This work, "Explosion in this Wonderful World!", stars Megumin, the popular heroine who played a major role in the main story of "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World!". However, like this work, there are many cases where a character who was originally just a character in one work gains popularity as the story progresses, eventually becoming the protagonist of a title in their own right. This phenomenon is the same not only for anime, but also for games and picture books, and it is clear that "how popular a character becomes" is extremely important in the development of a work. Conversely, spin-off works that are backed by the popularity of their characters rather than the interesting story can be judged as having characters that are sure to be a hit. So, this time, I would like to introduce a number of spin-off works, including this one, that feature many talented protagonists who were destined to be the main character.
The Appeal of Spin-Offs!!
First, I'd like to briefly introduce the appeal of this and the many spin-off works. In addition to the popularity of the characters, spin-off works have many other appealing aspects, so be sure to check them out.
No input period required!!
The first appealing aspect of spin-offs is that they require no input period. With a typical story, you have to overcome numerous explanatory sections to understand the story's worldview and setting. Depending on the work, some readers may get bored just listening to the explanations and stop reading. However, with spin-offs, since you already understand the setting and historical background from the original work, you can enjoy the fascinating main story without any input whatsoever.
Enjoy the story from another perspective!
Another appealing aspect of this work is the opportunity to enjoy the story told in the original work from a different perspective in depth. In fantasy works that intertwine a complex array of settings, it can be a shame to create a beautiful worldview only to be able to depict it from a single perspective. However, by depicting it from a different perspective as a spin-off, you can delve deeper into previously created settings and enjoy them from a different perspective, allowing you to fully depict them without wasting the extensive effort required to create the worldview.
Featured Work 1: Explosions in this Wonderful World!
First up is the subject of this article: "Explosions in this Wonderful World!" As mentioned at the beginning, this work centers around Megumin, the immensely popular heroine of the original work, and features many of the quirky and powerful characters of the Crimson Demons.
The Heroine Who Supports the Original Work
Megumin's overwhelming popularity has even led to the production of a feature film based on her, demonstrating how much she has supported the original work, "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on this Wonderful World!"
We look forward to the unique developments that only a spin-off can offer!
The film also includes many storylines that take place in a timeline not depicted in the original work, making it especially recommended for fans interested in the world of the series and the story before Kazuma's arrival. Also, even if you don't enjoy the original work, the film is easy to enjoy thanks to the abundance of comedic scenes.
Featured Work ②: One Day Outing Hanchou
Next on our list is "One Day Outing Hanchou," a spin-off of the Kaiji series. While the Kaiji series has numerous other spin-offs, this one in particular is a unique spin-off, gaining popularity on a par with the original work.
The protagonist is a surprising villain!
Hanchou, the protagonist of this work, is a character who appears as Kaiji's antagonist, a familiar face to all fans of the original manga. While Kaiji often has gambling-related storylines, this work rarely depicts him gambling. Instead, it is portrayed as a gourmet manga in which he takes advantage of a precious day out to enjoy gourmet food.
A completely different style from the main story
This work is completely different from the main story, which is full of suspenseful, nail-biting scenes, so many readers may be confused at first. However, as you read on, you will become captivated by the unique atmosphere and quirky plot development that is unique to Hanchou.
Featured Work ③: A Certain Scientific Railgun
The next spin-off we'll introduce is "A Certain Scientific Railgun." This work features Misaka Mikoto, a character originally from "A Certain Magical Index." Like Megumin from "Explosions in this Wonderful World!", this work also features Misaka Mikoto, a popular heroine from the original series, as its protagonist.
The protagonist is one of anime's most iconic tsundere heroines!?
Misaka Mikoto is a character who perfectly fits the description of "the anime world's most iconic tsundere heroine." Perhaps due to the influence of this work, it seems that tsundere characters have been appearing in anime for a while now. With such an impactful and popular heroine, it's safe to say that it was inevitable that an anime series would feature her as the protagonist.
There are many other spin-offs
In addition to this work, numerous spin-off works have been developed, making it one of the few series in which so many characters have had their own works. This shows just how many fascinating characters appear in the "Toaru Series."
Featured Work #4: Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
The wildly popular light novel series "Sword Art Online" also has a spin-off. This is "Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online." Ren, who didn't appear in the main story, plays a key role as the protagonist. While retaining the original worldview, this spin-off features its own unique characters, making it a very unusual spin-off.
Multiverse-inspired Work Development
The Sword Art Online series features significantly different worldviews with each game, making it a series well-suited for developing multiverse-inspired works. In fact, this work is set in a completely different worldview from the original Sword Art Online, making it an ideal fertile ground for the creation of a wide variety of derivative works.
Featured Work ⑤: Magic Kaito
"Magic Kaito," starring the popular Detective Conan thief Kit, is also a highly popular spin-off series. To be honest, this work was originally written before the Detective Conan series, so it can't technically be called a spin-off. However, we'll ignore those details and focus on the appeal of this work as a Detective Conan spin-off.
A Masterpiece Supported by Unwavering Popularity Among Women
The secret to this series' popularity is undoubtedly the enduring popularity of Kaito Kid among women. As a manga series, "Magic Kaito" may be inferior to the Detective Conan series, but in terms of the popularity of its characters, Kaito Kid, who appears in this series, is far more popular. It's no surprise that the Conan production team decided to incorporate Kaito Kid's popularity into the Detective Conan series.
Featured Work ⑥: Zorori the Great
"Zorori the Great," one of Japan's most iconic picture book series, is actually a spin-off work. Originally, Zorori was the villain in the equally dominant "Spinach Man" series of children's picture books. However, with the development of the "Spinach Man" series, he gained such popularity that he began to have his own work.
Even a nationally beloved picture book has a spin-off work!?
The "Zorori the Great" series is a picture book series that Japan is proud of, and was recently registered in the Guinness World Records. Despite being such a monumental protagonist in picture books, the shocking truth is that it originally began as a spin-off work.
Featured Work ⑦: Super Mario Bros.
Finally, we'll introduce the "Super Mario Bros." series, featuring Mario, the protagonist of Japan's world-renowned video game franchise. Amazingly, Mario, who appears in the "Super Mario Bros." series, was originally a player-controlled character in "Donkey Kong," an arcade game developed by Nintendo. Although Mario is the player, as the game's title suggests, the main character is Donkey Kong, so in the initial development phase, Mario was a character below Donkey Kong.
Even the world's most famous Mario had an apprenticeship period!?
Mario is now a big-name character, boasting a wide range of activities, even becoming the protagonist of a feature film. However, even Mario had a background in his own right.
Summary
So, what did you think? This time, we've introduced numerous spin-off works, including this one. The appeal of spin-off works lies in the high level of development of the characters that appear. It's bound to be exciting when a character already recognized in another work has their own work! This time, we've introduced numerous characters who have achieved the feat of being made into spin-off works, a feat only possible for "ultra-elite characters who were destined to become protagonists." In addition to the works introduced this time, there are many other popular series that were actually based on spin-off works, so be sure to check them out for yourself!
