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{{quote|''"Who the fuck is Marth, and why is unlocking him considered a reward?"''|'''Yahtzee''', ''[[
So a series doesn't quite manage to make the jump into other countries. [[No Export for You|It happens.]] Sometimes this work may cross over with another series, and characters from it may appear in something else, typically in a non-starring role. Official crossovers, extended company in-jokes, whatever, Product B has characters and whatnot from Product A...
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...and then, for whatever reason, Product B manages to come out in a new market ''before'' Product A does. Meaning that the characters of Product A get their debut... in a product that isn't theirs at all. This causes people to assume that an [[Easter Egg]] character from Product B got their own spinoff in the form of Product A.
That's how Marth Debuted In [[Super Smash Bros|Smash Bros]] (in the West, anyway). A fairly peculiar subtrope of [[No Export for You]] that applies often to video games but can happen in any medium where a product is blocked or delayed at length from reaching other countries and then gets referenced in another work. Distinct from [[Sequel First]] in that this often involves characters debuting in crossover works that are often ''nothing like'' their "core" franchises or are at best tangentially connected. This happens to Japanese products fairly often as companies, especially fan-oriented ones, like to have cameos and such as a [[Fan Service|nod to their fans]]. Note that the "source" products for the characters may ''eventually'' come out in other countries, but the fact remains that they debuted in other markets in other, often decidedly odd ways. It's also worth noting that if this happens [[Screwed
Sometimes an example of [[Tropes Are Not Bad]], since this can drum up interest in the game or series in question, causing it to be localized. The [[Trope Namer]] is one of these positive examples.
See also [[Sequel First]], [[Adaptation First]]. May lead to [[Remade for
{{examples|Examples (sorted by the original source material):}}
== Anime & Manga ==
* The cast of ''[[
* This occurred to ''[[Mazinger Z]]'' in large parts of Europe and the Middle East; ''[[UFO Robo Grendizer]]'' was translated and shown in countries such as Italy and France first, and when ''Mazinger'' finally aired in response to the surprise popularity of ''Grendizer'', it was seen as a '''cheap knockoff''' of ''Grendizer'', especially since Kouji Kabuto, the hero of ''Mazinger'', appears in ''Grendizer'' in a supporting role (despite the series sort-of-not-really being a direct sequel.) This was exacerbated even further because [[Macekre|Kouji's name was somewhat unnecessarily changed between the two shows]], making people think that "Kouji Kabuto" was a bad knockoff of Duke Fleed's buddy "Alcor".
** Technically ''Grendizer'' beat ''Mazinger'' to American airwaves as well, but due to [[Macekre|name changes and the like]] the phenomenon went unnoticed.
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* ''[[Kinnikuman]]'' - While neither, the original manga nor anime were licensed for the US, toy company Mattel did sell a toyline of ''Kinnikuman'' figures under the name of ''M.U.S.C.L.E.'' When the sequel series, ''Kinnikuman Nisei'', was later adapted to the US, the title was changed to ''Ultimate Muscle'' in order to tie the series with Mattel's figures.
* The only American appearance of ''Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru'' (1988) is the US game "Keith Courage in the Alpha Zones". The anime has yet to appear as of 2009.
* ''[[
** Who here was familiar with ''[[Doctor Slump]]'' before Goku and General Blue visited Penguin Village?
*** In Spain, ''[[Doctor Slump]]'' was popular too.
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** ''Fusion Reborn'' was released in North America in March 2006. Before that, the video game ''Budokai 3'' had Gogeta as a playable character in 2004, and 2005's ''Budokai Tenkaichi'' had Gogeta and the movie's antagonist, Janemba. Gogeta was also in the game ''Ultimate Battle 22'', but they tried to cover it up by calling him Vegito (another fusion). ''Budokai 3'' also came out a few months before ''[[Dragon Ball GT]]'' ended, so it additionally spoiled Omega Shenron and Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta. The aforementioned Gogeta is also playable in his Super Saiyan 4 state from the end of GT, making him a double spoiler.
** ''Raging Blast 2'' averts this with Hatchiyack, since the game comes with a remake of the anime special he debuted in. However, it's played straight with Tarble, from the yet-to-be-dubbed ''Son Goku and his Friends Return''.
* Since ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
* In a cross media example, ''[[Professor Layton and The Eternal Diva]]'' introduced some new characters from the not-yet-released-outside-of-Japan prequel trilogy to the western world. (Mainly in Europe - in America the movie was delayed just long enough for the first game to be released first.)
