History Main / SequelReset

* KnightErrant / ExpansionPackWorld: The heroes have saved one country, but there's a dozen others on the map to save. Get on your bikes/horses and go save some other people.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie2TheSecondPart'': In ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'', the main character Emmet was supposed to be TheChosenOne, but he was despised and shunned by the other Master Builders [[TheChosenZero because he has no combat skills, no building skills without using the instructions, and he is also kinda of an idiot]], [[spoiler:but even though the prophecy was made-up]], he fulfills this role when he becomes [[TookALevelInBadass skilled in both combat and building]], while not changing his personality much, comes the sequel, the world was attacked by repeated alien invasions and multiple characters like superheroes disappeared while trying to find the alien planet, it became increasingly hard to rebuild, [[AfterTheEnd and Brickpolis became a post-apocalyptic wasteland]], the reset comes because everyone else had to adapt to the hostile environment, but Emmet still acts cheerfully like nothing changed, so he is once again shunned and has to go on his adventure alone.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie2TheSecondPart'': ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'', the main character Emmet was supposed to be TheChosenOne, but he was despised and shunned by the other Master Builders [[TheChosenZero because he has no combat skills, no building skills without using the instructions, and he is also kinda of an idiot]], [[spoiler:but even though the prophecy was made-up]], he fulfills this role when he becomes [[TookALevelInBadass skilled in both combat and building]], while not changing his personality much, comes the sequel, the world was attacked by repeated alien invasions and multiple characters like superheroes disappeared while trying to find the alien planet, it became increasingly hard to rebuild, [[AfterTheEnd and Brickpolis became a post-apocalyptic wasteland]], the reset comes because everyone else had to adapt to the hostile environment, but Emmet still acts cheerfully like nothing changed, so he is once again shunned and has to go on his adventure alone.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie2TheSecondPart'' used this trope really well, in ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'', the main character Emmet was supposed to be TheChosenOne, but he was despised and shunned by all the other Master Builders [[TheChosenZero because he has no combat skills, no building skills without using the instructions, and he is also kinda of an idiot]], [[spoiler:but even though the prophecy was made-up]], he fulfills this role when he becomes [[TookALevelInBadass skilled in both combat and building]], while not changing his personality much, comes the sequel, the world was attacked by repeated alien invasions and multiple characters like superheroes disappeared while trying to find the alien planet, it became increasingly hard to rebuild, [[AfterTheEnd and Brickpolis became a post-apocalyptic wasteland]], the reset comes because everyone else had to adapt to the hostile environment, but Emmet still acts like nothing changed, so he is once again shunned and has to go on his adventure alone.

* In ''MagicTheGathering's'' GothicHorror ''Innistrad'' setting, humans are besieged by zombies, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and the like. In the final set of the block, ''Avacyn Restored'', [[SealedGoodInACan Archangel Avacyn]] has been released from the Helvault, the curse on the werewolves has ended, and humanity is saved. Then comes ''Shadows Over Innistrad'', where the werewolves are back, humans are hunted rather than protected by the angels, and, oh, would you look at that, [[AngelsDevilsAndSquid the Eldrazi have arrived]].

Say hello to the Sequel Reset. The opposite of the SequelHook, this is when something (a scene, a line of dialogue, etc) occurs at the beginning of the sequel in order to establish that, as it turns out, the story isn't quite as over as we thought. It's used in order to justify the existence of the sequel and compensate for the lack of a Sequel Hook in the first one; inevitably, between the first movie and the second, something has happened to shake up the status quo that was restored at the end of the first movie in order to provide the sequel with the same (or similar, at least) character motivations / dynamics and plot requirements. TheHero and the LoveInterest have broken up. Looks like the Big Bad [[BackFromTheDead isn't quite as dead as we thought]]. Maybe our hero's discovered that VictoryIsBoring. Or just when the Hero thought his mundane life was back to normal, the good guys come stampeding out of his past and back into his life; it turns out the world wasn't put to rights after all and they need his help again...

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' is considered the perfect ending to the trilogy. The film is the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest, most climatic film in the series]], and ends with [[spoiler: Andy giving away his toys to a new kid before leaving off for college.]] Then Pixar made ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'', which many people actually [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail consider to be just as good of an ending]].

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' is considered the perfect ending to the trilogy. The film is the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest, most climatic film in the series]], and ends with [[spoiler: Andy giving away his toys to a new kid before leaving off for college.]] Then Creator/Pixar made ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'', which many people actually [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail consider to be just as good of an ending]].

