TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Overshadowed By Controversy Cleanup

Go To

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

SomeNewGuy Since: Jun, 2009
#4826: Aug 21st 2024 at 6:46:38 PM

Can we get someone to look at the Western Animation page real quick? Some people keep trying to add Hazbin Hotel to it over dubious reasons.

bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#4827: Aug 21st 2024 at 7:19:10 PM

When did the Hazbin controversies begin? This could end up removed on NREP grounds.

2025: the year it all ends?
fireheart (Don’t ask)
#4828: Aug 21st 2024 at 7:30:02 PM

[up] a quick Google suggests that it's a series of controversies that have popped up on and off over the years. As far as I can tell however, the toxic workplace claims in particular have gathered more steam since June this year, but some of them date back to before that.

As it stands, its a very broad example with a list of transgressions. My gut feeling is to cut it but I'm not familiar enough with the series to make a judgement call.

MummyGaGa Mermaid Sparkla from A magical realm Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Mermaid Sparkla
#4829: Aug 22nd 2024 at 2:10:57 AM

Hello, I want to bring-up these Genshin Impact examples.

* Overshadowed by Controversy: Genshin Impact might as well be the most influential and the most controversial gacha game ever. The latter part has become a headline on several social media, either related to Genshin or otherwise.
** In the lead up to Genshin Impact's 1st anniversary, players expected some big in-game rewards to celebrate it's 1st year since launch. Opinions however soured quickly when the rewards turned out to be a mere 10 Intertwined Fate.note  Among the many ways fans expressed their outrage, not only was Genshin review bombed on the Google Play Store, but other miHoYo games such as Honkai Impact 3rd and Tears of Themis, and even Google Classroom of all things, were also subject to review bombing. The backlash was so bad that miHoYo issued an apology by giving out Primogems and other rewards, but by then the damage had already been done and left a huge sore spot on an otherwise spotless recognition that would never be erased anytime soon. Even now, all anyone thinks about when it comes to Genshin's anniversary was how much of a disaster the first one ended up being.
** Tighnari has also become this to an extent, with the reputation of his original English voice actor, Elliot Gindi, being irrevocably damaged following allegations of him grooming underage girls, among other things (such as mocking Chloe Eves, the VA of Rukkhadevata and Haypasia, for playing NPCs, as well as being a general piece of work to deal with). This resulted in various voice actors, both in and out of the Genshin community, denouncing and removing any mention of him. miHoYo themselves eventually cut ties with Gindi and replaced him with Zachary Gordon. As a result, any mention of his short-lived voice acting career is eschewed in favor of discussions about his predatory behavior and abuse of fame to abuse unsuspecting fans for his own gain and in the comment sections of videos featuring Tighnari before his recast in 3.6 you'll see a lot of people condemning Gindi or otherwise discussing him.
** A similar incident happened during the 2024 Lantern Rite when Genshin Impact was giving out a paltry 3 Intertwined Fates on top of the 10 Intertwined Fates login bonus with no other worthwhile rewards, while the much rumored "4-star skin selector" was only available in China and it could only be obtained by purchasing the PlayStation 5 Starter Set bundle. This caused a massive outrage among fans, especially the Chinese players, causing Genshin to suffer review bombing, boycotts and losing over 1 million followers on Douyin and BiliBili (the Chinese equivalent of TikTok and YouTube respectively).note  Other companies that Genshin has been collaborated with (such as Pizza Hut) are taking a hit as well. While 3 Intertwined Fates aren't anything new in the game given that Genshin is already giving out the exact same thing every Lantern Rite beforehand without much criticism, much of the outrage stems from miHoYo's other game, Honkai: Star Rail, giving out a free limited 5-star character (who had just been released at the time), which is very rare for gacha games in general, and from the fact that the 3 Intertwined Fates announcement was worded as being a "gift for continuous years of support", and it's safe to say that the Genshin fandom were not pleased, resulting in a controversy in a near-similar vein as the equally disastrous 1st anniversary.

Personally, I don't think any of them count except for possibly the Tighnari example (Even then, I'm not sure if it counts since it is a character that got overshadowed by controversy and not a work). Genshin Impact is still going strong even despite these controversies, as their official subreddit just reached 3 million members. Heck, it even states Genshin Impact might be the most influential gacha game ever. If the game was so influential, then I feel like the entire work wasn't overshadowed by these controversies.

Additionally, I feel like the controversies regarding the Anniversary/Lantern Rite rewards might die down thanks to the announcement of the free 5-star character for this upcoming Anniversary, but I understand that the announcement was recent, so feel free to state to wait a bit before deciding if you feel these entries count or not.