* FUNimation licensed the first season of ''[[To Aru Majutsu no Index]]'' and ''Toaru Kagaku no Railgun'', and Seven Seas Entertainment is releasing Index's sidestory manga (now known as ''A Certain Scientific Railgun''), but the real kicker is [http://sevenseasentertainment.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=7037&sid=e3d5f7bf44bb6d2651b962c795ef85d6 SSE commenting that the Index novels are unlikely to be brought over due to its sheer number of volumes].
* ''[[Bleach]]'s'' fourth movie introduced a character named [[Bleach Movies|Kokuto]] who would later go on to appear in the videogame ''Bleach: Soul Ignition''. Nothing wrong here; the movie wouldn't be dubbed for a good few years and the game would probably never see the light of day outside of Japan ([[No Export for You|As is, sadly, the case with most Bleach videogames]]). ''Then, however'' comes the news that N.I.S America are releasing the game in the West under the slightly modified title; ''Bleach Soul Resurrección''. And apart from the name and the opening theme song which had to be changed due to [[Screwed
* The entire cast of ''[[Wangan Midnight]] Maximum Tune'', an arcade game released worldwide, comes from the manga and anime series ''Wangan Midnight''. Despite the former first being serialized in 1992, [[No Export for You|neither the manga nor the anime have seen an official release outside of Japan]].
* A number of Mobile Suits from various [[Gundam]] series made their American debut in video games long before their series reached the US (''[[Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
* Many playing ''Pokémon Pinball'' outside of Japan when it first came out probably didn't realize that the tune that plays during the "capture" mode is "Mezase Pokémon Masutaa", the original opening to the Pokémon anime.
** Same deal with the ''[[
* ''[[Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure
** However, this series is pretty much a global case of "[[Growing the Beard|Third]] [[First Installment Wins|Installment Wins]]". Just take a look at the series page.
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== Video Games ==
== [[Action Adventure]] ==
* One of the alternate character skins becomes this in the Japanese version of 2008's ''[[Prince of Persia]]'' game. After beating the game, you unlock an alternate skin for the Prince's sidekick, Elika, which makes her look like Jade from ''[[Beyond Good
== [[Action Game]] ==
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== [[Mecha Game]] ==
* In ''SSBM'', there were several trophies that came from ''[[
* The ''[[Robot Wars (TV series)|Robot Wars]]'' game ''Arenas of Destruction'' featured Terrohurtz amongst its robots. The game was based on the 4th season, and Terrohurtz would not appear until the 5th (which didn't start until after the game was released).
* Technically, ''[[Super Robot Wars Original Generation]]'' did this to all the cast members who appeared in the "main" games of the ''[[Super Robot Wars]]'' series, to say nothing of Elzam, who [[Canon Immigrant|DID debut in Original Generation]] before appearing in Alpha 2.
** Similarly, ''Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: [[Endless Frontier]]'' is the North American debut of Reiji and Xiaomu, the protagonists of ''[[
* The first robots from ''Warrior Mech Gauss'' shown to international audiences were trophies in ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''.
== Multiple ==
* Though previously released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan, Melee's trophy list included characters from ''[[
** Yet another ''Smash'' example, though it's so strange and unexpected that it's almost funny. In 2006, a little game for the Nintendo DS came out in Japan called ''Shaberu! DS Cooking Navi''. [[Exactly What It Says
* In ''[[
* Though [[Konami]] has refused to release ''[[Tokimeki Memorial]]'' in Western countries, a few references to the series in other Konami games released internationally got through, such as Yae's "Kirameki Uniform" (aka the Summer version of the iconic [[Sailor Fuku]] of the first ''Tokimemo'' game) in ''[[Ganbare Goemon|Goemon's Great Adventure]]'', or the Kaori Yae (the [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] of ''Tokimeki Memorial 2'') Dog Tag in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty]]''.
== [[Platform Game]] ==
* Starfy, the star of ''[[The Legendary Starfy]]'' series:
** He was an Assist Trophy in ''Brawl.''
** Starfy also got a cameo in ''Super [[Super Mario Bros.|Princess Peach]]''. And even before then, on a poster in ''[[Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga
** He finally made his first American appearance in 2009, with the DS game (which was actually the fifth game in the series).
* Fans of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' often insist that certain details about the characters, such as Tails' [[Gadgeteer Genius]] skills and Eggman's goofiness first appeared in ''Sonic Adventure''. In reality, this was actually a case of [[All There in the Manual]] mixed with [[No Export for You]], as the Japanese manuals and supplemental material revealed these facts from the start. There were hints in-game, however, such as Tails' mechanical know-how in ''[[Sonic Triple Trouble]]'' or ''[[Tails Adventure]]'' (he has a personal submarine, for one thing). Even more notably, in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', Tails fixed Sonic's plane, the Tornado, by affixing a jet beneath it when it was shot down at the start of Wing Fortress Zone, and in such a short amount of time as to be ready to pick Sonic up at the end of the stage ''no more than ten minutes later''.
