| 1 | %% Image and caption selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1350408446017320100 |
| 2 | %% Please do not change or remove either without starting a new thread. |
| 3 | %% |
| 4 | [[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/TheMuppets https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muppetfilms_7130.jpg]]]] |
| 5 | [[caption-width-right:350:Sometimes it ''is'' easy being green.]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | ->''"If you're familiar with things like Franchise/{{Popeye}} and some of the old comic characters, you would oftentimes see this cast of characters that takes on different roles depending on the comic or cartoon. They might be businessman in one [cartoon] or a pirate in another. Depending on the story that was being told, they would change roles. So, to a certain degree, I look at our characters in a similar way and feel that they can take on different roles in different games. It's more like they're one big family, or maybe a troupe of actors."'' |
| 8 | -->-- '''Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto''' on the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' [[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/09/24/miyamoto-tezuka-interview.aspx spinoffs]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | You have a set of characters. They work well as an ensemble; so well, in fact, that they can be slotted into just about any scenario you care to imagine, within the constraints of genre. So you can see them, identical but for different trappings (this character was wielding a sword, now it's a blaster pistol...), in places as diverse as [[JidaiGeki Feudal Japan]], the Modern Era, SpaceOpera, etc., etc., etc. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | What you have is a Universal-Adaptor Cast: an ensemble is cast into an odd situation and yet fits in perfectly because their roles and characters are so well-defined. They have the same personalities and the same relationships, but play out the conventions of that genre regardless of how bizarre it would be for them normally. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | This is one of the essential justifications for TransplantedCharacterFic, including the HighSchoolAU. TheMagnificentSevenSamurai is a specific subtrope of this. Many {{Moe}} and MerchandiseDriven works are created with this trope in mind. SeparateSceneStorytelling is often done this way. ''CommediaDellArte'', the former {{Trope Namer|s}}, is a whole subgenre of theatre based upon the concept. Such a franchise is likely to have NegativeContinuity, as, with a few exceptions, it's rather difficult to explain why the characters keep changing settings, roles, and time periods from story to story. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Do not confuse with "The Star System", a name coined by Creator/OsamuTezuka for ReusedCharacterDesign which treats reused designs as if they were actors. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | ---- |
| 19 | !!Examples: |
| 20 | |
| 21 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 22 | |
| 23 | [[folder:Animation]] |
| 24 | * The characters in ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'' have done quite a lot. Just to name some things, they've played sports, raced cars, gone to the ancient times, solved mysteries, and explored the sea and the sky. |
| 25 | [[/folder]] |
| 26 | |
| 27 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 28 | * ''VisualNovel/YamiToBoushiToHonNoTabibito'' is a straight {{anime}} example; this one a Yuri series set in a bunch of settings with the same basic characters due to reincarnation. |
| 29 | * Every episode of ''Anime/MagicalShoppingArcadeAbenobashi'' has the characters playing different roles in a parody of a given genre. |
| 30 | * The various incarnations of ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'', exemplified by the spinoff of the ''Anime/PrettySammy'' series. |
| 31 | * ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'': |
| 32 | ** The various ''Gurren Lagann Parallel Works'' music videos seem to suggest that the cast is one of these, with the exception of the 8th one, which is canon and tells the story of [[spoiler:Lordgenome's StartOfDarkness]]. |
| 33 | ** As does HighSchoolAU [[http://community.livejournal.com/gurren_lagann/157779.html Audio drama]] and {{manga}}. |
| 34 | ** And its BuddyCopShow [[FanFicRecommendations equivalent]], ''Webcomic/{{DOUBLE K}}''. |
| 35 | * This dates back to the beginnings of anime, with Creator/OsamuTezuka's troupe of characters. They were a little more versatile than the standard ''commedia'' troupe (several of them "played" both heroes and villains), but the idea remains that they are "actors" portraying characters. |
| 36 | * ''Anime/CodeGeass'' spinoff manga ''Strange Tales of the Bakamatsu'' places the cast of characters in pre-Meiji Japan, with LaResistance being the nationalist rebels and Lelouch himself leading UsefulNotes/TheShinsengumi as a cover identity. Oh, and in this universe, "Geass" means the ability to summon Knightmare Frames. |
| 37 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' has two AlternateUniverse / AlternateContinuity spin offs: ''Manga/NeonGenesisEvangelionAngelicDays'' and ''[[Manga/NeonGenesisEvangelionCampusApocalypse Gakuen Datenroku]]'', the former being a fluffy shojo manga and other one being an JustForFun/XMeetsY scenario with Persona. There is also the radio drama ''Shin Seiki Evangelion'', which is where the characters are trying to create a new show so they can continue after, you know, [[spoiler:all of humanity is destroyed at the end]]. As the title sounds, Asuka wants a sentai show. |
| 38 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'' frequently puts the Straw Hats into alternate universes, such as one in which they are all fantasy monsters and another in which they -- even the males -- are middle-aged women. The most frequently used setting is one in 19th Century Japan, in which Luffy is in the police force of Japan under the rule of Cobra. The Chopperman setting, in which Chopper acts as a superhero with Nami as his assistant and Luffy as his HumongousMecha against Usopp, Franky and a QuirkyMinibossSquad composed of the rest of the crew, initially started out as special that was a few minutes long, but got a full-length filler episode after the Ice Hunter Arc and two manga spin-offs with alternative takes on the setting. |
| 39 | * ''Manga/PopTeamEpic'': In each sketch, Popuko and Pipimi often are in different roles and locations, whether an idol singer and manager, detectives, neglectful parents, or world-ending threats. No matter what bizarre situation is going on, the duo are the only constant characters. |
| 40 | * ''Manga/SchoolRumble'' tried this a few times as well. Even more so in its short sequel of sorts, ''School Rumble Z'' which was mostly composed of the cast in various different alternate universe or possible future settings. |
| 41 | * Due to Creator/{{Sanrio}} having a large number of characters. The company ain't no stranger to making adaptations of beloved fairy tales, Japanese mythology, and other stories with Sanrio characters placed as the stories' characters. Here are just a few examples: |
| 42 | ** ''Sanrio Anime Festival'' was the company's first animated work starring Sanrio characters, which adapted ''Theatre/TheBlueBird'' ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcxfaDvAru4 with Kiki and Lala as the stories' leading characters]]), ''Literature/{{Cinderella}}'' ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-tGnY31XB0 played by]] Franchise/HelloKitty), and ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood'' ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cc1tvo56fk&t=604s played by My Melody]]). The series ran in Japan from 1989 till 1996 and originally played at road shows during the summer. |
