History Main / ThematicSeries

* Books in Creator/MaryGrahamBonner's ''Magic'' series, which started with ''The Magic Map'' generally have nothing to do with each other (aside from a few [[ContinuityNod ContinuityNods]] and ''Journeys'' being a direct sequel to ''Map''), but all involve seemingly ordinary kids stumbling in to fantastical places and adventures and coming out of them [[EdutainmentShow better educated about some aspect of the world]].

* Marvel also has a line of comics known as ''ComicBook/TheEndMarvelComics'', which vary greatly in both genre and tone, but share the base premise of showing the final days of famous Marvel characters. In some cases, this extends to also showing the end of the earth, humanity, or the universe itself.

** Most games take place in {{Alternate Universe}}s, although there is some small overlap. All the worlds do exist in the same multiverse, though, since WordOfGod confirms that [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Gilgamesh]] is [[DimensionalTraveler the same person]] in (almost) every appearance. Other titles, like ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'', also use the multiverse as a background plot element (with both of these being connected to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI the Lufenians]]), whereas some throwaway dialogue from Shinra in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' implies a connection to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', one that would be confirmed by [[AllThereInTheManual the game's Ultimania]] and seemingly reinforced by ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake''.

* Creator/GuillermoDelToro had long planned a thematic trilogy of supernatural films concerning the Spanish Civil War. He began it with ''Film/{{Cronos}}'' in 1993, continued it with ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' in 2001, and ended it with ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' in 2006.

* ''Film/FleshForFrankenstein'' and ''Film/BloodForDracula'' (aka ''Creator/AndyWarhol's Frankenstein'' and ''Andy Warhol's Dracula'') is a duology that was filmed at the same time with the same writer/director, the original cast, and the same crew. They are both set in rural Europe, have a tongue-in-cheek tone, share the same themes (sexuality and classism), and are both about famous horror figures. Their {{market based title}}s are also very similar, taking advantage of Creator/AndyWarhol's name even though he had little to do with the films outside of producer credit.

* The ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' series was meant to be such after [[Film/HalloweenII1981 the second film]]. Originally, every sequel would tell a different horror story set during Halloween. This is the reason why ''Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch'' does not include Myers. This idea proved unpopular with fans so the series ended up being all about Myers.

* Marvel also has a line of comics known as ''ComicBook/TheEnd'', which vary greatly in both genre and tone, but share the base premise of showing the final days of famous Marvel characters. In some cases, this extends to also showing the end of the earth, humanity, or the universe itself.

* Film/TheViewAskewniverse movies (formerly ''The Jersey Trilogy'') all take place in the same continuity, feature Jay and Silent Bob, and mostly take place in the same New Jersey town. Despite this, ''Film/ClerksII'' is the only direct sequel (to ''Film/{{Clerks}}''). The movies all focus on different characters and plots, even crossing over into slightly different genres. ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'' was more of a teenage SexComedy in the tradition of Creator/JohnHughes, ''Film/ChasingAmy'' was much more of a dramedy than any other installment in the series, and ''Film/{{Dogma}}'' went into the realm of supernatural fantasy.

** Within the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' subseries specifically, this is downplayed/averted to varying degrees. The [[VideoGame/{{Persona}} first]] [[VideoGame/Persona2 two]] ''Persona'' games and their paralogues avert the trope by being direct sequels. ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]'' started off with separate stories and characters (with ''3'' being a SoftReboot that only briefly makes mention of its predecessors), but they also ended up averting this trope through ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', which continued the stories of the characters from both games. In all of the main games, characters and entities from previous installments either appear as cameos or are mentioned in passing/alluded to during the story, establishing the series being under a common universe/timeline. Each title also has its own CentralTheme, and while there are numerous {{Recurring Element}}s found throughout the ''Persona'' games (particularly from ''3'' onward), the titles -- though not outright contradictory -- are not always 100% consistent on the underlying mechanics of the setting's supernatural/esoteric aspects, such as the origin and nature of Shadows. Naturally, this is something that's [[LampshadeHanging called to attention]] when the casts of ''P3'', ''P4'', and ''P5'' get a chance to interact in the ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q|ShadowOfTheLabyrinth}}'' [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth duology]].

** Most games take place in {{Alternate Universe}}s, although there is some small overlap. All the worlds do exist in the same multiverse, though, since WordOfGod confirms that [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Gilgamesh]] is [[DimensionalTraveler the same person]] in (almost) every appearance. Other titles, like ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'', also use the multiverse as a background plot element (with both of these being connected to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI the Lufenians]]), whereas some throwaway dialogue from Shinra in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' implies a connection to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', one that would be confirmed by [[AllThereInTheManual the game's Ultimania]].

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged]] here compared to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' or ''Franchise/FireEmblem''. The main series is structured within a [[AlternateTimeline branching timeline]], and characters such as Link and Zelda recur between installments. However, these recurring characters are different individuals in most installments, and most games in the franchise function as {{Soft Reboot}}s that repeat and recontextualize the roles of Link, Zelda, and Ganon rather than focus on an overarching narrative.

* ''Xeno'' series:
** The series (consisting of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade|Chronicles1}}'') has a history of both direct sequels and {{Spiritual Successor}}s, but ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' was the first entry to be part of the same official series as a previous game without having a related story.
** After ''Xenoblade Chronicles X'' came ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', which also took the "thematic series" route. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Or so it seems.]] At the end of the game it's revealed that the game takes place on a post-apocalyptic earth, and the one who reintroduced life to the planet is the same person (sort of) as [[BigBad the villain of the first game]]; he used to be a scientist called Klaus who [[LiteralSplitPersonality split into two]] when he created the world of the first game, with his good half staying behind to become The Architect in ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' while his evil half became Zanza in his new world.]]

* ''Anime/PrettyCure'' is about teenage girls called upon by mascots from a magical kingdom in another dimension to fight evil. All seasons (excluding the sequels to the [[Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure first]] and [[Anime/YesPrettyCure5 fourth]] seasons) have different characters and are set in different universes from each other. However, [[BatFamilyCrossover the characters do unite]] every year in the ''[[Anime/PrettyCureAllStars All Stars]]'' movies, in which all of the different Pretty Cures fight as one team.

* ''Series/{{Fargo}}''. Each season takes place in a different time period with a different group of characters, but they all share a continuity that includes the events of [[Film/{{Fargo}} the movie]]. The first three also share a common setting in rural Minnesota, although the upcoming fourth will change main setting to UsefulNotes/KansasCity, Missouri.

* Zig-zagged with the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series. The [[VideoGame/DragonQuestI first]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestII three]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIII games]] were a trilogy, and the [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIV next]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestV three]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI games]] were another, albeit loosely connected and [[AnachronicOrder out-of-order]], trilogy. ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'' was the first entry to be completely standalone, and while some of the subsequent titles, like ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestIX IX]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestX X]]'', followed suit, ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII VIII]]'' seems to affirm the existence of a multiverse a la ''Final Fantasy'' with the endgame reveal that [[spoiler:the Godbird Empyrea is Lamia from ''III'', having crossed dimensions (and no longer able to return to her home)]], whereas ''XI'' [[spoiler:is set in the same world as the original trilogy, [[StealthSequel albeit in the distant past]]]].
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series is arguably this. While the games all take place in the same world, each is set long after the last with no direct connection between them.

** Additionally, various titles starting with ''Awakening'' and ''Fates'' indicate that the Outrealm Gate allows characters to not just [[TimeTravel travel through time]] but [[TheMultiverse across dimensions]] as well, a convention that implicitly comes into play with ''Heroes'', the ''[[TabletopGame/FireEmblemCipher Cipher]]'' card game (by means of its characters [[CanonImmigrant crossing over]] into ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Shadows of Valentia]]''), and ''Warriors''.

** A closer look at the greater cosmology of the series arguably paints ''Shin Megami Tensei'' as [[ZigZaggedTrope a zig-zag]]. A major event in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' actually causes the timeline to splinter, with one branch leading to ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' (plus [[VideoGame/GitenMegamiTensei two]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNINE or]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiImagine three]] other {{Alternate Timeline}}s) and the other leading to ''VideoGame/DevilSummoner'' and ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' (and ''Persona'' by proxy). Furthermore, [[spoiler:the ''Raidou Kuzunoha'' duology may have erased the ''SMT I'' timeline by means of CosmicRetcon]], while ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' and [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse its follow-up]] appear to follow a revised/altered version of [[spoiler:the Great Cataclysm]]. As such, despite the oftentimes loose narrative ties between sequels, this means a large portion of the series falls into (some permutation of) either branch, though there are more than a few notable exceptions. [[labelnote:ex.]]''VideoGame/LastBible'', ''VideoGame/DevilChildren'', ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' (itself a thematic series), ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiLiberationDx2 Liberation Dx2]]'', and [[AmbiguousSituation possibly]] ''VideoGame/MajinTensei'' (which likewise qualifies for this trope).[[/labelnote]] Additionally, several games hint at or outright mention [[TheMultiverse a multiverse]] and the PowersThatBe, such as ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' offering insight about the universe's constant cycle of death and rebirth (with various exchanges suggesting this process takes place in every universe) or a DLC quest in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' seeing [[spoiler:the protagonist team up with ([[AlternateSelf alternate versions of]]) the heroes from the preceding four mainline installments]].

