towards the heroine and uses a facial scar she got from an accident where both were involved to emotionally blackmailing her. The original actress interpreted the character as a apparently timid girl who was not ashamed of use the WoundedGazelleGambit near constantly, using PeekABangs to conceal her [[GoodScarsEvilScars Evil Scars]]. Kyouko instead plays the character as a bitter, resentful teen in perpetual PassiveAggressiveKombat mode, openly showing her scar and having a more "in your face" attitude. Kyouko's justification is that, while the original interpretation was valid and all, she couldn't see the daughter of a rich family spotting such a big facial scar: if you had get such damage twenty years ago you should have had to live with it, but nowdays you can get a plastic surgeon to erase or minimize it. Since the scar blackmailing is fundamental to the character and the plot, Kyouko decided to play her as the [[MagnificentBastard kind of person that would have kept such a scar in purpose]].
* ''Manga/SoulEater'':
** Many fanfics present [[TheLancer Soul]] as being an awkward teenager who is head-over-heels for his best friend, Maka, despite all her [[BadAssBookworm nerdiness]]; Just as many present him as a complete JerkAss who has to watch Maka nearly die before he gets any amount of CharacterDevelopment.
** Maka is either a CuteBruiser and the OnlySaneMan or a complete AlphaBitch and MarySue. Fanfics will also present her as such - she's usually either a SchoolGirlWithACrush on Soul and is completely incapable of hiding her feelings for him, or is an extraordinarily [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale violent]] young girl in complete denial about her feelings.
** Spirit, Maka's father. Seeing all the suffering he goes through on the show makes him far more sympathetic than Maka's mother, who has not made any appearances in any media. One could easily think that she isn't that good of a person if she never visited Maka.
* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' is rife with these:
** Ryoko is one of these: (A) [[BrokenBird a troubled soul who was forced to do evil]] (see below), who is the only one that truly loves Tenchi (most commonly because she watched him grow up), and who also knows every character (particularly Tenchi and Ayeka) better than they know themselves; (B) [[TheVamp an evil sociopathic slut who just wants Tenchi for his lower organs]]; C) a cruel sociopath who only wants Tenchi because she will do anything to hurt Ayeka; D) an alien whose [[BlueAndOrangeMorality instinctive ways of displaying emotion clash with normal humans/Jurians']].
** The {{OVA}} continuity has fans debating about the nature of Kagato's control of Ryoko, both in the past and at the end of the first arc, to determine how traumatized she might have been. Was Ryoko a pure mindless killing machine? Or was she aware of her actions but still unable to stop herself due to Kagato's overwhelming control? Series creator Masaki Kajishima's {{Tie In Novel}}s established Ryoko as a {{Tykebomb}} who was kept on a short leash emotionally but who was still largely in control of her actions before her imprisonment, and so it's impossible for her to be entirely innocent -- or entirely guilty.
** Ayeka is one of these: (A) [[YamatoNadeshiko a calm, understanding, proud, powerful woman who wants what's best for everybody]]; (B) [[AlphaBitch an evil lazy bitch]] who only wants Tenchi because she will do anything to hurt Ryoko; or (C) TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask because her position in life requires her to conceal that deep down she's an insecure {{Tsundere}}.
** Interestingly, unless Ayeka and Ryoko are being portrayed with the "we destroy the house every week by fighting" mentality, Ayeka's [[BarrierWarrior fighting prowess]] is usually forgotten, which makes her a DamselInDistress. It's assumed that Ayeka cannot fight on even ground with even their lower fighters (such as Mihoshi). This is {{Flanderization}} of the plot point in the {{OVA}}s that Ryoko was much more powerful in a serious fight.
** None of these consider "Call Me Princess", Ayeka's ImageSong, which depicts her as a whip-happy, leather clad sadist... explaining that it's "traditional royal bridegroom training". Is she lying, or is BDSM one of the pillars of Juraian culture?
** There is the occasional fanfic which runs with the MarryThemAll solution by giving both of the ladies positive interpretations and enough maturity or mutual affection to go the Polyamorous Route(tm). [[spoiler: This ''is'' the WordOfGod.]]
** Washu: a) a cute geek who, thanks to being very old, is unable to realize the stress she puts the 20- or couple-hundred-year-old younglings through? b) a psychopathic MadScientist who will do anything ForScience, up to and including emotional (and probably literal) rape of Tenchi?; c) A goddess with an OmniscientMoralityLicense coming from having lived waaaaaaaay too long, thus having her morality seriously whacked and/or practically non-existent?
** Mihoshi. She is one of these: (a) TheFool, and thus both TheRival and TheLoad for Kiyone; (b) a brilliant actor pulling off the greatest case of ObfuscatingStupidity ever; (c) a GeniusDitz who achieved a BunnyEarsLawyer reputation; (d) TheCape and BrokenBird who has seen so such trauma that she has burned out and is dealing with it by becoming a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
** Rossiu is seen by most people as a [[TheScrappy manipulative, backstabbing jerk]] not worth screentime. Others will wax for hours that he is a tragic example of what happens to the OnlySaneMan in a universe that favours the HotBlooded Determinator characters. Or perhaps he genuinely means well, but his childhood indoctrination into the [[CorruptChurch priesthood]] gave him a skewed way of looking at the world. The population limit Lordgenome mentioned is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything eerily similar]] to the 50-person limit in his village, maintained by the High Priest [[ShootTheDog sending excess people to die]], and Rossiu's raising may be preventing him from finding a better solution than the one used there. This is [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Simon. Rossiu is trying to save the human race, and irrationally convinced that he is the only one who can. This, unfortunately, leads him to [[spoiler:nearly kill the guy who actually '''could''' save the human race.]]
** [[FanNickname Bruce Ironstaunch]]: A [[TheStoic stoic]] random crowd member who expresses his support for Rossiu's decisions with a BicepPolishingGesture, or a heroic rebel who [[CassandraTruth dares to go against the mob]], delivering a firm "Up Yours!" to Rossiu, protected only by his BadassMustache and [[SeenItAll bored expression]]? [[MemeticMutation And they will still be manlier than you!]]
** The Anti-Spirals: [[spoiler: [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned extremists]] willing to do [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill whatever it takes]] to keep the universe safe, or [[FantasticRacism racist monsters]] who [[KnightTemplar put on a facade of deceny?]] ]]
* In ''Anime/UtaKata'', does Satsuki get upset because her best friend Keiko kisses the guy who just stood her up moments before, or because her beloved Keiko is making out with ''someone else''? It could go either way, but the fact remains that Satsuki never showed any overt interest in the guy before that, and she [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship is shown to be extremely close with Keiko]] throughout the series.
* The ''[[Anime/YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters]]'' series has quite a few:
** Yugi Mutou: cute innocent boy [[TheWoobie who's been picked on for being small]], or a [[ShrinkingViolet weakling]] who relies too much on his alter ego and happily takes credit for duelling wins he barely contributed towards?
