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'''Queen Serenity''': Well you see, there's the [[Media Franchise|series]], and then there's the [[Non-Serial Movie|movies]] . . . and the movies are a whole other continuity, honey.
'''Sailor Moon''': W-what?! What are you talking about?
'''Queen Serenity''': The movies. The whole thing with the Kissenian Blossom, and Fiore, and your future child? It's all just a whole other continuity.
|''[[Sailor Moon Abridged]]''}}
Continuity is a confusing thing. Sometimes when adapting a work, writers will scrap previous continuity and write a new continuity either disregarding the old one, or painting continuity in [[Broad Strokes]]. The result is an '''Alternate Continuity'''—a story that is no less "official" than the original, but which cannot be reconciled with it with regards to [[Backstory]] or [[Canon]]. It effectively lives in a different universe. Sometimes this forms the basis of a [[Media Franchise]].
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[[Anime]] in particular has several diverse distribution paths in Japan, depending on its format—motion pictures in theaters, [[OVA]]s in direct-to-consumer sales, and 26+ episode-long series on television. It is not uncommon for an [[Anime]] to transfer from one distribution path/format to another. This is most frequently seen in shows that enjoy great success as [[OVA]]s; they jump to broadcast, and what was once effectively a miniseries becomes a story it takes an entire season to tell. Alternately, a successful series can become a movie.
When such a move is made, it's common for the story to simply be retold in the new medium, often with radical changes in both plot and characterization, creating an
Oftentimes, an
Be warned, though: sometimes an
One of the meta-causes of [[Alternate Universe]].
When a show's writers make the
Note that this [[Trope]] is specifically about changes in continuity moving from medium to medium, or after a [[Continuity Reboot]]. See also [[The Movie]], [[Ultimate Universe]] (a [[Sub-Trope]] of this), [[Canon Immigrant]] and [[Media Franchise]]. When [[Fanfic]] attempts to weld two or more of these into a single story, it's called a [[Patchwork Fic]].
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[El-Hazard: The Magnificent World]]'' was an [[OVA]] series that became ''El-Hazard: Wanderers'' on TV. In the process most of the relationships Makoto had with the women in his life were altered dramatically, with his primary romantic interest shifting from Ifurita to Princess Rune-Venus.
** Later, a second [[OVA]] series based on the first was produced that continued the [[Plot]], but introduced several new characters and a new "ultimate weapon of doom". That success was then followed with a 12-episode TV series which pulled a [[Or Was It a Dream?]]? at the end. A final special was released for the TV series, the required [[Beach Episode]].
* The TV series ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'' was turned into a movie, ''Adolescence of Utena'', which attempted to retell the 39-episode story in 100 minutes by filtering it through the hindbrain of [[Salvador Dali]] and lacing it with LSD.
* ''[[Mazinger Z]]'': It started as a manga. Then it was adapted into an anime. Then it got another manga at the same time the first manga and the anime were being published and aired respectively. Then both manga versions and the anime version got sequels, each one
* ''[[RahXephon]]'' also made the leap to a movie from TV, attempting to cram its extensive and complex storyline into less than 2 hours while at the same time providing new [[Backstory]]. In the process, one character was completely eliminated, and several others rewritten dramatically (including putting one to sleep for most of the [[Film]]).
* A television series of ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' (which had been made into a 5-episode [[OVA]] in the early-middle 1990s) premiered in Japan in January 2005. The first episode alone makes it clear that it is an Alternate Continuity.
* ''[[Tenchi Muyo!]]'' is perhaps the king of alternate continuities, with at least eight different alternate "worlds" (some, such as ''[[Pretty Sammy]]'', have more than one continuity themselves). Oddly enough, the ''Tenchi'' movies are not separate continuities in and of themselves, but dovetail into one or the other of the TV series.
** For bonus fun one of the ''Pretty Sammy'' series has a minor character who is a cousin
** And it was eventually revealed that ''[[Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure]]'', which had initially appeared to be a completely independent story, was in fact part of the Tenchiverse as well.
* The ''[[Slayers]]'' franchise is right up there with ''[[Tenchi Muyo!]]'' in its own right. It originated as a 15-book [[Light Novel]] series, which has ''over 30'' prequel novels (''Slayers Special/Smash/Delicious''). From there...
** 1. A 5-season anime series: The first two are based on the first eight novels, the remaining three are original stories. Tends to heavily contradict itself, especially considering that [[Uncancelled|the fourth and fifth seasons came eleven years after the third.]]
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** 4. Five video games, all their own stories and [[Word of God|officially non-canon.]]
* ''[[Futakoi]]'' and the second TV series, ''[[Futakoi Alternative]]'' are a quite obvious example. The first being a fairly normal harem-type [[Anime]], while the second was much more madcap comedy.
* ''[[My-HiME]]'' branches off into a few distinct alternate continuities (and the [[plot]]s of ''its'' [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] are distinctly different from one another). There's the ''[[Mai-Otome]]'' [[Anime]] and [[manga]]verse, where most of the characters from the previous series are rewritten and [[Elseworld|placed in a different universe]] and mixed in with a slew of new characters; and there's the ''[[Mai-HiME Destiny]]'' light novel series, which does the same thing, but simply moves the girls to a different part of the country.
* ''Rockman EXE'', also known as ''[[Mega Man Battle Network]]'' (games dub) or ''[[Mega Man NT Warrior]]'' (anime dub) is essentially an alternate version of the regular ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'' universe, with the major change being that the Robot Masters and other major characters are sentient programs instead of robots. Meanwhile, the [[Video Game|games]], [[Anime]], and [[Manga]] of EXE are all separate continuities.
** Also, every [[Video Game|game]] since 3 has been [[One Game for the Price of Two]]. Lan seems to remember any experiences he has in either version, even when they're inconsistent; it's as if he personally experienced not one version or the other, but some quantum superposition of the two. (For instance, he remembers both Shuko and Raika after BN4.) The most jarring example is Colonel: MegaMan remembers him well in both versions of BN6, but he only met him briefly in the Team ProtoMan version of 5.
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** What this means is that Wily and Light are the most significant people in the Mega Man Multiverse. What they choose as their discipline ends up revolutionizing the world and completely changing society. It would be interesting to see what would happen if they were geneticists or rocket scientists....wait. No it wouldn't. You'd either get Warp Drive or Ricardo MontalBan.
