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[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/WarriorCats http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/broken-base_custom10_6431.png]]]]
->''"Let's go Cena!"''
->''"Cena sucks!"''
-->-- Popular chant in the Wrestling/{{WWE}}
A character in a series who is loved by one section of the fanbase, and [[TheScrappy hated by the rest]]. The causes are varied: perhaps the character appeals to a certain demographic but is a turn-off to another. Maybe they're a PluckyComicRelief who appeals to the sense of humour of some people but falls flat with others. Sometimes they just highlight [[BrokenBase existing divisions within the fanbase]], or have differing appeal across [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff different]] [[AmericansHateTingle cultures]], due to [[ValuesDissonance different cultural viewpoints]] or other quirks. Either way, some fans like em, some fans don't, little in the way of a middle ground, [[InternetBackdraft flamewars ensue]].
This can happen as a result of {{Shipping}}-related [[DieForOurShip savagery]], the divisions often between those who [[ShipToShipCombat support a rival pairing]] or just couldn't care less.
See also ContestedSequel which is sometimes a result of Base Breaker characters. Not to be confused with BrokenBase.
'''No examples, please. Every character in any work of media is one to some extent. This page simply defines the term.'''
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[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/WarriorCats http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/broken-base_custom10_6431.png]]]]
->''"Let's go Cena!"''
->''"Cena sucks!"''
-->-- Popular chant in the Wrestling/{{WWE}}
A character in a series who is loved by one section of the fanbase, and [[TheScrappy hated by the rest]]. The causes are varied: perhaps the character appeals to a certain demographic but is a turn-off to another. Maybe they're a PluckyComicRelief who appeals to the sense of humour of some people but falls flat with others. Sometimes they just highlight [[BrokenBase existing divisions within the fanbase]], or have differing appeal across [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff different]] [[AmericansHateTingle cultures]], due to [[ValuesDissonance different cultural viewpoints]] or other quirks. Either way, some fans like em, some fans don't, little in the way of a middle ground, [[InternetBackdraft flamewars ensue]].
This can happen as a result of {{Shipping}}-related [[DieForOurShip savagery]], the divisions often between those who [[ShipToShipCombat support a rival pairing]] or just couldn't care less.
See also ContestedSequel which is sometimes a result of Base Breaker characters. Not to be confused with BrokenBase.
'''No examples, please. Every character in any work of media is one to some extent. This page simply defines the term.'''
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%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
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[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/WarriorCats http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/broken-base_custom10_6431.png]]]]
->''"Let's go Cena!"''
->''"Cena sucks!"''
-->-- Popular chant in the Wrestling/{{WWE}}
A character in a series who is loved by one section of the fanbase, and [[TheScrappy hated by the rest]]. The causes are varied: perhaps the character appeals to a certain demographic but is a turn-off to another. Maybe they're a PluckyComicRelief who appeals to the sense of humour of some people but falls flat with others. Sometimes they just highlight [[BrokenBase existing divisions within the fanbase]], or have differing appeal across [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff different]] [[AmericansHateTingle cultures]], due to [[ValuesDissonance different cultural viewpoints]] or other quirks. Either way, some fans like em, some fans don't, little in the way of a middle ground, [[InternetBackdraft flamewars ensue]].
This can happen as a result of {{Shipping}}-related [[DieForOurShip savagery]], the divisions often between those who [[ShipToShipCombat support a rival pairing]] or just couldn't care less.
See also ContestedSequel which is sometimes a result of Base Breaker characters. Not to be confused with BrokenBase.
'''No examples, please. Every character in any work of media is one to some extent. This page simply defines the term.'''
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->''"Let's go [[Wrestling/JohnCena Cena]]!"''
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->''"Let's go [[Wrestling/JohnCena Cena]]!"''Cena!"''
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->"Let's go [[Wrestling/JohnCena Cena]]!"
->"Cena sucks!"
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->"Cena sucks!"
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->"Cena sucks!"
-->--'''Popular
->''"Cena sucks!"''
-->-- Popular chant in the
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See also ContestedSequel which is sometimes a result of Base Breaker characters.
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See also ContestedSequel which is sometimes a result of Base Breaker characters.
characters. Not to be confused with BrokenBase.
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culling references to Ensemble Darkhorse, this is contributing to misuse of that trope
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A character in a series who is [[EnsembleDarkhorse loved by one section of the fanbase]], and [[TheScrappy hated by the rest]]. The causes are varied: perhaps the character appeals to a certain demographic but is a turn-off to another. Maybe they're a PluckyComicRelief who appeals to the sense of humour of some people but falls flat with others. Sometimes they just highlight [[BrokenBase existing divisions within the fanbase]], or have differing appeal across [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff different]] [[AmericansHateTingle cultures]], due to [[ValuesDissonance different cultural viewpoints]] or other quirks. Either way, some fans like em, some fans don't, little in the way of a middle ground, [[InternetBackdraft flamewars ensue]].
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A character in a series who is [[EnsembleDarkhorse loved by one section of the fanbase]], fanbase, and [[TheScrappy hated by the rest]]. The causes are varied: perhaps the character appeals to a certain demographic but is a turn-off to another. Maybe they're a PluckyComicRelief who appeals to the sense of humour of some people but falls flat with others. Sometimes they just highlight [[BrokenBase existing divisions within the fanbase]], or have differing appeal across [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff different]] [[AmericansHateTingle cultures]], due to [[ValuesDissonance different cultural viewpoints]] or other quirks. Either way, some fans like em, some fans don't, little in the way of a middle ground, [[InternetBackdraft flamewars ensue]].
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To put in [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourVocabulary trope-speak]], TheScrappy meets EnsembleDarkhorse by way of BrokenBase.
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->"Let's go [[JohnCena [[Wrestling/JohnCena Cena]]!"
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To put in {{t|VtropesWillRuinYourVocabulary}}ropes, TheScrappy meets EnsembleDarkhorse by way of BrokenBase.
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To put in {{t|VtropesWillRuinYourVocabulary}}ropes, [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourVocabulary trope-speak]], TheScrappy meets EnsembleDarkhorse by way of BrokenBase.
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This can happen as a result of {{Shipping}} related [[DieForOurShip savagery]], the divisions often between those who [[ShipToShipCombat support a rival pairing]] or just couldn't care less.
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This can happen as a result of {{Shipping}} related {{Shipping}}-related [[DieForOurShip savagery]], the divisions often between those who [[ShipToShipCombat support a rival pairing]] or just couldn't care less.
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-->--'''Popular chant in the {{WWE}}'''
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-->--'''Popular chant in the {{WWE}}'''
Wrestling/{{WWE}}'''
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->[[JohnCena "Cena]]Cena]]!"
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[[JohnCena "Cena]] sucks!"
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[[JohnCenaCena!"]]
->[[JohnCena "Cena]] sucks!"
[[JohnCena
->[[JohnCena "Cena]] sucks!"
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'''No examples, please. Every character in any work of media is one to some extent. This page simply defines the term.'''
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!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* ''HighSchoolOfTheDead'' has Rei Miyamoto, who tends to either be seen as a cute BadassNormal {{Tsundere}} who CantSpitItOut... ''or'' a ClingyJealousGirl and FauxActionGirl who is TooDumbToLive and yet manages to keep lucking out into survival (which combines with her HairAntennae to earn her the nickname "Cockroach-tan" from her haters).
* The Uchihas in ''{{Naruto}}'', with Sasuke being ''the'' standout case, to the point where he once provided the page picture.
** This can also apply to at least one major villain, namely [[spoiler:[[BigBad Tobi/"Madara Uchiha"]]]]: One side think he's a MagnificentBastard for being able to manipulate everyone and play TheManBehindTheMan, while the others think he fails as a villain for not displaying any impressive powers, [[ReplacementScrappy not being Orochimaru]], and being [[spoiler:[[GuiltByAssociation related to]] Sasuke]]. The negative fan reaction seems to have subsided during [[spoiler:his appearance in the war, where he shows [[ComboPlatterPowers an array of different abilities]], while still remaining largely a mystery.]]
** Danzo is a ''huge'' matter of contention: People are generally split between thinking [[MagnificentBastard he's a great villain]], that he's too much of a traitorous asshole to be any more than a SmugSnake, and that [[DesignatedVillain he shouldn't even be considered a villain]]. Discussions on him tend to invite flamewars.
** Naruto himself. Is he an annoying overpowered kid who won the SuperpowerLottery and relies too much on TheGift? Or a lovable IdiotHero? Naruto's concern for Sasuke is also a huge source of base breaking, as many feel Sasuke doesn't deserve it.
** Kabuto. All but invoked, Kabuto's actions across series have created multitudes of fans and haters. From his first appearance as a cool nerdy good guy, his betrayal and manipulation of his friends for Orchimaru's sake, to after Orchimaru's [[spoiler: death]] even helping Naruto, but [[spoiler:starting with the WarArc he's actually given ''Tobi'' a run for his money, screwing up part of his plans, has revived a massive number of fallen ninja with Edo Tensei and forced them to do battle against loved ones or run rampant once more and trapped EnsembleDarkhorse Anko in his jutsu to sustain it while she withers away.]]
* Tomo in ''AzumangaDaioh'' is either a hyperactive, hilarious loose cannon, or an annoying over-dramatic bitch.
* From ''{{Bleach}}'', Toshiro Hitsugaya is ''the'' most popular character in
** Orihime Inoue is TheWoobie for a good portion of the fans, but is TheScrappy for the DieForOurShip / RealWomenNeverWearDresses sections.
** Momo Hinamori is beloved for the same reasons that she's hated. Either she is a hard-working, kind and loyal lieutenant who was cruelly betrayed by the man she served and admired, or she is blindly obsessive in her loyalty and inability to acknowledge his wrongdoing.
** Sosuke Aizen is arguably as much as, if not more than, a BaseBreaker as Hitsugaya. MagnificentBastard or VillainSue? CompleteMonster or GenericDoomsdayVillain? Don't ask. ''Really'', don't.
*** His descent into a SmugSnake bothers half of the fans, who very much preferred his [[MagnificentBastard previous incarnation]], but it's welcomed by the rest, since they like how he finally gets his just-deserts.
** Mayuri Kurotsuchi is either a [[TheScrappy horrible]] [[CompleteMonster monster]] with no redeeming qualities, or an [[ComedicSociopathy amusing]] [[JerkAss bastard]] [[MagnificentBastard on an awesome streak]]. Few fans are indifferent to him.
** Ever since the start of the Arrancar arc in general, Ichigo Kurosaki has developed into someone who needs to have ''personal stakes'' in order to achieve a HeroicResolve to stop to bad guys, frequently suffers HeroicBSOD, always butts into things when his friends are capable of defending themselves (to an extent), and goes through several random and forced power upgrades to win. Unlike those above, Ichigo's base breaker status is starting to lessen a bit, due to all this being a means to give him more CharacterDevelopment.
* Boa Hancock in OnePiece. Her unrequited love for the main character in a NoHuggingNoKissing series leads to ShipToShipCombat, or rather Ship To Non-Ship Combat. Also, some people see UnfortunateImplications in her personality and abilities.
* Akane Tendo from ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma 1/2]]''. Her {{Tsundere}} nature and [[OvershadowedByAwesome apparently lacking fighting skills]] mean that she tends to be a very divisive character. You have fans who dislike her for being too weak, fans who dislike her for seldom hearing Ranma out and/or for hitting and insulting him, fans who dislike the apparent DoubleStandard in the relationship, fans who think her attitudes just don't mesh with Ranma's character, fans who just think one of the other girls is better suited for Ranma... And then you have fans who fixate on her "deredere" moments, sometimes to the point of ignoring or denying her "tsuntsun" moments, fans who proclaim her to be the only girl with a legitimate tie to marry Ranma, fans who proclaim she's the only girl who actually loves Ranma... really, a {{Tsundere}} and a LoveDodecahedron is like a recipe for {{Shipping}}, ShipToShipCombat and ShipMates.
** Ranma counts too. There are people that like him for his humor, confidence, and skill. Then there are people who find him annoying, irresponsible, rude, a trouble maker, and a delinquent who always [[NeverMyFault shifts the blame]] on to someone else -- if not a bastard who psychologically abuses Akane to no end via calling her "ugly" and "bitch" and mocking her weak points endlessly and to her face, thus actually ''provoking'' her into beating him up.
** Ryoga too. There are people that like him better than Ranma, want him to get with Akane, and love his character. Then there's people who find him annoying, rude, and hate him for 'getting in the way' of Akane and Ranma.
* [[DarkMagicalGirl Kikyo]] from ''{{Inuyasha}}''. She is a polarizing figure because in the anime, she is portrayed as vindictive and vengeful toward InuYasha far longer and to a much greater degree than in the manga. Also, [[DieForOurShip she is hated mostly for the Inu/Kagome Shippers]]. However, she has a huge fanbase... but it doesn't always help her case, as she often ends up portrayed as a RelationshipSue.
** Kagome is as much of a base breaker as Kikyou. A sweet Woobie who cracks more or less often because of all the pressure on her? A wangsty TsundereSue who abuses Inuyasha as much as she can? Inuyasha's Beautiful And Perfect One True Love or a whiny MarySue who stole him from Kikyou? You decide!
* Almost anyone in ''CodeGeass'', but especially Lelouch and Suzaku. Which, given they are the two main characters, explains a ''lot'' about the epic BrokenBase ''CodeGeass'' seems to suffer from.
* Numerous ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' characters, due to shipping mostly.
** Many rival characters qualify, particularly Paul or any of the other Diamond/Pearl rivals. Paul is one of the more extreme examples. While initially designed to be a [[TakeThat salvo]] against the StopHavingFunGuys, he wound up developing a MisaimedFandom. Said MisaimedFandom adore him for being a break from the soft "frienemies" Ash made in Hoenn, while others want to punch him in the face ([[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown repeatedly]]) for the abominable way he treats those around him. There is ''very little'' grey ground in regards to him, ''AND WE'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT!!''
** Also, all of Ash's female travelling companions (Misty, May, Dawn, and Iris). Constant debates as to who is better than the other are always annoyingly present. Out of all of them though, Dawn is hit by this the most.
* The two leads of ''TheSacredBlacksmith'' appear to have neatly divided the fans. People either take the side of PluckyGirl Cecily and find Luke a bit of a jerk, or take Luke's side and find Cecily an annoyance. Lisa is generally loved by all.
* Either Kira Yamato or Shinn Asuka from ''MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'', [[HostileShowTakeover whoever may be considered the main character.]] Lacus Clyne as well, who is either a great character or complete MarySue.
