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| 2 | %% DO NOT add examples until six months after the work releases. |
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| 5 | With tons of characters and a vocal fanbase, these characters have as many fans as detractors. See [[BrokenBase/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic here for other fan divides]]. |
| 6 | ---- |
| 7 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | [[folder:Starlight Glimmer]] |
| 10 | No discussion of Base-Breaking Characters in Generation 4 of ''My Little Pony'' would be complete without mentioning Starlight Glimmer, ''the'' Base-Breaking Character of Generation 4. She caused more debates, drama, and {{Flame War}}s amongst bronies than any other character by a long shot. Starlight first appeared on ''Friendship is Magic'' in Season 5's debut episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E1TheCutieMapPart1 The Cutie Map]]" as the season's overarching antagonist, eventually pulling a HeelFaceTurn and becoming a main character in Season 5's finale "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E25TheCutieRemarkPart1 The Cutie Re-Mark]]".\ |
| 11 | From the day she appeared until the day that MLP Generation 4 ended, Starlight split the fanbase into very vocal camps; just bringing up Starlight's name could potentially start an argument. Even though the worst of the vitriol against her would eventually calm down, discussing the finer points of Starlight's HeelFaceTurn remained one of the easiest ways to spark an argument among bronies. |
| 12 | ---- |
| 13 | * In her first appearance, Starlight was [[ContrastingSequelAntagonist a major break from the prior]] arc villains. She lacked the size and scope of threat that many other {{Arc Villain}}s did, and her seemingly altruistic motives for her actions painted her as a VisionaryVillain. Some fans found a comparatively low-stakes villain a breath of fresh air after the old two-parter villain formula was getting predictable and found her methods interesting. Others found Starlight boring compared to prior villains and felt that idiocy was the only reason she lasted as long as she did. The fact that she was the first major villain to [[KarmaHoudini escape punishment in her debut]] left room for even more divisiveness. |
| 14 | * In her second appearance, Starlight broke the base even wider with a HeelFaceTurn, and it's where the worst of the fighting truly started. In the Season 5 finale "The Cutie Re-Mark", the reason that Starlight hates cutie marks and special talents is revealed to be that Starlight's childhood friend Sunburst got his cutie mark before Starlight did, causing Sunburst to move away from their hometown of Sire's Hollow. Some saw Starlight as UnintentionallyUnsympathetic with a poor excuse for a motive, citing other former villains like [[GuiltComplex Princess Luna]], [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves Discord]], and [[ReformedButRejected Sunset Shimmer]] taking much longer to earn redemption as an explanation for why they felt Starlight's redemption was rushed, since they tried to cause TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt some way or another as well. Other fans felt that Starlight was a victim whose [[FreudianExcuse motives were understandable]], that her redemption fit with the overall theme of Season 5, and that she was [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone appropriately remorseful for her crimes]] and had the rest of the series to [[TheAtoner adequately own up to them]]. A third group of fans ended up disappointed with Starlight, saying she started out as [[RealismInducedHorror a realistically-frightening villain]], and felt the things shown in the montage (her reconciliation with the members of her town being the ''big'' one) were [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot great potential episodes of their own flushed right down the toilet]]. There was very little overlap between the three groups, and the infighting among bronies between the airings of Seasons 5 and 6 got especially bad. |
| 15 | * Starlight's redemption arc with and stories that involved her, which has improved Starlight's standing to some extent. Depending on who you ask, these attempts were enough to lead Starlight being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap ''completely'', were in the right direction but not enough, gave rise to new issues, tried to fix them from the wrong angle, or simply didn't work at all. |
| 16 | * The first episode of Season 6 had Starlight gain a newfound status as Twilight's pupil in friendship, essentially making Starlight [[SixthRanger an unofficial new addition]] to the core cast. Things got extra rough after that, as some felt it was entirely undeserved and makes her into a WishFulfillment fan fiction character. Some were embittered that Trixie didn't get to fill this role, since she was TheRival to Twilight and already starting her own Heel-Face Turn. Others saw Starlight as an {{Expy}} of Sunset Shimmer, seeing as how Starlight and Sunset have similar character arcs. Others still saw Starlight taking this mantle as a new and exciting development for Season 6 and beyond. |
| 17 | * "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E21EveryLittleThingSheDoes Every Little Thing She Does]]" is an episode where Starlight brainwashes her friends sans Twilight to solve friendship problems. This threw even more divisive opinions Starlight's way. Some pounced on this, saying this negates Starlight's redemption by showing she's still too prone to evildoing. Others don't mind it, claiming that Twilight did this in "Lesson Zero" to the point of getting an entire town brawling and had to be bailed out by her friends. Others felt that "two wrongs do not make it right", I.E., someone else doing a bad thing again shouldn't get special treatment for it, and are quick to point out that while Twilight ''did'' do that, she was a national hero who had proven her heroism and good intentions time and time again, not a recently reformed criminal who had spent a lifetime of doing wrong and was ''already'' given far more leeway and forgiveness than she deserved. The other side comes back and contends that Starlight had legitimately good intentions as well, and she just messed up and is [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools good demonstration of character flaws]] she as a real student, still needs to work on. Not only that, but they also point out Starlight took responsibility and actually had to ''work'' to earn forgiveness from the others. |
