History Fanon / AnimeAndManga

* "Sabaku no Gaara" Gaara's nickname is usually thought to be his last name and is passed on to his siblings.

*** ALso when the subject of Naruto's parents come up the excuses are either: that it's for his ''[[FridgeLogic protection]]'' from his parents' enemies or is expected to GoMadFromTheRevelation.

*** And [[TheMessiah Naruto]] [[EasilyForgiven forgives]] [[KarmaHoudini them]] anyway despite '''not''' knowing why he was abused in the first place.

*** ALso when the subject of Naruto's parents come up the excuses are either: that it's for his ''[[FridgeLogic protection]]'' from his parents' enemies or is expected to go MadFromTheRevelation.

** He can even manipulate his genetics such as give him bloodlines or something.

* Itachi loves his {{Pocky}} and will go to '''any''' lengths for it. His favorite foods are actually [[http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Itachi_Uchiha#Trivia cabbage and onigiri with seaweed]].

* Another idea is that Sakura knows of Naruto's crush which is not true in fact Sai of all people had to reveal it.

** Similarly in Yaoi fics, Kakashi and Iruka are are almost always paired, with Iruka being a [[Tsundere]], and Kakashi (as well as all jounin) are described as being batshit crazy, in some form or another. Kakashi may also be angsty over something (his father's suicide usually, which he ''was''...over a decade ago), and may be feared and/or incredibly respected, which he is in-universe to an extent, but it's incredibly exaggerated to the point that no one will cross him in any way, fearing he'd kick their ass, despite the fact he seems really laid back.

** Somehow, someone got the idea that Pantyhose Taro augmented his "winged minotaur" form with CombatTentacles by applying Spring Of Drowned Octopus water "to eight specific points on his back" (probably because, when splashed with Spring of Drowned Twins water, Happosai grew an extra bump on the head, since only his first bump got wet). This makes no sense considering Pantyhose Taro can also shoot ink out of his fingers, and in any case the manga never explained how he used it. What was actually shown is that he dunked his back in the spring (although he may have taken a full bath for all the reader knows), making RuleOfFunny the likeliest option.