* The two most popular complaints about ''GurrenLagann'' seem to be that Nia exists and that Nia [[spoiler:dies in the last episode]].
** The [[spoiler:[[BigBad Anti-Spiral]]]] has also broken the base in two. Should we [[spoiler:sympathize with him as a NecessarilyEvil WellIntentionedExtremist who is only trying to prevent the death of the universe,]] or has he [[JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope gone too far]] past the MoralEventHorizon to be anything but a truly [[CompleteMonster monstrous]] example of a KnightTemplar? [[spoiler:Him [[NaughtyTentacles "analyzing"]] [[TheWoobie Nia]] in Lagann-Hen only made it WORSE.]]
** Also, [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Rossiu]], for [[WhatTheHellHero obvious]] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom reasons]].
* Asuka from ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'' is either a {{Badass}} {{Tsundere}} who we should feel sorry for having a traumatic past, or a total bitch who had [[MindRape it]] coming. Some prefer a middle point of view: Asuka's a JerkAss, but damn it, ''no-one'' deserves [[MindRape THAT]].
** Shinji gets it even worse. A total coward who has to coerced into doing anything useful? A genuinely heroic person crippled by psychological flaws? A (gasp) realistic portrayal of FallingIntoTheCockpit and consequences thereof? The AlternativeCharacterInterpretation is diverse. The FanFic writers can't agree either. Some write RevengeFic to make him pay for being a wuss, others (like the local poster-children ''FanFic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40k'' and ''FanFic/ThousandShinji'') think [[TookALevelInBadass a dose of badass can save him]] and turn him into a mighty PossessionSue instead.
*** ''SuperRobotWars'' seems to side with those last guys...
** Rei as well. Opinions of her are either [[PerverseSexualLust "I'd hit it!"]] and [[TheWoobie "Awww..."]], or [[ExtremeDoormat "She's boring; she's no Asuka!"]] and [[UncannyValley "WTF?"]].
*** Hideaki Anno intended on the fourth option, yet [[MisaimedFandom the first one is the most prevalent]]. Proof: [[MemeticMutation ZOMG TEH REI!]]
** [[OriginalGeneration Mari]] is either a CrazyAwesome BadAss right out of GurrenLagann, or an unnecessary, unfitting ReplacementScrappy for Asuka.
** Let's face it - EVERYONE in Eva is a BaseBreaker... Except [[WhiteHairedPrettyBoy Kaworu]] and maybe [[CoolBigSis Misato]] and [[TallDarkAndHandsome Kaji]].
* ''{{Gundam 00}}'''s Nena Trinity. Either you see her as a psychotic BrokenBird girl who never received true care and love and thus ended up the way she is, a PsychopathicManchild who is a nuisance at best, or you see her as a complete bitch who seems to be the second coming of Gundam's most [[CompleteMonster monstrously evil]] female: [[Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam Katejina Loos]]. Or hell, the second coming of {{Satan}} himself.
* Several of the characters from ''FullMetalPanic''.
** Gauron: Seen by some as an awesome, {{Badass}}, [[MemeticBadass invincible zombie god]] that has a [[LargeHam hilariously chipper attitude]] while [[AxCrazy massacring people]]. Some also find it funny that he's a MemeticMolester. However, he's also seen by other fans as a [[GenericDoomsdayVillain shallow character without a deeper purpose]] that keeps killing off a bunch of characters and just won't ''[[NoOneCouldSurviveThat freaking die]]''.
** Kaname Chidori: Depending on who you ask, she can be described as either a nice girl with a short fuse or a stupid bitch. The fact that her character is portrayed differently in different continuities within the franchise may be part of the reason for this.
** Tessa: [[DieForOurShip Fans of the Kaname/Sousuke pairing (or other)]] see her as acting like a jealous, possessive, overly aggressive bitch that takes advantage of him using her position of authority. Fans of her/Sousuke see her as being a cute {{Dojikko}} that matches him better, has priority over Kaname since she's loved him much longer, and likes how she doesn't [[{{Tsundere}} beat him up]].
* Yaminade no Itsuki from ''YuYuHakusho''. You either love him for being a PsychoSupporter to Sensui (especially if you're a [[YaoiFangirl yaoi fan]]), and [[spoiler:getting the last say in Sensui's fate after he dies]]... or you hate him for the exact same reason. He is '''very'' divisive, which is interesting in that [[DissonantSerenity his personality combines lots of opposing traits]].
* The tachikomas of ''{{Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex}}''. There's no 'meh' when it comes to them - either you love them and want one of your own so you can give it a big hug regularly, or you think they're unnecessary comic relief that ruins a perfectly good cop show.
* Yuno Gasai of ''MiraiNikki'': Epic FetishFuel, or [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel a total freak whose mere presence could cause you to have a heart attack]]?
* HaruhiSuzumiya herself. To the lovers, she's absolutely brilliant for [[MagnificentBastard pulling off devilish schemes flawlessly all the while]], being an almost deity and [[ManicPixieDreamGirl bringing lots of "fun"]] into Kyon's boring life, while the haters say she is [[JerkAss an exploitationist, nasty, evil, and outright annoying bitch]] who always gets her way, was undeservingly made to be practically a deity, and does not deserve Kyon's love ([[DieForOurShip unlike "Yuki baby" or "Mikuru-woobie"]]).
* Not ''characters'', per se, but the mecha designs of ''TurnAGundam'', ''especially'' for the Turn A Gundam itself. A lot of people immediately hate on it because of the whole mustache bit. Others hate it because they think it's [[SuperPowerLottery cheap and overpowered]] and how people always say it could beat any other Gundam (despite that, at 100%, it is more broke than most {{Super Robot}}s).
* [[RebelliousPrincess Relena]] [[ActualPacifist Peacecraft]]/[[BadassPacifist Darlian]] from ''GundamWing'', although this mainly applies to [[AmericansHateTingle American audiences]]. In more recent years people have been more accepting of her character...except for ''some'' YaoiFangirls, who still utterly despise her going on 15 years since the show's release.
* ''FairyTail'' has [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Jellal]] Fernandes. While most of his fans were ecstatic to learn he [[spoiler: didn't actually die in the Tower of Paradise arc and was going to play a role in the Nirvana arc]] his haters not only complained when [[spoiler: it turned out he wasn't dead]] but cried foul when a chapter not too long after the one where that was revealed ended with it seeming like [[spoiler: he was going to actually die this time.]] Lots of lines are drawn here. He shares a design with one of the most popular characters from Hiro Mashima's previous series, he's one of the most powerful characters, he's [[ShipTease uncomfortable close]] to the most popular female, he switches sides a lot, and he manages to pop up even when he's miles away.
** Also [[spoiler:Lisana. Her shippers are glad she popped out of her grave after two years, but plenty of other people found that to be taking the 'nobody dies' idea too far. Which do you prefer? The male lead getting to be with his childhood sweetheart, or the girl who's corpse they actually found staying six feet unnder?]]
* Crow of ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds}}''. His deck archetype is (or was) immensely powerful in the real game, he's extremely loud and brash, and he lacks the bishonen qualities of most of the male cast. [[RememberTheNewGuy His introduction was forced]] and [[spoiler: he became a Signer despite not being reincarnated from one, with some justification that the original Fifth Signer went bad and left the birthmark hanging.]] Some consider him a fun counterpoint to the otherwise [[DarkerAndEdgier grimdark]] cast, some consider him [[MoodDissonance a plague to the narrative's seriousness]] and a BlackHoleSue with canon warping powers. Luckily, his screen time has dwindled down to about the same level as the other major characters, minus [[TheHero Yusei]] and [[TheLancer Jack]].
* Pick a ''DeathNote'' character under 30. Now state your undying devotion to them, above all others. If all goes well, and you use crass enough terms for the others, you should have a flame war going within hours. L, however, seems to be immune to this, and it appears that Light mostly has haters [[spoiler: because he has L killed]].
** Misa Amane is the worst offender. [[AmericansHateTingle In the US]], the fandom seems split between those who love her character and those who think she's the most annoying and pointless thing in the series. This likely comes from the fact that she's a {{Moe}} character in a series that, well, is [[DarkerAndEdgier dark and edgy]] (that she clashes with this tone was, ironically, part of the character's point to begin with according to WordOfGod, so she's either a success or a failed experiment in this regard.)
* How about Broly from ''DragonBallZ''? Fans either love him to death or would love to see him dead. The fact that lately he's been overblown on videogames doesn't help the issue, either. (An equal to [[FusionDance Gogeta]]? Bearable. BonusBoss on a game that covers until the Saiyan Saga? Huh. Reaches Super Saiyan 3 for no good reason? Really?.)
* President Aria from ''{{ARIA}}''. Some think his antics are cute, others think it's annoying.
* Of ''{{Hayate the Combat Butler}}'', Athena Tellos. Some people love her, thinks the story is better because of her and Hayate's one and only [[spoiler: and are saddened by her leaving in chapter 265.]] Others think the story was doing fine without her, or even go to the extreme of slutshaming her for having sexier looks than the other girls.
* Not as extreme as most, but Haruka in ''{{Kanamemo}}'' is easily one of the most blatant Lolicons ever in the history of anime, taking it to RefugeInAudacity and CrossesTheLineTwice levels. This causes debate over whether Haruka is hilarious or just plain offensive.
* Maybe more obscure than at least some of the other examples, but [[ProjectAKo C-ko]] is also a controversial character. The fandom seems to be split between those who think she's absolutely [[MoeMoe adorable]] and those who want to kill her.
* Louise of ''LightNovel/ZeroNoTsukaima''. Also, Saito and Siesta.
* Taiga of '' LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' is either a hilarious BadassAdorable, or a violent jerky {{Tsundere}}. [[CharacterDevelopment Or both]].
* if [[ImageBoards /a/]] is any indication, [[{{Working}} Mahiru Inami]]. The fanbase seems split on those who think she's adorable, TheWoobie and love all the ShipTease she gets with Takanashi, and the people who think she's an uninteresting SpotlightStealingSquad who ruins the otherwise good show.
* Lenalee Lee from ''DGrayMan''. Good luck finding a fan forum that doesn't have a raging flame war between her fans and haters.
* Winry Rockbell and May Chang from ''{{Fullmetal Alchemist}}''. It can be easily summed up by many fangirls claiming that both characters portray Mary Sue traits such as being child prodigies and having close family relationships to main characters, (May is Ling's half-sister- albeit shared by a few dozen other Xingese princes and princesses- and Winry is a childhood friend of the Elric brothers), whole story arcs revolving around them, having tsundere traits that Mary Sues usually have. The finale doesn't help their broken base because at the end of the series [[spoiler: [[ShippingWars each wind up with an Elric]] ]], which of course will make the pairing of the fangirls out of character, usually self-insert, with Ed or Al impossible. There is more but it's too long to list every single reason why they are hated by fangirls.
* In ''SailorMoon'' fandom, Chibiusa was this, particularly when the bratty treatment she was given in the North American dub made her into a case of AmericansHateTingle. But around the world, the fourth season of the anime was a BaseBreaker for its decision to (temporarily) jettison the newly-introduced Outer Senshi to focus on Chibiusa's training. If you were lucky enough to live in a country which got the fifth season, there was much [[AndTheFandomRejoiced rejoicing]] when the series decided to have Chibiusa [[PutOnABus return to the 30th Century]] and bring the Outer Senshi back.
** Usagi, the main character herself, also tends to get this treatment. There are some who think she's a naive but kind girl who wanted to protect her friends and her love at all costs, and there are others who think she is a ditzy, whiny CanonSue. Other MagicalGirl leads get a similar treatment, but not to this extent.
** Mamoru. Hoo lee sheeet, Mamoru. A wonderful KnightInShiningArmor who totally is perfect for Usagi? A ShallowLoveInterest who should be killed off already and for real? A jerk who treated Usagi like shit and loved his daughter more than her? A basically decent and kind guy with bad luck AND OvershadowedByAwesome? And that's just the beginning.
* ''EurekaSeven'' has [[JerkassWoobie Holland]], who acts as the ParentalSubstitute for Renton. Unfortunately, he's also something of an AdultChild and physically lashes out against Renton because he's unable to cope with his anger and his past. Thankfully, this is only part of the plot for the first half of the series and he eventually matures. But go tell that to the fandom, of course.
* [[LightNovel/OreNoImoutoGaKonnaNiKawaiiWakeGaNai Kirino Kousaka]] seems to draw two opinions from the ''Oreimo'' fanbase. She's either an adorable case of OneOfUs who really loves her brother deep down, or a total [[{{Tsundere}} tsuntsun]] bitch who never seems to appreciate the lengths her brother goes for her. She comes off better in the anime than in the light novels, at the very least.
* For being nothing more than a voice, the Narrator from ''OokamiSan'' gets this kind of reaction. Either she's an extremely funny LemonyNarrator with a sexy voice [[LovableSexManiac who reminds]] [[EnsembleDarkhorse them of]] [[ToAruMajutsuNoIndex Kuroko]], or an annoying CaptainObvious [[HellIsThatSound with a grating voice]] who reminds them of... [[Manga/ToAruKagakuNoRailgun Kuroko]].
* Kyuubey of ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' gets this. Either he's a [[spoiler:disgusting, [[CompleteMonster irredeemably evil]] [[TheScrappy Scrappy]], or an [[CuteIsEvil adorable]], yet [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel nightmarish]], MagnificentBastard with [[WellIntentionedExtremist admirable goals]].]]
** The characters involved in the Sayaka-Kyosuke-Hitomi LoveTriangle get this, with given fans' opinion partly determined by how much they want Sayaka and Kyosuke together. [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Hitomi]], by telling Sayaka to confess to Kyosuke (she cannot, for reasons Hitomi doesn't know), either was trying to [[ShipperOnDeck help her best friend]] or was selfish in wanting Kyosuke for herself, instead of [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy letting Sayaka have him]]. Kyosuke often gets hate for not telling Sayaka when he got discharged from the hospital, while others suggest that he had no obligation to return Sayaka's feelings. Sayaka herself, whose emotional breakdown [[spoiler:and subsequent transformation into a Witch]] is either seen as a sympathetic character who tried to do what was best for those she cared about, or someone who wanted Kyosuke for herself, and fell apart when her misaimed wish didn't get her what she wanted.
* Princess Fatora from ''ElHazard''. Some think she is a funny jerk and other think she is an annoying bitch.
* Ayumu from ''HoshizoraEKakaruHashi''. Either you're [[StupidSexyFlanders gay for him]] or [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling you want to kill him]]. The fact for the later group he borders in CreatorsPet territory doesn't help, either.
