History Main / MorePopularSpinOff

* ''Film/RogueOne'' is a standalone ''Anthology'' film in ''Franchise/StarWars'' as opposed to a numbered episode. However, many fans consider it to be as important as the main episodes, if not better. In terms of ticket sales, it surpassed both ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' and ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' while also garnering a much better critical reception than all entries in the prequel trilogy.

* Although Creator/WarnerBros always intended Batman and Superman to be the main stars of the Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse franchise, its movies based on "lesser" DC heroes have turned out to be much more profitable and well-received than the main entries starring the World's Finest. ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' scored a 27% on Website/RottenTomatoes, but ''Film/{{Wonder Woman|2017}}'' scored a whopping '''93%''', and its net profit was more than double what ''Batman v Superman'' earned. Later, ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' crossed the $1 billion mark, outgrossed ''Batman v Superman'' in just 3 weeks, and even made more money than the non-DCEU movie ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' worldwide, making it the highest grossing DC movie ''of all time''. Ironic, given how Wonder Woman has historically been the least popular of Creator/DCComics' "Big Three", and Aquaman has spent much of his history as a MemeticLoser.

** In particular, ''VideoGame/Persona4'' turned into a CashCowFranchise of its own, receiving two [[VideoGame/Persona4Arena fighting]] [[VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax game]] {{sequel}}s that also featured ''Persona 3'' characters, [[VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth a dungeon-crawler]] {{Crossover}} with ''Persona 3'' again, an UpdatedRerelease for the Platform/{{PlayStation Vita}}, and [[VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight a rhythm game]] {{sequel}} to the two {{Fighting Game}}s. Furthermore, there were two {{manga}} adaptations, two [[Anime/Persona4TheAnimation anime]] [[Anime/Persona4TheGoldenAnimation adaptations]], [[Literature/PersonaXDetectiveNaoto a light novel]] SpinOff, and two live stage productions. Well into ''Persona 5''[='s=] release, the characters from ''Persona 4'' also guest starred in the crossover fighting ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'' and even got a release on PC via Steam in June 2020, well after ''Persona 5 Royal'' was out. And then ''Persona 4 Golden'' was ported again in October 2022, this time to various home consoles (Switch, [=PS4=], [=PS5=], Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S) and Windows PC.[[labelnote:*]]Though its release was accompanied by ''Persona 3 Portable'' and ''Persona 5 Royal'' also being made available on all these platforms; the mainline games were previously exclusive to the [=PlayStation=] brand.[[/labelnote]] To really hammer this trope home, ''Persona 4'' was the start of where ''Persona'' slowly phased itself out as its own individual franchise divorced from ''Shin Megami Tensei'' by removing "Shin Megami Tensei" from the title. [[note]]In Japan, however, the ''Persona'' series was [[MarketBasedTitle marketed]] as a spin-off series from the beginning, with [[VideoGame/Persona1 the original]] bearing the full title of ''Megami Ibunroku Persona'' to indicate its relationship to the mainline games. The "Megami Ibunroku" part was dropped in all subsequent ''Persona'' entries, though Creator/{{Atlus}} would bring it back for [[ThematicSeries another spin-off]] in ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' (which likewise had "Shin Megami Tensei" slapped on the title outside of Japan)... only to phase it out again with ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2''.[[/note]]

** Many critics and bloggers mistakenly referred to the [[Film/WarCraft 2016 film]] as "an adaptation of ''World of Warcraft''." While it ''does'' borrow a lot from the latter for aesthetic and WorldBuilding purposes, the story adapts the 1994 RTS game that started it all, ''Orcs and Humans''.
* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' and the two following sequels, compared to the original series that was quite popular in its own day. The ''Sands of Time'' trilogy was the first ''successful'' [[VideoGame3DLeap attempt to take the Prince into 3D]] after the failure of 1999's ''Prince of Persia [[ThirdIs3D 3D]]''.

