History BaseBreakingCharacter / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic

** It got even worse with "The Ending of The End" revealing he disguised himself as Grogar and deliberately brought together the Legion of Doom, revived King Sombra which resulted in the Tree of Harmony's destruction, practically ''gave'' them [[ArtifactOfDoom Grogar's bell]] and put all of Equestria in danger [[WellIntentionedExtremist in a bad attempt to boost Twilight's confidence]]. A large portion of the fanbase believed Discord got off ''way'' too easy for all the bad things in the finale and throughout the season being his fault, many agreeing with Applejack's sentiment that he didn't learn anything about friendship. Some have stated that his intentions were good while the rest of the fans refuted that regardless of intentions, he still put all of Equestria at risk of being destroyed because of his [[DidntThinkThisThrough poorly-conceived method of trying to help Twilight]] and that he should've known better, especially with this being ''five years'' after "Twilight's Kingdom".

* [[EnfantTerrible Cozy Glow]] is also divisive. You either find her a genuinely compelling villain who's incredibly smart and manipulative, or you think she's an annoying character with a firm grasp on DidntThinkThisThrough. Her [[DraggedOffToHell being sent to Tartarus]], as well as her inclusion in Grogar's LegionOfDoom, are also divisive. In the former case, some find it a welcome break from villains being EasilyForgiven while others thought a child being punished so harshly after others were grated leniency made the issue worse. In the latter case, some felt that she didn't deserve to be included given she's just a child and/or isn't threatening enough, whereas others claim her crimes make her more than worthy of being included and/or enjoy her dynamic with Tirek and Chrysalis. [[spoiler:Her [[TakenForGranite final punishment]] is also a base breaker, for the exact same reasons listed above, and it's even worse as its implied to be permanent.]].
* Grogar. A majority of the fanbase were ecstatic about Friendship Is Magic bringing back another classic G1 villain. And many others love him for [[EvilIsCool how powerful he is even without his bell]], his preference for planning ahead and the fact that unlike the other villains, he knows not to underestimate the Mane Six and has some idea of [[WeWorkWellTogether what makes them formidable]]. But he has his share of detractors who find him to be a [[GenericDoomsdayVillain boring villain with a bland personality]] who spends more time planning than actually ''doing'' anything. Some have even admitted to preferring [[MemeticLoser the Storm King]] over him, claiming ''he'' at least had an enjoyable personality. Even more so since it turns out [[spoiler:The ''real'' Grogar never actually showed up, and the one we saw was just Discord in disguise]].

* [[EnfantTerrible Cozy Glow]] is also divisive. You either find her a genuinely compelling villain who's incredibly smart and manipulative, or you think she's an annoying character with a firm grasp on DidntThinkThisThrough. Her [[DraggedOffToHell being sent to Tartarus]], as well as her inclusion in Grogar's LegionOfDoom, are also divisive. In the former case, some find it a welcome break from villains being EasilyForgiven while others thought a child being punished so harshly after others were grated leniency made the issue worse. In the latter case, some felt that she didn't deserve to be included given she's just a child and/or isn't threatening enough, whereas others claim her crimes make her more than worthy of being included and/or enjoy her dynamic with Tirek and Chrysalis.

* [[EnfantTerrible Cozy Glow]] is also divisive. You either find her a genuinely compelling villain who's incredibly smart and manipulative, or you think she's an annoying character with a firm grasp on the IdiotBall. Her [[DraggedOffToHell being sent to Tartarus]], as well as her inclusion in Grogar's LegionOfDoom, are also divisive. In the former case, some find it a welcome break from villains being EasilyForgiven while others thought a child being punished so harshly after others were grated leniency made the issue worse. In the latter case, some felt that she didn't deserve to be included given she's just a child and/or isn't threatening enough, whereas others claim her crimes make her more than worthy of being included and/or enjoy her dynamic with Tirek and Chrysalis.

