History RootingForTheEmpire / AnimeAndManga

*** In season 2 Celestial Being was presented as an almost messianic LaResistance group that was always right in their cause; even the [[MoralMyopia wanton acts]] they committed in Season 1 were all but completely forgotten[[note]]they were brought up once in S2 - by Saji in the first few episodes, and he was looked upon as a {{Jerkass}} for doing so[[/note]], in spite of Celestial Being's interventions being the reason the ESF and the A-Laws came into existence. Setsuna's transformation into an Innovator literally gave him cosmic superpowers (ones that made the psychedelic Newtype stuff from the Universal Century look tame) and a full on messiah complex (such that even supporting characters compare Setsuna to a savior at times). Combine that with the usual {{Anvilicious}} writing that plagues any and all ''Gundam'' series at the end of their respective runs, and you can see why certain viewers were rooting for whoever was fighting CB at the time.

** Funny Valentine, the BigBad of [[Manga/SteelBallRun Part 7]], is motivated by extreme patriotism, his goal being to ensure the safety of his country by any means. It's not an uncommon opinion among fans that he's the true hero of ''Steel Ball Run'', and that Johnny is a borderline VillainProtagonist in comparison. The only thing that's keeping Valentine from becoming a full HeroAntagonist is the fact that [[spoiler:his plan, should it succeed, would only guarantee America's prosperity at the cost of turning the rest of the planet into a CrapsackWorld]], something which doesn't make him wholly unsympathetic since he believes that [[spoiler:if he doesn't use the Corpse Parts to achieve this, another country would do so, forcing him to be the one to act first]].

** La Squadra di Esecuzione, the villainous team from [[Manga/VentoAureo Part 5]], has a lot of supporters due to how well-written its members are. But the one who takes the cake here is Pesci, who, along with his best friend and partner Prosciutto, undergoes a LOT of CharacterDevelopment despite being nothing more than a MonsterOfTheWeek in the story, going from shy and dorky to [[TookALevelInBadass increasingly vicious and determined to win]]. His sadness at his partner's death, which quickly turns into determination to avenge him, can make him appear sympathetic enough that you forget that he's trying to kill our heroes and kidnap an innocent girl.

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him]]. Many fans hope that [[spoiler:Eren]] succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict [[spoiler:between Paradis and the world]] peacefully without an AssPull and believe that [[spoiler:Eren]]'s victory would make the most narrative sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' [[spoiler:Eren's genocidal actions]] as well, especially [[spoiler: [[LaserGuidedKarma since the outside world did have it coming]]]] [[spoiler:[[VillainHasAPoint for harassing and attempting to destroy Paradis multiple times out of hatred and bigotism]]]].

** After everything Zeref went through, [[spoiler: having been cursed by a JerkassGod just for wanting his little brother back, killing everything around him, including the only person that truly understood him and later fell in love with,]] it is no wonder why some fans are starting to root for him. [[spoiler: It is even possible that he wants Fairy Heart, not for malicious purposes like Fairy Tail believes, but just because he wants his lover back.]]

** While the Gjallarhorn of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'' is a supposedly corrupt military organization, several officers in the organizations, such as Crank Zent, Gaelio Bauduin, Carta Issue and Julieta Juris are incorrupt, honorable and valorous soldiers who [[BornInTheWrongCentury behaved like Pre-Calamity War knights]], their lives are inadvertently ruined by a group of [[CombatPragmatist Combat Pragmatic]] [[ChildSoldier Child Soldiers]]. It helps that it also displays a lot of SympatheticPOV onto them rather than having Tekkadan as entirely heroic. A bit of MisaimedFandom can be claimed here for the organization as a whole, as aside from those four characters, all we've seen are either {{Mook}} Soldiers who blindly follow orders without thinking of the morality of their actions, corrupt officers that just don't care for what they are doing and just care about their positions, or the people in charge who want to preserve the status quo regardless of how right or wrong it is. And out from the four characters, Julieta is the only one who not only stayed alive in the end but also became critical of the people who she served and realized that not everything is black or white. By the time the ending rolls in, [[spoiler:Rustal Elion crushed Tekkadan from existence, reformed Gjallarhorn into a democratic organization and gave Mars their independence which also includes helping Kudelia abolishing the Human Debris system. Many viewers considered this the best scenario not only because it's realistic but it's unlikely for Tekkadan for win against the largest fleet in the entire system. Many also considered Rustal as a better leader than [=McGillis=] because despite using illegal weapons and black propaganda, he never attacks any civilian and never bothers to go after Kudelia regardless of her affiliation with Tekkadan which is also implied in the epilogue that he's aware of the Tekkadan survivors working for her but has no intention on going after them]].

