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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

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#2326: Nov 11th 2021 at 1:44:38 PM

Plus this intentionally courted controversy by being as repulsive and offensive as possible which kinda goes against the point of this trope.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
MathsAngelicVersion Ambassador of Eurogames and Touhou Music from Gensokyo Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Ambassador of Eurogames and Touhou Music
#2327: Nov 11th 2021 at 2:08:43 PM

[up] That's why I'm unsure about whether it's a case of "overshadowed by itself". I would argue that if Example Game is mostly unremarkable and only remembered for one single part that led to backlash because the designers decided to make it offensive for the sake of it, it still counts because Example Game as a whole was overshadowed by that one aspect. But if the game primarily exists to be as offensive as possible, it's not an example unless there's some other controversy associated with it (e.g. "Example Game was removed from storefronts, leading to numerous debates over whether it should have the right to be sold").

I'm not sure what to make of F.A.T.A.L.. If we consider how complex the game is in general, it may seem like the creators wanted to do more than just make a very offensive game, and their claims support that view. On the other hand, the most infamous parts of F.A.T.A.L. are bad enough that I wouldn't blame you for thinking the developers just made it as an excuse to be as repulsive and offensive as possible.

Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#2328: Nov 12th 2021 at 4:07:04 PM

Can I question these entries from the OvershadowedByControversy.Web Original page? I'm recommending the removal of all of them; I've given the reasons why in bold.

  • RWBY:
    • After the major Wham Episode that was Volume 3, it's become incredibly hard to discuss RWBY without someone bringing up the brutally graphic deaths of fan favorite characters Penny Pollendina, Roman Torchwick and Pyrrha Nikos and whether or not they were necessary for the story and whether they should stick or be undone.note 
Aside from the Wham misuse, this is just "some fans don't like it when fan-favourite characters die". It's got nothing to do with OBC.
  • Shortly after Volume 3 ended, former writer for the series and close friend of the series creator, the late Monty Oum, Shane Neville posted a 32 page "open letter", accusing Rooster Teeth of not only making massive, sweeping changes to the Volume that went against what Oum originally intended, but also that the company as a whole heavily mistreated him and Oum's widow Sheena, and that their departure from the company was less them leaving willingly and more them being ousted. Neville also "subtly" insinuated that there may be more to Oum's passing than the public's been told, pointing out that his death occurred shortly after talks began of Rooster Teeth merging with Fullscreen LLC (a move Oum was allegedly openly against), and that the merger became official shortly after Oum's death. To this very day, whether or not the RWBY we have today is the one Oum intended is fiercely debated in the fandom, to the point that several fan sites have implemented what is known as "The Monty Rule", which bans all discussion of the subject out of respect for Oum.
This is a ROCEJ situation, and an issue that isn't really a thing outside the fandom; discussing Shane's letter is avoided here because it's considered flame bait, and was written by a man who admitted in the letter that he was going through a terrible personal crisis. A lot of places decided the best response was to avoid the subject, especially as the show attracts hate-watchers who exploit situations like this.
  • The penultimate episode of Volume 7 caused significant drama in the fandom due to the death of Clover Ebi, a character whose relationship with Ruby and Yang's uncle Qrow was a major plot point throughout Volume 7, and had developed a sizeable LGBT Fanbase as a result, with the pairing's popularity being acknowledged by the staff on social media (the two were originally intended as platonic friends by the writers, but Ship Tease was thrown in by the animators and changed the context of their interactions as a result). This led to heated debates over whether RoosterTeeth was guilty of Queerbaiting and if the death should be considered a case of Bury Your Gays, with some people receiving death threats from upset fans.
It's true that some shippers went after the creators/writers/animators because of this character's death, and there were death threats thrown at the staff. But this is a Die for Our Ship example (albeit a nasty one). The edit reason of the person who added the entry to the page states "I saw someone bring up the Volume 7 controversy on Reddit somewhat recently, so I think it counts as still overshadowed." — so it's been added to the page solely because the fandom discusses it.
  • The character of James Ironwood, specifically his descent into villainy at the end of Volume 7 and throughout all of Volume 8, has quickly become one of the most hotly debated aspects of the series due to how Ironwood is portrayed as 100% in the wrong despite (initially) being the only character with an actual plan against the Big Bad, and the doubling down of his villainy in Volume 8 being seen as nonsensical and contradictory to his established character.
This is just complaining. However, the situation itself is just Base-Breaking Character, and already has an entry under BBC.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Nov 12th 2021 at 12:07:36 PM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#2329: Nov 12th 2021 at 4:10:47 PM