* Grogar. A majority of the fanbase were ecstatic about Friendship Is Magic bringing back another classic G1 villain. And many others love him for [[EvilIsCool how powerful he is even without his bell]], his preference for planning ahead and the fact that unlike the other villains, he knows not to underestimate the Mane Six and has some idea of [[WeWorkWellTogether what makes them formidable]]. But he has his share of detractors who find him to be a [[GenericDoomsdayVillain boring villain with a bland personality]] who spends more time planning than actually ''doing'' anything. Some have even admitted to preferring [[MemeticLoser the Storm King]] over him, claiming ''he'' at least had an enjoyable personality.

* Pinkie Pie. While many love her for being a FunPersonified pony whose driving purpose in life is to make others happy, and find her hyperactivity and fourth-wall breaking antics hilarious; Others hate her for being InnocentlyInsensitive and [[KarmaHoudini getting away with it]], being part of the most controversial aesops of the series (Such as "Swarm of the Century", "Feeling Pinkie Keen", "A Friend In Deed”, and “Yakity-Sax”), and find her irritating; though exactly how scatterbrained she is tends to vary between episodes.

* Of all the royal princesses, Princess Celestia is probably the most divisive character of the show. Many fans found her boring, uninteresting, and [[MemeticLoser weak]] which invoked the three common meme trends ({{Troll}}estia, [[MemeticMolester Molestia]], and [[RonTheDeathEater Tyrantlestia]]) in fanart, fanfiction, threads, etc., while others found her to be the most deep character of the series. While there hasn't been much backstory given to her in the show itself, the IDW comics do expand on her character quite a bit, making her TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask. Her actions in the Reflection Arc of the comic series also show that she was almost blindly impulsive and selfish in her younger days. This has lead to a split that made some fans question how much Celestia deserves to be the ruler of Equestria, while others say that her status as TheAtoner makes her far more interesting.

* Spitfire, due to her actions in both Wonderbolts Academy and especially Rainbow Falls. There are some parts of the fanbase who [[RonTheDeathEater demonize]] and/or [[MemeticLoser laugh at]] Spitfire and make Soarin a total Woobie who has since been saved by the true love of Rainbow Dash. Though for RD haters, they demonize them both and have Soarin fall for a very kind OC. Look on the comments of any pony video featuring Spitfire and for every "Spitfire is awesome!" comment you see, there'll be a "Spitfire is a complete and utter douchebag." or "[[EnsembleDarkhorse Soarin]] is the only [[TokenGoodTeammate good]] Wonderbolt." comment. It's gotten to the point where Spitfire has quickly become one of the most divisive characters in the show and is on par with Rainbow for both one of the most liked and most hated ponies.

* Flash Sentry. When he was introduced, the fandom erupted due to Twilight developing a crush on him. Some jumped on what was possibly the first canon pairing of the Mane 6 while others argued that MLP had done just fine without romance and didn't need it now. It didn't help that Flash barely did anything in his debut. This caused haters to accuse Flash of being a FlatCharacter or a MartyStu, while fans accuse the haters of being upset that Flash stole their 'waifu'. Fighting further continued with fans wanting Flash to come back and be more developed, while haters wanted Flash gone altogether. The writers apparently noticed the controversy Flash has caused, and steadily moved him further into the background as the series went on.

* Flash Sentry. When he was introduced, the fandom erupted due to Twilight developing a crush on him. Some jumped on what was possibly the first canon pairing of the Mane 6 while others argued that MLP had done just fine without romance and didn't need it now. Added on that Flash in the movie barely did anything, barely had any personality, and barely did anything to earn Twilight's affections caused haters to accuse him of being nothing more than a bad OC, while fans accuse the haters of being upset that Flash stole their 'waifu'. Fighting further continued with fans wanting Flash to come back and be more developed while haters wanted Flash gone, period. The writers have apparently noticed the controversy Flash has caused and have steadily moved him further into the background as the movies have gone on.

* The yaks, particularly Prince Rutherford. Their entire race is boistrous and short-tempered, they have a strong arrogant streak in regards to how great they are and better than other races, and they aren't very bright either. This creates [[PlanetOfHats an entire race of beings who constantly talk, loudly and proudly, about how all yak things are great and better than pony things, look down on the ponies for no reason other than they aren't yaks, and act like fools]]. Either you find their schtick hilarious or you find it annoying. The fact they've been having a more recurring role as of lately isn't making things any easier.