** The other Yugi / Yami Yugi / The Pharaoh: Secretly still the SociopathicHero he was in the manga and season 0? Or simply, as some have put it, a self-righteous prick with a pole up his ass? Is he just a guy who has extremely bad luck and covers it by acting big? Just a devoted aibou for Yugi, or a guy who only pretends to care for his host? Speaking of aibou, is he straight, gay or asexual? Is he just a cool face while Yugi comes up with all the winning strategies, do they work together equally, or is he the one doing all the work? Does he really believe in the PowerOfFriendship and the Heart of the Cards and care for his TrueCompanions, or is Yugi the only one he really cares for?
*** It's also been popular in fanfiction to interpret him as a {{Yandere}} for Yugi (particularly with the season 0 version of him).
*** It's also popular in fanfiction to depict him as a cruel monarch or despot, despite there being no canon backup for this. Goes hand in hand with lionizing the Thief King Bakura, or Yugi being a wallflower slave in that era.
** Katsuya Jounouchi: BadassNormal? ButtMonkey? BoringFailureHero? TooDumbToLive? All of the above?
** Seto Kaiba: [[TheWoobie Does he need a hug for his troubled past]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold for which he is misunderstood]] -- not that he wants the hug? Should he be fawned upon for his {{angst}}, [[DeadpanSnarker snark]], supreme power (in both Duel Monsters and business), and intelligence, especially considering [[SelfMadeMan his path from orphanhood]]? Or is he just a [[JerkAss jerk]] [[BreakingLecture who likes to mouth off on his superiority]]? And is his constant losing to destiny an unfair break, given how he wants to duel for himself where Yami Yugi seems to have gotten into games as a means of protecting people?
*** How about his Ancient Egyptian persona (mostly the manga incarnation)? Did he really love Kisara, or did he just admire her power (made worse when they have little page time together)? Was his reluctance to overthrow the Pharaoh as Akhenaden wanted him to a sign of reluctant respect for the Pharaoh, or just a sense of duty? And if Executive Meddling hadn't shortened his fight with the Pharaoh, would he have been rebelling because he favours the survival of the dynasty where Atem favoured the common people, or just because he wanted to rule and defeat the Pharaoh at last?
** Ryou Bakura: Adorable [[TheIngenue innocent]] ShrinkingViolet teenage boy who happens to be [[SealedEvilInACan possessed by a spirit that lives in a piece of ancient jewelery]] given to him by his neglectful father who's never around, or creepy NightmareFetishist StepfordSmiler?
** What About Yami Bakura? Is he really a JerkAss who needs to be destroyed, or is he an extreme case of TroubledButCute who just needs a hug? Or is he evil, but only because he's being [[ManipulativeBastard manipulated by Zorc]]?
** Akhenaden. Was he driven to his actions and justified by having the realism to Akhenamkhanen's detached idealism? Is he ultimately not responsible for Zorc using him, leading to him being allowed to reach the Afterlife, or was his spirit controlling Bakura's the entire time?
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
** Fan interpretation of Judai's relationship with Johan in flip-flops between just two duel-obsessed guys finding a niche with each other and HoYay. Also, whether Yubel should be considered male or female has been heavily debated.
** Judai Yuki of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' has been seen both as the type of person who is calm under pressure even when dueling evil aliens or demonic {{Clingy Jealous Girl}}s and the like, and as a clueless dolt who never understands the severity of a situation and who has no idea exactly ''what'' he duels for. He himself wrestles with this question in season 3. Ironically, the first time he tries taking a duel seriously, [[spoiler: he does it ''too'' well and [[FaceHeelTurn snaps]].]]
* ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero'':
** Were Togo's [[spoiler:multiple suicide attempts]] in episodes 8 and 10 simply her experimenting with the fairies' powers, or did she really intend to [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide kill herself]]]]?
** Following TheReveal in Episode 8 that [[spoiler:the Sange is permanent]], are the Taisha [[spoiler:[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Kyubey-level]] {{Magnificent Bastard}}s who are willing to throw the lives of innocent girls into a FateWorseThanDeath just to preserve their world a while longer]], or are they just [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned Extremists]] who had no other choice to preserve the world and [[spoiler:sincerely worship the girls that they sacrifice]]?
** What exactly were Sonoko's intentions when she told Togo [[spoiler:the truth about the outside world? Did she simply want her old friend to know what she was really fighting for before Togo ended up like her]]? Or was she a MagnificentBastard who used Togo to [[spoiler:destroy the world and end her own suffering]]?
** It's commonly believed that Togo initially refused to become a Hero because she was afraid of her disability holding everyone back. However, upon reading [[spoiler:what she went through as Sumi Washio in the prequel LN]], some theorized that she was actually suffering from [[spoiler:PTSD]]. WordOfGod confirms that Togo reacted that way because [[spoiler:even though her mind didn't remember fighting the Vertex before, her body and soul did]].
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'':
** Yukina:
*** Interpretations of Yukina, Hiei's sister, run the gamut from NaiveEverygirl who is happy just to be with her human friends even if she can't find her brother, to EmotionlessGirl who wants her brother to commit genocide on the [[OneGenderRace Koorime]] for throwing him away, and everything in between. Also, has she figured out Hiei is her brother? She does call him brother once, but immediately backtracked and said she would like her brother to be like him. There's also debate over her sexuality, as [[OneGenderRace Koorime]] ("Ice Maidens") are all female and reproduce asexually, but her mother, Hina, clearly had some kind of sexual relationship with a man in order to produce Hiei. There's even a certain level of debate towards whether or not Yukina is a product of the sexual encounters between Hina and Hiei's father, or if Yukina was the asexually reproduced daughter a Koorime has every hundred years. So could she fall in love and have a sexual relationship with Kuwabara? Is she a lesbian? Or is she 100% asexual?
*** In the manga, after Hiei tells Yukina that if she wants to see the Ice Maidens wiped out, she should do it herself rather than rely on her brother, she says "I believe... my brother would tell me the same thing," giving no indication that she knows that Hiei is her brother, but leaving open the possibility that she could find out. The manga translation also seems to indicate that she sees destroying the Koorime as a species-wide MercyKill, since she doesn't think people can or should suppress their emotions (which takes on more meaning when you consider that she was imprisoned in Tarukane's mansion and had to force herself not to cry so he couldn't harvest her tears).
*** Adding to the speculation would be a scene from Eizou Hakusho, where Hiei attempts to return Yukina's Hiruiseki stone claiming her brother is dead, but she smiles and says he should keep it before leaving. Genkai proceeds to tell Hiei that Yukina is not the child he thinks she is, possibly further implying she has already figured it out.
*** Is Yukina really as harmless as she acts, or is she actually a HiddenBadass who nonetheless gets others to fight for her? Hiei told her to kill the Koorime herself; would he have said that to her if he didn't think she could actually ''do'' it? Hiei's been a prodigious powerhouse from literally before he was born, so it's perfectly possible that Yukina is the same way.
** Kurama is also the subject of much debate, largely because of changes made in the slightly {{Bowdlerise}}d English dub, which featured a scene where his transformed demon-self spoke to his more human-like self as if they were separate entities. Thus, some fans have come to believe that he has a borderline (or even full-on) SplitPersonality. Other fans believe that he has a single identity, and has merely experienced CharacterDevelopment as a result of his [[BecomingTheMask human facade]].
** Is Yaminade no Itsuki a simple [[MadLove love-struck]] PsychoSupporter, or is there [[CorruptTheCutie something]] [[TheCorrupter more]] [[LadyMacbeth to]] [[ManipulativeBastard it]]?

----

* Kashiwa's girlfriend in ''Kyou Kara Yonshimai'' doesn't want her to get [[{{transgender}} Sexual Reassignment Surgery]]. Is it due to her secretly not supporting Kashiwa's want to transition and wishing she was a WholesomeCrossdresser, or is she worried that the transition will make it harder for them to get married?

*** He's the grandson of a famous Vice Admiral and

** Is Syaoran Li an initially arrogant {{Tsundere}} [[TookALevelInKindness gradually softened by Sakura's kindness]] or a [[ShrinkingViolet naturally meek and gentle character]] who hides behind a JerkassFacade (which he gradually drops as he becomes more confident around his new found friends). Sakura herself notes later on how transparent she has come to realise his harsh demeanor is, after which Syaoran's arrogant attitude towards her more or less completely fades permanently.

** Did Precia Testarossa reject Fate's last minute offer for help because she's quite obviously an evil bitch? Did she do it because she was beyond ''both'' [[MoralEventHorizon Event]] [[DespairEventHorizon Horizons]] and only wanted to die with [[spoiler: Alicia, the girl Fate was a clone of, [[LoveMakesYouEvil AND the reason of Precia's evil]].]]? (This is ''very'' strongly hinted by [[spoiler: Alicia herself]] in Fate's LotusEaterMachine.) Or was that a last glimmer of humanity so she didn't drag Fate (who lacked the power to help her anymore) down with her? This can be taken even further: Precia never hated Fate, so [[ItsNotYouItsMe her cruel actions and words toward Fate were meant to drive her away]] [[JerkAssFacade so she wouldn't suffer when Precia died.]] In the movie, [[spoiler: As Precia is falling into the dimensional void has a flashback of Alicia saying she wants a little sister so she wouldn't have to be alone all the time, and asks why she never realises what's important until it's too late.]]

*** He's the grandson of a famous Vice Admiral and the son of a widely feared revolutionary leader. He's also the adoptive brother of one of the strongest pirate in the world's right hand men. Some of their intelligence must have made its way down to him. His "stupidity" often resembles an inability to focus. Maybe Luffy just has [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny ADD?]]
*** On the other hand, Luffy does make mistakes at critical points, including when the lives of his friends are on the line, such as when he seems ready to start a fight with the Drum Island militia even while Nami is deathly ill, or attacking Blackbeard while trying to go after Ace on his way out of Impel Down.
*** During the Impel Down breakout, Luffy rejects Crocodile's offer of help because of what he did to Vivi's country. Was he disgusted at the death and destruction Crocodile caused, or was he just angry at the guy for messing with one of his friends?
** Zoro: Hard-boiled badass who simply keeps his promises, or a HeartbrokenBadass who still longs for his [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend long gone best friend?]]
** Blackbeard: eventual {{Big Bad}} who's a deliberate {{Evil Counterpart}} to [[TheHero Luffy]], or [[DeconstructedTrope a disturbing presentation]] of what [[VillainByDefault piracy truly is]] and a deliberate send-up of the real Blackbeard?
** Kuma: A guy just doing his job? Or a {{Chessmaster}} StealthMentor for the Straw Hats?
*** It turns out that [[spoiler:he is part of the Revolutionary Army, and has been slowly roboticized, even his brain, but managed to get programmed with a "mission" to protect the Straw Hats' ship. Franky says they owe him a great debt, but the next time they meet, they will be enemies]].
** Crocodile in the Marineford Arc: is he in the process of pulling a HeelFaceTurn? Is he [[EvilPlan using the situation solely to his advantage to rise in the ranks of pirates once again]]? Is he projecting his [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou one-sided rivalry against Whitebeard]] on Luffy, or is he going to become [[Anime/DragonBallZ Piccolo to Luffy's Goku?]] Or maybe he's just doing it for the lulz?
** Hancock: Is she naturally [[{{Tsundere}} Tsun Tsun or Dere Dere]]? Is she a [[IceQueen cold-hearted woman]] [[MoralityPet who only spares kindness for]] [[SingleTargetSexuality Luffy]], or a [[DefrostingIceQueen nice woman]] who tends to [[BerserkButton go a bit nuts]] when Luffy's in danger?
** Doflamingo: Does he see Dressrosa's citizens as pawns, or does he truly care for them?
*** Later events in the manga indicate that it's [[spoiler:the former; he threatens to kill them all once his [[ItMakesSenseInContext toy transformation scheme]] was revealed unless they help him catch his enemies. Though with his crew, it's completely the latter]].
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''
** Ranma Saotome is a slightly immature but decent young man trying to do right by various friends, family, and rivals without causing [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter massive loss of honor]] for all... or he's an egotistical, emotionally stunted JerkAss who's too screwed up to know what the right thing ''is'', let alone have the strength to do it. All the [[ShapeshifterModeLock lockfics, where Ranma is locked more or less permanently into his]] [[AttractiveBentGender girl form]], or other fics where there's [[LossOfIdentity a reason]] for Ranma to seriously reconsider his opinion on girls and eventually even [[TheMindIsAPlayThingOfTheBody become one in mind]] [[SecondLawOfGenderBending as well as body]].
** A [[TakeAThirdOption third interpretation]] is that, while he's generally an [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter honorable guy]], [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining all he knows is combat]]. This explains [[BelligerentSexualTension why he's always arguing with]] [[OfficialCouple Akane]]
** Akane Tendo, his fiancée, is shown in fanwork as one of these: an evil, murderous, [[StrawFeminist misandrist]] psycho who wants to downright murder Ranma for any of his screw-ups; a genuinely kind girl with identity issues who happens to have a huge BerserkButton that Ranma pushes often; or a saintly little victim who snaps only because of Ranma's constant and abusive {{Jerkass}}itude.
** ''Every'' character in ''Ranma'' gets this treatment at some point, from Ranma and Akane to their families (does Genma have an honorable side deep down, or is he completely irredeemable? And just how sweet ''is'' Kasumi, really?) to the Amazons (Cologne ranges from a cold warrior woman determined to drag Ranma back to China to a snarky old lady who enjoys watching Nerima's chaos)... Considering the massive amount of [[{{Fanon}} fanon]] and [[{{Fanfic}} fanfic]] that exist for the series, it would be more surprising if there ''weren't'' this many interpretations.
** An in-canon example; the anime treats many characters differently from the original manga, though precisely who, how differently, and whether this is good or bad is a matter of personal opinion. Example changes:
### Ranma and Akane are more prone to juvenile arguments and bickering in the anime; in the manga, they more or less get along with occasional bouts of surprisingly extreme arguing. At least they get plenty of moments of camaradrie, teamwork and generally enjoying being around each other in both media.
### Shampoo is less violent and more devoted in the anime, getting an episode in which she proves willing to defend Ranma even from her own family, no matter if it takes death (hers or ''theirs'') to do it. Her faith in Ranma and desire to be with him is played up more; for instance, the story where Maomolin attempts to turn her into a cat so he can marry her is changed to include a scene where she ''threatens to slit her own throat'' if he won't let her go. She seems to get on better with her rivals, or at least respect them more. Most notably, she saves Akane from a dangerous fall in the ''Immortal Phoenix'' OAV -- with a zinger about Akane's weight, but she does it.
### Ukyo is more passionate about martial arts. In one late manga story, she loses a duel to a [[UnknownRival Forgotten Rival]] from her childhood and is quite blase about it -- she's just glad he'll leave and stop bothering her. In the anime, one episode is centered on her being defeated by a rival in the art of Martial Arts Cookery, which leaves her horrorstruck, guilty and and outraged at her "weakness". She even chews Ranma out for a thoughtless but well-meaning comment that she thought was him saying martial arts shouldn't matter so much to her because she's a woman. She also genuinely values her friendship with him in the anime; though she in the depths of her heart wants him to return her romantic feelings, she is willing to back down from her schemes if they are putting their friendship at risk. (See the [[SheCleansUpNicely "Great Girly-Girl Gambit"]] episode).
### The Kuno siblings are treated more sympathetically in the anime. Kodachi grew up without any parental figure except Tatewaki; she is several times implied to be a well-meaning but ('''very''') strange who is quite lonely and who clings to Ranma because he's the closest thing to a real friend she has. Tatewaki, meanwhile, was cruelly abused by their father before he bogged off to Hawaii; he has been caring for himself, his sister, and their estate on his own ever since.
### Ryoga's connection to Akane is depicted as more intense in the anime, making him either more sympathetic or more pathetic, depending on your feelings about him. He deliberately tries to save Ranma from being permanently enchanted to love Shampoo with a RedStringOfFate because seeing him acting so loving to her is upsetting Akane. Granted, he collapses into an indecisive panic when he realises that letting Shampoo win means he can have Akane by default; but at least he tries. He makes a passionate speech about how he will always love Akane and watch over her from the shadows in the OAV adaptation of the Ryugenzawa story. In an anime-unique OAV, he leaves in the middle of the night because he knows he'll be tempted to sabotage Akane's upcoming battle to win back the rights to be the official Tendo Dojo heir (and Ranma's fiancee), and he can't bear to hurt her by doing that. In one episode, he absently contemplates staying as P-chan all the time to be Akane's pet 24/7. Finally, the an anime episode that introduced Anna Brown, who would be an {{Expy}} of Akari if she hadn't come ''first'', he admits that he could fall in love with her and may never be this happy again if he leaves... and yet he is still unable to resist telling her that he can't stay and going back to Akane.
### In the anime, Mousse is depicted as a ''very'' creepy StalkerWithACrush. In the final arc of the manga, Shampoo gets mind controlled, and he gets the opportunity to make her his slave. He instead frees her... only for her to go right back to stalking Ranma. He remarks that he's going to be kicking himself for years.
* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'':
** [[spoiler:Anthy]]:
*** While no one thinks she isn't TheWoobie, many people think she is a ManipulativeBastard worse than her brother, having turned [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil cruel and spiteful]] after how many years of her in a state of AndIMustScream. Mostly she seems to think she has no choice in the matter. People who support the interpretation believe she's just being a coward, although the "pure Woobie" interpretation says that she's so broken she didn't realize that she had the capacity to take a stand.
*** There are ''definitely'' people who don't see her as TheWoobie, and refuse to consider her as anything other than a "wimp" or a "passive-aggressive bitch." This mentality is less common among people who've been fans of the series for a reasonable time, but it can be frustrating to see the casual dismissal of her character among those who really, really have no idea what they're talking about.
** What about movie Anthy? She's just badass.
** Our protagonist. Most fans see Utena as a noble Determinator who manages to fight off the negative influences of the broken and deluded people around her. However, a small subset of the fandom don't see steadfast uprightness so much as just another, albeit more resilient, form of her fellow students' misconceptions. After all, she is [[spoiler: maninpulated by Akio]] in the end, just like everyone else, including Anthy. Who's to say that her worldview was not just as simplistic, selfish, and/or flat-out delusional as those she shatters in other people (rather painfully, it must be added) over the course of the series?
* In the final episode of ''Anime/{{Robotech}}'', the use of the Neutron-S missiles was said to be ordered by Admiral Rick Hunter. ''WesternAnimation/RobotechTheShadowChronicles'' (as well as the Prelude comic) attempts to avert this by showing his hesitation. [[spoiler: It was discovered that the missile warheads cause the formation of a black hole, so he tried to warn Vince Grant that the missiles should not be used against Earth]] but that's neither here nor there. The original plan was a "Scorched Earth Tactic" which would have killed millions of humans as well as hopefully destroyed Invid Reflex Point. Despite the fact that the comic attempts to give the impression that Rick Hunter simply agreed with a committee decision, the ''Shadow Chronicles'' film once again simply indicates that he is the originator of the order. Your opinion of Hunter will depend on whether you've read the Prelude Comic or not.
* ''Franchise/SailorMoon''
** Someone [[FanWank explained]] that Chibi-Usa looks nothing like her mother Usagi because she was the lovechild of Mamoru and Rei, with her hair dyed and contacts added to disguise her resemblance to her actual mother.
** There were at least two more versions: Chibi-Usa's real mother is either Luna or Sailor Pluto (all three characters have red eyes in the [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]]). The latter idea was supported by the fact that Chibi-Usa is attached to Pluto even after they both end up in the present maintaining [[SecretIdentity Secret Identities]].
** On the other side of her parentage, one fic has Chibi-Usa's real father be Rubeus because he has red hair and Usagi has blonde, which combine to make pink; and he and Chibi-Usa both have red eyes.
