History RememberTheNewGuy / WesternAnimation

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': Dulcy the Dragon. She just suddenly appears in the second season premiere as if she was one of the Freedom Fighters the whole time. Semi-justified in that there appeared to be a TimeSkip between seasons 1 and 2, so it's likely that she joined up during that time frame.

* Dulcy the Dragon in ''[[WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM Sonic the Hedgehog]]''. She just suddenly appears in the second season premiere as if she was one of the Freedom Fighters the whole time. Semi-justified in that there appeared to be a TimeSkip between seasons 1 and 2, so it's likely that she joined up during that time frame.

** PlayedForDrama in "Jurassic Bark", which {{Retcon}}s Fry's dog Seymour into the events of the pilot episode. It seems he was at Panucci's the day Fry took off on his final delivery, we just never saw him. It's poignant precisely because it serves to emphasize something that the show usually [[AngstWhatAngst doesn't dwell on]]: the fact that Fry had a life of his own before he arrived in the future, even if it was mundane.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'': The main character is a never-before-seen son of Simba and Nala called Kion despite the fact Kiara was the only cub in her pride in ''Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride''. Kiara is still around, though she's [[NotAllowedToGrowUp inexplicably still a cub]] despite having been an only child throughout the second film. There are also two new cubs despite the fact Kiara was the only cub in her pride according to ''Simba's Pride'', and Timon and Pumbaa have an adopted nephew named Bunga. ''The Lion Guard'' has attempted to tie itself into the original film, though it's still vaguely in an AlternateContinuity. Season 3 of ''The Lion Guard'' takes place around the time of the second part of ''Simba's Pride'' (when Kiara's now a young adult), and the first episode sees Kion and his team leaving the Pridelands on a long journey, thus explaining why they're away during Kiara's first solo hunt and beyond.

* The prequel to ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'', ''WesternAnimation/CliffordsPuppyDays'' introduces Daisy as Emily Elizabeth's pet rabbit. She is not present or even alluded to in the sequel which causes FridgeHorror of what could have happened to her since.

** Spinel, the villain of [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie the movie]], has some history with Pearl, but the movie is the first time the other Crystal Gems learned of her existence. [[spoiler:This is connected to both Pearl's history as Pink Diamond's servant, which she was forbidden to speak of until late in season 5, and the implication that Spinel had been forgotten by pretty much everyone who knew about her before she arrived on Earth.]]

* After its first season had middling ratings, ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' was {{ReTool}}ed during its second season, which introduced two new regular characters: Carl Chryniszzswics, a HollywoodNerd who insists he's Johnny's best friend, and Pops, mentor to Johnny and owner of a local diner and quite possibly a few other, sketchier business ventures. They are treated as though they always existed despite not appearing nor being mentioned in the first season. After the show returned to it's original style in the fourth season, Carl was DemotedToExtra and Pops only had a brief non-speaking cameo in one episode.

* Parodied and subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' episode "Total Rickall." Several new characters are introduced like they've always been a part of the cast, but it turns out they are shapeshifting alien parasites who have implanted false memories of being lifelong close friends.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'': In the episode "City At War" we meet Karai's best friend Shinigami, who is also a fighter and has been Karai's close friend since childhood. Never mentioned that Karai even had friends until this.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'': The main character is a never-before-seen son of Simba and Nala called Kion. At least [[Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride Kiara]] is still around, though she's [[NotAllowedToGrowUp inexplicably still a cub]] despite having been an only child throughout the second film. There are also two new cubs despite the fact Kiara was the only cub in her pride according to ''Simba's Pride'', and Timon and Pumbaa have an adopted nephew named Bunga.
** Season 3 of ''The Lion Guard'' takes place around the time of the second part of ''Simba's Pride'' (when Kiara's now a young adult), and the first episode sees Kion and his team leaving the Pridelands on a long journey, thus explaining why they're away during Kiara's first solo hunt and beyond.

** The villain of [[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie the movie]] has some history with the Crystal Gems, with Pearl even recognizing her when she arrives on Earth, but the movie is the first we hear of her existence.

** Similarly done in "A Tale of Two Cows." Even though Wooldoor Sockbat only met Live Action Cow at the beginning of the episode, there's a montage at the end of him remembering the good times he had with her, which is really shots from other episodes with Live Action Cow crudely inserted in. There were even scenes that Wooldoor didn't originally appear in, with him and Live Action Cow often replacing characters that were involved with the original scene.

* ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'' introduced Crystal Winter, who was talked about as if she was everyone's best friend and favorite person.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeamUmizoomi'':
** Bot immediately recognizes The Trouble Makers in the season four premiere "The Boy with the Dragon Skateboard", despite said premiere being the debut of the latter.
** Likewise, inverted. Any character/villain recently introduced in certain episodes/specials, if Team Umizoomi doesn't introduce themselves beforehand, will address Team Umizoomi by their actual name, even if it's never given it out to said character/villain.
*** One example of this inversion is "Umi Cops!", where the Team is called upon by the Police General as The Umi Cops, despite only becoming cops recently.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
** PlayedForLaughs with Scruffy the Janitor, the eighth member of Planet Express, who first appeared in "Anthology of Interest I" when Farnsworth gathered the crew to test out his What-If Machine. It's a RunningGag that most of his coworkers either barely know him or don't know him at all, and it seems he'd prefer to keep it that way. ("Anthology of Interest II" continues the gag with two other Planet Express employees who are never seen again, a Spock-like character called Xanthor and a fairy named Katrina.)
--->'''Scruffy:''' I've never seen him [Bender] so down. Or ever before.
** PlayedForDrama in "Jurassic Bark", which {{Retcon}}s Fry's dog Seymour into the events of the pilot episode. It seems he was at Panucci's the day Fry took off on his final delivery, we just never saw him. It's poignant precisely because it serves to emphasize something that the show usually [[AngstWhatAngst doesn't dwell on]]: the fact that Fry had a life of his own before he arrived in the future, even if it was mundane.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': Bismuth from [[Recap/StevenUniverseS3E20Bismuth the episode of the same name]]. Garnet and Pearl are utterly ecstatic to see her and appear to have been close friends with her. Meanwhile, neither Amethyst (born a few centuries after the show's GreatOffscreenWar) nor Steven know anything about her, as Garnet and Pearl never mentioned her, and Rose Quartz never left anything behind that mentioned past members of the team. When they're alone, Amethyst and Steven even talk about how weird it was that Garnet and Pearl never discussed this with them, with Steven reasoning that they prefer not to talk about the war. [[spoiler:It turns out that Rose Quartz at least [[BrokenAce had]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil a]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist good]] [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim reason]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters never]] [[TheUnfettered to]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds mention]] [[FallenHero her]]...]]

** PlayedForDrama in "Jurassic Bark," which {{Retcon}}s Fry's dog Seymour into the events of the pilot episode. It seems he was at Panucci's the day Fry took off on his final delivery, we just never saw him. It's poignant precisely because it serves to emphasize something that the show usually [[AngstWhatAngst doesn't dwell on]]: the fact that Fry had a life of his own before he arrived in the future, even if it was mundane.

* Of the original seven members of the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', Shayera Hol (formerly Hawkgirl) was a blatant example of this. She'd never shown up anywhere onscreen in the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse continuity prior to her first appearance in the three-part premiere episode "Secret Origins," but the other main characters evidently already knew who she was. "Starcrossed" mentions that she's been on Earth for 5 years now. Highly doubtful that the first two seasons went on for 5 years in-universe. John Stewart, the Green Lantern, also counts, though his example isn't as obvious because the Green Lantern Corps and their individual members had already been shown in the earlier ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "In Brightest Day" (where new recruit Kyle Rayner was the focus character).
* The main character of ''WesternAnimation/TheLionGuard'' is a never-before-seen son of Simba and Nala called Kion. At least [[Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride Kiara]] is still around, though she's [[NotAllowedToGrowUp inexplicably still a cub]] despite having been an only child throughout the second film. There are also two new cubs despite the fact Kiara was the only cub in her pride according to ''Simba's Pride'', and Timon and Pumbaa have an adopted nephew named Bunga.