* The [[Anime]] adaptation of ''[[Rozen Maiden]]'' differs significantly from the [[Manga]] - to the point that none of the events in the second season even happened in the original.
* ''[[Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' is an Alternate Continuity of the [[Video Game|game]] and [[OVA]] ''[[Triangle Heart 3 ～sweet songs forever～|Triangle Heart]]'' where her brother and sister are [[Ninja]]-like bodyguards battling a terrorist group that killed their father ([[
* The ''[[Digimon]]'' series had at least six continuities.
** While ''[[Digimon Adventure]]'' and ''[[Digimon Adventure 02|Adventure 02]]'' shared a continuity, one of the minor characters from 02, Ryou Akiyama, is also a prominent character in ''[[Digimon Tamers]]'', which does not share a continuity with the two ''Adventure'' seasons. The continuity disconnect is not addressed in the English dub or even in the [[Anime]], but it is somewhat explained in the [[Video Game|video games]] made for the Wonderswan in Japan (which never made their way stateside).
** The [[Digimon]] franchise has five [[manga]]s, and one of them, V-Tamer has [[Crossover]] specials with Adventure 02, Frontier and Ryo of the [[Digimon]] [[Video Game|games]]
* ''[[Pretty Cure]]'' has five continuities and counting, with a couple of [[Bat Family Crossover]] movies (''Pretty Cure All Stars DX''). Each one follows the same basic [[Plot]], but changes up a few elements (besides using different characters and settings) each time, in particular the number of heroines and how their powers affect each other, [[Futari wa Pretty Cure|going from two]] [[Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star|girls with]] [[Wonder Twin Powers]] [[Yes! Pretty Cure 5|to several]] [[Fresh Pretty Cure|relying on]] [[The Power of Friendship]] [[Heartcatch Pretty Cure|and back to]] two whose powers are mostly not connected and several other, currently inactive, Cures.
* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'', consists of the original [[Manga]] continuity which includes a Side Story ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! R]]''; the Toei series continuity; the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' ''Duel Monsters'' and ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX|GX]]'' continuity; and an alternate [[Manga]] retelling of ''GX''. There are also two [[Non-Serial Movie|Non Serial Movies]] (one for each [[Anime]]) and the non-[[canon]]ical ''Capsule Monsters'' mini-series. Then there is ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's|5D's]]'', which might be an [[Alternate Universe]].
** The Tenth Anniversary special places 5Ds [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]] of GX, but the [[Plot]] involves the villain trying to make a Split Timeline, so...
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** Interestingly enough, at the end of Nightmare of Nunnally, Nunnally says that {{spoiler|while touching Heaven's Door as part of Charles' god-killing ritual}}, she saw several different realities. One of these realities is the [[Anime]] continuity, and a montage of {{spoiler|Euphemia killing the Japanese, Suzaku in his standoff with Lelouch at the end of R1, and Lelouch's death}} are shown, none of which happen in Nightmare of Nunnally.
* ''[[Gundam]]'' tends to spawn a lot of these, given how many versions of the same story they have (TV series, movie trilogy, [[Manga]], novel, [[Video Game]]...) in ''addition'' to the seven different [[Alternate Universe]]s the franchise has created.
* The ''[[Death Note]]'' live-action [[film]]s eventually veer away from the [[Plot]] as seen in the [[Manga]] and [[Anime]] versions. Rumor has it that an American live-action Adaptation is in the works with Light Yagami being played by [[wikipedia:Zac Efron|Zac Efron]]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20130921063438/http://www.petitiononline.com/apple88/petition.html There's already a petition against it].
* In ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'''s [[Gainax Ending|last episode]], Shinji has a vision of his life as a typical high school comedy [[Anime]] (except, you know, it still has [[Humongous Mecha]]) during a [[Mind Rape]]. This concept was so popular as to spawn ''several'' [[Dating Sim]] [[Video Game|games]] and the [[Manga]] ''Angelic Days.''
** Another Alternate Continuity titled ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion Gakuen Datenroku]]'' goes way farther in its differences: NERV is a Catholic boarding school; EVAs are actually unique conventional weapons (i.e., Asuka wields a [[Whip It Good|whip]] while Shinji has a handgun, etc.); Angels are instead disembodied consciousnesses that can kill and take over any body they choose; and the motivation for killing the Angels is to collect their [[Cosmic Keystone|Cores]] so [[The World Tree|Yggdrasil]] won't [[The End of the World as We Know It|collapse, destroying all realities]].
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* ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]]'' started as a [[Manga]] (now concluded after 17 volumes) that became the [[Anime]]. The [[Anime]] rearranged the order and details of some events, but maintained much of the same storyline. It ran for two seasons, but ended ''before'' the [[Manga]], leaving unresolved the primary [[Story Arc]] of whether Kaoru and Aoi will ever be able to publicly get together. Very roughly speaking, the [[Anime]] covers much of the events from volumes 1 to 12 of the [[Manga]].
* The ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' [[Fullmetal Alchemist (anime)|anime]] and [[Manga]] start off fairly similar, but begin to diverge more and more as they progress. [[Broken Base|Do not ask people which one is better]]. There is also a second [[Anime]] adaptation that follows the manga's continuity much closer than the first.
* The first half of the ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] are almost identical (barring a couple of [[
** However, the [[OAV]], titled simply ''Rayearth'', is an ''entirely'' separate continuity: the characters are all (mostly) there, and a few of the relationships survived, but aside from their names, their [[Elemental Powers]], and the existence of Cephiro and Rune Gods, the [[OAV]] has nothing to do with [[The Original Series]]. Not even the [[Power Trio|protagonists]]' personalities are the same.
* ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' has three alternate continuities: the original [[Manga]]; the first movie and its [[Sequel]]; and the Stand Alone Complex television series, with its own [[Sequel]] movie.
* ''[[Hell Girl]]'' is most famous as an [[Anime]], but there's also a [[Manga]] and a short-lived live-action show. The [[Manga]] can more or less coexist with the [[Anime]], but the live-action show definitely can't -- Hajime and Tsugumi have a different [[Backstory]] and a ''very'' [[Gecko Ending|different ending to their storyline]].