** After ''Xenoblade Chronicles X'' came ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', which also took the "thematic series" route. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Or so it seems.]] At the end of the game it's revealed that the game takes place on a post-apocalyptic earth, and the one who reintroduced life to the planet is the same person (sort of) as the [[BigBad villain of the first game]]; he used to be a scientist called Klaus who split into two when he created the world of the first game, and his good half stayed behind to become The Architect in ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'', while his evil half became Zanza in his new world.]]

* ''Film/{{Sicario}}'', ''Film/HellOrHighWater'', and ''Film/WindRiver'', all of which were written (and, in the latter case, directed) by Taylor Sheridan, form a thematic series of [[NewOldWest neo-Westerns]] with a strong social commentary: ''Sicario'' revolves around the assassination of a high-ranking cartel boss and criticizes the U.S. government's "War on Drugs"; in ''Hell or High Water'', two brothers resort to bank robberies in order to save their family's ranch from foreclosure in the wake of a financial crisis; and ''Wind River'', a murder mystery set on an Indian reservation, was written to raise awareness of the violence against Native American women.

** A closer look at the greater cosmology of the series arguably paints ''Shin Megami Tensei'' as [[ZigZaggedTrope a zig-zag]]. A major event in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' actually causes the timeline to splinter, with one branch leading to ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' (plus [[VideoGame/GitenMegamiTensei two]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNINE or]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiImagine three]] other {{Alternate Timeline}}s) and the other leading to ''VideoGame/DevilSummoner'' and ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' (and ''Persona'' by proxy). As such, despite the loose narrative ties between sequels, this means a large portion of the series falls into either branch, though there are more than a few notable exceptions. [[labelnote:ex.]]''VideoGame/LastBible'', ''VideoGame/DevilChildren'', ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' (itself a thematic series), ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiLiberationDx2 Liberation Dx2]]'', and [[AmbiguousSituation possibly]] ''VideoGame/MajinTensei'' (which likewise qualifies for this trope).[[/labelnote]] Additionally, several games hint at or outright mention [[TheMultiverse a multiverse]] and the PowersThatBe, such as ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' offering insight about the universe's constant cycle of death and rebirth (with various exchanges suggesting this process takes place in every universe) or a DLC quest in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' seeing [[spoiler:the protagonist team up with ([[AlternateSelf alternate versions of]]) the heroes from the preceding four mainline installments]].

** A closer look at the greater cosmology of the series arguably paints ''Shin Megami Tensei'' as [[ZigZaggedTrope a zig-zag]]. A major event in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' actually causes the timeline to splinter, with one branch leading to ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' (plus [[VideoGame/GitenMegamiTensei two]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNINE or]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiImagine three]] other {{Alternate Timeline}}s) and the other leading to ''VideoGame/DevilSummoner'' and ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' (and ''Persona'' by proxy). As such, despite the loose narrative ties between sequels, this means a large portion of the series falls into either branch, with notable exceptions being ''VideoGame/LastBible'', ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' (itself a thematic series), and [[AmbiguousSituation possibly]] ''VideoGame/MajinTensei'' (which likewise qualifies for this trope). Additionally, several games hint at or outright mention [[TheMultiverse a multiverse]] and the PowersThatBe, such as ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' offering insight about the universe's constant cycle of death and rebirth (with various exchanges suggesting this process takes place in every universe) or a DLC quest in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' seeing [[spoiler:the protagonist team up with ([[AlternateSelf alternate versions of]]) the heroes from the preceding four mainline installments]].

* Zig-zagged with the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series. The [[VideoGame/DragonQuestI first]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestII three]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIII games]] were a trilogy, and the [[VideoGame/DragonQuestIV next]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestV three]] [[VideoGame/DragonQuestVI games]] were another, albeit loosely connected and [[AnachronicOrder out-of-order]], trilogy. ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII'' was the first entry to be completely standalone, and while some of the subsequent titles, like ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestIX IX]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestX X]]'', followed suit, ''[[VideoGame/DragonQuestVIII VIII]]'' seems to affirm the existence of a multiverse a la ''Final Fantasy'' with the endgame reveal that [[spoiler:the Godbird Empyrea is Lamia from ''III'', having crossed dimensions (and no longer able to return to her home)]], whereas ''XI'' [[spoiler:is set in the world as the original trilogy, [[StealthSequel albeit in the distant past]]]].

* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has, [[VideoGameLongRunners as of this writing]][[labelnote:*]]with ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage Engage]]'' being the most recent release[[/labelnote]], eight different [[TheVerse Verses]] (ten if one counts ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors Warriors]]'', with ''Heroes'' itself featuring characters from crossover title ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE''), each with their own characters, settings, mythologies, and plots. The MacGuffin in each universe is almost always the titular Fire Emblem, although it's called something completely different except for one line thrown in about how some people (who you'll never meet) call it the Fire Emblem. [[ZigZaggingTrope On the other hand]], ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[CanonWelding seems to tie everything together]]. The game definitely takes in the same universe as the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Archanea]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem games]] (and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden]]''), but several thousand years later. From this, we can assume that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 games]] are also in the same universe due to WordOfGod and the presence of recurring character Naga (or at least '''[[LegacyCharacter a]]''' Naga) in the backstory of both settings. One downloadable character is a descendant of Ike from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Tellius]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn games]], and the DLC confirms that [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade the]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade remaining]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones two]] verses (at the time of ''Awakening''[='s=] release) exist at least as legends within that world, if not explicit history that just hasn't been placed yet (though the player's option to confirm to a spectral copy of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Lyn]] that they are the same person as the tactician from her game possibly complicates any direct connections between Archanea/Ylisse and Elibe). The following installment, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', similarly has a DLC chapter where the Avatar of that game meets the original traveling party in ''Awakening'' of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick shortly before they encounter their game's Avatar, with Hoshido and Nohr described as "mythical kingdoms." Additionally, various titles starting with ''Awakening'' and ''Fates'' indicate that the Outrealm Gate allows characters to not just [[TimeTravel travel through time]] but [[TheMultiverse across dimensions]] as well, a convention that implicitly comes into play with ''Heroes'', the ''[[TabletopGame/FireEmblemCipher Cipher]]'' card game (by means of its characters [[CanonImmigrant crossing over]] into ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Shadows of Valentia]]''), and ''Warriors''. Meanwhile, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'' bears a certain similarity to mobile spin-off ''Heroes'' in that the new generation protagonist [[IntraFranchiseCrossover can team up with other heroes from series history]], only this time a) the crossover aspect of the game is canonical and plot-important and b) it's the [[OurGhostsAreDifferent spirits]] of said ''FE'' heroes doing the assisting. In short, while many installments are indeed meant to be standalone, Creator/IntelligentSystems is not above placing a greater emphasis on inter-title continuity either.

* Few titles in the ''VideoGame/ManaSeries'' by Creator/SquareEnix share direct continuity, but each includes a mythical sword that all other famous swords are based on (as in they are all the same sword, just known a different name in different eras). Each world commonly has its own TreeOfLife known as the Mana Tree, and there are various espers guarding the elemental forces of the world (probably orbs).

** Games under the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' label, including the main ''SMT'' series, and about a dozen other spinoffs, generally follow this pattern. Sometimes there are direct sequels, such as with ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI SMT I]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII II]]'' and the ''[[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy Raidou]] [[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon Kuzunoha]]'' series, but generally the only connections are demons and game mechanics, with possible themes of abuse of power and [[GodIsEvil YHVH being a huge jerk]].

* The ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''' main canon consists of, [[VideoGameLongRunners at present]], seventeen games. Two of these are direct sequels to others ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2 Destiny 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2 Xillia 2]]''), while ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Symphonia]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria Berseria]]'' are distant prequels (which are sufficiently separate from ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Phantasia]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria Zestiria]]'', the games they are prequels of, for the four stories to stand separately). All the rest are standalone stories with their own distinct worlds and timelines.

** Most games take place in {{Alternate Universe}}s, although there is some small overlap. All the worlds do exist in the same multiverse, though, since WordOfGod confirms that [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Gilgamesh]] is [[DimensionalTraveler the same person]] in (almost) every appearance. Other titles, like ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/StrangerOfParadiseFinalFantasyOrigin'', also use the multiverse as a background plot element (with both cases being connected to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI the Lufenians]]), whereas some throwaway dialogue from Shinra in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' implies a connection to ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.

* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has, [[VideoGameLongRunners as of this writing]] [[note]]with ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Three Houses]]'' being the most recent release[[/note]], seven different [[TheVerse Verses]] (nine if one counts ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors Warriors]]''), each with their own characters, settings, mythologies, and plots. The MacGuffin in each universe is almost always the titular Fire Emblem, although it's called something completely different except for one line thrown in about how some people (who you'll never meet) call it the Fire Emblem. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[CanonWelding seems to tie everything together]]. The game definitely takes in the same universe as the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Archanea]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem games]] (and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden]]''), but several thousand years later. From this, we can assume that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 games]] are also in the same universe due to WordOfGod. One downloadable character is a descendant of Ike from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Tellius]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn games]], and the DLC confirms that [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade the]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade remaining]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones two]] verses (at the time of ''Awakening''[='s=] release) exist at least as legends within that world, if not explicit history that just hasn't been placed yet. The following installment, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', similarly has a DLC chapter where the Avatar of that game meets the original traveling party in ''Awakening'' of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick shortly before they encounter their game's Avatar, with Hoshido and Nohr described as "mythical kingdoms."