Edited by MummyGaGa on Aug 22nd 2024 at 5:25:58 AM

BTW, please call me Jake.
animuacid The girl of the window from Astyr residence in Lilysthia's grounds Since: Jan, 2024 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
The girl of the window
#4830: Aug 22nd 2024 at 3:18:50 AM

[up] The Tighnari example is no longer brought up when discussing GI. It's already documented more concisely under Role-Ending Misdemeanor, so I think it can be cut.

For the Anniversary and Lantern Rite, I'm not so sure. The game does have the infamy of being stingy in the rewards (though it might change in the 5.X versions as you say). The examples could be reworked into that.

MummyGaGa Mermaid Sparkla from A magical realm Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Mermaid Sparkla
#4831: Aug 22nd 2024 at 3:56:22 AM

If you guys aren't comfortable with cutting the Anniversary/Lantern Rite stuff for the time being, then I suggest we wait to see how future anniversary rewards would work because if future anniversary stuff would be like this upcoming one with the free five-star unit, then there is a chance that the controversy might die down.

BTW, please call me Jake.
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#4832: Aug 22nd 2024 at 6:17:47 AM

Fullmetal Alchemist just got this:

  • Overshadowed by Controversy: The franchise's fanbase is overwhelmingly infamous for overzealous fans of the Brotherhood anime review-bombing whichever series manages to dethrone the show as the official #1 ranked anime series. Unsurprisingly, those who participate in such an act are widely condemned by the wider anime community.

Which is just blatant misuse of "overshadowed." It wouldn't be anything if the manga and Brotherhood weren't huge, thus incredibly difficult to overshadow.

Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.
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
#4833: Aug 22nd 2024 at 6:24:47 AM

[up] I never heard of this outside of the entry so I don't think it counts.

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#4834: Aug 22nd 2024 at 6:28:07 AM

[up] I've heard of it, it's also on Memes.Fullmetal Alchemist at "The #1 anime on MAL". Still not "overshadowed".

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
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
#4835: Aug 22nd 2024 at 10:47:16 AM

@Mummy Ga Ga: Even if the first and third are valid controversies it doesn't explain why it's controversial very well; I don't play Genshin so I have no idea what an "Intertwined Fate" is supposed to be.

Came for the tropes, stayed for the cleanup.
fireheart (Don’t ask)
#4836: Aug 22nd 2024 at 12:43:16 PM

[up][up][up][up] By that logic, any other game, film, book etc with a devout fanbase to that extent would get an entry on this list and they either don't have one or its in relation to a creator or person working with said piece of media. Basically, nuke that entry with extreme prejudice.

MummyGaGa Mermaid Sparkla from A magical realm Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Mermaid Sparkla
#4837: Aug 23rd 2024 at 3:33:59 AM

Okay, three things regarding the Genshin Impact stuff-

1. Intertwined fates are the in-game currency that allows Genshin Impact players to roll for gacha characters. If you have any other questions about some of the more Fan Myopic terms, don't be afraid to ask.

2. I can cut the Tighnari example if you guys want to.

3. I'm still not convinced on keeping the Anniversary/Lantern Rite stuff. Is that stuff controversial within the Genshin fanbase? Yes. Is it so controversial that it overshadows everything else about the game? I'm not so sure, as I'm sure that there are several other things that people can know about Genshin Impact aside from the Anniversary/Lantern Rite stuff. Even if it is overshadowing other stuff, there is a chance that the controversy might die down, as I've stated beforehand.

Edited by MummyGaGa on Aug 23rd 2024 at 8:39:24 AM

BTW, please call me Jake.
Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
#4838: Aug 23rd 2024 at 3:39:03 PM

YMMV.Iron Man 3

  • Overshadowed by Controversy: Even now, a decade after this film's release, the only thing most people remember about this movie is the infamous Mandarin twist.

I believe this is misuse as the twist is meant to a big part of the work as opposed to something overshadowing it. Thoughts?

animuacid The girl of the window from Astyr residence in Lilysthia's grounds Since: Jan, 2024 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
The girl of the window
#4839: Aug 23rd 2024 at 3:50:08 PM

[up] Better to cut it, especially if it's in other entries like Ass Pull.

[up][up] I'd also advise to cut at least the lantern rite stuff because the No Recent Examples, Please! has been extended via the TRS crowner.

number9robotic (Experienced Trainee)
#4840: Aug 23rd 2024 at 3:51:46 PM

[up][up] I believe what the entry is actually referring to is the fact that the twist was itself controversial: The Mandarin — this big Chinese-inspired villain historically written as Iron Man's archnemesis in the comics — being revealed to not be a comics-accurate version, but rather a fake terrorist persona used by a drugged-out British dude, in turn just a pawn to the actual Big Bad of the film. This definitely was an extremely controversial element at the time — some people found that this was a case of They Changed It, So It Sucks and being unfaithful to one of Iron Man's most famous enemies, others felt it was a well-intentioned, if clumsy attempt at a Pragmatic Adaptation considering The Mandarin has a ton of racist baggage, etc., and I did see a lot of reviews at the time treating how Iron Man 3 handled the twist as making or breaking it.

