History Main / AdaptationSpeciesChange

** P, the [[Literature/TheAdvenliketuresOfPinocchio Pinocchio]] of this adaptation is an automaton robot as opposed to the wooden puppet he was in the original book.

** Raiden is no longer the God of Thunder, but is instead a mortal farmer from a small village in China. Accordingly, his trademark lightning powers come from a special amulet given to him by Liu Kang, rather than being a divine ability he was born with.

** The Tarkatans are no longer a distinct species of creatures, but are instead Edenians who have become afflicted with a disfiguring disease known as Tarkat. Accordingly, Baraka is now stated to be a former Edenian merchant who became a blade-armed warrior after contracting Tarkat.

Not to be confused with AlternateSpeciesCounterpart, where a new character is created by changing the species of an existing character.

** The titular girls are superpowered {{artificial human}}s from the get go in [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls the original cartoon]]. In this anime they are ordinary girls before being empowered.

* ''WebAnimation/DarkSecretsOfGarrysMod'': [[Franchise/TheHobbit Sauron]] in the ''Kalandregény'' (''Adventure novel'') StoryArc is revealed to be actually a [[Toys/MyLittlePony unicorn]] who is able to {{shapeshift|er}} into an ainu.

* ''Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion'':
** The [[HumongousMecha EVA Units]] from ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' are engineered biological entities with mechanical parts and armor in the original show and movies, but in the [[LighterAndSofter more]] [[DenserAndWackier comedic]] ''Anime/PetitEva'' series, EVA-01 is a straight-up robot.
** [[spoiler:Somewhat in the case of Asuka in the ''Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion'' films. The original Asuka was, albeit a "designer baby", a naturally-born human. The Asuka of ''Rebuild'' is part of a series of clones similar to Rei.]]

* In the original ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'', [[spoiler:Mackie was human. ''Tokyo 2040'' changes him into a Boomer.]]
* ''Anime/SamuraiPizzaCats'': In the Japanese version the villain is a fox named Kitsunezuka Ko'on, but the English localization referred to him as a rat and renamed him Seymour Cheese.

* ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' is ''Literature/TreasureIsland'' [-[[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]-]; as such, the only human characters are Jim and his parents, while everyone else is some kind of alien (or robot, occasionally). It even extends to the animals, with the TropeCodifier for PirateParrot changed to a blobby creature named Morph, who can [[{{Shapeshifting}} imitate your shape]] as well as your words.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Unlike earlier games in [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda the franchise]], which represented them as mummy-like undead, this version of the reoccurring Gibdo enemies reinvents them as insect-like monsters that simply have a skeletal appearance, as they emerge from colonial hives, possess mandibles, have a flying variant with butterfly-like wings, and have a queen which resembles a giant moth.

* In the original ''Literature/HowToTrainYourDragon'' books, Toothless was [[ComMons a tiny Common Dragon]]. In the [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon film]], he is now [[OlympusMons a Night Fury, a rare and powerful dragon type]]. The books later retconned him into being a young Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus, a powerful, rare type of dragon like the Night Fury.

** In the original Greek myths, Geryon is described as a giant with three bodies and/or three heads. However, Dante depicts him as a manticore-like creature instead

* At one point in ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', Dante and Virgil find Nimrod deep in Hell for the crime of creating the Tower Of Babel. He's described as a 30 foot tall [[OurGiantsAreBigger giant]]. In the original story of Literature/TheBible there's nothing to indicate he's anything other than a normal-size human.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Unlike earlier games in [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda the franchise]], which represented them as mummy-like undead, this version of the reoccurring Gibdo enemies reinvents them as insect-like monsters that simply have a skeletal appearance, as they from colonial hives, possess mandibles, have a flying variant with butterfly-like wings, and have a queen which resembles a giant moth.

[[folder:Radio]]
* The Finnish version of''Radio/TheMenFromTheMinistry'' episode "Seal of Office" changes the episode's circus seal into a circus bear, since the plot requires it to be confused with something else via pun. In the original General Assistance Department wants seal for the package they are about to send into NATO headquarters, where as in the Finnish version they're waiting for a collection letter for their delayed payment on the shipment (collection letter is "karhukirje" in Finnish, literally meaning "bear letter").
[[/folder]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}'' Monstro is a huge, aggressive whale that swallows people whole. In the [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio the original book]] the sea monster is a "[[ThreateningShark terrible dogfish]]" (that is, a shark).

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': The ''[[ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePastShotaroIshinomori comic]]'' and ''[[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga]]'' adaptations depict the Hyrule soldiers not as possessed humans, but as monsters or suits of Animated Armor.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': The ''[[ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast comic]]'' and ''[[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaAkiraHimekawa manga]]'' adaptations depict the Hyrule soldiers not as possessed humans, but as monsters or suits of Animated Armor.

* ''Literature/FiftyShadesOfGrey'' was orginally a ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' fanfiction titled ''Master of the Universe'' that employed AdaptationalMundanity. As such, Edward Cullen and the rest of the Cullen family (who became Christian Grey and the Trevelyan-Grey family) are humans rather than vampires; the same goes for several supporting characters. Jacob, who became Jose, isn't a werewolf. And [[spoiler: Bella/Ana and Edward/Christian]]'s child isn't a {{dhampir}}, nor does Bella/Ana end up becoming a vampire.

* ''VideoGame/BinaryLand'': The protagonists are a pair of humans in the original computer versions. In the Famicom port, they're turned into [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins penguins]].