** A closer look at the greater cosmology of the series arguably paints ''Shin Megami Tensei'' as [[ZigZaggedTrope a zig-zag]]. A major event in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' actually causes the timeline to splinter, with one branch leading to ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' (plus [[VideoGame/GitenMegamiTensei two]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNINE or]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiImagine three]] other {{Alternate Timeline}}s) and the other leading to ''VideoGame/DevilSummoner'' and ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' (and ''Persona'' by proxy). As such, despite the loose narrative ties between sequels, this means a large portion of the series falls into either branch, with notable exceptions being ''VideoGame/LastBible'', ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' (itself a thematic series), and [[AmbiguousSituation possibly]] ''VideoGame/MajinTensei'' (which likewise qualifies for this trope). Additionally, several games hint at or outright mention [[TheMultiverse a multiverse]] and the PowersThatBe, such as ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' being centered around the universe's constant cycle of death and rebirth (with various exchanges suggesting this process takes place in every universe) or a DLC quest in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' seeing [[spoiler:the protagonist team up with ([[AlternateSelf alternate versions of]]) the heroes from the preceding four mainline installments]].

%%Certain entries in this folder, like Fire Emblem, the Soulsborne games, and the Tales series, will need to be periodically updated when new installments are added.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged]] here compared to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' or ''Franchise/FireEmblem''. The main series is connected into a [[AlternateTimeline branching timeline]], and characters such as Link and Zelda recur between installments. However, these recurring characters are different individuals in most installments, and most games in the franchise function as {{Soft Reboot}}s that repeat and recontextualize the roles of Link, Zelda, and Ganon rather than focus on an overarching narrative.

** On the other hand, ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' downplays/averts this to varying degrees. The first two ''Persona'' games and their paralogues avert the trope by being direct sequels. ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]'' started off with separate stories and characters, but they also ended up averting this trope through ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', which continued the stories of the characters from both games. In all of the main games, characters and entities from previous main games either appear as cameos, or made references to within the story, establishing the series being under a common universe/timeline.

* The ''[[VideoGame/{{Xenogears}} Xeno]]'' [[VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} series]] has a history of both direct sequels and [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Successors]], but ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' is the first to be part of the same official series as a ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 previous game]]'' without having a related story.
** The next game after ''Xenoblade Chronicles X'' is ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', which takes the "thematic series" route. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Or so it seems.]] At the end of the game it's revealed that the game takes place on a post-apocalyptic earth, and the one who reintroduced life to the planet is the same person (sort of) as the [[BigBad villain of the first game]]; he used to be a scientist called Klaus who split into two when he created the world of the first game, and his good half stayed behind to become The Architect in ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'', while his evil half became Zanza in his new world.]]

Not to be confused with a NonLinearSequel, which is a video game trope concerning a series that still follows a set group of characters and game elements, but plays fast and loose with the timeline or continuity. Also not to be confused with InNameOnly sequels, when a title shares the same name and the progressive number but it's unrelated to previous installments which were true linear sequels.

* Creator/PAWorks has had four anime, so far, about young women (aged 18-25) working in various jobs: Animation in ''Anime/{{Shirobako}}'', a small town's tourism bureau in ''Anime/SakuraQuest'', an aquarium in ''Anime/TheAquatopeOnWhiteSand'', and a maid cafe in ''Anime/AkibaMaidWar'' [[spoiler:where all the cafes are involved in a violent gang war between them]]. More are likely coming.

* Few titles in ''VideoGame/ManaSeries'' by Creator/SquareEnix share direct continuity, but each includes a mythical sword that all other famous swords are based on (as in they are all the same sword, just known a different name in different eras). Each world commonly has its own TreeOfLife known as the Mana Tree, and there are various espers guarding the elemental forces of the world (probably orbs).

%%Currently in the middle of alphabetizing entries.

* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has, [[VideoGameLongRunners as of this writing]] [[note]]with ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Three Houses]]'' being the most recent release[[/note]], seven different [[TheVerse Verses]] (nine if one counts ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors Warriors]]''), each with their own characters, settings, mythologies, and plots. The MacGuffin in each universe is almost always the titular Fire Emblem, although it's called something completely different except for one line thrown in about how some people (who you'll never meet) call it the Fire Emblem. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[CanonWelding seems to tie everything together]]. The game definitely takes in the same universe as the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Archanea]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem games]] (and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden]]''), but several thousand years later. From this, we can assume that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 games]] are also in the same universe due to WordOfGod. One downloadable character is a descendant of Ike from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Tellius]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn games]], and the DLC confirms that [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade the]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade remaining]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones two]] verses (at the time of ''Awakening''[='s=] release) exist at least as legends within that world, if not explicit history that just hasn't been placed yet. The following installment, ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', similarly has a DLC chapter where the Avatar of that game meets the original traveling party in ''Awakening'' of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick shortly before they encounter their game's Avatar, with Hoshido and Nohr described as "mythical kingdoms."
* The ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''' main canon consists of 17 games. Two of these are direct sequels to others ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2 Destiny 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2 Xillia 2]]''), while ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Symphonia]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria Berseria]]'' are distant prequels (which are sufficiently separate from ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Phantasia]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria Zestiria]]'', the games they are prequels of, for the four stories to stand separately). All the rest are standalone stories with their own distinct worlds and timelines.
* The ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series takes place across three different universes (called 2D, 3D, and HD respectively), with different generations having different city layouts, general setting, and characters.[[note]]Though the protagonists of ''GTA 2'' and ''3'' are named 'Claude', WordOfGod has not confirmed that they are the same person.[[/note]] The games do have central themes regarding the life of criminals.
* ''VideoGame/TrueCrimeStreetsOfLA'' zigzagged this. Though it was intended continue as a thematic series, due to Nick Kang's popularity with fans and developers, he was to be revisited in the installment following ''VideoGame/TrueCrimeNewYorkCity''. But the series was cancelled, then later moved to another company and restarted as SpiritualSuccessor ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs''.
* Games under the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' label, including the main series, and about a dozen other spinoffs, generally follow this pattern. Sometimes there are direct sequels, such as with ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI SMT I]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII II]]'' and the ''[[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy Raidou]] [[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon Kuzunoha]]'' series, but generally the only connections are demons and game mechanics, with possible themes of abuse of power and [[GodIsEvil YHVH being a huge jerk]].
** On the other hand, ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' downplays/averts this to varying degrees. The first two persona games and their paralogues averts the trope by being direct sequels. ''[[VideoGame/Persona3 3]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4 (Golden)]]'' started off with separate stories and characters, but they also ended up averting this trope through ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', which continues the stories of the characters from both games. In all of the main games, characters and entities from previous main games either appear as cameos, or made references to within the story, establishing the series being under a common universe/timeline.
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', provided an installment is not part of an overarching series such as ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha Alpha]]'', ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsZ Z]]'' or ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration Original Generation]]''. All standalone titles feature different HumongousMecha series (with [[Franchise/{{Gundam}} some]] [[Anime/MazingerZ consistent]] [[Manga/GetterRobo examples]]), but all deal with MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover elements.
* The [[VideoGame/{{Xenogears}} Xeno]] [[VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} series]] has a history of both direct sequels and [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Successors]], but ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' is the first to be part of the same official series as a ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 previous game]]'' without having a related story.