* ''{{Naruto}}'':
** Up until [[TheReveal the reveal]], fans had a long-standing theory that the Fourth Hokage's name was Arashi. This had apparently come about through the misunderstanding of a scene in the manga where Jiraiya lays out his frog summoning contract, clearly revealing the place where the Fourth's name was written. The writing itself was illegible nonsense, with WordOfGod holding that the Fourth's handwriting was at fault from an in-world perspective. That didn't stop fans from trying to piece it together or photoshop in the blanks, though.
*** Fanon proclaimed that the majority of the Kyuubi's fight ended when the Hokage arrived on Gamabunta and immediately performed the sealing. Recent chapters reveal [[spoiler: Minato fought the Kyuubi twice during the battle, and Gamabunta was only present to distract it so it could be dragged further away from Konoha]]. (To be fair, the first episode of the anime suggested that that was how it happened.)
*** Related to this is the reason Naruto was chosen as the host of the Kyuubi. Fanon was that [[spoiler: Minato chose Naruto because he was his son. This turns out to be true.]] However, the context was way off the mark: Fanon held that his reason was he was the Hokage and so [[spoiler: the sacrifice should be his.]] The actual reason was because [[spoiler: he trusted Naruto to handle the Kyuubi.]]
**** Also fanon is the notion that only a newborn could hold the Kyuubi without dying. [[spoiler:{{Jossed}} in ch.500.]]
**** This false theory extended to all Bijuu, but after the revelation that Bee was made a Jinchuriki at age five, Yugito at age 2, and [[spoiler: Madara plans to become a Jinchuuriki at age... Well, he is at least over 80.]]
*** Fanon holds that Iwa holds a nearly psychotic grudge against the 4th Hokage for his victory in the war which would extend to [[spoiler:killing his son at first opportunity]] if they knew. Canon does tell us that [[spoiler:Naruto's heritage]] is a secret because the 4th had enemies but never who.
*** It's also common in war fanfics for Iwa to follow the mantra of "quantity over quality" in its ninja forces compared to Konoha's smaller and more elite forces. Ironically, [[AllThereInTheManual the second databook]] tells us that Konoha is the most populous ninja village (5 v. Iwa's 4 stars), and Iwa is tied with Kumo for the greatest military strength (4 v. Konoha's 3 stars). The fanon ''could'' still be true, but with the spotlight shining on the other villages in the Fourth Shinobi War, we're starting to see that they have their own share of unique bloodlines and legendary ninja.
** It's hard not to find a ''Naruto'' fan fic that doesn't make reference to "the Council". If the writers are to be believed, this OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness can trump anything the Hokage does, to the point where one wonders why they even bother having a Hokage. The closest thing to this in the source material is the council seen following Pain's attack. Its membership includes the well-known elders along with several prominent ANBU and jounin. Unlike the out-of-control council in fanon, this one was directly overseen and subservient to both the Hokage and the daimyo.
*** Canon revelations regarding [[spoiler:the Uchiha massacre]] show that the advisors can, in fact, override the Hokage if they really want to and if all of them but him agree.
**** Not quite. It was explicitly mentioned his plans failed before it happened. That the ''advisers'' went over his head is in fact fanon, most likely due people not wanting him to have anything to do with it. He may not have liked the idea, but it doesn't say he didn't agree in the end. See, it's easy to get caught in the trap, isn't it?
*** The fanon Konoha Clan Council usually contains no clans other than those the Rookie 9 belong to (plus Sarutobi). While it makes sense to avoid too many [=OCs=], it does seem odd that a village that size would have so few clans, given how small some of the minor clans (Nara, Akamichi) seem to be.
** According to a lot of fic, the Hyuuga family also has a "Council" that basically makes Hiashi a figurehead and what's more, there are living Main Family members besides Hiashi, Hinata and Hanabi. Lots, in fact, but for some reason the Head's twin brother and his son were not a part of this group.
*** There is a shot when Neji is talking about the "Main Branch" that illustrates almost a dozen. Also, there is a Mist-nin with a transplanted Byakugan later in the manga which implies that there must be at least some main family members beyond Hiashi's immediate line. Author plot hole, likely.
**** Ao could have taken the Byakugan from a Branch Family member. He would just need to do take it [[EyeScream before he killed the guy he got it from.]]
*** One of the most continous belief in Fanfic (and Jossed by WordOfGod) is that Uchiha and Hyuuga had a rivalry of who was the "strongest" clan of Konoha, probably by the trash talk in the Chunnin Exam. In fact is the Senju, the co-founder of Konoha and who had a rivalry trascending centuries since the conception (by the Sage of Six paths-figuratively and ''literally'') of the "Ninja World". In fact [[BigBad Uchiha Madara]] in canon had show complete indifference to the Hyuuga and by canon alone it made look the Hyuuga like the Clan version of the KidSamurai compared to the Uchiha.
** Similar to the Council, according to a lot of fanfic, Naruto was basically physically abused as a child. The frequency varies from regularly, to annually (anniversary of Kyuubi attack). There is absolutely NO canon evidence to support this, and the only thing that the villagers were shown to do is ignore him, insult him behind his back, and maybe glare at him.
*** Some fanfiction even has Naruto subject to repeated assassination attempts before the series start. Not only is there absolutely no canon evidence to support this, it is also in contradiction with the fact that Leaf is a military village and the Hokage would almost certainly swiftly execute anybody who tried. You'd think it might have come up when Gaara's backstory came up if his childhood was ''that'' bad.
*** Nearly all fics with abuse and many without hold that there's an annual festival on October 10th to celebrate the defeat of the Kyuubi. This results in anything from annual, near-fatal beatings by drunks and vandalism of his apartment to him simply never celebrating his birthday.
*** The fanon idea of hostile sabotage against Naruto by his teachers is often used to justify MartyStu power-ups when such sabotage is taken away. No, he's not a hyperactive, poor at concentrating, late bloomer -- he was supposedly never taught to read or was tested differently or taught wrong.
*** Naruto fanon's extreme physical abuse leads many authors to assume that he must have been aware of his ability to heal rapidly since early childhood. However, Naruto shows no awareness of this ability when it first appears after stabbing his hand to bleed out poison.
**** Similarly, Naruto is immune or at least resistant to poisons due to his fast healing. Based on a recent chapter where he began foaming at the mouth due to a poisoned kunai and was still queasy even after treatment, this seems unlikely.
*** Fanon also likes the idea that shopkeepers conspired to overcharge Naruto or deny him service or flat out sell him low-quality/spoiled goods. In (anime) canon, Naruto ''does'' get kicked out of a store ''once'', but it's for reading pin-up magazines without any intention of paying for them and not for being who he is.
**** Fanon also states that Sasuke got preferential treatment from the villagers before his FaceHeelTurn, but we don't see much of this beyond his fangirls. In fact, in light of how the Uchiha clan was treated from the time of the Kyuubi's attack to the massacre, this seems doubtful.
**** Also Naruto and Hinata are sometimes hit with a ZeroApprovalGambit by the "Council[=/=]Hyuuga"
** The same applies for a legal statute found in Harem FanFiction commonly referred to as the Clan Restoration Act. This law states that the last male of a clan may practice polygamy in order to increase the number of children with his or her [[SuperpowerfulGenetics Bloodline]] so that the military power of the village will increase and that one untimely death will not truncate a genetically powerful family tree.
*** This is not so much fanon as a popular tool used to explain away multiple pairings for a fan fiction's favored character. It's doubtful anyone takes this seriously.
** One of the most commonly held fanfiction beliefs is that Naruto routinely evades ANBU despite wearing a bright, orange jumpsuit. Naruto has never done this in canon. The closest thing to it was Naruto evading a crowd of Chunin and then getting caught shortly later by Iruka, his teacher. This also brings up the question why ANBU, elite special forces, would be sent to track down a child prankster.
*** This is also often used to justify/justified by giving Naruto fox-enhanced super-senses, usually a heightened sense of smell or hearing on the level of an Inuzuka.
*** Speaking of orange, fanfic Naruto's choice of orange is frequently criticized by his peers and must be justified because it should "obviously" impair stealth. In the series, [[Mst3kMantra no one says anything about it]], other characters wear outfits that are just as flamboyant (e.g. Jiraiya), and it never acts as a hindrance.