* ''Film/TheIncredibles'' ends with the Parr family facing no legal repercussions for their superheroics while taking down the Omnidroid and Syndrome, and Agent Dicker implies that Supers will be able to come out of hiding again soon. (Also Violet gets a date with a cute classmate.) The last shot is the family suiting up to fight a new villain, The Underminer. ''Film/{{Incredibles 2}}'' [[ImmediateSequel begins]] with that same fight against The Underminer--and afterwards, the Parrs get arrested for [[DestructiveSavior the property damage they caused during the fight]]. Turns out superheroism isn't quite legal yet, and the whole process is lengthier than the first movie implied. Most of the sequel revolves around a PR campaign to convince lawmakers and the general public to legalize Supers. (And Violet's relationship with the cute classmate also gets set back to square one, when LaserGuidedAmnesia results in him losing all memory of Violet.)

[[folder:Film]]

* Also used in ''Film/MenInBlackII''; the end of the first movie ends with Agent K happily retired, his memory erased and given a chance to start things over with the love of his life. This is all abruptly taken away from him in the sequel, however, for little other reason than to allow K to return and carry on the character dynamic he'd had in the previous movie with Agent J. Furthermore, the dynamic between J and Dr. Laurel Weaver (Agent L) that was set up at the end of the first movie was ''also'' abruptly {{Hand Wave}}d away, due to Linda Fiorentino not returning.

* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': In the last of the original six episodes, Zaphod, Marvin and Trillian were all eaten by a [[UnstableGeneticCode Haggunenon]] transformed into the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal, while Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect, who took the only working [[EjectionSeat escape capsule]], were left stranded on prehistoric Earth. The ChristmasEpisode that continued the series brought back Zaphod and Marvin, with the AssPull rationale being that the Haggunenon that ate them "like seconds later made the mistake of re-evolving into a really neat escape capsule." (Trillian also survived, but was PutOnABus for the remainder of the series.)

* ''Anime/SpeedRacer'' has been remade for television three times, twice by American studios, but only one of them was a sequel reboot. ''WesternAnimation/SpeedRacerTheNextGeneration'' follows the adventures of Speed's ''sons'', taking place 40 years after the events in the original show. Coincidentally, this premiered during the franchise's 40th anniversary, and around the time the [[Film/SpeedRacer feature film]] was released.

* ''WesternAnimation/HotWheelsBattleForce5'' initially looked like it was a continuation of ''WesternAnimation/HotWheelsAcceleracers'', but it turns out the Vert Wheeler portrayed in this series is completely separate from the original character, leaving one story ''still'' unresolved while this one has just pulled a SequelHook.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' ended with HappilyEverAfter, but the sequels seemed devoted to putting it off. ''WesternAnimation/Shrek2'' revealed there was an ''actual'' Prince Charming that was supposed to break the curse on Fiona, and that her royal parents were still around; after the lovers' honeymoon they're forced to meet her parents, causing another go-round of problems regarding Shrek's self-esteem. Amusing new characters as well as ones who got expanded roles (i.e. Gingy the gingerbread man) helped mitigate this for audiences, to the point that it was the highest-grossing film in the series. It all wore thin in ''WesternAnimation/ShrekTheThird'' as Shrek ''now'' had to get out of being king to return to the swamp, and the loose end of 2 involving Prince Charming's fate was picked up. The fourth film (''WesternAnimation/ShrekForeverAfter'') resorted to ItsAWonderfulPlot. Yet somehow still ended up being better than the movie that came before it. It's too early to tell what the upcoming fifth film will do.

* Get a new villain: Places to recruit new villains vary. You may need a new {{Mordor}} (or a broken Mordor to rebuild). And there's always HowToCheatDeath if you want to go SerialEscalation.

* TimeSkip: Move the story TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture. Your heroes, their descendents, or some other talented individual will have found something menacing to confront by that time.

* The first ''Anime/AfroSamurai'' series/movie ended with Afro killing Justice, avenging his father, claiming the Number 1 Headband, and finally making peace with the decisions he made in life. The movie ends in a somewhat distant future where Afro is having a rematch with his former friend Kuma who has the Number 2 Headband, ending with the concept that the cycle of revenge will continue. Then comes ''Afro Samurai: Resurrection'', where Kuma returns, looking less like a robot no less, with his previous unexplained Sister Sio, looking for revenge, Afro has gone back to regretting his actions in the past.
** Viciously lampshaded by Ninja Ninja, who himself is part of the reset:

* Manga/{{Bleach}} does this after Ichigo defeats Aizen with the "final Getsuga Tensho," which [[BroughtDownToNormal strips him of his powers.]] Ichigo stays a {{Muggle}} for awhile before he begins to pursue alternative power sources, such as Fullbring. This allows the series to return to the more mysterious UrbanFantasy feel of the early chapters, and gives Ichigo's allies a chance to [[CantCatchUp catch up]]. And then that earns a reset as [[spoiler:the shinigami once again enter the picture. His human friends don't advance any further in their powers and Ichigo regains his shimigami powers, setting the series back to status quo.]]

