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Overshadowed By Controversy Cleanup

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Overshadowed by Controversy has several examples, particularly under the Fan Works, Webcomics, and Web Original folders, that don't fit the trope as described. The controversy is supposed to overshadow the work, so if it doesn't do that it shouldn't count as a valid example.

The media folders, such as Anime or Western Animation, could also use a look, as some entries deal with shows, while others deal with actors, fans, or creators. Additionally, some of the entries are not controversial anymore or are not known enough to overshadow the show completely, and others seem closer to Never Live It Down.

Some examples even point out that the controversy was debunked or died down eventually, which doesn't fit the trope, as well as examples saying things like "time will tell if [x] can recover." I originally tried the Real-Life cleanup section, and then a TRS thread, but I hope this is the right section to help us clean up this trope's examples. ^^

MOD NOTE: For something to be overshadowed by controversy; it has to have a significant, arguably overwhelming impact on that work/creator/thing that’s provable by pointing to actual evidence beyond social media likes or a news report. The controversy has to be bigger than the thing for it to overshadow the thing.

For a work, did it bomb directly due to the controversy? Was it pulled from shelves or streaming services? Nothing like this? Then it most likely doesn’t count.

For a creator, did they lose their job/get banned or lose all of their sponsorships or are unable to get any work directly due to the controversy? Did they at least retire directly because of the controversy? Nothing like this? Then it most likely doesn’t count.

Valid examples would be people like Gina Carano or Louie CK. As they were both fired and black listed for their controversies. Or Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are now more known for those controversies than their actual careers. Clearly being overshadowed by it.

If only chronically online people like us are going to be aware of something, it definitely doesn’t count. The controversy has to be so big that even people who are rarely online or know very little about something, would still have heard of the controversy.

Edited by kory on Oct 4th 2025 at 10:21:54 AM

Mariofan99 Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#4501: Mar 20th 2024 at 1:24:30 PM

From the Kingdom Hearts page, seems more like complaining to me:

jlvs200s from The Netherlands (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: I miss my wife, Tails
#4502: Mar 20th 2024 at 1:27:44 PM

[up] Cut that since the entry is literally just complaining about Kingdom Hearts and it doesn't even describe a single controversy involving the series.

"The time has come for every last Shoppe... No! The time has come for the DREAM KINGDOM to bow down to me! Gotcha ! Hee-hee!" | He/Him
Echidna from Ontario, Canada (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Two-timing
#4503: Mar 20th 2024 at 1:31:18 PM

[up][up]That only sounds like a complaint toward the game then actually being a controversy so cut that.

DDRMASTERM do you wanna have a bad time? from Someplace, Utah, USA Since: Apr, 2013 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
do you wanna have a bad time?
#4504: Mar 21st 2024 at 8:43:34 AM

Kingdom Hearts has become infamous for its convoluted plot. But overshadowed by it? No.

ToonAbby Have a Death-End Thanksgiving, y'all! from Gamindustri Since: Jan, 2022 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Have a Death-End Thanksgiving, y'all!
#4505: Mar 29th 2024 at 5:52:10 AM

Now that it's been six months since the incident arose, we need to address the elephant in the room with YMMV.Yandere Simulator: (and yes I said I wouldn't go back to that page but no one brought this example up before so I'm doing it anyways)

  • A new controversy arose in January 2024 when Estrine Studios, famous for dubbing Linked Universe, claimed that YandereDev was a pedophile while firing one of their voice actors for associating with him, saying that other voice actors voiced discomfort with working alongside the voice actor in question, and some had even left the studio in protest.note  This in turn caused many people to jump ship from YanSim and sever ties with Dev.

The example in question was added back in January without even a consensus, and considering how often the No Recent Examples, Please! rule for OBC is ignored, I don't see why this example shouldn't be cut.

"It's requested that your death ends here, now!" - Sayaka, Death end re;Quest Code Z.
KUnlimited Since: Sep, 2020
#4506: Mar 29th 2024 at 11:00:26 AM

[up] The example also doesn't make sense to me. People jumped ship from the game because an unrelated studio called the dev a pedophile, after he already admitted to the allegations?

Remove it.