* ''[[Record of Lodoss War]]'' has three alternate continuities: the original novel series, the [[Anime]] [[OVA]], and the [[Manga]] version of Chronicles of Heroic Knights. While the [[Anime]] [[OVA]] compresses the material down and is usually suggested to be treated as if it ended about halfway in, it contains numerous continuity errors with the original novel and the [[Manga]] adaptation of that part of the story. Most other [[Manga]] fit into the core timeline, along with the [[Anime]] series of Chronicles of Heroic Knights. The [[Manga]] of Chronicles, however, inexplicably rewrites the second half of the [[Plot]] completely, reaching a separate but equal [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]], and is notable for developing secondary characters much more than the series. It's still a separate [[Canon]] though. ''[[Rune Soldier Louie]]'', since it is set on a separate continent and features no returning characters, disregards the differences between the alternate continuities; as for ''[[Legend Of Crystania]]''... it fits into the core timeline (non-[[OVA]]), but since it came out when most people in the west didn't know of any other Lodoss continuities than the [[OVA]], it propagated the confusion with its differences; however, even knowing this... it's still not worth watching.
* The various versions of the series starting with the ''[[Blood: The Last Vampire]]'' [[OVA]]. There were several [[Manga]] adaptions of the original concept, each with varying storylines, then the [[Blood
* ''[[Black Butler]]'' has two different continuities: the ongoing [[Manga]] and the 24-episode [[Anime]]. The [[Anime]] not only featured a few differences in the [[plot]]lines it took from the [[Manga]] (such as certain key characters appearing earlier than they were supposed to), but had new [[plot]]lines, supporting characters, and main villains when it [[Overtook the Manga]] after the ''6th episode''. Even the supporting characters that had originally appeared in the [[Manga]] had their long-term roles (Soma and Agni being reoccurring characters in the [[Manga]] as opposed to simply disappearing at the end of their arc in the [[Anime]]) and appearances (Aberline) and personality (both, in the case of Queen Victoria) changed in the [[Anime]].
* Most [[Visual Novel
** ''[[Fate/stay night]]''(as stated below) is another example, with the [[Anime]] following Fate, and the [[Manga]] following Unlimited Blade Works. Heaven's Feel makes up for it's lack of exposure with the fan theory that {{spoiler|it is the [[canon]]ical route in the franchise}}. Supported by [[Fate/stay night/WMG|Wild Mass Guessing]].
*** Archer's ''very existence'' is this, as his life is said to have followed {{spoiler|the events of the Fate route; however, where his life and the Fate route's [[Canon]] end diverged is unknown}}.
* Yet ''another'' example is the ''[[SHUFFLE!]]'' TV
** While [[Sequel]] [[Video Game|games]] have been made following paths of if Nerine or Kaede won out. And the Kaede-centric [[Video Game|game]] further snarls itself up, by showing {{spoiler|Asa with long hair, which implies her ending being [[Canon]] anyway for that branch.}}
* The only connection between the visual novel and anime versions of ''[[Popotan]]'' is its cast, and some of the game characters were dropped for the transition (including the ''protagonist''), while others were added.
* Though not as broken up as some others, ''[[Hellsing]]'' began as a
* ''[[Project A-ko]]'' has two continuities; the main set of [[OAV]]s, and the "Vs." [[OAV]]s, which take place in some sort of parallel dimension. In "Vs.", A-ko and B-ko are best friends instead of being arch-enemies, A-ko outright dislikes C-ko after meeting her (rather than being childhood friends), and they are both space mercenaries/treasure hunters instead of being an "ordinary" girl and a [[Psycho Lesbian]] rich genius.
* ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' - The Queen of the Continuities! With a [[Manga]] series, a 200-episode [[Anime]] series, a live-action series, and twenty-five stage productions, with only 3 occurring in the same continuity! That makes twenty-five separate continuities! And that's not counting the [[Video Game|video games]] or the possible splits within the same continuities. The idea of a ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' "[[Canon]]" has become humorous to some folks.
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** Also, there is a high school version of the series, with all the same characters in a situation as if the series were originally a normal, high school series and not a mech [[Anime]].
** Then there's the fan-made comic series ''[[Double K]]'', which uses said cast and puts them into a parody of [[Buddy Cop Shows]].
* ''[[Negima]]'' currently{{when}} has five separate continuities: The
** You bet. Especially because the only differences among the names are [[Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo|exclamation and question marks]].
** Six continuities now{{when}}, as the movie continuation of the [[OVA]]s is pulling a [[Gecko Ending]].
* ''[[Macross Frontier]]'' adds itself to the list when it went from series to movies, giving us a pair of [[Non-Serial Movie|Non Serial Movies]] because it was just too big for one.
* ''[[Hanaukyo Maid Tai]]''. The first and second series cover slightly different ground.
* ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' has the 2009 TV special that takes place in a future where man has screwed up the world's ecosystems to the point where people had to make an artificial environment for animals.
* A lot of Go Nagai's works have been revisioned for quite awhile. Among the notables include the three [[Getter Robo]] [[OVA]]s (''Armageddon'', ''Shin vs. Neo'', and ''New''), the ''[[Mazinkaiser]]'' [[OVA]]s, ''[[Kotetsu Jeeg|Kotetsushin Jeeg]]'', ''[[Gaiking]]'': Legend of Daikyuu Maryuu and more recently ''[[Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-hen]]''. And that's just the mecha stuff! There's also series like ''Re: [[Cutey Honey]]'' and ''[[Devil Lady]]''
* ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' has quite a few. First, there's the [[Manga]] itself (considered the "core" or "actual" continuity), followed by the [[Anime]] continuity, which covers the
** The 3 [[Alternate Timeline|alternate timelines]] that Future Trunks accidentally creates!
** There's also a couple of the [[Dragon Ball]] movies, which are very much an "alternate reality" affair.
* ''[[The Idolmaster (anime)|The Idolm@ster]]'' - The Anime is based mostly on the plot of the game Idolm@ster 2, but it tweaks it a lot and uses several elements of the other games too.
