History Main / AllThereInTheManual

** ''VideoGame/TRONEvolution'' explains most of this as well, but is much more vague and less sympathetic towards Clu. For now, it appears that the comic is canon.

* ''AmongTheChosen'' has extensive liner notes about the art and universe at the bottom of each page. As well as the [=FAQs=] and cast pages, some of which are a little hard to get to.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', a large amount of supplementary information such as the history and details of locations or the names and background info of minor characters and animals comes from Nickelodeon website and DVDCommentary. The creators have since expanded on this and additional info can also be found within the four ''Lost Scrolls'' books, based on screenplays of the show.

** The sequel series ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' features only a brief tease about the dangling plot thread of Zuko's mother. You have to read the comics to find what really happened.

** The sequel series ''TheLegendOfKorra'' features only a brief tease about the dangling plot thread of Zuko's mother. You have to read the comics to find what really happened.

* In the Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing {{Crossover}} fanfic DemonOfJustice a list of the Gods of Norfressa is provided. It [[HaveYouSeenMyGod differs]] from the canon version from the [[TheWarGods Oath Of Swords]] books. This is a plot point.

* Most of the world building in "Fanfic/MiracleChild" takes place on the work's tumblr rather than in the story itself. This is understandable, since bogging down the work with tidbits on how the [[Webcomic/HomeStuck Alternian Empire]] works and what the various canon characters are doing would quickly leave no room for the plot.

* FanFic/ToTheStars author Hieronym has a tumblr account specifically dedicated to giving extra information that doesn't fit in the narrative (along with answering questions, posting character bios, and giving ideas for spin-off stories).

* Certain information (including age, hometown, and in some cases appearance) about the characters in ''[[{{Fanfic/Plasmas Folly}} Plasma's Folly]]'' does not appear in the story, but may instead be found in an illustrated character profiles page that the author rarely updates.

* Many details in FanFic/TheGreatSlaveKing only appear in the author's notes and responses.

** There are two novels by Takeshi Shudo, a major writer for the anime, that give [[http://cindysuke.tumblr.com/post/34817930237/the-facts-about-pokemon-world-lol insight into]] [[http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f313/world-according-takeshi-shudo-15688/ the world.]] It tells us stuff like what happened to Ash's father, Brock's father is his step-father, and that ten year olds are legal adults (they can get arrested, they have to pay taxes, [[{{Squick}} they can get married..]]). A lot of the info isn't canon nowadays but it does make sense in the Kanto days, like how Officer Jenny was able to jail a bunch of kids so easily.

* In ''FanFic/StarsAbove'', a [[IntercontinuityCrossOver crossover]] between LuckyStar and Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica, [[spoiler:the true names, natures, and backstories of the Demons called the Nine are revealed almost exclusively through [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7920813/1/ the Demon Profiles]], written in the style of the Witch Cards from the official Madoka website.]]

** Although, this is usually minutiae such as weapon or attack names or height and weight. You don't need to know that KamenRiderKiva's Rider Kick is called the Darkness Moon Break and that it has the strength of 30 tons of TNT to enjoy the show.

* Back before there were [=DVDs=] or the Internet to provide you with summaries of deleted scenes, you had to read the novelization of ''SupermanII'' to find out how Superman got his powers back.
* A portion of the plot of ''TheMatrixRevolutions'', as well as certain sections of ''TheMatrixReloaded'', are explained only in the video game, ''EnterTheMatrix''. Also, there's a "bridge" episode between the ''Film/TheMatrix'' and ''TheMatrixReloaded'' in ''Anime/TheAnimatrix''.

* The 2001 remake of PlanetOfTheApes had a bizarre GainaxEnding in which [[spoiler: Leo returns to his time, only to find that the Earth had been conquered a 2nd time by General Thade before he got there.]] If you visited the (now defunct) official website, it would explain that [[spoiler: Thade accessed the Oberon's computer system while he was trapped in it and learned about the real history of the world. Afterwards, he managed to escape, fishing Leo's pod out of the swamp where it had crashed and fixing it to working order before riding off to the electromagnetic storm and arriving back on Earth before Leo did, where he staged a second rebellion.]]

** Many of the background ponies/minor characters are never named in-show, their names only being found on toy packaging or trading cards. This even extends to supporting characters' surnames/middle names; Trixie's surname is "Lulamoon" and Diamond Tiara's middle name is "Dazzle". The greatest example of this is probably the Changeling Queen. She's never referred to by name in the show proper. Her name (Chrysalis), was relegated to AllThereInTheScript until the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW comics]] came out and made it official.
** The upcoming book ''[[http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316228192 Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell]]'' contains a lot of worldbuilding that never shows up in the show. It also expounds a fair bit on Princess Cadance's backstory, something the show barely even mentions.

* While it's not critical to playing the games, the VideoGame/KingsQuest manuals have massive amounts of BackStory and character notes. The Peter Spear player's guide cranks it UpToEleven with a creation myth for the universe the series is set in, documents "written" by the characters, and a fictional history of Daventry. And that's not even touching the {{Fanon}} on the universe...