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' has this in effect for the [[GoldfishPoopGang Team Rocket Trio]] Jessie, James, and Meowth. While they can succeed in some of their efforts, they are always defeated by [[InvincibleHero Ash]] and Co. Ash has so much PlotArmor that you can expect him to win anything that's not a major tournament, and you know that he never loses to Team Rocket unless the plot demands it (remember, waaaaay back in the third episode, James' incredulous "Beaten by a ''Caterpie''?!"). Even then it's usually by trickery rather than a battle. This goes on for so long, with even their most [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption brilliant schemes failing]], that you want them to win at least once, [[TeamRocketWins just to see them steal someone's Pokemon]] and get away with it to prove that they are still a threat. They TookALevelInBadass in the ''Best Wishes'' series, and were even ''promoted''. Jessie, James, and Meowth are able to pull off museum heists and sneak a train out of a highly monitored subway system with little trouble, [[spoiler:but despite this Ash still beats them when it comes down to the wire. This can leave a bad taste after watching them spend 20 episodes preparing for one big event.]]

* Considering that Saitama of ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan'' is an InvincibleHero who can defeat any opponent [[MeaningfulName with one punch]], looks like a particularly bland and plain cue ball, has one of the most understated backstories ever, is just a hero for fun and not because of any moral convictions or admirable ideology and whose sole goal is to get to find a WorthyOpponent, it's really not so hard to root for Boros when he shows up. First of all because, [[ComicallyInvincibleHero given the premise of the series]], all readers know that Boros, though he has been an InvincibleVillain up until now, [[FanOfUnderdog is severely outmatched]]; secondly because he is a badass with an awesome design; thirdly because he is NotSoDifferent from Saitama, being a villain who realized that VictoryIsBoring and set out to conquer galaxies just so he could find someone who could put up a good match against him and, finally, because throughout the fight he goes from smug, to genuinely enjoying finally getting to use his full power against an opponent, to increasingly desperate to actually win, all the while Saitama does not even get bruised from Boros' strongest attacks.

*** On the other hand, some viewers support [=McGillis=] Fareed due to his intent to reform Gjallarhorn despite getting his two childhood friends killed and manipulating several people along the way. Then, his DarkAndTroubledPast was revealed [[spoiler:where he was a child prostitute adopted by Izanario Fareed who also sexually abused him]]. It was there that [=McGillis=] had a condescending view on the people in power and desired to change Gjallarhorn on his own way which many viewers considered him as [[NotSoDifferent "iron-blooded orphan"]] like Tekkadan.

* Many fans of ''Anime/JackToMameNoKi'' feel that the giant Tulip should've been redeemed, seeing as he had been abused by his mother the witch Madam Hecuba and genuinely cared for Princess Margaret, and after he's finally had enough of Hecuba's abuse he kills her which breaks the spell she put on the kingdom which had turned all the servants into mice. And how do they repay Tulip?, they start attacking him and try to force him to leave when all he was really doing afterwards was slightly bullying and teasing them only because they had attacked him first, then immediately afterwards Jack starts provoking him by insulting his low intelligence much like his mother had, which leads to his death by falling from the beanstalk after Jack and his mother chop it down. While it was mentioned that he did eat people and had attempted to eat Jack before, he didn't seem to want to anymore after Hecuba's death.

