YMMV / Rayman

• Audience-Alienating Era: The series has the infamous Rabbid era from 2006 to 2008. The fourth game in the series introduced Rabbids, one-joke characters who don't do anything but scream "BWAAAAAAAAAAAH" at the top of their lungs. Due to Executive Meddling, the game, originally planned as a platformer like its predecessors, shifted into a party game (though the Game Boy Advance version was still made a platformer). In the next two games, the Rabbids ended up stealing the entire show and the eponymous hero was demoted to Butt-Monkey. Fortunately, Rabbids Go Home, the next game involving the Rabbids, removed Rayman entirely, while Rayman himself came back in force in his own adventure in Rayman Origins, though interestingly the Rabbids themselves have not only an animated series on Nickelodeon but a crossover with (of all series) Super Mario Bros., which ended up winning critical acclaim against all odds.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Murfy. Helpful to some, a nuisance to others (and his unconventional gameplay in the Wii U version of Legends only made it worse). Rayman 3 attempted to try and fix Murfy's annoyance towards players by making him a Deadpan Snarker, though this incarnation is also rather divisive.
  • Also Globox in some extent: funny sidekick or annoying Fat Idiot?
• Character Rerailment: In Rayman, the title character was much more laid-back and childish than he is in Rayman 2 and onwards, which portrayed him as a more serious character. Rayman Origins, on the other hand, snapped him back to his more childish persona, though not everyone is pleased with this.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • The Magician. The first version before retcon because of his charming and friendly personality. Or the version after retcon for his Evil All Along approach and his fanboyism towards Mr. Dark. Of course, his species retcon is also a Broken Base for some.
  • Even though the Knaaren from Rayman 3 only really appeared in a single level, their status as Invincible Boogeymen, menacing designs and presence caused the "Desert of the Knaaren" to become the Out-of-Genre Experience that made it into one of the most memorable and beloved levels in the entire series.
  • Jano the Guardian for similar reasons to the Knaaren. He's only present in the "Cave of Bad Dreams" level in the second game, but the sliding section in the first part of his boss fight left a huge impact due to the terrifying Mouth Cam as he chases Rayman. It helps that he's a Fair-Play Villain, giving Rayman a generous head start and keeping his end of their bargain when Rayman wins.
• Fandom Rivalry: Ironically enough, with the Raving Rabbids series, Rayman fans see the Rabbids as having stolen the spotlight away from Rayman, relegating him to a mere joke and denying him a new proper game for years (at least until Origins and Legends) as the Rabbids surpassed Rayman in terms of popularity.
• Fanon: Due to M's Tily being a Suspiciously Similar Substitute of Ly from 2, plenty of fans like to make them related somehow, whether it be sisters or cousins.
• Fanon Discontinuity: It's not uncommon to see fans hating the Rabbids with passion and rejecting their games like they never existed. Many fans of Rayman 3 don't see the Game Boy Advance game, Hoodlum's Revenge, as a decent sequel. Beside this, with each game in the main series being quite different, there are some who only like the original game, those who only like the 3D games, those who like the first two but not those after, a few who like the series after the second game, those who only like Legends, and those who have enjoyed the entire series.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: Rayman is considered one of the most popular French video game franchise in other countries, mostly in America, Italy & Germany.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • "Caaah"^ExplanationThe way Rayman pronounces "Car" in Rayman: The Animated Series. It became a meme due to its goofiness
  • GLOBOX MOMENT
  • From the Disney Adventures comic based on Rayman 2.
    Ly reveals her plan... and so...
    Rayman: Okay Ly— Let's do it! Pancake me!
    Ly: Not a problem!
  • Rayman's transition to Ramon in Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix has garnered a lot of attention, primarily due to the fact that Rayman / Ramon had been Ubisoft's Butt-Monkey for so long that it was absolutely catharthic to see that he Took a Level in Badass.
  • Rayman sings the whole of Sexbomb^ExplanationA video of Rayman and Globox singing the entirety of the song Sexbomb by Tom Jones became popular in 2023. This was based off a leaked animation test for the unmade Rayman 4 featuring the two singing a cover of the song by Max Raabe that suddenly became popular in 2021. It even got a multi-animator reanimated collab in 2024.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2 heralded a period of time where Rayman started playing second fiddle in his own series, until eventually they didn't feature him at all. Fortunately, Rayman Origins came about and put the guy back in front and center again, soon to be followed by Rayman Legends (though not much has been done with him since).

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