History Main / Title1

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' was widely promoted as ''Star Wars: Episode I''. [[SubvertedTrope However]], it was the fourth film produced in the series. The odd numbering stems from a broad storyline for the series outlined by Creator/GeorgeLucas after the success of 1977's ''Star Wars'' - which was retroactively titled ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope]]'', due to Lucas' desire to flesh out the original's backstory.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** ''[[Film/ThePhantomMenace Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace]]'', a different kind of this trope because it's actually the fourth movie made, but the first one chronologically.
** ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]'' is another variation on the trope, the first film in a franchise being given a number to set it up for ''prequels'' rather than sequels. Note that this is a retroactive example: it premiered in 1977 as simply ''Star Wars'', and only got the subtitle ''Episode IV: A New Hope'' in 1981, a year after the first sequel ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' came out.

* ''[[VideoGame/BlasterSeries Math Blaster]] Episode I: In Search of Spot'' for {{UsefulNotes/SNES}}, UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and PC, followed by ''Math Blaster Episode II: Secret of the Lost City'', only for PC, and also many more ''Blaster Learning System'' titles, the ''Episode I'' wasn't even the first in the series.

* Standard procedure on Wiki/TVTropes when a series that doesn't qualify for the Franchise namespace shares a name with its first installment is to trope the series at "[=Medium.WorkName=]" and the first installment at "[=Medium.WorkName1=]". The "1" on the latter page is usually removed via Administrivia/{{the custom title system}}, but sometimes nobody bothers.[[note]]In the case of [[NamesTheSame two works with]] [[SimilarlyNamedWorks the same name]], the release year is used instead.[[/note]]

* ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'', the first one of a series of over 20 movies and still counting. Notably, it did not have the "First" in its title in Japan (or most other countries); the decision to include this naming convention in the (informal) North American title was a safe one, though, since the second one had been released in Japan months before the first movie came to America, and the third movie was already in development, and the Pokémon franchise was in the height of its popularity so it was safe to count on the sequels coming to America as well. Either way, the proper English title was ''Mewtwo Strikes Back'' (a direct translation of the Japanese title ''Mewtwo's Counterattack'') which means the whole issue just comes down to the dubbers (not the creators) adding an unnecessary "First Movie" tag to the title.

** ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]'' is another variation on the trope, the first film in a franchise being given a number to set it up for ''prequels'' rather than sequels. Note that this is a retroactive example: it premiered in 1977 as ''Star Wars'', and only got the subtitle ''Episode IV: A New Hope'' in 1981, a year after the first sequel ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' came out.

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''', ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie''

* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Dougs 1st Movie}} Doug's 1st Movie]]'', which is also [[StillbornFranchise Doug's last movie]].

*** ''Dragon Quest I, II & III'', released for the Wii.

*** ''Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls'' for the Game Boy Advance.

* ''Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'': One example of when a sequel was never made; a sequel is even teased at the end, but it's okay since it was [[{{PlayedForLaughs}} only a joke]] and the producers [[{{SequelSnark}} never intended to make a sequel]] anyway. [[SequelGap Until it was eventually announced in 2021]] that a sequel series, ''History of the World Part II'', would be made for ''Creator/{{Hulu}}''.

* ''Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'': One example of when a sequel was never made; a sequel is even teased at the end, but it's okay since it was [[{{PlayedForLaughs}} only a joke]] and the producers [[{{SequelSnark}} never intended to make a sequel]] anyway.

* 2021's ''Film/{{Dune|2021}}'' is sutbtitled ''Dune Part One'', since it's a case of DividedForAdaptation.

* ''Film/It2017'' shows its title screen at the start of the credits, where it appends ''Chapter One''. The book's movie adaptation was DividedForPublication.

** ''Madou Monogatari 1-2-3'' for the UsefulNotes/{{MSX2}} and UsefulNotes/PC98. This was actually the ''original'' release of both, ''Madou Monogatari 1'' and ''3'', since a prototype version of ''2'' was released earlier as a bonus in a special Christmas-themed issue of Compile's ''Disk Station'' magazine. However, ''Madou Monogatari 1'' was the only that had a stand-alone port on all three of the 16-bit consoles (Super Famicom, Mega Drive and PC Engine) in Japan.