** Compared to this is the constant belief that Sakura had so low level Chakra and stamina (which she doesn't, it just that Naruto and Sasuke had enormous capacities for a genin) because she go into a severe diet and skip lunch thanks to he Fan girl-ism. Forget a moment that Sakura graduated at the top of her class ''by brains'' alone, the whole diet thing it was a once joke in the Manga and appeared a second time during the "cook nin" episode and it showed ''the entire Kunoichi population in the phase''. And this is not only [[FanDumb haters]] since even "reedeming" fics go with it.
*** Related is the notion that Naruto has ''unlimited'' chakra and stamina thanks to the fox. On the contrary, Naruto does get tired and does run out sometimes. (e.g. Tree climbing with Sasuke.)
*** Similarly, the reason Naruto can't use regular Clones but can use Shadow Clones is never explained by Kishimoto. The classic, "uses too much chakra" explanation is pure fan theory, though not a poorly reasoned one considering that he ''glows'' when he tries the basic technique in the exam.
** The several ''{{Naruto}}'' FanFiction writers gave the third Hokage's given name as Sasuke, after the famous ninja Sarutobi Sasuke. One of the guide books revealed his given name to be Hiruzen.
*** In chapter 500, Hiruzen's father is revealed to have been named Sasuke.
** ''Naruto'' fanfiction writers also seem to be under the impression that Naruto and the Kyuubi are the best of friends, that they have a mind link, and that Kyuubi refers to Naruto as "kit", despite canon evidence that the Kyuubi is highly resentful of being sealed within him and would most likely tear him to shreds if given the chance. Also, Naruto and the Kyuubi only communicate when Naruto is in his mindscape (although funnily enough, both a casual relations and easy communication between a host and tailed beast turned out to be true for the ''eight''-tails host).

** Evidently the [[OddlySmallOrganization Akatsuki]] live in the same building and share the same facilities, despite the fact that most of them don't even seem to know one another and are constantly on the move in pairs with minimal contact beyond the sealing ritual.
*** WordOfGod actually states that pairs of members each get their own rooms when they stay at inns, for whatever reason.
** And let's not forget the most elaborate {{Fanon}} theory of all: [[http://forums.narutofan.com/showthread.php?t=57918 "The Legend of the Tailed Beasts"]]. Fans believe it to be a real Japanese myth which Kishimoto bases the designs of the beasts from. It drew upon both Japanese and Chinese mythologies, involving The Eight Immortals and several species of {{youkai}}. The story, in actuality, is a Japanese fanfiction, and even though the author has admitted it to be fake, most fans still believe that's how they really look like. But that may change as recently their true forms and their most recent hosts have all been revealed in an recent artbook.
** The Sharingan being a genetic offshoot of the Byakugan was stated to be a rumor and even then only mentioned once, but almost everyone took this to be undeniable evidence and started getting pissy when [[spoiler:it turned out they were unrelated and that the Sharingan was derived from the Rinnegan]].
** Fans sometimes believe that [[http://www.onemanga.com/Naruto/78/10/ in the flashback regarding Hinata joining Team Kurenai]], Hinata was essentially disowned by her father and adopted by Kurenai, despite her later being seen at the Hyuga compound before leaving to train with her team.
** Something between fanon and just a misconception is that the puppets Sasori made that looks like his parents are made out of their corpses. Actually, he made them from regular materials when he was a child, long before he went crazy enough to do such a thing, and the only known human puppets were made from Hiruko, the Third Kazekage, and himself.
** Naruto's Sexy Techinque is somehow special and different from a normal Transformation Technique. Common fanon holds that a normal transformation is just an illusion, and that Naruto's technique is a full shapeshift. In fact, there is ample evidence that ''all'' transformation techniques physically change the character. (e.g. Gamabunta asking to be changed to gain claws to use against Shukaku, Sasuke not freaking out at Naruto turning into a shuriken before successfully throwing him, etc.) Fanon holds that this is a unique, fox-granted ability of Naruto or the result of him learning the technique wrong due to teacher neglect.
** Fanon often holds that, despite creating the Sexy Technique, Naruto is kind of... puritanical towards perverts. It's true that Naruto gives any adult he nails with the technique loads of disrespect for being perverts and hates the Icha Icha series, but he's not so innocent himself as shown in the anime by how he trains Konohamaru in the Sexy Technique.
** Another piece of fanon routinely declares all Rookie 9 members to be clan heirs, though usually Sakura and sometimes Naruto are left out. Only Hinata, Choji ([[AllThereInTheManual according to the databooks]]), and Sasuke's fathers are canonically clan heads.
** Tenten is almost invariably the daughter of a weapons shop owner or blacksmith in fanon as an explanation for where she gets her weapons & interest in them. A few authors have also adopted the last name Higurashi for her.
** Itachi loves his {{Pocky}} and will go to '''any''' lengths for it. His favorite foods are actually [[http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Itachi_Uchiha#Trivia cabbage and onigiri with seaweed]].
*** This was actually born from a Fanfic called "Never cut Twice" where it's used as a comic running gag, along with exposition. You can read it from the Fanfic Rec page.
** Anko and Kurenai are alleged to be best friends but have only appeared in the same room once in the entire series; even then, Anko was a proctor standing with the Hokage while Kurenai was standing across the room with her students. Probably based on the scene where Kurenai claimed to be out buying dango for Anko (as an excuse for being seen hanging around with Asuma).