* ''Film/MajorLeagueII'' had the characters back for a new season, and sucking again, trying to overcome new problems. Basically, the second movie was the leads having the success of the first movie go to their heads.
** Also, the first movie ends with the team winning the division title and reaching the playoffs. The sequel reveals that they were swept in the playoffs and are trying to get back there, which they do. The second movie ends with them winning the League Championship Series and earning a berth in the World Series. Odds are pretty good that the original plan for the third movie was to reveal that they lost the World Series so they could then try to accomplish ''that''.

** In the first movie, not only did the film start off by explicitly stating that the confrontation between Reese and the T-800 would mark the final battle between humanity and the machines, but midway through the film Reese remarks that resistance had all but won and sending the T-800 in the past was a last ditch effort, yet somehow they're still able to send another cyborg into the past for the [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay sequel]]. And then of course Judgement Day was prevented in the second film so there's absolutely no way for any future movi-- no wait, ''[[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines T3]]'' comes along and reveals that John Connor's actions only delayed the machine war rather than out right averted it (if only to guarantee the StableTimeLoop keeps on).

* Spoofed in ''Series/HikoninSentaiAkibaranger'', an OfficialParody of ''Franchise/SuperSentai'', after it had ended its first season with [[spoiler:the characters NoticingTheFourthWall and trying to stave off ExecutiveMeddling and cancellation. ''Unsuccessfully''.]] When it came back for a second go-round, the creators got around the ending by making their next subject of parody the shameless {{Retcon}}; using [[OffTheShelfFX extremely cheap "flashback" footage]] to claim that the first season's big plot twist never happened and the original story was able to get on without interference by a ConflictKiller.
** And then it was played with, as the ''second'' season's big plot twist was that [[spoiler:the Retcon was a lie and the first season happened exactly as shown; the changes and even very existence of the second season was due to the villain manipulating the ExecutiveMeddling to her benefit.]]

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' had Snake being framed as an ecoterrorist by the Patriots via the destruction of an oil tanker, with the entire world believing Snake to be dead in the aftermath. When ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'' comes around, quite a few of Snake's old friends and allies (Col. Campbell, Naomi, Mei Ling, Meryl, etc.) are well aware that Snake is still alive and that he didn't do it.
** ''Sons of Liberty'' pulled this itself by [[spoiler: writing Meryl out of the story and having Snake team up with Otacon to continue to destroy Metal Gears, thus overriding his apparent settling down after the events of the first game. It also had Liquid Snake return by possessing Ocelot through his right arm. Interestingly enough, this was apparently an InvokedTrope on Kojima's part.]]

* ''SaintsRow'' ends with the Saints having driven out all the other gangs, and the corrupt politician Richard Hughes killed by a pricey DeusExMachina before he can gentrify the Row for his own benefit and at the expense of the poor and disenfranchised already living there. Come ''SaintsRow2'', Ultor went ahead with Hughes' plan, the Saints have collapsed, and three even worse gangs have filled the power vacuum.

* The 1996 run of ''OnlyFoolsAndHorses'' {{Christmas Episode}}s finishes with Del, Rodney and Uncle Albert having achieved their dreams of wealth and success and [[RidingIntoTheSunset walking into the sunset]]. Then, they made a ''later'' series, which takes this all away and reduces them to the same barely-scraping-by life they were leading before, except Rodney would now become a father, and Albert's will saved the Trotters from getting evicted.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' series generally does this by setting the games so far apart from each other that it's just in time for Ganon to break free from his seal or someone to revive him. Other times, they name certain games as {{Prequel}}s to allow for Ganon to come back without undoing the ending of games. For direct sequels featuring the same Link as a previous game such as ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', or even as far back as ''[[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink Zelda II]]'', this is averted, as they either take place in different lands where the plot doesn't affect the main setting of Hyrule, or they simply just follow the story directly.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' series generally does this by setting the games so far apart from each other that it's just in time for Ganon to break free from his seal or someone to revive him. For direct sequels featuring the same Link as a previous game such as ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', or even as far back as ''[[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink Zelda II]]'', this is averted, as they either take place in different lands where the plot doesn't affect the main setting of Hyrule, or they simply just follow the story directly.

* The end of the original ''Film/{{Highlander}}'' makes it pretty clear that Connor [=McLeod=] is the last immortal at the end and has won the prize, but then they made sequels, and a TV show, and a spinoff. "There can be only one," until there's more money to be made. [[Film/HighlanderIIITheSorcerer The third movie]] especially felt like a by-the-numbers remake more than a sequel. With a DiabolusExMachina villain. Apparently the game can reset if it realizes it forgot somebody; that's basically the whole plot of the movie.

* ''Film/HomeAlone2'' simply gave Kevin AesopAmnesia, ticking off his family yet again and getting left alone in a completely different way.
* At the end of the original ''Film/{{Rocky}}'', Rocky goes the full fifteen rounds with heavyweight champ Apollo Creed and before the final bell an exhausted Creed tells Rocky "Ain't going to be no rematch!" In the beginning of ''RockyII'' Apollo changes his mind.