| 18 | * Starlight being shown to be ''very'' good at complex magic from her introduction, and during "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E21EveryLittleThingSheDoes Every Little Thing She Does]]," was treated by some people as a good setup for her knowing how to combine several spells to achieve the effects of MindControl later on, and a good way to show her confidence/reliance on her magic to solve her problems in contrast to her poor social skills. For some people, Starlight continuing to be able to pull increasingly more powerful spells that were previously considered impossible to do normally, which are otherwise considered very powerful for the setting or which mimic other ponies (even in-universe fictional superheroes') special talents is making these ponies abilities, talents and uniqueness seem redundant, while making her own arsenal of abilities seem [[SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome even more special]] and [[StoryBreakerPower absurdly powerful]] [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands for seemingly no particular reason]] and that [[NoSocialSkills Social Anxiety]] isn't big enough of a character flaw to balance it all out. |
| 19 | * When the synopsis for "To Where and Back Again" was revealed, Starlight became even ''more'' of a base breaker when it was revealed she would be taking center stage to rescue the Mane Six from "the return of Equestria's greatest threat". Some were excited at the prospect of the "unlikely team of heroes" she is to assemble, equating it to a pony ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' and feel this is a perfect finale to her season-wide character arc and will cement her status as reformed and absolved of what she did as a villain. Others feel that having a ''fourth'' premiere/finale centering around her is simply too much, especially considering "The Cutie Re-Mark" was focused entirely on her and Twilight Sparkle with the rest of the cast getting bit parts at best and how much prominence she has already been given in Season 6 along with her getting to take the main character slot for an entire two-part finale above the official main characters just ''reeks'' of favoritism. [[spoiler:Of course, the rift only got worse when the plot essentially involves the ''entire cast'', that is all the royalty and the Mane Six, being thoroughly [[TheWorfEffect Worfed]] without explanation: some are quick to agree that not showing it and/or it happening was necessary to devote time to the actual plot, with others feeling it validates complaints that the narative is shilling Starlight Glimmer by weakening or making other characters look worse.]] |
| 20 | * Starlight Glimmer's existence has created a simmering inner fan rivalry between her and Sunset Shimmer. It started somewhere around Starlight's introduction when Sunset fans became very vocal about Starlight, mostly claiming her to be a [[ReplacementScrappy lousy replacement]] who "stole" Sunset's role as SixthRanger in the show, while the other side argues that Sunset Shimmer has only appeared in the Equestria Girls movies and never in the show proper, therefore making it impossible for her role to be actually "stolen", even if her character arc and personality makes her look like a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute. Then somewhere along the line the Starlight camp adopted their oppositions habit of bringing up the other character out of the blue and comparing them, which usually leads to the more diehard fans of the two trying to [[DracoInLeatherPants downplay their own champion's past or recent transgressions]], and the people who happen to enjoy both characters (or who don't just give a damn about either) tired of the amount vitrol that mentioning one or the other can bring when discussing the show. |
| 21 | ** ... which segways nicely into her appearance in the [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsMagicalMovieNight Equestria Girls specials]], which sparked an explosion of cheers from one side of the fandom who are happy to see her [=EQG=] design and a character they like finally appearing alongside the Rainbooms. Of course, this sparked an explosion from the other side of the fanbase who are fearing she's going to replace or overshadow Sunset Shimmer, or are simply embittered because of how much prominence she's already been given in the main series. |
| 22 | ** The argument that Sunset doesn't actually exist because she's never appeared or been mentioned in the main series, which means that Starlight "wins" by default by virtue of being a canon character, is often thrown around by the more vehement anti-Sunset or anti-Equestria Girls crowd. It's notable that a lot of these people [[LesserOfTwoEvils don't actually like Starlight either]], but they hate Sunset and Equestria Girls in general more and don't want them "infecting" the main show. |
| 23 | * The writers' decision to make Starlight ''only'' appear in episodes she's the focus of. Some feel it's fine and helps not force her into places she doesn't belong, others find it jarring and denies her more chances to show her character and feel like part of the show, and of course her sizeable hatedom is thankful for it because they ''already'' feel she's been given far too much exposure and prominence this season and feel it's a breath of fresh air and a return to normalcy. Of course, that hasn't stopped Starlight from making {{Continuity Cameo}}s in "Spice Up Your Life" and "Top Bolt", so there's that as well. |
| 24 | ** Starting with Season 7, the writers started to give Starlight non-cameo appearances outside her own friendship lessons, but not as the main attraction of the story. In addition to possibly helping her fit in to the show overall, this can also been as an effort to placate complaints that usually whenever Starlight ''is'' present in a story, she tends to hog the spotlight away from everyone else. Of course, this is also a double-edged sword since it means even ''more'' Starlight than ever, much to the chagrin of her sizeable hatedom. |
| 25 | * Because the teasers for "Celestial Advice" suggested that the show would [[ShooOutTheNewGuy finally say goodbye to Starlight]], the fact that [[BaitAndSwitch it ultimately didn't do that]] has re-ignited the whole discussion across the community. Fans on both sides of the aisle professed some excitement over the idea of Starlight leaving to go on her own adventures as it would've both expanded the universe and removed her from the awkward spot she had in the cast as a seventh member of the Mane 6th, so [[StatusQuoIsGod Status Quo]] winning out didn't go over too well. Ever since its premiere, one of the biggest debates surrounding the episode is why the writers would bring up the possibility at all if they never intended to go through with it. Others were worried that Celestia's mention of Starlight "spreading her wings" would mean she would turn into an Alicorn, which would either make her overpowered or simply cause there to be too many Alicorns, and are just glad that that didn't happen. |
| 26 | [[/folder]] |
| 27 | |
| 28 | [[folder:Main Characters]] |
| 29 | * Rainbow Dash. The base is split between those who think she's a {{Jerkass}} due to her arrogance and constant boasting, and those who think she [[AwesomeEgo actually has the skills]] to keep up with her boasts. She's on many fans' "best pony" lists, but also on just as many "worst pony" lists. The trend of Scootabuse (artwork of Rainbow abusing Scootaloo), ''Rainbow Factory'', ''Pony.MOV'', ''Friendship Is Witchcraft'', and other fanworks that [[RonTheDeathEater exaggerate Rainbow's attitude into outright villainy]] have not helped, despite being non-canon. Many early Season 2 episodes which were written before she TookALevelInKindness and focused more on her competitive drive, which only increased her hatedom. Rainbow's status as the Element of Loyalty has also been called into question, as episodes such as "The Last Roundup", "Three's a Crowd" and "A Canterlot Wedding – Part 1" involve her showing no remorse or having her [[KarmaHoudini suffer no consequence]] for ignoring her friends (except for the aforementioned "A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1"). She's hated in "Trade Ya!" for the unspeakably heinous crime of accidentally trading her friend away for a book, with very few fans realizing [[InnocentlyInsensitive she didn't understand]] what had happened until it was (almost) [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone too late]]. That said, Rainbow's also had a few episodes where she's shown genuine loyalty, such as when she was willing to quit the Wonderbolts (giving up her lifelong dream in the process) if it meant that her friends were put in danger. |
| 30 | * Pinkie Pie. Many love her for being a FunPersonified pony whose driving purpose in life is to make others happy, and find her hyperactivity and fourth-wall breaking antics hilarious. Others hate her for being InnocentlyInsensitive and getting away with it, being part of the most controversial aesops of the series (Such as "Swarm of the Century", "Feeling Pinkie Keen", "A Friend In Deed”, and “Yakity-Sax”), and find her irritating. This is not helped by the fact [[DependingOnTheWriter she is one of the most inconsistently characterized main characters in the series]], ranging from very mature but still Pinkie-like portrayals such as in "The Last Laugh", to episodes where she seems to have no tact at all, with few middle points. |
| 31 | * Fluttershy. Some fans thought that she was a precious ShrinkingViolet who was the go-to character for the show's wholesome moments. Others went through HypeBacklash when it comes to her cuteness, and found her passiveness and cowardice irritating rather than endearing. Fluttershy's willingness to stand up for herself and/or her friends also varies, [[DependingOnTheWriter depending on the episode]], for many of her detractors note that she’s more willing to save the lives of animals than her friends. Whenever she does something wrong (like hurting her friends’ feelings), she’s quickly forgiven, yet when any of Fluttershy's friends hurt ''her'', [[DoubleStandard they quickly become targets of unrelenting hate]]. This was seen with Fluttershy's pet Angel in "Putting Your Hoof Down" and Pinkie Pie in "Filli Vanilli", who both got reamed by bronies as evil monsters. Her cemented CharacterDevelopment in regard to assertiveness in the later seasons also caused some backlash, splitting the base between those who thought Fluttershy's development made her a more dynamic character and those who felt it made her one-note. |
| 32 | * Twilight Sparkle got a ton of divisive opinions thrown her way after she became a princess at the end of the third season. Some fans love Twilight and think of her as a dorky BadassBookworm who deserves to be the show's main protagonist. Others see her as overpowered with the writers fawning over her and making her flaws [[InformedFlaw told rather than shown]]. Even ignoring the issue of her being an alicorn princess entirely, Twilight still gets some flak for having the majority of the show's more dramatic moments focused on her. This has led some bronies to accuse Twilight of [[SpotlightStealingSquad stealing the spotlight]], especially in the two-part episodes, despite being the main character. |