** All of Chibi-Usa's earlier quirks (besides being a BrattyHalfPint, wielding weapons that no five-to-eight year old should be wielding, wetting herself, chasing after her father, etc.) makes more sense when you consider these things:
### She's arguably 900 years old in a world that either has a longer average lifespan or has completely overcome death.
### She's [[HalfHumanHybrid a half breed of human and Moon Person]] (or whatever you care to call them), and most of them are out for her blood.
### She is screwed up from the backstory for R for sitting in the shadow of her parents and eventually ensuring the destruction of the future world.
### She is Usagi's biological child, and she inherited her problems but has not had her character growth!
** WordOfGod stated that Chibi-Usa is pink out of a reference to how albino rabbits have pink eyes.
** Sailor Pluto -- silent guardian of time, or [[EpilepticTrees engineer of dystopian future?]]
** Neo Queen Serenity can easily come across as a dictator, depending on whether you're willing to take it on faith that "purification" and "brainwashing" aren't the same thing.
* ''{{Manga/Saki}}'':
** Saki is either an optimistic young girl doing her best to reconcile with her sister or an unstoppable demon who gleefully destroys the dreams of other young girls just so she can get back at Teru. To be fair in this game there's always loser and winner, and Saki is determined to win all the way to final when she saw Shiraitodai is in different block.
** Teru has several, since she has almost no screentime outside of Saki's flashbacks and dreams, at least until Achiga-Hen
*** Teru's saying that she has no sister is typically seen as a cruel act that is proof that she's a JerkAss who is not the sister Saki remembers. But implications at a tragedy in the Miyanaga family's past suggest that Teru might have been emotionally affected in some way, and their estrangement may not be due to her hating Saki.
*** It's indicated in Achiga-Hen that Teru puts on a [[StepfordSmiler polite and cheerful act for the press]], while she is privately a colder and more aloof individual. However, [[spoiler:after Toki collapses in front of her after their match]], she is completely shocked, and later expresses [[spoiler:concern about Toki's well-being]] under her breath, which could indicate a kinder side of Teru she may not even be aware of herself.
*** Another alternate interpretation suggests that whenever Teru's giving off an imposing aura, she, like her sister, is secretly scared or desperate to find the bathroom.
** Nodoka's father. Is he [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure willing to give Nodoka a chance to prove herself at Mahjong despite not thinking much of it]], and [[OpenMindedParent likely to change his mind]]? Or was his offer to "consider" letting her stay if she wins the national tournament- a small concession with a difficult to achieve condition- made in the belief that Nodoka won't be able to succeed, and possibly insincere at that?
** Is Coach Kubo of Kazekoshi a tough, but fair mahjong coach, or does she excessively punish her players for minor mistakes? Additionally, has she been like this all along, or is this in response to Kazekoshi losing to Ryuumonbuchi in the prefecturals last year, which caused her to believe that Kazekoshi had become complacent and needs to take their games more seriously?
* In ''VisualNovel/SchoolDays'', this often happens with the main characters -- Makoto, Sekai, and Kotonoha:
** For Makoto, it's whether he's truly a cold-hearted [[TheCasanova Casanova]] or just a regular person who is having a normal reaction to being surrounded by hot women who want to have sex with him. He ''is'' a hormonal teenager, after all. Doesn't help that the manga and the anime seem to have different versions of Makoto.
** In Sekai's case, it's whether she's an innocent girl overcome with passion from her [[MatchmakerCrush Matchmaker's Crush]], or a [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative bitch]] who tried to win her man by offering herself to him despite his already having a girlfriend.
** For Kotonoha, there's the ongoing debate over whether she was a normal girl who was [[BreakTheCutie broken]] by the abuse she suffered over the series, or if she had a mental disorder from the beginning.
* The interpretations of the main characters in ''Anime/ScienceNinjaTeamGatchaman'' are not only a subject of many debates in the fandom, but have basis in ''canon'':
** Ken: Rebellious JerkAss who only cares about himself, frustrated and lonely guy struggling to carry the weight of being TheHero on his shoulders, or upstanding moral boy scout? His feelings for Jun seem to change an awful lot. Does he ignore her, see her as "one of the guys" or could he return the affections she holds for him? And then there are fans who think he's gay due to his [[ChasteHero utter cluelessness when it comes to women]].
** Joe: SociopathicHero who just wants to blow stuff up and fight, overtly tragic [[TheWoobie woobie]] or fast-driving flirt? [[HoYay His own feelings towards Ken]] are subject to debate as well.
** Jun: DependingOnTheWriter, she's either smart, capable ActionGirl with good business sense or a [[{{Chickification}} victim of 1970s Japanese sexism]]. Her feelings for Ken also vary in their intensity from girlish crush to real love...and to some fanfic writers angsty pining.
** Jinpei: His young age makes him subject to a lot of changes in his maturity level and role as TheSmartGuy; sometimes he shows great skill and insight for someone his age and other times he's a MouthyKid whose inability to sit still gets him in trouble.
** Ryu is either the pudgy PluckyComicRelief BigEater or the GentleGiant, though most of the time they overlap. FanFic tends to Flanderize the former, though. Also, his BookDumb country boy tendencies vary from episode to episode.
** Some folks consider Dr. Nambu to be a manipulative TricksterMentor (or just a manipulative ass), but others see him as a bona fide TeamDad.
** Red Impulse: Abusive asshole or a man torn between being a good father vs his life's work? And let's not even go into ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'', especially for Mark and Jason vs Ken and Joe...
* An in universe example in ''Manga/SkipBeat'': Kyouko is cast as the villain in a remake of a late 80's drama. The character is a [[RichBitch Rich]] BitchInSheepsClothing who has a huge resentment towards the heroine and uses a facial scar she got from an accident where both were involved to emotionally blackmailing her. The original actress interpreted the character as a apparently timid girl who was not ashamed of use the WoundedGazelleGambit near constantly, using PeekABangs to conceal her [[GoodScarsEvilScars Evil Scars]]. Kyouko instead plays the character as a bitter, resentful teen in perpetual PassiveAggressiveKombat mode, openly showing her scar and having a more "in your face" attitude. Kyouko's justification is that, while the original interpretation was valid and all, she couldn't see the daughter of a rich family spotting such a big facial scar: if you had get such damage twenty years ago you should have had to live with it, but nowdays you can get a plastic surgeon to erase or minimize it. Since the scar blackmailing is fundamental to the character and the plot, Kyouko decided to play her as the [[MagnificentBastard kind of person that would have kept such a scar in purpose]].
* ''Manga/SoulEater'':
** Many fanfics present [[TheLancer Soul]] as being an awkward teenager who is head-over-heels for his best friend, Maka, despite all her [[BadAssBookworm nerdiness]]; Just as many present him as a complete JerkAss who has to watch Maka nearly die before he gets any amount of CharacterDevelopment.