** "Sabaku no Gaara" Gaara's nickname is usually thought to be his last name and is passed on to his siblings.
** Sometimes Kurenai, Tenten, Temari, Anko, and even rarer times Kushina would usually have the extremely dull nickname [[FanNickname *insert speciality* mistress of insert village]].
** Another Fanon concept fanfiction users use is that the minimum age requirement for graduating the academy is 12. Despite the fact that Konohamaru who was 11 was a genin at the time. A subset of this also insists that Naruto was in fact two years older than the rookies as a result of delayed graduation, canon be damned.
*** Also, usually it's stated that after they graduate the team assignments are usually scheduled the next day.
**** Usually the Jounin's name is announced during assignment despite not being the case in the anime or manga.
**** Team 9 is usually Team Gai or otherwise not assigned, despite Iruka announcing Team 9 in the background in the anime. Unfortunately, we never hear their names, so this is mainly a matter of convenience, though no one minds ignoring Teams 1-6.
***** "Team Gai" is Fanon, but only in the sense that they haven't been called that way in Canon; it's used for convenience, or as a FanNickname, if you will. It's not incorrect, though. The team is called "Team Gai" because Neji was stated in canon to be "the previous year's number one rookie," which means he wasn't in the same graduating class as the rookie 9. We don't know what their actual number was. The team 9 called out by Iruka in episode 3 was team 9 ''for that graduating class'' and so it has nothing to do with Neji, Tenten or Lee-- it's just three random genin that get ignored because they're not main characters, just as it happens with teams 1-6.
** Also, every female hates Jiraiya's work, and will gladly burn or otherwise destroy Icha Icha at every opportunity. Major offenders are Kurenai and Kushina, and the one female who may not mind is Anko, who Fandom has decided, ReallyGetsAround. Never mind the fact that, apart from maybe Tsunade, no one cares. And even then it is more about Jiraiya than his books, which she seems ambivilent about. Kurenai apparently gives major flak to Kakashi for reading it in front of minors, despite no one ever caring in-universe, and Kushina liked Jiraiya enough to let him name her son.
*** There are also things that extend to Icha Icha; for example, they have been around for years - long enough that people like Minato and Kushina will give him flak - this is doubtful, considering his first book, not Icha Icha, came out barely months before the Kyuubi attack. The idea he writes about people around him (and poorly disguises their names) is also fairly common. Related to this is the idea that the main female of the first novel at least is a busty blonde. Finally, there have only been 3, maybe 4, books confirmed, while many more can be made up into a whole collection.
*** Finally, it is apparently a bad idea to get between Kakashi and his porn. About as bad as Itachi and pocky. Granted, this at least has a little evidence to support it, but still, there is a difference in having an old copy you have read before destroyed and going nuts, and covering your ears and eyes to prevent spoilers from the newest edition you haven't read yet.
*** Another thing is that Icha Icha is always orange despite Violence being red and Tactics being green.
*** Also Kakashi has always been portrayed as having massive favoritism towards Sasuke because of Obito was an Uchiha and he hates Naruto practically spitting on his sensei and Obito's sacrifice and ninja code.
** PowerLevels are frequently discussed, often using "Sannin-level" or "Kage-level" despite the fact that there is no set standard for these positions. Kages can be weaker than their subordinates but more trustworthy and skilled; the Sannin is a title given to three powerful shinobi, each of whom has different strengths and skills.
*** Relatedly, the ability of a village leader to announce themselves as a Kage when their village has previously lacked such a distinction is a dubious prospect. Lesser villages are led by jounin bosses, not Kages. Orochimaru as "Otokage" is the most common offender. In (anime filler) canon, only the master of Hidden Star had the brass balls to call himself a kage without being the leader of the 5 major villages.
*** Also considering the fact that Sannin is just a nickname meaning "Three Ninjas," not a ninja class.
** The concept of '[[HoneyPot seduction missions]]' has been repeatedly brought up. (Further details may cause readers to repeatedly bring their most recent meals up.) There is no canonical evidence of this.

** Hinata's relation to her immediate family tends to vary. In canon there's no evidence to prove she had any ill-treatment or that any of her family members hate her, especially not her sister (who doesn't even have a personality other then her being loyal and apparently sweet). In fanon however Hiashi is anything from a father that [[WellDoneSonGuy disowned his oldest daughter]], a hidden PapaWolf to both his children, to a ruthless, abusive, [[ParentalIncest sexual abusing]], CompleteMonster who plans on either branding Hinata or killing her and only cares for [[ParentalFavoritism Hanabi]]. Hanabi gets similar treatment. She can either be a caring little sister who looks up to her big sis, a cold {{Kuudere}}, the complete opposite of Hinata and her clans parallel to Sasuke (who may or may not love her sister), a generic annoying little sister, a determined destiny fighter.. Or an abusive, [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]], tattle-tale, liar of a sister who [[CainAndAbel loathes her sibling]].
** In fanon Kiba has always had Akamaru ever since he was a child despite the fact it has been stated that Akamaru is 3 in the original Naruto.
** Jinchuuriki can idenitify each other at a simple glance. In canon Gaara and Naruto never knew the other was a jinchuuriki until later on.
** Another widespread idea is "ANBU are unstable/insane/frighteningly sane" because they do all the dirty jobs, like assassinating children or the like. Though it seems likely the elite ''would'' be given such tasks, we know nothing of the sort of missions the regular jounin are given, and the few ANBU who have appeared so far seem relatively normal.
** Another idea is that Sakura knows of Naruto's crush which is not true in fact Sai of all people had to reveal it.
** In FanArt there is Kakashi's red scarf. At least 60% of drawings showing Kakashi as an ANBU will include it, yet the only evidence is a 5s scene in one of the films, where the scarf -- if that is what it was -- was ''brown''.
** Another idea was that Team 8 knew each other from the get go.
** Many fanfics have Hinata fainting at the mere mention of Naruto. She has only fainted twice: once when Naruto was in the hospital after failing to retrieve Sasuke and her first appearance in Shippudden when Naruto practically jumped in front of her for the first time in two and a half years.
*** Another thing is that '''[[EveryoneCanSeeIt EVERYBODY]]''' knows about her crush. But this has never been mentioned - hinted a few times but never stated.
*** As well as her stuttering problem everytime she talks.
** Lee and Gai hugging is not what creeps people out it's the [[SceneryPorn Sunset]] that appears out of nowhere. This due to a case of DidNotDoTheResearch, for in Japan the sunset is the symbol of youth. Many authors treat it a some kind of scarring genjutsu.
*** Speaking of Lee, people have got it into their heads that he has some sort of defect and that is why he can't use chakra. Except he can and does use chakra in the form of the gates and in the same way as other ninja. He just can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. Because he sucks at them.