| 43 | ** The company revisited this idea with the 1999 [=OVA=] series ''Hello Kitty's Animation Theater'', which was similar to ''Sanrio Anime Festival'' but featured some of the company's newer characters playing not only fairy tales, but some of ''Literature/AesopsFables'' ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf9kR-q-1GI such as Coro Coro Kuririn in]] ''The Town Mouse and Country Mouse'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaLRDVz6sTw&t=38s and Badtz-Maru in]] ''The Ant and the Grasshopper''). |
| 44 | ** Predating ''Sanrio Anime Festival'' is the western-produced series ''WesternAnimation/HelloKittysFurryTaleTheater'' from 1987 by Creator/DiCEntertainment. Each episode involves Hello Kitty, My Melody, Tuxedo Sam, and Chip performing a stage show that varies between a direct adaptation of a fairy tale (sometimes loosely) to parodies of hit feature films. |
| 45 | ** [[BunniesForCuteness My Melody]] actually started out as Sanrio's version of ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood'' in 1975 before the titular character become its own thing in 1976. Due to originating as Little Red Riding Hood, My Melody has starred in a few Japanese animated adaptations of the story, such as ''Sanrio Anime Festival'', ''Hello Kitty's Animation Theater'', and ''Anime/OnegaiMyMelody''. The company would even release occasional [[https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1772/1611/products/IMG_0001_c0c8ef1d-598a-4cbd-bcf9-62fcfb2d434f_grande.jpg?v=1487254217 My Melody Themed Merchandise to Little Red Riding Hood]] [[https://i.pinimg.com/736x/83/0a/9a/830a9a33f6eca1b36e2e5815022335ca.jpg on special occasions]]. |
| 46 | * ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' has its large cast take on the roles of Japanese historical figures like UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi, or fight in the [[UsefulNotes/KaijuDefenseForce Heian Self-Defense Force]]. Of course Kintaro is a recurring character in the [[UrbanFantasy modern age]], so yeah... As usual, HilarityEnsues. |
| 47 | * ''Franchise/LupinIII'' and his crew (and you can add Zenigata, too) have found themselves facing pretty much anything that Creator/TMSEntertainment can come up with for them. From the 15th century to the 22nd century, they've found themselves in all sorts of situations. |
| 48 | [[/folder]] |
| 49 | |
| 50 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 51 | * [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]] and [[Creator/DCComics DC]] have had {{Elseworld}} stories where the heroes and villains are medieval knights, steampunk adventurers, etc. |
| 52 | ** ''ComicBook/MarvelFairyTales'' retells various {{Fairy Tale}}s with the ComicBook/XMen, ComicBook/SpiderMan and ComicBook/TheAvengers. |
| 53 | ** ''ComicBook/MarvelNoir'' does the same, but with FilmNoir-style tales. |
| 54 | ** Several DC Creator/{{Elseworlds}} stories play with the idea of the DC heroes and villains existing in a different era: ComicBook/{{Batman}} as a privateer, Old Western ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, ComicBook/{{Steel}} in pre-Civil War America, ComicBook/{{Superman}} in the Middle Ages, etc. |
| 55 | * ''ComicBook/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice''. It helps to be the Freelance Police. |
| 56 | * Used again and again in ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'' and ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse'' comics to provide "fresh" story ideas, because of their overall premise being basically "invent stories about these popular characters" and little else. Sometimes {{handwave}}d by invoking IdenticalGrandson, but more often the whole story just is like this without explanation. [[ComicBook/DisneyMouseAndDuckComics Disney comics]] often feature the characters in various different settings, such as medieval fantasy, science fiction and parodies of famous books or movies. In one ComicBook/MickeyMouse story, Mickey and pals performed what was supposed to be a play by Molière but was actually a parody of one. |
| 57 | * The ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'' gang. Including for a while, various spinoffs where they were in space, in the past, or superheroes. |
| 58 | * The Brazilian, more kid-friendly[[note]]by way of the main characters being children rather than adolescents[[/note]] equivalent of Archie, ''ComicBook/MonicasGang'' -- helps that there alongside the core group there are tons of characters in various settings, such as Chuck Billy 'n' Folks (hillbillies), Lionel's Kingdom (jungle animals), the Funnies (an astronaut's adventures and encounters during his space travels), and the Cavern Clan (cave people). Also, such stories almost always integrate those settings into one, when in normal circumstances they don't intersect. |
| 59 | * The ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd Alternity Special'' put several characters from the Dreddverse into various alternate historical periods, such as Dredd taking on UsefulNotes/AlCapone, Shimura facing off against the Angel Gang during the Old West and Mean Machine Angel in a FilmNoir PrivateDetective parody. |
| 60 | * Even ''ComicBook/{{Elfquest}}'' has an example. "King's Cross" is a "what-if" variation on elements of the Original Quest plot, the difference being that elves can (and do) breed with humans. In canon that's strictly impossible due to their being completely separate species [[spoiler:originating on different planets]]. |
| 61 | [[/folder]] |
| 62 | |
| 63 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 64 | * In the past twenty-plus years, the cast of several older anime/manga series (most triumphant being ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' and ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'') have been slotted into every possible scenario in FanFic, ranging from bizarre {{fusion fic}}s (''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', ''Franchise/StarTrek'') to original plots of every possible stripe. See TransplantedCharacterFic for specific examples. |
| 65 | * In general terms, the internet also offers fan artworks of the Franchise/{{Disney Princess}}es line-up in numerous roles -- as boys, as zombies, steampunk, etc. Likewise in fanfiction, an AU story (and many canon ones) centered on any of the princess will odds-on have other members of the Disney Princess Repertory Company as secondary or background characters. |
| 66 | * The premise of {{Alternate Universe Fic}}s, especially the ubiquitous HighSchoolAU, taking established characters from a work of fiction and putting them in wildly different scenarios. |
| 67 | * The massive and diverse cast of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is this. Common fan fics and fan adventures involve taking the characters and transplanting them into different settings or genres. Some of the most popular examples include ''Fanfic/{{Trollcops}}'' (a homage to {{Buddy Cop Show}}s and crime thrillers) and ''Fanfic/{{Brainbent}}'' (where the cast are patients and staff at a mental hospital, [[DysfunctionJunction rather fittingly]]). |
| 68 | * ''Fanfic/{{Drakigo}}'' re-tells the story of the 1992 film ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' with the ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' cast. This is pretty much how many ''Kim Possible'' fanfics work. Due to Kim's personality and her status as "the girl who can do anything", fans are able to work her into stories of many genres. |
| 69 | * The ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' cast gets put into a staggering variety of {{AlternateUniverse}}s and {{FusionFic}}s in this manner, [[FandomSpecificPlot most popularly the]] HeroicFantasy AU from a certain end credits sequence. |
| 70 | * Special mention goes to ''Anime/OsomatsuSan'' because most of the AU's are semi-canon. The gacha-style [[VideoGame/OsomatsuSanHesokuriWarsBattleOfTheNEETs official mobile game]] periodically launches new "sets" of characters that are basically the sextuplets as princes, [[WholesomeCrossdresser girls]], [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies zombies]], gods, [[MagicalGirl magical girls]], superheroes, [[NewAgeRetroHippie hippies]], classical monsters...you name it. Some of those alternate versions come with a bit of lore, like the Religion 'Verse. The fandom just took those and [[{{Fanon}} ran with them]], expanding on the lore and the characters until the alternate Matsus became a FandomSpecificPlot. Nowadays any fanfiction or fanart site dedicated to the anime will have specific tags for which AU the story takes place in. |
| 71 | * The ''Fanfic/RiseOfTheBraveTangledDragons'' fandom was built on this, bringing together four protagonists -- [[WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians Jack]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} Merida]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] and [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon Hiccup]] -- from different films and putting them in every setting or AU available, from Hogwarts students to immortal nature spirits. |
| 72 | * There's an internet rule similar to Rule 34: "If it exists, there's a [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic pony]] version of it." The "Mane 6" as Space Marine Primarchs: check. Ponified versions of classic video games: check. Crossovers with ''Star Wars'' and ''LOTR'': You bet your ass there is. |
| 73 | * Creator/MF217 had designed each and every individual originating from his Ultimoria Universe as having the capacity to pull this sort of thing off if he ever intended to have such a fic written with this in mind at any point in time. However, the 13 Ultimorian Deities, no matter where they appear, all have the exact same characterization each individual is known for as opposed to adapting to a given role, making them intentional OutsideContextProblem type characters in comparison to the rest of Ultimoria's natives. The Ultimorian Deities also have the memories of their time in whichever previous story featured them in terms of publication date. |
| 74 | * A sort of inverted trope with the lengthy Wold-Newton Universe article ''[[https://www.pjfarmer.com/secret/Immortal/befuddled1a.htm Immortal Befuddled]]'', which proposes that Laurel and Hardy/Abbot and Costello are not actually portraying very similar characters in wildly disperate settings, but ''the same two immortals'' whose life progresses from the Stone Age to the present day in linear order (the disagreement as to whether it's the fat one or the tall one who's the idiot is due to [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis which of them spoke to which duo's writers]]). There are references in the text to planned articles doing the same things with the Stooges and Hope and Crosby, but [[DeadFic the whole site appears to be moribund]]. |
| 75 | [[/folder]] |
| 76 | |
| 77 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 78 | * The ''Film/CarryOn'' films are a great example of this. A group of comedy actors (that did change gradually over the years, as people joined, left, or came back) made films together in a wide variety of settings and parodying a wide variety of genres, but usually playing similar characters (Creator/SidJames was always a LovableRogue or DirtyOldMan, Creator/JimDale usually the young romantic lead, Creator/CharlesHawtrey a camp CloudCuckooLander, etc) |
| 79 | * Likewise, the Creator/MarxBrothers. The brothers, plus Margaret Dumont, always play the same basic characters under different names, transplanted into any number of settings -- [[Film/HorseFeathers college football team]], [[Film/ADayAtTheRaces1937 race course]], [[Film/ANightAtTheOpera opera house]], [[Film/DuckSoup a wacky dictatorship]], and so on. |
| 80 | * Film/TheThreeStooges, in much the same vein as the above two examples. |
| 81 | * Crosby, Hope and Lamour in the ''Film/RoadTo'' movies. |
| 82 | * The French comedic foursome "Les Charlots" played basically the same characters within several movies during the '70s/'80s, in various settings. Among other things, this included them [[FightDracula fighting]] {{Dracula}} (''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0194748/ Les Charlots contre Dracula]]''), a spoof of ''Film/JamesBond'' flicks (''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072722/ Bons baisers de Hong Kong]]'') or a [[AffectionateParody retelling]] of ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' (''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072052/ Les Quatre Charlots mousquetaires]]'' and its [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454427/ sequel]]). |
| 83 | * Creator/AbbottAndCostello starred in several films where the pair acted in various genres. Probably the most notable were a series titled ''Abbott and Costello Meet...'' where they would indeed meet various horror monsters. |
| 84 | %%* Creator/JackieChan, Creator/SammoHung and Yuen Biao. |
| 85 | * Mario Moreno played his iconic character Creator/{{Cantinflas}} (albeit often with other name) and his signature-style type of comedy in very different situations and professions, for example; Cantinflas as medic, lawyer, UN ambassador, garbage collector, rural teacher, policeman, firefighter, and so on. He also had recurrent actors that appeared in several of his movies in different, but similar, roles. |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 89 | * Creator/MichaelMoorcock's ''[[Literature/TheCorneliusChronicles Jerry Cornelius]]'' novels do this explicitly. Many of the characters are clearly identified with their original Commedia dell'Arte counterparts, with Jerry as Harlequin [[spoiler:until the final stages of the saga where Una Persson becomes Harlequin and Jerry morphs into Pierrot]], and swung through a wide variety of settings and situations without clear explanation. |
| 90 | * Hal Duncan's ''Literature/TheBookOfAllHours'' does this extensively with its central cast. This is an interesting case, because each character is the living embodiment of an archetype superimposed upon multiple realities. So by the second book, where reality has degenerated into isolated wells of time and space, and the characters move from one reality well to another, they all become savvy, having absolutely no qualms about screwing all possible realities to their advantage. This results in them routinely sitting around a table and leafing through the "script" for the next reality, deciding who is going to play what. |
| 91 | * ''Literature/TheYearsOfRiceAndSalt'' is an AlternateHistory of the 700 years following TheBlackDeath, the "alternative" being thrown in by the idea that all Europeans died, not just 1/3 of them.[[note]]Not counting a few isolated populations in places like the Orkney Islands.[[/note]] The same group of characters are reincarnated as characters with the same first letters of their names, until 2002 CE. |
| 92 | * Keith Roberts' ''Kaeti and Company'' series. Each story has a prologue in which Roberts literally casts Kaeti in a new story. |
| 93 | * Established teams of Gamers in the ''Literature/DreamPark'' Verse, like the Troglodykes from ''The California Voodoo Game'', are implied to face all sorts of themed scenarios with only cosmetic changes to their characters' backstories, as suits the adventure milieu. They still work like a well-oiled team accustomed to relying on each others' skill sets. |
| 94 | [[/folder]] |
| 95 | |
| 96 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 97 | * The ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' series, including the final movie, which involves the present-day Blackadder and Baldrick going on a journey through time, finding analogues of themselves at various points. |
| 98 | -->'''Baldrick:''' I suppose I've learned that human beings have always been the same. Some nice, some nasty; some clever, some stupid; there's always a Blackadder and there's always a Baldrick. |