** The series is this to ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'', especially from ''VideoGame/Persona3'' onwards. While the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' franchise is considered one of the "Big Three" alongside ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' and ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' in Japan, ''Persona'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff sells far better internationally]] -- the extreme success of later ''Persona'' games has caused the series to slowly eclipse ''Shin Megami Tensei'' in Japan as well.
** In particular, ''VideoGame/Persona4'' turned into a CashCowFranchise of its own, receiving two [[VideoGame/Persona4Arena fighting]] [[VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax game]] {{sequel}}s that also featured ''Persona 3'' characters, [[VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth a dungeon-crawler]] {{Crossover}} with ''Persona 3'' again, an UpdatedRerelease for the Platform/{{PlayStation Vita}}, and [[VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight a rhythm game]] {{sequel}} to the two {{Fighting Game}}s. Furthermore, there were two {{manga}} adaptations, two [[Anime/Persona4TheAnimation anime]] [[Anime/Persona4TheGoldenAnimation adaptations]], [[Literature/PersonaXDetectiveNaoto a light novel]] SpinOff, and two live stage productions. Well into ''Persona 5''[='s=] release, the characters from ''Persona 4'' also guest starred in the crossover fighting ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'' and even got a release on PC via Steam in June 2020, well after ''Persona 5 Royal'' was out. And then ''Persona 4 Golden'' was ported again in October 2022, this time to various home consoles (Switch, [=PS4=], [=PS5=], Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S) and Windows PC.[[labelnote:*]]Though its release was accompanied by ''Persona 3 Portable'' and ''Persona 5 Royal'' also being made available on all these platforms; the mainline games were previously exclusive to the [=PlayStation=] brand.[[/labelnote]] To really hammer this trope home, ''Persona 4'' was the start of where ''Persona'' slowly phased itself out as its own individual franchise divorced from ''Shin Megami Tensei'' by removing "Shin Megami Tensei" as its title.

* ''Literature/TheIcewindDaleTrilogy'': In 1989, Creator/RASalvatore wrote ''The Crystal Shard'' about a barbarian named Wulfgar. A heroic dark elf named [[Literature/TheLegendOfDrizzt Drizz't]] was a sidekick. He didn't stay a sidekick.

* While the ComicBook/XMen are still one of the most popular comic book franchises of all time, [[Characters/MarvelComicsDeadpool Deadpool]] has become a massively popular character in his own right, to the point that his comics have become a franchise in and of themselves, independent of the one they spun off from while still sharing [[Franchise/MarvelUniverse the same universe]]. He even gives [[Characters/MarvelComicsLogan Wolverine]] a run for his money, [[WolverinePublicity publicity-wise]].

** This trope is played straight when one considers that Deadpool specifically began as a ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' villain. Over the years, Deadpool has definitely emerged as a more popular character than any of the New Mutants.
* Speaking of ''New Mutants'', it was the first ongoing spinoff of the ''X-Men'' and featured a younger cast. While initially very successful, over time the series' sales declined. They were reinvigorated when Creator/RobLiefeld started pencilling and the character [[Characters/MarvelComicsCable Cable]] was introduced. Cable became the New Mutants' third mentor and, after a significant boost in sales, the series ended and was spun-off into ''ComicBook/XForce'', the first issue of which is the second-best-selling single issue of all time. In the decades to follow, there would almost always be ''at least'' one ''X-Force'' and/or ''Cable'' title on shelves, while ''New Mutants'' has struggled to maintain a series since, with the most successful being a revival in the late 2000s.

* Although ''VideoGame/PlayerUnknownsBattlegrounds'' is a relatively popular Battle Royale game, its mobile port ''PUBG Mobile'' has a larger fanbase since it's free-to-play, has user-friendly mechanics like respawning and non-verbal pinging, runs well on most smartphones and has tie-ins with mainstream properties like ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}''. It's estimated that 70% of the ''PUBG'' playerbase is on mobile.

* Although both ''VideoGame/{{Titanfall}}'' and [[VideoGame/Titanfall2 its sequel]] are critically acclaimed, they are relatively niche properties that only sold 15 million copies combined across both titles. However, the free-to-play Battle Royale ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'', which is set in the same universe, garnered over ''50 million'' unique players in just one month after release. The popularity of ''Apex'' was so strong that it lead to newcomers trickling into the mainline ''Titanfall'' games with ''Titanfall 2'' seeing its concurrent playerbase double.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* In 1989, Creator/RASalvatore wrote ''[[Literature/TheIcewindDaleTrilogy The Crystal Shard]]'' about a barbarian named Wulfgar. A heroic dark elf named [[Literature/TheLegendOfDrizzt Drizz't]] was a sidekick. He didn't stay a sidekick.