* There is no Dr. Hikari in ''LoveHina''. The character was created by a fairly popular fanfic writer and has led some to believe that such a character actually exists in canon.

* ''DragonBallZ'' fanfiction is almost universally permeated with the notion that Saiyans undergo some sort of physiological/psychic connection when they fall in love, that Saiyans mate for life, refer to their love interests specifically as mates, and that the connection is formed in a process called "bonding" which involves one or both partners biting the other on the neck vampire-style. People may have originally gotten the idea for the psychic connection thing from a scene in the anime where Bulma gets a horrible feeling as Vegeta dies against Majin Buu. However, this is the only scene even close to suggesting this, appearing to show that numerous writers have blown it out of proportion.
** It could also be said for when Videl senses that Gohan is alive despite everyone thinking he's dead.
** Don't forget the purring! According to numerous fanfictions Saiyans begin to purr like cats when they are happy or their tails are stroked.
** The weirdest theory concerning the Saiyans is the idea that the [[MisterSeahorse males are able to get pregnant from homosexual intercourse]]. Fans are divided on whether this applies to all male Saiyans or only the lower-tier ones.
** Another, less disturbing bit of Fanon is the general acceptance that the heart disease that took Goku out of action in the Android saga and wreaked havoc on the world in the alternate timeline was caught by Goku on Yardrat and brought to Earth, despite contracting it a year later in Trunks' timeline and three years later in the regular timeline.
** Who can forget the infamous saiyan levels? The glorious recolors of the Saiyans, all shining in power levels beyond 5. And we thought AkiraToriyama was crazy...
** A lesser known example is Chichi attacking Goku (or anyone else) with a frying pan, despite the fact that she was never seen doing this in the original series. However, in the 2008 special, Chichi was finally seen using a frying pan as a weapon on Master Roshi, making this officially canon.
** Mystic Gohan. That specific title was never used in the official material (licensed games title it 'Ultimate Gohan') but that form of Gohan does exist, apparently transcending Super Saiyan, and unlocked by Old Kai in the Buu saga.
** Yamcha has never cheated on Bulma nor has he ever shown any abusive tendencies. The idea was created in Bulma/Vegeta fanfics to come up with a good reason for why she ultimately ended up with Vegeta and is never even implied anywhere in canon.

* Due to the fact that there was never much backstory given in the first place, many ''[[Anime/{{Ptitlei015gc004kw4}} Pokémon]]'' anime fans have taken to creating their own theories, which can go in just about any direction. They range from the logical (Misty and Brock's surnames, the fate of Jessie's mother, [[MacGuffin the GS Ball]]) to the utterly insane ([[LukeIAmYourFather Professor Oak or Giovanni or even Lugia being Ash's father]], to name one). And, mixed in with those are a crapload of loosely related fringe theories, that attempt to work in forgotten elements from the games (like Brendan from Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald being May's [[ForgottenChildhoodFriend long-lost childhood friend]], for example) or are based entirely on circumstantial evidence. It's about every bit as messy as it sounds. And don't even get started on [[{{Shipping}} shipping]]...
** As for the surnames of half the cast, there seems to be a frequent consensus for a few:
*** Misty's pops up most often as ''Waterflower''. While not explicitly canon, it can at least be traced back to a specific [[http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/EP007 episode]] whose title resulted in fans putting two and [[EpilepticTrees (?)]] together and getting a generally accepted four.
*** May and Max are most frequently surnamed ''Maple''.
*** Additionally, many fanworks designate Giovanni's surname as ''Rocketto'', from the Japanese pronunciation of Team Rocket (Roketto-dan).
*** Brock tends to run with the [[MeaningfulName Meaningful and]] PunnyName theme for Gym leaders, as ''Slate''.
*** Dawn ''Berlitz'' comes up a lot as well, since her ''[[{{ptitled53fvupl}} Pokémon Special]]'' counterpart is actually given that surname.
** Giovanni being Ash's father is given evidence in ''[[PokemonLive Pokémon Live!]]'', but it's a loose adaptation of the anime and not considered canon.

* The idea that Amestris tricked the Ishvalans into attacking them, so that Amestris could invade and conquer them in ''FullmetalAlchemist''. Actually Ishval was just an area of Amestris that the government tricked into rebelling so that they could crush and massacre them. This is made clear in the manga when several scenes from the Ishval Massacre contradict this such as the fact that the Amestrian army still had Ishvalan soldiers up until the 7th year of the rebellion, they only killed the pure blood Ishvalans (and possibly the half blood Ishvalans) when they needed souls for a Philosopher's stone. Scar's brother also tells Scar that Amestris allows the Ishvalans to worship Ishvala. In addition, the Amestrian government is currently at war with 4 other nations, and is a military dictatorship, like they would need a XanatosGambit just to invade a 5th.
** Also it is generally accepted that Edward's pants are leather, despite the fact that they would be, as Vic Mignogna points out, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXU5zhF3-HA "hard to fight in. Ed's gotta be smarter than that."]] Conversely, as Vic does not write or draw for the series, it is hard to determine the exact material of Ed's pants lest Arakawa-sensei decides to enlighten us for herself.
** There' a generally accepted theory that Roy, because of his more Xingese looks and the fact that he was adopted, was an orphan from Xing.