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* Pick any major comic book series; you'll find at least two conflicting storylines and a movie or two for good measure. Both [[DC Comics|DC]] and [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] also use actual [[Alternate Universe]]s. Also see [[Ultimate Marvel]], the original [[Ultimate Universe]]. Now that both the mainstream Marvel reality and the ''[[Ultimate Marvel]]'' reality have (indirectly) interacted with the same [[Alternate Universe]] (''Marvel Zombies'' - the original Squadron Supreme also make an appearance in ''Ultimate Power''), you could say that they are a part of the same [[Alternate Universe]] [[The Multiverse|"network"]] rather than two separate Alternate Continuities (indeed, it's been designated as Earth-1610, where the main universe is Earth-616).▼
* The ''[[Spider-Man]]'' comic books and newspaper comics suffer from Alternate Continuity in many ways. For instance, in 2009 [[Spider-Man]] was reintroduced as a single man for reasons unconnected with events in the comic book universe—the writer did a reverse [[Funky Winkerbean]] and went back ten years in time. A few months later it turned out to be [[All Just a Dream]]. The newspaper Peter Parker is also ''much'' more handsome than the comic book one, although why that should be so is a good question.▼
==
* Depending on how you look at it, there are either two Alternate Continuities of ''[[Highlander]]'' (each with [[Retcon
▲* Pick any major comic book series; you'll find at least two conflicting storylines and a movie or two for good measure. Both [[DC Comics|DC]] and [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] also use actual [[Alternate Universe]]s. Also see [[Ultimate Marvel]], the original [[Ultimate Universe]]. Now that both the mainstream Marvel reality and the [[Ultimate Marvel]] reality have (indirectly) interacted with the same [[Alternate Universe]] (''Marvel Zombies'' - the original Squadron Supreme also make an appearance in ''Ultimate Power''), you could say that they are a part of the same [[Alternate Universe]] [[The Multiverse|"network"]] rather than two separate Alternate Continuities (indeed, it's been designated as Earth-1610, where the main universe is Earth-616).
▲* The [[Spider-Man]] comic books and newspaper comics suffer from Alternate Continuity in many ways. For instance, in 2009 [[Spider-Man]] was reintroduced as a single man for reasons unconnected with events in the comic book universe—the writer did a reverse [[Funky Winkerbean]] and went back ten years in time. A few months later it turned out to be [[All Just a Dream]]. The newspaper Peter Parker is also ''much'' more handsome than the comic book one, although why that should be so is a good question.
== Film ==▼
▲* Depending on how you look at it, there are either two Alternate Continuities of ''[[Highlander]]'' (each with [[Retcon|Ret Cons]]) -- the first three movies and everything else—or there are ''a lot'' of them. Let's go through it step-by-step:
** The original movie ''[[Highlander]]''.
** ''[[Highlander II the Quickening]]'', which considers the original movie [[Canon]]. Notably, the theatrical version and the "Renegade Version" [[Directors Cut]] are quite different, so could count as two separate continuities in and of themselves.
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** ''[[Highlander the Raven]]'', a short-lived [[Spin-Off]] from the TV series which followed the TV series' continuity.
** Then a fourth movie ''[[Highlander Endgame]]'' which follows the continuity of the TV series (but [[Retcon|Ret Cons]] the last season of the show) rather than that of the previous [[film]]s.
** Then a fifth movie called ''[[Highlander: The
** Then a
** There is a [[Remake]] of the original in the works as well.
** ''[[Highlander the Search For Vengeance]].''
** The Highlander Dynamite comic books.
** The Big Finish Productions audio dramas.
** Five video games which either have little plot or were cancelled due to [[
** Ten novels that act as adaptions of the films or turn into their own continuity.
** The low budget 17 minute reunion special. There's a link to it on Hulu on the Other Wiki if you haven't given up on this franchise yet.
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** The formula for a Highlander sequel goes like this:
*** Pretend that at least one other incarnation of the franchise is in continuity with this incarnation (usually the first movie)or completely change everything.
*** Should the first option be used the new sequel will have little connection to the predecessor. Usually this happens in such a way that the entire premise from the previous incarnation is ignored
*** Should the second option be chosen chances are it will result in this sequel having no connection to anything related to the Highlander franchise.
*** Characters will randomly appear with no back story and either killed off or never explained.
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* ''[[Superman (film)|Superman Returns]]'', while set within the universe of the Christopher Reeve movies, takes place five years after the second movie and uses [[Canon Discontinuity]] to ignore the third and fourth [[film]]s. (Although it is set five years after ''Superman II'', set in 1980, ''Returns'' is set in 2006. [[MST3K Mantra|Please don't think about this too hard]].)
* ''[[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]]'' had at least two continuities. The first movie ends with J neuralizing K and taking L as a new partner. At the beginning of the second, we find L quit between movies, and the first third of the movie follows J trying to restore K's memories. In [[The Animated Series]], however, J, K, and L are all agents at the same time. There were a series of tie-in novels with J and L, but these could be slotted into the timespan between movies.
* The most recent{{when}} incarnation of [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] in ''[[Casino Royale]]'' portrays Bond as a new and inexperienced agent. However, it is set in modern times, and therefore after every previous Bond [[Film]], and includes several characters that were later additions to the series of [[film]]s, such as the female M. This, however, ignores the theory that "James Bond" is a title that is passed down to the next 007. Perhaps there is one continuity.
** The movies are also a separate continuity to the original [[Ian Fleming]] novels.
** ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'' is also in a different continuity to the official EON films.
** Likewise, the [[Casino Royale (1967 film)|comedic version of ''
** The [[Casino Royale (Climax)|American ''
* The direct-to-DVD ''Tinkerbell'' movie is almost a different continuity from the [[Disney Fairies]] series of books, with only a handful of characters and some concepts in common.
* ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek]]'' (2009): Explicitly set in an [[Alternate Timeline]] that exists parallel to the TV shows and previous ten [[film]]s, so it could be a [[Prequel]] without being [[Continuity Porn]] or getting hated like ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]''. [[Big Bad|Nero]] and his ''Narada'' crew as well as {{spoiler|[[Badass Grandpa|Old Spock]]}} are from the original timeline. An Admiral [[Star Trek: Enterprise|Archer]] is also mentioned in passing.
* The ''[[Godzilla]]'' series has the Showa, Heisei, and
* The Cub raised at the end of ''[[The Lion King]]'' is purported to be male, as opposed to the female Kiara at the start Simba's Pride. The idea that the first cub was male was supported by a series of books released soon after the first movie, which includes Simba's son Kopa. The series wasn't written by [[Disney]] though.