| 33 | * While the majority of fans liked Applejack just fine, she broke the base for the amount of CharacterFocus she got; Applejack was simultaneously accused of getting too much screen time ''and'' not enough screen time. The Apple family as a whole were considered a SpotlightStealingSquad by those who felt Applejack got too much focus, especially in Season 3 where AJ is the only character to appear in every episode of the season. Some fans got tired of the extra focus Applejack got for the last few years, not helped by later episodes with AJ in a leading or major supporting role getting more divisive reception. On the other side, there was something of a running joke in the brony fandom that Applejack was a "background pony" because of how little focus she got early on, with her few appearances relegating her to a minor role or a tangential appearance to the episode's plot. This caused those who liked Applejack to demand that she get more screentime, and only quieted down once she finally did in later seasons. This left Applejack's reception without a lot of middle ground until a happy medium was found. |
| 34 | * Rarity got hit with this pretty hard in the earlier seasons. Many people perceived Rarity as dim, shallow, arrogant and useless -- a typical RichBitch, the very stereotype Rarity was designed to subvert. Just as many claimed that Rarity's focus more on her clothing as art made her much more dynamic, and that her generous nature meant that the accusations of being a Rich Bitch were undeserved. As Rarity was given more time to develop, fans eventually warmed up to her, though others were uncomfortable with her upstaging other characters (like Rainbow Dash in "Sonic Rainboom" and Twilight in "Sweet and Elite"). Finally, Rarity's status as a self-admitted DramaQueen who turns into a LargeHam whenever things go wrong made her either funny or annoying, with not much overlap. |
| 35 | * A lot of bronies were immediately taken with Spike, who was quickly adopted as the AudienceSurrogate of the cast, apparently because he's TheOneGuy. Some of the tension may be due to the fact that he's written as more of a comedic sidekick. While some fans admire him for his ButtMonkey status, others don't appreciate how often he is used for comic relief, often claiming TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter. It hasn't helped that he is shown to have some amazing abilities, like swimming in lava and fire breath that can melt locks or [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome stadium-sized pieces of ice]], HiddenDepths, and a rather mysterious backstory. Many episodes with him as the central character [[FanonDiscontinuity are often disregarded]] due to him [[IdiotBall acting like a complete moron]], while episodes where he isn't the focus usually have him as TheReliableOne. Other fans abhor him being TheChewToy, referring to the slapstick he goes through as "[[FanNickname Spikeabuse]]" and feeling that the sheer amount of it he's subjected to is unfunny at best and downright mean-spirited at worst. Even series writer Josh Haber said on Twitter that the gag of using Spike in physical comedy had overstayed its welcome. However, many fans are in agreement that Season 6 finally gave him some good spotlight episodes, and his development in Seasons 7 and 8 got him RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap in the eyes of most. |
| 36 | [[/folder]] |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[folder:Supporting Characters]] |
| 39 | * Fans are divided on the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Were they a fair deviation from the Mane Cast or were they [[SpotlightStealingSquad taking precious screen-time away from them]]? Also, their approach to getting their cutie marks has been divided ever since their talents are hinted at in "The Show Stoppers". Their divisiveness has increased with each season with fans getting tired of them [[YankTheDogsChain getting denied their cutie marks]] and [[NotAllowedToGrowUp not being allowed to grow up]]. However, with them finally getting their cutie marks in Season 5's "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", fans are almost unanimous in believing that it was a good thing. The rift became over whether they should have gotten their cutie marks ''sooner'', and with fans split over whether their talent of helping others find their destiny was a good and creative idea or a cop-out that tossed out established abilities that had been built up since season 1 as potential special talents. |
| 40 | * Of all the royal princesses, Princess Celestia is probably the most divisive character of the show. Many fans found her boring, uninteresting, and [[TheWorfEffect weak]] which invoked the three common meme trends ({{Troll}}estia, [[MemeticMolester Molestia]], and [[RonTheDeathEater Tyrantlestia]]) in fanart, fanfiction, threads, etc., while others found her to be the most deep character of the series. While there hasn't been much backstory given to her in the show itself, the IDW comics do expand on her character quite a bit. Her actions in the Reflection Arc of the comic series also show that she was almost blindly impulsive and selfish in her younger days. This has lead to a split that made some fans question how much Celestia deserves to be the ruler of Equestria, while others say that her status as TheAtoner makes her far more interesting. |
| 41 | * Princess Cadance. Fans either like [[CoolBigSis her]] [[LoveGoddess personality]] and overall character or dislike her for her [[FlatCharacter bland characterization and lack of development on the show]]. And there are also some who are to this day still bothered that she was introduced into the show as an alicorn without explanation. They feel that her alicorn status diminishes the monumental presence of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, as well as takes a lot of the impact out of Twilight's ascension into alicorndom. Other times she is disliked for [[DieForOurShip entirely different reasons]]. |