* There are several of these orbiting ''NeonGenesisEvangelion,'' including Misato's haircolor and driving style (though that's probably more NeverLiveItDown), the name of Touji's IllGirl little sister, the personalities of Hikari's sisters, Shinji being a skilled chef and even some things that directly contradict canon -- like claims that Rei is emotionless, or that Shinji's wardrobe consists entirely of school uniforms, ignoring several occurrences of him in other outfits (excluding the dance outfit and plugsuits).
** The notion that Misato killed Kaji remains popular despite an [[WordOfGod explicit statement from the show's creator]] to the contrary. The idea that Naoko Akagi's soul resides in Unit 00 also persists despite it not making any sense whatsoever.
** The fanon name for Touji's little sister, "Mari", now has an uncertain future with a new pilot character in the ''Rebuild'' Evangelion movie series being named Mari.
** Also, Shinji being a skilled chef actually made it into canon in the second ''Rebuild'' movie.

* The [[BigScrewedUpFamily Zabi family]] from ''MobileSuitGundam'' are a veritable fanon magnet, as they get very little characterization in the series proper. Popular theories include:
** Degwin being of Italian descent and making his fortune mining raw materials for the space colonies on the Moon (though it is canon that Degwin lived on the Moon before Side 3 (the future Zeon) was completed);
** Gihren's estranged wife being a member of Danish royalty (though the thing about him cheating on her with his assistant Cecilia is canon, at least according to the novel) and being fond of cats;
** Saslo (the guy who was blown up with a carbomb by Ramba Ral's dad a few years before the series takes place) being homosexual;
** Dozle's love of sports & dogs;
** Kycilia having a sexual relationship with Char sometime in the past (though she does have some kind of relationship with his lookalike Johnny Ridden in at least one {{Gaiden}} manga);
** Garma's various health problems, drug use, musical talent & his mother dying in childbirth ([[AllThereInTheManual canon sources]] mention her dying shortly after he was born, but never specify how).
** Another very common fanon theory is the illness MadScientist Ginius Sakhalin from ''08th MS Team'' suffers from is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatolenticular_degeneration Wilson's Disease]]. Though its name is never mentioned, the symptoms do seem to fit.

* Due to its many disparate continuities, ''{{Zoids}}'' has a fair bit of fanon.
** Bit Cloud and Vega Obscura from ''New Century'' are descended from Van Flyheight and Joyce "Raven" Chen from ''Chaotic Century/Guardian Force'' respectively.
*** In fact, just about any NC character is claimed to be descended from any ''CC/GF'' character. Given that there is a thousand years between the series, this is possible.
** Similarly, it is believed that the "Organoid Systems" inside the Liger Zero and Beserk Fury (stated in canon to simply be self-sufficient artificial intelligence programs) are literal organoids; more to the point, they are generally believed to be Zeke and Shadow, respectively. Often tied into this theory is the idea that the Liger Zero and Berserk Fury evolved from Van's Blade Liger and Raven's Geno Breaker.
*** Likewise, it has often been claimed that Leon's red Blade Liger was created by the Organoid Ambient
** Lieutenant/Captain O'Connell from the ''Chaotic Century'' and ''Guardian Force'' has no given first name, but a slash fanficcer dubbed him Jake and now many fans believe that to be his official name.
** Any attempt to explain Hiltz' IdiotPlot master plan from ''Guardian Force'' will inevitably involve fanon speculation, given both the nonsense plan and Hiltz' acute lack of personality.

** There is also the Fanon belief that [[EnsembleDarkhorse Anko]] is a hypersexual, deranged sadist and poison mistress, with almost no self control, is partly alcoholic, is part of the Torture and Interrogation Team, and is derided for being "the traitor's student". In her (very brief) scenes she showed herself as very ameniable, energetic, hyperactive, tomboyish, kinda creepy, and nonsensical -- a lot like a female Naruto in many ways. She had a good relationship with her comrades, liked being a chunin examiner, her favorite hobby was the Tea Ceremony, and her only sexual act so far is wearing her very Stripperiffic outfit and licking a kunai while leering to intimidate someone. The Fanon belief seemed to grow from the kunai incident and the fact that Ibiki and she worked as proctors during the chunin exam.

** There is also the Fanon belief that [[EnsembleDarkhorse Anko]] is a hypersexual deranged sadist/poison mistress, with almost no self control, partly alcoholic, being part of the Torture and Interrogation Team and deried by being "The traitor student". In her (very brief) scenes she showed herself as very ameniable, energetic, hyperactive, tomboyish (hell she is defined as a studious counterpart of '''Naruto'''), kinda creepy and nonsensical. She had a good relationship with her comrades, wanted to be a chunin examiner (wiki), her favorite hobby was the Tea Ceremony, and her only sexual act so far is wearing her very Stripperiffic outfit and licking a kunai to intimidate. The Fanon belief seemed to grow from the kunai incident and the fact that Ibiki and she worked as proctors during the Chunning exam.