* Yasuko from ''AoiHana''. She's either a irredeemable bitch, who doesn't care about the feelings of others and toys around with Fumi's vulnerable heart, or just a strong-willed young woman who merely has some issues to work out.
** Kou is often seen as a sweet guy who is just the ''perfect'' fiancé for Kyouko, if only she'd give give up on Yasuko and give him a chance. Not surprisingly, {{yuri fan}}s generally regard Kou to be a spineless wimp, whose only function is to offer Kyouko a "straight" option.
* Depending on where you go, you either think that Ringo Oginome from ''Anime/MawaruPenguindrum'' is an adorable and funny PluckyGirl who knows what she wants and will do her best to get her "Destiny" fulfilled and deserves a lot of sympathy for her genuinely sad backstory, or that she's a stupid, delusional, psychotic, stalker who's also [[spoiler: an attempted rapist]] who totally deserved to have [[spoiler: Himari's possessor]] insulting her all over as well as being locked up in a ward.
* In {{Durarara}}, [[BloodKnight Vorona]] is either loved by fans because she's another {{action girl}} that is a potential love interest for [[WorldsStrongestMan Shizuo]] or a {{Relationship Sue}} that was created to [[ShipSinking sink]] the [[FanPreferredCouple Shizaya]] pairing as well as a bitch that only wants to kill Shizuo and will break his heart to do so.
* ''[[Anime/{{Persona 4}} Persona 4: The Animation]]'' gives us several. The protagonist, Yu Narukami, gets quite a lot of it, in part because while he was a HeroicMime in the game, in the anime many see his character going all over the map. Some like this as it reflects the berth of options a player has in the game, but others find it to be poor characterization. This isn't even mentioning Kanji's episodes... let's just say while the jokes about Kanji's sexuality may be more [[AcceptableTargets acceptable in the East]], [[ValuesDissonance Western audiences tend not to be in love with Yu and Yosuke's attitudes]] (though there are ''also'' those who think the two characters are written with the intent to have us disagree with them).
* Shizuru of MaiHime is quite popular, but also has a noticeable hatedom, including people who ship Natsuki with Nao instead of her, and people who like Haruka [[spoiler:whom she killed by destroying Yukino's CHILD]].
* Reina from QueensBlade come to mind. Some find her cute and easy to cheer for. Others find her completely uninteresting and hate her main character-driven plot immunity.
** Also, Reina's younger sister, [[SugarAndIcePersonality Elina]], is simultaneously one of the most popular characters and one of the most loathed. Fans find her very cute and kinda cool. Haters despise her for her cruelty and general bitchiness.
** Some find [[BoobsOfSteel Cattleya's assets]] very sexy. Others find her absolutely revolting.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In ''Comicbook/GreenLantern'', Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner and John Stewart share the Base Breaking burden, though it should note that the Kyle and Hal fandoms merged together against John Stewart's fans when John was given the cartoon JLU roster slot over Kyle and Hal, in part because the creators wanted a more diverse team.
** And then there is Guy Gardner, the rare Green Lantern base breaker who is the fans versus creators type: Guy is widely reviled by DC writers as being "the obnoxious asshole Green Lantern" by writers and following the launching of the Morrison JLA series, only appeared in the book to get the crap beaten out of him or mocked. But fans love him and point out that at least Guy Gardner moved the plot alongs with his personality causing conflict and drama.
* Every single [[{{X-Men}} X-Man]] (or woman!) has their fans and detractors, but some divisive ones stand out:
** {{Wolverine}}'s current status as a one-man SpotlightStealingSquad, along with being one of Marvel's first real {{AntiHero}}es, splits fans right down the middle, though most agree that his impact is diluted [[WolverinePublicity the more teams he's put on.]]
** Emma Frost is a [[HeelFaceTurn villain turned hero]] who's mostly on the team for [[MsFanservice sex appeal.]] The relationship between her and [[StandardizedLeader Scott Summers]] has a BrokenBase all its own, independent of whether people like her or not. Either way, most fans are equally unhappy with her being Wolverine's DistaffCounterpart in terms of the spotlight.
** Gambit was the first X-Men character created without a complex, angsty backstory, designed to run entirely off the RuleOfCool. It could be argued that this either made him [[MrFanservice cooler and sexier]] than [[KudzuPlot the other massively complicated characters on the team]] or just made him shallow and unsympathetic. The base is also broken on [[TheAtoner later]] [[YourCheatingHeart attempts]] at [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder characterization]]...
* Mary Jane Watson-Parker of the {{Spider-Man}} comics is an interesting case, because the split largely occurs between the audience and the creators - most of the fans love her, while many at Marvel hate her. Mary Jane is thus a rare ''inversion'' of the CreatorsPet.
** Similarly, many fans enjoyed the Kyle Rayner and Donna Troy relationship. A majority of the DC Staff did not. Unlike Mary Jane, however, the editors didn't care what the fans wanted and for quite a few years the two were forbidden to interact.
** Carlie Cooper quickly degenerated into this, especially since she became Peter's new official love interest following ''One More Day.'' The two camps tend to fall into either Carlie being a refreshing new character, or a BlackHoleSue.
* Kitty Pride of ''UltimateSpiderMan'' is either seen as an interesting, welcome addition to the Spidey cast or Brian Michael Bendis' own personal [[CreatorsPet pet]].
* LukeCage has become this over the years thanks to becoming the pet character of BrianBendis. Much contention has gone over the the fact that Bendis has pushed Cage to be one of the stars of the New Avengers team. Fandom is divided over whether he's been RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap or if he's a [[SpotlightStealingSquad Spotlight Stealing]] CreatorsPet.
* [[{{Batman}} Damian Wayne.]] Some see him as a darker, more violent Robin who is growing into a worthy successor to the role. Others see him as Grant Morrison's God awful MartyStu.
* [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Cassie Sandsmark aka Wonder Girl]]
* Jaime Reyes. Fans are bitterly divided, made worse with DC Comics (and Geoff Johns in particular) constantly hyping Jaime as the next big thing (even though he's been sales poison, upstaged by an over-the-top camp version of Aquaman, and had his much hyped live action debut/stealth pilot on Smallville flop) and bitching that they have to keep Ted Kord dead because "it would be unfair to Jaime" if the previous Blue Beetle was around.
* Barbara Gordon has started to become this, thanks to the DC reboot making her Batgirl again. Many fans feel that not only is she [[ReplacementScrappy unfairly replacing Stephanie Brown and erasing both her and Cassandra Cain's time under the cowl,]] but it also means that she is no longer Oracle, one of comics' only disabled superheroes. Others feel that she was the better than either Steph or Cass and feel that giving her back her legs was undoing the [[StuffedInTheFridge sexist fridging]] she got in TheKillingJoke. Then when her first issue back as Batgirl came out.... [[ItGotWorse it didn't help much.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* Mater from ''{{Cars}}''. While children seem to love this character, most other people despise him and there's pretty much a consensus that he ruined (or at least severely hurt) ''{{Cars 2}}''. There is also a subset that will TakeAThirdOption, finding him tolerable in the first movie, but obnoxious in the second.
* The minions in ''Film/DespicableMe'' are either considered extremely adorable or extremely annoying.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
* ''Film/{{Avatar}}'': Colonel Miles Quaritch, oh so much. Those who liked the film's message tend to think he's a [[GeneralRipper murdering madman]] who [[NukeEm destroyed Hometree]] [[BloodKnight just for laughs]], while [[FantasticRacism slaughtering aliens]] - [[ChildrenAreInnocent including innocent children]] - [[CompleteMonster without remorse.]] [[RootingForTheEmpire Those who didn't]], by contrast, see him as a true [[ColonelBadass man among men]], who [[AFatherToHisMen genuinely cares for the soldiers under his command]] and [[DesignatedVillain isn't actually the villain]], but the real hero of the film. Of course, the latter tend to run out of arguments when someone points out to them that he got every single marine on Pandora killed in his attempt at revenge.
** Many viewers tend to believe in the former, although they [[EvilIsCool admire Quaritch anyway]] for his {{Badass}} cred.
** It helps that the character is a LargeHam, allowing some viewers to find him funny.
** How {{Anvilicious}} the film was, on the other hand, only serves to make him more of a BaseBreaker. Is he truly a CompleteMonster invading the Na'vi homeland, a soldier following orders to stand up to [[FantasticRacism racist aliens,]] a [[SociopathicHero Heroic Sociopath]], or a combination of all three?
* ''SupermanReturns'': There was a great deal of controversy surrounding the revelation that Jason turned out to be Superman's son.
* The brusque, collected Natasha Romanoff is easily the most understated major character in the ''Film/IronMan'' films when it comes to personality tics. Some fans liked this, finding her [[FemmeFatale icy and enigmatic]] while others found her [[DullSurprise bland and lacking in personality]]. This is difficult to gauge considering Natasha spends the majority of her time undercover so she doesn't have much time to display her true personality.
** An interview with [[WordofGod the director]] revealed that the more flirtatious scenes between Natasha and Tony were cut to preserve the Tony/Pepper relationship. A scene from the first trailer even features Natasha ''smiling''.
* One of the oldest ones in comedy: [[TheThreeStooges Curly or Shemp?]] At least everyone hates [[ReplacementScrappy Joe]], right?
* TimothyDalton's portrayal of Film/JamesBond in ''TheLivingDaylights'' and ''LicenseToKill'' has divided fans. Some loved his hard-edged portrayal of Bond. Others agreed with Roger Moore's assessment that the role was too preposterous to be taken seriously. Though he has gotten somewhat [[VindicatedByHistory vindicated]] thanks to DanielCraig's similar portrayal.
** Moore himself can be considered this. Many have called his Bond a very poor one, even compared to Timothy Dalton's. Also, he's often derided by Fleming purists and those who believe Bond should be a more serious character, but many are fond of the way he made the role his own without trying to be like the hard-edged Connery. And his raised eyebrows.
* ''StarWars'': ''ReturnOfTheJedi'', the Ewoks. Many love them, some hate them with a vengence.
* ''RiseOfThePlanetOfTheApes'': Great movie and great revival for the fandom or too full of plot holes and MythologyGag s and came up short of what it could have been.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''WarriorCats'' gives us Ashfur, who is either a [[{{Wangst}} Wangst]]-ridden loser who went to [[MoralEventHorizon unjustifiable lengths]] to exact his DisproportionateRetribution on the completely-innocent Squirrelflight and who pulled an unforgivable KarmaHoudini [[spoiler: upon going to Starclan]], or the helpless victim of [[{{RonTheDeathEater}} the evil, manipulative Squirrelflight]], depending on your point of view.
* JRRTolkien's ''TheLordOfTheRings'' gives us Tom Bombadil, who is either the in-universe ChuckNorris or a completely useless character who sings too much.
* Is it possible for the ''main character'' to be this? ''[[JohnRidley Those Who Walk in Darkness]]'' is generally respected as a ''{{Watchmen}}'' successor, but the [[CapeBusters Cape Buster]] protagonist takes NobleBigotWithABadge to the point of planning genocide, so she gets a lot of haters. [[spoiler:If the second book's narration is any indication, even the author realized she passed [[MoralEventHorizon beyond any possibility of redemption]]. He sidestepped the problem by killing her off and [[TakeUpMySword having her more likeable sidekick replace her]]]].
* Several in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series:
** Severus Snape. [[InternetBackdraft And this is ALL we'll say about that.]]
** Ginny Weasley and, to a lesser extent, [[{{RonTheDeathEater}} Ron Weasley]].
** Draco Malfoy, so much that the author went out of her way in the later books to make him into a DirtyCoward just so the fangirls would stop [[DracoInLeatherPants fawning over him]].
* Pretty much any main character in the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, but especially:
** Mara Jade, who symbolizes everything bad about the ExpandedUniverse and everything awesome about the ExpandedUniverse.
** Jacen and Jaina Solo. Jacen is pretty much TheScrappy from NJO on, but Jaina's a FlatCharacter, so some fans think Jaina should've [[spoiler:died]] instead of Jacen.
** Ben Skywalker: pint-sized {{Bishonen}}, the CreatorsPet, or extreme case of BreakTheCutie?
** Admiral Daala: Feminist role model and reformer of the Empire, or Imperial fanatic who only got assigned to the Maw because she slept with Tarkin?
** Goran and Madrit: Does the ''StarWars'' universe need [[WordOfGay gays]]?
** Corran Horn and Kyp Durron: If you love one, you hate the other.
*** Or find them both insufferable. Horn as a MarySue, and Durron as a shining example of WhatTheHellHero
** In RealLife, Karen Traviss. Fans either love her or hate her.
* Although it's a pretty minor subplot, anybody who's read ''{{Gone}}'' wants Brianna to end up with Dekka or Computer Jack. A recent online poll is in a perpetual state of 50-50. Also, [[InternetBacklash just mention Caine in any online forum . . .]]
* It's a small fandom, but try finding an ''{{Everworld}}'' fan who doesn't have strong opinions about VillainProtagonist Senna. She's either loved for being an [[DracoInLeatherPants evil]] [[FauxAffablyEvil arrogant]] [[MagnificentBastard manipulative]] [[JerkassWoobie bitch]] or hated for being an [[KickTheDog evil]], [[SmugSnake arrogant]] [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]] [[BastardBastard bitch]] or some combination thereof. Basically there's a three way split are people who love her, people who loathe her, and people who LoveToHate her.
* ''{{Literature/Animorphs}}'' Cassie. Full stop. Either she's a nice kindhearted character or a hypocritical jerk.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Captain Benjamin Sisko of ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', especially after the events of the episode "InThePaleMoonlight". Either a CrystalDragonJesus who chewed way too much scenery and was way too angsty for Star Trek. Or...the most complex and best-acted character in the entire franchise, who never the got the kind of respect he deserved. Of course, the schism about him extends the conflicting reception of the series itself.
** Kirk vs. Picard is a [[SmallReferencePools popular one]] in fiction. In real life, few fans of Star Trek hate either one.
* Rose Tyler from ''Series/DoctorWho'' may count. She's not an EnsembleDarkhorse as she was introduced as a main character from the start, but she's definitely split the fandom into people who think [[CharacterShilling the writers are shoehorning her into way too many plotlines after her exit from the show]], and people who think they're not doing it enough.
** The casting of Sylvester [=McCoy=] as the Doctor is another base breaker. [=McCoy=] has a significant following of fans who regard him as the best, or one of the best, Doctors. On the other hand, many fans regard him as the worst Doctor of all time.
