  We prove that any non zero inertia, however small, is able to change the
nature of the synchronization transition in Kuramoto-like models, either from
continuous to discontinuous, or from discontinuous to continuous. This result
is obtained through an unstable manifold expansion in the spirit of J.D.
Crawford, which features singularities in the vicinity of the bifurcation. Far
from being unwanted artifacts, these singularities actually control the
qualitative behavior of the system. Our numerical tests fully support this
picture.