Avatar by Butterscotch Arts. Used under license.
RayKVega423 Ray from small rural town in Central USA Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Ray
#4507: Mar 29th 2024 at 11:44:00 PM

Would Louis B Mayer be included in the Real Life section of OBC? I do admit him abusing Judy Garland is the only thing I know of about him but if there’s anything else he had done that counts as OBC, I would appreciate it.

dope slaps you* HEY GET BACK TO WORK! We got a dead body
6f5e4d Since: Mar, 2019
#4508: Mar 30th 2024 at 12:59:33 PM

There might be new controversies rising with Poppy Playtime, due to Glassdoor reviews of Mob Entertainment painting a more negative picture of the company. Specifically one where racism, sexism, being fired at the drop of a hat, and complaints about stress from cramming come up. These in turn have lead to new controversies about the company primarily existing to make money off the toys, at the expense of the game that inspires them.

SoyValdo7 I mainly fix indentation issues from La tierra de lagos y volcanes Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
I mainly fix indentation issues
#4509: Mar 30th 2024 at 2:32:29 PM

Well, since Overshadowed by Controversy has a 6-month waiting period, we'll have to wait and see what happen.

Valdo
Siegfried1337 Calabash. from The Eastern Luminant Since: Sep, 2018 Relationship Status: Will you go out with me to the End?
Calabash.
#4510: Mar 30th 2024 at 11:31:11 PM

The YMMV.Project Moon page was created by Mr-ex777 with the exact same example used in YMMV.Limbus Company and in the Overshadowed by Controversy, albeit with some modifications:

  • Overshadowed by Controversy: Once a promising upstart indie gaming company, its reputation has been tainted during the release of Limbus Company's Intervallo IV.5, some players complained that the Molar Boatworks Identities of Ishmael wasn't sexualized enough and claimed that the game was tainted by feminist extremists, and framed the CG artist, Vellmori as one of them over alleged dogwhistling in cutscene artwork, causing them to supposedly lay her off and starting a series of uproars within not just the fandom, but also by the Korean game community as well. While it was later revealed that Vellmori voluntarily resigned due to the harassment, the incident remains as a major problem of South Korea's infamous gender war issues, and any discussions about the company or its games are inevitably going to involve the Vellmori incident at some point.

Just asking, is YMMV for creators not allowed?

Eh, good enough.
KUnlimited Since: Sep, 2020
#4511: Mar 31st 2024 at 4:43:47 AM

[up] From Administrivia.What Goes Where On The Wiki:

Creator articles:

  • Never get YMMV examples, on the main or any subpages. This is because we don't trope real people, ever.
    • The sole exception is when the YMMV example is about a creator's work and we do not have an article for that work. In that specific case, it can go on a YMMV subpage for the creator.
    • Avoid "general" YMMV examples about a creator's entire body of work. Those are hard to distinguish from talking about the creator themselves. See also "Examples Are Not General" on How to Write an Example.

Edited by KUnlimited on Mar 31st 2024 at 2:44:43 PM

Avatar by Butterscotch Arts. Used under license.
Siegfried1337 Calabash. from The Eastern Luminant Since: Sep, 2018 Relationship Status: Will you go out with me to the End?
Calabash.
#4512: Mar 31st 2024 at 7:20:20 AM

Oh, I noticed that he actually moved the entry for some reason. Am I free to move it back?

Eh, good enough.
KUnlimited Since: Sep, 2020
#4513: Mar 31st 2024 at 9:45:03 AM

I don't know if it's even valid, but I would say yes for now.

Avatar by Butterscotch Arts. Used under license.
RayKVega423 Ray from small rural town in Central USA Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Ray
#4514: Apr 3rd 2024 at 12:04:30 AM

I wanna add Willy Moon and Natalia Kills (nowadays known for their disgusting attitude towards one of the contestants in the New Zealand version of The X Factor back in 2015) but I'm debating whether they should be included in Live-Action TV section or Real Life section.

dope slaps you* HEY GET BACK TO WORK! We got a dead body
Ayumi-chan 3rd happiest man in Connecticut from Iacon City (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
3rd happiest man in Connecticut
#4515: Apr 11th 2024 at 3:04:52 AM

Found this recently added entry on the page:

  • Lackadaisy lead animator Zebirdbrain suffered from this in the summer of 2023 when she rejected Vivziepop's $5,000 pledge, as well as allegations of abuse and transphobia from Billie Bust Up and Spooky Month animatiors Jaydanimate and Declan van West (aka Velocity) respectively. In response to the accusations, director Fable Siegel denied them, with creator Tracy Butler and lead of clean up Ashley Nichols supporting Fable's claims. After this response, many people fell out of love with the show.