*** Colin Baker suffers from a slightly different version of this. Was he an excellent, powerful actor whose tenure as the Doctor was plagued by weak stories, or was he an obnoxious, slightly insane, overly flamboyant nutter? The only two things that most people can agree on about him are that some of his stories were well under par and that his outfit was completely ridiculous.
** River Song. [[FlameBait And that is all we shall say about that.]]
** Honestly, just pick a Doctor or companion. Any of them. ''Series/DoctorWho'' has a most UnpleasableFanbase.
*** Unavoidable in a series that has existed for over 45 years and 30 seasons and gone through dozens of characters, with eleven actors playing the same (title) character so far.
** The New Series version of the Cybermen (aka Cybus Cybermen), one of the classic enemies of ''Series/DoctorWho''. Some people love them and some people hate them to the core.
* Sam Puckett from ''{{iCarly}}''. A lot of fans, who often ship [[JustFriends Carly and Freddie]], dislike Sam's character and the way she treats Freddie. Even if they realise she's [[PerverseSexualLust smoking hot]]. They see her abuse as sociopathic and tend to view it more realistically than the Sam/Freddie fans.
** The fans who ship Sam with Freddie or [[LesYay Sam with Carly]] tend to love her and [[LauncherOfAThousandShips pair her with every other character in the show]] and simply ignore her actions or consider them as 'secret proof Sam likes Freddie'. They tend to take the abuse as simple RuleOfFunny, and say the other side are taking it too seriously.
*** This truly broke the base, as it ended up killing the major 'intergrated' fandom communities. The biggest example being the Groovy Smoothie LiveJournal community, which has been pretty much abandoned for ship specific fan forums.
* ''{{Victorious}}'': The episode ''Prom Wrecker'' became the catalyst for the Tori/Jade fandom civil war to finally explode. Was Tori a bitch for not cancelling the Prom because it was on the same day as Jade's existing play? Did Jade take the revenge plot too far? Was Tori's insistence that the Prom continue Jade's fault for angrily demanding that Tori cancel it? Was Tori rigging the Prom Queen vote to give Jade something she knew she'd hate worse than Jade's actions in trying to get the Prom shut down? It's been called all sorts of Crowing Moments (Suck, Win, Awesome, Funny, Wall Banger) for the episode itself and both of the characters, as well as ''both'' characters having their actions described by some sections as their MoralEventHorizon.
* On ''Series/{{House}}'', the decision to have Chase, Cameron and Foreman leave the diagnostics department, and the subsequent story arc in which LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters vied to replace them. Several of these characters developed fan followings in their own right, particularly the "Ridiculously Old Fraud," Dr. Cole the black Mormon, and Cutthroat Bitch. Depending on who you ask, a) the new team is fresh blood and exactly what the show needed, b) the show needed fresh blood but they picked the wrong people, or c) they should never have changed teams at all. Many fans agree that new hire Thirteen is the CreatorsPet, however.
* Sylar on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. A lot of the show's fans think he should have been decisively killed off at the end of the first season (mainly due to his constant trips through the HeelFaceRevolvingDoor, as well as his tendency to hand the IdiotBall to anyone who shares a scene with him), while other fans would argue he's the only character worth watching (because Zachary Quinto is a good actor, and the fact that he's [[MrFanservice easy on the eyes]] doesn't hurt either).
* Dick Casablancas from ''VeronicaMars''. Either he's hilarious comic relief, or the CreatorsPet miles over the MoralEventHorizon, being [[spoiler:responsible for Veronica's rape.]]
* Being inseparable from Willow's very divisive SuddenlySexuality storyline, Tara on ''Series/{{Buffy| The Vampire Slayer}}'' was loved and hated with equal intensity. (She also had the bad luck to replace Oz, a very popular character.) Passions cooled eventually, and some of the haters have come around due to liking Kennedy even less... and [[AlasPoorScrappy other reasons]].
** Angel was a big one during his tenure on the show as well, primarily for {{Shipping}} reasons [[SarcasmMode (what a surprise)]]. As each new man in Buffy's life came along, so did inevitable comparisons to what [[JossWhedon Joss]] called the "great love of her life." And then there was the FanDumb incapable of separating him from his alter ego [[CompleteMonster Angelus...]]
** All the characters become a Base Breaker to some degree as the series goes on....but the ''ultimate'' Base Breaker of ''Series/{{Buffy| The Vampire Slayer}}'' was, is, and ever shall be [[BreakoutCharacter Spike.]]
* Seven of Nine split ''{{Voyager}}'' fandom right down the middle. Many fans found her a blatant marketing ploy, resented her for replacing the sweet and gentle Kes, and felt the show was focusing on her at the expense of the rest of the cast. But many others thought ''{{Voyager}}'' GrewTheBeard with Seven's arrival; she got compelling storylines and brought conflict back to the cast, and Jeri Ryan's acting made it clear she hadn't just been hired for her looks. Most of the fighting ended when ''{{Voyager}}'' did, but don't mistake that for agreement.
** Almost every female character on that show was this; including the star Captain Kathryn Janeway. She was, depending on who you ask, A) a worthless shrew who only got the role because the producers wanted to throw the female equality folks a bone, B) a great actress who got stuck with a one-dimensional role, or C) the epitome of what all the great Trek captains are, and a welcome departure from the dark and brooding Sisko (see above).
** B'Elanna Torres was either the hot warrior engineer and perhaps the best Klingon character since Worf, or just a total bitch.
*** And a TragicMulatto, if you hate her.
* On ''{{MASH}}'', Trapper John and his SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute B.J.Hunnicutt are partial examples of this, although it has less to do with opinions of the characters and more to do with the overall shift in tone of the show signified by the cast change. There's a "second billing rule" among the most polarized of the BrokenBase whenever the show came on in reruns in syndication. Fans of the earlier years would change the channel/turn off the tv if the second name in the TitleSequence was Mike Farrell (BJ), while fans of the later years would do the same if it was Wayne Rogers (Trapper John).
** A similar dichotomy could apply to foils Larry Linville (Frank) and David Ogden Stiers (Charles).
* Ray Vecchio and Ray Kowalski in DueSouth fandom were examples of this, but it has died down almost completely in the years since the series finished.
* It seems like every character on ''{{Glee}}'' is one of these.
** Rachel is (pick one and prepare for battle):
*** A) The prettiest, most special, and emotional center of the show, but ''most importantly'' the best singer and any episode where she isn't heavily featured is an ''abomination''. She is horribly abused by ''everyone'', though there's hope that one day the hotter ones will see the error of their ways and show her the undying worship she deserves.
*** B) Doesn't have a single redeeming feature. Highly overrated, unbearably annoying, and even deserves to ''get bullied and picked on'' because she doesn't put enough effort into making people like her. All the other characters, even Brad the Silent Pianist, have infinitely more talent than Rachel and her solos and plots should be equally distributed amongst them.
*** C) Egocentric as all hell, but also deeply insecure. She isn't out-and-out mean so much as she doesn't recognize how her actions affect other people. While she shouldn't be the center of attention in ''every'' episode, it's hard to deny that she is ''one of'' the most talented singers among the cast.
*** D) A monumental bore.
** Finn: adorable, relatable OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent or obnoxious pretty-boy who inexplicably gets half the solos despite having the weakest voice in the club?
** Will: well-meaning CoolTeacher who occasionally gets himself in over his head, or whiny, insincere jerk?
** Mercedes: super-talented star who deserves to get more solos, or cartoonish SassyBlackWoman stereotype who inexplicably has a ton of friends despite sharing Rachel's self-centered diva attitude? (Her voice alone can be a BaseBreaker: is she even more talented than Rachel, or a melisma-addict whose style of singing pigeonholes her as Ms. R&B?)
*** That's unless you believe her style of singing only fits R&B. Some rock fans might disagree with that.
** Kurt: [[TheWoobie emotionally fragile victim of homophobia who just wants to be loved,]] or [[ManipulativeBastard selfish, manipulative, and creepy]] StalkerWithACrush who [[UnfortunateImplications reinforces every negative gay stereotype in the book?]]
*** How about [[TropesAreNotBad stereotype-reclaiming]] borderline MagnificentBastard whose devious nature refreshingly keeps him from being [[TheWoobie the poor, misunderstood victim in every situation]]?
** Even Artie is heading in this direction, especially with the show's decision to pair him with Brittany, gaining the ire of all the [[SchoolgirlLesbians Brittana]] shippers. But even before that, you had people who felt bothered with his misogynistic comments and crappy treatment of Tina vs. those who were glad Artie was getting negative character traits rather than remain InspirationallyDisabled.
** Karofsky! Misunderstood JerkassWoobie or creepy StalkerWithACrush?
** Blaine. Arrogant MartyStu with an overrated voice who merely exists to date [[spoiler: Kurt]] or talented mentor-figure who serves as a pleasant counterweight to New Directions' insanity?
* ''{{Survivor}}'' has two major breakers:
** Rupert Boneham, of ''Pearl Islands'', ''All-Stars'' and ''Heroes vs Villains''. Fans relate to [[FreudianExcuse the self-esteem problems that he confessed to]] and, think highly of his desire to play with integrity, and feel he's a big ol' teddy bear. Detractors feel he's shown signs of entitlement, bad temper, (nothing worse than other contestants show, but conflicting with his image of honorability) and the occasional lack of common sense; compounded by [[SpotlightStealingSquad overexposure]] on CBS's part.
** Then there's Russell Hantz from ''Samoa'', who is no doubt an arrogant SmugSnake; the question is if he can back up his claims of being a MagnificentBastard. His supporters point out that he is a whiz at finding hidden immunity idols (without clues, even!) and made it all the way to the finals. Others say that the idols weren't hidden very well [[GenreSavvy to someone expecting them to be present]]; he has a bad social game, as he panics when it looks like someone is defying him and pisses off those he needs to get votes from to win; and it's easy to control the game when most everyone else is acting TooDumbToLive. And again, being a one-man SpotlightStealingSquad is not helping.
*** The Russell base has since mostly repaired itself. He came back in ''Heroes Vs. Villains'' just as abrasive as before and the producers again [[SpotlightStealingSquad refused to take the camera off of him]]. Combine that with the fact that he was now being compared to ''competent'' players, and he didn't come off so well. And then his Creator status was made clear a year later, when he and his ''H vs V'' rival "Boston" Rob were brought back to feud with each other - fans (and even Russell's tribe) agreed that Russell couldn't leave fast enough.
* Strangely, it's not resident [[TheStoic Stoic]] Aaron Hotchner who causes this on ''CriminalMinds'' (virtually the entire fanbase considers him a {{badass}} and an excellent team leader), it's BadassBookworm Spencer Reid. Either you think he's totally hot, should have more {{character development}}, and that the [[BreakTheCutie Tobias Hankel / drug addiction arc]] wasn't given [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot nearly the development it deserved]]. Or you're sick of Reid monopolizing the show (considering he's had six or seven episodes devoted solely to him, where characters like Morgan and Prentiss are lucky to get ''one''), find his [[InsufferableGenius constant yammering grating]], and hate the way most of the online fandom seems to be gaga over him. A tip? Don't say anything against Reid on a message board, the fangirls ''will'' try and kill you. If you survive, the non-Reid fanatics might give you a medal.
** New recruit Ashley Seaver is a bit of a CriminalMinds BaseBreaker too.
* Just about every character on the show TheShield has been a base-breaker at one point or another, seeing as how all of them have story arcs that make them out to be unreasonable, idiotic, creepy, or corrupt; and then have another storyline that makes them awesome, righteous, or utterly ethical in that situation.
* You'd be hard-pressed to find a GilmoreGirls fan who didn't have a strong opinion on Logan Huntzberger, Rory's boyfriend in the last seasons of the show. He has hordes of fangirls declaring that he is perfect for Rory and just about everyone else proclaiming that Logan represents everything that went wrong with the show.
* Guy of Gisborne from ''Series/RobinHood''. This could take a while. Detractors think that Guy is a bad-tempered, ill-humored and self-pitying Assassin and StalkerWithACrush who terrorizes Marian for two years before stabbing her to death, a bully and a thief to the citizens of Locksley, a spineless wimp in the face of the Sheriff, and that even his [[StoryArc redemption arc]] is marred by his explicit desire to murder his little sister. [[SpotlightStealingSquad He eventually took precedence over Robin]] as the main character, dominating the show to the detriment of every other character, and accusations are leveled at the writers of purposefully diminishing Robin’s integrity in order to make Guy look better by comparison (the WholeEpisodeFlashback paints Robin as a spoilt brat whose lies almost gets an innocent Guy executed).
** Pro-Guy fans can consider him anything between a misunderstood Byronic AntiHero to a downright [[TheWoobie Woobie]], who tries to restore honour to his family, pursue a woman that he genuinely loves, uphold laws that he believes in, is caught in a psychologically abusive relationship with the Sheriff, and is screwed over by every other character on the show. Some even go so far as to say that Guy is an accurate portrayal of a 12th century nobleman, in which his treatment of women and the serfs would have been considered completely normal by the day’s standards, and therefore nothing to apologize for.
*** Likewise, his relationship with Marian is described as anything from a StarCrossedLovers story, to the tale of a man being manipulated and strung along by a vindictive shrew, to a text-book case of an abusive relationship that culminates in murder after the man realizes that his victim has freed herself from his control.
* In ''LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', Casey Novak is either a mean and unprofessional ReplacementScrappy for the irreplaceable and LesYay -tastic Alexandra Cabot, or the best thing that ever happened to the show in removing its weakest, coldest and least interesting cast member, while being TheDeterminator of Justice and snarky to boot. [[TakeAThirdOption On the other hand]], some fans think that they were both good, although in vastly different ways; Alex was cool in a crisis, highly intelligent and achingly beautiful, while Casey was far more vibrant, funny and emotionally open. Both were ''infinitely'' better than ''Casey's'' ReplacementScrappy, Kim Greylek, who was so abysmal that they got rid of her and brought back Alex Cabot.
* And speaking of ''Series/LawAndOrder'', back on [[FanNickname The Mother Ship]], the [=ADA=] continues to be the most Base-Breaking character. You either: a) Loved Abbie Carmichael and found Serena Southerlyn's TheMcCoy-ness infuriating; b) Disliked BlondeRepublicanSexKitten Abbie Carmichael for being too similar to Jack [=McCoy=] and welcomed Serena's more liberal and thoughtful stance; or c) Thought they were both good, in the same way Alex Cabot and Casey Novak were both good (i.e. they were very different), but can't watch reruns with Serena Southerlyn in them with [[SuddenlySexuality "Is this because I'm a lesbian?"]] going through your head.
