History CharacterPerceptionEvolution / Pokemon

** ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesRubyAndSapphire'': When May was first introduced, she was seen as, at best, [[SoOkayItsAverage nothing special]], and at worst, a ReplacementScrappy for Misty, with fans scrutinizing May for lacking the assertiveness of Misty and acting too similar to Ash. These fans also critiqued her career of being a Pokémon Coordinator, finding the battles that occurred in them to be less interesting than Ash's Gym Battles, with May's many victories being seen as unearned given her lack of experience. However, as time passed, Misty's popularity would dwindle and characters leaving the show would become a regular occurrence, which caused a revaluation of May's character to occur. For starters, May's lack of assertiveness and self-confidence [[CharacterDevelopment facilitated Ash's growth into a mentor and more mature trainer]]. With the passage of time, May's nicer demeanor would also be seen as a better look than Misty's temper, with her dynamics with [[CoolBigSis her little brother]] and [[BirdsOfAFeather Ash]] being seen as highlights. Furthermore, Pokémon Contests would gain better reception as their presence allowed the series to avoid the ArcFatigue that plagued Johto. The fact that May's successor, [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl Dawn]], would [[ImprovedSecondAttempt have more dynamic Contest Battles and more frequent losses]], showed the anime had been paying attention to criticisms of May's arc, which in turn led to people looking back on its issues as growing pains that would be addressed later. These days, May is seen as one of Ash's' most popular companions and, ironically, a MorePopularReplacement to Misty, with many fans lamenting she couldn't get a reunion with Ash in ''Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries'' on account of [[RealLifeWritesThePlot May's Japanese voice actress being retired]].

* Team Flare, the villainous team of ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', were originally considered to be very weak antagonists, with many decrying their [[FashionVictimVillain unflattering outfits even mocked in-universe]], the LaughablyEvil behavior of their grunts, and overall [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks feeling like rehashes of Team Rocket]] just with more classism, and with the additional problem of being [[ToughActToFollow unfavorably compared]] to the well-liked [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Team Plasma]]. ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' portrayed them [[AdaptationalSeriousness in a far more serious light]] as a result to a warmer reception, leading fans to look back on their original game incarnations and noting that in the wake of both social attitudes increasingly turning against the rich, and the VillainDecay of subsequent villainous teams such as [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Team Skull]], [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Team Yell]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet Team Star]], who all engaged in relatively minor crimes at best and PokeThePoodle-level antics at worst, Team Flare's goal of [[KillThePoor committing genocide against the poor]] was re-evaluated as being [[RealismInducedHorror shockingly realistic]] and capable of establishing them as serious threats. While Team Flare still is far from being the most popular villainous team, they are far more respected than they used to be.

*** Ash's initial portrayal in the Original Series was the main reason behind his reputation as a MemeticLoser that persisted at least until either ''DP'' or ''XY''. Reasons for this include his brattiness, immaturity, how he didn't earn half his badges legitimately, how most of his Pokémon stayed unevolved and the few who evolved either ended up being quickly PutOnABus (Butterfree, Primeape, Pidgeot) or became disobedient (Charizard). However, as the anime went on and not only Ash became more mature and competent but the series became [[LighterAndSofter far less mean-spirited]], people looked back at the Original Series and realized that Ash was just an inexperienced kid with big dreams who was constantly mocked and put down by everyone (including Misty and Brock) and how he was often blamed for things that happened at least partly due to external factors[[note]]The Indigo League loss was the biggest example, given that due being kidnapped by the Team Rocket Trio, not only did he nearly miss his match with Ritchie, but Pidgeotto was left too exhausted to battle, crippling his team, on top of the referee counting Squirtle being put to sleep as if it was knocked out, something that has never happened before or since. Yet despite all of this, while it's true that Ash could have prepared better, the loss was treated as 100% Ash's fault.[[/note]]. While OS Ash might not be anybody's favorite portrayal of Ash, he's now seen at worst as a JerkassWoobie who tried his best in an uncaring WorldOfJerkass.

** ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': Back in the 90s and the 2000s, Misty was one of the most popular characters in the franchise for being a FieryRedhead ActionGirl and hilarious DeadpanSnarker who acted as the perfect {{foil}} to [[TheHero Ash Ketchum]] while also being a bit of a mentor to him, with legions of fans {{shipping}} the two of them together. Many were devastated and outraged over her getting PutOnABus at the end of Johto, and you could see people demanding her return to the series as a main character as late as 2009, long after her replacement May had been retired and while May's own replacement Dawn was getting ready to leave as well. However, starting in the early 2010s those same fans would look back on Misty's tenure and scrutinize it for a multitude of reasons. Unlike later female characters, she lacked any kind of CharacterDevelopment beyond becoming less violent after getting Togepi (which some don't count as actual development, considering [[LighterAndSofter the show as a whole became less violent around this time]]), with said [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale violent outbursts]] now being seen as more cruel than funny. These fans also point out that for all of Misty's bravado, she [[FauxActionGirl rarely battled against trainers]] aside from [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Team Rocket]], which made her credentials seem like at best an InformedAttribute, and at worst made her many critiques of Ash seem hypocritical. The introduction of the infamously polarizing anime version of Iris was also a contributing factor; Iris was widely suspected to be an attempt at recapturing Misty's success, which caused many viewers to go back and re-evaluate Misty in a more critical light, with some pointing out that quite a few of Iris' most criticized qualities [[FranchiseOriginalSin had earlier been displayed by Misty]]. While Misty still retains fans to this day, she's become far more [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]], with many fans arguing her initial popularity came solely from being Ash's [[NostalgiaFilter first female companion]].

