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These Character Perception Evolution entries are possible misuse as they fail to explain if/how the popularity of their portrayals before that change was effected.
- Back when Kingdom Hearts II initially released, Roxas was a major Base-Breaking Character due to the games' infamous Prolonged Prologue at the beginning. Roxas was considered to be a less interesting and appealing character compared to Sora, his storyline was accused of being full of melodrama and wangst (the scene of him smashing DiZ's computer and later screaming at him were often cited as reasons to make fun of the game), and most players were unhappy that Roxas took the focus away from Sora or any of the Disney characters. These days, Roxas is considered to be one of the most beloved characters in the fandom (thanks in part to games like Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix and 358/2 Days fleshing out his character more) due to his more mature and serious personality, in contrast to Sora. His backstory is also considered to be one of the most tragic in the fandom and fans are more likely to feel bad for the trauma that he had to endure. Word of God has even stated that the popularity of Roxas was the entire reason that he returned in Kingdom Hearts III and was finally given a happy ending. Sound like it's a valid retroactive shift, but not sure how to state it here.
- Master Xehanort, who upon the release of Birth by Sleep, was praised as the best villain in the series due to his Affably Evil demeanor, his massive Xanatos Gambit pulled over the course of the game, having a The Chessmaster role that directly tied into the at the time widely anticipated Kingdom Hearts III, and amazing performances by both Chikao Ohtsuka and Leonard Nimoy. However, in recent years, it is easy to find fans calling him out for being indirectly responsible for the infamous Kudzu Plot, often criticized for being an Invincible Villain, and contributing to several Retcons and Ass Pulls. His reception was soured even further after the release of Kingdom Hearts III and Dark Road, both of which attempted to paint Xehanort in a sympathetic light to varying degrees. The former revealed that he was actually a Well-Intentioned Extremist who detested the darkness all along and was attempting to restore balance by wiping out the world and starting anew. Many fans called this out for being a large Motive Decay that largely contradicted his characterization in games prior. The latter game would reveal that Xehanort had been manipulated during his adolescence and was driven to becoming a villain due to the death of his friends pushing him down that path, which some fans found to be a poor Freudian Excuse that attempted to rationalize his actions and make him more sympathetic. Fairly certain this is misuse as just complaining about their later portrayals as opposed to prior ones being re-revaulated, but asking here to be sure.
- Steven Universe: When the late Rose Quartz was first introduced, the fanbase fell in love with her. This was thanks in part to her chemistry with Greg, her formation of the Crystal Gem Rebellion to save earth, and her encouraging Pearl and Garnet to be themselves, the former of whom she had a romantic subplot with. However, as the show went on, many both in-universe and out of universe learned about her character flaws. In particular, her views on humans were shown to be much more condescending than originally thought, she was implied to have left Pearl for Greg without considering her feelings, and she poofed Bismuth and left her trapped for eons in the bubble without telling anyone, a situation that was morally grey at best. But what really changed many people's opinion on her was the revelation that she was Pink Diamond the whole time, Pearl was her slave, and her faking her shattering lead to the corruption of all Gems on Earth and the creation of the Cluster in an attempt to destroy the planet outright. This caused many to turn on her, viewing her as a selfish individual whose irresponsibility, poor decisions and numerous mistakes overshadow any good she might have done. On the other hand, many defenders remained, pointing out her more positive traits, such as her genuine love of Steven despite never getting to meet him, as well as hints that she genuinely regretted some of her actions during the war. As a result, she became one of the most polarizing characters in the entire series; though even her die hard fans view her as a severely flawed individual at best. Fails to explain the retroactive change but it does seem likely the case. My question is does it count if the change was 100% intentional by the work? And is In-Universe Broken Pedestal instead as IU CPE would mean Show Within a Show?
Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught