History Main / StoppedNumberingSequels

* ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' [[ZigZaggedTrope zig-zags]] this trope to hell and back once you compare the regions. Officially, the original NTSC titles for ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Going Commando]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal Up Your Arseanal]]'' don't have numbers in them, just the visual motif in their logo designs. The Japanese versions and certain PAL versions however ''do'' include the number, and in Japan, the numbering continues through to [[VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked "Ratchet & Clank 4"]] and [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankSizeMatters "Ratchet & Clank 5"]]. Lastly, the Japanese title for ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime A Crack in Time]]'' begins with "Ratchet & Clank Future 2." (Which makes ''Quest for Booty''...?)

* ''Film/MissionImpossible'' had two numbered sequels (''Film/MissionImpossibleII'' and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleIII III]]''), and then just appropriate subtitles moving forward (''[[Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol Ghost Protocol]]'', ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation Rogue Nation]]'', and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFallout Fallout]]''). Then there's ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoning'' had "Part One", which was then [[PostReleaseRetitle scrapped]] since that film's

* ''Film/MissionImpossible'' had two numbered sequels (''Film/MissionImpossibleII'' and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleIII III]]''), and then just appropriate subtitles moving forward (''[[Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol Ghost Protocol]]'', ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation Rogue Nation]]'', and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFallout Fallout]]''). Then there's ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne Dead Reckoning Part One]]'', which adds more complications. Even moreso since that film's sequel won't be titled ''Dead Reckoning Part Two''.

** Played with in the ''{{VideoGame/Luigi's Mansion|Series}}'' series in regard to its [[VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon second game]]. In North America, the game is subtitled ''Dark Moon'', whereas other regions [[MarketBasedTitle simply call it]] ''Luigi's Mansion 2''. The third game then gets called ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3'' in all regions, making it an inversion of this trope only in North America.

** Played with in the ''VideoGame/{{Luigi's Mansion|Series}}'' series in regard to its [[VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon second game]]. In North America, the game is subtitled ''Dark Moon'', whereas other regions [[MarketBasedTitle simply call it]] ''Luigi's Mansion 2''. The third game then gets called ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3'' in all regions, making it an inversion of this trope only in North America.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' started with (in order) 1st edition, 2nd edition, 5th edition ([[CanonDiscontinuity later declared]] an "[[{{Unperson}} unproduct"]]), and 3rd edition (unpublished). Then it was revived with [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows XP]] (formally dropped after Microsoft complained, so this version was just called "Paranoia") and 25th Anniversary Edition (a reprint of XP with some additional material).

* ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'' was originally ''Deus Ex 2: Invisible War'', but the "2" was dropped when development began on the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} version. ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' kept the non-numbered sequel thing going, with ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided'' continuing the trend.

* Every sequential sequel in both the ''Forza Motorsport'' and ''Forza Horizon'' sub-series of the overall ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}'' franchise is given a number based on the order of its own sub-series. However, this trope will be invoked by Creator/Turn10Studios for their 2023 ''Forza Motorsport'' game, the eighth one in the elder ''Motorsport'' sub-series, as it's meant to be a [[ContinuityReboot series reboot]] intended to reinvigorate their series after the mostly disappointing reception they received during the UsefulNotes/XboxOne era (''Motorsport 5'', ''6'', and ''7''). ''Forza Horizon'', however, remains unaffected so far as it continues to have killer success.

* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' kept numbering straight, with the exception of ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', which was a prequel and they didn't want to call it ''Halo 0''. ''Videogame/Halo5Guardians'' was initially called just ''Halo'' for the new console (UsefulNotes/XboxOne), but Microsoft later gave it a proper ''5''. Then ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'' plays it straight even when it came after ''Guardians''.

* The second main game (the third overall) in the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series was called ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII''. ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'', [[SequelNumberSnarl depending on how you count]], is at least the ''tenth'' installment in the series. The interim games used subtitles, even the "[[EpisodeZeroTheBeginning Episode 0]]" game, ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Birth by Sleep]]''. Oddly enough, two of these possess a "3" in the title, despite not being main games or the intended ''KHIII'': the interquel ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 358/2 Days]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance 3D]]'' for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, which picks off where ''II'' (and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded Re:coded]]'') ended.

* Creator/HudsonSoft's ''Power League'' baseball game series for the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] dropped the Roman numerals for its sixth installment, which was titled ''Power League '93''.

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' are both sequels to the original game and were developed in parallel. The former was originally titled ''CD Sonic the Hedgehog'' and intended to be an UpdatedRerelease of the first game before becoming its own thing, while the latter was developed as a direct sequel from the start. ''Sonic CD'' also likely went unnumbered due to being released on (and marketed as a selling point for) the UsefulNotes/SegaCD hardware add-on, whereas ''Sonic 2'' was released for the same platforms as it predecessor.