| 99 | * ''Series/NorthernExposure'' did this a few times, once casting all the series regulars as the turn-of-the-century founders of Cicely, and once all showing up in a dream sequence Joel had about returning to New York. |
| 100 | * The cast of ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'' enacted different roles in other shows (most notably in ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'') but often looked and acted almost the same as their Chavo characters. Series/{{Chespirito}}, when not doing his usual characters, can be from Christopher Columbus to Sancho Panza. The rest of the cast tend to be this outside ''El Chavo del ocho'', where only Chespirito's character is recurring. |
| 101 | * Both ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'', with their frequent crossovers and overlapping supporting casts, did this from time to time, setting stories during UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution, 1930s AdventureArchaeologist stories, bizarre [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaids with human husbands soap opera]], or having the [[SelfDeprecation supporting cast playing the production staff]]. |
| 102 | * ''Series/TheGoodies'' had several episodes in which the usual modern day trio were inexplicably transplanted to some historical era and played characters from that era. |
| 103 | * ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'' offers an interesting interpretation of this: [[spoiler:the title character is meant to [[WalkingTheEarth wander between the parallel universes]], becoming whatever each needs in time: hero or villain, savior or destroyer, policeman, lawyer, door-to-door salesman, etc]]. When in the GrandFinale [[spoiler:he dies, his friends are told that this means he's KilledOffForReal, but they say ScrewDestiny and find a way to revive him.]] |
| 104 | * An in-universe example in the ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'' episode "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S2E26ShadowPlay Shadow Play]]" in which a prisoner on Death Row states that it's all his dream, and the people in his dream are all from his waking life -- and they swap roles every night (i.e. The Judge becomes a guard, the priest becomes his lawyer, etc.). |
| 105 | * Creator/PaulShane (working class LoveableRogue), Creator/JeffreyHolland (Shane's morally upright StraightMan) and Creator/SuPollard (TheDitz) in ''Series/HiDeHi'' (1950s holiday camp), ''Series/YouRangMLord'' (1920s manor house) and ''Series/OhDoctorBeeching'' (1960s railway station). |
| 106 | * The ''Series/NewsRadio'' cast was placed in a sci-fi setting and on the ''Titanic''. |
| 107 | * The Holodeck on the various ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series was used InUniverse by the crew primarily for [[RolePlayingGame role playing adventures]], with the inevitable HolodeckMalfunction making things interesting. |
| 108 | ** The original HolodeckMalfunction episode was on the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "The Big Goodbye" where Picard was trying to relax with a FilmNoir "holonovel" of PrivateDetective Dixon Hill. Dr. Crusher and Data also joined in as other characters, but then the malfunction takes off the safety features as TheMafia story heats up. |
| 109 | *** The episode "A Fistful of Datas" has Worf play the sheriff in a [[TheWestern Western]] frontier town, his son Alexander plays his deputy and Troi walks in as the mysterious drifter, with her saying [[IAlwaysWantedToSayThat she always wanted to play that role]]. The malfunction in this episode involves a power surge to the computer while Data was plugged in, and numerous holographic characters are redesigned to [[ActingForTwo look like Data]], in an exaggeration of this trope. |
| 110 | ** "Our Man Bashir" from ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' has Bashir and Garak role playing a Franchise/JamesBond analog, when a transporter accident with much of the remaining cast accidentally transfers their bodies into the holodeck characters. Jadzia and Kira become Bond girls, O'Brien becomes a henchman with an eyepatch and Sisko is the BigBad. The complication is the engineers need time to reverse the process and believe shutting down the program will be fatal to them, so Bashir has to figure out ways to stall the story and keep it going. |
| 111 | * ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'' takes place around 2005. TheMovie takes place in the "samurai era" but features parallel versions of all the main characters. A few of them even have the same names. |
| 112 | [[/folder]] |
| 113 | |
| 114 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 115 | * Music/{{Vocaloid}} characters. De-facto, they are ''tabula rasa'' (Miku did have a manga series, though) and it's up to the producers just ''what'' they are supposed to be-- which is largely the point of having virtual songstresses. Expect them to fill whatever role a given music video may call for. Even the official merchandise is in on it: [[CashCowFranchise the sheer variation of Miku figmas is staggering]], and these are based on the most popular imagining of Miku. |
| 116 | * Music/{{Rammstein}}: most of their videos have some sort of plot with characters in different time periods and/or situation. The different members of the band normally play similar roles in each video, for example; Till would always be the protagonist and Flake the ButtMonkey. |
| 117 | * Music/{{Eminem}}'s Slim Shady character turns up in different roles from time to time (there's "a little Slim Shady in all of us", as "The Real Slim Shady" puts it). In "My Fault", Slim causes a girl to commit suicide, but his personality (showing actual concern for other human beings, even if it's feigned) and life position (he's worried about the length of spring break!) are different to his usual portrayal. Similarly, the character in ''Relapse'' is officially Slim Shady, but has a much darker portrayal that contradicts the typical Shady mythology - [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent and he's played with an accent]]. (And speaking of accents - on "Ass Like That", Shady raps as Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.) "Guilty Conscience" has a conceit where Slim Shady and Music/DrDre are playing the darkness inside, and the conscience, of three young men who are about to commit crimes, making it extra funny in the third verse when Slim starts bringing up the real Dre's past indiscretions. |
| 118 | [[/folder]] |
| 119 | |
| 120 | [[folder:Podcasts]] |
| 121 | * ''Podcast/FilmReroll'' uses the same (rotating) cast but puts them in a different "reroll" of a movie every campaign. |
| 122 | [[/folder]] |
| 123 | |
| 124 | [[folder:Puppet Shows]] |
| 125 | * Franchise/TheMuppets, who manage to play themselves whether [[Series/TheMuppetShow on a vaudeville stage]] or in ''[[Film/MuppetTreasureIsland Treasure Island]]''. Yet, and this is the unique part, they ''still capture the roles they're playing''. ''Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol'' is widely regarded as one of the best adaptations of the book ever made. The trick is that the most iconic characters are played by humans playing it more or less straight, for instance [[Creator/MichaelCaine Scrooge]] in ''Christmas Carol'' and [[Creator/TimCurry Silver]] in ''Treasure Island'', providing an anchor for all the wacky side characters. It also helps that the "default" setting for the characters is "a bunch of performers who are putting on a show". |
| 126 | ** Similarly, many ''Series/SesameStreet'' sketches would use the characters in a variety of settings. |
| 127 | [[/folder]] |
| 128 | |
| 129 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 130 | * ''Radio/TheGoonShow'' has the same troupe of characters in a different setting every episode. Series biographer Roger Wilmut points out that even when the characters are only just meeting each other in-story for the first time, asides made ''in character'' betray the fact that they do know each other and are "only acting". |