* ''Creator/{{Suda51}}'''s "Kill the Past", which revolves around characters having to confront their past in order to move on from it. Uniquely, there is no official listing of what games are actually part of the series, leading to it being mainly pieced together by fans.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': [[ZigZaggedTrope zig-zagged]] here compared to ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' or ''Franchise/FireEmblem''. The main series is connected into a [[AlternateTimeline branching timeline]], and characters such as Link and Zelda recur between installments. However, these recurring characters are different individuals in most installments, and most games in the franchise function as {{Soft Reboot}}s that repeat and recontextualize the roles of Link, Zelda, and Ganon rather than focus on an overarching narrative.
* Each ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' game takes place at a different time after the War, features different characters, and is almost always in a different location. The most common theme is the terrible consequences of war ([[ArcWords War. War never changes]]), and some characters ([=MacCready=], Dogmeat, etc) and nations/organizations (the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, the New California Republic, and so on) are carried over, but more often than not, the games are pretty separate and stand alone.
* Most of the ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' games take place in different time periods, and share very few characters. The present day framing narrative, however, share many characters, including the "main" character [[spoiler:for the first three/five games, at least]]. The overarching plot of the series (Assassins vs. Templars) is what really connects the games, not the actions of one assassin. [[note]][[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII The]] [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood Ezio]] [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations trilogy]] did share the same protagonist, but these are the only games to have a protagonist return. Haytham Kenway was likewise featured in three games - ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIvBlackFlag'', and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue'' - as an adult in the first and third, as a major antagonist and a major supporting character respectively, and a child in the second, though only in the final cutscene.[[/note]]
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series is arguably this. While the games all take place in the same world, each is set long after the last with no direct connection between them.
* The ''VideoGame/DivineDivinity'' series dances around this trope. The second game was a direct sequel, but the rather misleadingly named [[VideoGame/DivinityIITheDragonKnightSaga third game]] was set long after and had no real connection to the previous games. Meanwhile ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSin'' is technically a distant prequel to the first game, while sort-of-sequel ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'' is set long after the previous game and actually forms more of a traditional sequel to the first two games. ''VideoGame/DivinityDragonCommander'' is set even further back than ''Original Sin'' and has even less connection than any of the other games.
* With the launch of ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange2'', the ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'' series has become this. According to the [[Creator/DONTNODEntertainment creators]], a Life Is Strange game is "having a set of relatable characters, facing real-life issues in a world which is as close as possible to the real world just with a twist of some supernatural elements."
* The ''VisualNovel/ScienceAdventureSeries'' includes ''VisualNovel/ChaosHead'', ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'', ''VisualNovel/RoboticsNotes'', and all sequels and spin-offs. They all take place in the same world, and all of them deal with a group of characters taking down a conspiracy, but they rarely ever reference each other, and the main unifying factor is the [[TheIlluminati Committee of 300]].
* The ''VideoGame/PhantasyStar'' series can be cleanly split into four different "subseries", each with their own individual continuity and taking place in their own universe. While each subseries shares several themes and gimmicks (use of Photons and Techniques, recurring EldritchAbomination Dark Falz, ScienceFantasy setting), they share no direct connections to each other.
** The original four games, commonly called the "tetralogy" or the "Classic" series, deals with the solar system of Algol and its residents' struggle to banish the evil of Dark Force once and for all.
** ''Phantasy Star Online'' and its expansions (''Episode II'', ''Episode III'', and ''Blue Burst'') follow the exploits of Pioneer 2, who have arrived on the planet of Ragol following a disaster befalling Pioneer 1 and must uncover the planet's secrets.
** ''Phantasy Star Universe'', the ''Ambition of the Illumini'' expansion, and its direct sequels ''Phantasy Star Portable'' and ''Phantasy Star Portable 2'' details the story of the GUARDIANS, an elite military force of the Gurhal System, and their fight against the SEED virus plaguing the galaxy.
** ''Phantasy Star Online 2'', as well as its numerous spinoffs and indirect sequels, follows ARKS, an intergalactic military force dedicated to fighting the Falspawn, and their quest to save the universe from the threat of Dark Falz and its minions.
* Creator/HidekiKamiya's ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'', ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'', and ''Project G.G.'' were confirmed to be a "Hero Trilogy" upon the announcement of the latter. All three games/game series are homages to superhero tropes (one man transforming in to a hero, a team of heroes, and a giant hero), but aside from a few minor ''Viewtiful Joe'' cameos in ''Wonderful 101'', they do not involve the same characters or story.
* Creator/{{Sierra}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Phantasmagoria}}'' series was intended to be this: a series of otherwise unconnected adventure games in the horror genre. However, due to only two games being released in the series, this is not immediately clear, and it just looks like the first game got a [[InNameOnly completely unrelated]] [[VideoGame/PhantasmagoriaAPuzzleOfFlesh sequel]].
* The ''VideoGame/HauntedHotel'' series is effectively this, as it has no overarching storyline and only some of the games are connected to one another. Two of the games are completely stand-alone and have absolutely no relationship to any of the others. The only thing they all have in common is that the player character is investigating the events at a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin haunted hotel]].

* The trilogy of LightGunGame / {{Rail Shooter}}s based on the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' franchise, consisting of ''VideoGame/Alien3TheGun'' in the early 90s, ''VideoGame/AliensExtermination'' over a decade later and ''VideoGame/AliensArmageddon'' after eight more years. All three games are standalone, set in an AlternateUniverse, with the player(s) assuming the role of a SpaceMarine battling various Xenomorphs, and all of them ends with a bleak BolivianArmyEnding after the final stages.
* The ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series is mostly this, sequels aside:
** Most games take place in {{Alternate Universe}}s, although there is some small overlap. All the worlds do exist in the same multiverse, though, since WordOfGod confirms that Gilgamesh is the same person in (almost) every appearance.
** There's a small pool of otherwise-disconnected games taking place in [[VideoGame/IvaliceAlliance Ivalice]], consisting of the Tactics series, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' and possibly ''VideoGame/VagrantStory''.
** The saga that started with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' is a mixed bag. The trilogy of ''XIII'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', and ''VideoGame/LightningReturnsFinalFantasyXIII'' are all directly related to each other as sequels. However there is also ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyType0'' and its companion piece ''Final Fantasy Agito'', which are related to each other but only thematically to the ''XIII'' arc (originally called ''Agito XIII''). Then there is ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', which was originally called ''Versus XIII'', and is a standalone piece but also thematically linked to the others. All of these together are called the "''Franchise/FabulaNovaCrystallisFinalFantasy Project''", which is the overarching Thematic series tying all of them together with a lightly-linked mythological undercurrent.
** Starting with VI, Hironobu Sakaguchi said he wanted to explore a theme of magic and technology evolving and coexisting with each other; thus explaining the increase of science fiction elements.
* The ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' series has been this since ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII''. (The first three games were a trilogy, and the second three games were another, albeit loosely connected, trilogy.)
* Quintet's Heaven/Earth series: ''VideoGame/ActRaiser'', ''VideoGame/SoulBlazer'', ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'', ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'' and ''VideoGame/TheGranstreamSaga'' all revolve around restoring a destroyed Earth and defeating the great evil that was responsible for destroying the Earth, with the main character disappearing after his job is done. The games also contain similar thematic ideas about human beings, their connections to nature, the human soul, and resurrection.
* The "Soulsborne" series [[note]]Consisting of ''VideoGame/DemonsSouls'', the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' trilogy, ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', and ''VideoGame/EldenRing''[[/note]]: Though the series spans 6 games, 4 separate continuities and 2 different publishers, all of the games do share certain recurring motifs and thematic elements, most notably the cyclical EternalRecurrence of some cataclysmic event and the chance for the PlayerCharacter to make a single choice towards the end of the game that decides the outcome of said event and if/how the cycle should continue.
* The ''VideoGame/TeamIcoSeries'' consists of ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}'', ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'', and ''VideoGame/TheLastGuardian'' which are standalone games that take place in the same universe, share visuals and gameplay, and are all connected by the appearance of horns on certain characters, which mark them as sharing the blood of a god.
* The ''Franchise/SilentHill'' series has had one continuous plot line across three games (part 3 follows from part 1 and ''Origins'' precedes it), but otherwise all the games are different, self-contained stories that revolve around the eponymous town. Or ''don't'' revolve around it, for that matter, such as ''VideoGame/SilentHill4'', which has the most tenuous connection to the other installments by far (it's based on a single document found in ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'').
* The ''VideoGame/WorldOfMana'' series by Creator/{{Square|Soft}}, include a mythical sword that all other famous Swords are based on (as in they are all the same Sword, just a different name in different eras), also, the world commonly has its own TreeOfLife, and there are various espers guarding the elemental forces of the world(probably orbs).
* Each of the three entries in the ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity'' series uses the same mechanics (sprite graphics, lack of SpaceFriction resulting in HitAndRunTactics and AirJousting, etc.), but each one takes place in a different universe.
* ''Franchise/FarCry''. None of the 6 main series installments share the same main characters and only a few secondary characters ever pop up in more than one of them, nor do they share a location. What they do share is several common themes, the most prominent is men's descent into savagery in a wild environment. Only a few of the DLC packs even used the same map, and it took until ''New Dawn'' before ''any'' of the Far Cry games received a direct narrative sequel, and even then it was after a long TimeSkip and the main character was different to the one from ''Far Cry 5''.

%%Currently in the middle of alphabetizing entries.
* The Creator/DrSeuss books are often considered a series. Certainly, they all share the same tone, writer, and artist. The characters and setting typically have the same design styles; the rhyming scheme is always present, as are [[AnAesop the aesops]].
* Much like their films, the ''Film/NationalLampoon'' series of books don't form an interconnected series but rather, share the same writers.
* Creator/WilliamHopeHodgson actually stated that three of his horror/fantasy novels - ''The Boats of the "Glen Carrig"'', ''Literature/TheHouseOnTheBorderland'', and ''The Ghost Pirates'' formed "what, perhaps, maybe termed a trilogy" despite them not having the same settings or characters (and possibly not even the same continuity). Rather, they seem to all revolve around ideas, namely how little mankind really knows about the Earth - and even reality - and the mysteries and dangers that lurk just beyond our perception, sometimes in the midst of places and things that we take for granted.
* ''Behold The Man'' and ''Breakfast In The Ruins'' by Creator/MichaelMoorcock are a thematic duology - the only connection between the two are general themes and the same main character, Karl Glogauer, who even has slightly different backgrounds in each book.
* Creator/RayBradbury published a collection titled "The Illustrated Man", consisting of a number of unrelated short stories that dealt with themes involving the nature of mankind and their relationship to technology, many of them also dealing with ([[{{Zeerust}} somewhat dated]]) ideas of space exploration.
* The Literature/CraftSequence by Creator/MaxGladstone is connected only by taking place in the same MagiTek-fueled UrbanFantasy setting.
* The book series of ''Literature/TheRing'' applies to this, with each entry following a different perspective on the ring deaths: ''Ring'' is reporter Asakawa investigating the tape deaths; ''Spiral'' is coroner Ando's finding the death patterns and explaining them; ''Loop'' is student Kaoru uncovering the "LOOP Project" that connects everything; ''Birthday'' explores [[ForWantOfANail secondary-yet-vital]] characters tied to the series; and ''S'' provides [[PerspectiveFlip Sadako's perspective]] on things.,
* Creator/JulesVerne devoted most of his career to the "Extraordinary Voyages in Worlds Known and Unknown", which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: a series of novels linked by themes of travel, knowledge, and discovery. ''Literature/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'', ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays'', and all the other famous Verne novels belong to the series. There are a few direct sequels within the series, but most of the time, allusions between novels are limited to TheCameo, a ContinuityNod, or a bit of surprise CanonWelding.
* James Jones' war trilogy that consists of ''Literature/FromHereToEternity'', ''Literature/TheThinRedLine'', and Whistle, the last of which was published posthumously. All three deal with World War II and draw on James Jones' experience with that war. All three share the same main three characters, but with different names in each one. There was actually a novel written before From Here to Eternity, but that one was written differently than the others.
* ''Literature/AsianSaga'' is, according to the author "the story of the Anglo-Saxon in Asia." So all the books have British men in Asia as protagonists, and many of the characters are descendants or ancestors of each other (at least the British). There are also continuity nods, and four of the six books deal with Dick Struan's company, and Gai-Jin provides the major link between the Shōgun and Struan's storylines.