** Some fans [[Wild Mass Guessing|theorise]] that the male cub from the books was killed by the antagonists of Simba's Pride, which does solve a couple of other discrepancies like Simba's overprotectiveness.
* Cited by many with the original ''[[Planet of the Apes]]'' franchise and ''[[Rise of the Planet of the Apes]]'', even though [[Word of God]] said it was
** The original novel
** The original film franchise of ''Planet Of The Apes, Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, Escape From the Planet Of The Apes, Conquest of the Planet Of The Apes, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes'' and the ''Planet Of The Apes'' live action TV series
** The animated ''[[Return To The Planet Of The Apes]]'', which is closer to the original novel, but not part of it
** The [[Planet of the Apes (2001 film)|2001 remake]]
** ''[[Rise of the Planet of the Apes]]'', although this one is debatable, given the comments of the producers and director versus Cornelius's dialogue in the ''Escape'' film. It may or may not exist in the original franchise continuity.
** A possible fifth universe is the POTA videogame based on the original novel.
*** Granted, some fans do debate what exists where, and there really isn't a clear-
* A lot of the events in ''[[Scott Pilgrim vs. the World]]'' are different from [[Scott Pilgrim|the comic book series]], so the movie must take place in an alternate continuity.
== [[Literature]] ==▼
▲== Literature ==
* In an extreme case, ''none'' of the adaptations of ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' are compatible. There are nine adaptations: The book, the radio series, the TV series, the movie, the stage show, the comic, the LP album, the computer game, and the towel. In fact [[Douglas Adams]] once said that he deliberately went out of his way to make sure that every iteration conflicted with every other iteration.
* ''[[Dexter]]'' has so many changes in cast (anywhere from who's alive and who's dead at a given point, to who's doing what job, to gender of Dexter's child with Rita) and storyline it's simpler to treat the novels and the television series as Alternate Continuity with each other. Trying to reconcile the two any other way is impossible.
* Like the ''Sarah Connor Chronicles'' example below, the ''[[Terminator|T2
* The ''Manifold'' series by [[Stephen Baxter]] features three different resolutions to the Fermi Paradox, each book a different universe.
* When the original ''[[Doctor Who]]'' series was taken off the air, the [[Doctor Who Expanded Universe]] continued in the form of comics, and slightly later novels, then audio dramas and [[Web Original]] stories, which variously referenced, featured characters from, and often contradicted, the continuities of the other media. (Except, to confuse things further, when they ''didn't''; individual writers would often refer to their own stories regardless of what medium they were in.) Exactly which, if any, of these the new series takes as
▲== Live Action TV ==
▲* When the original ''[[Doctor Who]]'' series was taken off the air, the [[Doctor Who Expanded Universe]] continued in the form of comics, and slightly later novels, then audio dramas and [[Web Original]] stories, which variously referenced, featured characters from, and often contradicted, the continuities of the other media. (Except, to confuse things further, when they ''didn't''; individual writers would often refer to their own stories regardless of what medium they were in.) Exactly which, if any, of these the new series takes as [[Canon]] is unknown. The [[Virgin New Adventures|New Adventures]] novel ''Human Nature'' by Paul Cornell was adapted [[Compressed Adaptation|and simplified]] into a two-part episode with a different Doctor with many of the themes removed, and a vastly reduced body count.
* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'' continues from ''[[Stargate (film)|Stargate]]'' the movie, disregarding Devlin and Emmerich's backstory and the five novels based on it. And if the two movie [[sequel]]s to ''[[Stargate (film)|Stargate]]'' had been made (not to be confused with the two movie [[sequel]]s to ''SG-1'', which actually ''were'' made), they would have disregarded both, resulting in yet a third continuity.
* The ''[[Red Dwarf (novel)|Red Dwarf]]'' novels take place in a different continuity to the TV series, in many cases incorporating concepts from the TV series with a different spin (and vice versa). The first two novels (''Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers'' (1989) and ''Better Than Life'' (1990)) were written by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor under the collective pen name Grant Naylor—after their writing partnership split, both wrote a ''Red Dwarf'' novel individually (''Last Human'' (1995) by Naylor, and ''Backwards'' (1996) by Grant) which each acted as third novels in the series, effectively splitting the novel series into two Alternate Continuities.
* ''[[Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles]]'' splits the Terminator franchise by taking the first two movies as backstory and [[Canon Discontinuity|almost completely ignoring the third]], apart from cannibalizing certain [[Plot]] elements (Sarah's cancer, a female Terminator, Judgment Day not averted). Then a fourth movie came out ''after'' the series, which has nothing to do with it and takes the third movie as [[Canon]].
** The constant alteration of the timeline makes EVERYTHING work.
* ''[[Power Rangers RPM]]'' takes place in a separate universe from the previous fifteen seasons. Which is good, because if it didn't, then we'd have to admit that [[Everybody's Dead, Dave|all the past characters and/or their descendants are dead.]] That said, when this was up in the air, many fans speculated RPM ''could'' have fit very well between the years [[Power Rangers SPD|2025]] and [[Power Rangers Time Force|3000]], especially with what we see [[After the End|what the year 3000 is like]], and [[Epileptic Trees]] reckon that ''[[Power Rangers RPM|RPM]]''[[Power Rangers RPM|'s]] [[Big Bad]]'s existence (due to [[Name's the Same]] with a previous villain) is one neat [[Stable Time Loop]].
Line 178 ⟶ 174:
* Both ''[[RoboCop]]'' television series split off at various points in the film continuity and base their stories on different circumstances. In 1992's ''Robocop 3'', the film ends with OCP ostensibly being destroyed and the Delta City project falling through its initial stage (if not outright cancelled). ''Robocop: The Series'' follows on from ''Robocop 2'', and assumes that OCP has already completed the Delta City project (which was one of the underlying threats of the original film) and is having to live with the consequences, while Robo is more directly tied to OCP interests and his immediate family. ''Robocop: Prime Directives'' (as stated by the producers) only regards the original film as canon, and assumes Robo/Murphy survived a decade in service (and his son grew up without ever seeing his father, unlike the 1994 series), while OCP never fully went through with the Delta City project, letting the city languish instead.