** Maka is either a CuteBruiser and the OnlySaneMan or a complete AlphaBitch and MarySue. Fanfics will also present her as such - she's usually either a SchoolGirlWithACrush on Soul and is completely incapable of hiding her feelings for him, or is an extraordinarily [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale violent]] young girl in complete denial about her feelings.
** Spirit, Maka's father. Seeing all the suffering he goes through on the show makes him far more sympathetic than Maka's mother, who has not made any appearances in any media. One could easily think that she isn't that good of a person if she never visited Maka.
* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' is rife with these:
** Ryoko is one of these: (A) [[BrokenBird a troubled soul who was forced to do evil]] (see below), who is the only one that truly loves Tenchi (most commonly because she watched him grow up), and who also knows every character (particularly Tenchi and Ayeka) better than they know themselves; (B) [[TheVamp an evil sociopathic slut who just wants Tenchi for his lower organs]]; C) a cruel sociopath who only wants Tenchi because she will do anything to hurt Ayeka; D) an alien whose [[BlueAndOrangeMorality instinctive ways of displaying emotion clash with normal humans/Jurians']].
** The {{OVA}} continuity has fans debating about the nature of Kagato's control of Ryoko, both in the past and at the end of the first arc, to determine how traumatized she might have been. Was Ryoko a pure mindless killing machine? Or was she aware of her actions but still unable to stop herself due to Kagato's overwhelming control? Series creator Masaki Kajishima's {{Tie In Novel}}s established Ryoko as a {{Tykebomb}} who was kept on a short leash emotionally but who was still largely in control of her actions before her imprisonment, and so it's impossible for her to be entirely innocent -- or entirely guilty.
** Ayeka is one of these: (A) [[YamatoNadeshiko a calm, understanding, proud, powerful woman who wants what's best for everybody]]; (B) [[AlphaBitch an evil lazy bitch]] who only wants Tenchi because she will do anything to hurt Ryoko; or (C) TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask because her position in life requires her to conceal that deep down she's an insecure {{Tsundere}}.
** Interestingly, unless Ayeka and Ryoko are being portrayed with the "we destroy the house every week by fighting" mentality, Ayeka's [[BarrierWarrior fighting prowess]] is usually forgotten, which makes her a DamselInDistress. It's assumed that Ayeka cannot fight on even ground with even their lower fighters (such as Mihoshi). This is {{Flanderization}} of the plot point in the {{OVA}}s that Ryoko was much more powerful in a serious fight.
** None of these consider "Call Me Princess", Ayeka's ImageSong, which depicts her as a whip-happy, leather clad sadist... explaining that it's "traditional royal bridegroom training". Is she lying, or is BDSM one of the pillars of Juraian culture?
** There is the occasional fanfic which runs with the MarryThemAll solution by giving both of the ladies positive interpretations and enough maturity or mutual affection to go the Polyamorous Route(tm). [[spoiler: This ''is'' the WordOfGod.]]
** Washu: a) a cute geek who, thanks to being very old, is unable to realize the stress she puts the 20- or couple-hundred-year-old younglings through? b) a psychopathic MadScientist who will do anything ForScience, up to and including emotional (and probably literal) rape of Tenchi?; c) A goddess with an OmniscientMoralityLicense coming from having lived waaaaaaaay too long, thus having her morality seriously whacked and/or practically non-existent?
** Mihoshi. She is one of these: (a) TheFool, and thus both TheRival and TheLoad for Kiyone; (b) a brilliant actor pulling off the greatest case of ObfuscatingStupidity ever; (c) a GeniusDitz who achieved a BunnyEarsLawyer reputation; (d) TheCape and BrokenBird who has seen so such trauma that she has burned out and is dealing with it by becoming a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
** Rossiu is seen by most people as a [[TheScrappy manipulative, backstabbing jerk]] not worth screentime. Others will wax for hours that he is a tragic example of what happens to the OnlySaneMan in a universe that favours the HotBlooded Determinator characters. Or perhaps he genuinely means well, but his childhood indoctrination into the [[CorruptChurch priesthood]] gave him a skewed way of looking at the world. The population limit Lordgenome mentioned is [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything eerily similar]] to the 50-person limit in his village, maintained by the High Priest [[ShootTheDog sending excess people to die]], and Rossiu's raising may be preventing him from finding a better solution than the one used there. This is [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Simon. Rossiu is trying to save the human race, and irrationally convinced that he is the only one who can. This, unfortunately, leads him to [[spoiler:nearly kill the guy who actually '''could''' save the human race.]]
** [[FanNickname Bruce Ironstaunch]]: A [[TheStoic stoic]] random crowd member who expresses his support for Rossiu's decisions with a BicepPolishingGesture, or a heroic rebel who [[CassandraTruth dares to go against the mob]], delivering a firm "Up Yours!" to Rossiu, protected only by his BadassMustache and [[SeenItAll bored expression]]? [[MemeticMutation And they will still be manlier than you!]]
** The Anti-Spirals: [[spoiler: [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned extremists]] willing to do [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill whatever it takes]] to keep the universe safe, or [[FantasticRacism racist monsters]] who [[KnightTemplar put on a facade of deceny?]] ]]
* In ''Anime/UtaKata'', does Satsuki get upset because her best friend Keiko kisses the guy who just stood her up moments before, or because her beloved Keiko is making out with ''someone else''? It could go either way, but the fact remains that Satsuki never showed any overt interest in the guy before that, and she [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship is shown to be extremely close with Keiko]] throughout the series.
* The ''[[Anime/YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters]]'' series has quite a few:
** Yugi Mutou: cute innocent boy [[TheWoobie who's been picked on for being small]], or a [[ShrinkingViolet weakling]] who relies too much on his alter ego and happily takes credit for duelling wins he barely contributed towards?
** The other Yugi / Yami Yugi / The Pharaoh: Secretly still the SociopathicHero he was in the manga and season 0? Or simply, as some have put it, a self-righteous prick with a pole up his ass? Is he just a guy who has extremely bad luck and covers it by acting big? Just a devoted aibou for Yugi, or a guy who only pretends to care for his host? Speaking of aibou, is he straight, gay or asexual? Is he just a cool face while Yugi comes up with all the winning strategies, do they work together equally, or is he the one doing all the work? Does he really believe in the PowerOfFriendship and the Heart of the Cards and care for his TrueCompanions, or is Yugi the only one he really cares for?
*** It's also been popular in fanfiction to interpret him as a {{Yandere}} for Yugi (particularly with the season 0 version of him).
*** It's also popular in fanfiction to depict him as a cruel monarch or despot, despite there being no canon backup for this. Goes hand in hand with lionizing the Thief King Bakura, or Yugi being a wallflower slave in that era.