| 131 | [[/folder]] |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[folder:Roleplay]] |
| 134 | * ''Roleplay/{{Glowfic}}'' has this. The [[{{Alternate Self}} "templates"]] are put in various different worlds/settings and then in some cases [[{{AllianceOfAlternates}} they meet]]. |
| 135 | [[/folder]] |
| 136 | |
| 137 | [[folder:Theater]] |
| 138 | * The best example is ''CommediaDellArte'', an Italian theater tradition that uses a group of characters whose characteristics and attributes are ''so'' well-known that the ''entire play'' is ad-libbed. |
| 139 | * The ''Theatre/SeraMyu'' has a sequence where Chibi-Moon and Saturn are transported to the Edo Era of Japan. The other characters show up as apparently past life versions of themselves. Usagi and the Inner senshi (sans mercury) are a group of noble thieves, Setsuna appears as a traditional comedian/announcer complete with a paper fan, Mamoru as a local playboy who is secretly the magistrate, and Ami as a village girl who has a crystal ball similar to the one carryed by the Inner Senshi and is thus destined to be their companion. One of villains shows up as an apparently time-displaced Mexican named "This is a pear". |
| 140 | * ''Theatre/TheMusicalOfMusicalsTheMusical'' features the same four characters with only slightly different names in all five segments, each of which is a pastiche of a different style. |
| 141 | * The ''Franchise/{{Tsukipro}}'' franchise has created a cast of 50+ idol characters, and introduces a new fantasy setting for them every year. There are drama [=CDs=] and anime, but the AlternateUniverse scenarios have mostly been explored in the franchise's 30+ stage plays. They have done [[Theatre/TsukinoEmpire Space Opera]], [[Theatre/TsukinoHyakkiYakou Yokai]], [[Theatre/MachineElements Steampunk]], [[Theatre/TsukihanaKagura Fantasy Dance Olympics]], and more. |
| 142 | [[/folder]] |
| 143 | |
| 144 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 145 | * This is why ''TabletopGame/CostumeFairyAdventures'' doesn't really have an experience system unless you choose to put it in - it keeps them from developing traits that don't fit in certain milieus. You're supposed to be able to take the same small group of fairies and apply them to an enchanted forest, a steampunk city, a generic space opera ship, a spoof dungeon crawl and the pie contest at a small village, and those are just the ones in official published material. It helps that the game objective is to be a disruptive element to whichever poor setting is hosting the mischief that week, because it means that not quite fitting just means the pranks are funnier. |
| 146 | * The system ''TabletopGame/HongKongActionTheatre'' is built around this. Your character as built is essentially an actor and will always have the same Martial Arts style and physicality but their skill set will depend on if their role is that of a cop or a scientist or whatever in that particular story. |
| 147 | * Role-playing groups, if they stick together very long, often become this trope: the players know what roles each member prefers to adopt within the story, and generally play to their individual specialties, regardless of what genre of game they're playing at the moment. |
| 148 | * An article in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' magazine proposed this as a way of playing multiple settings; the "same character" might be a wizard in [[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms the Realms]], an Adept on [[TabletopGame/MasqueOfTheRedDeath Gothic Earth]] and a scientist in [[TabletopGame/StarDrive the Verge]], but with the same mannerisms and roughly equivalent skills. |
| 149 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Torg}}'' can play this in two different ways: |
| 150 | ** Because of its multi-genre nature, the same adventuring team can spend one adventure fighting dinosaurs and lizard-men in the jungles of the Living Land, the next fighting dragons and wizards in Aysle, the adventure after fighting cybernetically-enhanced priests in the Cyberpapacy, and a fourth session fighting horrors in Orrorsh. However, the team will in general be the same, unless somebody transforms (see below). |
| 151 | ** A critical failure on a reconnection roll can cause a character to transform to match their current cosm - a skilled hacker from the Cyberpapacy could transform into a wizard in Aysle, or vice versa. |
| 152 | [[/folder]] |
| 153 | |
| 154 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 155 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Beatmania}}'' series has background animations that show the same characters in different settings. |
| 156 | * Each Mecha's Story Mode in ''VideoGame/TechRomancer'' basically features them as if they were the star of their own MechaShow, with the other fighters as secondary characters. |
| 157 | * The ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' series has employed this with a few spin-off video games: |
| 158 | ** ''VideoGame/RyuGaGotokuKenzan'' is a {{Jidaigeki}} that features UsefulNotes/MiyamotoMusashi carrying the face and voice of series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, along with a few other characters from the series having roles in the game as period characters. |
| 159 | ** ''VideoGame/LikeADragonIshin'' is another Jidaigeki that includes dozens of main series characters in the roles of several historical figures important to Japan's turbulent Bakumatsu period, with Kiryu playing the role of samurai Ryoma Sakamoto. The [[VideoGameRemake 2023 remake]] shuffles several actors out for ones that have appeared in games since. |
| 160 | ** ''VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarLostParadise'', while using the likenesses of characters as they appeared in the manga, features voice acting by series mainstays, with [[Creator/TakayaKuroda Kiryu's voice actor]] playing the lead role of Kenshiro, along with other actors from the franchise filling in for certain roles that match their characters from ''Like a Dragon''. |
| 161 | * ''Franchise/MegaMan''; particularly [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic the original]], ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' and some parts of ''[[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Legends]]''. (Let's not get into continuity, please.) |
| 162 | * The various ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' spin-offs provide best examples for the video game industry, i.e. they don't just adapt to narrative genres, they adapt to video game and gameplay genres too. The ones below are just the popular ones that got sequels; they've also guest starred in ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'', ''SSX'' and ''NBA Street''. Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto once said that he considers the characters in the ''Mario'' franchise as being essentially being less like characters in a single coherent story, and [[http://www.polygon.com/gaming/2012/9/25/3407672/miyamoto-the-mario-cast-is-a-troupe-of-actors-and-bowsers-kids-are more like a troupe of actors]] that can be cast in a wide variety of roles depending on the game, directly comparing it to this trope's pervasiveness in [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation Golden Age-era]] western animation. |
| 163 | ** {{Platform Game}}s: Their default genre for the main series |
| 164 | ** {{Sports Game}}s, including [[VideoGame/MarioTennis tennis]], [[VideoGame/MarioGolf golf]], [[VideoGame/MarioStrikers soccer]], and [[VideoGame/MarioSuperstarBaseball baseball]] and regularly [[VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames competing in the Olympics ever since 2008]]; |
| 165 | ** [[RolePlayingGames Role-Playing Games]] (''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG, VideoGame/PaperMario, VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'') |