* {{Passions}} : Fancy Crane. Sheridan and Luis had been a very popular couple for some time, but the decision to pair Luis with Sheridan's niece, Fancy completely broke the fanbase. This lead to InternetBackdraft as well as ShippingWars.
* When ''BabylonFive'' was initially broadcast, Marcus Cole caused a lot of trouble in the fanbase, as there were vocal people who believed that he was either (a) both a fun snarker, and incredibly hot in a soulfully tragic way or (b) an irritating Gary Stu who was superfluous to the story and only brought in to be MrFanservice. Things got even more heated when he ambiguously died at the end of the fourth season and some of his fans launched a campaign to have him resurrected while his anti-fans celebrated.
* ''DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' has [[IncrediblyLamePun many]]:
** Manny: Slut, or [[DracoInLeatherPants can do no wrong]]?
** Emma: Cares about Manny and Sean, or abusive ControlFreak?
** Jay: Lot of leather pants-ing for Jay.
** Sean: Common criminal, or [[DracoInLeatherPants driven to madness by Emma]]? That he suffers VillainDecay when not with Emma doesn't help matters.
** Craig: Overexposed {{jerkass}}, or JerkWithAHeartOfGold?
** Due to the BrokenBase over the different casts, every member of the cast introduced from S7 on has a Base Breaker status. Which generally leads to those that really like the new cast turning the ''old cast'' into a source of hate for whenever the show handled them poorly. The magnets for this sort of Base Breaker status are:
*** Holly J and Declan (Their romance in Season 9, Declan's quick fall from playboy status, Holly J's many plots showing she's not evil. Either you love them or you hate them, no middle ground.)
*** Clare and Eli (Clare and Eli are the main romance of Season 10, both get quickly pointed for being Sue-like of differing flavors. Like the above you either love them or you must die at the altar of their true love.)
*** Marco vs. Riley (Marco was the ComingOutStory for the early seasons, and his transition from closet to open was... quick, and Marco was rather camp. Riley is a Gay Football Captain, his denial over his sexuality has been a lot more prominent in his development. Naturally they can't both be good rounded characters, one of them must be a horrible slight on homosexuality. [[SarcasmMode Isn't fandom fun?]]
* Debra Barone on ''EverybodyLovesRaymond'' is an incredibly polarizing figure to the fanbase. Her fans see her as a beleaguered, long-suffering heroine with the virtues of a saint. Her detractors see her as a shrill, cruel, emasculating, [[AbuseIsOkayWhenItsFemaleOnMale violent]], hypocritical SmugSnake [[KarmaHoudini who can get away with virtually anything]] due to a DoubleStandard.
** [[TakeAThirdOption Or, ya know,]] ''[[JerkassWoobie both]]''.
* [[JensenAckles Alec]] of season two DarkAngel. He was a big hit with the S2 writers (until the creators returned in attempt to lift the show out of nose dive), hated deeply by most of the original fans, and loved by many latter-day fans attracted to the series because of the actor who played him. A few brave souls straddle the battle lines, preferring the first season and still liking Alec.
* [[{{NCIS}} Ziva]], both when she was first introduced and in the aftermath of the season six finale.
* Gwen from ''{{Series/Merlin}}'' has proven to be a rather divisive character among the fandom. One section dismisses her as a helpless DistressedDamsel, a one-note LoveInterest and a dull PuritySue, the other considers a BadassDamsel who has had consistent characterization as a ShrinkingViolet who grows into a Future Queen, acting as the most moral and mature character in the show. The fact that her romantic relationship with Arthur was initially a case of StrangledByTheRedString didn't help (though the writing and chemistry of the relationship improved significantly in season three), but there is a nasty undercurrent to the anti-Gwen sentiment, with [[FanDumb commentators whining]] that the actress "isn't pretty enough" (a claim that baffles anyone with functional eyeballs), as well as the usual garbage stemming from [[DieForOurShip Arthur/Morgana]] and [[HetIsEw Arthur/Merlin]] shippers who blame her for getting in the way of their preferred ships - even though [[FanDumb incest and slash were]] ''never'' on the table for Saturday night family viewing.
* While the fighting seems to have died down now, ''GoodGame'' [[ReplacementScrappy replacement host]] [[GamerChick "Hex"]] caught a lot of flack on two fronts: there were fans who simply hated her because she was a girl, and there were fans who liked her because she was a girl on what was previously a male-majority show (and before early 2009, a male-full show). On the other hand, there was the more reasonable front, in which fans hated her because she replaced long-time host "Junglist", who'd been with the show since day one, while other fans defended her claiming that she was a welcome change to the shows repertoire.
* Olivia Munn's addition to TheDailyShow. Is she a welcome member of the group, or was she hired mainly as fan service? ''The Daily Show'' forums are rife with division over her presence.
* ''TheBigBangTheory'' has Amy Farah Fowler, who seems to inspire apathy or hatred. A Sheldon clone without the charm.
** Though oddly, since the character's focus has shifted from being Sheldon's DistaffCounterpart to being [[TheChick Penny's]] 'bestie', and she has developed a few characteristics of her own, a lot of people have started to warm up to her.
* Max Russo of ''WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'', especially in the fourth season.
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' fans were divided by the series' rather... er... shrieky interpretation of [[spoiler: Moriarty]]. Some (especially the younger fans) adore him. Some cite him as the only truly bad thing in an otherwise great series.
** And from the second series, Irene Adler. Sexy and badass reimagining of the original character, whose relationship with Sherlock was believable and interesting, or FauxActionGirl who existed only to give up her [[GirlOnGirlIsHot fetishised lesbianism]] in order to flirt with an otherwise {{Asexual}} character?
* Captain Edward Jellico from the ''StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' two-part episode "Chain of Command" is a incredibly divisive figure to Trekkies. His fans see him as a bold, effective commanding officer who really [[XanatosGambit out-Xanatosed]] the Cardassians, ''[[PlanetOfHats a race]]'' of {{Magnificent Bastard}}s, putting them in their place. His haters consider him an utter JerkAss who had no business [[ReplacementScrappy filling in for Picard]] and [[TyrantTakesTheHelm making changes to the ways he ran things]] as ''Enterprise'' captain.
* Amy Gardner in ''TheWestWing''. There are those who think she was an interesting character whose romance with Josh fell apart simply because their personalities were incompatible and/or their jobs got in the way, while others view her as an emotionally abusive, shrieking, self-entitled, holier-than-thou {{Tsundere}}-bitch. It doesn't help that she had ''several'' MoralDissonance and/or KarmaHoudini moments, or that she was a RomanticFalseLead who was Josh's [[BettyAndVeronica Veronica to his Betty]] of Donna Moss, who fans overwhelmingly preferred and had been engaging in delicate, slowly escalating {{UST}} with Josh for the two and a half seasons before Amy was introduced.
* Castiel on ''{{Supernatural}}''.
* Betty Draper of MadMen. Some viewers view her as an absolute childish and spoiled bitch whose actions against her children cannot be justified by any way, while others find a good justification in how she was brought up and how it affected her life. Her actions in Season 4 didn't help.
* Lily Aldrin and Ted Mosby on ''HowIMetYourMother''. The Ted-haters are usually the viewership section who watch the show mainly for [[EnsembleDarkhorse Barney]], and therefore dislike him for being so different from Barney or putting the kibosh on Barney's antics. The Lily-haters are usually fangirls or fanboys who think Marshall is too good for her, or won't forgive her (unlike the other characters) for her flaws or bad behaviors.
* ''{{CSI NY}}'' Two words: Lindsay Messer. You either love her or hate her, there's little in between, and there is often negativity about the actor added onto the complaints. The ensuing romance between her and Danny didn't help, with some enjoying it and others saying it was thrown too much in everyone's face, destroyed Danny's characterization and sacrificed individual development for pairing development.
* Regular ''{{CSI}}'': Ray Langston. Much the same as the aforementioned Lindsay...some liked him, others didn't like how he was handled and pined for Grissom.
** It's back to a point with D.B.Russell, but definately not to the extent of Ray.
** Before that, it was the Grissom/Sara romance-there was a lot of contention between the AndTheFandomRejoiced half and the "it sucks" group.
* The fifth season of ''{{Dexter}}'' led many fans to believe the series had lost its way and leaped over a large aquatic carnivore. The highly-polarizing sixth season confirms this diagnosis for many, while simultaneously being praised by others.
* No matter what ThePriceIsRight does, there will always be something (whether it be a pricing game or person) that will break the fanbase. The first of which is Barker's Bargain Bar, a retired pricing game that was either a great two-prize game with a nice set, or a manipulative two-prize game with a poor payout (though, it's averted when it was played for two trips). Drew Carey as the host also managed to split the fanbase in half, again.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Music]]
* Metal band Music/{{Nightwish}} has new lead vocalist, Annette Olzon, who is, depending on who you ask, either a fine new direction for the band or a ReplacementScrappy and the physical embodiment of RuinedFOREVER. Just try to find a Nightwish Youtube video (with either lead singer) that has more than 10 comments and no Tarja vs. Annette FlameWar. It probably doesn't exist.
** This extends to any major band undergoing a major lineup-shift, particularly where the band [[TheBandMinusTheFace loses either its lead singer or main songwriter]]. Classic examples:
*** Music/RonnieJamesDio replacing Music/OzzyOsbourne in Music/BlackSabbath. Dio was either a breath of new life into an ailing band, and Heaven And Hell a triumphant return to form, or the final nail in the coffin of a band already rather past their prime.
*** {{Queen}} hiring Paul Rodgers after the death of Freddie Mercury. Worthy replacement or [[ReplacementScrappy an affront to the latter's memory]]? Whatever your choice, don't get too vocal about it when amongst Queen fans, as you're likely to start a bloodbath.
*** Any bass guitarist who played with Music/{{Metallica}} after the death of Cliff Burton.
*** FleetwoodMac after Peter Greene left and Lindsey Buckingham came along, changing the Mac's sound from scuzzy, dirty blues-rock to more commercial soft rock.
*** PinkFloyd as founder Syd Barrett was [[CreatorBreakdown by necessity]] forced out, Roger Waters became the leader, and David Gilmour settled in as lead guitarist/secondary lead singer. Some Floyd fans are really just fans of the early Barrett stuff, while others barely know it exists.
*** [[VanHalen David Lee Roth vs. Sammy Hagar.]]
*** Even though all that has been heard of him so far is ''about a minute of preview from a new song'', [[{{DragonForce}} DragonForce]]'s new vocalist Marc Hudson, who replaced ZP Theart, has already caused signs of this to appear.
*** Music/{{Genesis}}. Depending on your point of view, Phil Collins is either a spotlight-stealing diva who diluted one of the greatest prog rock bands into bland pop, or an exceptionally talented singer/songwriter/drummer who took the band from relative obscurity to a household name by bridging prog rock and pop. Inversely, Peter Gabriel is either a complete weirdo masquerading storytelling, strange imagery and misplaced cosplay as rock music, or an unconventional, innovative showman who pushes back boundaries and took prog rock to the limits of where it could go.
* RedHotChiliPeppers' double album Stadium Arcadium is an album most people agree is good, but flawed by having too many songs. However, nobody can agree on which tracks are good and which are bad. Expressing your opinion on a song, positive or negative is hazardous.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* JohnCena is this to the {{WWE}} fandom. While a large portion of the audience (usually kids and women) love him, another large part of the audience hate his guts.
** A fact that isn't certainly lost on Cena himself, as he's [[LampshadeHanging referenced]] his mixed reaction numerous times, and he's applauded both sides of the fan spectrum for being passionate about what he does.
* TripleH gets this same treatment too. Basically, he's THE poster child for {{Broken Base}}s in professional wrestling.
* HulkHogan is pretty much pro wrestling's version God to casual fans and its version of Satan to [[SmartMark smarks]].
* MichaelCole has always been this due to his commentary and comparisons to JimRoss. Now that he's become a fully fledged character, turned heel and looks set to become the next {{Vince McMahon}}, the base hadn't broken, it's exploded.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Sport]]
* In AustralianRulesFootball (specifically, Essendon fans), Kevin Sheedy: The greatest coach of all time, or an overrated, self-hyped man who should have won more premierships than he did?
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* The Rebellion in ''{{Traveller}}''. It either breathed life into a static setting and gave it operatic drama, or it RuinedFOREVER the best space opera setting to see print.
** To a lesser extent, the Virus, which is either the moment when ''{{Traveller}}'' JumpedTheShark, or it's... er, presumably, ''someone'' actually liked its effects.
* [[{{Warhammer40000}} Spess Mehreens]]. People who play other armies often hate them for being a SpotlightStealingSquad, and for being Mary Sues. Marine fans think they're CrazyAwesome heroes and fun to paint.
* Mystra, Goddess of Magic in ''ForgottenRealms''. One part of the fan base thinks that Mystra [[IAmTheNoun is the Realms]], another part thinks that Mystra is everything that is ''wrong'' with the Realms.
* While every single thing about ''{{Exalted}}'', from new releases to ''individual'' Lunar Charms, has caused an argument or five, the Ink Monkeys have pretty much split the fanbase into two factions - "they rock" and "they suck".
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Theatre]]
* CyranoDeBergerac: Played InUniverse when [[TheLastDJ Cyrano]] and [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids De Guiche]] discuss DonQuixote: Cyrano finds him [[TheWoobie identifiable, compelling, sympathetic]] and [[WideEyedIdealist worthy of imitation]]. Count De Guiche finds [[{{Wangst}} him absolutely insufferable.]] [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Both of them are right]].
--> '''De Guiche:''' For when one tilts 'gainst windmills—it may chance. . .
--> '''Cyrano:''' Tilt I 'gainst those who change with every breeze?
--> '''De Guiche:'''... That windmill sails may sweep you with their arm
--> Down—in the mire!...
--> '''Cyrano:''' Or upward—to the stars!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Toys]]
* [[CloudCuckooLander Vezon]] from ''{{Bionicle}}''; a ChaoticNeutral TalkativeLoon who rarely manages to accomplish anything significant to the plot, but pops up in the story frequently because [[AuthorAppeal the main writer likes him.]] Some fans think he's hilarious and a good way to lighten an otherwise-serious story, while others think he's being used as [[{{Filler}}an annoying diversion]] and slows down actual plot advancement.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* In general, there are many cases where a glitch or feature is considered a perfectly viable and strategic tactic by some of the base and a [[{{Gamebreaker}} cheap move requiring no skill to perform]] by [[{{Scrub}} others]]. Gameplay mechanics such as these need not be mentioned here.
