History Main / OriginsEpisode

* The tenth episode of ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' is dedicated to [[DarkMagicalGirl Homura]]'s backstory, finally explicitly explaining her mysterious powers, behavior, and motivations.
* The last chapter in the fourth volume of ''HidamariSketch''--one of the few not in {{yonkoma}} format--was spent on explaining the origins of Natsume's {{tsundere}} attitude towards Sae.

[[AC: Literature]]

[[AC: LiveActionTelevision]]

* ''On the Origin of PC's'' and ''StartOfDarkness'' for ''OrderOfTheStick''
* Oddly, [[EverydayHeroes Mr. Mighty's]] wife, Jane, got to tell her [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/eddurd/everydayheroes/series.php?view=single&ID=122766 origin story]] before Mr. Mighty did. Then again, maybe the author just enjoyed drawing all those {{Stripperiffic}} outfits.

* ''PowerRangersSamurai" even went so far as to have its Origins episode titled "Origins".

* ''{{Lost}}'' has these reasonably often.
* Notably averted in ''BurnNotice'': the made-for-TV-movie "The Fall of Sam Axe" pointedly showed how Sam managed to get his honorable discharge from the Navy [=SEALs=] despite his womanizing attitude, but in the timeline of the movie, he already knows SuperSpy Michael Westen, seeking advice with his personal problems. Throughout the entire series, it's never been revealed exactly how a CIA spy and a Navy SEAL met and became best friends.

* ''HowIMetYourMother'' has the episode "How I Met Everyone Else", which showcases how the core group (except Robin, who joined the group in the pilot) met and became friends[[hottip:*: Marshall and Ted met in college, Lily and Marshall met when she was "inexplicably drawn" to his dorm room one morning, Barney and Ted met in the bathroom at a bar, and Barney and Marshall met at the same bar some time later]].

* ''{{Xena}}'' had several over the course of the show, showing how she developed from a village girl into an evil Warrior Princess. (She had a HeelFaceTurn during her guest appearances on ''HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' before she got her own show.)
* ''{{Chuck}}'' eventually showed us the backstory as to how Sara became a CIA operative, starting as a young teen when she was a grifter with her father.

* ''ForeverKnight'': Nick's vampire origin was shown in the pilot, 'Dark Knight'
* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** Angel's origin was first showed in 'Becoming part 1 and 2' but ''{{Angel}}'' elaborated on it in 'The Somnamublist'.
** The episode 'Fool For Love' was Spike's official origin episode. 'Lies My Parents Told Me' gave more details about that origin. And the cross-over episode with {{Angel}} that 'Fool For Love' was a part of, called 'Darla', was the origin episode for, well, Darla.
* ''TheTribe'' had two of these in the second season; one focused on Zoot and Ebony; the other focused on Lex and Ryan (though the latter example was submerged as a very long flashback).

* The ''HomestarRunner'' short [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/hremail7.html "Hremail 7"]] explains the origin of Strong Bad Email. And, in the process, [[http://hrwiki.org/wiki/Hremail_7#Remarks messes up]] what little continuity the HR-verse has.
** Then again, it was ''[[CloudCuckoolander Homestar]]'' who was [[UnreliableNarrator the one explaining the SBemail origins]].

** A group of [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul Cybermen]] from a parallel universe (no real relation from the ones that appeared before from the Doctor's universe) have their origins in the two-parter "Rise of the Cybermen" / "The Age of Steel".

When you are writing a work of fiction you often want the audience to know how what is came to be. Often this is achieved by in the first episodes or issues but almost as often, for whatever reason, this can't happen. Perhaps the character was originally meant to be mysterious, a figure robed in secrets and mystique and now their past has emerged. Alternatively the writers might not have had an origin laid out for them, perhaps due to the fact that they were [[EnsembleDarkhorse meant as a minor character who gained a fanbase]] or were simply a MonsterOfTheWeek that happened to come back once or twice. Or it could be that the thing without the background is more than just a character, perhaps the entire universe has a history that the author wants to get across, and there is no way of doing that at the same time that a first episodes finds its audience.

* ''{{Manga/Bleach}}'' anime

* ''{{Series/Highlander}}'' had "Family Tree" for Duncan, and for recurring characters, there was "Legacy" for Amanda, "Comes A Horseman" showed Cassandra's origin and there was one for Fitz ("Star Crossed"?).