| 42 | * Fans are as divisive on Cadance's husband, Shining Armor. In his first appearance, fans either accepted him for being Twilight's CoolBigBro or weren't pleased that he was introduced as such without any explanation. His BadassDecay has also been questioned with each appearance afterward, especially considering his status as captain of the Royal Guard. While some fans defend that he can't beat every BigBad, opponents cite [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter his uselessness as wasted potential]]. His [[ManlyTears crying]] at least OnceASeason sure isn't helping his case. |
| 43 | * Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's foal, Flurry Heart, divided the fandom even before the season started: |
| 44 | ** The foal is an alicorn. Fans who don't like this feel it invokes even more UniquenessDecay for alicorns. There are now five in the show and to make matters worse, such births are now canon, lessening the achievement that Twilight and Cadence earned their ascensions. Fans who don't mind it claim Shining Armor and Princess Cadence have the genetics to produce such offspring, and Celestia and Luna [[Literature/TheJournalOfTheTwoSisters were also born as such]]. |
| 45 | ** Her ''appearance''. Since ArtEvolution has apparently set in and baby ponies now seem to all have [[https://derpiboo.ru/1076580 large watery eyes]] rather than the [[https://derpiboo.ru/189410 solid eyes they used to]], fans have been split into a [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} Fatal Four-Way]]. Some like the new look claiming the old one was creepy, some like the old look claiming it was cuter, some are just [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks bitter that they changed it at all]], and of course some just don't care either way. Somehow [[https://derpiboo.ru/1005129 Babyjack]] passed with little fanfare, but this one? Nope. |
| 46 | ** Her name. Some appreciate the name, some wish they had stuck with the name Skyla that was given to a previous alicorn princess foal toy, and some simply wish they hadn't picked a name that sounds just a little too much like ProductPlacement for a [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds certain fast-food chain]]. |
| 47 | * Spitfire, due to her actions in both Wonderbolts Academy and especially Rainbow Falls. There are some parts of the fanbase who [[RonTheDeathEater demonize]] and/or laugh at Spitfire and make Soarin a total Woobie who has since been saved by the true love of Rainbow Dash. Though for RD haters, they demonize them both and have Soarin fall for a very kind OC. Look on the comments of any pony video featuring Spitfire and for every "Spitfire is awesome!" comment you see, there'll be a "Spitfire is a complete and utter douchebag." or "[[EnsembleDarkhorse Soarin]] is the only [[TokenGoodTeammate good]] Wonderbolt." comment. It's gotten to the point where Spitfire has quickly become one of the most divisive characters in the show and is on par with Rainbow for both one of the most liked and most hated ponies. |
| 48 | * Owlowiscious. Fans are divided whether he's a cool and funny character who needs more appearances or a ReplacementScrappy to Spike's place. Spike fans were also put off by how much better Twilight seemed to treat him (in contrast to how Spike [[ButtMonkey tends to be treated]]) and feel that Spike was fully justified in feeling jealous and angry. However, "Just for Sidekicks", where he acts more friendly toward Spike, may have redeemed him for some. |
| 49 | * Even Big Macintosh isn't safe. Fans have quarreled over two Season 5 episodes where he was given feminine characteristics, namely the Princess Macintosh scene in "Do Princesses Dream of Magical Sheep?" and his [[WholesomeCrossdresser crossdressing]] in "Brotherhooves Social". Fans who defend these have said he has had this characterization since "Lesson Zero" where he [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything obsessed over Twilight's old Smarty Pants doll]] even after he was taken out of his trance. Detractors have seen this uprising as chickification of the cast's most prominent stallion at best and insensitive to transgender people or cross-dressers at worst. |
| 50 | * Limestone Pie, one of Pinkie's sisters, is a minor case of this. While she's mostly beloved for having a HairTriggerTemper with a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold softer side]], certain fans think she is way too much of a bitch to be properly enjoyed. |
| 51 | * Fluttershy's brother Zephyr Breeze is a manipulative jerk with crippling fear of failure, sure, and no one's really supposed to like him until the end, but the fandom's a little split over whether he's funny enough to justify it or if he's just an annoyance and spoiled the episode. Considering how true to life his situation was, this likewise made a few fans cringe. |
| 52 | ** [[MisaimedFandom Some unemployed people who still live at home related to the character]], while others thought that the show was [[ThisLoserIsYou trying to paint them as lazy assholes who are just trying to take advantage of relatives]]. |
| 53 | * While originally an EnsembleDarkHorse, Sugar Belle became this after becoming Big Mac's girlfriend after Season 7's "Hard to Say Anything". Some fans like her for her sweet personality and think she's a great LoveInterest for Big Mac while other fans hate her for being DemotedToSatelliteLoveInterest with little-to-no characterization outside of being Big Mac's girlfriend. Then there's her relationship with Big Mac. Fans are a little divided on whether their relationship is cute or if they've been StrangledByTheRedString. |