| 166 | ** Party Games (''VideoGame/MarioParty'') |
| 167 | ** [[DrivingGame Kart racing]] (''VideoGame/MarioKart'') |
| 168 | ** {{Fighting Game}}s (''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', albeit as one part of a massive {{crossover}}) |
| 169 | ** {{Puzzle Game}}s (''VideoGame/YoshisCookie'', ''VideoGame/DrMario'') |
| 170 | ** [[TurnBasedTactics Turn-Based Tactics Games]] (''[[VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsKingdomBattle Mario + Rabbids]]'') |
| 171 | ** Moreover, the series has been doing this from the very beginning. ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' was about a mean ape tormenting Mario (then called "Jumpman"), where the second game cast Mario as a cruel owner who caged DK. The player controlled DK Jr. to save him. |
| 172 | ** Mario even did a RailShooter in ''VideoGame/YoshisSafari'' on the SNES. |
| 173 | * The ''VideoGame/SonicStorybookSeries'' has ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' characters filling fairytale roles (save Sonic himself, who gets pulled into the adventures ''as'' himself). For instance, Knuckles is Sinbad the Sailor in ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'' and Sir Gawain in ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheBlackKnight''. On another note, Sonic is almost as successful as Mario when it comes to adapting to other gameplay styles for spinoffs, having appeared in [[VideoGame/SonicTheFighters fighting]] [[VideoGame/SonicBattle games]], [[VideoGame/SonicR racing]] [[VideoGame/SonicRiders games]], [[VideoGame/SonicShuffle a party game]], and a {{Metroidvania}} among other things. |
| 174 | * In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' there are many different incarnations of Link and Zelda that occur in different time periods. The in-universe explanation is {{reincarnation}}, but the original meta-level explanation was Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto expanding his ''Super Mario'' statement to encompass the ''Zelda'' series as well. |
| 175 | * The enemies in the ''VideoGame/ApeEscape'' franchise are always intelligent apes that adapt to wherever they're stationed, no matter the country, time period, or even TV genre they're stuck in. This applies not just to the voiceless Mook monkeys, but the main group of villains, the Freaky Monkey Five. These boss characters will build giant robot dragons or become ninja masters just to fit in with their station. |
| 176 | * The ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' characters in ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' are supposed to be the same characters 'playing' different roles. Some are seen younger (Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, Seifer, Zack); some older (Squall); others are totally different (in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Cloud was a former soldier under and then nemesis of Sephiroth and the bodyguard of Aerith and Tifa; in ''Kingdom Hearts'', both [[EnemyWithout Sephiroth]] and Tifa are part of Cloud's LiteralSplitPersonality, and Aerith is a member of Squall's team). |
| 177 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' recycles certain characters even when the universes are entirely different. There's always cuddly giant bird mounts called Chocobos; always a funny, eccentric middle-aged man named Cid, who has some connection to airships; always ThoseTwoGuys who [[ShoutOut happen to be]] named [[Franchise/StarWars Biggs and Wedge]]; and the same Summoned monsters reappear (Shiva, Ifrit, Ramuh, Titan, Leviathan, Bahamut, and so on). They may have radically different designs and roles in the story, but they're the same character on some higher level. |
| 178 | * ''VideoGame/ShantaeHalfGenieHero'' has a brief go at this for some of its extra DLC modes, such as completely removing Shantae's powers and turning her into a [[GratuitousNinja ninja]] for a standard action platformer, and the entire gameplay being adapted into the style of ''VideoGame/MightySwitchForce'' with some of the recurring cast having their looks changed accordingly to reference it. |
| 179 | * ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' doesn't necessarily recycle the same characters, but what it does do is recycle character archetypes from one game to another. These characters may not necessarily have the exact same personality from game to game, but a number of important traits carry over. |
| 180 | ** On the [[Characters/FireEmblemHeroicArchetypes heroic side]], for example, your '''Lord''' characters are your important characters, often they wield a plot-relevant sword and have an unnatural hair color. They are usually guided by an experienced Number One (the '''Jagen''' or the '''Oifey'''), may share the spotlight with an opposite-sex deuteragonist that they may have romantic tension with (the '''Heroine'''), red and green cavaliers ('''Cain and Abel'''), a trio of Pegasus Knights who may or may not be related (the '''Pegasus Sisters'''), a mysterious being who is Really700YearsOld with or without the body of a child who is capable of transforming into a dragon (the '''Tiki'''), and potentially even a redheaded money-obsessed merchant named Anna who may or may not actually be a member of the party ([[CaptainObvious the]] '''[[ShapedLikeItself Anna]]'''). |
| 181 | ** The [[Characters/FireEmblemAntagonistArchetypes Villainous Side]] also plays by these rules. You'll often be eased into the game by dealing with a bandit (the '''Gazzak''') before eventually coming into conflict with the game's villainous faction, often against a group of four elite enforcers, that may feature one '''Noble Enforcer''', one '''Vile Opportunist''', and then a couple of more additional filler generals. The faction may often be led a conqueror taking an active role in taking over the world (the '''Rudolf''') or there may be a villainous advisor pulling all of the strings with full intent to betray at the right time (the '''Gharnef'''), and in many games, the true Big Bad is often an evil dragon of some variety that seeks to bring about the end of the world (the '''Medeus'''). |
| 182 | * ''VideoGame/StayTooned'', being a game based on UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation, applies this trope within different parts of the game itself, though in a complex way. Various segments of the games have themes based on time period, geography, genre of fiction, and so forth, with the characters taking on their corresponding roles--but only some of them, and it isn't always consistent. For instance, leads Pixel and Chisel usually take on fitting roles for each theme, but while the HauntedCastle segment has Dr. Pickles as a MadScientist there (where he might be an observatory manager in the future segment or a sheriff in TheWildWest segment), Pixel and Chisel are their default selves and happen to stumble across it. Fiddle, being the ButtMonkey of the game, rarely dresses or acts different regardless of the theme, the implication being that he was uninformed and unprepared stepping in to such segments. |
| 183 | * [=miHoYo=]'s ''Honkai'' saga, including ''Zombiegirl Kawaii'', ''Honkai Gakuen 2'', ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'', and ''VideoGame/HonkaiStarRail'', ascribes strongly to the concept of {{Alternate Universe}}s and features a large number of the same characters transplanted into different settings and lore, with their individual personalities and characterizations changing or staying static based on the role needed for them to fill. ''Honkai Impact 3rd'' specifically even has its own collection of [=AUs=] from event stories with the main cast taking up a whole plethora of different settings and scenarios, collectively known as the "Captainverse" (due to said events being the only times where the game acknowledges the presence of a PlayerCharacter). |