* Fluttershy. Some fans go through HypeBacklash when it comes to her cuteness, and find her passiveness and cowardliness irritating rather than endearing. Her willingness to stand up for herself and/or her friends also varies, [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on the episode]]. Whenever she does something wrong (like hurting her friends’ feelings), she’s quickly forgiven, yet when any of her friends hurt ''her'', [[DoubleStandard they quickly become targets of unrelenting hate]] as seen with Fluttershy's pet Angel in "Putting Your Hoof Down" and Pinkie Pie in "Filli Vanilli". Her cemented [[CharacterDevelopment assertiveness]] in the later seasons also causes this. Some people think it retroactively makes her a walking SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome and others think she's now [[FlatCharacter boring and unrelatable]], while still others think she's gone too far in her assertiveness and into borderline [[TookALevelInJerkass vindictive territory]].

* Spitfire is becoming this as of late, due to her actions in both Wonderbolts Academy and especially Rainbow Falls. There are some parts of the fanbase who [[RonTheDeathEater demonize]] Spitfire and make Soarin a total Woobie who has since been saved by the true love of Rainbow Dash. Though for RD haters, they demonize them both and have Soarin fall for a very kind OC. Look on the comments of any pony video featuring Spitfire and for every "Spitfire is awesome!" comment you see, there'll be at least 5 more "Spitfire is a complete and utter douchebag." or "[[EnsembleDarkhorse Soarin]] is the only [[TokenGoodTeammate good]] Wonderbolt." It's gotten to the point where Spitfire has quickly become one of the most divisive characters in the show and is on par with Rainbow for both one of the most liked and most hated ponies.

[[folder:The Mane Six and Spike]]

* Fluttershy. Some fans go through HypeBacklash when it comes to her cuteness, and find her passiveness and cowardliness irritating rather than endearing. Her willingness to stand up for herself and/or her friends also varies, [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on the episode]]. Whenever she does something wrong (like hurting her friends’ feelings), she’s quickly forgiven, yet when any of her friends hurt ''her'', [[DoubleStandard they quickly become targets of unrelenting hate]] as seen with Fluttershy's pet Angel in "Putting Your Hoof Down" and Pinkie Pie in "Filli Vanilli". Her cemented [[CharacterDevelopment assertiveness]] in the later seasons also causes this. Some people think it retroactively makes her a walking SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome and others think she's now [[FlatCharacter boring and unrelatable]].

** All of this was subsided by the season finale revealing he was really ''Discord'' in disguise the whole time and he brought together Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow in a poorly thought-out attempt to boost Twilight's confidence.

** It got even worse with "The Ending of The End" revealing he disguised himself as Grogar and deliberately brought together the Legion of Doom, revived King Sombra which resulted in the Tree of Harmony's destruction, practically ''gave'' them [[ArtifactOfDoom Grogar's bell]] and put all of Equestria in danger [[WellIntentionedExtremist in a bad attempt to boost Twilight's confidence]]. A large portion of the fanbase believed Discord got off ''way'' too easy for all the bad things in the finale and throughout the season being his fault, many agreeing with Applejack's sentiment that he didn't learn anything about friendship. Some have stated that his intentions were good while the rest of the fans refuted that regardless of intentions, he still put all of Equestria at risk of being destroyed because of his [[DidntThinkThisThrough poorly-conceived method of trying to help Twilight]] and that he should've known better, especially with this being ''five years'' after "Twilight's Kingdom".

* Upon his introduction, Discord was ''immediately'' adored by the fan base for his whimsical villainy, trickster personality and mish-mosh appearance. Being voiced by Creator/JohnDeLancie helped his cause tremendously. Then in "Keep Calm and Flutter on", his second appearance, he underwent the makings of a HeelFaceTurn. This split his fans between those who welcomed it, expecting him to fight alongside the mane cast and those who thought he was better as a villain, thinking such reformation was rushed at best and forced at worse. Every appearance after that has been equally divisive, with some questioning whether or not his crossing over was genuine (especially considering his actions in "Twilight's Kingdom"). It got even worse with "The Ending of The End" revealing he disguised himself as Grogar and deliberately brought together the Legion of Doom, revived King Sombra which resulted in the Tree of Harmony's destruction, practically ''gave'' them [[ArtifactOfDoom Grogar's bell]] and put all of Equestria in danger [[WellIntentionedExtremist in a bad attempt to boost Twilight's confidence]]. A large portion of the fanbase believed Discord got off ''way'' too easy for all the bad things in the finale and throughout the season being his fault, many agreeing with Applejack's sentiment that he didn't learn anything about friendship.