I don't think any of these actually overshadow the show itself.

Which is the main point of this trope.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#2330: Nov 12th 2021 at 4:35:36 PM

[up] Yes, I don't see anything there that overshadow the show, which is why I flagged them here for a second opinion.

I've gone through the rest of the Rooster Teeth entries while I'm at it, and found the following:

  • As one of the longest running independent web companies, Rooster Teeth is no stranger to controversy.
    • Founding member Kathleen Zuelch is known less for her work as the voice actress for Tex and more for her incredibly abrasive and caustic attitude towards her coworkers, which culminated in a very messy departure from the company after she accused Barbara Dunkelman and Ashley Jenkins of not being qualified for their positions in the company and only having them due to their close ties to then-CEO Burnie Burns in an angry Twitter rant.
I'm not sure whether this is a Rooster Teeth OBC. Even a lot of people in the fandom hadn't heard of what happened here if they didn't use Twitter. It blew up among her Twitter followers, and spread through the fandom that way. Outside the fandom, however? There have been cases where she has been recognised as that woman who lost her job after blowing up on social media at her female colleagues. So, this might be a Creator entry rather than a company entry?
  • During a 2013 Let's Build of Dark Achievement City, Geoff Ramsey and Gavin Free casually discussed a "game" they would play occasionally where they would discreetly follow attractive young women around for a bit. Almost immediately, there was a massive outcry, accusing the duo of sexism and stalking, and even the most forgiving tended to find it extremely crass and tasteless at best. While the backlash towards this has died down over the years, there are several who continue to hold this against them.
I'm not a hundred percent on this issue, but I think it just blew up in the fandom — those who follow this work. I don't know for certain, so I'd think it's probably best that it stays for now until someone more familiar with the situation can comment.
  • gen:LOCK was designed to be a similar breakout hit as their previous show RWBY, with the intent to put RT on the map for animation projects. While gen:LOCK was well-received critically, it being locked behind Rooster Teeth's First premium membership meant the viewership was small and reports suggest the show's massive budget (especially its high-profile voice cast including Maisie Williams, Kōichi Yamadera and David Tennant) led to it under-performing. Discussion about the show, however, would be dominated by revelations in June 2019 of the show being a harrowing production for the Rooster Teeth animation team, who reported no overtime leading to as much of a third of gen:LOCK (and a third of the corresponding RWBY season) being effectively made for free. Further accusations would be levied against at-the-time Head of Animation and showrunner for gen:LOCK, Gray Haddock, for prioritizing resources and sabotaging other shows to siphon their budgets to compensate for gen:LOCK. Even worse, it was all but stated that Haddock's sabotage, combined with the disastrously poor sales of Rooster Teeth's new game, Vicious Circle, were a direct cause of the infamous 30% layoffs later that year. Discussion about the show without acknowledging the production is now near-impossible.
This has been through this clean-up thread before. This is so heavily connected to the below entry that I'm not sure it should be a separate entry. It is a legit example, however.
  • In mid to late 2019, numerous former employees of Rooster Teeth came forward accusing the company of toxic, abusive working conditions. Among their complaints were mandated unpaid overtime, unreasonably tight deadlines and crunch period, draconian management policies, and an oppressive atmosphere that directly discouraged speaking out against one's superiors. It was through these accusations that the misconduct of Gray Haddock (discussed above) first came to light, which culminated in him leaving the company in disgrace shortly thereafter. While Rooster Teeth's higher-ups swore that they were taking active efforts to clean things up, debate rages among the fanbase as to whether or not this will actually bear fruit.
This is definitely a legit example. It first blew up on Glassdoor by people who had worked through this, so did get picked up by a couple of tech-industry media outlets. gen:LOCK (see above example) seems to be the catalyst that blew the lid on the problem. It probably needs a slight rewrite, however, to stop it from sounding like fandom gossip.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Nov 12th 2021 at 12:45:06 PM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#2331: Nov 12th 2021 at 6:47:00 PM

