Basic Trope: An important character loses said importance in adaptations and/or sequels or gradually becomes less focused on as a show goes on.
- Straight:
- Mina, an important supporting character in the comic Fighting Crime makes only a few appearances in the cartoon adaptation.
- Mina starts off as a fairly important central character in the first season of the show but becomes less focused on in the later seasons.
- Exaggerated:
- Mina is only a background extra that only appears for one frame in the cartoon.
- Several supporting characters along with Mina, previously important, make only brief appearances in the cartoon.
- Mina was the protagonist in the comic, yet in the cartoon, she's completely absent and has been replaced by Alice, a new character.
- Downplayed:
- Mina was the deuteragonist in the comic, yet in the cartoon she's demoted to tritagonist.
- Mina is still a main character in any adaptations, but several recurring characters have bigger roles than her.
- Justified:
- The adaptation covers a portion where Mina had a minor role to begin with.
- The cartoon is a sequel to the comic, and it takes place after Mina's character arc has come to an end.
- The cartoon is a P.O.V. Sequel following the exploits of an Ensemble Dark Horse that never interacted with Mina.
- Inverted: Ascended Extra
- Subverted:
- Mina returns unexpectedly for a major plot, getting a great deal of screen time and importance...
- Although she has little screentime and doesn't has any impact on the plot, those little appearances are awesome and often used for advertising.
- Double Subverted: ...but it turns out to be only A Day in the Limelight
- Parodied: Mina struggles in each episode to get more screentime.
- Zig-Zagged: Commuting on a Bus
- Averted:
- Mina has the exact same role in the comic and the cartoon adaptation.
- The cartoon just end before it reached Mina debut volume and she did not getting an Adaptational Early Appearance.
- Enforced:
- Mina's planned voice actor had other commitments, forcing her to have little screentime. Alternatively, Mina is The Scrappy.
- The cartoon is only a 12-Episode Anime, so the producers decide to remove Mina's subplot in order to squeeze overall plot in 12 episodes.
- Lampshaded: "I remember Mina used to be around more often. What happened, anyway?"
- Invoked: Reassigned to Antarctica.
- Exploited: Mina is able to spy on the Big Bad precisely because she has been ignored.
- Defied: Mina does a Hostile Show Takeover.
- Discussed: "Mina if you hang around over there so much, we'll stop noticing you!"
- Deconstructed: Mina pulls a Face–Heel Turn because she was suddenly ignored by everyone.
- Reconstructed:
- Mina then does a Heel–Face Turn and is promptly ignored again.
- Or Mina was a bit of a Scrappy beforehand when she had a bigger role but in this adaptation/new installment while she gets a lot less screentime most/all of her negative attributes get downplayed/removed making her a more likable character. So to make a long story short she gets less screentime but is Rescued from the Scrappy Heap as a result.
- Plotted A Good Waste: Mina's decreased importance was done entirely to ensure the fans would be as excited as possible when that importance returns.
- Played For Laughs: Mina humorously complains to the writers about her sudden insignificance. Repeatedly.
- Played For Drama: Mina's fewer appearances are caused by depression or anxiety. The characters talk about trying to help her.
Tsk tsk tsk, you've been Demoted to Extra! Well, looks like you're not getting any screentime soon.