* Upon his introduction, Discord was ''immediately'' adored by the fan base for his whimsical villainy, trickster personality and mish-mosh appearance. Being voiced by Creator/JohnDeLancie helped his cause tremendously. Then in "Keep Calm and Flutter on", his second appearance, he underwent the makings of a HeelFaceTurn. This split his fans between those who welcomed it, expecting him to fight alongside the mane cast and those who thought he was better as a villain, thinking such reformation was rushed at best and forced at worse. Every appearance after that has been equally divisive, with some questioning whether or not his crossing over was genuine (especially considering his actions in "Twilight's Kingdom").

** After the show ended, there was debate if the Student Six they were underutilized. Most of the episodes that feature them focused on them as a group (Season 8 premiere and finale along with "Uprooted"), or have one of them tag along with a main character with the latter as the focus of the story (Smolder in "Molt Down", "Father Knows Beast" and "Sweet and Smoky"). Outside of "She's All Yak" for Yona, none of the other members got ADayInTheLimelight that focused on their characters. On one hand, this caused a group of fans to say that the Young Six never got enough development to justify their existence, or say that they needed more screentime to flesh them out. On the other hand, some fans think the Young Six were utilized just fine since they were meant as background characters and never intended to replace the main cast, or that they had enough moments past their introduction to still make them dynamic characters. Either way, bringing up the Student Six's role in ''Friendship is Magic'' is sure to cause some grumbling.

* "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E21EveryLittleThingSheDoes Every Little Thing She Does]]" is an episode where Starlight brainwashes her friends sans Twilight to solve friendship problems. This threw even more divisive opinions Starlight's way. Some pounced on this, saying this negates Starlight being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap and that she'll be a KarmaHoudini due to the season finale relying on her saving Equestria. A shrinking vocal minority doesn't mind it, claiming that Twilight did this in "Lesson Zero" to the point of getting an entire town brawling and had to be bailed out by her friends. Others felt that "two wrongs do not make it right", I.E., someone else doing a bad thing again shouldn't get special treatment for it, and are quick to point out that while Twilight ''did'' do that, she was a national hero who had proven her heroism and good intentions time and time again, not a recently reformed criminal who had spent a lifetime of doing wrong and was ''already'' given far more leeway and forgiveness than she deserved. The other side comes back and contends that Starlight had legitimately good intentions as well, and she just messed up and is [[TropesAreTools good demonstration of character flaws]] she as a real student, still needs to work on. Not only that, but they also point out Starlight took responsibility and actually had to ''work'' to earn forgiveness from the others, negating her KarmaHoudini status.

* The Student/Young 6. They're either seen as good characters that flesh out the world or a SpotlightStealingSquad that took focus away from the Mane 6 and should never have existed.
** There is actually a sizable camp stating that they were underutilised instead, stating that not giving them their own spin-off resulted in this "spotlight stealing" instead. The justification is that most of the episodes that feature them focused on them as a group (Season 8 premiere and finale along with "Uprooted"), or have one of them tag along with a main character with the latter as the focus of the story (Smolder in "Molt Down", "Father Knows Beast" and "Sweet and Smoky"). Outside of "She's All Yak" for Yona, none of the other members got ADayInTheLimelight that focuses on their character and dynamic with the other individual members like the Mane 6. In light of "The Last Problem", it's implied that they are being succeeded by Luster Dawn and her future friends, which results in the narrative equivalent of them only showing their beginning and end. This makes you wonder why would they be given all the signs to be the successors of the Mane 6 if their own adventures were going to be skipped anyway.