** In ''The Mane Attraction'', we are introduced to Countess Coloratura. According to the characters, she is the "biggest pop star in Equestria", and act with stunned reaction at Applejack when [[PopCulturalOsmosisFailure she asks who she is]]. Considering Countess Coloratura has never been mentioned before in the show despite her supposed "fame", [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Audiences ended up relating more with Applejack]].
** In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E12FlutterBrutter Flutter Brutter]], we meet Fluttershy's brother, Zephyr Breeze. Much Like Shining Armor and Maud Pie, he comes right out of the blue with no foreshadowing. Unlike Shining Armor and Maud Pie, the mane six act like they've heard of and even met Zephyr before, with Dash definitely familiar with him. Though given [[BrilliantButLazy what kind of pony Zephyr is]], it is perhaps understandable that they wouldn't ''want'' to talk about him...

* ''WesternAnimation/TeamUmizoomi'' :

* After it's first season had middling ratings, ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' was {{ReTool}}ed during its second season, which introduced two new regular characters: Carl Chryniszzswics, a HollywoodNerd who insists he's Johnny's best friend, and Pops, mentor to Johnny and owner of a local diner and quite possibly a few other, sketchier business ventures. They are treated as though they always existed despite not appearing nor being mentioned in the first season. After the show returned to it's original style in the fourth season, Carl was DemotedToExtra and Pops only had a brief non-speaking cameo in one episode.

* This trope is parodied again in the episode "Death by Dinner Party" which has the appearance of a new character called Colonel Whitersby, who everyone, including Smiths' friends treat as a longtime friend who's always been around, despite this being the first episode he's appeared in.

!!Straight examples:

!!InUniverse reality-warping or false memory examples:
* In Season 5 of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfPussInBoots'', the episode "The Iceman Melteth" suddenly features a new orphan, Li'l Pequena, who appears in five episodes before "Remember Me Not" reveals [[spoiler: she's a fairy who can implant FakeMemories, and an agent (or, as it turns out in the season finale, mind-controlled slave) of the Blind King. Dulcinea grows suspicious when she realises Toby's pictures don't include her, and we see her altering Puss's memories so that she was the first person he met in San Lorenzo, and Dulcinea's so that she'd been popping up all through the series insisting they were best friends. And when that doesn't work, she alters everyone's memories to believe ''Dulcinea'' is a monster from the Netherworld..]].
* This was going to be one of the main points of the failed ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' animated spinoff. The show would retell the Scooby Gang's high-school years, with the addition of Dawn Summers, who was intentionally retconned into the fifth season of the show as a plot point, but had not appeared prior to that. Unfortunately, the show was never made.
* The "Total Rickall" episode of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' is an elaborate DeconstructiveParody of the trope, featuring tons of never-before-seen characters whom our protagonists insist have always been on the show, but only because they've been conditioned to think so via telepathy; the new characters are actually a species of shapeshifting parasites who can implant FakeMemories in their hosts, convincing the hosts that the parasites are long-time friends who have always been around. Rick and the gang eventually figure out how to tell a parasite masquerading as a friend from an ''actual'' friend: [[spoiler:the parasites can only create happy, pleasant memories, [[AnAesop whereas real relationships generally contain a mix of both pleasant and unpleasant experiences]]]]. And then ''that'' idea is deconstructed when the gang starts killing everyone in the room that they have no negative memories of [[spoiler:and end up seriously wounding a ''real'' friend (who is a straight example of this trope) by mistake, whom the cast had only one negative memory of [[BaitAndSwitch before it got overridden by one of the parasites]]]].

** An odd example happens in Season 5, when Reginald the Koala [[AscendedExtra becomes a major supporting character]] and is even living with the Smith family for no explained reason. The Smiths act like he's always been there, even though he's only appeared twice before in the previous season (and barely interacted with them at that.)

** PlayedForLaughs with Scruffy the Janitor, the eighth member of the Planet Express crew, who first appeared in "Anthology of Interest I" when Farnsworth gathered the crew to test out his What-If Machine. It's a RunningGag that most of his coworkers either barely know him or don't know him at all, and it seems he'd prefer to keep it that way. ("Anthology of Interest II" continues the gag with two other Planet Express employees who are never seen again, a Spock-like character called Xanthor and a fairy named Katrina.)

** PlayedForLaughs with Scruffy the Janitor, the eighth member of the Planet Express crew, who first appeared in "Anthology of Interest I" when Farnsworth gathered the crew to test out his What-If Machine. The other employees either barely know him or don't know him at all, and it seems he'd prefer to keep it that way. ("Anthology of Interest II" continues the gag with two other Planet Express employees who are never seen again, a Spock-like character called Xanthor and a fairy named Katrina.)