* Up until [[TheReveal the reveal]], ''{{Naruto}}'' fans had a long-standing theory that the Fourth Hokage's name was Arashi. This had apparently come about through the misunderstanding of a scene in the manga where Jiraiya lays out his frog summoning contract, clearly revealing the place where the Fourth's name was written. The writing itself was illegible nonsense, with WordOfGod holding that the Fourth's handwriting was at fault from an in-world perspective. That didn't stop fans from trying to piece it together or photoshop in the blanks, though.
** Although fans got the Fourth's name wrong, they got the who right: [[spoiler:He's Naruto's father]].

**** Despite this some authors whenever they have Naruto ask who his parents are, and everytime [[InsaneTrollLogic he is told that he parents had a lot of enemies]].

** Compared to this is the constant belief that Sakura had so low level Chakra and stamina (which she doesn't, it just Naruto and Sasuke had enormous capacities for a gennin) because she go into a severe diet and skip lunch thanks to he Fan girl-ism. Forget a moment that Sakura graduated at the top of her class ''by brains'' alone, the whole diet thing it was a once joke in the Manga and appeared a second time during the "cook nin" episode and it showed ''the entire Kunoichi population in the phase''. And this is not only [[TheScrappy aaters]] since even "reedeming" fics go with it.

** Another piece of fanon routinely declares the rookie 9 members to be clan heirs, though usually Sakura and sometimes Naruto are left out. Only Hinata, Choji ([[AllThereInTheManual according to the databooks]]), and Sasuke's fathers are canonically clan heads.
** Tenten is almost invariably the daughter of a weapons shop owner or blacksmith in fanon as an explanation for where she gets her weapons & interest in them. Many authors have also widely adopted the last name Higurashi for her.

** There is also the Fanon belief that [[EnsembleDarkhorse Anko]] is a hypersexual deranged sadist/poison mistress, with almost no self control, partly alcoholic, being part of the Torture and Interrogation Team and deried by being "The traitor student". In her (very brief) scenes she showed herself as very ameniable, energetic, hyperactive, tomboyish (hell she is defined as a studious counterpart of '''Naruto'''), kinda creepy and nonsensical. She had a good relationship with her comrades, wanted to be a Chunning examiner (wiki), her favorite hobby was the Tea Ceremony and her only sexual act so far is wearing her very Stripperiffic outfit. The Fanon belief seemed to grow from the Kunai incident and the fact that Ibiki and she worked as proctors during the Chunning exam.

*** Also considering the fact that Sannin is just a nickname, not a ninja class.

** Also many fanfics have Hinata fainting at the mere mention of Naruto.
*** When she only fainted twice: once when Naruto was in the hospital after failing to retrieve Sasuke and her first appearance in Shippudden when Naruto practically jumped in front of her for the first time in two and a half years.

** Lee and Gai hugging is not what creeps people out it's the [[SceneryPorn Sunset]] that appears out of nowhere. This due to a case of DidNotDoTheResearch, for in Japan the sunset is the symbol of youth.

* There is no Dr. Hikari in LoveHina. The character was created by a fairly popular fanfic writer and has led some to believe that such a character actually exists in canon.

** Another piece of fanon routinely declares the rookie 9 members to be clan heirs, though usually Sakura and sometimes Naruto are left out. Only Hinata, Shino, Choji, and Sasuke's fathers are canonically clan heads (it's AllThereInTheManual in Choza and Shibi's cases).

** Another piece of fanon routinely declares the rookie 9 members to be clan heirs, though usually Sakura and sometimes Naruto are left out. Only Hinata and Sasuke's fathers are canonically clan heads.

** There's also quite a bit of Fanon surrounding Ukyo, most notably that she is someone that he feels extreme closeness to and will recurrently use as an understanding ear for all of his troubles; the assertion that she was Ranma's first fiancée (contradicted both by Genma and Ukyo herself in her initial appearance); and the speculation that her father influenced her to give up her femininity and seek vengeance against the Saotomes, when neither the manga nor the anime imply it (and the idea that she herself was the one to come up with it is actually a much more intriguing prospect when you think about it). However, although Ranma does not confide in Ukyo, and was enthusiastic in finding ways to get rid of her when she turned romantically or sexually offensive in the "secret sauce" story, "Ukyo as Ranma's best friend" is to some extent justified via deduction, narrowing down the list of potential suspects puts Ukyo in a pretty good position: she really ''is'' a friend, that he was quite delighted to see again; his relationship with her lacks much of the often violent conflict present with [[BelligerentSexualTension Akane]] or [[TheRival Ryoga]] (although he does love Akane, and stated that he sees Ryoga as a friend on certain occasions), and it is just as warranted as the {{Recurring Extra}}s [[ThoseTwoGuys Hiroshi and Daisuke]], or possibly [[YamatoNadeshiko Kasumi]] (who takes care of everyone in the household).

** Some fans seem to take it as an article of faith that Kasumi [[ClosetPervert secretly has a sex drive three times as powerful as that possessed by Happosai]], or even more unlikely is simply a polite StepfordSmiler manipulative sadist (usually by people who identify with [[NeutralEvil Nabiki]] [[UnfortunateImplications to extreme degrees]]...).