* From {{Persona3}}:
** [[TheChick Yukari Takeba]] is either the most human and realistic character in the game, or an AlphaBitch who takes her personal neuroses out on others. In particular, her actions during The Answer ([[spoiler: choosing not to respect the protagonist's decision to make a HeroicSacrifice at the end of The Journey, being willing to risk the damnation of the entire world to undo said sacrifice, calling everyone who doesn't agree with her a coward who is afraid to die, and causing the party to have a completely avoidable internal battle]])either made sense for her to do and is excusable, or were unjustified and she crossed the MoralEventHorizon.
** [[RobotGirl Aigis]] is either a likeable, BadassAdorable with great CharacterDevelopment, or [[{{Squick}} an]] [[FanDisservice abomination]] who doesn't deserve her popularity, [[SpotlightStealingSquad stole the spotlight from the rest of SEES when she joined, in particular, stealing]] [[ImpliedLoveInterest Yukari's]] role and being a RelationshipSue, and shouldn't have been the main character of The Answer
** [[EnsembleDarkhorse Shinjiro Aragaki]] is either the most BadAss character in the game, or a Cliche. He either received much needed CharacterDevelopment with his Social Link in [[UpdatedRerelease Persona 3 Portable]], or said link didn't add anything new to him and ruined his character and the story by [[spoiler: negating his PlotlineDeath]] in order to date him, even thought the pairing is a FanPreferredCouple for this vary reason.
* From {{Persona4}}
** [[BruceLeeClone Chie Satonaka]] is either a BadAss ActionGirl who holds her own in game, or a KarmaHoudini whose actions against Yosuke are DisproportionateRetribution thank to dragging the rest of the males in on her punishments when they didn't do anytihng to warrent it ,even the main character. There are also fans and haters of her voice.
** [[TeamPet Teddie]] is either great ComicRelief, or an annoying HurricaneofPuns that needs to shut the fuck up and stop squeaking everywhere.
* Shadow the Hedgehog from the ''SonicTheHedgehog'' franchise is either one of the most compelling and deep characters in the series or an emo whiner that has gotten to being heavily overused. Arguably, ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' caused the split since it made him [[UnexplainedRecovery get better]] after his HeroicSacrifice at the end of ''SonicAdventure2''. This caused some fans to think that bringing him back made the sadness of the end of [=SA2=] pointless and it caused other fans to rejoice at him coming back. The [[http://gamebabble.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/466px-shadow_pose_12.jpg promotional image]] for his [[ShadowTheHedgehog self-titled game]], and later the game itself split the base further.
** Nearly every character introduced since ''SonicAdventure'' has broken the base to some degree. None of them to the degree of Shadow, though; Big the Cat is generally considered second in line.
** A large amount of alternate media characters also qualify, particularly those of the ''SonicSatAM'' animated series and Archie comic continuities. Princess Sally Acorn may be the one character who excels in this area as much as Shadow, as one half of the fanbase believes she is worthy enough to appear in the game series, while the other half thinks she should disappear from all continuities altogether.
%% Sonic 4 doesn't fit here because it's not a character. It should instead go in BrokenBase.
* Pikachu, the very mascot of ''{{Pokemon}}'' gets this treatment, as half the fans think it's the cutest thing ever, while the other half wants nothing less than a quick and painful death for it.
** As evidence of Pikachu's divisive nature, despite its being the most recognized of all Pokémon, it recently ranked ''48th'' in a Pokémon popularity poll conducted by IGN - surprising the editors.
** Lucario also seems to get this among the [[{{Anime/Pokemon}} anime]] and ''SuperSmashBros.'' fandoms. In fact, Pikachu gets it in the Smash Bros. fandom too for his ability to spam Thunder attacks, making it really hard to hit that little rat.
** [[{{IncrediblyLamePun}} Ditto]] for Zoroark, Lucario's {{Expy}} in ''PokemonBlackAndWhite''. However, Zoroark fits the definition more (opinions on Zoroark seem to be ''literally'' split evenly in half, possibly with more fans than haters) while Lucario was more of a fairly big EnsembleDarkhorse overall. It doesn't help that Zoroark blatantly copies some of Lucario's characteristics, and isn't as useful competitively as Lucario was (although it's still a fairly good Pokémon).
** Not to mention Reshiram, the mascot of ''Black'', but to a lesser extent. Some people think it's the most awesome thing ever for being a [[{{OlympusMons}} super-powerful]] [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angelic]] [[PlayingWithFire fire]] [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]], while others criticize it for its rather silly chicken-like design (usually drawing attention to a certain [[FreudWasRight fur/feather tuft]]).
** Most rivals from the anime qualify, but Barry fits the most. He's either a fun, hyper guy who's regular appearances lift the mood, or a hyperactive annoying dipshit who should go and hide and never show his face ever again.
*** Really, any rival other than the original gets this, because apparently, every rival has to be a complete douche (same reason cited for those who hated Silver in the remakes, which gave him, gasp, more visible character development).
** Oshawott, the Water-type starter from PokemonBlackAndWhite, became TheScrappy for its design, then almost immediately became TheWoobie in backlash.
*** This
** Garchomp the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot land-shark dragon...thing]] is either a BadAss LightningBruiser or a horribly annoying GameBreaker.
** Dragonite is a textbook example. Many of the more [[NostalgiaFilter nostalgic]] fans adore it for being very powerful and for being [[BadAss Lance]]'s signature Pokémon. Other fans (including some Generation I elitists) despise it for looking more like a fat cuddly [[BarneyAndFriends Barney]] than its own pre-evolutions and other, more ferocious pseudo-legendaries, and just as a general symptom of ItsPopularNowItSucks.
** Seems to happen each generation in general, with some liking whatever new Pokemon are released and others hating them and saying they're worse than the earlier ones. (Especially in Gen V because of things like Vanillish.)
* Varian Wrynn from ''{{World of Warcraft}}''. Some like him because they feel that his anger against the Horde is justified and for being a leader who takes action. Others hate him for being a [[FantasticRacism racist]] hothead bent on indulging a personal vendetta rather than confronting greater threats such as the Lich King.
** Ditto for his orcish counterpart Garrosh Hellscream, for the exact same reasons. In general, the BrokenBase disagrees on whether the 'verse should be about confronting mutual threats or all-out war between the two factions.
** With the release of Cataclysm we have [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Trade Prince Gallywix]], who gets it worse then Garrosh. Some like him because he fits the style that a faction leader for Goblins is supposed to be as well as being [[LaughablyEvil quite amusing]] while others despise him for being a [[CompleteMonster monster]] who is not being a good leader for betraying his own people for himself and should be replaced with someone else.
** Arthas(before his FaceHeelTurn) would also qualify, with some seeing him as a spoiled, overzealous and vengeful brat who never would have made a good king anyways, and others viewing him as someone who was [[WellIntentionedExtremist doing the best he could]] and wound up[[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope breaking down]] under the pressure. His actions in the Arthas novel [[VillainBall and in WOTLK]] didn't help.
** Despite being a popular character for quite some time, with Cataclysm Sylvanas has been pushed into this trope. With some players starting to hate her and see her methods for maintaining the survival of the Forsaken as crossing the MoralEventHorizon.
* Godot from the ''AceAttorney''. Half love him because [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome he has style]] and [[FreudianExcuse they feel sorry for him]], while half hate his guts [[WhatAnIdiot because of his actions]] and because [[CharacterShilling the writers made all the characters at the end of the third game praise him]] and ignore his part in the final mystery.
** And then there's Apollo Justice, but most of the controversy stems from [[ReplacementScrappy his replacement of Phoenix as the main character]]. Phoenix himself is also rather controversial in that game, largely due to [[NotAsYouKnowThem how he's changed]].
* Cloud and Sephiroth from ''FinalFantasyVII''. Both characters have huge fanbases, but many haters as well. Cloud is either a great [[AntiHero anti-hero]] or a [[{{wangst}} whiny emo]] kid and Sephiroth is either the greatest villain in the history of gaming [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome who killed one of your playable characters]] or that he is an emo mama's boy with unclear motives [[MoralEventHorizon who killed one of your playable characters]], with Kefka from ''FinalFantasyVI'' being a better villain.
** In all fairness, Cloud receives a lot of flak for his appearances POST ''FinalFantasyVII''. These days it's hard to find people who really hated him IN the game unless they [[ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch haven't played it themselves]] and assume he was as {{Wangst}}y there as he was in later appearances.
** Aerith gets some of this, either she's a [[TheWoobie Woobie-ish]] BrokenBird who just needs lots of love, or a borderline {{Yandere}} with a ridiculously [[DiabolusExMachina Angst-ified background]] incapable of standing on her own feet. Half the time, the opinion varies depending [[ShippingWars which girl one prefers to romance with a Male PC]]
* ''[=~Baldur's Gate~=]'''s Anomen Delryn. Some people see him as a somewhat TroubledButCute guy, some just see him as an effective fighter all along, some see him as... a complete [[{{Wangst}} whiny]] {{Jerkass}} SmallNameBigEgo and the most despicable being to ever embrace the series.
** Aerie gets some of this - either she's a {{Woobie}} literal BrokenBird who needs comfort and a helping hand, or a [[ClingyJealousGirl clingy]] bitch whose [[DiabolusExMachina background]] is too absurd to believe and incapable of doing anything but angst. This sometimes is due to [[ShippingWars the romance options]], but even those who don't care for romance or don't like the other girls don't like Aerie.
* The main character, [[MoeMoe Polka]], from ''EternalSonata''. You'll either think that she's almost as adorable as Wall* E, or that every time she's on screen is worthy of TastesLikeDiabetes.
* The [[ChosenOne female lead]] of ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', Colette: You'll either adore her, or want to kill her.
** Similarly, Shirley from ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia''.
* [[WhitePrince Estelle]] of ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' draws the same sort of reaction, though her ditzy and naive personality, in spite of being very intelligent, is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] given that when she leaves the castle with Yuri is the ''first time she's ever left the castle in her whole life.''
* Luke fon Fabre from ''VideoGame/{{Tales of the Abyss}}.'' There really is no middle-ground for a character that goes from JerkAss to TheAtoner to [[DeathSeeker seeking]] [[RedemptionEqualsDeath to]] [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice himself]] to ChosenOne while {{wangst}}ing after an ImportantHaircut. Many people will be turned off by at least one stage of his development, and may hate him as a character for it.
** Another big example would be Anise. Some think that she was put into an impossible situation when she [[spoiler:has her parents kidnapped, and is forced to turn her charge Ion over to Mohs so he will force him to read the Score and die]], or think that she could have averted the situation and is a KarmaHoudini.
* TheElderScrolls - Vivec. Oh for the love of God, Vivec, and his creator Michael Kirkbride. Either he is ''the'' main character of the series and Kirkbride the greatest genius in fantasy video game writing, or he is a BlackHoleSue AuthorAvatar for Kirkbride to cast himself as a monotheistic God in a polytheistic setting.
* If [[PluckyComicRelief Deekin]] isn't your [[EnsembleDarkhorse favourite character]] in ''NeverwinterNights'', you probably [[TheScrappy can't stand him]].
* [[TokenEvilTeammate Bishop]] from ''NeverwinterNights2'': either [[MrFanservice object]] of [[DracoInLeatherPants fangirly adoration]] or [[MoralEventHorizon irredeemable]], [[FaceHeelTurn despicable]] [[StupidEvil piece of scum]].
* Organization XIII from ''KingdomHearts''. They're either awesome and memorable enemies or dull, generic anime-style villains whose very existence makes little to no sense. The fact that {{Yaoi Fangirl}}s love them is the most oft-stated reason for other people to hate them. The game they actually star in, ''[[KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days]]'', is the biggest base-breaking game in the series. Among their members, Axel and Xion are the most notorious offenders, the former for his BreakoutCharacter status and the latter for her [[RetCon retconnish]] nature and [[TheScrappy Scrappy]] position.
** And obviously, between being the DecoyProtagonist of KingdomHeartsII, the main character of KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 and the guy Xion and Axel interact with the most, you can probably gather that Roxas isn't the most agreed-upon character either.
** Really, nearly ''all'' original Nomura-designed characters of the KingdomHearts have become Base Breakers in some way or other. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Namine, Ventus, Aqua, Terra... the list goes on.
* To some extent, Beowulf from ''FireEmblem: Seisen no Keifu''. His detractors think he's a smug asshole, a deadbeat father and a lousy unit who's not worth the money you pay for him, while his defenders think he's awesome, has badass stats and was just a poor fellow who was used by "that slutty princess". This led to Lachesis becoming something of a BaseBreaker herself.
* The ''MassEffect'' series has a lot of these:
** Ashley Williams from the first game gets a lot of flak for her mistrust of aliens, while Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko comes off as TheGenericGuy and is [[HeyItsThatVoice voiced by]] by [[KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Carth]].
*** They both got a lot more flak when they met Shepard again in part 2, essentially [[WhatTheHellHero telling you off]] for siding with [[WellIntentionedExtremist Cerberus]] even after you just ''saved their asses''.
** Jack from ''MassEffect 2'': fans of the game either think of her as an initially off-putting character with HiddenDepths, or find her attitude, appearance, and [[ClusterFBomb colorful language]] abrasive and annoying.
** Tali is very quickly becoming this. She has a ''huge'' fanbase. Huge enough she now has a rapidly growing {{Hatedom}}. They tend to hate Tali because they think she is boring, bigoted, obsessed with comparing every situation to that of the quarians, [[BizarreAlienBiology shouldn't be possible to romance]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking probably really ugly under the mask]]. As opposed to the fans, who tend to think that Tali is sweet, innocent, is good-looking, genuinely concerned with the fate of her race, has a sexy accent, and probably really beautiful under the mask. Her fans [[PerverseSexualLust like her a tad too much.]]
** Jacob: a [[TheGenericGuy boring, flat character]] unworthy of note, or an OnlySaneMan whose mental stability is a welcome change from the DysfunctionJunction that makes up the rest of the cast?
** James Vega of ''MassEffect3'' is drawing some ire from fans who feel his quarterback look is too reminiscent of shooters like GearsOfWar. Some fans fear he is proof of MassEffect3 throwing away its {{RPG}} roots for a wider shooter demographic.
*** Now that the game's actually out, he's generally seen as an okay character.
* [[VideoGame/MegaManX Zero]]: Awesome BadAss or spotlight-hogging JerkAss? X fans found it especially galling when Zero got to star in [[Videogame/MegaManZero a new series]] while still overshadowing X in his ''own'' series. But who doesn't love tearing up the screen with the Z-Saber?
** Until the Cataclysm theory was [[WordOfGod debunked]], Zero was widely assumed to be a [[IncrediblyLamePun Bass Breaker]] as well.