** There is actually a sizable camp stating that they were underutilised instead, stating that not giving them their own spin-off resulted in this "spotlight stealing" instead. The justification is that most of the episodes that feature them focused on them as a group (Season 8 premiere and finale), or have one of them tag along with a main character with the latter as the focus of the story (Smolder in "Molt Down", "Father Knows Beast" and "Sweet and Smoky"). Outside of "She's All Yak" for Yona, none of the other members got ADayInTheLimelight that focuses on their character and dynamic with the other members like the Mane 6. In light of "The Last Problem", it's implied that they are being succeeded by Luster Dawn and her future friends, which results in the narrative equivalent of them only showing their beginning and end. This makes you wonder why would they be given all the signs to be the successors of the Mane 6 if their own adventures were going to be skipped anyway.

No discussion of Base-Breaking Characters in ''Friendship is Magic'' would be complete without mentioning Starlight Glimmer. She caused this reaction ever since she first appeared on the show in the fifth season's debut episode, eventually becoming a main character. Until the day the show ended, Starlight split the fanbase into vocal camps about her. Even though the vitriol against her would eventually calm down, Starlight caused a sustained conflict among the bronies that doesn't appear to be ending any time soon.

* After Starlight's HeelFaceTurn, the staff tried to perform some [[AuthorsSavingThrow damage control]] with the stories that involve her, which has improved Starlight's standing to some extent. Whether these attempts have been enough to lead Starlight being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap ''completely'', been in the right direction but not enough, have given rise to new issues, tried to fix them from the wrong angle, or simply didn't work still gets different types of answers from person to person.

* Among the villains, King Sombra is generally the most controversial one. While many fans think he did not get enough screen time to be an interesting character and hate the fact that he hardly says a word during his two episodes, others argue that while it is true he does not do much during the episode, the few things he DOES do have a big enough impact on their own. He has since been seen in a much more favorable light and garnered a lot more love as of the Season 5 finale, with ''many'' fans agreeing his BadFuture sequence [[https://derpiboo.ru/1032243 made him the most bad-assed villain in the entire series.]]

* A lot of bronies were immediately taken with Spike, who was quickly adopted as the AudienceSurrogate of the cast, apparently because he's TheOneGuy. Some of the tension may be due to the fact that he's written as more of a comedic sidekick. While some fans admire him for his ButtMonkey status, others don't appreciate how often he is used for ComicRelief, often claiming TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter. It hasn't helped that he is shown to have some amazing abilities, like swimming in lava and fire breath that can melt locks or [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome stadium-sized pieces of ice]], HiddenDepths, and a rather mysterious backstory. Many episodes with him as the central character [[FanonDiscontinuity are often disregarded]] due to him [[IdiotBall acting like a complete moron]], while episodes where he isn't the focus usually have him as TheReliableOne. Other fans abhor him being TheChewToy, referring to the slapstick he goes through as "[[FanNickname Spikeabuse]]" and feeling that the sheer amount of it he's subjected to is unfunny at best and downright mean-spirited at worst. Even series writer Josh Haber said on Twitter that the gag of using Spike in physical comedy had overstayed its welcome. However, many fans are in agreement that Season 6 finally gave him some good spotlight episodes, and his development in Seasons 7 and 8 got him RescurdFromTheScrappyHeap in the eyes of most.

* The trailer to "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E21EveryLittleThingSheDoes Every Little Thing She Does]]," where Starlight brainwashes her friends sans Twilight to solve friendship problems, threw even more divisive opinions her way. Some pounced on this, saying this negates her being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap and that she'll be a KarmaHoudini due to the season finale relying on her saving Equestria. A shrinking vocal minority doesn't mind it, claiming that Twilight did this in "Lesson Zero" to the point of getting an entire town brawling and had to be bailed out by her friends. Others felt that "two wrongs do not make it right", I.E., someone else doing a bad thing again shouldn't get special treatment for it, and are quick to point out that while Twilight ''did'' do that, she was a national hero who had proven her heroism and good intentions time and time again, not a recently reformed criminal who had spent a lifetime of doing wrong and was ''already'' given far more leeway and forgiveness than she deserved. The other side comes back and contends that Starlight had legitimately good intentions as well, and she just messed up and is [[TropesAreTools good demonstration of character flaws]] she as a real student, still needs to work on. Not only that, but they also point out Starlight took responsibility and actually had to ''work'' to earn forgiveness from the others, negating her KarmaHoudini status.