| 184 | * The characters of Kenji Eno's WARP trio of horror games -- ''VideoGame/{{D}}'', ''VideoGame/{{D2}}'', and ''VideoGame/EnemyZero'' -- were given new roles in each title. Blond protagonist Laura was in all three games and positioned to be a VirtualCelebrity of sorts, but even then, ''Enemy Zero'''s Parker and Kimberly were later reused in ''D2''. Eno's passing in 2013 has kept the characters from ever being used again, however. |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 188 | * ''WebAnimation/AoharuMangaLibrary'': The story can range between varying scenarios, but mostly takes place in school or office life. Keiichi's role can range from that of an ordinary student to that of a company CEO. And the heroine is always going to be named either 'Yui' or 'Noa' or 'Nagisa', with varying roles too. |
| 189 | * The characters of ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'' all have set names, appearances and base personalities, but each story is self-contained and their roles, relationships and even their ages change from one story to the next. |
| 190 | * ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'', as seen by the many many alternative settings (futuristic Japan, medieval times, 1930s US just to name a few) and premises. |
| 191 | * The Website/SomethingAwful ''Peezle Ward'' series of Flash Tub cartoons are various movies that place the same four characters in various movie "adpatations" of a fake author's stories, ranging from Fire Fighters to Astronauts to Time Travelers. |
| 192 | * As ''VideoGame/GarrysMod'' and Source Filmmaker both come with models for characters from various Creator/{{Valve|Software}} games, said characters are frequently used this way in video made with either program, especially the cast of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. |
| 193 | * The main characters of ''WebAnimation/GossipCity'' have the same name, basic appearance and base personalities and have mostly the same families. |
| 194 | * ''WebAnimation/HappyTreeFriends''. Lumpy alone has been a carnie, butcher, teacher, doctor, genie, farmer, fairy tale giant, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick organ trader]], and everything in between. |
| 195 | * The cast of ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice'' became this by necessity after Games Workshop instituted a [[FanWorkBan blanket zero-tolerance policy on fan animation]], with them immigrating to the world of ''TabletopGame/HunterTheReckoning'' under slightly altered names in a [[WebAnimation/HunterTheParenting new series]] while their original series was put on indefinite hiatus. |
| 196 | * Some stories of ''WebAnimation/MangaRoom'' use Shota and Sana, who usually have the same basic appearances but they can be put in different roles and settings. In some stories that involve them, Kanna is also present as a supporting character. |
| 197 | [[/folder]] |
| 198 | |
| 199 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 200 | * ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'' slots its cast into science-fiction, the contemporary world, super-heroics, and various more specific parodies (i.e. ''Series/{{Mash}}''), and it always works. How much of this is the versatility of the cast, and how much is [[http://www.arthurkingoftimeandspace.com/1539.htm not stretching settings farther than it works]] is debatable. Still, just as impressive, either way. In some settings characters are gender-flipped, and still work just as well. |
| 201 | * The main cast of ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'' routinely run Imaginates, essentially no-budget plays based on everything from ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' to ''Film/JurassicPark''. They usually slot themselves into the roles with little rhyme or reason, and often include multiple cases of CrossCastRole. |
| 202 | * The "[[StickFigureComic Stick Figures in Space]]" FillerStrips from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' take this approach, transplanting the main ''Sluggy'' cast into a space opera spoof. |
| 203 | ** Later on, they (at least, Torg and Riff) became comic book superheroes in [[ComicBook/TheAvengers The Harassers.]] |
| 204 | ** The main Sluggy Freelance strips contain so many diverse setpieces, from aliens to time travel to [[AlternateUniverse alternate dimensions]] to [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampires]], that they could be considered this on their own. |
| 205 | * ''Webcomic/LightningMadeOfOwls'' may well set the record for range of different settings used. In theory, at least; its small archive size might not give it room to be there in practice, yet. |
| 206 | * Aaron Williams' ''Q-4orce: The Mighty Moderately Average Superteam'' converts the cast of ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}'' from a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' adventuring party to a ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' superhero team. |
| 207 | * David Willis's ''Webcomic/{{Walkyverse}}'' and ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'' use the same cast in different settings with different backstories. (Essentially, ''[=DoA=]'' relocates everyone to the ''Webcomic/{{Roomies}}'' university setting and removes all the aliens, Drama Tags and general weirdness.) |
| 208 | [[/folder]] |
| 209 | |
| 210 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 211 | * Mario's numerous roles are evidence of a multiverse in ''Website/{{Cracked}}'''s #15 [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_388_27-science-lessons-as-taught-by-famous-video-games/ Science Lesson As Taught by Famous Video Games.]] |
| 212 | * [[http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Scratchpad Scratchpad]] is a wiki on Wikia meant for creating test wikis, is notable for its myriad of parody casts, which consist of taking a work's characters and placing them in roles of characters of another work. Some works have so much parody casts that some of those extend to obscure works, mundane or abstract objects, [[SelfParody the work's own sets of characters]], and even parodies of other parody casts, which try to fit the most of the work's characters into a role of another work's single character. |
| 213 | [[/folder]] |
| 214 | |
| 215 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 216 | * ''WebVideo/TheAnnoyingOrange'' has been shown in various time periods, in the video game world, as a viking, in medieval Europe, in a [[BlandNameProduct Not-Professional Wrestling]] ring, in a spoof of Literature/TheHungerGames, as a cop, as a [=YouTube=] video presenter, and so much more. |
| 217 | [[/folder]] |
| 218 | |
| 219 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 220 | * Many characters that originated during UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation are this. Notable examples include: |
| 221 | ** WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}, who might be in Ancient Rome for one cartoon and then play WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin|AndHisWonderfulLamp}} in another. Bluto, likewise, might be himself, [[WesternAnimation/PopeyeTheSailorMeetsSindbadTheSailor Sindbad]], Hercules, or someone else to fit the theme. |
| 222 | ** ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' |
| 223 | ** The Warner Bros. ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' stable |
| 224 | ** WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse, WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck, WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}}, and any other character from the WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts, as quite completely proven by ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''. Also of note is an Italian comics story entitled "[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Mickey's Inferno]]". Yes, it's a parody of ''exactly'' what you think. |