** Do NOT get the fandom started on Axl. Just...don't.
* As far as most {{Zelda}} fans are concerned, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Toon Link]] is either a CheerfulChild who is there to give the [[TheLegendOfZelda franchise]] a [[LighterAndSofter lighter side]], or a big headed, [[TastesLikeDiabetes childish]], "overused" [[SuperDeformed deformity]] who is only there to [[RuinedFOREVER "ruin"]] the [[TheLegendOfZelda franchise]]. The fact that he also [[ReplacementScrappy took over the designated "alternate counterpart of Link" spot from]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the younger Link from the]] [[MajorasMask Nintendo 64 titles]] in ''[[SuperSmashBros Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' didn't help matters, either.
** From TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword, Fi, the game's obligatory ExpositionFairy. Intolerable CaptainObvious that makes the game unplayable, tolerable minor annoyance, or not really annoying and sorta interesting and/or amusing? No matter which of these you pick, those on the other categories will think you're an idiot.
* The ''VideoGame/StarFox'' series has a pretty big problem with [[MsFanservice Krystal]]. Apparently [[AmericansHateTingle the Japanese fanbase aren't fond of her]], but elsewhere she's very popular... mostly among [[FurryFandom furries]]. Which of course has an instant {{Hatedom}} in itself. [[ItGotWorse But then]] with ''SuperSmashBros Brawl'', [[TheRival Wolf]] suddenly became popular with a [[ManlyGay different section of furries]], pissing off Krystal's fans. Oh dear.
* ''[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Fate/stay night]]'''s Matou Sakura. [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds For]] [[ButtMonkey various]] [[DieForOurShip reasons.]] Although she certainly has a reasonable number of dedicated fans, and the number of genuine haters is relatively small, she tends to take the most flak. Including, but not limited to derailing an entire conversation.
* Gau from ''FinalFantasyVI''. Pretty much a FlatCharacter, but fans like him for his [[PowerCopying Rages]]. Except they're also a ScrappyMechanic because [[TwentyBearAsses they're harder than hell to collect]].
* ''MetroidOtherM'', more specifically, Samus' new characterization in the game. Previously a SilentProtagonist type [[MrExposition with brief moments of inner monologue]], the game turned Samus into a chatterbox in comparison to the previous games. The results were mixed. Some thought the game really [[CharacterDevelopment fleshed out]] and humanized Samus, while others had claims that she was a bit too emotional, [[BadassDecay especially in scenes where she kept her cool in the past]], among with claims that her subservient relationship with Adam is sexist, which is a very tricky issue. So, yes, Metroid Other M managed to make its own long-running and popular protagonist into a base breaker.
** Adam had this since ''{{Metroid}} Fusion''. Fans praised him as a unique and interesting character who added a different edge to both the Galactic Federation and Samus Aran's life. Critics disliked him [[NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom locking doors behind Samus]] and apparently being willfully behind her BadassDecay {{Chickification}}. Oddly enough, both sides recognize the issues the other side finds important; they just prefer one aspect more.
* ''KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' is prone to this, particularly where the romance option party members are concerned. Carth, for example, is often viewed either as a {{Woobie}} whose tragic backstory is enough to get fans to look past his intial distrust of the player, or he's an annoying, mistrustful jerk who can't stop whining about his past every chance he gets. Similarly, Bastila is either a highly strung, yet ultimately dedicated Jedi torn between her duty and desires and eventually warms up to the player, or she's a shrill, arrogant bitch who wants to be in charge and will lecture the player non stop about what leads to the darkside.
** Both characters are mocked for this by HK-47 in the sequel, reflecting the fans' attitude.
* A number of characters in BlazBlue recieve this treatment.
** [[HighlyVisibleNinja Bang]] [[RatedMForManly Shish]][[PluckyComicRelief igami]]. Depending on who you ask, he's either an extremely funny and awesome LargeHam and MemeticBadass, or an [[TheScrappy annoying]], [[NoIndoorVoice loud-mouthed]] JokeCharacter, the ''BlazBlue'' equivalent of [[StreetFighter Dan Hikibi]].
** Carl Clover. Some want to [[TheWoobie hold him close and tell him everything will be OK]], and others hate him for being a [[AxCrazy crazy]] [[JerkAss little]] [[SociopathicHero bastard]].
** Makoto Nanaya is [[EnsembleDarkhorse generally well-liked]] now, but when she was first announced as a playable {{DLC}} character, opinion was mixed on her {{Stripperiffic}} outfit. Some said it was too much shameless {{Fanservice}}, but others defended the design [[PerverseSexualLust for more clear reasons]].
** [[MagicalGirl Platinum]] is either an EnsembleDarkhorse or TheBumblebee and TheScrappy.
** The most recent standout breaker, however, is [[ChineseGirl Lit]][[KickChick chi]], due to her [[spoiler:rash FaceHeelTurn. One base think she's a sympathetic AntiVillain and HeroAntagonist forced into a situation she doesn't want to be in, while the other side thinks that she's an [[IdiotBall idiotic]], unsympathetic ManipulativeBitch who made a deal with [[CompleteMonster some extremely evil people]] for entirely selfish reasons]].
** However, it is Hazama/Terumi Yuuki who is the biggest one. The fans either think he is a Badass and Hilarious MagnificentBastard Troll, or he is an utterly despicable CompleteMonster who crosses the MoralEventHorizon too many times and is quickly becoming a VillainSue thanks to his KarmaHoudini status.
* From ''SuperSmashBros'': [[{{Kirby}} Meta Knight]]. Reams of essays have been written over whether or not he's a GameBreaker. His fans believe he's a {{Badass}} and one of the few characters in the game who is interesting to play as. Opponents point to his extreme advantages over nearly every character in the game and his ease of play.
** Mewtwo from ''SuperSmashBros'' was either hated as an awful character that had not advantages or an awesome {{Badass}} that was fun to play as. Though he's a bit less hated now due to the fact that metagamers have developed various techniques that allowed him to rise up several places on the ''Melee'' tier list.
* Almost every new addition to the ''CrashBandicoot'' series following Naughty Dog's departure from development probably fit to some extent, [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Crunch Bandicoot]], [[DieForOurShip Pasadena Opossum]] and [[OneSceneWonder Rilla Roo]] may get exceptional mentioning however.
* [[{{tsundere}} Edy]] [[{{ojou}} Nelson]] of {{Valkyria Chronicles}}. A lot of people find her high pitched voice and tsundere wannabe-celebrity attitude cute. Others... [[TheScrappy not so much]]. She's a massive {{ensemble darkhorse}} in Japan.
** Also, a huge chunk of {{Valkyria Chronicles 2}}'s cast, including Edy's sometimes borderline {{expy}} younger sister Anisette. This has a lot to do with [[BrokenBase whether you like or dislike]] the somewhat more anime-ish tone of the second.
* In [[VideoGame/StreetFighterIV Super Street Fighter IV]], [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Evil Ryu and Oni Akuma]] became this the moment they were revealed (And even more when they turned out to be playable) in the Arcade Edition. They're either awesome additions or just glorified clone characters (Being yet more {{shotoclone}}s doesn't help) who took spots away from characters who fans would rather have otherwise make the cut.
** Also from the same franchise there is Rainbow Mika who the fandom seems to either view her as a cute, plucky contender or a Stripperiffic slut wearing impossibly tacky clothes who has no place in the series.
** People seemed to mainly find Rufus hilarious or one of the worst characters to ever grace a fighting game.
** Hakan seemed to be mainly seen as an terrible JokeCharacter or a really cool one.
* [[XMen Sentinel]] in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''. Other [[FanNickname Four]] [[GameBreaker Gods]] from the [[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2 previous game]] (Storm and Magneto) were still well received as at least comic-wise they are still individual people with distinct personality. On the other hand, Sentinel's base is broken between those who thinks he's still a good, solid character brought back from the previous game, while other base thinks he's a waste of slot only to pander of the hardcore gamers, and comic-wise... is just a {{Mook}}.
* Joshua from ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' is either a hilariously prissy {{bishonen}} or an annoying smarmy {{jerkass}}.
** This is not at all helped by the reveal that [[spoiler:he was the BigBad all along, and you do not even get to fight him, so much as get punked by him,]] which really pissed off the haters, while simultaneously delighting his lovers by [[spoiler:having him then decide to spare the city, so they can argue he is, instead, the BigGood.]]
* As of the [[VideoGame/MortalKombat9 Mortal Kombat reboot]], the base of Sindel is divided between those who thinks that she's a bonafide [[TheScrappy scrappy]] for [[spoiler:taking levels in Mass Murder and slaughters the majority of the good guys single-handedly]], and those who thinks [[BrainwashedAndCrazy things just went out of control for her]] and she has a chance for redemption after what she did, remaining a good character deep down.
* Shizune Hakamchi of the VisualNovel ''KatawaShoujo'' is either an assertive, strong willed woman with an endearingly charming playful and flirtatious side who simply
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Miko Miyazaki from ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick''. Miko was intentionally a deconstruction of LawfulStupid characters.
** Not quite in Miko's category but getting there are Girard Draketooth, who seems to be the
** Redcloak, thanks in part to ''Start of Darkness'', but his sympathetic backstory was already touched on in the comic proper. Some fans are of the opinion that it absolved his evil actions. Others disagree.
* By Kurtz's own admission, ''{{PvP}}'' has [=LOLBat=], a {{Meme}} spouting parody of Batman. The character is either praised or hated.
** The ''{{City of Heroes}}'' guest arc starring the character has the exact same effect: either it's the best or worst guest arc.
* Opinions on Syphile from ''{{Drowtales}}'' are quite varied, with half the fanbase saying she's TheWoobie who deserves redemption and another chance while the other half sees her as irredeemable getting exactly what she deserved [[spoiler:especially now that she's dead]]. Let's just say that the fights get messy.
** Her adopted mother Quain'tana seems to be equally divisive, with her treatment of Syphile ironically being a major part of it. To some, she's MaternallyChallenged as a result of never even having parents of her own, to others she's a CompleteMonster.
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''[='=]s fanbase tends to get a bit crazy about their chosen DracoInLeatherPants sometimes...
** Snowman is most definitely not a nice character, there's been a lot of drama between readers that see her as a [[EvilIsSexy seductive]] FemmeFatale and the ones that are less amused by her [[TheMasochismTango violent relationship with Spades Slick.]]
** Vriska is quite simply the best {{Troll}} of the series based on how viciously she's divided the fanbase. One half loves her [[CrossesTheLineTwice gleefully sociopathic antics]], the other half sees her as a irredeemable CompleteMonster who's [[SpotlightStealingSquad usurped the focus of the story]] and needs to die in a fire. Actually referenced in-universe with the fact that the main character thinks she's awesome and most of the rest of the cast can't stand her.
* LasLindas had ''two'' base breakers. Main character Mora, and CatGirl Rachael. Mora's supporters wont let the infamous Rachael kissing Minos incident go, and have pretty much labeled her an ungrateful man stealer. Rachael's side don't think Mora deserved him in the first place, and see her as a childish bitch, who hasn't had problems with using and abusing people before. The [[BrokenBase base is broken]] and it doesn't look like it will be fixed anytime soon.
** [[UptoEleven Make that three.]] Miles is either seen as a poor bastard who life has taken a massive dump on and just wants to find someone who loves him, or a sexist, lazy {{Jerkass}} who uses his actually not that bad past as an excuse for his horrid personality . Amusingly enough Rachael, Mora, and Miles' supporters and haters tend be easy to find: Mora and Miles are mostly beloved in the official forums, where Rachael tends gets the most hate. Outside, Rachael is more popular to neutral and Miles is viewed as a [[TheScrappy Scrappy]].
* Trike girl from Sinfest. The fact that she's a plot tumor does not help her case.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* Mention Doctor Insano on WebOriginal/TheSpoonyExperiment's forums. There will immediately be a barrage of both people who love him and want more of him and people who hate him and want him to stop appearing altogether.
* Santa Christ from WebOriginal/TheNostalgiaCritic's show seems to be becoming one of these. To some fans, he's a GodModeSue capable of wiping the Nostalgia Critic's mind of TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial, curing diabetes, turning the devil into a box of ho-ho-hoes, [[spoiler: helping the team recover from the disasters of {{Kickassia}}]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and]] breaking the FourthWall. To others, he's a CrazyAwesome BadAssSanta who is [[JesusWasWayCool way cool]].
* On the [[LiveJournal fangirl comm]], people are starting to divide on the subject of [[WebOriginal/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]]. Some think he's an awesome sexy guy and will always write about him, while others (usually fans of Spoony, Critic, Nerd or some of the more minor guys) are sick of all the attention he gets at the expense of others.
* To a lesser extent, WebOriginal/TheNostalgiaChick's BFF Nella. Despite the widespread love she gets on this site, over on the forums people are apparently sick of her appearing in nearly every video.
* WereAlive has the debate over who makes the better leader, Michael or Angel.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Zuko from ''[=~Avatar: The Last Airbender~=]''. On the "love him" side we have drooling fangirls and people who were genuinely wowed by his CharacterDevelopment. On the "hate him" side we have people thinking he's overrated or bashing him as an ugly, whiny EmoTeen.
** Katara can be considered this as well, especially during the second half of season 3. She is arguably the most divisive character of the series after Zuko. For some she is a crazy bitch CanonSue whose entire personality is mood swings and nothing else; for others she is a very human teenage girl struggling to keep her head and everyone else's above water in dark times. Also, her behavior towards Zuko in the second half of the third season comes across as mean and petty to some, but as perfectly justified, after what he pulled on her in season 2, to others.
** To a lesser extent, Aang became this after the GrandFinale.
* ''TheFairlyOddparents'' has Trixie Tang. Half of the fanbase sees her as a pure RichBitch who is [[DieForOurShip getting in the way of Timmy getting together with Tootie]], while the other half sees her as a sympathetic character [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold who is really nice underneath it all]]. In fact, she's been ''both'' of these in-show, starting as the latter but becoming the former due to {{Flanderization}}.
* [[SoapBoxSadie Sam Manson]] from ''DannyPhantom''. She is a polarizing figure due to being bossy and hypocritical at the eyes of many fans, usually as a mean to push her agenda; temporarily forcing her Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian diet on the entirety of Casper High or protesting a beauty contest, and criticizing Danny's power abuse, but supportive when she wanted to scare people away from buying environmentally threatening trucks. However, her fans worship her and romanticize her relationship with Danny.
** Jack Fenton. Some see him as a BumblingDad who is genuinely funny and with some awesome moments. Others see him as an incredibly irresponsible, racist, violent would-be MadScientist with a skewd sense of morality, whose [[DesignatedHero carelessness had caused the entire plot.]]
