History Main / DerivativeDifferentiation

* ''Animation/FlowerFairy'': The character personalities and the way that magical girl powers work, as well as some pieces of lore such as a MissingMom, were similar to ''Manga/CardcaptorSakura'' in the first season, but in Season 2, more focus was put on the fairy world and more magical girls were put in protagonist roles alongside An'an - among other things - to correct this problem.

* ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} used to be ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}} in red until they made him insane to the point of fourth wall–breaking and gave him his own fighting style.

*** For example (involving the first of these), [[spoiler:when Rudeus meets Nanahoshi, he's shocked to see her as not only was she one of the students he died saving, but she had been the companion of Orsted who had [[ATorsoWithAView punched a hole in Rudeus's chest]] the last time they met. However, Nanahoshi proves to pose no harm to him as she only wants to return home. In stark contrast, Arthur learns that the BigBad Agrona had not only reincarnated him but also his past life childhood friends - Nico and Cecilia - whom he had ReforgedIntoAMinion and twisted them into despising Arthur for an incident in their past lives]].

** While its inspiration does have its fair share of dark moments, most notably Turning Point IV wherein Rudeus learns of [[spoiler:BadFuture in which he loses everyone he loves thanks to falling for Hitogami's machinations]], the novel itself tends to have far more dark moments, and ones that happen in real time if not in the past. Case in point, from Volumes 7 to 8 the main cast - Arthur and Tessia in particular - undergo a ''massive'' TraumaCongaLine wherein [[spoiler:TheBadGuyWins, conquers their homeland and kills many of their loved ones. On top of that, Arthur gets stranded in an alien land, left powerless, and forced to live incognito among Agrona's minions, while Tessia gets captured and turned into the vessel for Cecilia as part of Agrona's plan followed by her homeland being destroyed by the JerkassGods in an ultimately futile bid to stop Agrona]].

* The early books in the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series were typical HighFantasy books that borrowed many elements from ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' (itself somewhat derivative of ''[=LotR=]''), but developed a unique feel in ''Soul of the Fire'' with the introduction of [[{{UsefulNotes/Objectivism}} Objectivist]] themes.

* The WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes prior to [[UsefulNotes/LooneyTunesInTheThirties the mid to late '30s]] started off as standard gag and music cartoons in the vein of other studios of its day, such as Creator/FleischerStudios and WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse (the latter being the most understandable connection, since the early Looney Tunes were made by [[Creator/HarmanAndIsing former Disney artists]] in the first place). By the 1933–1935 period, the studio really tried hard to imitate Disney's cutesy cartoons, but that got them nowhere. By 1936, Creator/TexAvery and Creator/FrankTashlin (and eventually Creator/BobClampett) got their place in the studio as directors and slowly started leading them into a more humorous direction. Early entries of theirs such as ''WesternAnimation/ILoveToSinga'' and ''Now That Summer is Gone'' superficially resemble the cutesy stuff Disney was doing, but their humor and tone was unmistakably irreverent, street smart and contemporary for their time. By the 1940s (especially by the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII), the studio finally crystallized its art style, rich cast of characters, and brand of humor into its iconic form.

* Music/TenThousandManiacs began their career as a stock PostPunk band, playing Music/GangOfFour and Music/JoyDivision covers before imitating that sound on their ''Human Conflict Number 5'' EP. Once the band began putting out proper studio albums, they shifted direction to an AlternativeRock sound that melded together elements of JanglePop, FolkMusic, and pop rock, a far cry from their more abrasive early sound and a shift that contributed heavily to their commercial success during the waning years of the pre-''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' era of alternative rock.

* ''VideoGame/KCMunchkin'' for the Magnavox UsefulNotes/Odyssey2; the first installment is an obvious clone of VideoGame/PacMan (although there are a fair amount of differences between it and its inspiration already, most notably the ability to create your own maze), enough that a year after it was released, Atari, who had just released their own port for the 2600, successfully sued to get it pulled from shelves. To continue the series, a sequel, ''VideoGame/KCsCrazyChase'', was released, which [[WritingAroundTrademarks redesigned the lead character]], and revamped the gameplay to where your goal is to chase and eat a giant [[VideoGame/{{Centipede}} centipede]] throughout the maze to get power ups and win (not only distinguishing it from Pac Man, but also serving [[TakeThat as a sly jab at Atari]]). It also supports the Odyssey 2 voice module.

