Line #95 Main/EpisodeZeroTheBeginning


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13	->'''Kyoko:''' River City Girls Zero? What's that?\
14	'''Misako:''' It's a new game featuring us and our boyfriends. Well... not exactly new...\
15	'''Kyoko:''' But I thought games started with the number 1 then went to 2...\
16	'''Misako:''' It's our very first adventure together, released way back in 1994.\
17	'''Kyoko:''' Woah, that's hecka old! How come I never heard about it?\
18	'''Misako:''' It was only released in Japan until now.
19	-->-- ''VideoGame/RiverCityGirlsZero'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJ-UYq9T1k Gameplay Pre-Order Trailer]]
20
21	Putting "Zero" in the title of a work, or episode of that work, can be a good shorthand that a work is a {{prequel}}, prologue, or even a remake of a first chapter. Some comic book origin stories are shown in issues numbered 0.
22
23	Subtrope of NumberedSequels. Compare {{Title 1}}. See also UnusualChapterNumbers, YearZero.
24
25	'''Note:''' If "Zero" is in the title for any other reason, it doesn't count (as it wouldn't be the beginning). So works like ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarZero'' wouldn't be an example. Also, the names have to be official, ''not {{fan nickname}}s''.
26	----
27	!!Examples:
28	[[foldercontrol]]
29
30	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
31	* ''Aika Zero'' is a prequel to ''Anime/AgentAika''.
32	* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Chapter 0 is a prequel chapter taking place directly before the start of the series, such as Rukia being assigned to Karakura Town and Renji being promoted to lieutenant of Squad 6. Notably, flashback chapters are given negative numbers based on how long they are before the story, with larger numbers for chapters that are further in the past, so it makes sense that Chapter 0 would be immediately before the start of the story.
33	* ''Anime/CardfightVanguard'' had a manga adaption which had a Chapter Zero that showed how Kai first started playing Vanguard.
34	* ''Manga/FairyTailZero'' showcases how the titular guild got started in the first place.
35	* ''Literature/FateZero'' is a prequel to ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''.
36	* ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Zero: Legend of Kenshiro'' is an anime movie set during the one year gap after Shin took Yuria away from Kenshiro, but before the start of the manga.
37	* ''Anime/GaReiZero'' is a prequel to ''Manga/GaRei''.
38	* ''Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero'', an animated prequel to the live-action film ''Film/IchiTheKiller''.
39	* ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'' is technically a sequel to a one-volume monthly manga called ''Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School''. As the latter series became much better known, its predecessor [[FranchiseDrivenRetitling was rereleased under the title]] ''Jujutsu Kaisen 0''.
40	* When ''Manga/KagekiShoujo'' was first released, it was serialized in ''Jump X'' magaine as ''Kageki Shojo!'' -- one exclamation mark. The sequel manga, which added a second exclamation mark, would be serialized in ''Melody'' from 2015 onward, and when Hakushensha re-released the original ''Kageki Shojo!'' as a single ''tankōbon'' volume in 2019, [[FranchiseDrivenRetitling it was retitled]] ''Kageki Shojo!! Season Zero'' ([[MarketBasedTitle or]] ''Kageki Shojo!! The Curtain Rises'').
41	* ''Franchise/LupinIII'':
42	** ''Anime/LupinIIIEpisode0FirstContact'' shows ([[MultipleChoicePast one version of]]) how Lupin and the gang [[OriginsEpisode first met each other]]. The franchise usually relies on, [[NegativeContinuity at best]], BroadStrokes continuity, so UnreliableNarrator is to be expected.
43	** ''Anime/LupinZero'' is a take on Lupin and Jigen's teen years, expanding on flashback chapters from the original manga.
44	* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'':
45	** In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha [[TheMovie Movie]] First [[ComicBookAdaptation The Comics]]'', the chapters depicting events that [[AlternateContinuity may have]] occurred before the movie itself were called Sequence 0-X, where X is the chapters of Sequence 0.
46	** ''Manga/MagicalRecordLyricalNanohaForce'' had Chapter 0, which served as a short prologue for the manga.
47	** ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaINNOCENT'' started with [[IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming Duel 00]], which served as an introduction to this AlternateUniverse of ''Nanoha'' and the "Brave Duel" card game that this SpinOff will revolve around.
48	* ''Anime/MacrossZero'', a prequel to the original ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross''.
49	* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing: Episode Zero''.
50	* ''My-Otome 0: [=S.ifr=]'', a prequel to the other ''Anime/MyOtome'' films.
51	* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Chapter 0 serves as the backstory for many pivotal events, such as Roger's old rival Shiki and his role in the canonical film ''[[Anime/OnePieceFilmStrongWorld Strong World]]''.