* ''Series/AmericanHorrorStory'': Each season explores the tropes of a different horror motif (haunted house, asylum, witches) but the themes of the supernatural, psychological and body horror are constant. So are bittersweet endings, and AnyoneCanDie characters. Crossovers in later seasons establish that the seasons are all in one continuity, despite the great number of [[IdenticalStranger Identical Strangers]] this creates due to series mainstay actors playing a new character each season, and that people who meet more than one of these characters don't register at all that they look alike.
* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' (less so for ''Franchise/PowerRangers''): In each series, the main characters are a team of ([[SixthRanger at first]]) 3 to 5 [[HenshinHero Henshin Heroes]] in color-keyed uniforms. The Rangers first fight the MonsterOfTheWeek on foot, and when [[MakeMyMonsterGrow the monster grows to giant size]], they fight it again in their HumongousMecha. Aside from that, there's no continuity between the individual series (with a few exceptions).
* ''Franchise/KamenRider'': Most series in the franchise follow most or all of these themes: A hero with an insect-inspired costume, a prominent belt (which is usually their TransformationTrinket) and a CoolBike fights MonstersOfTheWeek (whose powers are connected to the hero's one way or another) and defeats them with a DivingKick[[note]]A few exceptions: ''Drive'' has a car instead of a motorcycle, ''Hibiki'' doesn't use the belt or kick, and some shows like ''Gaim'' and ''Ex-Aid'' don't use the insect theme[[/note]]. Apart from that, everything changes from season to season since there's only been one direct sequel in the entire franchise, ''Black RX'' following off of ''Black''; ''Agito'' has some allusions to ''Kuuga'', but the producers didn't make it a direct sequel to avoid ContinuityLockout and left it up to the viewers to decide if they're related or not.
* ''Series/MetalHeroes'', even more so than Super Sentai or Kamen Rider. While most of the seasons share the PowerArmor theme, each of them is different from the last. ''Series/SekaiNinjaSenJiraiya'' is the most outler by not even having the hero ''using PowerArmor''.

* ''Series/TrueDetective'': Each season follows a different group of "true detectives" as they investigate a case.

-->'''Noah Hawley (''Fargo'' showrunner)''': I like the idea that somewhere out there is a big, leather-bound book that's the history of true crime in the Midwest, and [[Film/{{Fargo}} the movie]] was Chapter 4, Season 1 was Chapter 9 and [Season 2] was Chapter 2. You can turn the pages of this book, and you just find this collection of stories... But I like the idea that these things are connected somehow, whether it's linearly or literally or thematically. That's what we play around with.
* ''{{Series/Heroes}}'': [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Was originally envisioned]] as an example of this trope. In the same vein as the aforementioned ''True Detective'' and ''American Horror Story'', each season would have its own cast of characters with their own stories. In the end, the season 1 cast ended up being so popular that [[ScrewedByTheNetwork the NBC vetoed the idea of an ever-shifting cast]] forcing the writers to find a way to incorporate as many of the original cast as possible in the next seasons. It's played straight with the revival, ''Series/HeroesReborn'', which will feature an almost entirely new main cast, with only a single returning character in a leading role. Other characters will return in supporting roles.

* Creator/RikMayall and Creator/AdrianEdmondson saw their three comedy series as a trilogy on life-- ''Series/TheYoungOnes'' is life in your twenties, ''Series/FilthyRichAndCatflap'' is life in your thirties and ''Series/{{Bottom}}'' is when you hit middle age.

* Music/KingCrimson guitarist/de-facto leader Music/RobertFripp had two of these in the late '70s and early '80s:

* Trevor Dunn of Music/MrBungle wrote "Slowly Growing Deaf" for their self-titled album, then later "Carry Stress In The Jaw" and "Phlegmatics" for ''Disco Volante''. Only after having written all three songs did he realize they shared particular themes (sleep, illness, and BodyHorror), and thus decided they were part of a trilogy he called "Sleep". This is why the latter two tracks were subtitled "Sleep Part II" and "Sleep Part III", with "Slowly Growing Deaf" retroactively becoming part one.

* This is essentially the whole point of settings in roleplaying games like [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]]. The creators of a setting define the basic feel of the world and some of the more important locations and people, but players then take their own characters through their own stories with no connection to those of other players, and often little connection even to the background. Everyone playing in, for example, the TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms is effectively playing an independent thematic sequel to the backstory of that setting.
* The TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness games could be considered an example since all of them have horror elements (with the arguable exception of TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening) and take place in a darker version of the real world, but each of them is meant to be separate and self-contained unless the Storyteller chooses to interlink them (in contrast to the earlier [[TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness World of Darkness]] games, where all the different varieties of supernaturals explicitly coexisted in the same world).

* ''Literature/TheKindnessOfDevils'' is a series showing how AllMythsAreTrue, and features the immortal Hardestadt Delac wandering the earth saving people from supernatural or mythical monsters, demons, devils, etc. While ''Nights in Lonesome Arkham'' and ''Under The Cold Moon'' expect you to know a few details from the previous (chronological) stories, they are still heavily self-contained with their own new plot and villains. Every other story in the series can be read in any order.

[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]
%%Examples in this folder have been alphabetized, though some many need to be rearranged by creator if the trilogy names aren't recognized as official.

* Creator/GusVanSant had the ''Death Trilogy'', which were all movies [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory based loosely on true events]] concerning deaths. These films include ''Film/{{Gerry}}'' (based on a hiking tragedy), ''Film/Elephant2003'' (based on the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} shootings), and ''Last Days'' (based on Music/{{Nirvana}} frontman Music/KurtCobain).

* Creator/BazLuhrmann refers to his first three films -- ''Film/StrictlyBallroom'', ''Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet'', and ''Film/MoulinRouge'' -- as "The Red Curtain Trilogy". They are connected by common themes and cinematic style, not by any plot or characters.
* Creator/ParkChanWook's ''Revenge Trilogy'': ''Film/SympathyForMrVengeance'', ''Film/{{Oldboy 2003}}'', and ''Film/SympathyForLadyVengeance''. All three movies deal with revenge and its tragic consequences. While they have the same writer/director and many of the same actors, there is nothing to suggest that they even take place in the same continuity. In fact, despite being an entirely South Korean series, ''Oldboy'' is an adaptation of [[Manga/{{Oldboy}} a pre-existing Japanese manga]].