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him]]. Many fans hope that [[spoiler:Eren]] succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict [[spoiler:between Paradis and the world]] peacefully without an AssPull and believe that [[spoiler:Eren]]'s victory would make the most narrative sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' [[spoiler:Eren's genocidal actions]] as well, especially [[spoiler:LaserGuidedKarma since the outside world did have it coming]] [[spoiler:VillainHasAPoint for harassing and attempting to destroy Paradis multiple times out of hatred and bigotism]].

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him]]. Many fans hope that [[spoiler:Eren]] succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict [[spoiler:between Paradis and the world]] peacefully without an AssPull and believe that [[spoiler:Eren]]'s victory would make the most narrative sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' [[spoiler:Eren's genocidal actions]] as well, especially [[spoiler: LaserGuidedKarma since the outside world did have it coming]] [[spoiler: VillainHasAPoint for harassing and attempting to destroy Paradis multiple times out of hatred and bigotism]].

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him]]. Many fans hope that [[spoiler:Eren]] succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict [[spoiler:between Paradis and the world]] peacefully without an AssPull and believe that [[spoiler:Eren]]'s victory would make the most narrative sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' [[spoiler:Eren's genocidal actions]] as well, especially [[LaserGuidedKarma since the outside world had it coming]] [[VillainHasAPoint for harassing and attempting to destroy Paradis multiple times out of hatred and bigotism]].

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him]]. Many fans hope that [[spoiler:Eren]] succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict [[spoiler:between Paradis and the world]] peacefully without an AssPull and believe that [[spoiler:Eren]]'s victory would make the most narrative sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' [[spoiler:Eren's genocidal actions]] as well, especially [LaserGuidedKarma since the outside world had it coming]] [[VillainHasAPoint for harassing and attempting to destroy Paradis multiple times out of hatred and bigotism]].

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him]]. Many fans hope that [[spoiler:Eren]] succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict [[spoiler:between Paradis and the world]] peacefully without an AssPull and believe that [[spoiler:Eren]]'s victory would make the most narrative sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' [[spoiler:Eren's genocidal actions]] as well.

** La Squadra di Esecuzione, the villainous team from [[Manga/VentoAureo Part 5]], has a lot of supporters due to how well-written its members are. But the one who takes the cake here is Pesci, who, along with his best friend and partner Prosciutto, undergoes a LOT of CharacterDevelopment despite being nothing more than a MonsterOfTheWeek in the story, going from {{Adorkable}} to [[TookALevelInBadass increasingly vicious and determined to win]]. His sadness at his partner's death, which quickly turns into determination to avenge him, can make him appear sympathetic enough that you forget that he's trying to kill our heroes and kidnap an innocent girl.

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him]]. Many fans hope that [[spoiler:Eren]] succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict [[spoiler:between Paradis and the world peacefully]] without an AssPull and believe that [[spoiler:Eren]]'s victory would make the most narrative sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' [[spoiler:Eren's genocidal actions]] as well.