** Katsuya Jounouchi: BadassNormal? ButtMonkey? BoringFailureHero? TooDumbToLive? All of the above?
** Seto Kaiba: [[TheWoobie Does he need a hug for his troubled past]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold for which he is misunderstood]] -- not that he wants the hug? Should he be fawned upon for his {{angst}}, [[DeadpanSnarker snark]], supreme power (in both Duel Monsters and business), and intelligence, especially considering [[SelfMadeMan his path from orphanhood]]? Or is he just a [[JerkAss jerk]] [[BreakingLecture who likes to mouth off on his superiority]]? And is his constant losing to destiny an unfair break, given how he wants to duel for himself where Yami Yugi seems to have gotten into games as a means of protecting people?
*** How about his Ancient Egyptian persona (mostly the manga incarnation)? Did he really love Kisara, or did he just admire her power (made worse when they have little page time together)? Was his reluctance to overthrow the Pharaoh as Akhenaden wanted him to a sign of reluctant respect for the Pharaoh, or just a sense of duty? And if Executive Meddling hadn't shortened his fight with the Pharaoh, would he have been rebelling because he favours the survival of the dynasty where Atem favoured the common people, or just because he wanted to rule and defeat the Pharaoh at last?
** Ryou Bakura: Adorable [[TheIngenue innocent]] ShrinkingViolet teenage boy who happens to be [[SealedEvilInACan possessed by a spirit that lives in a piece of ancient jewelery]] given to him by his neglectful father who's never around, or creepy NightmareFetishist StepfordSmiler?
** What About Yami Bakura? Is he really a JerkAss who needs to be destroyed, or is he an extreme case of TroubledButCute who just needs a hug? Or is he evil, but only because he's being [[ManipulativeBastard manipulated by Zorc]]?
** Akhenaden. Was he driven to his actions and justified by having the realism to Akhenamkhanen's detached idealism? Is he ultimately not responsible for Zorc using him, leading to him being allowed to reach the Afterlife, or was his spirit controlling Bakura's the entire time?
* ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'':
** Fan interpretation of Judai's relationship with Johan in flip-flops between just two duel-obsessed guys finding a niche with each other and HoYay. Also, whether Yubel should be considered male or female has been heavily debated.
** Judai Yuki of ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' has been seen both as the type of person who is calm under pressure even when dueling evil aliens or demonic {{Clingy Jealous Girl}}s and the like, and as a clueless dolt who never understands the severity of a situation and who has no idea exactly ''what'' he duels for. He himself wrestles with this question in season 3. Ironically, the first time he tries taking a duel seriously, [[spoiler: he does it ''too'' well and [[FaceHeelTurn snaps]].]]
* ''Anime/YukiYunaIsAHero'':
** Were Togo's [[spoiler:multiple suicide attempts]] in episodes 8 and 10 simply her experimenting with the fairies' powers, or did she really intend to [[spoiler:[[DrivenToSuicide kill herself]]]]?
** Following TheReveal in Episode 8 that [[spoiler:the Sange is permanent]], are the Taisha [[spoiler:[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Kyubey-level]] {{Magnificent Bastard}}s who are willing to throw the lives of innocent girls into a FateWorseThanDeath just to preserve their world a while longer]], or are they just [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned Extremists]] who had no other choice to preserve the world and [[spoiler:sincerely worship the girls that they sacrifice]]?
** What exactly were Sonoko's intentions when she told Togo [[spoiler:the truth about the outside world? Did she simply want her old friend to know what she was really fighting for before Togo ended up like her]]? Or was she a MagnificentBastard who used Togo to [[spoiler:destroy the world and end her own suffering]]?
** It's commonly believed that Togo initially refused to become a Hero because she was afraid of her disability holding everyone back. However, upon reading [[spoiler:what she went through as Sumi Washio in the prequel LN]], some theorized that she was actually suffering from [[spoiler:PTSD]]. WordOfGod confirms that Togo reacted that way because [[spoiler:even though her mind didn't remember fighting the Vertex before, her body and soul did]].
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'':
** Yukina:
*** Interpretations of Yukina, Hiei's sister, run the gamut from NaiveEverygirl who is happy just to be with her human friends even if she can't find her brother, to EmotionlessGirl who wants her brother to commit genocide on the [[OneGenderRace Koorime]] for throwing him away, and everything in between. Also, has she figured out Hiei is her brother? She does call him brother once, but immediately backtracked and said she would like her brother to be like him. There's also debate over her sexuality, as [[OneGenderRace Koorime]] ("Ice Maidens") are all female and reproduce asexually, but her mother, Hina, clearly had some kind of sexual relationship with a man in order to produce Hiei. There's even a certain level of debate towards whether or not Yukina is a product of the sexual encounters between Hina and Hiei's father, or if Yukina was the asexually reproduced daughter a Koorime has every hundred years. So could she fall in love and have a sexual relationship with Kuwabara? Is she a lesbian? Or is she 100% asexual?
*** In the manga, after Hiei tells Yukina that if she wants to see the Ice Maidens wiped out, she should do it herself rather than rely on her brother, she says "I believe... my brother would tell me the same thing," giving no indication that she knows that Hiei is her brother, but leaving open the possibility that she could find out. The manga translation also seems to indicate that she sees destroying the Koorime as a species-wide MercyKill, since she doesn't think people can or should suppress their emotions (which takes on more meaning when you consider that she was imprisoned in Tarukane's mansion and had to force herself not to cry so he couldn't harvest her tears).
*** Adding to the speculation would be a scene from Eizou Hakusho, where Hiei attempts to return Yukina's Hiruiseki stone claiming her brother is dead, but she smiles and says he should keep it before leaving. Genkai proceeds to tell Hiei that Yukina is not the child he thinks she is, possibly further implying she has already figured it out.
*** Is Yukina really as harmless as she acts, or is she actually a HiddenBadass who nonetheless gets others to fight for her? Hiei told her to kill the Koorime herself; would he have said that to her if he didn't think she could actually ''do'' it? Hiei's been a prodigious powerhouse from literally before he was born, so it's perfectly possible that Yukina is the same way.
** Kurama is also the subject of much debate, largely because of changes made in the slightly {{Bowdlerise}}d English dub, which featured a scene where his transformed demon-self spoke to his more human-like self as if they were separate entities. Thus, some fans have come to believe that he has a borderline (or even full-on) SplitPersonality. Other fans believe that he has a single identity, and has merely experienced CharacterDevelopment as a result of his [[BecomingTheMask human facade]].
** Is Yaminade no Itsuki a simple [[MadLove love-struck]] PsychoSupporter, or is there [[CorruptTheCutie something]] [[TheCorrupter more]] [[LadyMacbeth to]] [[ManipulativeBastard it]]?