| 54 | * Despite only appearing in the ''Ponyville Mysteries'' book "Riddle of the Rusty Horseshoe" thus far, Scootaloo's aunts have already become two of the most controversial characters in the entire franchise, possibly even more so than Flash Sentry and Starlight Glimmer. In the book, Aunt Holiday and Aunt Lofty are ''heavily'' implied to be lesbians, with Holiday giving Lofty an affectionate kiss on the forehead and calling her "dear". Some fans loved the idea of a potentially canon lesbian couple and hoped they made their way into the show proper ([[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS9E12TheLastCrusade which they eventually did]]), pointing out the large amounts of HoYay that [[HoYay/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Friendship is Magic has]] and the fact [[WesternAnimation/DocMcStuffins that]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra several]] [[WesternAnimation/GravityFalls other]] [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse children's]] [[WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse shows]] in TheNewTens have included LGBT characters without any issues. Others believe the inclusion of a lesbian couple is a bad idea for a franchise that has largely avoided political themes, and way too risky considering [[ValuesDissonance the show airs in countries that condemn homosexuality]]. Then there's the matter of whether the show did it properly, with Aunt Holiday and Aunt Lofty coming across as either authentic or [[EthnicScrappy stereotypical]]. [[https://twitter.com/mktoon/status/918280280376561664 Mike Vogel's confirmation that Aunt Holiday and Aunt Lofty are in fact a couple]] only added fuel to the fire. |
| 55 | * Scootaloo's parents both fall into this, despite only showing up in one episode, due to their blatant case of ParentalNeglect; seeing how they aren't really around for her, unlike her aunts and friends. Those who like them think that they are genuinely loving and realize that they're too busy to be physically there for her, as they do show they at least care about their daughter enough to want to protect her and do take into account her opinion on where she wants to live after being talked to at the end of their episode they appear in. Those who take issue with them say that their excuses fall flat as it's only in the final season they check in on her and show concern for her safety despite the many times she and the town have been endangered and never left her with any proper caretaker or guardian prior (Scootaloo's aunts visit by train but live apart from her). |
| 56 | * The yaks. [[PlanetOfHats Their entire race]] is boisterous and short-tempered, more than a little stupid, and they have a large arrogant streak in regards to how ''all'' yak things are the best, better than the things of other races, and they will loudly and proudly let everyone know how much better yaks are than them. Either you find their schtick hilarious or you find it annoying. |
| 57 | * Either Mudbriar is funny because of his bluntness, or annoying because of his tendency to over-correct everything. The show's crew seem to be fully aware this would happen, as it's made clear that even after learning her lesson Pinkie isn't fully on board with him. |
| 58 | * The Student/Young Six. They were either seen as good characters that flesh out the world, or a SpotlightStealingSquad that took focus away from the Mane Six. |
| 59 | ** After the show ended, there was debate if the Student Six were underutilized. Most of the episodes that feature them focused on them as a collective, or have one of them tag along with a main character with the latter as the focus of the story. Outside of "She's All Yak" for Yona, none of the Student Six got ADayInTheLimelight that focused just on them. What focus they got was mostly done in episodes that featured all six of them. On one hand, this caused a group of fans to say that the Young Six never got enough development to justify their existence, or say that they needed more screen time to flesh them out. On the other hand, some fans think the Young Six were utilized just fine since they were meant as background characters and never intended to replace the main cast, or that they had enough moments past their introduction to still make them dynamic characters. Either way, bringing up the Student Six's role in ''Friendship is Magic'' is sure to cause some grumbling. |
| 60 | [[/folder]] |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[folder:Antagonists]] |
| 63 | * Trixie. She's either liked or disliked for being a pompous, arrogant showmare. Those who defend her claim she's defined by those traits and it's how stage magicians like her make a living. On the other hand, she's an obnoxious jerk who thinks she's better than anypony else, and deliberately uses her talents to [[{{Sadist}} publicly humiliate and belittle other ponies for laughs]]. Fans have somewhat became more accepting after her second appearance where she apologizes to the citizens of Ponyville for the way she acted under the Alicorn Amulet. |
| 64 | * Among the villains, King Sombra is generally the most controversial one. Sombra ended up getting this treatment the most intense of every antagonist thanks to [[DependingOnTheWriter various details about the character that kept changing]], depending on both who was writing him and the medium he was being written for. |
| 65 | ** While many fans think Sombra did not get enough screen time to be an interesting character in his debut, and hate the fact that he hardly says a word during his two episodes, others argue that while it is true he does not do much during the episode, the few things he DOES do have a big enough impact on their own. He has since been seen in a much more favorable light and garnered a lot more love as of the Season 5 finale, with ''many'' fans agreeing his BadFuture sequence [[https://derpiboo.ru/1032243 as the coolest one.]] |
| 66 | ** The ''[[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFiendshipIsMagic Fiendship is Magic]]'' story about Sombra ended up painting him in a far different light. In that story, he was presented as TheWoobie who tried to be good, but couldn't because he was MadeOfEvil, and ended up [[ThenLetMeBeEvil turning to villainy when no one would give him a chance]]. This characterization was seen as either a good backstory for a character who desperately needed some characterization, or a cheap way to garner sympathy for a bad guy who didn't deserve it. It didn't help that, due to the LooseCanon of the comics, the story ended up being {{Retcon}}ned by the show itself in Sombra's final appearance. |