* Standard procedure on Wiki/TVTropes when a series that doesn't qualify for the Franchise namespace shares a name with its first installment is to trope the series at "Medium.WorkName" and the first installment at "Medium.WorkName1". The "1" on the latter page is usually removed via Administrivia/{{the custom title system}}, but sometimes nobody bothers.[[note]]In the case of [[NamesTheSametwo works with]] [[SimilarlyNamedWorks the same name]], the release year is used instead.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Infamous}}: Fist Light'' is a stand-alone expansion to ''Infamous: Second Son'' that serves as a prequel to the events of said game. ''Second Son'' itself was the third game in the series, titled as such since it featured a new protagonist.

* Standard procedure on Wiki/TVTropes when a series that doesn't qualify for the Franchise namespace shares a name with its first installment is to trope the series at "Medium.WorkName" and the first installment at "Medium.WorkName1". The "1" on the latter page is usually removed via Administrivia/{{the custom title system}}, but sometimes nobody bothers.

* ''Film/KaamelottPremierVolet'' (TheMovie of ''Series/{{Kaamelott}}'') is the first of a planned trilogy. "Premier Volet" means "First Chapter" in French.

* ''[[VideoGame/BarkleyShutUpAndJamGaiden Tales of Game's Presents Chef Boyardee's Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, Chapter 1 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa]]'', a sequel is in the works.

* The awful Italian horror film "Evil Clutch" was originally titled "Il bosco 1", but it is not known if they ever wanted to make a Part 2.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'', the first one of a series of over 20 movies and still counting. Notably, it did not have the "First" in its title in Japan (or most other countries); the decision to include this naming convention in the (informal) North American title was a safe one, though, since the second one had been released in Japan months before the first movie came to America, and the third movie was already in development, and the Pokémon franchise was in the height of its popularity so it was safe to count on the sequels coming to America as well. Either way, the proper English title was ''Mewtwo Strikes Back'' (a direct translation of the Japanese title ''Mewtwo's Counterattack'') which means the whole issue just comes down to the dubbers (not the creators) adding an unnecessary "First Movie" tag to the title.

* The [=PlayStation=] and Nintendo DS ports of the original ''VideoGame/FrontMission'' were released under title of ''Front Mission [=1st=]''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Infamous}}: Fist Light'' was a stand-alone expansion to ''Infamous: Second Son'' that serves as a prequel to the events of said game. ''Second Son'' itself was the third game in the series, titled as such since it focused on a new protagonist.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie'', the first one of a series of over 20 movies and still counting. Notably, it did not have the "First" in its title in Japan (or most other countries); the decision to include this naming convention in the North American title was a safe one, though, since the sequel had been released in Japan months before the first movie came to America, and the third movie was already in development, and the Pokémon franchise was in the height of its popularity so it was safe to count on the sequels coming to America as well.

* ''Film/KamenRiderTheFirst'' - Not the first installment of the whole franchise, but a movie adaptation of [[Series/KamenRider the series]] that ''was''.

* The original ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' was ported to the Game Boy Advance as ''Final Fight One''.

* ''Film/AtlasShrugged: Part I''. Despite the movie failing both on the critical reception and box office, Part II was made with a new cast, and, after a small time in DevelopmentHell after that ''also'' failed, was joined by Part III (''again'' with a different cast to the previous instalments), completing the planned trilogy.

[[folder:Videogames]]

* Parodied in ''Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue'':
-->'''Barry:''' Creosote Butterfly...Sixties rock band. \\

* ''VideoGame/ParaParaParadise'' had a "1st Mix Plus" release after the original. It did go onto have a 2nd Mix, but that was the last one.

* The original ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' was subtitled in Japan ''Isshō: Yokosuka'', or "Chapter 1: Yokosuka". Sega's original plan was to sell the series as [[DividedForPublication serialized installments]], each covering a key location in the game's story, but this was abandoned in favor of having the sequels span several chapters (hence why the second game was titled ''Shenmue II'' and not ''Shenmue Chapter 2'').