52	* ''Anime/QueensBlade Rebellion Zero'', a manga, althrough technically an interquel between the events of the QB's [=OVAs=] and the gamebooks' continuity version of ''Rebellion.''
53	* ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Hip_Zero Rose Hip Zero]]'' is a prequel to ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Hip_Rose Rose Hip Rose.]]''
54	* ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_Gundam_Force_Emaki_Musharetsuden_Zero SD Gundam Force Emaki Musharetsuden Zero]]'' was a prequel to ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_Gundam_Force_Emaki_Musharetsuden SD Gundam Force Emaki Musharetsuden.]]''
55	* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'' has a movie titled Saint Seiya: Episode 0, which is Administrivia/NotAnExample of this trope, as it's actually a ClipShow movie recapping the seasons preceding the [[GrandFinale Hades Chapter]]. However, there is also a short manga with the same name which chronicles events before the show began, better fitting this trope.
56	* ''Anime/SpacePatrolLuluco'' has the Drama CD track "Episode 0.5", detailing how Luluco's parents' relationship went from a cute romance to all-out warfare at the breakfast table [[BigScrewedUpFamily while their kid is present]].
57	* ''Manga/SteelAngelKurumi 0'', a prequel to the ''Manga/SteelAngelKurumi'' series.
58
59	* The film ''Un-Go: Episode 0'', prequel to ''Anime/UnGo''.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Comic Books]]
63	* ''The Flash: Season Zero'' is a comic book {{prequel}} to Season 1 of ''Series/TheFlash2014''.
64	* Creator/MarvelComics had a "Flashback Month" in which every comic published an #-1, set ''before'' the origin stories.
65	** More specifically, in most cases they were set before ''ComicBook/FantasticFour #1'', which started the Silver Age of Marvel.
66	* "Chapter 0: Of Ducks, Dimes, and Destinies", part of ''ComicBook/TheLifeAndTimesOfScroogeMcDuck''. It covers the same events as Chapter 1, showing Magica's involvement via time travel; it was actually written earlier, but not published for some time to avoid having such similar stories come out too close together.
67	* ''ComicBook/NinjaHighSchool'' received a Chapter 0, many years after it first began. It was an {{Interquel}} for Ichi-kun (after her grandfather defeated her in Chapter 1, but before her trip to America) and Asrial (after she was made aware of who she was being sent to marry, but before being transformed into a human form), but a {{Prequel}} for Jeremy (showing him the day before his introduction in Chapter 1).
68	* ''ComicBook/PaperinikNewAdventures'' started with no less than ''three'' number zeros, titled 0, 0/2 and 0/3 respectively, which introduced the series' main characters and concepts. A few years later issue 0/1 was also published, detailing how Paperinik adjusted to his new life after the events of issue 0.
69	* In an interesting use of this trope and {{Unusual Chapter Numbers}}, every volume of ''ComicBook/ResidentAlien'' begins with an issue #0 normally, as if #0 were the actual #1.
70	* ComicBook/SpiderGirl's first issue was numbered 0, and was a reprint of ''ComicBook/WhatIf'' v2 #105, the issue she first appeared in.
71	* Creator/RobertCrumb's ''Zap Comix'' came out with an issue 0: he had lost the art to the first issue and made a new one, then discovered the missing artwork and released it later.
72	* "Zero Month" following Creator/DCComics' ''ComicBook/ZeroHourCrisisInTime'' is a borderline case; the #0s all retell the heroes' origins, but in FlashBack, with a FramingStory in the present.
73	** There was another "Zero Month" for the one-year anniversary of the ComicBook/{{New 52}} reboot.
74	*** Before the New 52, there was an Issue #0 of ''ComicBook/{{Batwoman}}'', which consists of Batman observing the heroine to get confirmation on her identity, eventually deeming her a worthy candidate for Batman Inc. It is included in the collected edition of the comic's first storyline. Funnily enough, this means that Batwoman has two Issue #0s in this continuity.
75	*** Averted with in ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' #0 and ''Green Lantern: The New Guardians'' #0; featuring new present-day origins (of Earth's newest Green Lantern and an overhauled ''New Guardians'' roster) instead of flashbacks.
76	** The New 52 version of Bruce Wayne first taking on the Batman identity is titled ''ComicBook/BatmanZeroYear''.
77	[[/folder]]
78
79	[[folder:Fan Works]]
80	* ''Fanfic/AlwaysVisible'': The work begins with act zero, which actually increases the number of parts to four.
81	* ''Fanfic/PsychedelicEpiphanySeries'': ''Yearly Epiphany'': The first chapter, ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/321475/1/yearly-epiphany/year-0-hearthswarming-ephiphany Year 0: Hearthswarming Epiphany]]'', about the beginning of the first year, or zeroth year, of [[spoiler:Epiphany's life]].
