Discussion Arc-Exclusive Characters

I feel almost opposite - there's a lot more examples of authors dragging characters along through the story past the time they were no longer relevant to be cheerleaders or harem members. Then they just get re-used as damsels in distress (including the male followers) to be saved again whenever the author needs it to happen. I don't mind if a side character gets a lot of development and decides not to follow the main character as long as there's a good reason.

Though I stopped reading sports/martial arts manga because they'd always put a lot of time into building up characters who'd end up losing in one frame or less to show how strong some new guy is and then never show up again.

 

I don't mind them. In real life there are arc-exclusive characters, you know? Like, the people who were important to my daily life in high school/college/work place were never seen (by me) ever again. My first boyfriend moved to a different country one year after we met and I never saw him again after that. He's dead now.