I agree that none of the RWBY examples overshadow the rest of the show, they should all be cut.

As for the Rooster Teeth general examples, I've never heard of the first two, and only a bit about the last two, but then again I don't follow RT super closely outside of a few shows I like. The sentence "While Rooster Teeth's higher-ups swore that they were taking active efforts to clean things up, debate rages among the fanbase as to whether or not this will actually bear fruit" violates Examples Are Not Recent since it's basically speculating about what might happen in the future.

Siegfried1337 Calabash. from The Eastern Luminant Since: Sep, 2018 Relationship Status: Will you go out with me to the End?
Calabash.
#2332: Nov 13th 2021 at 2:54:36 PM

Found this in OvershadowedByControversy.Video Games:

  • Rabbids Wild Race is almost entirely known for being announced on the Rayman franchise's 25th anniversary with not a single mention of Rayman anywhere. Given that Rayman fans blame the Rabbids for killing the mainline Rayman seriesnote  (with justification given recent revelationsnote  that Ubi's upper management considers Rayman to be "outdated" compared to the Rabbids, resulting in them deliberately giving Origins and Legends next to no marketing in an attempt to wash their hands of him), this announcement was met with extreme vitriol and mockery to the point that most fans have given up on Ubisoft entirely with a few even starting work on their own Rayman fan games. It also resulted in Rayman Raving Rabbids becoming Condemned by History.

Given that Condemned by History has a 5-year time limit... This looks a lot like complaining.

Eh, good enough.
NoUsername she's only programmed to be very nice Since: May, 2012
she's only programmed to be very nice
#2333: Nov 13th 2021 at 3:03:46 PM

cut with no hesitation

PlasmaPower Piece of Cake. Since: Jan, 2015
Piece of Cake.
#2334: Nov 13th 2021 at 6:30:13 PM

Rayman Raving Rabbids has always been polarizing from day one.

Thomas fans needed! Come join me in the the show's cleanup thread!
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We stan Clippy in this house
#2335: Nov 13th 2021 at 9:02:19 PM

Seeing as I mentioned that Rabbids example several pages ago now seems like a good time to mention that a ton of edits and cuts that were agreed upon in this thread were never actually made.

As for the Rabbids example itself, I do think it counts, but the Condemned by History bit should be cut since the sub-series has been divisive from its inception.

Came for the tropes, stayed for the cleanup.
Siegfried1337 Calabash. from The Eastern Luminant Since: Sep, 2018 Relationship Status: Will you go out with me to the End?
Morgenthaler Since: Feb, 2016
#2337: Nov 15th 2021 at 4:19:15 AM

Found this on YMMV.The Hateful Eight:

  • Overshadowed by Controversy: The fact that a 140-year-old antique guitar was accidentally destroyed during filming is a smaller controversy that may be all some people know about the film.

This reads like weasel word shoehorning ("smaller controversy", "maybe", "some people") to me. It's still held in high regard (although a Tough Act to Follow compared to Django Unchained). It would surprise me if most (re)viewers are even aware of this accident.

You've got roaming bands of armed, aggressive, tyrannical plumbers coming to your door, saying "Use our service, or else!"
KUnlimited Since: Sep, 2020
#2338: Nov 15th 2021 at 5:15:06 AM

[up] I agree. I personally have never heard about this.