* For the first fifteen-odd years of its existence, Charizard was well-liked for being a fire-breathing dragon, in spite of being underwhelming in battle due to its typing and overly average stats limiting its usefulness. Then ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' gave Charizard ''two'' Mega Evolutions, both of which are much stronger than the base version in addition to being downright cool-looking. Charizard's popularity consequently skyrocketed, eventually leading to said popularity getting acknowledged within the video games via cameos. However, people began noticing that the games of the time were making an excessive number of references to [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the original games]] and several Charizard cameos left it looking out of place. This culminated in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', where the champion's signature Charizard is [[CharacterShilling routinely shilled as being undefeatable]] and has a Gigantamax form that changes little from its regular appearance. Meanwhile, the other Kanto starters were completely absent at launch and they and the game's own [[StarterMon starter Pokemon]] didn't receive Gigantamax forms of their own for half a year. Consequently, Charizard has gained a reputation as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to sheer [[WolverinePublicity overexposure]]. While the Flame Pokémon still has fans, many within the fanbase see it as emblematic of Creator/GameFreak supposedly [[PanderingToTheBase pandering to nostalgia]] at the cost of innovation. It's telling that while a Charizard still retains some prevalence in ''Anime/PokemonHorizonsTheSeries'' as one of the main Pokemon of Friede, it is not hyped up in the same way as Leon's Charizard, suggesting that the writers got the message and started to downplay the attention it was getting.

* For the first fifteen-odd years of its existence, Charizard was well-liked for being a fire-breathing dragon, in spite of being underwhelming in battle due to its typing and overly average stats limiting its usefulness. Then ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' gave Charizard ''two'' Mega Evolutions, both of which are much stronger than the base version in addition to being downright cool-looking. Charizard's popularity consequently skyrocketed, eventually leading to said popularity getting acknowledged within the video games via cameos. However, people began noticing that the games of the time were making an excessive number of references to [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the original games]] and several Charizard cameos left it looking out of place. This culminated in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', where the champion's signature Charizard is [[CharacterShilling routinely shilled as being undefeatable]] and has a Gigantamax form that changes little from its regular appearance. Meanwhile, the other Kanto starters were completely absent at launch and they and the game's own [[StarterMon starter Pokemon]] didn't receive Gigantamax forms of their own for half a year. Consequently, Charizard has gained a reputation as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to sheer [[WolverinePublicity overexposure]]. While the Flame Pokémon still has fans, many within the fanbase see it as emblematic of Creator/GameFreak supposedly [[PanderingToTheBase pandering to nostalgia]] at the cost of innovation.

*** Relatedly, Ash's portrayal in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' was originally praised for [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap fixing him]], especially after his low point in ''Black and White'', into the [[TookALevelInBadass highly capable]], mature trainer fans have long wanted him to be such it overshadowed any detractors of his change. After Ash lost the Kalos League, the backlash led to criticisms that losing his comedic moments and most defining flaws made him boring and [[FlatCharacter one-dimensional]], becoming far more prevalent due to the seeming tradeoff of his finally winning a League [[ShaggyDogStory failing to happen]]. Subsequent series having Ash regain some flaws and a level of comedicness while keeping [[TheAce his newfound skill and competence]] to the point of finally winning the Leagues further eroded support. So while Ash's ''XY'' depiction still has fans and is seen as a step in the right direction, it's [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive nowadays]] with few saying it's his best or definitive portrayal like they did before.

** ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'': When Paul made his debut, his reception was largely positive for allowing Ash to have [[TheRival a rival]] again after his lack of one in ''Ruby & Sapphire'' was seen as a detriment to that series. By the midpoint of the series, however, opinions soured, thanks to the large amount of CharacterShilling he received, while ignoring his prior abuse of Chimchar, which would've been treated as MoralEventHorizon in other series. Made worse by Ash's inability to beat Paul until the very end of the series, indicating the narrative was on Paul's side. The fact that Paul's motive behind his methods [[FanDislikedExplanation boiled down to getting bitter his brother didn't complete the Battle Frontier]] resulted in many growing to detest Paul. ''Black and White'', however, swung the pendulum back in a positive direction as Trip was seen as [[ReplacementScrappy an inferior replacement to Paul]] despite being nicer, as Trip was seen as a FlatCharacter whose victories came less from his own skill, but more on reliance on Ash's [[SequelReset regression]] in [[TookALevelInDumbass competence]]. This caused many to now see Paul's victories and praise as better deserved due to his legitimate skill and had the payoff of forcing [[TookALevelInBadass Ash to step up and achieve his aforementioned competence]]. ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' furthered Paul's reevaluation when Ash infamously lost to Alain in the Kalos League finals, making him the only major rival Ash failed to ever beat, in comparison to the massive CatharsisFactor Ash's final victory over Paul brought. This along with the franchise as a whole shifting its focus away from {{Jerkass}} rivals towards {{Friendly Rival|ry}}s to diminishing returns, made the desire for and appreciation of rivals like Paul grow even more. These days, Paul is seen as a strong contender for Ash's best rival, with criticisms of Paul nowadays generally focusing on the writing surrounding him rather than the character himself; when he returned in ''Journeys'', fan reaction was overwhelmingly positive.

** Relatedly, Ash's portrayal in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' was originally praised for [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap fixing him]], especially after his low point in ''Black and White'', into the [[TookALevelInBadass highly capable]], mature trainer fans have long wanted him to be such it overshadowed any detractors of his change. After Ash lost the Kalos League, the backlash led to criticisms that losing his comedic moments and most defining flaws made him boring and [[FlatCharacter one-dimensional]], becoming far more prevalent due to the seeming tradeoff of his finally winning a League [[ShaggyDogStory failing to happen]]. Subsequent series having Ash regain some flaws and a level of comedicness while keeping [[TheAce his newfound skill and competence]] to the point of finally winning the Leagues further eroded support. So while Ash's ''XY'' depiction still has fans and is seen as a step in the right direction, it's [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive nowadays]] with few saying it's his best or definitive portrayal like they did before.
** Ash initial portrayal in the Original Series was the main reason behind his reputation as a MemeticLoser that persisted at least until either ''DP'' or ''XY''. Reasons for this include his brattiness, immaturity, how he didn't earn half his badges legitimatedly, how most of his Pokemon stayed unevolved and the few who evolved where either quickly PutOnABus (Butterfree, Primeape, Pidgeot) or became disobedient (Charizard). However, as the anime went on and not only Ash became more mature and competent but the series became [[LighterAndSofter far less mean spirited]], people looked back at the Original Series and realized that Ash was just an inexperienced kid with big dreams who was constantly mocked and put down by everyone (incluing Misty and Brock) and how he was often blamed for things that weren't his fault[[note]]The Indigo League loss was the biggest example, given that due being kidnapped by the Team Rocket Trio, not only did he nearly miss his match with Ritchie, but Pidgeotto was left too exhausted to battle, crippling his team, on top of the referee counting Squirtle being put to sleep as if it was knocked out. Yet despite all of this, while it's true that Ash could have prepared better, the loss was treated as 100% Ash's fault.[[/note]]. While OS Ash might not be anybody's favorite portrayal of Ash, he's now seen at worst as a JerkassWoobie who tried his best in an uncaring WorldOfJerkass.

* ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'': The Mewtwo that appeared in this film, [[FanNickname commonly referred to by fans as "Newtwo"]], was hated upon the film's release being widely seen as a ReplacementScrappy to the beloved Mewtwo character from the Original Series and ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. This was because her very existence was an AssPull, given all data related to the original Mewtwo project was destroyed, the trailers and marketing [[NeverTrustATrailer made it appear that the original Mewtwo was returning]], and people saw her character arc as just [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a poorly done rehash]] of the original Mewtwo's character arc. However, fan opinions softened as later medias depictions of Mewtwo increased acceptance of giving them different characterizations, turning in 2019 when an interview was conducted [[Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution to promote a remake of the first movie]], revealing that Newtwo was only used in place of the original Mewtwo from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with [[Creator/TakeshiShudo Takeshi Shudo's]] estate that had since been sorted, rather than anything insidious. Newtwo's popularity would then soar throughout the 2020s thanks to the wide popularity of the fan comic ''WebComic/MewAndMewtwo''. This series, and other comics inspired by it, had Newtwo interact constantly with the original Mewtwo, which better highlighted the differences between the two and fleshed out her character far more than the film ever did. While the movie Newtwo hails from and the way she was introduced into it both remain contentious, these days you'll be more likely to find fans of the character herself, and hard-pressed to find as many detractors.

* Red, the protagonist of the original ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', spent a long period of time as a MemeticBadass and the absolute apex of what a trainer should be, encouraged in large part by his appearance in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' as a TrueFinalBoss and a PassingTheTorch. These voices became particularly loud in the late-2000s-early-2010s due to two factors: players encountering Red in the ''Gold and Silver'' remakes, and increasingly growing frustration with Ash, the character loosely inspired by Red, in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the anime]], by then seen as a StrawLoser who had stuck around long past his expiration date. These fans would eventually see vindication in the ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' anime, which showcased a TruerToTheText version of Red's journey and was incredibly loudly praised for doing so. However, after ''Origins'', Red became a generally more contentious character: partly due to the anime having [[OutdatedByCanon invalidated a lot of the fanon surrounding Red]] (no more [[DarkIsNotEvil cool jagged black hair and red eyes]], no more [[HeroicMime eerie silent attitude]]), partly due to the ''Origins'' interpretation of Red having his own critiques, as he mostly came off as a StockShonenHero with an odd hyperfocus on the below-mentioned Charizard. As the franchise has featured Red more often as a character, it's become evident that the Memetic Badass interpretation of him was mostly the result of fans trying to derive a personality from a character [[FeaturelessProtagonist who didn't really have one]], and the personality Red did end up having when he finally got one was [[TheGenericGuy nothing to write home about]]. Additionally, Ash's stock rose in the meantime, which resulted in the comparisons between the two coming off as far more mean-spirited or biased, and fans of other protagonists argued that there wasn't a reason for Red to be the "best trainer" out of all the protagonists (especially if those protagonists defeated Red as an NPC like Ethan, Kris, and Lyra for example) other than FirstInstallmentWins. While Red has a ways to go before being ''hated'', the "most awesome trainer of all time" interpretation is well and truly dead at this point, and the ones who still believe Red to be "the best trainer of all" usually have a NostalgiaFilter on.
* For the first fifteen-odd years of its existence, Charizard was well-liked for being a fire-breathing dragon, in spite of being underwhelming in battle due to its typing and overly average stats limiting its usefulness. Then ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' gave Charizard ''two'' Mega Evolutions, both of which are much stronger than the base version in addition to being downright cool-looking. Charizard's popularity consequently skyrocketed, eventually leading to said popularity getting acknowledged within the video games via cameos. However, people began noticing that the games of the time were making an excessive amount of references to [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the original games]] and several Charizard cameos left it looking out of place. This culminated in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', where the champion's signature Charizard is [[CharacterShilling routinely shilled as being undefeatable]] and has a Gigantamax form that changes little from its regular appearance. Meanwhile, the other Kanto starters were completely absent at launch and they and the game's own [[StarterMon starter Pokemon]] didn't receive Gigantamax forms of their own for half a year. Consequently, Charizard has gained a reputation as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to sheer [[WolverinePublicity overexposure]]. While the Flame Pokémon still has fans, many within the fanbase see it as emblematic of Creator/GameFreak supposedly [[PanderingToTheBase pandering to nostalgia]] at the cost of innovation.

** Relating, Ash's portrayal in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' was originally praised for [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap fixing him]], especially after his low point in ''Black and White'', into the [[TookALevelInBadass highly capable]], mature trainer fans have long wanted him to be such it overshadowed any detractors of his change. After Ash lost the Kalos League the backlash led to those criticisms, that losing his flaws and comedic moments made him boring and [[FlatCharacter one-dimensional]], becoming far more prevalent due to the seeming tradeoff of his finally winning a League [[ShaggyDogStory failing to happen]]. Subsequent series having Ash regain his flaws and comedicness while keeping [[TheAce his newfound skill and competence]] to the point of finally winning the Leagues further eroded support. So while Ash's ''XY'' depiction still has fans and is seen as a step in the right direction, it's [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive nowadays]] with few saying it's his best or definitive portrayal like they did before.
** ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': Back in the 90s and the 2000s, Misty was one of the most popular characters in the franchise for being a FieryRedhead ActionGirl and hilarious DeadpanSnarker who acted as the perfect {{foil}} to [[TheHero Ash Ketchum]] while also being a bit of a mentor to him, with legions of fans {{shipping}} the two of them together. Many were devastated and outraged over her getting PutOnABus at the end of Johto, and you could see people demanding her return to the series as a main character as late as 2009, long after her replacement May had been retired and May's own replacement Dawn was getting ready to leave as well. However, starting in the early 2010s those same fans would look back on Misty’s tenure and scrutinize it for a multitude of reasons. Unlike later female characters, she lacked any kind of CharacterDevelopment beyond becoming less violent after getting Togepi (which some don't count as actual development, given [[LighterAndSofter the show as a whole became less violent around this time]]), with said [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale violent outbursts]] now being seen as more cruel than funny. These fans also point out that for all of Misty's bravado, she [[FauxActionGirl rarely battled against trainers]] aside from [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Team Rocket]], which made her credentials seem like at best an InformedAttribute, and at worst made her many critiques of Ash seem hypocritical. The introduction of the infamously polarizing anime version of Iris was also a contributing factor; Iris was suspected by many to be an attempt to recapture Misty's success, which caused many viewers to go back and re-evaluate Misty in a more critical light, with some pointing out that quite a few of Iris' most criticized qualities [[FranchiseOriginalSin had earlier been displayed by Misty]]. While Misty still retains fans to this day, she's become far more [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]], with many fans arguing her initial popularity came solely from being Ash's [[NostalgiaFilter first female companion]].