* UsefulNotes/MacOS:

* [[UsefulNotes/MicrosoftWindows Windows]]:

* A RunningGag in ''Podcast/WeHateMovies'' is that Steve Sadjak hates this trope so much that, in the unlikely event he ever gets elected to the United States Senate, he will outright introduce legislation requiring movie studios to make every installment of a franchise a {{Numbered Sequel|s}} paired with a subtitle, irrespective of {{Continuity Reboot}}s or how confusing or unwieldy this gets. So, for example, ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' would become ''Batman 6: The Dark Knight'', ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' would become ''Film/JurassicPark 5: Film/JurassicWorld 2: Fallen Kingdom'', and ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' would become ''Film/IronMan 3: Film/{{Hulk}} 3: Film/CaptainAmerica 2: Film/{{Thor}} 2: The Avengers''. (Which would then presumably make the actual ''Film/IronMan3'' technically ''Iron Man 4: Iron Man 3''.)

** The sequel was called ''Film/TwoFastTwoFurious'', the third film had a subtitle (''Film/TheFastAndTheFuriousTokyoDrift'') and the fourth film is called ''Film/FastAndFurious'' (although there is a small "IV" on the side of the DVD box, underneath the title; some countries still called it ''Fast and Furious 4''). The fifth film is called ''Film/FastFive''. Guess they took [[{{Pun}} anger management]]. Then they probably got slowed down to the point it rekindled their irritation with ''Film/FastAndFurious6'' and ''Film/FuriousSeven''...

* ''Film/MissionImpossible'' had two numbered sequels (''Film/MissionImpossibleII'' and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleIII III]]''), and then just appropriate subtitles moving forward (''[[Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol Ghost Protocol]]'', ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation Rogue Nation]]'', and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFallout Fallout]]''). Then there's ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne Dead Reckoning Part One]]'', which adds more complications.

** Alien is singular for the first, third, fourth, and "seventh" installments, plural in the [[Film/{{Aliens}} second]] and "eighth", and numbered for 3 ''only'' (where it is the fifth film).
** Predator is always singular except for the "ninth" installment and only numbered for 2 (the second Predator movie, but retroactively the fourth in the ''Franchise/AlienVsPredator'' franchise due to the inclusion of a xenomorph skull at the end). The franchise itself stopped numbering with ''Film/{{Predators}}'' in 2010.

* ''Film/TheExorcist'' dropped its numbering for the prequel, [[ExecutiveMeddling which morphed into two separate films]].

* The plotline of the story is nonlinear and there are lots of prequels and midquels.
* Especially among video games, the franchise may have GaidenGame subseries. However, then it can easily be DoubleSubverted, depending on the situation.

* Finally, it's difficult to ''stop'' doing once you've started; after an installment or two without numbers, people will have completely lost track (which ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' game are we on again? Exactly. Oh, the answer is below.).

* The ''Anime/LupinIII'' TV shows have gone back and forth between using numbered titles and not. [[Anime/LupinIIIPartII The second series]], which aired from 1977 to 1980 and lasted 155 episodes, was not numbered as a sequel, as it wasn't intended to be a direct continuation of [[Anime/LupinIIIPart1 the much shorter-lived 1971 series]] that only lasted 21 episodes, and thus the two shows were nicknamed after the color of Lupin's jacket. Thus the first series is often called the "Green Jacket" series and the second series is the "Red Jacket". However, the third series from 1984 is officially titled ''Anime/LupinIIIPartIII'' (with fans once again unofficially distinguishing it from its predecessors by the color of Lupin's jacket, "Pink Jacket" in this case). [[Anime/LupinIVTheItalianAdventure The fourth series]] from 2015 originally aired in Japan simply as ''Lupin III'', but later DVD and Blu-ray releases added "Part 4" to the title (and was similarly nicknamed "Blue Jacket"). The 2018 series was called ''Anime/LupinIIIPart5'', followed by a ''[[Anime/LupinIIIPart6 Part 6]]'' in 2021 and a prequel series (''Anime/LupinZero'') in 2022.
* Present with the [[NonSerialMovie Non-Serial Movies]] for ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. After, ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'', ''[[Anime/Pokemon2000 2000]]'', ''[[Anime/Pokemon3 3]]'', and ''[[Anime/Pokemon4Ever 4Ever]]'', the movies completely dropped the numbering starting with the fifth: ''Anime/PokemonHeroes''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' gave up on numbering after a while... as in, somewhere near the end of the ''twelve'' sequels.
** Starting with the eighth film, "[[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeVIIITheBigFreeze The Big Freeze]]", the roman numeral was nowhere to be found on the front of the cover; instead, you will find "Volume VIII" on the spine of the VHS cover. However, with the thirteenth film, "[[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeXIIITheWisdomOfFriends The Wisdom of Friends]]", the roman numeral doesn't even appear in the film at all. The opening titles just say "The Land Before Time" shortly followed by "The Wisdom of Friends".

* When counting the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'', ''Franchise/{{Predator}}'' and ''Franchise/AlienVsPredator'' CrossOver films as part of a singular franchise, the idiosyncrasy becomes ''maddening'':

* ''Franchise/{{Amityville}}'' series stopped its numbering when it went to straight-to-video hell.
* ''Film/{{Bloodsport}}'' series dropped the numbering from the fourth film.