* The ''Film/CountYorga'' films while sharing the same title character, are not connected. In fact [[spoiler:Yorga even dies at the end of the first movie]]. So it more or less is made of this trope.
* Creator/RomanPolanski's Apartment Trilogy, made up of ''Film/{{Repulsion}}'', ''Film/RosemarysBaby'', and ''Film/TheTenant'', is concerned with social alienation, dread, paranoia, and sexual issues. All three films largely take place in apartments, explaining the title.
* Creator/TakashiMiike has ''The Black Society Trilogy'' (aka Black Triad Trilogy), which are three {{yakuza}} films with Japanese actor Tomorowo Taguchi playing the main character in each, although never the same character. These films include ''Shinjuku Triad Society'', ''Rainy Dog'', and ''Ley Lines'' and focus on unlikely relationships within the Yakuza.
* Creator/DarrenAronofsky's ''Film/TheWrestler'' was planned to be one movie with ''Film/BlackSwan'', being a love affair story between a wrestler and a ballet dancer before it split off into two movies that get along as two perfect companion pices, being known by many as the Obsessed Artist Double feature. Aronofky said: “I’ve always considered the two films companion pieces. They are really connected and people will see the connections. It’s funny, because wrestling some consider the lowest art — if they would even call it art — and ballet some people consider the highest art. But what was amazing to me was how similar the performers in both of these worlds are. They both make incredible use of their bodies to express themselves. They’re both performers. At one point, way before I made The Wrestler, I was actually developing a project that was about a love affair between a ballet dancer and a wrestler, and then it kind of split off into two movies. So I guess my dream is that some art theater will play the films as a double feature some day.”
* The ''Film/RoadTo'' series with Music/BingCrosby and Creator/BobHope is a series of movies featuring the same actors in different roles, parodying a specific genre.
* Creator/DarioArgento's ''The Three Mothers'' trilogy fits this. None of the films share any of the same characters. However, each film has been about one of three sister witches.
* Creator/UweBoll's ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing, Film/InTheNameOfTheKing2TwoWorlds'' and ''Film/InTheNameOfTheKing3LastMission'' share no characters or plot continuity. They are linked only by name and by the fact that they're about fantasy worlds in a dispute over a kingship.
* Creator/OliverStone has his [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar Vietnam War]] trilogy, consisting of ''Film/{{Platoon}}'', ''Literature/BornOnTheFourthOfJuly'', and ''Film/HeavenAndEarth''.
* The Film/CarryOnSeries uses a variety of settings, from mundane work-based comedies, to historical spoofs and parodies of popular genres such as Hammer horror, ''Film/JamesBond'', ''Film/{{Emmanuelle}}'', and so on. Individual characters never recur but the large rotating cast tends to play the same character archetypes, and every film uses the same creative team.
* Luca Guadagnino's "Desire" trilogy, consisting of ''I Am Love'' (2009), ''A Bigger Splash'' (2016), and ''Film/CallMeByYourName'' (2017). Each film contains the concept of desire as a major theme.
* Creator/{{A24}} Films' "Miami" trilogy, consisting of ''Film/SpringBreakers'', ''Film/Moonlight2016'', and ''Film/TheFloridaProject'', which are [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin set in Miami]] and features portrayals of the not-so-good portion of American life.
* Early in her career Creator/JoanCrawford starred in three films of a series: ''Film/OurDancingDaughters'', ''Film/OurModernMaidens'', and ''Film/OurBlushingBrides''. There was no continuity between the films--in the first two she plays heiresses, in the third she's a shopgirl--but all had similar themes about young women in New York finding love and romance while preserving their virtue in a more sexually liberated world.
* Creator/IngmarBergman had his ''Silence Of God Trilogy'' consisting of ''Film/ThroughAGlassDarkly'', ''Film/WinterLight'' and ''[[Film/{{Tystnaden}} The Silence]]''. The trilogy deals with exploitation, psychosis, sexuality, and the struggle of reconciling belief in God with human suffering.
* The French ''[[Film/TrilogieDesMalfaisants Trilogy of the Wicked]]'', directed by Georges Lautner, with dialogues by Creator/MichelAudiard and starring Creator/LinoVentura. These three movies are {{parod|y}}ies of either gangster or spy movies and share tropes, a similar type of humor and some actors.
* The ''Barrytown Trilogy'' movies are this due to being [[DivorcedInstallment Divorced Installments]]. The original Roddy Doyle novels but due to licensing issues, ''Film/TheSnapper'' had to have a different set of characters than ''Film/TheCommitments'' and the same thing happened again with ''The Van''. Though Creator/ColmMeaney plays the father in all three families.
* Creator/GeorgeClooney has affectionately described the Creator/CoenBrothers movies he appeared in as his "idiot trilogy" (they are ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou'', ''Film/IntolerableCruelty'', and ''Film/BurnAfterReading'', with ''Film/HailCaesar'' making it into a tetralogy) owing to the fact that all of the characters he plays in them are fools of one sort or another.
* ''Film/ACinderellaStory'' [[Film/AnotherCinderellaStory and]] [[Film/ACinderellaStoryOnceUponASong its]] [[Film/ACinderellaStoryIfTheShoeFits many]] [[Film/ACinderellaStoryChristmasWish sequels]] are all just modern retellings of ''Literature/{{Cinderella}},'' with no shared characters or continuity.
* The ''Film/{{Searching}}'' and ''Film/Missing2023'' mystery thriller duology tells separate stories exclusively through InUniverseCamera with themes focusing on the ubiquity of internet technology and information. They are established to exist within the same continuity (the prologue of ''Missing'' shows the main character watching a Netflix documentary about the events of ''Searching''), but have no characters or events in common.
* ''Film/{{Sicario}}'', ''Film/HellOrHighWater'', and ''Film/WindRiver'', all of which were written (and, in the latter case, directed) by Taylor Sheridan, form a thematic series of [[NewOldWest neo-Westerns]] with a strong social commentary: ''Sicario'' revolves around the assassination of a high-ranking cartel boss and criticizes the U.S. government's "War on Drugs"; in ''Hell or High Water'', two brothers resort to bank robberies in order to save their family's ranch from foreclosure in the wake of a financial crisis; and ''Wind River'', a murder mystery set on an Indian reservation, was written to raise awareness of the violence against Native American women.
* ''Film/RomeoMustDie'', ''Film/ExitWounds'', and ''Film/Cradle2TheGrave'' are a trio of films of [[MartialArtsMovie martial arts]] [[BuddyCopShow buddy cop films]] mixed with rap artists/urban culture, with an added dose of Creator/TomArnold. All three of them are directed by Creator/AndrzejBartkowiak.
* ''Literature/TheExorcist'' author, William Peter Blatty, calls ''Film/TheExorcist'', ''Film/TheNinthConfiguration'' and ''Film/TheExorcistIII'' his "Faith Trilogy". He hated ''Film/ExorcistIITheHeretic''.
* The ''Film/{{House}}'' series of horror films is a fairly offbeat example. In all of them, protagonists live in houses where supernatural happenings take place involving vengeful spirits, but all except the first and fourth films are unrelated. The first has to do with author Roger Cobb (not [[Film/AllOfMe that one]]) inheriting an old Victorian-style house and his efforts to battle the ghost of an old Vietnam War buddy. The second, ''Film/HouseIITheSecondStory'', deals with two guys and their girlfriends who move into an old mansion and get involved with [[ItMakesSenseInContext zombies, Aztecs, time travel,]] and a Main/CrystalSkull. The third, ''House III: The Horror Show'', (which was released as simply ''Film/TheHorrorShow'' in the U.S.) is about a police detective and his family who are being tormented in their home by the ghost of the serial killer the detective captured and saw executed. The fourth, ''[[Film/HouseIV House IV: The Repossession]]'', brings back Roger, who suffers from SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome, leaving his new wife and daughter to deal with the supernatural events taking place in the house.
* Screenwriting team Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski's {{Biopic}}s are concerned with people who ''aren't'' the kind Hollywood traditionally makes movies about, to the point that their first three such films were dubbed the "Anti-Great Man Trilogy". Specifically, they are about outsider artists of "unsavory" media and "questionable" talent: ''Film/EdWood'' is about a BMovie filmmaker, ''Film/ThePeopleVsLarryFlynt'' a pornographer, ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'' proto-performance artist and professional wrestler Creator/AndyKaufman, ''Film/BigEyes'' kitsch painter Margaret Keane, and ''Film/DolemiteIsMyName'' X-rated comedian and {{Blaxploitation}} pioneer Rudy Ray Moore. There are additional elements linking the films: ''Ed Wood'' and ''Big Eyes'' were both directed by Creator/TimBurton, ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'' and ''Man on the Moon'' were both directed by Creator/MilosForman and feature Music/CourtneyLove as the respective love interests of the protagonists, and all five movies topline an A-list, glamorous movie star in a role that either runs at right angles to their previous work (Creator/JohnnyDepp / Ed Wood, Creator/WoodyHarrelson / Larry Flynt, Creator/AmyAdams / Margaret Keane) or serves as a RealitySubtext-laden funhouse mirror reflection of themselves (Creator/JimCarrey / Andy Kaufman, Creator/EddieMurphy / Rudy Ray Moore).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]

* Much like their films, the Film/NationalLampoon series of books don't form an interconnected series but rather, share the same writers.

* ''Film/MeanStreets'', ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', ''Film/{{Casino}}'' and ''Film/TheIrishman'' are all directed by Creator/MartinScorsese, featuring a number of members from his ProductionPosse, plus the second and third films are both based on nonfiction books by Nicholas Pileggi. Scorsese has said that these films form a thematic series of increasingly elevated steps on the mafia hierarchy (''Mean Streets'' being about young thugs, ''Goodfellas'' being about a man's intiation into the Mafia, ''Casino'' following the Mafia in connection to a businessman, and ''The Irishman'' going all the way up to the mafia being connected to famous Union Leader Jimmy Hoffa and the Kennedy family), adding ''The Irishman'' as a final look in this tetralogy.