82	* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': A prequel story starring Haara's mother is numbered 0 despite being the third story published. Spectra's first story is also labeled 0 because it takes place before she becomes a level 1 warlock.
83	* The ''Anime/MonsterRancher'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14083765/1/Episode-0-Before-the-Beginning Episode 0: Before the Beginning]]'' is a fan-made prequel to the anime.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Film]]
87	* ''[[Film/{{Carved}} The Slit-Mouthed Woman 0: The Beginning]]''.
88	* ''Film/CubeZero'' is the third film in the series but is a prequel to the first film.
89	* ''Literature/NoGameNoLife'', has a prequel movie titled ''No Game No Life Zero'' that focuses on the world being a terrible war zone centuries before the heroes arrive. It adapts the sixth light novel.
90	* ''Film/Ring0Birthday''. A prequel to the Japanese film ''Film/{{Ringu}}''.
91	* ''Yoshie Zero'', a prequel to ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutant_Girls_Squad Mutant Girls Squad]]''. A rare example where the non "zero" part of the title doesn't match the sequel.
92	[[/folder]]
93
94	[[folder:Literature]]
95	* ''Literature/PrincessesOfThePizzaParlor'': ''Cookies and Campers'' starts with "Session 0 (Wednesday Before)", a prologue before the main story.
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
99	* ''Series/KamenRiderDrive Episode 0: Countdown to Global Freeze'' is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - the events precceding Roimund's first attack on the world.
100	* [[Series/KamenRiderExAid Kamen Rider Snipe: Episode ZERO]] shows the first outbreak of Bugster virus and Taiga's hopeless fight against it that led to him becoming a FallenHero
101	* ''[[Series/MashinSentaiKiramager Mashin Sentai Kiramager: Episode ZERO]]'' shows the recruitment of the first four Rangers. Unlike most examples of this trope, [[Main/PilotMovie the movie was actually released first]], premiering a month before the TV series.
102	* ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon Act Zero'', a prequel to ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon''.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Video Games]]
106	* ''VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar'', prequel to ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' and [[VideoGame/AceCombat the entire series]] by extension (barring maybe [[VideoGame/AirCombat the original game]], which takes place at an unspecified time the same year the Belkan War is set).
107	* ''VideoGame/BlasterMasterZero'' is a reimagining of the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem game ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'', [[spoiler:but is actually a StealthSequel to the Japanese ''Metafight'' series]].
108	* ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'':
109	** ''Literature/DanganronpaZero'' is the LightNovel prequel to ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc''.
110	** Chapter 0 of ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' is a brief scene that occurs before the events of the game began.
111	* ''VideoGame/DarkVoid Zero''. Originally starting out as an April Fools joke based off of an 8-bit rendition of ''Dark Void'''s main theme, the game soon became a fully-fledged [[UsefulNotes/NintendoDS DSiWare]] title claimed to be a "legendary 'lost project'" of Capcom's, recently found locked away in their vaults.
112	* The DatingSim ''Dream Club Zero'', a prequel to ''Dream Club''.
113	* While never officially called that by the big N, the [[VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings first entry in the Mother series]] was (and still is) often called “[=EarthBound=] Zero” by fans. It got that [[FanNickname honorary title]], since due to it being the prequel to the game that actually released as ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 [=EarthBound=]]]'', which is helped by its [[LateExportForYou late export]].
114	* ''Final Ninja Zero'' is a prequel to ''Final Ninja''.
115	* ''Ko-ko-ro...0'' is the third game in the ''Ko-ko-ro...'' HGame series to be released, but the events of ''Ko-ko-ro...0'' precede those of ''Ko-ko-ro...'' and ''Ko-ko-ro...II''. Though incest and rape are primary themes in the series as a whole, one of the possible endings of ''Ko-ko-ro...0'' [[spoiler:(namely, the revelation that Kasumi is Souji's mother, not his older sister)]] [[SerialEscalation dials up]] the squick factor of the already quite squicky original game.
116	* ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'' opens with Chapter 0 to show the protagonist Yuma's journey to Kanai Ward, the game's main setting, rather than starting at the prologue after he's already arrived.
117	* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVGroundZeroes'' is a standalone prologue to ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' that was sold separately and sets up the plot for the main game. Subverted by both ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidV'' itself, which are both prequels to the original ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' (and by proxy, the [=MSX2=]'s ''VideoGame/MetalGear''), but are numbered by their release order.
118	* ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' is a remake of [[VideoGame/Metroid1 the first]] ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' game.
119	* ''Perfect Dark Zero'', a prequel to ''VideoGame/PerfectDark''.
120	* ''VideoGame/RecordOfAgarestWarZero'', prequel to ''VideoGame/RecordOfAgarestWar''.