* Thanks to the magic of [[Vaporware]], Conker the Squirrel made his debut in ''Diddy Kong Racing'' in '97. The game he was supposed to star in, ''Conker's Quest'', was in [[Development Hell]], and wouldn't come out for three years, during which time it took an adult swerve and was renamed ''[[
** Don't forget that Banjo, star of the later title [[Banjo-Kazooie]], also debuted in Diddy Kong Racing. Tiptup appeared in BK too.
** Timber was also supposed to have his own game after DKR, with Bumper and Pipsy as his sidekicks.
* Shaft was cut from the only port of ''[[Castlevania Rondo of Blood]]'' that America or Europe got prior to 2007. This led to him mind-controlling Richter in ''[[Symphony of the Night]]'' with pretty much no introduction.
** Getsu Fuuma, from the Famicom [[Action RPG]] ''Getsu Fuuma Den'', first appeared outside Japan in ''[[Castlevania
== [[Puzzle Game]] ==
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== Role Playing Game ==
* A rather notorious example in SSB is Lucas in ''Brawl''. Fans have been hollering for a ''[[
** Before him, Ness from ''[[Earthbound]]'' has been in all three ''Smash Bros.'' games despite his own game never being released in Europe.
** On a side note, Nintendo ''[[From a Certain Point of View|did]]'' release "Mother 3" outside of Japan... the soundtrack of the game, on iTunes. Only to pull it off of the iTunes store after a while.
* Some of the cast of the first and second ''[[Atelier]]'' games finally appeared in America... in the Gust game ''[[Ar Tonelico]]'', in a bonus level of the dream states for the heroines. This happened nearly ''ten years'' after the debut of the first ''Atelier'' game. The characters finally made their solo debut in the Western market in manga form, but the ''Atelier'' games that ''Ar Tonelico'' referenced still aren't out in the States.
** This has gotten even more ridiculous and more Marth-like with the game ''[[Cross Edge
*** And now, with ''[[Trinity Universe (
** Speaking of ''[[Cross Edge
** Relatedly, the ''Atelier'' series first came to the US via the ''Iris'' subseries, which was an attempt to use some of the ''Atelier'' concepts in a more standard RPG -- namely, one with a male lead and a Defeat The [[Big Bad]] main plot. The fact that ''these'' were the ones that finally managed to get companies interested in a US release is irksome to some fans, as well.
** In a franchise sense, the newest ''Atelier'' games are now coming over, Rorona and Annie respectively... which means that this trope has happened ''again''. Liese Randel in ''[[Atelier Annie]]'' shows up in the second year of gameplay to help out our heroine and seemingly has a bit of history... history which is covered in ''her own game'', ''Atelier Liese'', which didn't make it out of Japan<ref>For reasons related to [[Game Breaking Bugs]] in the initial release</ref> meaning English gamers only know her from ''Annie''.
* Cless Albane and Arche Klein, of ''[[
** Don't forget Eugene and Annie from ''[[
** Can't forget that ''[[
** ''[[
*** And another rather interesting thing; technically, Philia's trademark mystic arte/Blast Caliber, Sacred Penance (or Sacred Blame) actually debuted in ''[[
** ''[[
** ''Tales of Graces f'' will have three of these upon its western release in the forms of Veigue Lungberg (''Tales of Rebirth''), Reala (''Tales of Destiny 2'') and Kohak Hearts (''Tales of Hearts''). None of whom have had their games released outside of Japan.
*** However; Reala was referenced in ''[[
*** This also isn't counting how many cartas have cameos.
* A peculiar ''intra-series'' instance of this involves the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series. The games tend to reuse themes, but Western audiences were denied several of the original games for quite a while. So, for example, while practically every game has "Gysahl Greens", the place it's named after wasn't seen until ''[[
** ''[[
*** ''FF 3'' is especially prone to this as it was the only game of the original six to not get any sort of remake or port for said sixteen years after its initial Famicom release. And to give an idea of how often the first six Final Fantasies are ported/remade for those not familiar with the series' history: the first two games, originally released on the Famicom, were not only released on the Wonderswan Color and PSP as separate titles, but were released as a combo game on the [[PS 1]], the GBA... and the Famicom. Yes, they were recycling their success so fast, they did it on the ''same system it debuted on'' and still never got around to FF 3. On the one hand, considering their utter lack of success at selling anything before ''Final Fantasy'' (as the famous story goes, the series got it's oft-ridiculed name because it was to be their last attempt at a game before going out of business,) one can hardly blame them for wanting to ride it for all it was worth... oh, and as another note on just how amazing it is that 3 never got a remake for as long as it did, the other five of the original six all got remakes/ports on the [[PS 1]] (as did Chrono Trigger) and the GBA, and the Wonderswan Color had remakes of 1, 2, and 4 - the remake for 3 was canceled. It was a surprise when they not only actually went through with the DS remake for FF3, but also released it internationally.
** Minor example of this with Gilgamesh first appearing in North America in ''[[
** Lone Wolf and Gogo both first appeared in Japan and Europe in ''[[
** Cissnei's appearance in ''[[Crisis Core]]'' was the first time Western audiences met her, but she was actually featured in ''[[Before Crisis]]'' which came out three or four years prior and was never released outside Japan.
** Another example is the recurring Job Class of Dragoons, which originally came out in ''[[Final Fantasy II (Video Game)|Final Fantasy II]]'' with the character Ricard Highwind. It would also appear again in ''[[
* Terra from ''[[
* In Europe the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' games [[No Export for You|weren't released until the 7th game]] (Then came the port/remake storm...), so when ''[[Secret of Evermore]]'' was released, years before ''[[
** And some of the ''[[
* ''[[
** The first three games weren't released in PAL regions, making their characters examples.
** ''[[Dragon Quest Monsters]]''. The first game had enemies from ''[[
** While Yangus, the cockney thief from ''[[
* The characters of the ''[[Far East Of Eden]]'' RPG series (which started in 1989) only ever appeared outside Japan in the [[Neo Geo]] fighting game "Kabuki Klash" in 1995.
* A surprising one: Western players got to see some ''[[Pokémon]]'' first on the ''[[Game Boy Camera]]''. Those were Pikachu, Meowth, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur and, surprisingly enough, ''[[Secret Character|Mew]]''. Oddly, there weren't [[Urban Legend of Zelda|rumors]] involving this thing!
* A few ''[[
== Shoot Em Up ==
* Barely averted with fellow assist trophy Saki Amamiya. His game ''[[Sin and Punishment]]'' was made available to Americans on the Virtual Console mere months before Brawl's release, more than seven years after its initial Japanese release.
* A similar case to the [[Super Smash Bros|Smash Bros.]] one: In the newest ''[[Sega Superstars]]'' game, ''Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing,'' the two protagonists of ''<s>[[House of the Dead]] EX</s>'' "[[Never Say "Die"|HOTD EX]]" Zobio and Zobiko, appear as fully playable racers, despite [[No Export for You|their game not leaving Japan and All-Stars Racing not leaving Western countries.]]
** Similarly, the [[Sega Superstars]] series have also renewed popularity in and brought about a new generation of fans for [[Space Channel 5]] , [[Fantasy Zone]] , [[Jet Set Radio]] , [[Samba De Amigo]] and [[Billy Hatcher and
== [[Simulation Game]] ==
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* The [[Trope Namer]] and current world record holder of this trope is, of course, Marth, the star of the original ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' game who made his (and the series as a whole) Western debut in ''[[Super Smash Bros]] Melee'', over a decade after the first ''Fire Emblem'' game was released in Japan. His presence and popularity motivated Nintendo to release ''Fire Emblem'' games in the West at last. However, since that series uses mostly [[Non-Linear Sequel|Non-Linear Sequels]], until 2009 Marth would not appear in any of his own games, despite appearing in ''Super Smash Brothers'' twice! However, in 2009 the [[Nintendo DS]] remake of his game finally, FINALLY reached Western shores. This was around '''eight years''' after the various Western releases of ''Super Smash Brothers: Melee'' and almost '''''nineteen years''''' after his initial Famicom debut in Japan!
** Roy actually ''did'' debut in ''Melee'' - his own game hadn't come out yet in Japan when the game was released, and his inclusion (and possibly Marth's as well) was meant to promote the upcoming game. His game never even made it to America, who instead got the prequel starring his father Eliwood. For Europe and Australia, however, this is a straight example, as ''Melee'' came out there a few months after ''The Sword of Seals'' was released in Japan.
** Technically, Marth debuted in the USA (as "[[Spell My Name
** As it stands, Ike is the only playable ''Fire Emblem'' character that avoids this all together, even having a second game before his ''Smash Bros''. debut.
** With past characters confirmed to appear in [[Fire Emblem Awakening]] as DLC or otherwise, this trope is almost certian to be invoked for the stateside release. So far [[Fire Emblem Jugdral|Siglud, Arden, Ayra, Levin, Lachesis, Cuan, Alvis, Diadora, Yuria, Nanna]] and [[Fire Emblem Elibe|Lillina]] are expected to invoke this trope with more to come.
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