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==▼
* When the ''[[Star Fleet Battles]]'' game was established in 1979, it was based on the entirety of ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[Canon]] that existed at the time, which is to say [[Star Trek: The Original Series|the original series]], [[Star Trek: The Animated Series|the animated series]], and an assortment of [[Fan Fiction]]. As the
▲== Tabletop Games ==
▲* When the ''Star Fleet Battles'' game was established in 1979, it was based on the entirety of ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[Canon]] that existed at the time, which is to say [[Star Trek: The Original Series|the original series]], [[Star Trek: The Animated Series|the animated series]], and an assortment of [[Fan Fiction]]. As the [[Canon]] expanded and matured over the decades, the result was that SFB, which only had a license for said pre-1979 [[Canon]], came to be an Alternate Continuity where the movies and [[Spin-Off]] series are disregarded.
* The RPG of ''[[The Dresden Files (game)|The Dresden Files]]'' is '''mostly''' set in the same continuity of the books, but the conceit of the books (that Billy is writing it at Harry's behest to educate muggles about the supernatural) requires that Billy learn things that Dresden wouldn't tell ''anyone'' in the continuity of the books.
* ''[[Transformers]]'' has had this since day 1; while [[Marvel]]'s original [[The Transformers (animation)|cartoon]] and [[The Transformers (Marvel Comics)|comic]] from 1984 share the same characters, setting, and premise, they tell completely different and irreconcilable stories, and new continuities keep sprouting to the extent that fans group them into [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Continuity_family higher-order sets] to make sense of it all. Hasbro at one point [[canon]]ised this with the concept of a [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Universal_stream universal stream], groups of universes that more or less correspond to the existing franchises (and also include ''[[Go Bots]]'' and ''Robotix'')... and then apparently decanonised with with the launch of the ''[[Transformers Prime|Prime]]'' franchise, apparently because alternate universes were confusing and boring.
** Possibly re-canonised - Unicron, Primus and the big Thirteen are back in as we know and love them (With some minor changes to specifics).
* ''[[Monster High]]'' has several continuities: the doll's diaries, the cartoon series, and the novel series by Lisi Harrison. The diaries and the webisodes seem to follow the same plot line, and there is some debate over whether the TV specials are part of the same continuity as the webisodes. The novels, meanwhile, follow a completely different story.
* Every ''[[My Little Pony]]'' generation, and the cartoons, take place in an Alternate Continuity from the others before it. G1 in particular had many [[A Us]] - ''[[My Little Pony Tales]]'', the toys, ''[[My Little Pony and Friends]]'', and the British comics. It's arguable that the ''[[My Little Pony:
== [[Video Games]] ==
* Most of the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' games are set in different worlds from each other and most of the stories have nothing to do with each other.
* The ''[[Silent Hill]]'' series has one main continuity, but much ''[[Silent Hill]]'' media exists outside of it in mutually-exclusive sub-continuities. The movie exists in its own, ''[[Silent Hill: Shattered Memories]]'' exists in its own (both are divergent re-interpretations of the first game). The Play Novel and the older comics exist in their own continuities as well. Thankfully, the main continuity is given clear precedence over the splinters, hence, no [[Continuity Snarl]].
* ''[[Ultima Online]]'' is set in an Alternate Continuity wherein the Avatar never returned to Britannia after the events of the first Ultima game. This screws the
* The ''[[Metal Gear]]'' series has a few alternate continuities. There are two alternate [[sequel]]s to the original
** ''[[Metal Gear Acid]]'' is an Alternate Continuity based on ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''. All it really has in common is a quasi-real-world setting, and the [[Main Character]], whose personality and [[Backstory]] are both softened slightly. By the second ''Acid'' they'd abandoned all premise of a real-world setting and thrown in lots of cyborgs, [[People Jars]] and all sorts of mayhem. This time {{spoiler|Solid Snake wasn't even the same character from [[Metal Gear Acid|the previous game]] - he looked the part and had the same name but turned out to be a biological machine made in Solid Snake's likeness}}.▼
* In a partially successful effort to salvage [read:[[Continuity Reboot|reboot]]] the [[Franchise Zombie|zombified]] ''[[Spyro the Dragon]]'' franchise, ''[[The Legend of Spyro Trilogy]]'' completely discards all continuity from the previous
▲''[[Metal Gear Acid]]'' is an Alternate Continuity based on ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''. All it really has in common is a quasi-real-world setting, and the [[Main Character]], whose personality and [[Backstory]] are both softened slightly. By the second ''Acid'' they'd abandoned all premise of a real-world setting and thrown in lots of cyborgs, [[People Jars]] and all sorts of mayhem. This time {{spoiler|Solid Snake wasn't even the same character from [[Metal Gear Acid|the previous game]] - he looked the part and had the same name but turned out to be a biological machine made in Solid Snake's likeness}}.
** They're clearly throwing in a lot of [[Shout-Out
▲* In a partially successful effort to salvage [read:[[Continuity Reboot|reboot]]] the [[Franchise Zombie|zombified]] ''[[Spyro the Dragon]]'' franchise, ''[[The Legend of Spyro Trilogy]]'' completely discards all continuity from the previous [[Video Game|games]] except the two [[Main Character|main characters]], Spyro and Sparx, who still go through major changes in appearance and personality. The developers have gone as far as calling the first [[Video Game|game]] ''A New Beginning'' to highlight this.
▲** They're clearly throwing in a lot of [[Shout-Out|shout outs]], with Sparx in ''A New Beginning'' eating butterflies, and the appearance of Hunter - originally a character in ''Spyro 2''.
** Then, ''another'' reboot was attempted with ''[[Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure]]'', which introduces as many protagonists the players [[Gotta Catch Them All|can manage to get]].
** It can be argued that the post-
* The [[Nasuverse]] in general.
** The ''[[Tsukihime]]''
** [[Word of God]] has also stated that ''all'' the routes are technically [[Canon]] anyway, due to them being potential outcomes of the main scenario.▼
** ''[[Fate/stay night]]''- The
▲[[Word of God]] has also stated that ''all'' the routes are technically [[Canon]] anyway, due to them being potential outcomes of the main scenario.