* ''Anime/Pokemon2000'': While Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres have always been recognized as antagonistic characters due to their fighting risking the destruction of the world, opinions have shifted as to what ''kind'' of antagonists they were and whether they were morally culpable for the problems they helped cause. When the movie premiered, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness the anime portrayed many if not most Pokémon as essentially just animals with superpowers]], so it was widely assumed that the three legendary birds simply didn't have the capability of higher thought and were acting on instinct. As a result, they were widely seen as [[NonMaliciousMonster wild beasts reacting to provocation in understandable ways]]. But as the franchise went on, more and more Pokémon, especially Legendaries, were given fully developed personalities and were implied to have intelligence comparable to or even greater than the human level, retroactively making the birds appear so selfish that they were willing to wipe out all life on Earth just because they didn't want to be around one another. As a result, they're now seen in a far more negative light; tellingly, countless fanfics that cover this movie have someone (usually Lugia) [[WhatTheHellHero rip into the three for their behavior]].

* ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'': The Mewtwo that appeared in this film, [[FanNickname commonly referred to by fans as "Newtwo"]], was hated upon the film's release being widely seen as a ReplacementScrappy to the beloved Mewtwo character from the Original Series and ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. This was because her very existence was an AssPull, given all data related to the original Mewtwo project was destroyed, the trailers and marketing [[NeverTrustATrailer made it appear that the original Mewtwo was returning]], and people saw her character arc as just [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a poorly done rehash]] of the original Mewtwo’s character arc. However, fan opinions softened in 2019 when an interview was conducted [[Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution to promote a remake of the first movie]], revealing that Newtwo was only used in place of the original Mewtwo from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with [[Creator/TakeshiShudo Takeshi Shudo's]] estate that had since been sorted, rather than anything insidious. Newtwo's popularity would then soar throughout the 2020s thanks to the wide popularity of the fan comic ''WebComic/MewAndMewtwo''. This series, and other comics inspired by it, had Newtwo interact constantly with the original Mewtwo, which better highlighted the differences between the two and fleshed out her character far more than the film ever did. While the movie Newtwo hails from and the way she was introduced into it both remain contentious, these days you'll be more likely to find fans of the character herself, and hard-pressed to find as many detractors.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** Red, the protagonist of the original ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', spent a long period of time as a MemeticBadass and the absolute apex of what a trainer should be, encouraged in large part by his appearance in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' as a TrueFinalBoss and a PassingTheTorch. These voices became particularly loud in the late-2000s-early-2010s due to two factors: players encountering Red in the ''Gold and Silver'' remakes, and increasingly growing frustration with Ash, the character loosely inspired by Red, in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the anime]], by then seen as a StrawLoser who had stuck around long past his expiration date. These fans would eventually see vindication in the ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' anime, which showcased a TruerToTheText version of Red's journey and was incredibly loudly praised for doing so. However, after ''Origins'', Red became a generally more contentious character: partly due to the anime having [[OutdatedByCanon invalidated a lot of the fanon surrounding Red]] (no more [[DarkIsNotEvil cool jagged black hair and red eyes]], no more [[HeroicMime eerie silent attitude]]), partly due to the ''Origins'' interpretation of Red having his own critiques, as he mostly came off as a StockShonenHero with an odd hyperfocus on the below-mentioned Charizard. As the franchise has featured Red more often as a character, it's become evident that the Memetic Badass interpretation of him was mostly the result of fans trying to derive a personality from a character [[FeaturelessProtagonist who didn't really have one]], and the personality Red did end up having when he finally got one was [[TheGenericGuy nothing to write home about]]. Additionally, Ash's stock rose in the meantime, which resulted in the comparisons between the two coming off as far more mean-spirited or biased, and fans of other protagonists argued that there wasn't a reason for Red to be the "best trainer" out of all the protagonists (especially if those protagonists defeated Red as an NPC like Ethan, Kris, and Lyra for example) other than FirstInstallmentWins. While Red has a ways to go before being ''hated'', the "most awesome trainer of all time" interpretation is well and truly dead at this point, and the ones who still believe Red to be "the best trainer of all" usually have a NostalgiaFilter on.
** For the first fifteen-odd years of its existence, Charizard was well-liked for being a fire-breathing dragon, in spite of being underwhelming in battle due to its typing and overly average stats limiting its usefulness. Then ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' gave Charizard ''two'' Mega Evolutions, both of which are much stronger than the base version in addition to being downright cool-looking. Charizard's popularity consequently skyrocketed, eventually leading to said popularity getting acknowledged within the video games via cameos. However, people began noticing that the games of the time were making an excessive amount of references to [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the original games]] and several Charizard cameos left it looking out of place. This culminated in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', where the champion's signature Charizard is [[CharacterShilling routinely shilled as being undefeatable]] and has a Gigantamax form that changes little from its regular appearance. Meanwhile, the other Kanto starters were completely absent at launch and they and the game's own [[StarterMon starter Pokemon]] didn't receive Gigantamax forms of their own for half a year. Consequently, Charizard has gained a reputation as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to sheer [[WolverinePublicity overexposure]]. While the Flame Pokémon still has fans, many within the fanbase see it as emblematic of Creator/GameFreak supposedly [[PanderingToTheBase pandering to nostalgia]] at the cost of innovation.
** Bidoof was initially one of the most hated Pokémon out there, due to having the misfortune of being one of the newest {{Com Mon}}s right when the franchise was entering its PopularityPolynomial phase in ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl''. This meant that a lot of older longtime fans getting back into the series were first greeted by Bidoof and ''despised'' it, due to its goofy appearance, the fact that you couldn't take a two steps without running into one for most of Sinnoh, and having mediocre stats even after evolving. The fact that it turned out to be an excellent [[UtilityPartyMember HM slave]] in one of the most HM-heavy generations gave it some appeal, but also underlined the idea of its apparent ineffectiveness, since this suggested the optimal way to use it was to have it never see battle. For a while, Bidoof was essentially ''the'' go-to joke about a forgettable and useless Pokémon that nobody liked. However, over time, the genuine hatred for it subsided, brought on in part by similarly disliked early-game ComMons like [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Patrat]], [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Yungoos]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Skwovet]], that were seen as lacking even Bidoof's goofy charm or utility. This left its uses in jokes, which, removed from the context of actual venom, turned it into a kind of loveable underdog, which would go on to be played to the hilt in official media like ''WebAnimation/BidoofsBigStand''. In a 2020 popularity poll, Bidoof actually placed 20th in Sinnoh overall, outclassing traditional "cool" favorites of the generation like Weavile, and ended up being the only one out of any of the early-game Normal-types to place in the top 30 for their generation.

** ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': Back in the 90s and the 2000s, Misty was one of the most popular characters in the franchise for being a FieryRedhead ActionGirl and hilarious DeadpanSnarker who acted as the perfect {{foil}} to [[TheHero Ash Ketchum]] while also being a bit of a mentor to him, with legions of fans {{shipping}} the two of them together. Many were devastated and outraged over her getting PutOnABus at the end of Johto, and you could see people demanding her return to the series as a main character as late as 2009, long after her replacement May had been retired and May's own replacement Dawn was getting ready to leave as well. However, starting in the early 2010s those same fans would look back on Misty’s tenure and scrutinize it for a multitude of reasons. Unlike later female characters, she lacked any kind of CharacterDevelopment beyond becoming less violent after getting Togepi (which some don't count as actual development, given [[LighterAndSofter the show as a whole became less violent around this time]]), with said [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale violent outbursts]] now being seen as more cruel than funny. These fans also point out that for all of Misty's bravado, she [[FauxActionGirl rarely battled against trainers]] aside from [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Team Rocket]], which made her credentials seem like at best an InformedAttribute, and at worst made her many critiques of Ash seem hypocritical. The introduction of the infamously polarizing anime version of Iris was also a contributing factor; Iris came off to many like an attempt to recapture Misty's success, which caused many viewers to go back and re-evaluate Misty in a more critical light. While Misty still retains fans to this day, she's become far more [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]], with many fans arguing her initial popularity came solely from being Ash's [[NostalgiaFilter first female companion]].

** ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'': When Paul made his debut, his reception was largely positive for allowing Ash to have [[TheRival a rival]] again after his lack of one in ''Ruby & Sapphire'' was seen as a detriment to that series. By the midpoint of the series, however, opinions soured, thanks to the large amount of CharacterShilling he received, while ignoring his prior abuse of Chimchar, which would've been treated as MoralEventHorizon in other series. Made worse by Ash’s inability to beat Paul until the very end of the series, indicating the narrative was on Paul’s side. The fact that Paul’s motive behind his methods [[FanDislikedExplanation boiled down to getting bitter his brother didn’t complete the Battle Frontier]] resulted in many growing to detest Paul. ''Black and White'', however, swung the pendulum back in a positive direction as Trip was seen as [[ReplacementScrappy an inferior replacement to Paul]] despite being nicer, as Trip was seen as a FlatCharacter whose victories came less from his own skill, but more on reliance on Ash's [[SequelReset regression]] in [[TookALevelInDumbass competence]]. This caused many to now see Paul's victories and praise as better deserved due to his legitimate skill and had the payoff of forcing [[TookALevelInBadass Ash to step up and achieve his aforementioned competence]]. ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' furthered Paul's reevaluation when Ash infamously lost to Alain in the Kalos League finals, making him the only major rival Ash failed to ever beat, in comparison to the massive CatharsisFactor Ash's final victory over Paul brought. This along with the franchise as a whole shifting its focus away from {{Jerkass}} rivals towards {{Friendly Rival|ry}}s to diminishing returns, made the desire for and appreciation of rivals like Paul grow even more. These days, Paul is seen as a strong contender for Ash's best rival, with criticisms of Paul nowadays generally focusing on the writing surrounding him rather than the character himself.
** ''Anime/Pokemon2000'': While Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres have always been recognized as antagonistic characters due to their fighting risking the destruction of the world, opinions have shifted as to what ''kind'' of antagonists they were and whether they were morally culpable for the problems they helped cause. When the movie premiered, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness the anime portrayed many if not most Pokémon as essentially just animals with superpowers]], so it was widely assumed that the three legendary birds simply didn't have the capability of higher thought and were acting on instinct. As a result, they were widely seen as [[NonMaliciousMonster wild beasts reacting to provocation in understandable ways]]. But as the franchise went on, more and more Pokémon, especially Legendaries, were given fully developed personalities and were implied to have intelligence comparable to or even greater than the human level, retroactively making the birds appear so selfish that they were willing to wipe out all life on Earth just because they didn't want to be around one another. As a result, they're now seen in a far more negative light; tellingly, countless fanfics that cover this movie have someone (usually Lugia) [[WhatTheHellHero rip into the three for their behavior]].
** ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'': The Mewtwo that appeared in this film, [[FanNickname commonly referred to by fans as "Newtwo"]], was hated upon the film's release being widely seen as a ReplacementScrappy to the beloved Mewtwo character from the Original Series and ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. This was because her very existence was an AssPull, given all data related to the original Mewtwo project was destroyed, the trailers and marketing [[NeverTrustATrailer made it appear that the original Mewtwo was returning]], and people saw her character arc as just [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a poorly done rehash]] of the original Mewtwo’s character arc. However, fan opinions softened in 2019 when an interview was conducted [[Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution to promote a remake of the first movie]], revealing that Newtwo was only used in place of the original Mewtwo from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with [[Creator/TakeshiShudo Takeshi Shudo's]] estate that had since been sorted, rather than anything insidious. Newtwo's popularity would then soar throughout the 2020s thanks to the wide popularity of the fan comic ''WebComic/MewAndMewtwo''. This series, and other comics inspired by it, had Newtwo interact constantly with the original Mewtwo, which better highlighted the differences between the two and fleshed out her character far more than the film ever did. While the movie Newtwo hails from and the way she was introduced into it remains contentious, these days you'll be more likely to find fans of the character herself, and hard-pressed to find as many detractors.

