History Main / GatewaySeries

* ''Comicbook/{{Fables}}''

* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' -- Specifically, Rocket Raccoon

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''[[Tabletopgame/YuGiOh Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' card game led eventually to ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' for lots of players. Helped by the fact that a lot of sanctioned tournaments of the former shared venues with tournaments for the latter. Also, the huge media presence (straddling many years) and child-friendly image of both ''Pokémon'' and ''Yu-Gi-Oh'' practically guarantees that these will be the first [=CCGs=] people get into.

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' by Creator/NeilGaiman was many people's first exposure to UrbanFantasy, as well as introducing them to concepts like ''story-within-the-story'' and by deciphering its many references, got people interested in Creator/ItaloCalvino, Creator/JorgeLuisBorges and [[ShakespeareInFiction also told them unfamiliar parts]] of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's life, namely that he had a son named Hamnet.

->''"It starts with an innocent game of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cake_Mania Cake Mania]], and soon you've bought a UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, and before you know it, BAM! You're out on the street corner, teeth chattering, waiting in line for [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft Burning Crusades]]."''
-->-- ''WebAnimation/ExtraCredits'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ZVZRsy8N8 Video Games and the Female Audience]], a [[FanNickname Pre-Escapist]] Episode. [[note]] Daniel Floyd actually uses the term, "Gateway Drug" prior to the quote.[[/note]]

* {{Webcomic/xkcd}} is also a common entry point into the world of webcomics.

** The Biggest one of all, however, is ''Manhwa/SoloLeveling'', which skyrokected in popularity upon being translated for the first time, and even more so when officially released in the west outside of Korea, its second volume already reaching in the [[https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/48998/july-2021-npd-bookscan-top-20-adult-graphic-novels top 10 of NPD's monthly graphic novel sales charts in July 2021]].

* [[Wiki/TVTropes Look no further than the very website which you happen to be browsing]] at this [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife (probably) late hour.]] How many books, TV shows, etc. were ''you'' blissfully unaware of before coming here but [[JustForFun/TVTropesAsAGatewayDrug now have a sudden unrequited urge to experience?]]

* A main gateway series to {{Visual Novel}}s is arguably ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'', and in a broader sense, the ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'' fighting game series. While some eroge can surely bring with them a great story and be classified as PornWithPlot, it usually isn't marketed or [[PornWithoutPlot seen that way]] in the West. Many a Visual Novel has been consumed since then, and since something as broad as Visual Novels is rather variated, rather guiding newcomers to ''VisualNovel/{{Planetarian}}'', and from there:
* Those that may be averse to 18+ material to ''VisualNovel/{{Ever17}}'' or ''VisualNovel/KiraKira'' (the all ages version)
* Those with a unique taste to [[VisualNovel/TheDevilOnGString anything by]] [[VisualNovel/SharinNoKuni Looseboy]], [[VisualNovel/SayaNoUta Urobuchi Gen]], [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Kinoko]] [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Nasu]], or [[VisualNovel/KanaLittleSister Ro]][[VisualNovel/FamilyProject meo]] [[VisualNovel/CrossChannel Tanaka]]

* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'' is one partly because it is English Language {{Freeware}}, partly because its relation to Website/FourChan and its concept as a DisabledLoveInterest HGame made it [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity somewhat famous]], and partly because it is well made. ''Katawa Shoujo'' is such a GatewaySeries that it made the '''front page''' of Website/GameFaqs as the top of the list of 10 Most Wanted Faqs.

* ''VisualNovel/EverlastingSummer'' is a russian Visual Novel that brought many people to the genre due to it being one of the most popular and well-reviewed Visual Novels on Steam.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood'' - the Disney ''Robin Hood'' is credited with starting the Furry Fandom to begin with.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}''

* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' -- Specifically, Rocket
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}''

Maturity level also matters. In genres with [[AnimationAgeGhetto age ghettos]], a Gateway Series will likely double as WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids Or have many {{Parental Bonus}}es, such as [[DemographicDissonantCrossover characters from mature series appearing in family-friendly works]].