** And then there's ''[[Kara no Kyoukai:
▲** ''[[Fate/stay night]]''- The [[Video Game|game]] has three radically different routes. The [[Anime]] mostly follows the main route, but mixes in elements and events from the other two. The [[Manga]] mostly follows the ''second'' route. And there's a [[Sequel]], ''[[Fate/hollow ataraxia]]'', which doesn't clearly indicate ''which'' route it follows. (The [[Mind Screw|nature of the story]] makes this possible, and it stays closest to the {{spoiler|Heaven's Feel}} route). However, no route has actually been outright declared as a "main" route, because all routes are technically canon as stated above.
▲** And then there's ''[[Kara no Kyoukai:|Kara no Kyoukai]]'', as well, which has several deviations between the novels and the anime, most notably Touko's appearance and the plot of the sixth novel/movie.
* The ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]'' franchise has multiple active continuities still getting releases, with even ''more'' continuities currently lying fallow. A full breakdown of all these continuities (and how they may or may not fit together) is available on the [[Shin Megami Tensei|SMT page]].
** The "original" SMT continuity is ''not'' the one that gets the lion's share of the focus these days; that honor goes to the Devil Summoner/Persona sub-series, which initially spun out of ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: if...]]''
* ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' series originally began as an alternate universe of the original ''[[Fatal Fury]]''/''[[Art of Fighting]]''
▲The "original" SMT continuity is ''not'' the one that gets the lion's share of the focus these days; that honor goes to the Devil Summoner/Persona sub-series, which initially spun out of ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: if...]]''. It's the first branch of SMT to be truly successful overseas (''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'' both breaking six-figures sold overall), turning SMT into a legitimate [[Cash Cow Franchise]] for Atlus.
▲* ''[[The King of Fighters]]'' series originally began as an alternate universe of the original ''[[Fatal Fury]]''/''[[Art of Fighting]]'' [[Canon]] as an excuse to mix and match characters from both series without aging or de-aging anyone, but eventually evolved into its own continuity as the series' overarching storyline began to focus more on the series' original characters. The ''Maximum Impact'' and ''KOF EX'' games are both set in their own alternate continuities from the main series.
* ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' went through a [[Continuity Reboot]] when Crystal Dynamics took over.
** And since then, it's spawned two alternate continuities with ''Lara Croft: Guardian of Light'' and the forthcoming title simply named ''[[Tomb Raider]]''.
** If one takes into account all of the
* ''Virtua Quest'' is a [[Spin-Off]]
* Not only do the ''[[Pokémon]]''
** Add this to the fact that the same
*** As an example of how screwed-up cross-continuity errors can get, the way one character behaves in one continuity may not be parallel with his or her counterpart in another. May from the [[Pokémon (anime)|''Pokémon
*** Other example: Red from [[Pokémon Red and Blue|the]] [[Pokémon Gold and Silver|games]], [[The Messiah|Ash]] from [[Pokémon (anime)|the anime]], Ash from ''The Electric Tale of Pikachu'', [[The Hero|Red]] from [[Pokémon Special]]. All with different characterizations, all in different continuities, and all with enough physical similarities to get them confused with each other if you aren't familiar with how the continuities work.
*** Even Gym Leaders are different if you compare the
* Giant spoiler warning for ''[[Ever 17]]'' to the extent if you know this ahead of time, story is ruined for you. {{spoiler|Subverted. All events of the original four paths actually happen plus some stuff they leave out to avoid ruining the [[Tomato Surprise|climax.]] They're tied together by happening on two different points in the timeline plus an attempted [[Tricked-Out Time|fix]] so that the ending would be less bittersweet/downer, depending on the route.}}
* The [[Spin-Off]] ''[[Klonoa]]'' titles are all set in alternate continuities from the main series.
* ''[[Ghostbusters the Video Game]]'' considers the two ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' [[film]]s as [[Canon]], with several [[Mythology Gag|references even to minor details in those films]]. It does not consider ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' to be [[canon]]ical, as most of the characters are depictions of the actors from the movie that, quite possibly, were specifically designed to look as little like the cartoon as possible while still being the same characters (Egon has dark hair for example). However, it does borrow some ideas from the cartoon, such as the idea that all Ghosts are made of slime/ectoplasm, and they don't keep Slimer as a friend/pet, but they DO keep him in his own cage separate from the main containment facility.
* The ''[[Double Dragon]]'' games have many plot differences between their original arcade incarnations and their corresponding NES counterparts. However, every game in the series since the SNES-exclusive ''Super Double Dragon'' is stand-alone.
* Where do we even start with ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]''? We have the [[Video Game|games]], we have [[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog|four]] [[Sonic Sat AM|separate]] [[Sonic Underground|cartoon]] [[Sonic X|series]] and we have a comic based on ''[[Sonic Sat AM|SatAM]]'' but later diverged into its own continuity. Then in the UK we also have the novels, a series of [[Choose Your Own Adventure]] books by the same writers but forming their own continuity (to add to the confusion, one of these is an [[Adaptation Expansion]] of the second [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]] [[Video Game|game]]), and a ''completely different'' [[Sonic the Comic|comic]] as well as a collection of stand-alone comic strips which ''aren't part of that continuity.'' And then there's the
** Then there's the Sonic [[OVA]], as well as the debate as to whether or not everything post ''Sonic Adventure'' is its own
*** ''[[Sonic Generations]]'' confirmed that the early games and post-Adventure are the same canon.
** As for the
* [[SNK]]/Playmore has released a bunch of [[No Export for You|Japan only]] cellphone games- many of them [[Dating Sim]]s or [[Raising Sim]]s that feature alternate versions of characters from its vast [[Fighting Game]] library. The Alternate Continuity is especially accented for example, in the games that take place in modern times but have characters from ''[[Samurai Shodown|Samurai Spirits]]'' show up- quite often as the male protagonist's potential romantic interest. Or in the case of [[Ninja Maid|Iroha]] for one [[Raising Sim]], as a plain old human version that you strive to make the damned best maid in the world.