121	* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil0'', starring Rebecca Chambers of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team prior to [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil1 the Spencer Mansion incident]].
122	* ''VideoGame/RiverCityGirlsZero'': An entry in the ''VideoGame/KunioKun'' series that shows the time Kunio and Riki went together with [[VideoGame/RiverCityGirls Misako and Kyoko]] to prove their innocence. In this case, this is a MarketBasedTitle due to this game only being localized after ''River City Girls'', which was the playable debuts for Misako and Kyoko for most of the world.
123	* ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown V'', a prequel to the original game, was titled ''Samurai Spirits Zero'' in Japan.
124	* ''VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins'' has the "O" in its subtitle stylized to look like a zero; [[MarketBasedTitle it was retitled]] ''Silent Hill Zero'' in Japan.
125	* ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'', which serves as the [[VideoGame/StarFox64 second]] ContinuityReboot of the ''Franchise/StarFox'' series.
126	* ''VideoGame/StarRevenge 0: Galaxy of Origins'', a prequel to the whole series.
127	* The ''VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha'' series is titled ''Street Fighter Zero'' in [[MarketBasedTitle Japan]]. While actually set after the original ''VideoGame/{{Street Fighter\|I}}'', the plot of the ''Alpha'' series (at least for the first two games) explores the events that led to the ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' tournament (namely Chun-Li's pursuit of M. Bison and Charlie's death).
128	* ''VideoGame/{{Submachine}} Zero: Ancient Adventure'', which is set before the original ''Submachine''.
129	* ''VideoGame/TrinitySoulsOfZillOll'' is titled ''[[MarketBasedTitle Trinity: Zill O'll Zero]]'' in Japan.
130	* ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' is a prequel to the ''[[VideoGame/LikeADragon Yakuza]]'' series, set 17 years before [[VideoGame/Yakuza1 the first game]].
131	* While "VideoGame/{{Ultima}} 0" was originally just a FanNickname for ''Akalabeth'', the title was [[AscendedFanon made official]] when it was included in the ''Ultima Collection'' compilation box.
132	* ''VideoGame/ZorkZero: The Revenge of Megaboz''. The ninth and final ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}'' game released and a prequel to the original.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
136	* Although ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate0'' is nominally a sequel to the original ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'', heavy use of {{Alternate Timeline}}s and TimeTravel brings a few prequel elements into the mix, with the "0" in the title pulling double-duty as an infinite loop.
137	[[/folder]]
138
139	[[folder:Web Animation]]
140	* ''Series/TwentyFour: Day Zero''. A series of animated webisodes. It's a prequel series, focusing on Jack Bauer's first 18 months at CTU.
141	* ''WebAnimation/{{TOME}}'' has Episode 00: /File:Zero. It focuses on the Netkings rather than the main players and showcases the Netkings as they first make the game [[spoiler: and inadvertently play a hand in the creation of the Forbidden Power by introducing negative emotions to the core of the game, SOFDTI.]]
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Webcomics]]
145	* ''Webcomic/Aurora2019'' begins with Chapter 0 (or, as it's formatted on the website, Arc 0) consisting of 3 strips telling some of the strip's very distant backstory.
146	* ''On the Origin of [=PCs=]'', the first ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' prequel, was published as issue number 0. ''Start of Darkness'', the second prequel, takes place even earlier, so it's issue number -1.
147	* ''Webcomic/StationSquare'''s prologue chapter is Episode 0.
148	* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'''s print edition starts with volume 0. It's not a prequel, the author just likes zero-indexing.
149	* After shaking off some EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, the author of ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'' decided to break the story up in to chapters. Rather than retroactively label what he made until then as Chapter 1, he decided to plan out the chapters starting with 1, with everything before that being Chapter 0.
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:Web Videos]]
153	* ''[[WebVideo/CarmillaTheSeries Carmilla]]'' has a prequel season, Season 0, set in 2012, before Laura comes to Silas in the first season proper, set in mid-2014 (when the webseries actually started airing).
154	* ''WebVideo/FreemansMind'' released an Episode 0 between 34 and 35, showing Gordon going through the hazard course [[spoiler: and refusing to finish after being told to jump two stories onto concrete]].
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Western Animation]]
158	* The ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' television movie, ''WesternAnimation/OperationZERO'', begins with showing the events behind the foundation of Kids Next Door. The acronym even stands for "Zero Explanation Reveals Origins."
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Other]]
162	* Sometimes, video streaming platforms will place collections containing pilots or bonus material of a established work in its own tab and label it as "Season 0" of said work.
163	* Creator/{{Apple}} released the Apple Watch in 2015, then the second generation models were sold as the Series 1 and Series 2. The first model is often known as the "Series 0".
164	[[/folder]]

Context Main / EpisodeZeroTheBeginning