That being said, I personally don't believe it counts anymore, mostly because people have cooled down, and also because a slightly more Truer To Text take on The Mandarin became part of the MCU through Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (albeit a quite reworked one to make him less of a walking Yellow Peril caricature, and unrelated to Iron Man), but also because Iron Man 3 has plenty of other things about it I think people remember it for — I personally remember the "rescuing several people falling from the sky from an exploding plane" scene (listed in Signature Scene, which should probably speak for itself in terms of how much it's remembered over, say, the Big Bad going "I am The Mandarin!")

Edited by number9robotic on Aug 23rd 2024 at 3:52:31 AM

Thanks for playing King's Quest V!
Someoneman Since: Nov, 2011
#4841: Aug 23rd 2024 at 4:22:59 PM

Some examples that haven't been crosswicked and I'd like some more opinions on:


YMMV.Cartoon Beatbox Battles:
  • Overshadowed by Controversy: While verbalase still has his fans, it’s very hard to talk about him in 2024 without mentioning the Hide Away video in which he spent $50k dollars on. It also caused quite a few people to lose respect for him.

This one doesn't explain why it's controversial. According to some videos I watched on the subject, the controversy is that the money he spent came from fan donations that were meant to be spent on making more CBB episodes, and the video was private and only meant to be seen by Verbalase himself. I didn't follow this too closely, but I still saw a lot of memes about it, so it must have been a big enough scandal to count, but since it happened last January and the TRS crowner seems to have decided to extend the wait time to 1 year, this one will soon be too recent.


YMMV.The Little Mermaid 2023:
  • Overshadowed by Controversy: The controversy surrounding the race of the actress playing Ariel seems to dominate most discussions about the movie. Mentioning it in a comment section has the chance to ignite a Flame War between supporters and detractors of the film.

This one might count, since I still see the movie get brought up in online discussions, and it's always to argue about Ariel's Race Lift, but since it's a major Disney release, there's probably a big Silent Majority who doesn't care.


YMMV.Raid Shadow Legends:
  • Overshadowed by Controversy: The game is practically never discussed for its gameplay or its lore, only about its very active marketing efforts which many people find extremely annoying, although others might defend it due to YouTube's inconsistent monetization, so giving Raid an Enforced Plug at least provides an alternative source of revenue. If the gameplay is brought up, it's to accuse it of having predatory monetization, as Gacha Games tend to have, and whether or not people who take the sponsorship deals are complicit in giving people gambling addictions.

Originally, this example was only about people finding the sponsorships annoying, which would be pure complaining, so I expanded on the predatory monetization to add an actual controversy to the example, but I'm not 100% sure if the game is really overshadowed by its bad monetization on top of its sponsorship deals.


[down]

If there's a persistent problem with people re-adding the same example after it's removed, then you can add a commented-out note telling them not to add it without bringing it up in this thread to make sure it really counts.

Edited by Someoneman on Aug 23rd 2024 at 7:29:01 AM

ReginaldOgron5 Est Ut Squimplex Ut from Two blocks down from the Undead Burg Since: Mar, 2022 Relationship Status: I want you to want me
Est Ut Squimplex Ut
#4842: Aug 23rd 2024 at 4:26:45 PM

Can we get someone to look at the Western Animation page real quick? Some people keep trying to add Hazbin Hotel to it over dubious reasons.

These have come up a handful of times in the dedicated Hellaverse cleanup thread, and they're consistently determined to be nontroversies that only a relatively small chunk of people are actively aware about. If people keep adding them back over and over that's a bigger issue that probably needs an ATT query.

Wenn sie die Ente hierein lassen, lasse ich das Wasser hieraus!
thisisthebloke Since: Jan, 2020
#4843: Aug 23rd 2024 at 8:41:41 PM

Honestly I dunno myself how valid the Genshin entries are either, since they're just "this period of time is remembered for blowing up the fanbase". This kind of logic could be extended to stuff like the Sword/Shield Dexit controversy which I believe was already deemed to not fit under OBC or any time a Nintendo Direct was deemed to be underwhelming. The only one I feel could fit is the Tighnari controversy, but that hasn't really overshadowed the character, has it?

Edited by thisisthebloke on Aug 23rd 2024 at 8:43:27 AM

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#4844: Aug 23rd 2024 at 9:10:31 PM

Raid Shadow Legends is probably best known for its sponsorships, but I don't know if that's a "controversy," so it's probably closer to Watch It for the Meme.