* After Creator/{{Sega}} tried to directly compete with Nintendo by copying the NES with their UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem, only to fall flat on their face, they decided to go in the opposite direction and become Nintendo's antithesis with the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, aiming for older audiences and darker games with slicker graphics, action and very lax censorship policies. Even their headlining mascot, Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog, was a unique contrast from the ''Mario'' series in art and gameplay, and also a contrast to Sega's own Mario-derivative VideoGame/AlexKidd, who was quickly abandoned by the company. Unsurprisingly, it worked. The series was unmistakably inspired by ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', but in contrast to Mario's strategic, defensive platforming, Sonic's gameplay usually leans more towards fast-paced action, heavily streamlined platforming romps with rollercoaster/pinball-like physics and level design that emphasized maintaining speed and precision timing more than anything else, with the occasional slower platforming, combat, puzzles and mini-games sandwiched in.

* The lead character of Creator/PeterDavid's ''ComicBook/FallenAngel'' was widely assumed to be a lawyer-friendly version of ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} from his recently completed series, but was eventually distinguished.

* The webseries [[https://www.youtube.com/@AIBuilds AI Builds]][[note]]AI here stands for "Animal Investigator"[[/note]] [[TropesAreTools intentionally]] uses this in service of a {{Metafiction}} narrative about mental illness and originality in art. The series follows Nicholas, the developer of an upcoming [[ShowWithinAShow in-universe]] game known as ''Animal Investigator'' which was inspired by another in-universe game known as ''Animal Police''. Nicholas' brother, Josh, previously created a knock-off of ''Animal Police'' and then uploaded a webseries of it to screw with Nicholas in his development of ''Animal Investigator''. Out-of-universe, this webseries [[https://www.youtube.com/@animalpolice8886 actually exists]] and was made by the real-life creator of ''AI Builds'' as an AffectionateParody of ''WebVideo/{{Petscop}}'', with the name "Animal Police" (And by extension "Animal Investigator") even being a direct spin on "Pets Cop." In-universe, Nicholas, who had a fragile mental state to begin with, deeply struggles with the perceived inadequacy of ''Animal Investigator'' and frequently criticizes himself for not being original enough. His game in-universe is scathingly mocked online for being a ripoff of ''Animal Police'' and various Youtubers tell him to "put more of himself" into the game, pressuring Nicholas to re-live his own trauma for the sake of making a more original product. Consequentially the series progressively spirals into a full-on CreatorBreakdown, becoming less about the game itself and more about [[TrueArtIsAngsty Nicholas and his struggles with trauma, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation]] as gameplay footage [[MindScrew gradually devolves into Nicholas' own traumatic hallucinations]]. All that is to say, ''AI Builds'' is a character study that exists as a StealthSequel to an AffectionateParody of ''Petscop'' and is intentionally similar to ''Petscop'' as a form of RealitySubtext to reflect the protagonist's insecurity over his work's perceived lack of originality.

*** For example (involving the first of these), [[spoiler:when Rudeus meets Nanahoshi, he's shocked to see her as not only was she one of the students he died saving, but she had been the companion of Orsted who had [[ATorsoWithAView punched a hole in Rudeus's chest]] the last time they met. However, Nanahoshi proves to pose no harm to him as she only wants to return home. In starks contrast, Arthur learns that the BigBad Agrona had not only reincarnated him but also his past life childhood friends - Nico and Cecilia - whom he had ReforgedIntoAMinion and twisted them into despising Arthur for an incident in their past lives]].

* The first two books of the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' took place in a very by-the-numbers HighFantasy world, with every one of its distinguishing features being lifted from some other fantasy book, and the plots of the two books being nearly beat-by-beat recreations of ''Film/ANewHope'' and ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''. Not only did TrilogyCreep kick in and split the third book into two, but the final two books greatly expanded the world into genuinely original directions, and a plotline with much less than the expected adherence to ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.

* The early books in the ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'' series were typical HighFantasy books that borrowed many elements from ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' (itself somewhat derivative of [=LotR=]), but developed a unique feel in ''Soul of the Fire'' with the introduction of [[{{UsefulNotes/Objectivism}} Objectivist]] themes.
* ''Literature/TalesOfTheMagicLand'' started off as a loose translation of ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', but later books in the series are original works that use said translation as a basis.