* A lot of bronies were immediately taken with Spike, who was quickly adopted as the AudienceSurrogate of the cast, apparently because he's TheOneGuy. Some of the tension may be due to the fact that he's written as more of a comedic sidekick. While some fans admire him for his ButtMonkey status, others don't appreciate how often he is used for ComicRelief, often claiming TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter. It hasn't helped that he is shown to have some amazing abilities, like swimming in lava and fire breath that can melt locks or [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome stadium-sized pieces of ice]], HiddenDepths, and a rather mysterious backstory. Many episodes with him as the central character [[FanonDiscontinuity are often disregarded]] due to him [[IdiotBall acting like a complete moron]], while episodes where he isn't the focus usually have him as TheReliableOne. Other fans abhor him being TheChewToy, referring to the slapstick he goes through as "[[FanNickname Spikeabuse]]" and feeling that the sheer amount of it he's subjected to is unfunny at best and downright meanspirited at worst. However, many fans are in agreement that Season 6 is finally giving him some good spotlight episodes.

[[folder:The Mane Six and Spike]]
* Rainbow Dash. The base is split between those who think she's a {{Jerkass}} due to her arrogance and constant boasting, and those who think she [[AwesomeEgo actually has the skills]] to keep up with her boasts. She's on many fans' "best pony" lists, but also on just as many "worst pony" lists. The trend of Scootabuse (artwork of Rainbow abusing Scootaloo), ''Rainbow Factory'', ''Pony.MOV'', ''Friendship Is Witchcraft'', and other fanworks that [[RonTheDeathEater exaggerate her attitude]] have not helped, despite being non-canon. Many early Season 2 episodes which were written before she TookALevelInKindness and focused more on her competitive drive only increased her hatedom. Rainbow's status as the Element of Loyalty has also been called into question, as episodes such as "The Last Roundup", "Three's a Crowd" and "A Canterlot Wedding – Part 1" involve her showing no remorse or having her [[KarmaHoudini suffer no consequence]] for ignoring her friends. She's hated in "Trade Ya!" for the unspeakably heinous crime of accidentally trading her friend away for a book, with very few fans realizing [[InnocentlyInsensitive she didn't understand]] what had happened until it was (almost) [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone too late]]. That said, Rainbow's also had a few episodes where she's shown genuine loyalty, such as when she was willing to quit the Wonderbolts (her lifelong dream) if it meant that her friends were put in danger, and Season 5 onward mellowed her out quite a bit without really impacting her drive and desire to be the best.
* Pinkie Pie. While many love her for being a FunPersonified pony whose driving purpose in life is to make others happy, and find her hyperactivity and fourth-wall breaking antics hilarious; Others hate her for being InnocentlyInsensitive and [[KarmaHoudini getting away with it]], being part of the most controversial aesops of the series (Such as "Swarm of the Century", "Feeling Pinkie Keen", "A Friend In Deed”, and “Yakity-Sax”), and find her irritating; though exactly how scatterbrained she is tends to vary between episodes.
* Fluttershy. Some fans go through HypeBacklash when it comes to her cuteness, and find her passiveness and cowardliness irritating rather than endearing. Her willingness to stand up for herself and/or her friends also varies, [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on the episode]]. Whenever she does something wrong (like hurting her friends’ feelings), she’s quickly forgiven, yet when any of her friends hurt ''her'', [[DoubleStandard they quickly become targets of unrelenting hate]] as seen with Fluttershy's pet Angel in "Putting Your Hoof Down" and Pinkie Pie in "Filli Vanilli". Her cemented [[CharacterDevelopment assertiveness]] in the later seasons also causes this. Some people think it retroactively makes her a walking SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome and others think she's now [[FlatCharacter boring and unrelatable]].
* Twilight Sparkle got a ton of divisive opinions thrown her way after she became a princess at the end of the third season. Some fans love Twilight and think of her as an {{Adorkable}} BadassBookworm who deserves to be the show's main protagonist. Others see her as overpowered with the writers fawning over her and making her flaws [[InformedFlaw told rather than shown]]. Even ignoring the issue of her being an alicorn princess entirely, Twilight still gets some flak for having the majority of the show's more dramatic moments focused on her. This has led some bronies to accuse Twilight of [[SpotlightStealingSquad stealing the spotlight]], especially in the two-part episodes, despite being the main character.