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miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#2339: Nov 15th 2021 at 6:30:39 AM

I have also genuinely never heard of this.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#2340: Nov 15th 2021 at 7:07:53 AM

I've only seen it mentioned on this site.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#2341: Nov 15th 2021 at 8:11:33 AM

This is the first time I've ever heard of this.

omega2900 Jemerald of Brainrot from The Midwest, where everything is MID! (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: In my bunk
Jemerald of Brainrot
#2342: Nov 15th 2021 at 9:01:02 AM

I say cut it. I've never heard of this until I started browsing the site.

Get taxed. Idiot.
Morgenthaler Since: Feb, 2016
#2343: Nov 15th 2021 at 9:11:35 AM

Zapped it.

You've got roaming bands of armed, aggressive, tyrannical plumbers coming to your door, saying "Use our service, or else!"
Siegfried1337 Calabash. from The Eastern Luminant Since: Sep, 2018 Relationship Status: Will you go out with me to the End?
Calabash.
#2344: Nov 15th 2021 at 6:55:19 PM

This just got added to OvershadowedByControversy.Video Games, and this one is looking real suspicious:

  • The Animal Crossing fanbase will never live down the "Cute Space Buns" incident. In which an Animal Crossing: New Horizons player was sent numerous death threats for sharing a photo of her villager on Twitter with the space buns hair style with accusations of "cultural appropriation". This has led to massive backlash to the fanbase by other players who started to post their villagers with space buns as well out of spite. Because of this, if someone asks what the most toxic fanbase is, chances are that Animal Crossing and Space Buns will likely come up as one of the first responses.

Any thoughts?

Eh, good enough.
ATricksterArtist Back from the grave. from CH 57 (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: Faithful to 2D
Back from the grave.
#2345: Nov 15th 2021 at 7:02:29 PM

...Honestly, I forgot the entire Space Buns incident was a thing a while ago.

How's your day been?
PlasmaPower Piece of Cake. Since: Jan, 2015
Piece of Cake.
#2346: Nov 15th 2021 at 7:27:40 PM

Seems like a way to get around Never Live It Down only allowing characters and to add fanbase drama to OBC. I know I certainly never heard of that before.

Edited by PlasmaPower on Nov 15th 2021 at 11:29:43 AM

Thomas fans needed! Come join me in the the show's cleanup thread!
Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#2347: Nov 15th 2021 at 8:03:11 PM

I vaguely remember drama videos popping up in my recommendeds back when this first happened, but I completely forgot about it up until now - though looking it up on Google, an article from 2020 about the whole debacle is one of the first few results with "cute space buns", while "space buns animal crossing" is the first auto correct suggestion when you type "space buns a".

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Word Up
#2348: Nov 15th 2021 at 8:18:25 PM

No way in hell the most popular casual game in 2020 was overshadowed by one stupid controversy about a customizable wig. The game's known for many other things.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#2349: Nov 15th 2021 at 8:48:16 PM

I can think of several more toxic fandoms that come to mind before the Animal Crossing one... That example's total trash.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
#2350: Nov 15th 2021 at 8:53:13 PM

OvershadowedByControversy.Video Games

  • The Animal Crossing fanbase will never live down the "Cute Space Buns" incident. In which an Animal Crossing: New Horizons player was sent numerous death threats for sharing a photo of her villager on Twitter with the space buns hair style with accusations of "cultural appropriation". This has led to massive backlash to the fanbase by other players who started to post their villagers with space buns as well out of spite. Because of this, if someone asks what the most toxic fanbase is, chances are that Animal Crossing and Space Buns will likely come up as one of the first responses.

Besides failing to state what the controversy is overshadowing, the "likely come up" sounds like Weasel Words. It also sounds more like Never Live It Down which requires 25 years for RL examples like this. It's also the first I've heard of it so I want to check it's too recent or not.


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