* ''Film/DieHard'' series went for the OddlyNamedSequel on its subsequent installments. In the case of ''Film/LiveFreeOrDieHard'' (the fourth movie), various countries renamed it to ''Die Hard 4.0''.
* ''Film/EscapePlan'' got a numbered sequel with a subtitle called ''Film/EscapePlan2Hades''. The third movie dropped the "3" and is just called ''Film/EscapePlanTheExtractors'' [[note]]It was supposed to be ''Escape Plan 3: Devil's Station'', but the name changed[[/note]].
* ''Film/TheExorcist'''s dropped its numbering for the prequel, [[ExecutiveMeddling which morphed into two separate films]].
* ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'': The sequel was called ''Film/TwoFastTwoFurious'', the third film had a subtitle (''Film/TheFastAndTheFuriousTokyoDrift'') and the fourth film is called ''Film/FastAndFurious'' (although there is a small "IV" on the side of the DVD box, underneath the title; some countries still called it ''Fast and Furious 4''). The fifth film is called ''Film/FastFive''. Guess they took [[IncrediblyLamePun anger management]]. Then they probably got slowed down to the point it rekindled their irritation with ''Film/FastAndFurious6'' and ''Film/FuriousSeven''...

* ''Franchise/FinalDestination'' went for the RecycledTitle on its fourth installment, ''[[Film/FinalDestination4 The Final Destination]]'', then [[InvertedTrope went back to numbers]] for [[Film/FinalDestination5 the fifth installment]].
** Justified by Blu-ray bonus content where it was confirmed that the fourth movie was deliberately called '''''The''' Final Destination'' (as if it was the final movie).
*** ...and this decision was justified by the plot of the fifth movie. [[spoiler:Being a prequel, all events take place before the events of the first film.]] A montage at the end of fifth movie also refers to its predecessor as ''Final Destination 4'' as opposed to ''The Final Destination''.
* ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' dropped its numbering after [[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan the eighth]] part when the series was moved to Creator/NewLineCinema mostly due to it being [[ScrewedByTheLawyers an artifact of]] Creator/{{Paramount}} still owning the ''Friday the 13th'' name, while New Line owning character, concept and everything else.

** Then ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'' and ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'' kept it that way, the remake of ''Film/{{Halloween|2007}}'' took things back to square one, and its sequel, ''Film/{{Halloween II|2009}},'' started the numbering all over again.

* The ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'':

* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' series dropped the numbering on [[Film/JawsTheRevenge the fourth installment]].
** The FakeMovieRealTrailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl092whRLlI for]] ''[[Film/BackToTheFuturePartII Jaws 19]]'' reveals other installments would be numbered... [[ThirteenIsUnlucky except the 13th]], "Jaws 12: Part 2".
* ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' skipped numbering on [[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark the second film]] and added it for the [[Film/JurassicParkIII third film]]. The number was once again omitted for the [[Film/JurassicWorld fourth film]] and [[Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom its]] [[Film/JurassicWorldDominion sequels]].
* ''Film/TheKarateKid'' movies:

** The fifth one is a remake of the [[Film/TheKarateKid1984 first]] (while incorporating elements of the sequel) simply called ''Film/TheKarateKid2010'', even though the martial art focused on the film is Kung-Fu, not Karate (they try to justify the title in the movie). The film is called ''The Kung-Fu Kid'' in some countries.
* ''Film/{{Leprechaun}}'' series dropped numbering when the [[Film/Leprechaun4InSpace fourth film]] recycled the whole thing ''[[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]]''

* ''Film/MissionImpossible'' had two numbered sequels (''Film/MissionImpossibleII'' and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleIII III]]''), and then just appropriate subtitles moving forward (''[[Film/MissionImpossibleGhostProtocol Ghost Protocol]]'', ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation Rogue Nation]]'', and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFallout Fallout]]''). Then there’s ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne Dead Reckoning Part One]]'', which adds more complications.
* ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' series stopped its numbering on the sixth film ''Film/FreddysDeadTheFinalNightmare''.

* The first four ''Film/ParanormalActivity'' movies were simply numbered with no subtitles until the 2014 SpinOff ''Film/ParanormalActivityTheMarkedOnes''. The fifth movie in the main continuity (the sixth film in the series overall) was originally going back to the numbers as ''Paranormal Activity 5'', but is now continuing the subtitle format as ''Film/ParanormalActivityTheGhostDimension''.
* ''Film/PoliceAcademy'' series. The seventh installment officially doesn't have a number as a title.

* ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'' series. Justified because there was over 15-year hiatus between ''Film/RockyV'' and ''Film/RockyBalboa''. Plus [[BroadStrokes a lot of stuff]] in ''Film/RockyV'' did not happen.

