History SugarWiki / BetterThanCanon

** Although he was [[EnsembleDarkhorse already somewhat popular]] before TFS got their hands on him, Dr. Wheelo's turn from a rather generic MadScientist into a giant {{Woobie}} and AdaptationalNiceGuy was very well-liked.

** Some fans have argued this due to the series' faster pacing (which was one of the main sources of ArcFatigue), witty dialogue, ContinuityNod to the ExpandedUniverse (particularly towards the movies), voice acting that rivals and sometimes even surpasses the original dub, and the fact the series tends to make fun of certain glaring plot holes in the source material series and sometimes justifies a few of them in the abridged series. It should be noted, however, that TFS is adamantly (and occasionally vehemently) ''against'' the series being seen as this, as they have admitted multiple times that they do not think of DBZA as a replacement to the original nor do they want their fans to consider it as such.

Compare ImprovedSecondAttempt for official/licensed works that improve upon the original material and SalvagedStory for in-continuity fixes, and PopularGameVariant or gameplay as opposed to narrative that's seen as superior to the official. Contrast CanonDefilement.

* ''WebVideo/CodeMENT'': [[CloudCuckooLander Suzaku]] is seen as more enjoyable in this version than the original.

** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaJudgment'': A rather controversial spin-off fighting game in the ''Castlevania'' franchise that many fans of the series would like to pretend it never existed. One fan went on to create ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaFighter'', a freeware fangame made on VideoGame/{{Mugen}}, and one that many ''Castlevania'' fans has considered to be a better fighting game than ''Judgment''.

-->'''Website/YouTube comment:''' Did you just turn two unsatisfying characters' arcs' endings into a damn good song? That's some Midas touch, right there.

** During the backlash against "Subhuman", fans were desperate to find a song to replace it in-game while still fitting Dante. While some suggested giving him "Devil Trigger" and others suggested just giving him an old song as they did with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84jrCjX022Y "Lock and Load"]] in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'', the song [[https://youtu.be/FuEZyCRaos4 "Armageddon (Entropy Zero Remix)"]] by Blue Stahli was put forth as a possible replacement, [[https://www.reddit.com/r/DevilMayCry/comments/9x4hin/when_the_musical_choice_is_just_right_based_on/ and the fanbase]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/DevilMayCry/comments/9oq26i/people_really_want_this_song_as_the_official/ unanimously adored the song]], finding it more fitting for Dante's character and even coincidentally matching up with some of the ideas presented in the game, along with being a faster song that fitted the previous style of the series' music. It got to the point that the fanbase was essentially pleading for the song to replace "Subhuman" on Website/{{Reddit}} and on any Website/YouTube video with the song. Even when "Subhuman" remained as Dante's theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSyD1svikBM&t=85s the song was one of the first songs]] [[https://www.nexusmods.com/devilmaycry5/mods/228 to be modded into the game]] for those that really wanted it. The top comment on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEPSIrgMFAA a video demonstrating how the song would work in-game]] is none other than the remix's composer showing enthusiasm for the idea.

* Website/GoAnimate: Some could argue that the WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}} in the "Grounded" videos is a great deal more entertaining than the original show, thanks in part due to their SoBadItsGood nature as well as Caillou's seemingly godlike powers until karma catches up to him. Compare that to the original Caillou, who's considered by many to be much more annoying and an immature SpoiledBrat (at least in the early seasons).
* ''WebVideo/TheJokerBlogs'': "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_vAI00T2x0 Near-Death Experience]]", and most especially its [[spoiler:dream-state]] psych ward scenes, is quite possibly the greatest portrayal ever done, be it novels or comics, never mind officially licensed films, of the [[spoiler:emergence of Harley Quinn]]. That the material was produced for an indie Website/YouTube channel is almost...jarring, to truly realize.

* ''WebVideo/VisionOfEscaflowneAbridged'': A lot of Website/YouTube comments say the Abridged ending is better than the series' actual ending.