* There are at least four different continuities in the ''[[Rayman]]'' games. The first game takes place in a surreal, cartoony world where everyone has [[Raymanian Limbs]]. Then there is the ''[[Rayman 2: The Great Escape]]'' universe that serves as the setting for all subsequent games (''Rayman M'', ''Rayman 3'' '''and''' including ''[[Raving Rabbids]]''; this is important later in this paragraph), a slightly more realistic fantasy realm. There are no ties to the universe or storyline from the first game and Rayman is now the only limbless character.<ref>A [[Cameo]] by the General from ''[[Tonic Trouble]]'' suggests that ''Tonic Trouble'' takes place in this universe too. ''Tonic Trouble'' takes place on a surreal version of Earth where everyone has [[Raymanian Limbs]], which flatly contradicts the slightly more realistic version of Earth we see in the ''Rabbids'' games, so let's keep things from getting too complicated and keep that out of the discussion, shall we?</ref> Then there is the [[Animated Adaptation|TV series]] which has yet another different cast and universe. The presence of [[Space Pirates|Admiral]] [[Captain Color Beard|Razorbeard]], the antagonist of ''
* ''[[Alone in the Dark]]: The New Nightmare'' is in a different continuity than the original series, but the 2008
* ''[[
* ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' was a pretty awesome Wild West sandbox
* '''[[F-Zero]]'' has its main continuity with ''F-Zero'', ''F-Zero X'' and ''F-Zero GX''. Its alternate continuities are ''F-Zero: Maximum Velocity'' (which takes place 25 years after the events of the first
* One of the more common explanations for why so little of PC-98 games have shown up since ''[[Touhou]]'' moved to Windows is that they're in a separate continuity. Though the PC-98 games [[Negative Continuity|barely had continuity]]...
* ''[[Tron 2.0]]'' was considered the sequel to ''[[Tron]]'', until it was rendered non-canon by ''[[Tron: Legacy]]''.
* ''[[BioShock Infinite]]'' takes place in another continuity rather than the main ''[[BioShock (series)|BioShock]]'' setting.
* ''[[Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds]]'' differs from [[The War of the Worlds (novel)|the original book]] and the [[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds|rock opera]] that inspired it by taking place in an alternate universe where the humans aren't quite so outmatched, and the Martians remembered to take their flu shots.
* In the first ''[[Disgaea]]'', the good ending is considered canon but, the game ''[[Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?]]'' is canon from the "normal" ending. You can tell considering that {{spoiler|Prinny Laharl}} shows up as a boss.
* Two versions of the fourth ''[[Ys]]'' game were produced concurrently, ''Ys IV: Mask of the Sun'' for the [[Super Famicom]] (Falcom's canonical version) and ''Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys'' for the [[TurboGrafx-16]] CD. They have the same characters and places but are completely different in terms of plot.
* The ''[[Harvest Moon]]'' games aren't known for having a steady timeline but there are several different continuities at least. The original SNES game shares a continuity with ''[[Harvest Moon 64]]'' and ''Tree of Tranquility'', the [[Distaff Counterpart]] versions are in different continuities with each other, ''Friends of Mineral Town'' take place in the same continuity as ''A Wonderful Life'' and ''DS'', the two Game Boy games take place in one continuity of their own...
* ''[[Ultima
▲* ''[[Ultima Java]]'' originally had a multiverse, however since January 2010, the concept of a multiverse has been removed. However the pre-reboot continuity titled ''Universe 2'', is still considered an alternate continuity to the main comic ''Ultima-Java: History''.
* ''Crimson Latex'' was cancelled, but all the characters were later re-used for ''[[Collar 6]]''.
== [[Web Original]] ==
▲== Web Original ==
* ''[[Red Panda Adventures]]''—The original "Panda Squadron" series.
* According to [[Word of God]], each ''[[Bunny Kill]]'' installment takes place in a continuity separate from the others.
* The rebooted ''[[Darwin's Soldiers]]'' RP on Furtopia (''not'' the first incarnation) takes place in a different continuity than the trilogy and the original first RP. In turn, the trilogy is a different continuity than Furtopia RPs.
* ''[[MSF High Forum]]'': The IRC channels are another place to role-play with one's characters, and things often go in a completely different direction than on the forum itself. Certain notable examples: Jax has the memory of his old life back, Robin is a Legion, Karn is actually a nice guy, and don't get us started on Demona...
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Transformers]]'', to the point where even dedicated fans still can't really keep track without [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Image:Continuities.png a map]. This is compounded by the companies responsible for the franchise in the US and Japan actually disagreeing on continuity - ''[[Transformers Cybertron]]'' (known as ''Galaxy Force'' in Japan), for instance, is a standalone series according to Takara, but Hasbro considers it to be in continuity with the previous two franchises in the
** The problem is also compounded by Takara attempting to stuff everything (bar the Unicron Trilogy and ''[[Transformers Animated]]'') into the Generation 1 universe.
** Takara later retconned Cybertron back into being a sequel to Arm/Ene.
** The new{{when}} ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' is off on its own continuity.
** The multiple incarnations of the ''Generation 1'' universe in the comics.
** And all the children's books.
** And the Armada/discontinued ''Energon'' comic.
*** The snarl of continuities is enough to require classification [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Universal_stream within the work itself]. According to the best in-universe sources (the [[Transformers: TransTech]] continuity, which acts as the de facto hub of the Transformers multiverse) there are at at least 15,962,782 cataloged "universal streams" (read: alternate continuities) known to exist, with 1,176,325 of those having "come to termination". Those are just the ones that they know of- the actual number is undoubtedly much larger than this.
* [[Word of God]] is that the ''[[Madagascar]]'' film and the [[Spin-Off]] TV series ''[[The Penguins of Madagascar]]'' are in alternate continuities.
* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' has had so many continuities, that in the ''[[Turtles Forever]]'' special, they made it where every continuity was actually an [[Alternate Dimension]] in a ''TMNT'' [[Multiverse]].
** With one exception: ''[[Ninja Turtles: The
* [[ThunderCats (1985 series)|The 1985 cartoon series ''ThunderCats'']] has [[ThunderCats (2011 series)|the 2011 reboot]].
* ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' has a TV series that is completely different from both movies that share its name. It takes place in the time of the second movie, but Killer, a character from the first movie, is in it.
* ''[[The Emperor's New School]]'', the spin-off to ''[[The Emperor's New Groove]]'', [[Retcon]]s Kuzco's [[Character Development]] from an egotistical [[Jerkass]], and has Kronk still working with Yzma, who has the [[Paper Thin Desguise]] of Principal [[Sdrawkcab Name|Amzy]].
*
** Except ''[[Ben 10: Alien Swarm]]'', which even got two entire episodes that had the original characters from the movie and mentioned the events straight from the movie.
{{reflist}}
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