** Inverted with the series of soundtrack songs derived from the [[Film/SawI first film]]'s "[[{{Leitmotif}} Hello Zepp]]". The ones from ''Saw II'' to ''[[Film/SawIV IV]]'' had different unnumbered names ("Hello Eric", "Final Test", "Let Go"); starting with ''Film/SawV'', they're titled "Zepp Five", "Zepp Six", "Zepp Seven", and so on.
* The first four ''Film/{{Scream}}'' movies were all numbered until [[Film/Scream2022 the fifth film]], which lacks a number or subtitle, simply called ''Scream'' like the original. The film itself, in one of many LeaningOnTheFourthWall moments, discusses this as the eighth installment of the ''[[FilmWithinAFilm Stab]]'' series dropped the number too. The sixth film returns to numbering, this time in Roman numerals, with the title ''Film/ScreamVI''.
* The ''Franchise/StarTrek'' movie series dropped its numbers with 1994's ''Film/StarTrekGenerations'', as it was felt that with the ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'' cast taking over the franchise, it was best to make a fresh start for marketing purposes. However, the Blu-Ray Discs of these movies have numbers VII-X on their cases.

* The ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' film series stopped numbering installments after ''Film/X2XMenUnited'', which remains the only mainline ''X-Men'' film to have a number in its title. [[note]](''Film/{{Deadpool 2}}'' is part of an adjacent side-franchise dubiously set within the X-Men film continuity, and was sometimes referred to as ''The Untitled Deadpool Sequel'' by Fox.)[[/note]] Justified by ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' being a prequel and ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' involving TimeTravel; numbers simply don't help to keep the movies in chronological order.

* A RunningGag in ''Podcast/WeHateMovies'' is that Steve Sadjak hates this trope so much that, in the unlikely event he ever gets elected to the United States Senate, he will outright introduce legislation requiring movie studios to make every installment of a franchise a NumberedSequel paired with a subtitle, irrespective of {{Continuity Reboot}}s or how confusing or unwieldy this gets. So, for example, ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' would become ''Batman 6: The Dark Knight'', ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' would become ''Film/JurassicPark 5: Film/JurassicWorld 2: Fallen Kingdom'', and ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' would become ''Film/IronMan 3: Film/{{Hulk}} 3: Film/CaptainAmerica 2: Film/{{Thor}} 2: The Avengers''. (Which would then presumably make the actual ''Film/IronMan3'' technically ''Iron Man 4: Iron Man 3''.)

** The series (produced in Japan, mind you) fought a long and hard battle against sequel numbering starting [[FourIsDeath with the fourth]]. Its first sequel was simply ''VideoGame/AceCombat2''; the second added a subtitle to ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere''. When making the fourth title became inevitable, they padded it with a zero to make sure it didn't [[FranchiseKiller blow up]]: ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies''. [[EvenBetterSequel The plan worked.]] So they made ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' -- and stumbled again. In the following three years, ''VideoGame/AceCombatAdvance'', ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'', and ''VideoGame/AceCombatXSkiesOfDeception'' were released. The final swan song for NumberedSequels was ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation''. After that, Namco couldn't take it anymore: an ''Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion'' and an ''Ace Combat X2'' (released as ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault'') later, they finally announced a full-blown ContinuityReboot with ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon''. However, both ''X2/Joint Assault'' and ''Assault Horizon'' take place [[AlternateContinuity in self-contained settings]] (both titles being set on Earth as opposed to the [[ConstructedWorld Strangereal]] setting of previous games while also have no ties to one another), meaning one could write off these games as non
** Following ''Assault Horizon'', Project Aces would work on two mobile titles (''[[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy]]'', a remake of ''Ace Combat 2'' bearing the more appropriate title ''3D: Cross Rumble'', and ''VideoGame/AceCombatNorthernWings'') and a [[AllegedlyFreeGame F2P]] [=PS3=] title (''VideoGame/AceCombatInfinity'') before finally reversing the trend with the announcement of ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown''.

** Initially there was a logic behind each numbered entry featuring a new protagonist and setting. ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' was followed by ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', shifting from Middle East/The Crusades to Italy/The Renaissance and Altair to Ezio. Ezio Auditore proved to be a BreakoutCharacter and spawned two sequels -- ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'', which was effectively ''"Assassins Creed 2.1"'' and then ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations'' (basically ''"Assassins Creed 2.2"''). This was followed by newcomer Connor Kenway's ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'' which shifted to the Era of The American Revolution. There was also a minor game titled ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIIILiberation'', set roughly in the same era but with a different setting (New Orleans, rather than the northeastern parts of III) and a new, unrelated protagonist.

** After ''Black Flag'', the two 2014 entries -- ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' on the previous seventh gen consoles and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'' on then-current eighth gen -- have seen Ubisoft just give up completely on the numbering system, with ''Rogue'' seen as a continuation of the North American/Kenway story but featuring a character, Shay Cormac, who is separate from the three Kenways, while the other game is set among a new cast in France during the Revolution and is a next-gen overhaul moreover. Ubisoft has since stated that ''Unity'' is left unnumbered because it is a new beginning, and there are no plans to continue numbering Assassin's Creed titles. This was confirmed by the 2015 entry in the series being titled ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'', moving the storyline to 19th century London with Jacob Frye as the protagonist. ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Origins]]'', ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey Odyssey]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla Valhalla]]'' ([[VideoGameLongRunners and so on]]) have kept the numberless sequels trend going since.