* The ''Film/DollarsTrilogy'' consists of ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'', ''Film/ForAFewDollarsMore'' and ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly''. Creator/ClintEastwood is in all of them, playing TheManWithNoName but there is no story connection. It's made all the more confusing by the fact that Eastwood's character goes by a different nickname in each film. To confuse things further, ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'', the third and final part of the trilogy, has TheManWithNoName [[MythologyGag acquiring the hat and poncho he wore in the first film]], ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'', leading to the theory that all three movies are about the same character, but with different aliases. And each film takes place earlier than the previous one: ''TGTBTU'' is in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, Lee Van Cleef's character in ''For a Few Dollars More'' appears to be a Civil War veteran, and ''A Fistful of Dollars'' has fully automatic machine guns and a gravestone dated 1873.
* Creator/SergioLeone's second trilogy, beginning with ''Film/OnceUponATimeInTheWest'', continuing into ''Film/DuckYouSucker'', and finally ending with ''Film/OnceUponATimeInAmerica''. All of them take place in different periods, beginning with the Wild West (somewhere around the 1880s), the Mexican Revolution (just before UsefulNotes/WorldWarI) and finally over the early twentieth century. According to Leone, the connection was that these were all years that touched America, though there is also the recurring themes of lawless and chaotic society.
* Creator/LucioFulci's "Gates of Hell" trilogy are three films linked by the theme of supernatural zombie apocalypse: ''Film/TheBeyond'', ''Film/CityOfTheLivingDead'', and ''Film/TheHouseByTheCemetery''.
* Creator/TerryGilliam:
** Refers to ''Film/TimeBandits'', ''Film/{{Brazil}}'', and ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' as his "Imagination Trilogy" or "Dreamer Trilogy", with all three films revolving around wide-eyed and imaginative characters in successive stages of life. The first deals with youth, the second with adulthood, the third with old age.
** Gilliam has also stated he has now completed a trilogy of "{{dystopia}}n {{satire}}s", which contains ''Film/{{Brazil}}'', ''Film/TwelveMonkeys'', and ''Film/TheZeroTheorem''.
* Eric Rohmer, a French director most famous for being part of the ''Cahiers du Cinéma'' group that was the core of the UsefulNotes/FrenchNewWave, did this often. Most of his famous films come from one of several thematic series, which shared no plot threads but were linked by a common theme. These series were:
** ''Film/SixMoralTales'', comprised of ''Film/TheBakeryGirlOfMonceau'', ''Film/SuzannesCareer'', ''Film/LaCollectionneuse'', ''Film/MyNightAtMauds'', ''Film/ClairesKnee'' and ''Film/LoveInTheAfternoon''.
** ''Comedies and Proverbs'', comprised of ''Film/TheAviatorsWife'', ''Film/AGoodMarriage'', ''Film/PaulineAtTheBeach'', ''Film/FullMoonInParis'', ''Film/TheGreenRay'', and ''Film/MyGirlfriendsBoyfriend''.
** ''Tales of the Four Seasons'', comprised of ''Film/ATaleOfSpringtime'', ''Film/ATaleOfWinter'', ''Film/ATaleOfSummer'', and ''Film/ATaleOfAutumn''.
* Creator/JohnCarpenter has what he considers his "Apocalypse Trilogy" starting with ''Film/TheThing1982'', going into ''Film/PrinceOfDarkness'' and ending with ''Film/InTheMouthOfMadness''. As the name implies, the connection has to do with each of the films presenting a CosmicHorror scenario that could potentially result in the end of the world, by way of alien invasion, the awakening of an EldritchAbomination that was the basis for Satan, and a crazy writer whose work has [[spoiler:possibly]] been influenced by ancient Lovecraftian monstrosities. All three have the protagonists coming face to face with the end of the world, and they all end on a bleak note but open to interpretation:
** ''The Thing'': [[spoiler:The two survivors are left to freeze to death, but there is the small possibility that one of them is the Thing.]]
** ''Prince of Darkness'': [[spoiler:Satan is apparently expelled and trapped in another realm, at the cost of the LoveInterest's life, but she starts appearing in the main character's dreams, and then he reaches for that mirror- [[NothingIsScarier we don't see what happens next]].]]
** ''In The Mouth of Madness'': [[spoiler:The protagonist learns he is a fictional character in a writer's story, he tries to stop the publication of the novel every way he knows how, but Sutter Kane is always one step ahead of him, and before long we can't tell if he's truly mad when other people seem to forget things. The book gets published, people go insane, and before long society is in ruins- and to add further MindScrew, it turns out the film we've been watching is actually the adaptation of the novel.]]
* The Creator/GeorgeARomero ''Film/LivingDeadSeries'' of zombie movies (and most zombie movie franchises) never keep the same characters or setting but are all still a part of the same series. Part of the reason for this is because of the EverybodyDiesEnding plots.
* Creator/BazLuhrmann refers to his first three films -- ''Film/StrictlyBallroom'', ''Film/WilliamShakespearesRomeoAndJuliet'', and ''Film/MoulinRouge'' -- as "The Red Curtain Trilogy". They are connected by common themes and cinematic style, not by any plot or characters.
* Film/MrVampire spawned four sequels, but save for the fifth film in 1992 there is no indication that the other 3 installments in-between are set in the same continuity or universe, other than sharing the same cast of actors (but playing different characters) and having [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Chinese jiangshi]] in them.
* The Film/NationalLampoon movies are essentially connected by the NL label and its writers. The only exception being ''Film/NationalLampoonsVacation'' movies, which form a more standard series.
* Creator/NicolasCage had an action trilogy of ''Film/TheRock'', ''Film/ConAir'' and ''Film/FaceOff'', also known as "beige Volvo trilogy" due to that car being referred to or appearing in each.
* ''Film/FleshForFrankenstein'' and ''Film/BloodForDracula'' (aka Andy Warhol's Frankenstein and Andy Warhol's Dracula) is a duology that was filmed at the same time with the same writer/director, the original cast, and the same crew. They are both set in rural Europe, have a tongue-in-cheek tone, share the same themes (sexuality and classism), and are both about famous horror figures. Their {{market based title}}s are also very similar, taking advantage of Creator/AndyWarhol's name even though he had little to do with the films outside of producer credit.
* Creator/GusVanSant had the ''Death Trilogy'', which were all movies [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory based loosely on true events]] concerning deaths. These films include ''Film/{{Gerry}}'' (based on a hiking tragedy), ''Film/Elephant2003'' (based on the UsefulNotes/{{Columbine}} shootings), and ''Last Days'' (based on Music/{{Nirvana}} frontman Music/KurtCobain).
* Creator/LarsVonTrier had the ''Golden Hearts Trilogy'', which consisted of ''Film/TheIdiots'', ''Film/BreakingTheWaves'', and ''Film/DancerInTheDark''. All three movies are part of the UsefulNotes/{{Dogme 95}} movement and involve BreakTheCutie plots. Three of his later works, ''Film/{{Antichrist}}'', ''Film/{{Melancholia}}'' and ''Film/{{Nymphomaniac}}'', also form the "Depression Trilogy", all starring Charlotte Gainsbourg.
* Creator/AlejandroGonzalezInarritu referred to ''Film/AmoresPerros'', ''Film/TwentyOneGrams'' and ''Film/{{Babel}}'' as his "death trilogy".
* Fans of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' (or just bad movies in general) have considered the three movies directed by Creator/ColemanFrancis - ''Film/TheBeastOfYuccaFlats'', ''Film/TheSkydivers'', and ''Film/RedZoneCuba'' - as a trilogy.
* Creator/PierPasolini had the ''Trilogy Of Life'', which consisted of films of ancient anthology works celebrating life : ''Literature/TheArabianNights'', ''Literature/TheDecameron'', and ''Literature/TheCanterburyTales'' (which are all, in and of themselves, Thematic Series). This trilogy would have been followed up by another called ''Trilogy Of Death'', which would be film adaptations of similar works focusing on death. He only made ''Film/SaloOrThe120DaysOfSodom'' before dying, leaving the series unfinished.

Unlike a typical series, a Thematic Series does not follow the same characters or story; instead, it follows the same themes. For instance, a series may focus on themes of war, but with each installment centering on completely different people being affected by completely different wars. One '''might''' recognize a few [[ContinuityNod nods]] to past installments here and there. If the installments share any characters at all, they will be side characters or it may be in the form of a [[TheCameo cameo]] by a former main character of a different chapter. This is assuming the installments take place in the same [[TheVerse universe]] at all. Otherwise, expect NegativeContinuity.

This is different from a SpiritualSuccessor in that the installments are all made by the same creator(s) for an interlocking series. Considering the nature of this series, audiences never have to worry about ArchivePanic or ContinuityLockOut and can even see them out of order. What these two tropes do have in common, however, is that they are sometimes [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]] due to the creators lacking the rights to make a regular sequel or series. Often, these series end up being [[{{Trilogy}} trilogies]].

* The installments of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' routinely change settings, genres, and the way the characters fight, but one thing remains constant: that the protagonist is a [[BadassFamily Joestar]], and they will fight evil using their supernatural powers and unwavering belief in justice - in [[ContrastingSequelProtagonist their own particular ways]], of course.
* ''Anime/BloodTheLastVampire'', ''Anime/BloodPlus'' and ''Anime/BloodC'', each have one similarly named character with only superficial resemblance to each other, and no continuity in common. They're all about a katana-wielding FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire girl [[HunterOfHisOwnKind hunting the more monstrous of her kind]].

* ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'' has been portrayed numerous times with the Creator/MamoruOshii films ''Anime/GhostInTheShell1995'' and ''Innocence'', the anime series ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' and its sequels ''2nd Gig'' and ''[[Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplexSolidStateSociety Solid State Society]]'', the OVA series ''Anime/GhostInTheShellArise'', the 2015 ''Ghost in the Shell'' movie, and [[Manga/GhostInTheShell the original manga]] that inspired it all. All of them have different storylines, character origins, visual animation, and character styles, and none of them are connected. Motoko's origin story in ''Arise'' and ''Stand Alone Complex'' makes it impossible for them to be connected. All of them focus on the central theme of technology integrating with humanity, prosthetic bodies, cybercrime, and maintaining the individuality that proves your existence. Most of them also feature a cute SpiderTank with child-like voices and an AI eager to learn about the world.
* ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': ''[[Anime/DigimonTamers Tamers]]'', ''[[Anime/DigimonFrontier Frontier]]'', ''[[Anime/DigimonDataSquad Data Squad]]'', ''[[Anime/DigimonFusion Fusion]]'', and ''[[Anime/DigimonUniverseAppMonsters Appmon]]'' all take place in separate universes, not the one seen in ''[[Anime/DigimonAdventure Adventure]]'' and its sequels ''[[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 02]]'' and ''[[Anime/DigimonAdventureTri Tri]]''. Between the Wonderswan games bridging Adventure's and Tamers' universes, and ''Xros Wars''' CrisisCrossover, however, a loose multiverse has been established.
* The ''Anime/TimeBokan'' series of anime sets its primary tone as lighthearted and its theme centered around time travel. Quite a few of them have to do with stopping certain characters from altering history.
* Creator/BeeTrain's GirlsWithGuns trilogy, consisting of ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', ''Anime/{{Madlax}}'', and ''Anime/ElCazadorDeLaBruja''. All three works star a group of gun-toting women who fight against some variant of TheConspiracy.
* While the first three series in the Franchise/YuGiOh franchise have been confirmed to be within the same continuity, none of the rest have been, and in fact ''Manga/YuGiOhArcV'' has been confirmed as being in an alternate timeline from any that came before. Since the fourth one, ''Anime/YuGiOhZexal'', older characters have stopped reappearing except as the alternate universe versions from Arc-V. Ultimately, the only things that tie them all together is the game of Duel Monsters and the Duel Disks used to play them.
* The only unifying factor of every entry in the ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' franchise is that they're all about [[MagicalGirl magical girls]] with [[spoiler:[[OurLichesAreDifferent their souls stored in shiny rocks called "Soul Gems"]] that [[HeWhoFightsMonsters turn into the Witches they fight when sufficiently depressed or when too much magic is used]]]]. Beyond this, plots vary wildly between ''[[VideoGame/MagiaRecordPuellaMagiMadokaMagicaSideStory Magia Record]]''[='=]s action thriller, ''[[Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica Oriko Magica]]''[='=]s [[BattleOfWits chess match over]] [[spoiler:the fate of [[ApocalypseMaiden Kaname Madoka]]]], ''[[Manga/PuellaMagiTartMagica Tart Magica]]''[='=]s [[HistoricalFantasy magical girl]] [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy retelling of]] [[UsefulNotes/TheHundredYearsWar the Hundred Year's War]], and many more. No two entries are alike, though some share characters.
* Creator/PAWorks has had four anime, so far, about young women (aged 18-25) working in various jobs: Animation in ''Anime/{{Shirobako}}'', a small town's tourism bureau in ''Anime/SakuraQuest'', an aquarium in ''Anime/TheAquatopeOnWhiteSand'', and a maid cafe in ''Anime/AkibaMaidWar'' [[spoiler:where all the cafes are involved in a violent gang war between them]] . More are likely coming.
* The ''Manga/WorldsEndHarem'' franchise, all of which are written by Creator/{{LINK}} and illustrated by various {{hentai}} artists. Each is an {{ecchi}} HaremSeries in some sort of {{dystopia}}n world, but there the similarities end: the original is [[TwentyMinutesInTheFuture near-future]] ScienceFiction, ''Manga/WorldsEndHaremFantasia'' is a DarkFantasy series, ''Manga/WorldsEndHaremFantasiaAcademy'' is a HighSchoolAU of ''Fantasia'', and ''Manga/WorldsEndHaremBrittaniaLumiere'' is a ReverseHarem {{isekai}} series.

* ''ComicBook/{{Northlanders}}'' by Brian Wood. Each story arc takes place during the Viking age but centuries apart and in locations as far apart as Iceland and Russia.
* ''ComicBook/SgtFuryAndHisHowlingCommandos'' had the 'The' stories, a series of moralistic stories focusing on a specific OneShotCharacter to elucidate the various facets of war, starting with '[[BloodKnight The War Lover]]' and concluding with 'The Reporter'.
* ''ComicBook/SinCity'' is about the eponymous city more than specific characters. While many stories share protagonists, they are all stand-alone tales that deal with FilmNoir elements.
* Both Creator/MarvelComics and Creator/DCComics have a series devoted to taking familiar characters and placing them in {{Alternate Universe}}s with little to no reoccurring characters. Marvel has ''Comicbook/WhatIf'' and DC has the ''ElseWorld'' series which was an imprint with many one-shots and miniseries.
* Marvel also has TheEnd line of comic books, which vary greatly in both genre and tone, but share the base premise of showing the final days of famous marvel characters. In some cases, this extends to also showing the end of the earth, humanity, or the universe itself.
* Creator/JephLoeb and Tim Sale's ''Batman: Comicbook/TheLongHalloween'' and ''Comicbook/SupermanForAllSeasons'': both follow the DC icons through a year, very early in their careers. ''Long Halloween'' is a 12-issue story that goes month-by-month (on holidays); ''All Seasons'' is only four issues, and goes by, of course, seasons.
* Loeb and Sale also had a series of ColorMotif miniseries for Creator/MarvelComics: ''ComicBook/DaredevilYellow'', ''ComicBook/HulkGray'', ''ComicBook/SpiderManBlue'', and ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaWhite''. In addition to having [[ColorMotif color motifs]], each story revolves around the titular hero reminiscing over a deceased loved one.

* ''Film/MeanStreets'', ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', ''Film/{{Casino}}'' and ''Film/{{The Irishman}}'' are all directed by Creator/MartinScorsese, featuring a number of members from his ProductionPosse, plus the second and third films are both based on nonfiction books by Nicholas Pileggi. Scorsese has said that these films form a Thematic Series of increasingly elevated steps on the mafia hierarchy (Mean Streets being about young thugs, Goodfellas being about a man's intiation into the Mafia, Casino following the Mafia in connection to a businessman and The Irishman going all the way up to the mafia being connected to famous Union Leader Jimmy Hoffa and the Kenndey family) adding The Irishman as a final look of this tetralogy.

* The "Colour" trilogy, from Hong Kong director Wong Jing, which revolves around TheTriadsAndTheTongs and their police informant, whose loyalty is put to the test through double-crossings, power struggle, and questionable loyalties. Staring with ''Film/ColourOfTheTruth'' (2003), with two sequels ''Colour of the Loyalty'' (2005) and ''Colour of the Loyalty'' (2017). [[note]] All three films uses the same page. [[/note]]
* Creator/ParkChanWook's ''Revenge Trilogy'': ''Film/SympathyForMrVengeance'', ''Film/{{Oldboy 2003}}'', and ''Film/SympathyForLadyVengeance''. All three movies deal with revenge and its tragic consequences. While they have the same writer/director and many of the same actors, there is nothing to suggest that they even take place in the same continuity. In fact, despite being an entirely South Korean series, ''Oldboy'' is an adaptation of a [[Manga/{{Oldboy}} pre-existing Japanese manga.]]

* Creator/GuillermoDelToro has long planned a thematic trilogy of supernatural films concerning the Spanish Civil War: he began it with ''Film/{{Cronos}}'' in 1993, continued it with ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' in 2001 and ended it with ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' in 2006.
* Greg Araki made a series of movies dealing with [[TeenageWasteland teenagers in or around the Apocalypse]] called, appropriately enough, ''The Teen Apocalypse Trilogy''. ''Film/TheDoomGeneration'' is the most well-known but it also contains the films ''Film/{{Nowhere}}'' and ''Totally F***ed Up''. None of them share the same characters at all (although they have a few of the same actors) and due to the apocalyptic nature of the films, it's safe to say they don't even take place in the same universe.
* The ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' series was meant to be such after [[Film/HalloweenII1981 the second film]]. Originally, every sequel would tell a different horror story set during Halloween. This is the reason why ''Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch'' does not include Myers. This idea proved unpopular with fans so the series ended up being all about Myers.

* Most of the ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed'' games take place in different time periods, and share very few characters. The present day framing narrative, however, share many characters, including the "main" character [[spoiler:for the first three/five games, at least]]. The overarching plot of the series (Assassins vs. Templars) is what really connects the games, not the actions of one assassin. [[note]]The Ezio trilogy did share the same protagonist, but these are the only games to have a protagonist return. Haytham Kenway was likewise featured in three games - ''III'', ''Black Flag'', and ''Rogue'' - as an adult in the first and third, as a major antagonist and a major supporting character respectively, and a child in the second, though only in the final cutscene.[[/note]]

* Screenwriting team Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski's {{Biopic}}s are concerned with people who ''aren't'' the kind Hollywood traditionally makes movies about, to the point that their first three such films were dubbed the "Anti-Great Man Trilogy". Specifically, they are about outsider artists of "unsavory" media and "questionable" talent: ''Film/EdWood'' is about a BMovie filmmaker, ''Film/ThePeopleVsLarryFlynt'' a pornographer, ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'' proto-performance artist and professional wrestler Creator/AndyKaufman, ''Film/BigEyes'' kitsch painter Margaret Keane, and ''Film/DolemiteIsMyName'' X-rated comedian and {{Blaxploitation}} pioneer Rudy Ray Moore. There are additional elements linking the films: ''Ed Wood'' and ''Big Eyes'' were both directed by Creator/TimBurton, ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'' and ''Man on the Moon'' were both directed by Creator/MilosForman and feature Creator/CourtneyLove as the respective love interests of the protagonists, and all five movies topline an A-list, glamorous movie star in a role that either runs at right angles to their previous work (Creator/JohnnyDepp / Ed Wood, Creator/WoodyHarrelson / Larry Flynt, Creator/AmyAdams / Margaret Keane) or serves as a RealitySubtext-laden funhouse mirror reflection of themselves (Creator/JimCarrey / Andy Kaufman, Creator/Eddie Murphy / Rudy Ray Moore).

* Screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski's {{Biopic}}s are all concerned with people who ''aren't'' the kind Hollywood traditionally makes movies about, to the point that their first three such films were dubbed the "Anti-Great Man Trilogy". More specifically, they are about outsider artists of varying stripes: ''Film/EdWood'' is about a notorious BMovie filmmaker, ''Film/ThePeopleVsLarryFlynt'' a pornographer, ''Film/ManOnTheMoon'' proto-performance artist Creator/AndyKaufman, ''Film/BigEyes'' kitsch painter Margaret Keane, and ''Film/DolemiteIsMyName'' comedian and {{Blaxploitation}} pioneer Creator/RudyRayMoore.