Now, I have not heard of this controversy until reading the page but I want to make sure if the whole mess overshadowed the show since the "fell out of love" reads more as disappointment of the creator's action (which is valid, but doesn't seem to apply, since it doesn't mention the show being OBC).

Edit: grammar fixes

Edited by Ayumi-chan on Apr 11th 2024 at 9:21:18 PM

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
Ayumi-chan 3rd happiest man in Connecticut from Iacon City (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
3rd happiest man in Connecticut
#4516: Apr 13th 2024 at 4:47:50 AM

Bumping [up]

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
MisterApes-a-lot Since: Mar, 2018
#4517: Apr 13th 2024 at 7:04:08 AM

Reads as a weak example to me, with the phrasing implying that the controversy may be isolated to one animator, and it doesn't overshadow the show itself.

I'm not in the fandom, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I'm just going off how the example is written.

SpongeBat1 We stan Clippy in this house from Quittersville, Failuretown, and Loserburg (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: It's a god-awful small affair
We stan Clippy in this house
#4518: Apr 13th 2024 at 7:55:39 AM

By all accounts the Ze/Viv spat should be OBC but evidently Tracy is really good at making people forget.

Came for the tropes, stayed for the cleanup.
plakythebirb The Unwilling Cycle from The Deep South (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Unwilling Cycle
#4519: Apr 13th 2024 at 8:21:02 AM

[up] It doesn't matter whether is should be, but whether it is or not.

Welcome To Ideals' World
SoyValdo7 I mainly fix indentation issues from La tierra de lagos y volcanes Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
I mainly fix indentation issues
#4520: Apr 13th 2024 at 9:51:46 AM

I agree. If people forgot the controversy, regardless of whether that's a good or bad thing, then it's not an example of Overshadowed by Controversy.

Valdo
DDRMASTERM do you wanna have a bad time? from Someplace, Utah, USA Since: Apr, 2013 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
do you wanna have a bad time?
#4521: Apr 16th 2024 at 8:11:04 AM

Correct. OBC is very much not about how justified the controversy is, it’s about whether it hits the overshadowed threshold. It’s possible for a work to overcome it in the long run and become a historical example, but that’s not feasible when the controversy was last year.

RayKVega423 Ray from small rural town in Central USA Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Ray
#4522: Apr 16th 2024 at 6:58:02 PM

I was about to add this entry of infamous tv host Joe Pyne in Real Life section:

  • Television host Joe Pyne is nowadays known for having very controversial and bigoted views as well as making inflammatory comments in his infamous talk show The Joe Pyne Show. He even once invited the members of The Ku Klux Klan, American Nazi Party, and the Manson Family to his show.

Owing to the convo above, I'm still debating I should add this or not, considering he's mostly forgotten these days (unless you happened to stumble on bunch of posts retelling a story where Frank Zappa insulted him after Joe Pyne made a snide remark about his long hair and said "shouldn't you be a woman?"), even I admit I never heard who's Pyne is until I saw that Zappa post and looked him up but I still feel it's something that should be included because he's a pretty notorious man for his bigoted views and his controversial hosting style. I appreciate any answers to this one.

Edited by RayKVega423 on Apr 16th 2024 at 8:59:34 AM

dope slaps you* HEY GET BACK TO WORK! We got a dead body
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#4523: Apr 16th 2024 at 7:51:10 PM

It kinda just sounds like someone who is controversial for being controversial. Like it seems to be his whole thing. So it wouldn't count.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#4524: Apr 17th 2024 at 12:06:11 PM

Sounds like a Shock Jock, who I think shouldn't count on principle unless they only get remembered for one particular controversy above all.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
RayKVega423 Ray from small rural town in Central USA Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Ray
#4525: Apr 18th 2024 at 2:53:12 AM

[up] Good point

dope slaps you* HEY GET BACK TO WORK! We got a dead body

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