* Wrestling/{{WWE}}, Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Wrestling/{{ECW}}, and Wrestling/TotalNonstopActionWrestling to the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance. All four promotions had been NWA territories prior to breaking from the organization: WWE (then Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the NWA territory of New England) broke from the NWA in 1963, and then again (as the World Wide Federation) in 1983. After the WWF left the organization, it was Georgia Championship Wrestling (of Georgia, naturally) and Jim Crockett Promotions (of the Carolinas) that represented the NWA on television. In 1988, JCP became World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after it was purchased by Ted Turner, but kept the NWA affiliation and belts until 1993. In 1994, Eastern Championship Wrestling, the Philadelphia area NWA affiliate, publicly seceded from the NWA at the NWA World Title Tournament in 1994, it was reborn as '''Extreme''' Championship Wrestling--which soon became a nationwide cult sensation. These three promotions dominated wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s, and their popularity eventually far exceeded the venerable NWA, whose importance on professional wrestling waned considerably. Total Nonstop Action was founded in 2002 as an NWA affiliatie, and brought the organization back to TV until they pulled away from the NWA two years later. After that, the NWA wallowed in obscurity until ending its role as a governing body and becoming just another wrestling promotion, albiet one with a famous name and belt. Even the newer Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling has a connection to the NWA, as its world title was won by eventual AEW co-founder Wrestling/CodyRhodes at the 2018 All In event that lead to AEW's establishment. Although the NWA also played a very important role in North American wrestling history, its popularity and level of recognition was pretty paltry compared to the massive fanbase that WWE, WCW, and ECW enjoyed at their peaks.

* Wrestling/{{WWE}}, Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Wrestling/{{ECW}}, and Wrestling/TotalNonstopActionWrestling to the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance. All four promotions had been NWA territories prior to breaking from the organization: WWE (then Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the NWA territory of New England) broke from the NWA in 1963, and then again (as the World Wide Federation) in 1983. After the WWF left the organization, it was Georgia Championship Wrestling (of Georgia, naturally) and Jim Crockett Promotions (of the Carolinas) that represented the NWA on television. In 1988, JCP became World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after it was purchased by Ted Turner, but kept the NWA affiliation and belts until 1993. In 1994, Eastern Championship Wrestling, the Philadelphia area NWA affiliate, publicly seceded from the NWA at the NWA World Title Tournament in 1994, it was reborn as '''Extreme''' Championship Wrestling--which soon became a nationwide cult sensation. These three promotions dominated wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s, and their popularity eventually far exceeded the venerable NWA, whose importance on professional wrestling waned considerably. Total Nonstop Action was founded in 2002 as an NWA affiliatie, and brought the organization back to TV until they pulled away from the NWA two years later. After that, the NWA wallowed in obscurity until ending its role as a governing body and becoming another wrestling promotion, albiet one with a famous name in belt. Even the newer Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling has a connection to the NWA, as its world title was won by eventual AEW co-founder Wrestling/CodyRhodes at the 2018 All In event that lead to AEW's establishment. Although the NWA also played a very important role in North American wrestling history, its popularity and level of recognition was pretty paltry compared to the massive fanbase that WWE, WCW, and ECW enjoyed at their peaks.

* Wrestling/{{WWE}}, Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Wrestling/{{ECW}}, and Wrestling/TotalNonstopActionWrestling to the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance. All four promotions had been NWA territories prior to breaking from the organization: WWE (then Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the NWA territory of New England) broke from the NWA in 1963, and then again (as the World Wide Federation) in 1983. After the WWF left the organization, it was Georgia Championship Wrestling (of Georgia, naturally) and Jim Crockett Promotions that represented the NWA on television. In 1988, JCP became World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after it was purchased by Ted Turner, but kept the NWA affiliation and belts until 1993. In 1994, Eastern Championship Wrestling, the Philadelphia area NWA affiliate, publicly seceded from the NWA at the NWA World Title Tournament in 1994, it was reborn as '''Extreme''' Championship Wrestling--which soon became a nationwide cult sensation. These three promotions dominated wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s, and their popularity eventually far exceeded the venerable NWA, whose importance on professional wrestling waned considerably. Total Nonstop Action was founded in 2002 as an NWA affiliatie, and brought the organization back to TV until they pulled away from the NWA two years later. After that, the NWA wallowed in obscurity until ending its role as a governing body and becoming another wrestling promotion, albiet one with a famous name in belt. Even the newer Wrestling/AllEliteWrestling has a connection to the NWA, as its world title was won by eventual AEW co-founder Wrestling/CodyRhodes at the 2018 All In event that lead to AEW's establishment. Although the NWA also played a very important role in North American wrestling history, its popularity and level of recognition was pretty paltry compared to the massive fanbase that WWE, WCW, and ECW enjoyed at their peaks.