* ''Literature/TheBeginningAfterTheEnd'' is heavily based on ''Literature/MushokuTensei'' with its premise, story elements, and characters being lifted nearly wholesale from that novel, especially in its first few volumes. However, over time it becomes ''far'' DarkerAndEdgier compared to its inspiration given how its plot revolves around a DivineConflict and as such has very high stakes for an {{Isekai}} novel. The novel is not shy from showing the horrors of war and its toll on the protagonists, features some [[HateSink truly despicable]] villains whom the protagonists have difficulty overcoming, and makes liberal use of AnyoneCanDie. Even though it continues to lift a few elements from the latter in said later volumes - such as [[spoiler:the enigmatic deity who helps the protagonist turning out to be EvilAllAlong, the protagonist meeting people from his past life, and the protagonist learning that he is a ParadoxPerson due to the circumstances of his reincarnation involving a StableTimeLoop]] - it gives these elements a much different execution, oftentimes to a much darker extreme.
** To elaborate on its protagonist, Arthur himself seems to be a carbon copy of Rudeus at first - both are adult men who died only to ReincarnateInAnotherWorld, became a extremely talented mage and adventurer at a young age thanks to retaining their past mindset, and attract the attention of several LoveInterest[=s=] - with the [[VirtuousCharacterCopy only initial major difference]] being that Arthur is a CelibateHero who spurns most girls due to the mental age gap in sharp contrast to the perverted ManChild that is Rudeus at first. However, Arthur diverges considerably from Rudeus as the story progresses. While Rudeus ends up becoming a WizardClassic who expands on his original powerset, Arthur is a MagicKnight who [[spoiler:ends up losing his original powerset only to RePower himself with an even stronger powerset and [[CameBackStrong Come Back Strong]]]].
* ''Literature/TalesOfTheMagicLand'' started off as a loose translation of ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', but later books in the series are original works that use said translation as a basis.
* Similarly, ''Literature/TheGoldenKeyOrTheAdventuresOfBuratino'' effectively repeats ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio'' for the first few pages, but then starts diverging until a complete breakoff after the AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted scene.

** If you only read the first novel of ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' you could be forgiven for dismissing it as ''The Lord of the Rings'' with some light gender politics. The setting and metaphysics become much more distinct, and the gender politics ''much'' more pronounced, as the series continues.

* The first two books of the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' took place in a very by-the-numbers HighFantasy world, with every one of its distinguishing features being lifted from some other fantasy book, and the plots of the two books being nearly beat-by-beat recreations of ''Film/ANewHope'' and ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''. Not only did TrilogyCreep kick in and split the third book into two, but the final two books greatly expanded the world into genuinely original directions, and a plotline with much less than the expected adherence to ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''.

* ''Literature/TheBeginningAfterTheEnd'' is heavily based on ''Literature/MushokuTensei'' with its premise and characters being lifted nearly wholesale from that novel, especially in its first few volumes. However, over time the former becomes far DarkerAndEdgier compared to its inspiration, given how its plot revolves around a DivineConflict and does not shy from showing the horrors of war and how it affects its protagonists. Even though it continues to lift a few elements from the latter in said later volumes - such as [[spoiler:the TopGod turning out to be EvilAllAlong, the protagonist meeting people from his past life, and the protagonist learning that he is a ParadoxPerson due to his reincarnation]] - it takes these elements to a much darker extreme.
** To elaborate on its protagonist, Arthur himself seems to be a VirtuousCharacterCopy of Rudeus at first - both are adult men who reincarnated into a fantasy world upon death, became a extremely talented mage and adventurer at such a young age thanks to retaining their past mindset, and attract the attention of several potential LoveInterest[=s=] - with the only major difference at first being that Arthur is a CelibateHero who spurns most girls due to the mental age gap in sharp contrast to the perverted ManChild that is Rudeus. However, Arthur diverges from his inspiration in many respects as the story progresses. While Rudeus ends up becoming a WizardClassic who expands on his original powerset, Arthur is a MagicKnight who [[spoiler:ends up losing his original powerset only to RePower himself with an even stronger powerset and [[CameBackStrong Come Back Strong]]]].