* While the majority of fans like Applejack, she and her family are a SpotlightStealingSquad to the point where Applejack has appeared in more episodes than any other major character in the show, and it's left some divided on whether it's a good idea or not. While several Applejack fans appreciate the extra attention especially since she was somewhat OutOfFocus in the second season, other fans, particularly ones whose favorite pony is one of the other main characters, are starting to get tired of the extra CharacterFocus she's recently been getting for the last few years, not helped by the fact that more recent episodes where she's had a leading or major supporting role have started receiving more divisive reception.
* Rarity got hit with this pretty hard in the earlier seasons. Until her HiddenDepths were revealed in "Suited for Success". Many people admitted to hating her at first for being dim, shallow, arrogant and useless -- in other words, typical RichBitch, the very stereotype she was designed to subvert. Her detractors claimed she wasn't fit to wield the Element of Generosity whenever she lapsed into selfishness and greed, often citing her behavior in "Dragonshy" as an example where she cared more about the dragon's treasures than getting the dragon out of his den. As she was given more time to develop, fans eventually warmed up to her, though others were uncomfortable with her upstaging Rainbow Dash in "Sonic Rainboom" and intentionally trying to avoid Twilight's birthday party in "Sweet and Elite". Fans who have grown to like her have said that in her defense, she learned her lesson in each of those two episodes. Even still, fans either love her for being the DramaQueen of the cast or think she's annoying for the same reason. Her famous whining scene in "A Dog and Pony Show" for example is seen as either her funniest moment or yet another excuse to pick on her over-the-top behavior. Her mannerisms are also subject to this with the fan base saying she's either the most proper or the prissiest of the Mane Six.
** Starting with the second half of Season 5, Rarity has gotten a lot of focus. While some fans are okay with this, others feel like Rarity has become a SpotlightStealingSquad that is overshadowing the rest of the Mane Six.
* A lot of bronies were immediately taken with Spike, who was quickly adopted as the AudienceSurrogate of the cast, apparently because he's TheOneGuy. Some of the tension may be due to the fact that he's written as more of a comedic sidekick. While some fans admire him for his ButtMonkey status, others don't appreciate how often he is used for ComicRelief, often claiming TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter. It hasn't helped that he is shown to have some amazing abilities, like swimming in lava and fire breath that can melt locks or [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome stadium-sized pieces of ice]], HiddenDepths, and a rather mysterious backstory. Many episodes with him as the central character [[FanonDiscontinuity are often disregarded]] due to him [[IdiotBall acting like a complete moron]], while episodes where he isn't the focus usually have him as TheReliableOne. Other fans abhor him being TheChewToy, referring to the slapstick he goes through as "[[FanNickname Spikeabuse]]" and feeling that the sheer amount of it he's subjected to is unfunny at best and downright meanspirited at worst. However, many fans are in agreement that Season 6 is finally giving him some good spotlight episodes.
[[/folder]]

No discussion of Base-Breaking Characters in ''Friendship is Magic'' would be complete without mentioning Starlight Glimmer, who has caused this reaction ever since she first appeared on the show. From Season 5 onward, Starlight became the newest major addition to the supporting cast, and would end up splitting the fanbase into vocal camps about her. Even though the vitriol against her would eventually calm down, Starlight has caused a sustained conflict among the bronies that doesn't appear to be ending any time soon.

* After Starlight's HeelFaceTurn the staff has tried to perform some [[AuthorsSavingThrow damage control]] with the stories that involve her, which has improved her standing to some extent. Whether these attempts have been enough to lead Starlight being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap ''completely'', been in the right direction but not enough, have given rise to new issues, tried to fix them from the wrong angle or just focused on the wrong issues is still something that gets different types of answers from person to person.