----

* ''Anime/LuckyStar'' has a few.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Jessie, James and Meowth in the anime are prone to this, due to their IneffectualSympatheticVillain status and well-developed backstories. Depending on which section of the fandom you ask, they're one of these: A) [[EvilIsCool criminals who are loved because they're so bad]]; B) a trio of bumbling misfits who happen to look cool; C) tragically misunderstood [[TheWoobie woobies]]; or D) a trio of rebels who are capable of being good but like being bad too much to do a complete HeelFaceTurn. Arguments over which portrayal is most accurate can lead to much FanWank. That their niceness or meaness changes DependingOnTheWriter doesn't help. More specifically, Meowth could be just as bumbling and incompetent as the other two; he could be a smart but conflicted villain who gets constantly dragged down by his [[HiddenHeartOfGold desire to be be a good guy]]; or he could be a mastermind with enough smarts to learn Japanese (or English, for the dub) ''with a completely inhuman mouth'' and invent all sorts of scientifically improbable devices, and who pretends he wants to replace Giovanni's Persian cat-Pokémon [[ObfuscatingStupidity because it makes him look incompetent]].
** There's also speculation that Jessie, James, and Meowth aren't villains, but deep cover heroes using the guise of incompetence to subtly influence Ash into becoming a better Trainer, and herding him into the right places to do good. Considering their motto used to start off with "To protect the world from devastation", this doesn't seem all that farfetch'd.
** Pikachu:
*** In the first episode of Pokémon, Ash Ketchum's Pikachu is a complete {{Jerkass}} to Ash until Ash's attempt at a {{Heroic Sacrifice}} [[WellDoneSonGuy earns his respect]]. He later has an instant liking for Ash's new [[YouOweMe unwanted]] travelling companion Misty. The moment Misty receives the bike she's owed and leaves, what does Pikachu do? Destroy [[MsFanservice another girl's]] bike. And after she leaves? [[RunningGag YET ANOTHER]] girl's bike. He has NO INTEREST WHATSOEVER in the advances of [[StalkerWithACrush Dawn's Buneary]]... Perhaps Pikachu's interests lie [[InterspeciesRomance elsewhere?]] Especially considering that his jerkass tendencies [[OutOfCharacterMoment never show themselves again]]. (Also, there's a line in the Japanese theme song about looking for Pokémon inside a girl's skirt, and Pikachu happens to run beneath a [[ContinuityCameo Lass's]] skirt in the corresponding shot.)
*** Part of the fandom is still holding onto the theory that Pikachu is female. The "reveal" episode has it falling for a female Togepi's attract. Does Pikachu have unknown Bisexual interests? Was its interest in Togepi related to it's parental affections toward Togepi? Was it just a case of EvenTheGirlsWantHer? Is it a ''{{Transgender}}''? Pikachu is quite masculine at times, and uses "Boku". Maybe that means something?
** The Pokémon franchise has a lot of ''canonical'' Alternate Character Interpretation, considering the number of AlternateContinuities that exist. Compare May from the anime with Sapphire from ''Manga/PokemonSpecial''. Despite being polar opposites, they are both based on the same character from the original games.
** The same also applies to [[NiceGuy Cilan]]. His video game counterpart has [[ShrinkingViolet no confidence]] when facing the player character and his anime counterpart is rather [[LargeHam loud]] in comparison. Additionally, his anime counterpart is driven farther with what Burgundy states about him and how in her {{Imagine Spot}}, she suffered a [[HumiliationConga humiliating defeat]] from him and he taunts her. She is already made out to be a liar in the episode but when she challenges him later on in this episode, the audience ''sees'' Cilan enjoying toying with her needlessly when it would only need one hit to KO both of her Pokemon. Somehow, the idea of him being a {{nice guy}} in both continuities is shattered if you put this into perspective. This makes the idea of Cilan secretly being a bad guy and being one of the three members of the Shadow Triad more likely.
** It's a never ending debate on whether [[TheRival Paul]] is either a DomesticAbuser who tortures Pokemon, never shows any care for them whatsoever, and deserves to have his license as a trainer taken away, or if he's simply a JerkWithAHeartOfJerk and very [[StealthMentor strict trainer]] who's also fair enough to his Pokemon and knows his methods will pay off in the end. If you look at the way Paul is from his first appearances to his last, you'll most certainly see he's made some changes.
** Pokemon themselves, and the practice of battling. Are they fully sapient {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s engaging in their version of [=UFC=] with "coaches" who've earned their respect? Or are they little more than powerful animals being made to suffer through a sterilized depiction of cockfighting?
** Does Ash ''really'' keep losing league matches, or is he intentionally throwing them so he has an excuse to keep traveling?

** Kogoro Mouri has been interpreted as having actually figured out Conan is actually solving the crimes ''for'' him and after awhile, just ''let'' him solve it for him while he receives the credit for it. Kogoro already isn't a bad detective; he's just got an extreme case of Tunnel Vision and wants things to be done as fast as possible, so he'll come to one conclusion a detective would, but then insist he's right until proven wrong. Whenever Ran or Conan are threatened, he actually becomes ''scarily'' competent. (Kinda like ''InspectorGadget'' whenever he knows Penny & Brain are threatened) There have been several other times where he actually got it ''mostly'' right, and several times where he solved the case and only needed a couple hints from Conan, or in one occasion, not only solved it but got a couple details that ''Conan'' missed. (It also helps that he tends to be more streetsmart while conan is more booksmart - Kogoro has more insight into peoples' emotions)

* Kashiwa's girlfriend in ''Kyou Kara Yonshimai'' doesn't want her to get [[{{transsexual}} Sexual Reassignment Surgery]]. Is it due to her secretly not supporting Kashiwa's want to transition and wishing she was a WholesomeCrossdresser, or is she worried that the transition will make it harder for them to get married?

*** Part of the fandom is still holding onto the theory that Pikachu is female. The "reveal" episode has it falling for a female Togepi's attract. Does Pikachu have unknown Bisexual interests? Was its interest in Togepi related to it's parental affections toward Togepi? Was it just a case of EvenTheGirlsWantHer? Is it a ''{{Transsexual}}''? Pikachu is quite masculine at times, and uses "Boku". Maybe that means something?

* Most readers of ''Manga/KaguyaSamaWaKokurasetai'' are convinced that the ditzy secretary, Chika Fujiwara, is secretly a MagnificentBastard who is manipulating Kaguya and Miyuki for her own amusement. Evidence includes repeat circumstances of her causing the status quo to be maintained whenever one of them seems close to confessing, her coming from a family of skilled politicians, and she's the only one with a consistent positive score in the end-of-chapter win/loss results.

* ''AlternateCharacterInterpretation/DeathNote''

* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Is Madoka just being nice to make up for her self esteem issues? Is Sayaka a naive fool, or a noble victim? Is Mami a selfish loner masquerading as a hero of justice? Does Kyoko have the right idea about the magical girl world? Then there's Homura, probably the worst culprit, and interpretations of her have only increased since Rebellion...