* ''WesternAnimation/RapsittieStreetKidsBelieveInSanta'': Website/YouTube user The Slinky Kid managed to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQTl26zmr5Y make a vastly improved version of the special]]. It's only in animatic form, but it succeeds in both looking better and trimming down a lot of the padding to give the special a more streamlined plot. Not to mention it makes Nicole's botched CharacterDevelopment look considerably more believable.

** [[spoiler: In fact, the changes Toei Animation made were so well received (particularly Season 2's Lady Crest subplot) that in the sequel manga, Creator/YokoHanabusa incorporated some major elements from it (mainly Lynn competing in the Olympics) and gave a homage to some of the anime's {{Canon Foreigner}}s (such as naming Mary's friend Charlotte ''Spencer'', after Vivian).]]

** Catra and Adora's character arcs. Catra's journey from a selfish BrokenAce AntiHero to someone tries her hardest to become someone selfless and more open with her feelings in spite of a huge chip in her shoulder is seen by many as more compelling than Canon!Adora's relatively straightforward HerosJourney. Meanwhile, Adora starting out as a genuinely compassionate and moral AntiVillain bordering on TokenGoodTeammate only to slowly succumb to [[TheDarkSide dark magic]], [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget hatred]], and [[SanitySlippage madness]] is seen as even more tragic than Canon!Catra's character arc, particularly when we see her genuine friendships with Scorpia and Entrapta begin to disintegrate.

** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' had a number of home console ports between the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo and the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, but the ''Street Fighter II Remastered'' hack by Pyron for the Genesis ''Special Champion Edition'' effectively gives the game much more color variety, more detail and animations frames here and there, extra background details and so forth. While there a few non-authentic tweaks, like Guile's blinking animations for his idle stance, it's generally a better way to play the game than the vanilla release.

* ''VideoGame/BallisticNG'' is a fangame of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation-era ''VideoGame/WipEout'' games, aiming to recapture the aesthetic and gameplay style while also adding many modernizing features like online leaderboards and multiplayer, and even official mod support for custom ships, courses, and the like.

*** ''[[https://www.moddb.com/mods/doom-3-enhanced-edition Doom 3: Enhanced Edition]]'' is another mod that aims to enhance the core experience of the original game with bugfixes, quality-of-life improvements, and rebalancing the game's weapons and enemy AI, and it is also compatible with ''Doom 3 Redux'' and the ''Doom³'' port of ''The Lost Mission''.
*** The ''[[https://www.moddb.com/mods/d3hdp-doom-3-essential-hd-pack D3HDP - DooM 3 Essential HD Pack]]'' is a graphics overhaul that faithfully enhances the game's graphics compared to ''BFG Edition''. It features AI upscaled textures while compiling other fan-favorite texture packs such as the Monoxead and Wulfen ones, modernized effects from Sikkmod, updated models for the characters, monsters, and weapons, and it is also compatible with the above mods and others.
*** ''[[https://www.moddb.com/mods/perfected-doom-3-version-500 Perfected Doom 3]]'' adds a host of new weapon and gameplay modifications that makes Doomguy feel more like the OneManArmy that they were in the classic ''Doom'' games.

* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' used to have an in-game LevelEditor called the Foundry. While a significant chunk of missions were completely plot-free XP, loot, or achievement grinders, high-end Foundry missions were frequently considered even better than official storyline missions. Unfortunately, persistent {{game breaking bug}}s and a lack of funding led to Creator/CrypticStudios sunsetting the service on 11 April 2019.