Little Mermaid got a lot of heat from "culture war" BS, but I'm not sure if it's persisted as the movie faded into just being another live action Disney reboot with mixed results. Ariel's race is one of the more memorable changes, but I don't think it's all people talked about — but I do think many reviewers feel a need to distance themselves from the racists, similar to the culture surrounding Ghostbusters 2016, which does indicate it's unable to be separated fully from that (manufactured but still objectively a thing that happened) controversy.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
MummyGaGa Mermaid Sparkla from A magical realm Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Mermaid Sparkla
#4845: Aug 24th 2024 at 2:54:45 AM

Regarding this, should I wait for the No Recent Examples, Please! page to be updated before removing the Lantern Rite example just in-case?

[up][up]Not much of a Pokemon fan, but if the circumstances are similar enough, then I further feel as if the Genshin Anniversary stuff should be cut.

BTW, please call me Jake.
themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#4846: Aug 24th 2024 at 10:16:04 AM

OK I know Overshadowed by Controversy is in TRS right now, but I wanted to bring up this particular entry from the Web Original subpage:

  • Mathieu Brunet, known on YouTube as AniMat, has been overshadowed by a number of controversies:
    • At first, what put him on the map for many was his extreme hatred towards Sony Pictures Animation. Most of his infamous behavior occurred in his Emoji Movie review, where he goes as far as saying that SPA should shut down alongside calling them "The Donald Trump of Animation." He would later admit that he regrets saying those things, but the damage was already done, as he is remembered as the reviewer who wants to shut down SPA because they made bad movies. A sentiment that is very much looked down upon now, as SPA later became a very respected company thanks to their biggest hits Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
    • Animat would later get himself into more controversy, with many people calling him out for often filling his reviews with random and arbitrary rants about his hatred for misogynists and conservatives, sometimes even taking these rants too far and starting fights with people online over them. Given how his reputation has already been damaged from his previous scandal with Sony Pictures, this is probably one of the only other things he'll mostly be remembered for.
    • Finally, he also defended the extremely controversial film Cuties, which has been accused by many of glorifying pedophilia. This made him come off as a creep to many, further sinking his already-low reputation for many.

I'm certainly no fan of AniMat, but the way this entry tree is written feels kind of dicey to me, like it's saying he's controversial for disliking conservatives. If that were true, we'd have to list every anti-conservative content creator ever. Can't vouch for the Sony one though as I don't know a whole ton about this particular content creator.

Is this entry tree valid, or no? And what should I do with it?


I also found this entry:

  • GeePM (a.k.a. GPM or Gay Purple Man) was a huge fan of Vinesauce who was connected to the Games Repainted group, and helped create the now-infamous Super Mario Galaxy Repainted hack before joining Vinesauce as one of its streamers. However, it's difficult to talk about him without bringing up the fact that he solicited donations for personal indulgences under the guise of resolving personal financial issues, Games Repainted attributes a good portion of their eventual shuttering to his egotistical behavior, or his heavy involvement in the smear campaign against Vinny despite having participated in a cover-up of severe misconduct within his own community. Following the latter incident, he quit streaming altogether and completely disappeared from the internet.

Now, as a Vinesauce fan myself GPM is definitely overshadowed by his controversies, but I'm concerned about the bolded part — was it ever officially confirmed he was behind the false allegations against Vinny? I'd rather not promote something that might be false unless we know for certain.

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Aug 24th 2024 at 1:32:33 PM

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
Reymma RJ Savoy from Edinburgh Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Wanna dance with somebody
RJ Savoy
#4847: Aug 24th 2024 at 11:50:50 AM

[up] I think AniMat should go. Attacking some films, defending others and going on angry tangents are pretty common for Youtube reviewers. Many Youtubers court controversy because it gets them exposure. I have heard of AniMat as one of many such reviewers and no one controversy sticks out to me.

Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
omega2900 Jemerald of Brainrot from The Midwest, where everything is MID! (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: In my bunk
Jemerald of Brainrot
#4848: Aug 24th 2024 at 12:27:04 PM

[up][up]As far as I know, I don't recall it being confirmed but it's been a long time since I've last thought about the event.

Get taxed. Idiot.
MummyGaGa Mermaid Sparkla from A magical realm Since: Mar, 2015 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Mermaid Sparkla
#4849: Aug 24th 2024 at 11:45:10 PM

For the record, I've cut the Genshin Impact Lantern Rite controversy since it hasn't been a year yet, and the No Recent Examples, Please! page has been updated.

Are there any other thoughts on the other two Genshin Impact controversies?

Edit- Someone else re-added the Lantern Rite controversy entry, but they decided to hide the entry behind percentages. Is that alright, or should they have waited until it was time before re-adding it (even with the percentages)?

Edited by MummyGaGa on Aug 25th 2024 at 1:09:21 PM

BTW, please call me Jake.
Someoneman Since: Nov, 2011
#4850: Aug 25th 2024 at 5:15:13 PM

Commenting out examples that fail the No Recent Examples rule isn't allowed.


Total posts: 6,229
Top