* Wrestling/{{ECW}} to the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance. ECW began life as "Eastern Championship Wrestling" (formerly "The Tri-State Wrestling Alliance"), one of several organizations that made up the NWA during its days as a governing body for regional wrestling promotions. But after the organization publicly seceded from the NWA at the NWA World Title Tournament in 1994, it was reborn as '''Extreme''' Championship Wrestling--which soon became a nationwide cult sensation, and eventually developed enough of a following to compete directly with Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's Wrestling/{{WWF}} and Creator/TedTurner's Wrestling/{{WCW}}. While ECW eventually folded as an independent organization in 2001 due to behind-the-scenes issues, it's widely regarded as [[GenreTurningPoint one of the most groundbreaking and influential organizations in the history of professional wrestling]], and it's often cited as a major influence on the creative direction of both WCW and the WWF during their heyday in the 1990s (likely helping to inspire WCW's Wrestling/NewWorldOrder angle and the WWF's Wrestling/AttitudeEra). While the NWA also played a pretty important role in wrestling history, its popularity and level of recognition was pretty paltry compared to the massive fanbase that ECW enjoyed at its peak.

* Doubles as an animated film example: while the ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}'' movies were somewhat of a success, they each have their own BrokenBase about which one is the best/least bad one, with the series as a whole being seen as SoOkayItsAverage. You won't find anyone badmouthing ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'', with many praising it for its witty humor, excellent use of pre-established characters, and cohesive storytelling.

* ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'' remains a ground breaking pop culture phenomenon. Its parent show, ''Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'', is best known today as the show that originated it.

* While itself far less popular than Toby Fox's [[VideoGame/Deltarune later]] [[VideoGame/Undertale games]], there are few even among fans of ''VideoGame/TheHalloweenHack'' who are aware of his first ''[=EarthBound=]'' hack, VideoGame/ArnsWinterQuest, which has a much [[LighterAndSofter lighter, softer]] and more comical story about SavingChristmas - err, [[YouMeanXmas EB No Matsuri]] - and was actually [[MythologyGag referenced]] in the ''Halloweeen Hack'' itself.

* ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'' to ''WesternAnimation/{{Birdman|1967}} and WesternAnimation/{{the Galaxy Trio}}''.
* ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2021'' to ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2020''.

** The ''Foghorn Leghorn'' series is also this to the ''Henery Hawk'' series.

** UsefulNotes/{{Java}}, as its installer and website frequently remind you, is installed on billions of devices, far outnumbering total workstations ever made by Sun. Sun wisely changed their stock ticker symbol to JAVA and rebranded some of their products with the Java moniker in an attempt to ride the brand recognition.

* Website/YouTube user [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR6j61T92mKeAEZlDccV5ZA Manga Kamen]] originally primarily made videos revolving around WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic with his commentaries known as ''Skull Commentaries'' being intended to just be one of his numerous side series with the character hosting it, Skull Kamen, not even being placed alongside his two other characters, Manga Kamen (an OC with the same name as his [=YouTube=] username) and Al Kenneth Holic (another OC who hosts a series of WebVideo/CinemaSins styled videos known as ''Al's Sins'') on his channel banner. However, the majority of his most popular videos tend to be ''Skull Commentaries'' with Skull Kamen becoming even more iconic an avatar of his than the original Manga Kamen, and as a result, has made commentaries the most frequently updated type of content on his channel.

* [=YouTuber=] "Danger Dolan" had already achieved a small amount of fame on Website/YouTube thanks to his gaming channel [[https://www.youtube.com/user/TheDDGuides/featured The DD Guides]], which he's been running since 2012. However in 2014 he decided to create a channel dedicated specifically to non-gaming related countdown videos simply called [[https://www.youtube.com/user/DDTop20/featured Danger Dolan]], and the amount of subscribers and video views show that this second channel has already managed to eclipse the popularity of his original gaming channel.

* Website/YouTube comedy duo Mike & Gian managed to have this happen to them twice. Their original channel had few short sketches before they decided to make another channel focused on the BreakoutCharacter, Dom Mazzetti. The channel became much more popular than their old one, which stopped being updated soon after. After another two years they created another spinoff, [=BroscienceLife=], focused on satirizing gym and fitness culture. It quickly gained enough popularity ([[MisaimedFandom especially among gym and fitness enthusiasts]]) to surpass both channels in popularity. The Dom Mazzetti channel stopped being updated soon after.

* WebVideo/WhatCultureWrestling was originally just an offshoot of the [=WhatCulture=] Website/YouTube channel, itself a branch of the [[http://whatculture.com WhatCulture]] website, but continuously grew in popularity that it overshadowed both the main channel and the website.

* Website/{{Twitch}} was founded as a spin-off of Justin.tv dedicated to gaming content, unlike its parent website which was much broader in its offerings. Twitch very quickly overtook Justin.tv in popularity, to the point where the latter shut down in 2014. Twitch today is among the biggest streaming sites in the world, with it notably also having a sizeable amount of non-gaming content of the kind that Justin.tv used to have, bringing things full-circle in a way.

** Whereas ''JAG'' was canceled after 10 seasons, ''NCIS'' is still a ratings juggernaut going into 17 seasons (and counting) and has become so successful that it has become its own franchise (''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' and ''Series/NCISNewOrleans''). At this point, most viewers probably don't even remember that ''NCIS'' was a spin-off itself. When by-then-retired [[DaChief Admiral Chegwidden]] makes a cameo in the 10th season finale of ''NCIS'', it's basically an EasterEgg to ''JAG'' fans because the average ''NCIS'' viewer had no idea he used to be a main character.

** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' quickly reached the same status: within three years of its release, it received two manga anthologies, [[VideoGame/Persona5DancingInStarlight a rhythm game]] SpinOff, [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth a dungeon-crawler crossover]] with ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'', [[Anime/Persona5TheAnimation an anime adaptation]], and an UpdatedRerelease of the original game, with a sequel in the form of [[VideoGame/Persona5Strikers a hack-n-slash/action RPG hybrid game]] and [[VideoGame/Persona5Tactica a turn-based strategy RPG]] as another sequel/spin-off. If that wasn't enough, its protagonist appears as a DownloadableContent GuestFighter in Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s massively popular PlatformFighter ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. Then, after its cast had multiple [[GuestFighter guest stints]] in various mobile games, 2023 saw ''Persona 5'' receive its own officially-sanctioned-by-Creator/{{Atlus}} [[GachaGames mobile game]] spin-off in ''VideoGame/Persona5ThePhantomX''.

** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' quickly reached the same status: within three years of its release, it received two manga anthologies, [[VideoGame/Persona5DancingInStarlight a rhythm game]] SpinOff, [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth a dungeon-crawler crossover]] with ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'', [[Anime/Persona5TheAnimation an anime adaptation]], and an UpdatedRerelease of the original game, with a sequel in the form of [[VideoGame/Persona5Strikers a hack-n-slash/action RPG hybrid game]] and [[VideoGame/Persona5Tactica a turn-based strategy RPG]] as another spin-off. If that wasn't enough, its protagonist appears as a DownloadableContent GuestFighter in Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s massively popular PlatformFighter ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. Then, after its cast had multiple [[GuestFighter guest stints]] in various mobile games, 2023 saw ''Persona 5'' receive its own officially-sanctioned-by-Creator/{{Atlus}} [[GachaGames mobile game]] spin-off in ''VideoGame/Persona5ThePhantomX''.

* Outside of Japan, if you see somebody talking about ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'', they're probably talking about [[VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorialGirlsSide one of the Otome game spinoffs]]. This is in no small part because they're the ''only'' games in the series to date that have a FanTranslation [[note]]the first two game's DS versions and the third game's PSP version[[/note]]. None of the "original" games, where you play as a guy and date girls instead, have complete fan translations. In the case of the very first "original" game, this is very odd, because it was ''the'' TropeCodifier for the entire dating sim genre of video games, and is famous among dating sim fans in Japan. [[note]]attempts ''have'' been made to translate the very first ''Tokimeki Memorial'' game's SNES version, but they've all ended in failure until March 2022.[[/note]]

** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' quickly reached the same status: within three years of its release, it received two manga anthologies, [[VideoGame/Persona5DancingInStarlight a rhythm game]] SpinOff, [[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth a dungeon-crawler crossover]] with ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'', [[Anime/Persona5TheAnimation an anime adaptation]], and an UpdatedRerelease of the original game, with a sequel in the form of [[VideoGame/Persona5Strikers a hack-n-slash/action RPG hybrid game]] and [[VideoGame/Persona5Tactica a turn-based strategy RPG]] as another spin-off. If that wasn't enough, its protagonist appears as a DownloadableContent GuestFighter in Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s massively popular PlatformFighter ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. Then, after its cast had multiple [[GuestFighter guest stints]] in various mobile games, 2023 saw ''Persona 5'' receive its own officially-sanctioned-by-Creator/{{Atlus}} mobile game spin-off in ''Persona 5: The Phantom X''.