*** This was actually born from a Fanfic Calle "Never cut Twice" where is used as a comic running gag, along with exposition. You can read it from the Fanfic Recommendation.
** Anko and Kurenai are alleged to be best friends but have only appeared in the same room once in the entire series; even then, Anko was a proctor standing with the Hokage while Kurenai was standing across the room with her students. Probably based on the scene where Kurenai claiming to be out buying dango for Anko (as an excuse for being seen hanging around with Asuma).
** There is also the Fanon belief that [[EnsembleDarkhorse Anko]] is a hypersexual deranged sadist/poison mistress, with almost no self control, partly alcoholic, being part of the Torture and Interrogation Team and deried by being "The traitor student". In her (very brief) scenes she had showed to had a very ameniable, energetic, hyperactive, tomboyish (hell she is defined as and studious counterpat of '''Naruto'''), kinda creepy and nonsensical, had good relationship with her comrades, to be a Chunnin examintor (wiki), her favorite hobbie to be the Tea Ceremony and the only sexual act so far is wearing her very Striperrific outfit. The Fanon belief seemed to had grown form the Kunai incident and the fact that Ibiki and Her worked as proctors during the Chunning exam.

** Sometimes Kurenai, Tenten, Temari, Anko, and even rarer times Kushina would usually have the extremely dull nickname [[FanNickname * insert speciality* mistress of insert village]].

*** Finally, it is apparently a bad idea to get between Kakashi and his porn. About as bad as Itachi and pocky. Granted, this at least has a little evidance to support it, but still, there is a difference in having an old copy you have read before destroyed and going nuts, and covering your ears and eyes to prevent spoilers from the newest edition you haven't read yet.

*** Also considering the fact that Sannin is just a nickname not a ninja class.

** Also many fanfiction have Hinata fainting at the mere mention of Naruto.
*** When she only fainted twice once when Naruto was in the hospital after failing to retrieve Sasuke and Her first appearance in Shippudden when Naruto practically jumped in front of her for the first time in two and a half years.
*** Also Another thing that '''[[EverybodyCanSeeIt EVERYBODY]]''' know about her crush. But has never been mentioned hinted a few times but never stated.

** Lee and Gai hugging is not what creeps people out it's the [[SceneryPorn Sunset]] that appears out of nowhere. This due to a case of DidNotDoTheResearch for in for in Japan the sunset is the symbol of youth.

Due to language and adaptation barriers, nearly all popular anime is subject to {{fanon}} levels proportional to their age; ''SailorMoon'' and ''[[{{Ptitlegynukzwikxmd}} Ranma ½]]'' are two notable examples. The advent of the Internet has made fact-checking much easier. It has not, however, stopped flame wars about favored characters or plot lines based solely on fanon. Some tropes, such as Akane Tendo's (of ''Ranma ½'') supposed psychotic tendencies, have been so over-elaborated-upon by fans that they become psychotically defensive of their incorrect beliefs.

** Another example is the Fanon {{OTP}} of Kyon and Haruhi. This is likely due to three factors. 1. The rather popular anime is missing a lot of narration that counters the Kyon/Haruhi pairing, 2. The first novel and some of the second tend to focus on that pairing, but we haven't received the later novels here in America, which tend to not, and 3. Since the first novel is ''very'' Kyon/Haruhi oriented, much of the evidence in the later novels contrary to this pairing tends to be {{HandWaved}} or used as confirmation bias. It's rather shocking how insistent people are that ''this'' is the official couple.

** England being America's father or father figure (sometimes also Canada's, though that's usually France). This may come from a mistranslation in the comic version of America's Storage Cleaning (the anime has it correctly), and/or the popular "FrUK family" ship in which France and England raise little America and Canada, and/or some people's firm belief that they share a father/son dynamics. Canon, by the way, makes it pretty clear that they regarded each other as brothers and had an older brother/younger brother dynamics (though that may not have translated well due to cultural differences).

** Compared to this is the constant belief that Sakura had so low level Chakra and stamina (which she doesn't, it just Naruto and Sasuke had enormous capacities for a gennin) because she go into a severe diet and skip lunch thanks to he Fan girl-ism. Forget a moment that Sakura graduated at the top of her class ''by brains'' alone, the whole diet thing it was a once joke in the Manga and appeared a second time during the "cook nin" episode and it showed ''the entire Kunoichi population in the phase''. And this is not only [[Scrappy Haters]] since even "reedeming" fics go with it.

** Genma is not fat. It's probably bleed-over from his panda form, plus the shapeless gi he wears, but a lot of fanfic writers tend to depict him as a blubbery mass of lard. While it's true that he's not slender (or as good looking as most of the rest of the regular csst), but every time he's shown without clothes in the series his build seems to be fairly flat-bellied for all his stockiness. Its especially egregious in fics where Ranma is shown gagging at seeing Genma's allegedly bloated body nude when he is shown regularly bathing with his father all throughout the manga and anime.

** Tasuki doesn't like women because of his four older sisters always giving him a hard time, fanfics usually write him as being gay, even if they're not yaoi fics.

** To hear it from some fans, Genma made dozens and dozens of {{Childhood Marriage Promise}}s for Ranma in exchange for food. He only did that ''twice'' in the manga (although the anime also introduced Kaori Daitokuji, and a row of other claimants in a ''[[AdaptationDecay filler anime episode]]'') -- in Ukyo's case, it was her father who made the initial offer and Genma ''asked Ranma'' what he thought (and then stole the food cart anyway, but that's another issue). Conveniently, {{fanon}} always forgets that Soun as well as Genma did trade off his (as of yet unborn and unspecified) daughter to pay for a meal at the Chardin restaurant, although in this case it was due to being on the edge of starving to death and not being informed of the immense cost beforehand, followed by blackmail.

** Fanon often holds that the Kyuubi is strongly associated with fire, probably because of the color of its fur and chakra, despite never showing any fire powers. (At least until the [[MemeticMutation Loony Tunes]] [[AdaptationDecay version]] of the [[OffModel Invasion of Pain arc]].)