| 225 | * The whole series of French animated TV shows ''WesternAnimation/IlEtaitUneFois'' is a definite example of such a cast. It started with ''Il était une fois... l'Homme'', which followed a cast of similar characters throughout the ages (though with variable nationalities and ethnicity). The same cast was then used in a SpaceOpera (''Il était une fois... l'Espace''), as [[AnthropomorphizedAnatomy anthropomorphized cells]] in the human body (''Il était une fois... la Vie''), and other edutainment entries. |
| 226 | * Most of the "Steven Spielberg Presents" series of animated shows during the 1990s, most notably ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}''. WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain in particular would appear alongside Samson one episode, then encounter Myth/RobinHood, and then attempt to take over 1946 UsefulNotes/LosAngeles by shrinking people's hats. |
| 227 | * Weirdly, ''Series/TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow'' tries this route in its animated version. It's made even weirder by the fact that Mario and his crew were always unambiguously themselves -- while Koopa and his Troop more often than not completely built themselves around the theme of that episode's world. A themed version of Koopa was used far more often than the simple "vanilla" one. |
| 228 | * ''The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo'' has WesternAnimation/MrMagoo (and a few other recurring "actors") play various well-known stories, like ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'', Myth/ArthurianLegend or Myth/RobinHood. |
| 229 | * ''WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel'': In a similar manner to many Golden Age cartoons, many episodes of this series feature Weasel and Baboon transplanted in completely different settings, but still retaining their traditional dynamic. |
| 230 | * ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': The ''Franchise/StarWars'' parodies use the cast for ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuyPresentsLaughItUpFuzzball''. |
| 231 | * The final season of ''WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' was renamed ''Chipminks go to the Movies'' and had the cast act out adaptations of popular movies and television series like ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'', ''Film/{{Big}}'', ''Series/{{Star Trek|TheOriginalSeries}}'' and ''Franchise/IndianaJones''. |
| 232 | * Franchise/{{Barbie}} was this in [[WesternAnimation/{{Barbie}} her earlier CGI movies]]. She has been [[WesternAnimation/BarbieAsRapunzel Rapunzel]], [[WesternAnimation/BarbieOfSwanLake Odette]], [[WesternAnimation/BarbieInTheNutcracker Clara]], a [[GenderFlip genderflipped]] [[WesternAnimation/BarbieInAChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]], [[WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheThreeMusketeers D'Artagnan]] and [[WesternAnimation/BarbieAsThePrincessAndThePauper The Prince and the Pauper]]. Not to mention all the different professional Barbies that have been produced over the decades. Doctor, nurse, dentist, vet, rock musician, scuba diver, geisha (Japan only), RCMP officer (Canada only), infantryman, fighter pilot... |
| 233 | * ''Walter Melon'', from the AnimatedAdaptation of ''ComicBook/AchilleTalon''. That "hero for hire" does replacements for heroes (like Franchise/{{Superman}}, Casanova, [[Franchise/StarWars Luke Skywalker]], Franchise/{{Tarzan}}, Franchise/{{Rambo}}...) and (in later seasons) historical figures, despite the fact that he's overweight and don't look like a typical hero. His friend Bitterbug is the usual sidekick, his love interest Amelia plays the main female character (ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}, Tinkerbell, Lois Lane, Princess Leia, Snow White...) and Walter's nemesis, [[MonsterClown Sneero]], is playing the villains (ComicBook/LexLuthor, Darth Vader, ComicBook/TheJoker, Captain Hook, Doctor Octopus...) |
| 234 | * In any given episode in the ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' series, most of the characters will be played by one of the stock cast members. |
| 235 | * This was pretty much the point of ''WesternAnimation/HelloKittysFurryTaleTheater'', a short-lived cartoon where [[Franchise/{{HelloKitty}} Kitty]] [[Creator/{{Sanrio}} and her friends]] played out various stories like "The Ugly Duckling". |
| 236 | * Certain episodes of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' have seen the cast living in ancient China ("Doof Dynasty"), the stone age ("Tri-Stone Area"), a swords-and-sorcery fantasy ("Excaliferb"), an Indiana Jones-like setting ("Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon"), and a turn-of-the-century Danville ("[[{{Steampunk}} Steampunx]]"). They've also been to the WesternAnimation/{{Marvel Universe|DisneyXD}} and traveled to [[Franchise/StarWars a galaxy far far away]]. Then, of course, there was the WholePlotReference to ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''... |
| 237 | * This is the premise behind the animated ''Series/{{Alf}}'' spinoff, ''WesternAnimation/AlfTales''. |
| 238 | * Several ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' specials put different versions of the characters in different settings, including "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E14Ugh Ugh]]" (in prehistoric times), "[[Recap/SpongebobSquarePantsS4E6DuncesAndDragons Dunces and Dragons]]" (in a MedievalEuropeanFantasy) and "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS5E16PestOfTheWest Pest of the West]]" (in TheWildWest). |
| 239 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'', after having the main characters as a spy agency for its first four seasons, begins to alter the setting OnceASeason, starting with the main characters becoming a drug cartel in the fifth. Season 6 returns to the spy genre, Season 7 has them as private detectives, Season 8 transports the cast to a 1940s FilmNoir setting as part of Sterling Archer's [[AdventuresInComaland coma dream,]] Season 9 is another coma dream, this time set on an IslandOfMystery and Season 10 is a coma dream set in outer space. |
| 240 | * InUniverse, Space Ghost claims to have pitched a show like this to The WB, "where Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny were teenagers and I was a teenager too and we were all pirates, but every week we'd have different jobs and identities" in an episode of WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast. The network apparently called back to tell him his idea was stupid. |
| 241 | * ''WesternAnimation/ToucheTurtleAndDumDum'': Touché and Dum Dum's adventures could -- and did -- occur in any time or setting. They sometimes were set in TheCavalierYears, but not always. Some took place in TheWildWest, the MiddleAges, or the then-current-day 1960s. |
| 242 | * Several episodes of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' place the cast into a variety of bizarre situations and artstyles beyond the show's usual SciFi-based scope, whether it's WhatIf scenarios (both "Anthology of Interest" episodes), black-and-white cartoons, 8 bit-video games and anime ("Reincarnation"), animals ("Naturama") or parodies of other cartoons ("Saturday Morning Fun Pit"). |
| 243 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Whenever they directly parody a specific show or film in either the "WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror" specials or anthology episodes (e.g. "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E21SimpsonsTallTales Simpsons Tall Tales]]"), the cast fits the parts called for. |
| 244 | * ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramarama'' features most of the main cast from ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'''s first season (as well as Jude from ''[[WesternAnimation/SixTeen 6teen]]'') and takes place in a daycare center. As such, the teenagers are preschool children, while Chef is their supervisor instead of a cook. |
| 245 | [[/folder]] |
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