** One of the big improvements is the characterization; in the original, protagonist Kirito is often critized for being "too bland" and is often described as an "Overpowered Gary Stu", while his abridged self undergoes a character arc about overcoming his {{Jerkass}}ery and becoming a stronger person, and the death of Sachi actually affects him [[ForgottenFallenFriend beyond the story she appears in]]. For another example, Asuna also goes from "badass fighter who undergoes {{Chickification}}" to continuing to be feisty and unstable, and her relationship with Kirito feels more natural. Suguha has her BigBrotherAttraction arc toward Kirito, generally seen as gross fetish fuel, replaced with a more gripping one about two siblings growing to hate each other because of their twisted home environment. And minor, one-note characters are given personalities to make them more memorable.
** Another frequent criticism of the original is a lack of understanding as to how a game actually works and using it as more of a setting backdrop (the author outright admitted to not being much of a gamer), resulting in the in-universe games containing baffling design decisions[[note]]As [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GXCo-InnpU explained]] by WebVideo/MothersBasement[[/note]] that would make a real MMO far less fun than portrayed, while this series makes the in-universe game more like an actual game and ties it to real gaming culture, using the design flaws to portray the games as [[ObviousBeta horribly designed and buggy]] and satirizing practices like "[[ChristmasRushed crunch time]]" [[spoiler:along with making the whole reason behind the [[MostDangerousVideoGame "Players dying when their Avatars die"]] of the setting being the result of a GameBreakingBug that Kayaba in a fit of ExhaustionInducedIdiocy accidentally created; and him trapping the gamers inside as both a case of IMeantToDoThat and to use the playerbase as hostages against the cops until he could find a way out of this SnowballLie he created.]]
** Finally, it fixes some of the AssPull moments; for example, Asuna somehow ''breaking out of admin paralysis'' through HeroicWillpower is far more believable when SAO is extensively established as a [[ObviousBeta hopelessly broken mess]].

** The same can be said for [[spoiler:Miu]]. The fans have admitted to liking her more as her [[spoiler:[[HiddenDepths insecurities over her self worth along with her fears of being killed]] are given more attention and care in the narrative along with her friendships with Kaede and Kiibo]] making her a more dynamic character. Especially considering how the canon mistreated her where [[spoiler:her insecurities were PlayedForLaughs and everyone agreed that [[TheFriendNoOneLikes there was nothing to like about her even after her death]].]]

* ''Fanfic/ResonanceDays'': Some readers like Tropers/TakerFoxx's interpretation of "Humanoid" [[spoiler:Charlotte]] better than [[spoiler:Nagisa]] from the canon storyline, possibly because the former is more assertive and significantly older than the latter, making [[spoiler:Charlotte]] better pair for Mami.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIINewThreatMod'': The mod aims to be a PolishedPort of the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII vanilla game]]. Therefore, it restores unused content, adds a few new scenes and cutscenes, improves the translation to clarify the plot, rebalances the stats, makes enemies and bosses more challenging without being unfairly hard, adds AntiFrustrationFeatures, adds an alternate scenario inspired by the events of the ''Remake'', and [[spoiler:proposes an alternate version of the second half of the game in which Aerith lives]].

* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'': A ''large'' portion of the ''Warhammer Fantasy'' fandom prefer this game over its actual tabletop successor, ''Age of Sigmar''. This is largely because ''CA'' put in a lot of research and time into creating a setting that blends past editions of the game together, while paying respects to certain points liked by fans about the stuff leading up to ''Age of Sigmar''. As a result, the game feels like a love-letter to the series, and thanks to having the ability to play through battles, the game feels like a better successor to the tabletop game.
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'': When Mythra appeared as a Spirit in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'', her outfit had to be {{Bowdlerise}}d to maintain an E10 rating. Surprisingly, this outfit became ''more'' popular with Xenoblade fans that her canon one, feeling that it lacked the [[{{Narm}} drama-ruining fanservice]] of the original while still [[SensualSpandex being sexy]]. It was so popular it [[CanonImmigrant ended up ported into]] ''Xenoblade 2'' via free DLC, attached to an accessory that gives Mythra a huge critical boost, and it's not uncommon to see players keep it equipped on her all game.

* ''Fanfic/TheSIthResurgence'':

* ''Anime/ScottPilgrimTakesOff'': For some viewers, its pretty satisfying to see the Evil Exes reform, learn some humility and overall learn to be... not so evil after most of them reconcile with Ramona.