| 67 | ** Sombra's last appearance on the show was the Season 9 two-part opener, "The Beginning of the End". In that story, Sombra was far more talkative, [[SmugSnake arrogant]], and openly villainous. This contrasted quite a bit with his previous characterization as TheChessmaster who was CrazyPrepared for anything that could be thrown at him. Also, [[TheOtherDarrin his voice actor was replaced]], which further highlighted the changes. Which of the two characterizations for Sombra was the better one was the subject of fan debate for some time. |
| 68 | * Upon his introduction, Discord was ''immediately'' adored by the fan base for his whimsical villainy, trickster personality and mish-mosh appearance. Being voiced by Creator/JohnDeLancie helped his cause tremendously. Then in "Keep Calm and Flutter on", his second appearance, he underwent the makings of a HeelFaceTurn. This split his fans between those who welcomed it, expecting him to fight alongside the mane cast and those who thought he was better as a villain, thinking such reformation was rushed at best and forced at worse. Every appearance after that has been equally divisive, with some questioning whether or not his crossing over was genuine (especially considering his actions in "Twilight's Kingdom"). His {{Reformed but Not Tamed}} nature often either makes him considered one of the best reformations in the series or one of the worst. A number of later appearances, especially "What About Discord?" and "A Matter of Principals" added fuel to the fire by having him deliberately antagonize the heroes, only for the writing to portray him as the wronged party or antagonizing for the sake of helping the heroes learn a lesson. Some saw this as a good case of GrayAndGreyMorality, while others saw it as the writing going out of its way to make him more sympathetic than he deserved. He then tops himself in the Season 9 finale, with the reveal that [[spoiler: he was posing as Grogar throughout the season and using the other villains as pawns in a scheme to boost Twilight's confidence]]. This quickly cemented him as one of the most polarizing characters, as the fanbase was split between those who felt that it was in-character for him and that he adequately made up for what he did, and those who felt that it undermined all of his character development throughout the show, and that he was too easily forgiven for putting all of Equestria in danger. He has still proven himself to be popular enough to get a supporting role in ''Pony Life''. His relationship with Fluttershy is generally well-received by many, although is argued by some as pushing the message of the nice girl having to fix the "bad boy" in a kids cartoon. There are many hoping for his return in G5, but also those who aren't. |
| 69 | * [[AlphaBitch Diamond Tiara]]. At one point, she was one of the show's least liked characters with a minority fan base. While she was disliked for constantly picking on the Cutie Mark Crusaders [[ForTheEvulz for no apparent reason]], her defenders claimed that she wasn't as bad as any of the show's major villains. Then came "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" where it was finally explored why she bullied the Crusaders and even became their friends by the episode's end. In response to her reformation, fans either [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap finally respected the character]] or thought it was a FreudianExcuse that was an even worse AssPull than Babs Seed's (mentioned below). |
| 70 | * [[BetaBitch Silver Spoon]]. Fans were divided on whether or not she had her own free will from Diamond Tiara and her PetTheDog moment in "Family Appreciation Day" amplified that thought. Critics still pointed out "One Bad Apple" and "Flight to the Finish" where she acted just as bad, if not worse, than Diamond. Then in "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", Silver Spoon gained the respect of her haters when she finally told off Diamond for bullying the Crusaders. By the episode's end, she and Diamond became friends with them. |
| 71 | * Babs Seed. Her FreudianExcuse for bullying the crusaders (she was also a bullying victim in her hometown of Manehattan) has been mixed. Some fans feel the way she was treated back at home was bad enough while others think the crusaders should have given her comeuppance for it. Babs appears in one more episode in Season 3, then is virtually unheard from until Season 5's "Bloom and Gloom" where she unceremoniously got her cutie mark, dividing the fan base even further. |
| 72 | * The changelings' [[https://www.derpibooru.org/1266951 new]] [[https://www.derpibooru.org/1266952 appearance]] at the end of ''To Where And Back Again'' caused one ''hell'' of a fatal-three-way between fans. Some adore the new design feeling it's a wonderful CallBack / ShoutOut to the Flutterponies and that it reflects their no longer "corrupted" way of life. Others find the designs to be ''hideous'' with gaudy features and nauseating color schemes that match the [[https://www.derpibooru.org/tags/donut+steel absolute worst OCs the fandom has to offer]], with that joke [[https://www.derpibooru.org/1267027 was made]] within an hour of this revelation and others describing Thorax's new appearance as a "gay fairy moose". The third group feels it completely negates the ponies' acceptance of Thorax ''despite'' his appearance and the prior existing "Don't judge A Book by it's cover" lesson inherent to both prior stories involving them, and felt it would have made their HeelFaceTurn far more valid if they didn't have to change their appearance to be seen as "good". |
