History YMMV / PassCode

** Averted with Emily, due in large part to Yuna going into great detail about why she chose to retire and making it crystal clear that she [[{{Determinator}} kept going until she physically couldn't]]. Emily already being a seasoned performer with her own fanbase didn't hurt either.

** By the time Yuri left, though, Hinako had completely gelled with the others in part by being a NiceGirl, leading Yuna to say this several months later:

** It didn't take long for Hinako to be embraced and loved by fans. And because it took [=PassCode=] time to gain popularity despite their music videos having been online since near the start, newer fans who watch the group's earliest videos sometimes do a double-take when they see she's not there.

* ReplacementScrappy: Discussed and averted, luckily. In their ''Virtual''-era joint interview, Hinako said she worried she would be one, as she officially joined in July 2015, only one week before the group's Tokyo Idol Festival debut and the other girls didn't receive her warmly, calling the decision to add her "arbitrary", but this quickly changed after TIF. By the release of the group's second[[labelnote:*]] (or third if you count ''Locus'')[[/labelnote]] major album ''Clarity'' in April 2019, Hinako had been a part of [=PassCode=] for far longer than Yuri was.

** Averted from the start, at least publicly, with Emily replacing Yuna in August 2021. Part of this is because Emily was already a known quantity with her own fanbase due to her two years in Ladybaby, but also because Yuna – never one to mince words or aver from the truth – made it ''very'' clear why she retired, showing there was no falling out with the other members or staff (in fact quite the opposite), which helped smooth the road for Emily to slip in to the open screamer slot.
*** Of course some still compare Emily negatively to Yuna because [=PassCode=] songs were written for Yuna's range, not Emily's, and Emily's weakest vocal areas happen to be where Yuna was strongest. Nonetheless, Emily is ''respected'' even by her critics, especially once it became clear she was willing and able to put in the work to integrate herself into [=PassCode=] as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

* PayingTheirDues: Nao discussed this in a roundabout way during an interview in January 2020. As far as she's concerned, as of this edit [=PassCode=] is still doing so. She specifically pointed out how they'd performed at Studio Coast (capacity >2400) twice – once for the ''Miss Unlimited'' Tour Final in 2016 and then again the day of that interview – and that their first gig there was only filled to half-capacity.
--->''"I thought, 'Why aren't more people coming to see us? Our songs are so good!'."''
** Nao also said in that interview (and elsewhere) that she wants [=PassCode=] to perform at the Budokan – its capacity is 10,000, far larger than any venue they've been in to date. Whether they'll be able to pull that kind of crowd by Nao's self-imposed deadline of 2021 is, as of this edit, unknown. Having a #1 single under their belts certainly doesn't hurt their prospects, though.
*** Turned out she and [=PassCode=] WOULD reach that goal, albeit two months late, in February 2022. Chances that Nao cried [[TenderTears happy-tears]] upon hearing the news: very high.
** Of course, Nao has been part of [=PassCode=] since the days when girls would regularly quit the group and they were lucky to get two dozen people to watch them perform. No shock, then, that she gets emotional when [=PassCode=] fills a 2000+ venue and "Thank you!" is almost her VerbalTic.

--->''{Hacker upon seeing Yuri in the "Now I Know" MV}'' "Wait. That's not Hinako. Who is that girl?"

* GrowingTheBeard: The girls discussed this in their 2016 ''Natalie'' interview, heavily implying that Hinako joining and Yuri leaving in late-2015 was the best thing that could have happened to [=PassCode=]. Given their subsequent rise in popularity after that interview, they make a good point.

* GrowingTheBeard: The girls discussed this in their 2016 ''Natalie'' interview, heavily implying that Hinako joining and Yuri leaving in late-2015 was the best thing that could have happened to [=PassCode=]. Given their subsequent rise in popularity after that interview, they make a good point.
* ReplacementScrappy: Averted, luckily. In their ''Virtual''-era joint interview, Hinako said she worried she would be one, as she officially joined in July 2015, only one week before the group's Tokyo Idol Festival debut and the other girls didn't receive her warmly, calling the decision to add her "arbitrary", but this quickly changed after TIF. By the release of the group's second[[labelnote:*]] (or third if you count ''Locus'')[[/labelnote]] major album ''Clarity'' in April 2019, Hinako had been a part of [=PassCode=] for far longer than Yuri was.
-->'''Hinako:''' "The atmosphere that was portrayed to me from the first greetings was that I wouldn't be welcomed. (lol)"\\
'''Yuna:''' "That must have been scary. Sorry about that."\\
'''Kaede:''' "I wanted to greet you with a smile but my face didn't move. (laugh)"\\
'''Hinako:''' "From that point on until the days we had practice, because of the uneasiness there was nothing I could do. I completely knew I wouldn't be accepted."
** By the time Yuri left, though, Hinako had completely gelled with the others in part by being a NiceGirl, leading Yuna to say this several months later:
--->'''Yuna:''' "I thought, 'Thank goodness Hina-chan joined the group.' It wasn't because we needed just anyone as another member, but ''because'' it was Hina-chan it was good."
** It didn't take long for Hinako to be embraced and loved by fans. And because it took [=PassCode=] time to gain popularity despite their music videos having been online since near the start, newer fans who watch the group's earliest videos sometimes do a double-take when they see she's not there.
--->''{Hacker upon seeing Yuri in the "Now I Know" MV}'' "Wait. That's not Hinako. Who is that girl?"

* PayingTheirDues: Nao discussed this in a roundabout way during an interview in January 2020. As far as she's concerned, as of this edit [=PassCode=] is still doing so. She specifically pointed out how they'd performed at Studio Coast (capacity >2400) twice – once for the ''Miss Unlimited'' Tour Final in 2016 and then again the day of that interview – and that their first gig there was only filled to half-capacity.
--->''"I thought, 'Why aren't more people coming to see us? Our songs are so good!'."''
** Nao also said in that interview (and elsewhere) that she wants [=PassCode=] to perform at the Budokan – its capacity is 10,000, far larger than any venue they've been in to date. Whether they'll be able to pull that kind of crowd by Nao's self-imposed deadline of 2021 is, as of this edit, unknown. Having a #1 single under their belts certainly doesn't hurt their prospects, though.
*** Turned out she and [=PassCode=] WOULD reach that goal, albeit two months late, in February 2022. Chances that Nao cried happy-tears upon hearing the news: very high.
** Of course, Nao has been part of [=PassCode=] since the days when girls would regularly quit the group and they were lucky to get two dozen people to watch them perform. No shock, then, that she gets emotional when [=PassCode=] fills a 2000+ venue and "Thank you!" is almost her VerbalTic.

--->''{Hacker upon seeing Yuri in the "Now I Know" MV}'' "Wait. That's not Hinako. Who is that girl?"
* TrueCompanions: While these girls do have their own individual lives outside of work, they're known to hang out together outside the studio and over the years have become very close. It's especially notable to see the famously cold & shy Yuna [[https://twitter.com/PassCode_nao/status/1327447684660092929 snuggling Hinako.]] It's just plain heartwarming to see their behind-the-scenes antics.

--->''{Hacker upon seeing Yuri in the "Now I Know" MV}'' "Wait. That's not Hinako. Who is that girl?"

--->'''Yuna:''' "I thought, 'Thank goodness Hina-chan joined the group.' It wasn't because we needed just anyone as another member, but ''because'' it was Hina-chan it was good."