** Red, the protagonist of the original ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', spent a long period of time as a MemeticBadass and the absolute apex of what a trainer should be, encouraged in large part by his appearance in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' as a TrueFinalBoss and a PassingTheTorch. These voices became particularly loud in the late-2000s-early-2010s due to two factors: players encountering Red in the ''Gold and Silver'' remakes, and increasingly growing frustration with Ash, the character loosely inspired by Red, in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the anime]], by then seen as a StrawLoser who had stuck around long past his expiration date. These fans would eventually see vindication in the ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' anime, which showcased a TruerToTheText version of Red's journey and was incredibly loudly praised for doing so. However, after ''Origins'', Red became a generally more contentious character: partly due to the anime having [[OutdatedByCanon invalidated a lot of the fanon surrounding Red]] (no more [[DarkIsNotEvil cool jagged black hair and red eyes]], no more [[HeroicMime eerie silent attitude]]), partly due to the ''Origins'' interpretation of Red having his own critiques, as he mostly came off as a StockShonenHero with an odd hyperfocus on the below-mentioned Charizard. As the franchise has featured Red more often as a character, it's become evident that the Memetic Badass interpretation of him was mostly the result of fans trying to derive a personality from a character [[FeaturelessProtagonist who didn't really have one]], and the personality Red did end up having when he finally got one was [[TheGenericGuy nothing to write home about]]. Additionally, Ash's stock rose in the meantime, which resulted in the comparisons between the two coming off as far more mean-spirited or biased, and fans of other protagonists argued that there wasn't a reason for Red to be the "best trainer" out of all the protagonists other than FirstInstallmentWins. While Red has a ways to go before being ''hated'', the "most awesome trainer of all time" interpretation is well and truly dead at this point and the ones who still believe Red to be "the best trainer of all" usually have a NostalgiaFilter on.

** Red, the protagonist of the original ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', spent a long period of time as a MemeticBadass and the absolute apex of what a trainer should be, encouraged in large part by his appearance in ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' as a TrueFinalBoss and a PassingTheTorch. These voices became particularly loud in the late-2000s-early-2010s due to two factors: players encountering Red in the ''Gold and Silver'' remakes, and increasingly growing frustration with Ash, the character loosely inspired by Red, in [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries the anime]], by then seen as a StrawLoser who had stuck around long past his expiration date. These fans would eventually see vindication in the ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' anime, which showcased a TruerToTheText version of Red's journey and was incredibly loudly praised for doing so. However, after ''Origins'', Red became a generally more contentious character: partly due to the anime having [[OutdatedByCanon invalidated a lot of the fanon surrounding Red]] (no more [[DarkIsNotEvil cool jagged black hair and red eyes]], no more [[HeroicMime eerie silent attitude]]), partly due to the ''Origins'' interpretation of Red having his own critiques, as he mostly came off as a StockShonenHero with an odd hyperfocus on the below-mentioned Charizard. As the franchise has featured Red more often as a character, it's become evident that the Memetic Badass interpretation of him was mostly the result of fans trying to derive a personality from a character [[FeaturelessProtagonist who didn't really have one]], and the personality Red did end up having when he finally got one was nothing to write home about. Additionally, Ash's stock rose in the meantime, which resulted in the comparisons between the two coming off as far more mean-spirited or biased, and fans of other protagonists argued that there wasn't a reason for Red to be the "best trainer" out of all the protagonists other than FirstInstallmentWins. While Red has a ways to go before being ''hated'', the "most awesome trainer of all time" interpretation is well and truly dead at this point.

** ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl'': When Paul made his debut, his reception was largely positive for allowing Ash to have [[TheRival a rival]] again after his lack of one in ''Ruby & Sapphire'' was seen as a determinant to that series. By the midpoint of the series, however, opinions soured, thanks to the large amount of CharacterShilling he received, while ignoring his prior abuse of Chimchar, which would've been treated as MoralEventHorizon in other series. Made worse by Ash’s inability to beat Paul until the very end of the series, indicating the narrative was on Paul’s side. The fact that Paul’s motive behind his methods [[FanDislikedExplanation boiled down to getting bitter his brother didn’t complete the Battle Frontier]] resulted in many growing to detest Paul. ''Black and White'', however, swung the pendulum back in a positive direction as Trip was seen as [[ReplacementScrappy an inferior replacement to Paul]] despite being nicer, as Trip was seen as a FlatCharacter whose victories came less from his own skill, but more on reliance on Ash's [[SequelReset regression]] in [[TookALevelInDumbass competence]]. This caused many to now see Paul's victories and praise as better deserved due to his legitimate skill and had the payoff of forcing [[TookALevelInBadass Ash to step up and achieve his aforementioned competence]]. ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' furthered Paul's reevaluation when Ash infamously lost to Alain in the Kalos League finals, making him the only major rival Ash failed to ever beat, in comparison to the massive CatharsisFactor Ash's final victory over Paul brought. This along with the franchise as a whole shifting its focus away from {{Jerkass}} rivals towards {{Friendly Rival|ry}}s to diminishing returns, made the desire for and appreciation of rivals like Paul grow even more. These days, Paul is seen as a strong contender for Ash's best rival, with criticisms of Paul nowadays generally focusing on the writing surrounding him rather than the character himself.

** For the first fifteen-odd years of its existence, Charizard was well-liked for being a fire-breathing dragon, in spite of being underwhelming in battle due to its typing and overly average stats limiting its usefulness. Then ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' gave Charizard ''two'' Mega Evolutions, both of which are much stronger than the base version in addition to being downright cool-looking. Charizard's popularity consequently skyrocketed, eventually leading to said popularity getting acknowledged within the video games via cameos. However, people began noticing that the games of the time were making an excessive amount of references to [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue the original games]] and several Charizard cameos left it looking out of place. This culminated in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', where the champion's signature Charizard is [[CharacterShilling routinely shilled as being undefeatable]] and has a Gigantamax form that changes little from its regular appearance. Meanwhile, the other Kanto starters were completely absent at launch and they and the game's own [[StarterMon starter Pokemon]] didn't receive Gigantamax forms of their own for half a year. Consequently, Charizard has gained a reputation as a BaseBreakingCharacter due to sheer overexposure. While the Flame Pokémon still has fans, many within the fanbase see it as emblematic of Creator/GameFreak supposedly [[PanderingToTheBase pandering to nostalgia]] at the cost of innovation.

** ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'': When he made his debut in the Mega Evolution specials, Alain started out as being a relatively popular character, in particular by the fandom's PeripheryDemographic for being a clearly older, more mature protagonist whose story explored Mega Evolution in more depth than the main series did, complimenting Ash's adventures nicely. However, him beating Ash at the Lumiose Conference after a lot of hype and expectation of Ash finally winning a league and his role in Team Flare's attack as an UnwittingPawn split the base hard, with the main points of contention being whether if he deserves to win the Conference to begin with and if he should keep his standing as the winner for his involvement with Team Flare.

** ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': Back in the 90s and the early-to-mid 2000s, Misty was one of the most popular characters in the franchise for being a FieryRedhead ActionGirl and hilarious DeadpanSnarker who acted as the perfect {{foil}} to [[TheHero Ash Ketchum]] while also being a bit of a mentor to him, with legions of fans {{shipping}} the two of them together. Many were devastated and outraged over her getting PutOnABus at the end of Johto, and you could see people demanding her return to the series as a main character as late as 2009, long after her replacement May had been retired and May's own replacement Dawn was getting ready to leave as well. However, starting in the early 2010s those same fans would look back on Misty’s tenure and scrutinize it for a multitude of reasons. Unlike later female characters, she lacked any kind of CharacterDevelopment beyond becoming less violent after getting Togepi (which some don't count as actual development, given [[LighterAndSofter the show as a whole became less violent around this time]]), with said [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale violent outbursts]] now being seen as more cruel than funny. These fans also point out that for all of Misty's bravado, she [[FauxActionGirl rarely battled against trainers]] aside from [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Team Rocket]], which made her credentials seem like at best an InformedAttribute, and at worst made her many critiques of Ash seem hypocritical. The introduction of the infamously polarizing anime version of Iris was also a contributing factor; Iris came off to many like an attempt to recapture Misty's success, which caused many viewers to go back and re-evaluate Misty in a more critical light. While Misty still retains fans to this day, she's become far more [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]], with many fans arguing her initial popularity came solely from being Ash's [[NostalgiaFilter first female companion]].

** ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'': The Mewtwo that appeared in this film, [[FanNickname commonly referred to by fans as "Newtwo"]], was hated upon the film's release being widely seen as a ReplacementScrappy to the beloved Mewtwo character from the Original Series and ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. This was because her very existence was an AssPull, given all data related to the original Mewtwo project was destroyed, the trailers and marketing [[NeverTrustATrailer made it appear that the original Mewtwo was returning]], and people saw her character arc as just [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a poorly done rehash]] of the original Mewtwo’s character arc. However, fan opinions softened in 2019 when an interview was conducted [[Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution to promote a remake of the first movie]], revealing that Newtwo was only used in place of the original Mewtwo from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with [[Creator/TakeshiShudo Takeshi Shudo's]] estate that had since been sorted, rather than anything insidious. Newtwo's popularity would then soar throughout the 2020s thanks to the wide popularity of the fan comic ''WebComic/MewAndMewtwo'', this series, and others inspired by it, had Newtwo interact constantly with the original Mewtwo, which better highlighted the differences between the two and fleshed out her character more than the film ever did. While the movie Newtwo hails from and the way she was introduced into it remains contentious, these days you'll be more likely to find fans of the character herself, and hard-pressed to find as many detractors.

** ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'': The Mewtwo that appeared in this film, [[FanNickname commonly referred to by fans as "Newtwo"]], was hated upon the film's release being widely seen as a ReplacementScrappy to the beloved Mewtwo character from the Original Series and ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. This was because her very existence was an AssPull, given all data related to the original Mewtwo project was destroyed, the trailers and marketing [[NeverTrustATrailer made it appear that the original Mewtwo was returning]], and people saw her character arc as just [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a poorly done rehash]] of the original Mewtwo’s character arc. However, fan opinions softened in 2019 when an interview was conducted [[Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution to promote a remake of the first movie]], revealing that Newtwo was only used in place of the original Mewtwo from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with [[Creator/TakeshiShudo Takeshi Shudo's]] estate that had since been sorted, rather than anything insidious. Newtwo's popularity would then soar throughout the 2020s thanks to the fan comic ''WebComic/MewAndMewtwo'', and series comics inspired by it, which had her interact with the original Mewtwo, highlighting the differences between the two and fleshing out her character better. While the movie Newtwo hails from and the way she was introduced into it remains contentious, these days you'll be more likely to find fans of the character herself, and hard-pressed to find as many detractors.

** ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'': The Mewtwo that appeared in this film, [[FanNickname commonly referred to by fans as "Newtwo"]], was hated upon the film's release being widely seen as a ReplacementScrappy to the beloved Mewtwo character from the Original Series and ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. This was because her very existence was an AssPull, given all data related to the original Mewtwo project was destroyed, the trailers and marketing [[NeverTrustATrailer made it appear that the original Mewtwo was returning]], and people saw her character arc as just [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a poorly done rehash]] of the original Mewtwo’s character arc. However, fan opinions softened in 2019 when an interview was conducted [[Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution to promote a remake of the first movie]], revealing that Newtwo was only used in place of the original Mewtwo from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with [[Creator/TakeshiShudo Takeshi Shudo's]] estate that had since been sorted. Newtwo's popularity would then soar throughout the 2020s thanks to the fan comic ''WebComic/MewAndMewtwo'', and series comics inspired by it, which had her interact with the original Mewtwo, highlighting the differences between the two and fleshing out her character better. While the movie Newtwo hails from and the way she was introduced into it remains contentious, these days you'll be more likely to find fans of the character herself, and hard-pressed to find as many detractors.

** ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'': The Mewtwo that appeared in this film, [[FanNickname commonly referred to by fans as "Newtwo"]], was hated upon the film's release being widely seen as a ReplacementScrappy to the beloved Mewtwo character from the Original Series and ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. This was because her very existence was an AssPull, given all data related to the original Mewtwo project was destroyed, the trailers and marketing [[NeverTrustATrailer made it appear that the original Mewtwo was returning]], and people saw her character arc as just [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a poorly done rehash]] of the original Mewtwo’s character arc. However, fan opinions softened in 2019 when an interview was conducted [[Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution to promote a remake of the first movie]], revealing that Newtwo was only used in place of the original Mewtwo from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with [[Creator/TakeshiShudo Takeshi Shudo's]] estate that had since been sorted. Newtwo's popularity would then soar throughout the 2020s thanks to ''WebComic/MewAndMewtwo'', and other comics inspired by it, which had her interact with the original Mewtwo, highlighting the differences between the two and fleshing out her character better. While the movie Newtwo hails from and the way she was introduced into it remains contentious, these days you'll be more likely to find fans of the character herself, and hard-pressed to find as many detractors.

** ''Anime/PokemonGenesectAndTheLegendAwakened'': The Mewtwo that appeared in this film, [[FanNickname commonly referred to by fans as "Newtwo"]], was hated upon the film's release being widely seen as a ReplacementScrappy to the beloved Mewtwo character from the Original Series and ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''. This was because her very existence was an AssPull, given all data related to the original Mewtwo project was destroyed, the trailers and marketing [[NeverTrustATrailer made it appear that the original Mewtwo was returning]], and people saw her character as just a repeat of Mewtwo’s arc. However, fan opinions softened in 2019 when an interview was conducted [[Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution to promote a remake of the first movie]], revealing that Newtwo was only used in place of the original Mewtwo from [[ScrewedByTheLawyers legal issues]] with [[Creator/TakeshiShudo Takeshi Shudo's]] estate that had since been sorted. Newtwo's popularity would then soar throughout the 2020s thanks to ''WebComic/MewAndMewtwo'', and other comics inspired by it, which had her interact with the original Mewtwo, highlighting the differences between the two and fleshing out her character better. While the movie Newtwo hails from and the way she was introduced into it remains contentious, these days you'll be more likely to find fans of the character herself, and hard-pressed to find as many detractors.

** ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'': Back in the 90s and the early-to-mid 2000s, Misty was one of the most popular characters in the franchise for being a FieryRedhead ActionGirl and hilarious DeadpanSnarker who acted as the perfect {{foil}} to [[TheHero Ash Ketchum]] while also being a bit of a mentor to him, with legions of fans {{shipping}} the two of them together. Many were devastated and outraged over her getting PutOnABus at the end of Johto, and you could see people demanding her return to the series as a main character as late as 2009, long after her replacement May had been retired and May's own replacement Dawn was getting ready to leave as well. However, starting in the early 2010s those man fans would look back on Misty’s tenure and scrutinize it for a multitude of reasons. Unlike later female characters, she lacked any kind of CharacterDevelopment beyond becoming less violent after getting Togepi (which some don't count as actual development, given [[LighterAndSofter the show as a whole became less violent around this time]]), with said [[DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale violent outbursts]] now being seen as more cruel than funny. These fans also point out that for all of Misty's bravado, she [[FauxActionGirl rarely battled against trainers]] aside from [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain Team Rocket]], which made her credentials seem like at best an InformedAttribute, and at worst made her many critiques of Ash seem hypocritical. The introduction of the infamously polarizing anime version of Iris was also a contributing factor; Iris came off to many like an attempt to recapture Misty's success, which caused many viewers to go back and re-evaluate Misty in a more critical light. While Misty still retains fans to this day, she's become far more [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive]], with many fans arguing her initial popularity came solely from being Ash's [[NostalgiaFilter first female companion]].

** ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'': When he made his debut in the Mega Evolution specials, Alain started out as being a relatively popular character, in particular by the fandom's PeripheryDemographic. However, him beating Ash at the Lumiose Conference and his role in Team Flare's attack as an UnwittingPawn split the base hard, with the main points of contention being whether if he deserves to win the Conference to begin with and if he should keep his standing as the winner.

** Bidoof was initially one of the most hated Pokémon out there, due to having the misfortune of being one of the newest {{Com Mon}}s right when the franchise was entering its PopularityPolynomial phase in ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl''. This meant that a lot of older longtime fans getting back into the series were first greeted by Bidoof and ''despised'' it, due to its goofy appearance, it being a very frequent encounter in the early game, and having mediocre stats even after evolving. The fact that it turned out to be an excellent [[UtilityPartyMember HM slave]] in one of the most HM-heavy generations gave it some appeal, but also underlined the idea of its apparent ineffectiveness, since this suggested the optimal way to use it was to have it never see battle. For a while, Bidoof was essentially ''the'' go-to joke about a forgettable and useless Pokémon that nobody liked. However, over time, the genuine hatred for it subsided, brought on in part by similarly disliked early-game ComMons like [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Patrat]], [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Yungoos]], and [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Skwovet]], that were seen as lacking even Bidoof's goofy charm or utility. This left its uses in jokes, which, removed from the context of actual venom, turned it into a kind of loveable underdog, which would go on to be played to the hilt in official media like ''WebAnimation/BidoofsBigStand''. In a 2020 popularity poll, Bidoof actually placed 20th in Sinnoh overall, outclassing traditional "cool" favorites of the generation like Weavile, and ended up being the only one out of any of the early-game Normal-types to place in the top 30 for their generation.