* The ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series

* ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'' was originally ''Deus Ex 2: Invisible War'', but the ''2'' was dropped when development began on the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} version. ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' kept the non-numbered sequel thing going. ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided'' continues the trend.

* Every sequential sequel in both the ''Forza Motorsport'' and ''Forza Horizon'' sub-series of the overall ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}'' franchise is given a number based on the order of its own sub-series. However, this trope will be invoked by Creator/Turn10Studios for their 2023 ''VideoGame/{{Forza}} Motorsport'' game, the eighth one in the elder ''Motorsport'' sub-series, as it's meant to be a [[ContinuityReboot series reboot]] intended to reinvigorate their series after the mostly disappointing reception they received during the UsefulNotes/XboxOne era (''Motorsport 5'', ''6'', and ''7''). 'Forza Horizon'', however, remains unaffected so far as it continues to have killer success.

* ''VideoGame/RedFaction'' series after ''II''.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' was written as a continuation of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', but was not given a numbered title due to console war politics at the time, as it was developed as a Dreamcast-exclusive at a time the main entries were being developed primarily on the [=PlayStation=]. ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'', which was written as a sidequel to ''2'', was given the honor of being the third numbered entry instead. Since the series continued to number sequels afterward, as it was followed by ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', ''Code: Veronica'''s lack of one sometimes leads newcomers into mistaking it for a [[GaidenGame sidestory]] or a spin-off. It doesn't help that Capcom went on to do remakes of ''[[VideoGame/{{Resident Evil|Remake}}'', ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake 2]]'', ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake 3]]'', '''and''' ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4Remake 4]]'' while ''Code: Veronica'' has so far been left in the dust.

* ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon''.

* The ''Franchise/StarWars: VideoGame/DarkForcesSaga'', see ColonCancer for what it would look like.

** Inverted by the ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' series, where at the end of a long series the 3DS and Wii U installments are numbered instead of having a subtitle or [[SuperTitle64Advance the platform's name on the title]]. So it goes ''VideoGame/SuperMarioKart'' (SNES), ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'', ''VideoGame/MarioKartSuperCircuit'' (GBA), ''VideoGame/MarioKartDoubleDash'' (GCN), ''VideoGame/MarioKartDS'', ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'', '''''VideoGame/MarioKart7''''' ([=3DS=]) and '''''VideoGame/MarioKart8''''' (Wii U, remade for Switch as ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''). Note that the numbering does not count the arcade entries ( ''Arcade GP'', ''Arcade GP 2'' and ''Arcade GP Deluxe'').

* The Super NES version of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTournamentFighters'' originally had the {{working title}} of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles V'' according to the design documents featured in the ''Cowabunga Collection'', continuing the numbering of the first three NES games and the Super NES port of ''[[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime Turtles in Time]]'' (which was ''Turtles IV''). The development of [[ReformulatedGame parallel versions]] for the Genesis and the original NES likely led to the abandonment of a numbered title.
* ''VideoGame/Thief2014'' was originally ''Thief 4'', but since it was a reboot, the publisher dropped the ''4''. The series had already dropped the 3 from ''Deadly Shadows''.
* ''Franchise/TombRaider'' series, starting with the fourth game, ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderTheLastRevelation The Last Revelation]]''. While later games are not numbered, fans still refer to them by number in casual conversation, and the desktop icons for ''The Last Revelation'' and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles Chronicles]]'' stated that they were ''Tomb Raider IV'' and ''Tomb Raider V'', respectively; Creator/{{Capcom}} actually used the numbers when it published those two games in Japan.
* In the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series, the fifth "main" game dropped the numbering of sequels from earlier games, the series stepping back from the extensive FullMotionVideo of the previous two installations to more of a focus on gameplay, after creator Chris Roberts left Origin.

* The ''Anime/LupinIII'' TV shows have gone back and forth between using numbered titles and not. The second series, which aired from 1977 to 1980 and lasted 155 episodes, was not numbered as a sequel, as it wasn't intended to be a direct continuation of the much shorter-lived 1971 series that only lasted 21 episodes, and thus the two shows were nicknamed after the color of Lupin's jacket. Thus the first series is often called the "Green Jacket" series and the second series is the "Red Jacket". However, the third series from 1984 is officially titled ''Lupin III Part 3''. The fourth series from 2015 originally aired in Japan simply as ''Lupin III'', but later DVD and Blu-ray releases added "Part 4" to the title. The 2018 series was called ''Lupin III Part 5''.
* ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'', ''[[Anime/{{Pokemon 2000}} 2000]]'', ''[[Anime/{{Pokemon 3}} 3]]'', and ''[[Anime/Pokemon4Ever 4Ever]]''. The movies completely dropped the numbering starting with the fifth: ''Anime/PokemonHeroes''.

* ''Franchise/FinalDestination'' went for the RecycledTitle on its fourth installment, ''Film/TheFinalDestination'', then [[InvertedTrope went back to numbers]] for [[Film/FinalDestination5 the fifth installment]].
** Justified by Bluray bonus content where it was confirmed that the fourth movie was deliberately called THE Final Destination (as if it was the final movie).
*** ...and this decision was justified by the plot of the fifth movie. Being a prequel all events take place before the events of the first film.

** Then ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'' and ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'' kept it that way, the remake of ''Film/{{Halloween 2007}}'' took things back to square one, and its sequel, ''Film/HalloweenII2009,'' started the numbering all over again.

* The ''[[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]]'' film series stopped numbering installments after ''Film/X2XMenUnited'', which remains the only mainline ''X-Men'' film to have a number in its title. [[note]](''Film/{{Deadpool 2}}'' is part of an adjacent side-franchise dubiously set within the X-Men film continuity, and was sometimes referred to as ''The Untitled Deadpool Sequel'' by Fox.)[[/note]] Justified by ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' being a prequel and ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' involving time-travel; numbers simply don't help to keep the movies in chronological order.

* Normally, at the start of an episode of ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', announcer Johnny Gilbert will state how many days the returning champion has been reigning ("…whose ''x'' day cash winnings total ''y'' dollars…"). When Ken Jennings went on his hot streak, they eventually stopped declaring how many days he'd been champion (he made it to 74 before losing his 75th game). The practice resumed once Jennings was defeated.
* After 30 installments of Wrestling/{{Wrestlemania}}, the WWE simply quit numbering the event going forward. Now simply calling every following rendition 'Wrestlemania'. Despite this, fans still refer to them by number and even WWE staff will still slip up from time to time.

* New wave band Music/DanielAmos created a series of four linked concept albums. They all had different titles, but the first three had the subtitle, ''The Alarma Chronicles Volume [number]''. However, the final album, ''Music/FearfulSymmetry'', dropped the subtitle. In fact, it didn't mention ''The Alarma Chronicles'' anywhere on the front or back cover.

* Music/LedZeppelin: ''[[Music/LedZeppelin1969 Led Zeppelin]]'' (sometimes called ''Led Zeppelin I''), ''Music/LedZeppelinII'', ''Music/LedZeppelinIII'' and, depending on your point of view, the untitled fourth album (usually called ''Music/LedZeppelinIV''. The fifth album is called ''Music/HousesOfTheHoly'', breaking the numbering.

* The ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' series (produced in Japan, mind you) fought a long and hard battle against sequel numbering starting [[FourIsDeath with the fourth]]. Its first sequel was simply ''VideoGame/AceCombat2''; the second added a subtitle to ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere''. When making the fourth title became inevitable, they padded it with a zero to make sure it doesn't [[FranchiseKiller blow up]]: ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies''. It [[EvenBetterSequel didn't]]. So they made ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar''--and stumbled again. In the following three years, ''VideoGame/AceCombatAdvance'', ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'', and ''VideoGame/AceCombatXSkiesOfDeception'' were released. The final swan song for NumberedSequels was ''VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation''. After that, Namco couldn't take it anymore: an ''Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion'' and an ''Ace Combat X2'' (released as ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault'') later, they have finally announced a full-blown ContinuityReboot with ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon''.
** Following ''Assault Horizon'', Project Aces would work on two mobile titles (''[[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy]]'' and ''VideoGame/AceCombatNorthernWings'') and a [[AllegedlyFreeGame F2P]] [=PS3=] title (''VideoGame/AceCombatInfinity'') before finally reversing the trend with the announcement of ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown''.

** After ''Black Flag'', the two 2014 entries -- ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' on the previous seventh gen consoles and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'' on then-current eighth gen -- have seen Ubisoft just give up completely on the numbering system, with ''Rogue'' seen as a continuation of the North American/Kenway story but featuring a character, Shay Cormac, who is separate from the three Kenways, while the other game is set among a new cast in France during the Revolution and is a next-gen overhaul moreover. Ubisoft has since stated that ''Unity'' is left unnumbered because it is a new beginning, and there are no plans to continue numbering Assassin's Creed titles. This was confirmed by the 2015 entry in the series being titled ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate'', moving the storyline to 19th century London with Jacob Frye as the protagonist. ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Origins]]'', ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey Odyssey]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedValhalla Valhalla]]'' have kept the numberless sequels trend going since.

** ''Castlevania II: Simon's Quest'' was titled ''Dracula II: Noroi no Fūin'' in Japan and was the only one of the above sequels with a numbered title. ''Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse'' is otherwise known as ''Akumajō Densetsu'' (although it had the {{working title}} of "''Dracula III''"), while ''Super Castlevania IV'' is simply titled ''[[RecycledTitle Akumajō Dracula]]'' (same name as the first Famicom game). While ''[[VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood Akumajō Dracula X: Chi no Rondo]]'' was technically the tenth installment, the "X" on the title is a letter and not a number (and the title would be reused years later for a [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight direct sequel]]).

* ''{{VideoGame/Contra}}'' sequels were never really numbered, aside from ''Contra III: The Alien Wars'' for the SNES, which was the third game on home consoles following the first two NES games, and that was just the American title (in Japan, it was known as ''Contra Spirits''). However, the second NES game was not titled "Contra II", but ''Super C'' (which itself was loosely based on ''Super Contra'', the arcade sequel to ''Contra''). ''Operation C'', a Game Boy sequel to ''Super C'', was also released prior to ''Contra III'', but was not counted among this numbering due to Konami of America at the time numbering their portable games separately, as reflected by the fact that the later Game Boy port of ''Contra III'' was simply titled ''Contra: The Alien Wars'' without the number. Ironically, an official ''Contra 4'' would be released years later on the Nintendo DS as a direct sequel to ''Contra III'', after several unnumbered sequels on home consoles such as ''Contra: Hard Corps'' on the Genesis and ''Contra: Shattered Soldier'' on the [=PS2=].
* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' stopped numbering after the third game, ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'', which was incidentally the last platformer entry produced by the original team at Creator/NaughtyDog, although the ''Wrath of Cortex'' and ''Twinsanity'' were [[MarketBasedTitle retitled]] ''Crash Bandicoot 4'' and ''5'' respectively in Japan. They went back to numbers for ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'', advertised as a direct sequel to ''3''.

* Inverted with ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' (somewhat). From 1994 to 2003, the series numbered its installments with the year of its release. Starting with ''XI'', Creator/{{SNK}} chose to go with the installment number instead of the year (probably because ''XI'' took more than a year to release due to SNK spending some time messing around with new hardware; SNK also wanted to do away with their previous model of working around the clock to churn out a new title each and every year). This gets confusing because ''KOF Maximum Impact 2'' (a 3D spinoff to the mainline ''KOF'' series) was released in the United States as ''The King of Fighters 2006''.

* The ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' sequels went from ''VideoGame/MortalKombatII'' to ''VideoGame/MortalKombat4'' and after that (when the series no longer had arcade releases) we got ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance]]'' (the fifth game, which featured a bloodied "V" as part of its logo), ''VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception'' (sixth) and ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon Mortal Kombat: Armageddon]]'' (seventh). After a crossover (''VideoGame/MortalKombatVsDCUniverse'') and an in-continuity reboot ([[RecycledTitle simply titled]] ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat2011 Mortal Kombat]]'', just like the original), the series went back to having numbered titles with ''VideoGame/MortalKombatX'' and ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''- then did a complete reversal by calling the twelfth entry ''VideoGame/MortalKombat1''.

* Zigzagged with ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo''. The early sequels used [[PunBasedTitle Japanese pun-based titles]] to indicate their placement in the series: ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo2 Puyo Puyo Tsu]]'' (2), ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoSun'' (3), and ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyon'' (4). Afterward, we had ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever'' and ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever2 Fever 2]]'', which ditched the original numbering to indicate a SoftReboot, and then ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo7'' returned to numbering. In-between ''Fever 2'' and ''7'' was the MilestoneCelebration ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo15thAnniversary 15th Anniversary]]'', which wasn't counted for ''7''. Following ''that'', the original numbering was dropped entirely: ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyo20thAnniversary 20th Anniversary]]'', ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoQuest Quest]]'', ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris Tetris]]'', ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoChronicle Chronicle]]'', ''Champions'', and ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris2 Tetris 2]]''.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' was written as a continuation of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', but was not given a numbered title due to console war politics at the time, as it was developed as a Dreamcast-exclusive at a time the main entries were being developed primarily on the [=PlayStation=]. ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'', which was written as a sidequel to ''2'', was given the honor of being the third numbered entry instead. Since the series continued to number sequels afterward, as it was followed by ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', ''Code Veronica'''s lack of one sometimes leads newcomers into mistaking it for a [[GaidenGame side-story]] or a spinoff. It doesn't help that Capcom has gone on to do remakes of ''Resident Evil'', ''2'', ''3'', and ''4'', but ''Code Veronica'' got left in the dust.
** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' is the eighth main installment in the series and a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil7Biohazard'', but doesn't feature the number 8 in its title, instead highlighting the first four letters in 'village' to form the Roman numeral VIII. ''Resident Evil 7'' did something similar with its own logo by having the Roman numeral VII highlighted on the word "evil" instead of being written with an actual numeral, but the title is still written as ''Resident Evil 7'' in plain text.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''

* The seventh mainline entry of the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' series was given the localized title of ''Yakuza: Like A Dragon'', reflecting the genre shift from a [=3D=] beat-'em-up to an RPG with turn-based combat. It was titled ''Ryu Ga Gotoku 7'' in Japan and Asia, which is where the subtitle "Like A Dragon" came from (being a direct translation of the series's Japanese title).

[[caption-width-right:350:TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers...]]

* Tulsa, Oklahoma radio hosts Brent Douglas and Phil Stone created the Radio/RoyDMercer character for the purpose of {{Prank Call}}s which they would play on-air. These skits became so popular that they started releasing them on Capitol Records in TheNineties. The first seven compilations were simply titled after Roy's CatchPhrase: ''How Big a Boy Are Ya?'' Seven volumes of ''How Big a Boy Are Ya?'' were released before they broke away from the volume numbers and gave each subsequent album its own title.

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' is named as such simply for in-universe chronology reasons and [[{{Retraux}} because it's in the style of the original numbered games]]. ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' and ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'' are also done in the style of the original series, but they [[CanonDiscontinuity disregard the existence of]] ''Sonic 4''.

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' is named as such simply for in-universe chronology reasons and [[{{Retraux}} because it's in the style of the original numbered games]].
*** ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' and ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'' are also [[{{Retraux}} done in the style of the original series]], [[CanonDiscontinuity disregarding the existence of]] ''Sonic 4''.

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' are both sequels to the original game and were developed in parallel. The former was originally titled ''CD Sonic the Hedgehog'' and intended to be an UpdatedRerelease of the first game before becoming its own thing, while the latter was developed as a direct sequel from the start. ''Sonic CD'' also likely went unnumbered due to being released on (and marketed as a selling point for) the Sega CD, whereas ''Sonic 2'' was released for the same platform as its predecessor, the Sega Genesis.

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'' and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' are both sequels to the original game and were developed in parallel. ''2'' likely got the numbering because it released for the same platforms as the first game, while ''CD'' was exclusive to (and a big selling point for) the UsefulNotes/SegaCD hardware add-on.

*** ''VideoGame/SonicMania'' is also a {{Retraux}} continuation of the original series. Probably not numbered in part because of ''4'''s icy reception.

* In the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' series, ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' is named as such simply for in-universe chronology reasons and [[{{Retraux}} because it's in the style of the original numbered games]].

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' was written as a continuation of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', but was not given a numbered title due to console war politics at the time, as it was developed as a Dreamcast-exclusive at a time the main entries were being developed primarily on the [=PlayStation=]. ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'', which was written as a sidequel to ''2'', was given the honor of being the third numbered entry instead. Since the series continued to number sequels afterward, as it was followed by ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', ''Code Veronica'''s lack of one sometimes leads newcomers into mistaking it for a [[GaidenGame side-story]] or a spinoff. It doesn't help that Capcom has gone on to do remakes of ''Resident Evil'', ''2', ''3'', and ''4'', but ''Code Veronica'' got left in the dust.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' was written as a continuation of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2'', but was not given a numbered title due to console war politics at the time, as it was developed as a Dreamcast-exclusive at a time the main entries were being developed primarily on the [=PlayStation=]. ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'', which was written as a sidequel to ''2'', was given the honor of being the third numbered entry instead. Since the series continued to number sequels afterward, as it was followed by ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', ''Code Veronica'''s lack of one sometimes leads newcomers into mistaking it for a [[GaidenGame side-story]] or a spinoff.

* The Super NES version of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTournamentFighters'' originally had the {{working title}} of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles V'' according to the design documents featured in the ''Cowabunga Collection'', continuing the numbering of the first three NES games and the Super NES port of ''[[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime Turtles in Time]]'' (which was ''Turtles IV''). The development of [[ReformuatedGame parallel versions]] for the Genesis and the original NES likely led to the abandonment of a numbered title.

* The Super NES version of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTournamentFighters'' originally had the {{working title}} of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles V'' according to the design documents featured in the ''Cowabunga Collection'', continuing the numbering of the first three NES games and the Super NES port of ''[[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime Turtles in Time]]'' (which was ''Turtles IV''). The development of the Genesis and 8-bit NES versions of the game likely led to the abandonment of a numbered title.

* The Super NES version of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTournamentFighters'' originally had the title of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles V'' according to the design documents featured in the ''Cowabunga Collection'', continuing the numbering of the first three NES games and the Super NES port of ''[[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime Turtles in Time]]'' (which was ''Turtles IV''). The development of the Genesis and 8-bit NES versions of the game likely led to the abandonment of a numbered title.

* The Super NES version of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTournamentFighters'' originally had the title of ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles V'' according to the design documents featured in the ''Cowabunga Collection'', continuing the numbering of the first three NES games and the Super NES port of ''[[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime Turtles in Time]]'' (which was ''Turtles IV''). The development of NES and Genesis versions of the game likely led to the abandonment of a numbered title.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' is an odd example, the sequel was simply titled ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', the rest of the series just used subtitles, making the second game a black sheep in naming (though ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' is sometimes known as "Zelda III" as a shorthand). Some of the games do have the internal number noted during production or in their product [=IDs=] (''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'' were 7 and 8, for example), and the Japanese subtitle of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds A Link Between Worlds]]'' is "Triforce of the Gods 2" ("Triforce of the Gods" being ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'''s Japanese name.)

* Zigzagged with ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo''. The early sequels used [[PunBasedTitle Japanese pun-based titles]] to indicate their placement in the series: ''Puyo Puyo Tsu'' (2), ''Puyo Puyo Sun'' (3), and ''Puyo Puyo-n'' (4). Afterward, we had ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoFever'' and ''Fever 2'', which ditched the original numbering to indicate a SoftReboot, and then ''Puyo Puyo 7'' returned to numbering. In-between ''Fever 2'' and ''7'' was the MilestoneCelebration ''15th Anniversary'', which wasn't counted for ''7''. Following ''that'', the original numbering was dropped entirely: ''20th Anniversary'', ''Quest'', ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris Tetris]]'', ''Chronicle'', ''Champions'', and ''[[VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris2 Tetris 2]]''.