Every fictional project or IP has its fanbase, however large or small, however quiet or vocal. No project is made without criticism, and creators know this well. There does come a point, however, where fan outcry goes southwards beyond simple criticism.
Social media has grown and evolved over time into a place where people can learn, watch, and discuss their favorite IPs and creative projects. It frees people to use their voices to speak their thoughts and opinions, both to agree and disagree heavily. These disagreements, to put it lightly, can easily get out of hand. People will argue about their favorite characters, favorite plot points, favorite IPs, favorite fanfiction about said IPs, why others of the previously listed are presumably “trash” or “mid” and why people who like said IPs are “uncultured” or “glazers.”
A prime example of disagreements gone wild are shipping wars. Shipping wars stem from people arguing about the best pairings of characters in an IP, specifically romantic or sexual pairings. These possibilities can spawn head-canons, fanfiction, and heavy beliefs in one hypothetical pairing, to the point where any other possibility is frowned upon or even rejected outright, canon or otherwise.
“My Hero Academia” is a manga and anime whose fanbase has a less than positive reputation largely because of rampant shipping wars. Kohei Horikoshi, the mangaka, has faced both praise and backlash for “My Hero Academia” for having the protagonist, Izuku Midoriya, find love at the very end of the series with his then best friend, Ochaco Uraraka. Despite the constant hints, foreshadowing, and development towards their relationship throughout the manga, anime, and various related projects, fans clung tightly to their own romantic pairings and were outraged when they learned that their pairings of other characters were not the canon, even going so far as to send death threats to Horikoshi for writing his story his way.
Other than shipping wars, even creators sharing insight into their own stories can spark loads of backlash against them. Gooseworx, the creator of hit YouTube series “The Amazing Digital Circus,” had answered fan questions saying that the characters of Pomni and Jax were considered the main characters of the show. The answers given upset fans who strongly believed a third character, a rag doll named Ragatha, to also be a main character. The resulting backlash on X and Reddit grew so intense, that Gooseworx deleted their Reddit account, issued a soon-deleted apology on BlueSky, and cited that she had “considered never touching [TADC] again with a 10-foot pole.” She followed this up by sharing the pressure she had been feeling to perfect the series finale, and the resulting burnout because of it.
Something people should come to realize is that, until proven correct, a head-canon is just that: a possibility or theory created in one’s mind. These can be similar to what the creator has in mind or wildly different. None of this, however, is to say that people should stop coming up with new ideas based on the works consumed. Part of the fun in consuming IPs and creative projects such as “My Hero Academia” or “The Amazing Digital Circus” is creating our own ideas as to what could happen next or exploring the many “what-ifs” that come with the story’s events. What if so-and-so did this or that? What if one character and another character were such-and-such to each other? What if this or that or some secret third thing happens at the end? The possibilities are endless, and are encouraged to be delved into.
Even so, a head-canon is not the true canon unless specified otherwise. The infallible truth remains that a creator’s vision differs from the general audience, and that it is okay for that to be the case. There is a certain amount of separation that should be respected between creator and consumer. Fans and onlookers, more often than not, do not and should not take control of the story being told. Outside of the reasons discussed, it can also snatch the creative reins away from the creator, leading to discouragement from continuing their work due to the mindset that “others can do it better.”
Constructive criticism is a powerful tool that can encourage creators to continue their work and make improvements as they go forward. Some stories take fan theories into account, while others disprove them entirely. Being constructive and supportive with projects and towards creators is a guaranteed method of encouraging further progress and allowing the IP to continue onwards to greater and greater heights. The disrespectful and even disproportionate route to take is to issue threats towards a creator simply because of a small detail you dislike.
The best way to champion creativity is to let storytellers tell their stories. Let writers write their writings. Let showrunners run their shows. Let creators and visionaries create their visions. When we as people learn and respect the difference and boundaries between ideas and canon, as well as creator and consumer, the world will be a much more receptive place for people to bring their dreams to life.