* [[MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater The third Metal Gear Solid game]] revealed the tragic backstory of Big Boss, and showed how he went from an idealistic, [[AdorKable somewhat silly]] hero to the [[AntiVillain villain]] of the [[RetCon first game]]...though the process didn't really finish up until around [[MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker the fifth game.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' has both this and a conventional first episode origins set up. The first five episodes established the main characters (heros and villains) and their situation. Later [=MacBeth=] was introduced, and they then combined a multi-episode arc with telling the origin of [=MacBeth=] (he really ''is'' {{MacBeth}}) and his history with Demona.

* Many fans of [[WonderWoman Donna Troy]] feel that she has had too many of these.

* ''TheLegendOfZelda SkywardSword'' explains the origin of the Master Sword; more specifically, how the Master Sword used to be a sentient being and originated as the Goddess Sword.
** Prior to that, ''TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' showed the StartOfDarkness for Ganon, the series BigBad; and ''TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'' had the creation of the Four Sword from the, well, "Four Swords" games, and like the Master Sword originally went by a different name (in this case, the Picori Blade), and although it's part of the backstory, ''TheMinishCap'' also explains Vaati's StartOfDarkness (and shows that he wasn't always a floating FacelessEye).

* ''{{Series/Highlander}}'' had "Family Tree" for Duncan, and for recurring characters, there was "Legacy" for Amanda, "Comes A Horseman" showed Cassandra's origin and there was one for Fitz ("Star Crossed"?).

** Then again, it was ''[[CloudCuckoolander Homestar]]'' who was [[UnreliableNarrator the one explaining the SBemail origins]].

* ''{{Gargoyles}}'' has both this and a conventional first episode origins set up. The first five episodes established the main characters (heros and villains) and their situation. Later [=MacBeth=] was introduced, and they then combined a multi-episode arc with telling the origin of [=MacBeth=] (he really ''is'' {{MacBeth}}) and his history with Demona.

* On ''DoctorWho'' it only took 11 years and four Doctors battling the Daleks before we finally got to see how they were created by Davros, after which point he became a recurring villain in Dalek stories.

** There's at least two ''different'' origin stories for the Cybermen. When they first appeared in the final William Hartnell story, they were created on [[ItMakesSenseInContext Earth's twin planet]] as a race of "perfect beings". In the revived series, however, they originated in a paralell universe (though created for similar reasons). While it's never firmly established that the ones encounted in ''The Next Doctor'' and every appearance since were the same cybermen, they do more closely resemble the paralell universe version than those of the classic series. Then again, the classic series cybermen did evolve quite a bit over the course of time...

* As evident by the titles, ''Film/{{X-Men}} Origins: Wolverine'' and ''X-Men: First Class''. (though both works had MASSIVE amounts of ContinuitySnarl, specially with each other!)
* ''{{Prometheus}}'' was originally going to be this for ''{{Alien}}'' but has since evolved into something else, although there may still be connections with the ''Alien'' franchise (such as the presence of the Weyland Corporation and androids).

* ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' first showed Angel's origin in 'Becoming part 1 and 2' but ''{{Angel}}'' elaborated on it in 'The Somnamublist' I think. Spike's was 'Lies My Parents Told Me' to a point and 'Lover's Walk'.
** Actually, the episode 'Fool For Love' was Spike's ''official'' origin episode. 'Lies My Parents Told Me' just gave more details about that origin. (while 'Lover's Walk' wasn't an origin episode at all). And the cross-over episode with {{Angel}} that 'Fool For Love' was a part of, called 'Darla', was the origin episode for, well, Darla.

** Actually, the episode 'Fool For Love' was Spike's ''official'' origin episode. 'Lies My Parents Told Me' just gave more details about that origin. ('Lover's Walk' wasn't an origin episode at all). And the cross-over episode with {{Angel}} that 'Fool For Love' was a part of, called 'Darla', was the origin episode for, well, Darla.

** Um, 'Fool For Love' was actually Spike's ''official'' Origin episode. 'Lies My Parents Told Me' just gave more details about that origin. And the cross-over episode with {{Angel}} that 'Fool For Love' was a part of, called 'Darla', was the origin episode for, well, Darla.

** Um, 'Fool For Love' was actually Spike's ''official'' Origin episode. 'Lies My Parents Told Me' just gave more details about that origin.

** Um, ''Fool For Love'' was actually Spike's Origin Story. 'Lies My Parents Told Me' was just gave more details to it.

-->--'''[[AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]]'''