| 73 | * Tempest Shadow. She has plenty of fans who adore her for her [[EvilIsCool no-nonsense personality]], her tragic backstory, her [[VillainSong musical number]] and her voice work courtesy of Emily Blunt. Others disliker her over irrational reasons for villainy [[note]]she wanted to fix her horn due to being shunned over it, even though enslaving Equestria to do so would make her shunned worse and there's no reason to believe the Storm King could have fixed it even if he wanted[[/note]] and being another [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic undeservedly quick redemption]]. Some also criticize her FreudianExcuse as having the same problems as Starlight Glimmer's; losing childhood friends being flimsy and seemingly never attempting alternate solutions before resorting to villainy. Others see it as better handled due to a more legitimate source of trauma and her HeroicSacrifice making its intended redeemability more deserved and legitimate. |
| 74 | * The Storm King. Compared to how much screen time Discord, Chrysalis and Tirek got in their two-parter episode debuts, many bronies found the Storm King underwhelming due to how little screen time he had in a ''feature-length movie'' and how dumb he was when compared to Tempest. But he has his fair share of fans who find his straight-up villainy and comedic personality a breath of fresh air after [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks watching multiple redemptions in the show]]. These fans have pointed out that he still managed to conquer many lands outside Equestria (a feat in which the show’s villains, while potentially world threatening, had not been known to accomplish), while his detractors refute [[InformedAbility the credibility of this it undercut by]] his {{Villain Ball}}s and how he and his army were easily defeated once anyone was actually shown fighting back. |
| 75 | * Chancellor Neighsay got this status almost ''immediately'' up in his introduction. He's shown to be a xenophobic, speceist, essentially corrupt politician. People think his good intentions help give a good excuse for his behavior, or those who think he's essentially a full on villain who's no better than those he opposes. His reformation in the season 8 finale is also divisive. |
| 76 | * [[EnfantTerrible Cozy Glow]] is a divisive villain. You either find her a genuinely compelling villain who's incredibly smart and manipulative, or you think she's a boring villain with a firm grasp on DidntThinkThisThrough. Some find her [[DraggedOffToHell being sent to Tartarus]] at the end of Season 8 a welcome break from villains being EasilyForgiven and she showed no remorse for her crimes, while others thought a child being punished so harshly after others much older than her were granted leniency gave away some troubling implications about the Equestrian justice system (in the sense that they were willing to give adults second chances but not children and that they apparently didn't have any other prison besides Tartarus). In the case of her inclusion in Grogar's LegionOfDoom, some felt that she didn't deserve to be included given she's just a child and/or isn't threatening enough, whereas others claim her crimes make her more than worthy of being included and/or enjoy her dynamic with Tirek and Chrysalis. [[spoiler:Her [[TakenForGranite final punishment]] has resulted in another hotly debated topic, for the exact same reasons as her imprisonment in Tartarus, with the added implication that it'll be permanent]]. |
| 77 | * Grogar. A majority of the fanbase were ecstatic about Friendship Is Magic bringing back another classic G1 villain. And many others love him for [[EvilIsCool how powerful he is even without his bell]], his preference for planning ahead and the fact that unlike the other villains, he knows not to underestimate the Mane Six and has some idea of [[WeWorkWellTogether what makes them formidable]]. But he has his share of detractors who find him to be a boring villain with a bland personality who spends more time planning than actually ''doing'' anything. Some have even admitted to preferring the Storm King over him, claiming ''he'' at least had an enjoyable personality. Even more so since it turns out [[spoiler:the ''real'' Grogar never actually showed up, and the one we saw was just Discord in disguise]]. |
| 78 | [[/folder]] |
| 79 | |
| 80 | [[folder:''Equestria Girls'']] |
| 81 | * Flash Sentry. When he was introduced, the fandom erupted due to Twilight developing a crush on him. Some jumped on what was possibly the first canon pairing of the Mane 6 while others argued that MLP had done just fine without romance and didn't need it now. It didn't help that Flash barely did anything in his debut. This caused haters to accuse Flash of being a FlatCharacter, while fans accuse the haters of being upset that Flash stole their 'waifu'. Fighting further continued with fans wanting Flash to come back and be more developed, while haters wanted Flash gone altogether. The writers apparently noticed the controversy Flash has caused, and steadily moved him further into the background as the series went on.[[invoked]] |
| 82 | ** Flash got a little bit of development in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsLegendOfEverfree'', where Flash recognizes that he's obsessing over Princess Twilight, and sees that he needs to move on and stop trying to win the affections of Human Twilight. Whether this bit of CharacterDevelopment caused Flash to be RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap or was ineffective CharacterShilling is a matter of debate. |
| 83 | * Sunset Shimmer, as her fanbase tended to come hand in hand with fans of the ''Equestria Girls'' spin-off, which was a divisive aspect of the franchise in its own right. Some fans loved her character arc and development, enjoying the we got to follow a BigBad's redemption arc and transformation into a hero. Others found her a boring EvilCounterpart character, and to still be a bland character after she loses what little villainous edge she had. Another point of contention concerned demands to see her cameo in the main series or even permanently join the Mane Six, versus wanting to see her kept contained to the films for various reasons. The addition of Starlight Glimmer to the cast in Season 6 only added fuel to the fire, with some of Sunset's supporters seeing Starlight as a pale copy of Sunset that got the position Sunset should have. |
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