Maturity level also matters. In genres with [[AnimationAgeGhetto age ghettos]], a Gateway Series will likely double as WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids Or have many {{Parental Bonus}}es.

* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'', especially with the Beast Pack from ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand''

* ''Creator/ChuckECheeses'' -- Like FNAF above, for the animatronic animals.

* Korean manhwa and webtoons are not as popular as Japanese manga. When a webtoon gets popular it can cause readers to become more interested in webtoons as a whole. Examples include ''Webcomic/KillingStalking'', ''Webcomic/{{Bastard}}'', ''Webcomic/FlutteringFeelings'', ''Webcomic/WhatDoesTheFoxSay'', and ''Webcomic/NineteenTwentyOne''.

* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi_cKLjGRNo&feature=youtu.be&sf20267658=1 In an interview for his grammy nomination]], Lin-Manuel Miranda said that he felt ''Hamilton'' had become a gateway show in two different directions: theatre fans came in without ever having had any interest in hip-hop and came out realising how great it could be and wanting to learn more, while hip-hop fans went in skeptically and came out realising that they might've prejudged musical theatre.

* ''Literature/MoDaoZuShi'' would be next series after the ''The King's Avatar'' to really draw up an audience with ''donghua'' as it meshes not just {{Wuxia}}, but introduced many fans to ''danmei''. While it's similar in concept to Japanese {{Yaoi}} since they're both BoysLove, ''danmei'' differs in how it plays the genre's usual tropes and {{Shipping}} dynamics, akin to ''The King's Avatar'' not relying on ''[[TrappedInAnotherWorld isekai]]'' and StockLightNovelHero tropes as a narrative.

* The 90s ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' cartoon was many kids' first experience with the X-Men characters and franchise (and to a lesser extent, Marvel Comics in general), and the early live action films even took a bit of inspiration from it.

* [[Wiki/TVTropes Look no further than the very website which you happen to be browsing]] at this [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife (probably) late hour.]] How many books, TV shows, etc. were ''you'' blissfully unaware of before coming here but [[JustForFun/TVTropesAsAGatewayDrug now have a sudden unrequited urge to experience?]]

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'' -- not confirmed yet, but most furries are convinced it'll start the next generation of the furry fandom

Gateway Series must be good in some sense, and must not have much more {{squick}} than normally comes with the genre. Otherwise, you would be [[AudienceAlienatingPremise turned off.]] If it does work, these tend to be (though not ''always'' are) responsible for a NewbieBoom for either the overall franchise the series might be part of (espeically for a LongRunner) -or- for the "genre" it's part of, the success of Anime in North America during the early-to-mid 90's for example owes a lot to this as explored below.

* WebAnimation/YouTubePoop introduces many younger people who weren't able to watch them when they first aired to cartoon adaptations of popular video games such as ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', to the ''Philips CD-i'' as well as ''Volvic'' mineral water, ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' and since the rise of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwoOWTABYbk #71519 fad]] to ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic''.

* Those with a unique taste to [[VisualNovel/GSenjouNoMaou anything by]] [[VisualNovel/SharinNoKuni Looseboy]], [[VisualNovel/SayaNoUta Urobuchi Gen]], [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Kinoko]] [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Nasu]], or [[VisualNovel/KanaLittleSister Ro]][[VisualNovel/FamilyProject meo]] [[VisualNovel/CrossChannel Tanaka]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers''

* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures''

* ''WesternAnimation/RoadRovers''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGetAlongGang'' -- Dotty Dog in particular

* The 80s WesternAnimation ''WesternAnimation/SylvanianFamilies'' adaptation was the gateway to the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom for some- they came for the {{Moe}} humans, but stayed for the {{Moe}} woodland animals. To a larger extent tho, it was also the gateway to collecting little plush and plastic animal families.