* The [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters wide variety]] of characters, relationships, and interactions in the ''TotalDrama'' series lends itself incredibly to this trope, providing a show in which every major character can be considered a BaseBreaker due to the various [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Alternative Character Interpretations]] that the fandom has fabricated. Among the most prominent of the show's many examples:
** Courtney. Same reason as Trixie Tang and Sam Manson. Her actions in ''...Action'' don't help. Her involvement in one of the most contentious [[ShipToShipCombat shipping wars]] in the series doesn't help either.
** Gwen. The aforementioned LoveTriangle really didn't help.
** Owen. He's either a funny and well-developed character, or a [[FamilyGuy Peter Griffin]] ripoff who is nothing more than a "cheerful BigEater who farts alot". Heck, the votes for who should win in the first season (between him and Gwen) came close. [[spoiler:Compared to the second season (between Duncan and Beth), where Duncan got around 80% of the votes.]]
** Izzy, the only female character that has an actually interesting personality or just really annoying.
** Ezekiel, for reasons that are [[InternetBackdraft better left unexplained.]]
** Sierra, mainly between the people who want her to be with Cody, and the ones who prefer him with Gwen, Noah or themselves. Shipping aside, there's also dischord between the people who think she's [[TheScrappy annoying]] and [[StalkerWithACrush creepy]] and the people who think she's [[TheWoobie adorable]] and [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious]].
** Duncan too. Some fans point out his bad behavior and that [[spoiler: he came back when he wasn't needed in ''World Tour'', proceeded to cheat on Courtney and act like a complete {{Jerkass}} about it]]. Others, especially his many diehard fans, mention his sweet side and that he[[spoiler: was justifed for his behavior towards Courtney due to the controlling and abuse she gave him.]]
** Previous "fan-favorite" Cody becomes one in ''World Tour'', with the main war being between Cody fans and, well, everyone else. The main reasons being Sierra, his boringness, Sierra, pointless screentime, Sierra, his strange lack of singing, Sierra, his JerkAss attitude towards Duncan, his [[StalkerWithACrush hypocritical behavior towards Gwen]] and finally... [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Sierra]].
* [[StarWarsTheCloneWars Ahsoka Tano]]. If you do, you will find your thread flooded with people who either think she's a "great character" or is "a pointless, stupid, annoying addition to ''StarWars''."
** Also, [[JustAStupidAccent Generrrral Grrrrievous]] * cough cough* . He is almost universally admired as a total BadAss based on his appearance in ''StarWarsCloneWars'', but after his BadassDecay and VillainDecay in ''RevengeOfTheSith'' and ''StarWarsTheCloneWars'', the fandom seems to be divided between those who think that he's still a good villain and those who think he's degraded into a frail, tuberculine, cowardly DastardlyWhiplash.
* [[ScoobyDoo Scrappy-Doo]]. The [[TheScrappy hatred towards him]] has lessened over time, but is still there, and will always be his most famous aspect.
* Lina from ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo''.
* Nazz and Eddy from ''EdEddNEddy''. The former is due to a broken shipping base with fans pairing her up with various kids and haters claiming she is just -- or decayed into -- a DumbBlonde stereotype (despite May also fitting this role) who doesn't deserve to be with anyone. The latter is either a LoveableRogue or a JerkAss who abuses two guys (Ed and Edd) that need to ditch him.
** Also, the Kanker sisters, between those who pair them up with the Eds and those who just find them annoying.
* Eric Cartman from ''SouthPark''. There are two types of fans; those who love him for his extreme JerkAss behavior, and those who absolutely hate him for being a CompleteMonster who commits MoralEventHorizon grade evil acts at least once a season. The creators seem to be aware of this and try to cater to both (the second half via entire episodes dedicated to making Cartman suffer such as when Wendy beats the crap out of him in season 12).
** And both sides in the amusement park episode, where Kyle becomes an exaggerated MetaGuy for those who hate Cartman.
* Brian and Stewie Griffin from ''FamilyGuy''. While Brian still keeps many fans, there's a huge portion of the fanbase who hates him for becoming a blatant AuthorAvatar for the writers to preach their left-wing and anti-religious views, in a way in which, ironically, [[DontShootTheMessage frequently pisses off liberals, atheists, agnostics, and homosexuals even more than conservatives]]. Although they're now trying to [[RescuedfromTheScrappyHeap fix him]] and return him to his ButtMonkey and DeadpanSnarker roots. On the other hand, many former fans of Stewie now hate him because they miss his original EvilGenius characterization and think that he's become nothing but one long, unfunny gay joke. Others find the new Stewie much funnier than when he tried to kill Lois and take over the world.
** Peter too there are some people who like him pre {{Flanderization}} where he was a lovable goofy klutz who tried to do the right thing after he messed up and loved his family unconditionally and others who like or hate him for becoming an abusive {{PsychopathicManChild}} with [[LackofEmpathy zero empathy]] for anyone especially his friends and family, and then there are others who just plain hate him either way.
** Non-character example: people noticed that season 9 episodes had a much fewer flashbacks than episodes from other seasons. Some people think that this ruins Family Guy's essence, while others think that, with less focus on flashbacks and more focus on the plots and characters, it will result in better episodes.
* Wolverine in ''{{Wolverine and the X-men}}'', [[SarcasmMode much to everyone's surpise.]] As shown on the page for the show, [[{{Flanderization}} characterization of the other X-Men]] and his [[SpotlightStealingSquad role as leader]] came under fire from fans, even before the series aired. After airing...well let's just say a good portion of people still aren't happy.
* John Stewart in ''JusticeLeague'' faced much of this during the first season of the series. The fanbase was divided over their reaction towards John being picked as the Comicbook/GreenLantern over the series over Kyle Rayner or Hal Jordan. On one side, fans were impressed that the series actually used one of the lesser known comic book characters, while on the other, fans accused John as simply being chosen to diversify the cast and he lacked the creativity of Hal or Kyle. By the second season however, John had been RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.
* Speedy Gonzales of ''LooneyTunes'' tends to be treated as one by both fans and network alike due to his shorts' usually "politically incorrect" tone, his InvincibleHero qualities that make even Bugs looks rather fallible and becoming a mainstream character just as the series was [[DorkAge beginning to decrease in quality]] (say nothing of his later pairings with DaffyDuck). Then again [[MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales he is actually popular with the Latino fanbase]] and there was an uproar when his shorts were taken off the air.
** Another ''LooneyTunes'' example: Lola Bunny. Ever since her introduction in ''Film/SpaceJam'', some fans who were mostly older fans of classic shorts and prepubescent boys at that time have thought of her as a combination {{Scrappy}}[=/=]MarySue[=/=]TokenGirl, while enough others like to give her a fandom of her own, mostly from people who were tween girls at that same time who pictured her as a [[GirlsNeedRoleModels role model]] and people who are part of the...*gulp*...FurryFandom.
** There'll probably be an even bigger divide the way she's portrayed in ''TheLooneyTunesShow'', given a complete personality overhaul, giving her traits of a {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, TheDitz and Bugs Bunny's AbhorrentAdmirer voiced by Kristin Wiig. People who couldn't stand her at first think that she's "looney" enough to fit in with the rest of the gang with that personality, while some fans of Lola's original self thought that she was RuinedForever.
** DaffyDuck himself is a rather notorious base breaker, since he was a CloudCuckoolander in the earlier BobClampett-directed shorts and a greedy JerkAss in the ChuckJones era. Most fans have a strong opinion as to which Daffy they like best, although some TakeAThirdOption in the form of RobertMcKimson's Daffy, a combination of both versions.
* ''TheSimpsons'': Lisa Simpson, for almost the same reason as [[FamilyGuy Brian Griffin]]. It doesn't help that she's ''one of the main characters''.
* A fairly minor one from ''PhineasAndFerb:'' Irving. Many think of him as TheScrappy, but others really like his LoonyFan schtick. He shows up fairly infrequently, though, so this hasn't really caused much of a problem in the fandom.
** Candace too. Some people are annoyed by her busting obsession and want her dead while overs love her for the same reasons.
*** There are also some fans who think that Candace is a good character, but think that she should forget about busting her brothers (seeing that she's doomed to fail).
* In ''FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', [[TheDitz Cheese]] is definitely this. He has a strong, loyal fanbase, while at the same time being the most hated character by many. [[GenkiGirl Goo]] is also probably this, although she's not quite as polarizing.
* Marceline from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' seems to be developing into this - most of the fans loved her from the moment she came onscreen. The smaller, but definitely existing, group dismissed her as an annoying, though not completely pointless, {{Troll}} and cringed upon learning that [[EnsembleDarkhorse season 2 will have]] [[AscendedExtra "lots of Marceline"]]. Also, the LoveTriangle that she created along with her arrival in the show. Finn/Princess Bubblegum shippers were displeased at her ambiguous stance towards Finn in her debut episode, and later, other unexplained behaviors like choosing ''him'' as her henchman for apparently no reason. Lots of fans caught on, and right now, Finn/Marceline has a fairly bigger fan following than Fubblegum.
* Terra from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' was written as a troubled BrokenBird AntiVillain. But to [[MisaimedFandom some fans]], she's {{Satan}} re-incarnate....though most of these feelings actually stem not from her actions but from the haters [[DieForOurShip being shippers who prefer Raven and Beast Boy together.]]
* Sergeant Hatred of ''TheVentureBrothers''. Due to his pedophilia and overbearing manner, there is a portion of the fanbase that absolutely hates him, some fans going as far as to stop watching the show completely because of his presence. However, he has his fans who love him and wish him well on his quest to, um, not molest children/successfully act as bodyguard to the Ventures.
* ''CodenameKidsNextDoor'': [[TheLancer Numbuh 5]] is either the best character on the show, or [[CreatorsPet the Creators']] [[CanonSue Sue]] who outshines more interesting characters.
** [[BigGood Numbuh 362]], for similar reasons.
* Miss Martian from ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. Horrible abomination of a character, or delightful breath of fresh air in a team full of jerks? Her catchphrase isn't helping matters.
** Artemis seems to have her share of haters as well. An intriguing character or just a snotty bitch? You decide!
** There's also people's views on how Superman is acting on the show in regards to Superboy: some think he's behaving in an understandable manner and others think he's being a {{Jerkass}} and [[OutOfCharacter very un-Superman-like]] compared to other incarnations. Superboy has since become this as well.
** The Light are either {{Magnificent Bastard}}s, {{Generic Doomsday Villain}}s, or {{Villain Sue}}s, depending on who you ask.
** The Joker also suffers from this: some are criticizing how the show handled him, others defending the show's take. Some are also annoyed he isn't voiced by JohnDiMaggio, or king of the hams MarkHamill himself.
** Klarion the Witch Boy. It's not so much his personality as his role in being [[spoiler:a member of the Light]]. Even then, you have people saying he's a funny FauxAffablyEvil villain, and people who find him annoying.
** Aqualad is either viewed as being an awesome [[TheStoic Stoic]] leader, or a [[FlatCharacter flat]] [[TokenMinority Token black]] who [[DullSurprise never expresses any emotion]].
** Kid Flash is either viewed as a childish JerkAss, or being the funniest and most genuinely likeable character on the show.
* Gus Griswald from ''{{Recess}}''. One half of the fandom finds him extremely cute, adorable, and sweet, while the other half find him to be annoying and useless.
* Roger the alien from ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': either hilarious or annoying as hell.
* The fandom of ''{{X-Men Evolution}}'' is currently split on a number of things, but the two biggest breakers in the series are [[FunPersonified Ice]][[TookALevelInDumbAss man]] and [[EvenEvilHasStandards Aval]][[JerkWithAHeartOfGold anche]].
** For Iceman, people either love him for his slightly snarky, playful and fun personality and general childlike attitude to situations, while others absolutely despise him because his Hotheadedness borders on TooDumbToLive (Stealing a [[CoolPlane Blackbird fighter jet]] for a joyride with his friends (who get much less heat for some reason) was to some people a hilarious way to show how excited he is to be an X-Man, or the stupidest move that nearly got himself and several others killed).
** Avalanche however, is split into three groups: People who [[DracoInLeatherPants ship him with Kitty and think of him as the perfect example of a boyfriend]], [[RonTheDeathEater people who hate him with Kitty and think he's a]] CompleteMonster, and [[TakeAThirdOption others]] who don't mind him and in fact maybe even do like him, but just don't think he's right with Kitty. The fact he shifted in characterization from JerkAss, TroubledButCute, and JerkWithAHeartOfGold as well as an IneffectualSympatheticVillain means that each party has some justification... but let's be honest: talking about in deatail, or expressing support for either group, is just asking for trouble.
** For characters that aren't ''as'' heatedly discussed but still get people talking about them, look no further than Cyclops (again), Jean Grey (any wonder?) or Professor Xavier (surprised?).
* Max from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond''. Some fans think that she's one of the greatest characters in the franchise, others think that she was an unnecessary addition that [[SpotlightStealingSquad took too much screentime away from other supporting characters]].
* WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic: Pinkie Pie. Her LooneyTunes-esque wackiness either makes her the best character on the show, or one of the most annoying, at least as far as the fandom is concerned.
* Rebecca Cunningham of ''TaleSpin'' due to her prominant InferioritySuperiorityComplex. She is either one of the most complex and enduring characters in the show or a stuck up JerkAss who [[MeanBoss bullies her employees]]. Her [[SlapSlapKiss wavering treatment]] of Baloo doesn't help at all.
* The ''{{Thundercats}}'' series, both new and old have the Ro-Bear Berbils. While the oroginal series Berbils still live in infamy, for many. The new Berbils seem to be a bit of a mixed bag. Some think they're the greatest thing since sliced-bread, while others completely loath them and acusse them of [[TastesLikeDiabetes being to cute]].
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'''No examples, please. Every character in any work of media is one to some extent. This page simply defines the term.'''
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Put a character in a series who turns out to be [[EnsembleDarkhorse loved by one section of the fanbase]], and [[TheScrappy hated by the rest]]. The causes are varied: perhaps the character appeals to a certain demographic but is a turn-off to another. Maybe they're a PluckyComicRelief who appeals to the sense of humour of some people but falls flat with others. Sometimes they just highlight [[BrokenBase existing divisions within the fanbase]], or have differing appeal across [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff different]] [[AmericansHateTingle cultures]], due to [[ValuesDissonance different cultural viewpoints]] or other quirks. Either way, some fans like em, some fans don't, little in the way of a middle ground, [[InternetBackdraft flamewars ensue]].
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