* For ''{{Bionicle}}'' - besides the fact that the toys are some of those have no story material included at all - the main story has to focus on current toy sets, so information on other characters and general world-building can be the domain of supplemental guidebooks and web-published side stories (and occasionally WordOfGod).

* ComicBook/FallOutToyWorks has a good chunk of background info glossed over in the comic (Baron's rise to power, the Toymaker's previous involvement in an anti-Baron smuggling operation/art collective, the Second Industrial Revolution, etc.) was mentioned on the comic's minisite. The section the information was included on is currently broken. Whoops.

** ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' is notorious for this: the significance of Dr. Halsey, why she distrusts NOBLE Team, the [[spoiler:Forerunner artifact, Cortana, the ''Pillar of Autumn'']], and even the ''setting'' won't make full sense unless you've played the first game and read both ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach'', ''Literature/HaloGhostsOfOnyx'', and Halsey's Journal (which only came with the Limited/Legendary edition of the game), [[http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=personnel&cid=24040 this in-universe communication]] on Bungie's official website, the [[http://www.halopedia.org/Data_Drop Waypoint Data Drops]], ''and'' the 2010/2011 reprint of ''The Fall of Reach'', in order to settle what might otherwise seem to be ''Halo: Reach'''s contradictions with earlier Expanded Universe material.

** Really, at this point, any sane person simply throws their hands up and accepts that neither Hedeki Anno nor Gainax have any [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] clue about what the canon or the '''plot''' of ''NGE'' actually is. The BEST case scenario is that they're just making it up from one iteration to the next but the possibility there ''was'' at some point a plot which has long since been literally lost is just as likely. Either way, it'll be retconned by the time the next metaphorical manual comes out. Yeesh.

* Some of the attractions at the DisneyThemeParks have backstories, but you have to look in books and promotional materials for the parks to find it.

* A classic example: If you're mystified by movie ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'', try the ArthurCClarke novel of the same name. It even has a nifty ''{{Stargate|Verse}}''.

* A large amount of {{Company0051}}'s background is detailed in supplementary artwork, including the history and locations of [[Franchise/{{Halo}} the Chief's]] scars and the names and designs of everyone in the encampment. It's well worth checking out.

** ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' is notorious for this: the significance of Dr. Halsey, why she distrusts NOBLE Team, the [[spoiler:Forerunner artifact, Cortana, the ''Pillar of Autumn'']], and even the ''setting'' won't make full sense unless you've played the first game and read both ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach'' and ''Literature/HaloGhostsOfOnyx''.
*** Even if you have, you'll also need to read Halsey's Journal (which only came with the Limited/Legendary edition of the game), [[http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=personnel&cid=24040 this in-universe communication]] on Bungie's official website, the [[http://www.halopedia.org/Data_Drop Waypoint Data Drops]], ''and'' the 2010/2011 reprint of ''The Fall of Reach'', in order to settle what might otherwise seem to be ''Halo: Reach'''s contradictions with earlier Expanded Universe material.
** All of that is nothing compared with ''{{Halo 4}}''; numerous players who were not familiar with the [[HaloGlasslands Kilo]]-[[Literature/HaloTheThursdayWar Five]] trilogy, Literature/TheForerunnerSaga, and/or the terminals from ''Halo 3'' and ''4'' expressed severe confusion about the story, ranging from why the Chief is fighting the Elites again to the very identity of [[spoiler:the Librarian and the Didact.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}}'' has the [[http://crewofomens.tumblr.com Crew Of Omens Blog]] where they take questions and hold chats, and the [[http://soundslikejeff.wordpress.com/ Sound Designers' Blog]], where they detail the sound art created for the show.

** This also happened with Kubrick's ''TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''. The novel, which was written by ArthurCClarke in collaboration with Kubrick at the same time the film was made, explains more of what is going on with the final "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" sequence.

** The book and movie complement each other. The book explains the confusing parts of the movie including the starchild, and the movie conveyed the writing through spectacular imagery. The reason for this was that the book was written as the same time as the film.

** This actually has an effect on TheUltimates too, since Hulk's first appearance was in said team-up book, [[AsYouKnow though it's mentioned briefly]] in the second issue.

* This actually has an effect on TheUltimates too, since Hulk's first appearance was in said team-up book, [[AsYouKnow though it's mentioned briefly]] in the second issue.

** Several of Ultimate Spider-Man's first encounters with other heroes and villains were only collected in an Ultimate Marvel Team-Up limited series. Not only is it hard to find anywhere else besides online stores, but it resolved a minor sub-plot ''from the main book''. This leads to moments that may leave the reader scratching their head, such as Curt Connors (The Lizard)having a talk with Peter, or Peter seeing ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' as one of the many faces flashing in his mind during a near-death experience, despite the fact those two characters hadn't made a single appearance in the main series until then.