** Yoshikage Kira from [[Manga/DiamondIsUnbreakable part 4]] is a SerialKiller who targets young women and [[ALoveToDismember keeps their severed hands as keepsakes]]. Despite being an unrepentant murderer, Kira is extremely popular due to his grounded, yet oxymoronic goal of [[IJustWantToBeNormal living a quiet life]] while being a serial killer, his cool style and personality, his powerful Stand, Killer Queen, which is one of the most popular Stands in the series, and the occasional {{Villain Episode}}s he gets which serve to get us to sympathize with him despite all the horrible things he does.
** La Squadra di Esecuzione, the villainous team from [[Manga/VentoAureo part 5]], has a lot of supporters due to how well-written its members are. But the one who takes the cake here is Pesci, who, along with his best friend and partner Prosciutto, undergoes a LOT of CharacterDevelopment despite being nothing more than a MonsterOfTheWeek in the story, going from {{Adorkable}} to [[TookALevelInBadass increasingly vicious and determined to win]]. His sadness at his partner's death, which quickly turns into determination to avenge him, can make him appear sympathetic enough that you forget that he's trying to kill our heroes and kidnap an innocent girl.
** Funny Valentine, the BigBad of [[Manga/SteelBallRun part 7]], is motivated by extreme patriotism, his goal being to ensure the safety of his country by any means. It's not an uncommon opinion among fans that he's the true hero of ''Steel Ball Run'', and that Johnny is a borderline VillainProtagonist in comparison. The only thing that's keeping Valentine from becoming a full HeroAntagonist is the fact that [[spoiler:his plan, should it succeed, would only guarantee America's prosperity at the cost of turning the rest of the planet into a CrapsackWorld]], something which doesn't make him wholly unsympathetic since he believes that [[spoiler:if he doesn't use the Corpse Parts to achieve this, another country would do so, forcing him to be the one to act first]].

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him. Many fans hope that Eren succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict between Paradis and the world peacefully without an AssPull and believe that Eren's victory would make the most narrative sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' Eren's genocidal actions as well.]]

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him. Many fans hope that Eren succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict between Paradis and the world peacefully without an AssPull and believe that Eren's victory would make sense, but a contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' Eren's genocidal actions as well.]]

** The ultimate example of this comes in the later parts of the story, where [[spoiler:Eren has unleashed the Wall Titans with the intent to commit genocide upon the world to protect Paradis, while his former friends and allies have joined up with their enemies to stop him. Many fans hope that Eren succeeds in his plan, largely because they cannot see a way to resolve the conflict between Paradis and the world peacefully without an AssPull and believe that Eren's victory would make sense, but a sizable contingent of fans ''genuinely support'' Eren's actions as well.]]

** The ending of ''[[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion Rebellion]]'' is deliberately ambiguous as to whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, but even those who acknowledge that it could be bad find it hard not to side with [[spoiler:Akuma Homura, since she won Madoka, brought everyone back to life, and gained full control of Incubator infrastructure]]. Especially since the cast was already living in a CrapsackWorld where, even with [[spoiler: Madoka incarnated as a goddess of hope, the incubators could potentially have been captured and enslaved her to recreate the cycle of magical girls turning into witches. Akuma Homura may have stolen Madoka's powers and altered everyone's memories, but she also created a better world and gave '''the entire incubator race''' a taste of their own medicine. It's especially cathartic for those viewers who absolutely loathed Kyubey]]. [[EvilVsEvil On the flip side,]] there are fans who found [[spoiler: Homura]]’s actions [[MoralEventHorizon so reprehensible]] that they want '''[[spoiler: [[HateSink Kyubey]]]]''' to defeat her, since at least he [[spoiler: ultimately had noble intentions]], as opposed to the [[spoiler: {{Yandere}} PsychoLesbian who may be [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt leading the universe to destruction.]]]] And quite a number of fans, even a few who hated [[spoiler: Kyubey]], have expressed the opinion that [[spoiler: his [[AndIMustScream punishment]] [[DisproportionateRetribution was far too extreme]]]].

* This is the IntendedAudienceReaction in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'' due to it's nature of GoodVsGood. The Wolkenritter are ''incredibly'' sympathetic {{Woobie}} [[AntiVillain Anti-Villains]] with a ThouShaltNotKill policy. You're supposed to want them to succeed in filling [[ArtifactOfDoom the Book of Darkness]] to save [[MoralityPet Hayate's]] life, at least until [[spoiler: it's revealed that completing the book will result in Hayate's death and the destruction of the entire planet (something the Wolkenritter are completely unaware of).]]