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{{trope}}
{{quote|''[I]n every masterpiece there are supporting characters who outshine the [[protagonist]].''|Neito Monoma|[[My Hero Academia]]}}
The term "Dark Horse" has its origin in horse racing. A relatively unknown horse would be risky to place bets on, compared to a horse with a known track record, because the gamblers would be "in the dark," so when an unknown horse won a race it was called a "[[Dark Horse Victory]]." The term is also used in politics to describe a lesser known candidate who does better than expected in an election.
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Generally, it's used to describe a side character making up part of the Ensemble, either a non-lead secondary character or a mere [[Flat Character]], who can sometimes become [[Popularity Power|unexpectedly popular]] with the fandom (sometimes, even more than the lead characters) depending on [[Periphery Demographic|who]] and [[Germans Love David Hasselhoff|where]] the [[Fandom]] is, as well as what the other characters are like in comparison (for example, [[Designated Protagonist Syndrome|the hero is not as popular because s/he is too much The Everyman]]).
The writers or producers may be tempted to [[Retool]] the show's premise to [[Breakout Character|put them]] [[Spotlight-Stealing Squad|in the spotlight.]] Sometimes this works, but usually it's a bad idea for two reasons, both relating to what happens when you take a supporting character and move him or her into [[The Protagonist
However, it's still good business to bring Darkhorse characters back, even if they were originally meant to be featured for only a short time. Thus, episodes which do not specifically require a certain character will be more likely to use the Ensemble Darkhorse.
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If the '''Ensemble Darkhorse''' ''becomes'' an important character, they're now a [[Breakout Character]]. See also [[Adaptational Badass]], [[Ascended Extra]], [[Memetic Bystander]], [[Lower Deck Episode]], [[A Day in the Limelight]], and [[One-Scene Wonder]]. [[Creator's Pet]] is the polar opposite, a character who the writer grows fond of but the fans do not. An antagonist who becomes popular despite the author's intentions is [[Draco in Leather Pants]]—an example of [[Misaimed Fandom]]. The natural extension of this is the [[Spotlight-Stealing Squad]].
{{examples on subpages}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Characters and Casting]]
[[Category:Creativity Leash]]
[[Category:Tropes of Legend]]
[[Category:Unexpected Reactions to This Index]]
[[Category:
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