Hate Sink
A fictional character meant to be hated
Example
I liked him in season 1, but in season 2 I think they just made him into a hate sink for drama's sake
Related Slang
Fandom | Community of fans |
Retcon | Retroactively change |
Shipping | Hoping for two people to get into a relationship |
Anti-ship | Against problematic fictional relationships |
Comfort character | A fictional character who soothes you |
Cinnamon roll | A kind, gentle person |
Headcanon | A fan's unverified beliefs about a story |
Fanfic | Fan fiction |
A hate sink is a fictional character who is deliberately written to be hated. Every action the hate sink performs is meant to draw an audience's ire and get them to hate the character even more.
Why include a hate sink in a story?
There are many ways to get an audience invested in a story. One way is to get the audience to hate a specific character so much they can't wait to see that character get their comeuppance.
Audience members incensed by a hate sink will keep reading, watching, or listening to a story specifically to see that character fail (and hopefully, suffer extreme punishment as a result). This phenomenon is similar to hate-watching. In this case, though, the story itself may be good - it's just one specific character the audience loves to hate.
Who are some example hate sinks?
Some popular example hate sinks include: