History Main / Backstory

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheMayors": High Priest Poly Verisof provides Mayor Hardin (and the audience) information on what happened in the past several years in the kingdom of Anacreon. Their ruler is King Lepold, who will become sixteen in February. For now, his uncle, the Prince Regent Wienis is in charge. The [[TheGrandHunt royal family enjoys hunting for sport]], although the previous king died in a HuntingAccident. Prince Regent Wienis has been raising the king ever since.

** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' does the same with Dumbledore, including [[spoiler:a dead sister, a father who died in Azkaban and a school-days crypto-gay friendship with Gellert Grindelwald, a Dark Wizard only slightly less evil than BigBad Voldemort.]]

* Every competition show on TV (especially cooking challenges) insists on going into the back stories of the contestants. Their drug addictions, homelessness, sick kids. Has nothing to do with their winning or losing (I hope), it just makes you glad if one guy wins and sad when another loses.

* Part of ''[[Fanfic/Zuma'sFear]]'' is like this: It explains Zuma's past and the root of his fears: [[spoiler: the death of his family]]. [[spoiler: Or did they die?]]

* Part of ''Fanfic/Zuma'sFear'' is like this: It explains Zuma's past and the root of his fears: [[spoiler: the death of his family]]. [[spoiler: Or did they die?]]

* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles''. There are two in the series, “The Seven” for Bolt, and “The Survivor” for Mittens.

A good actor or writer has a strong sense of each character's backstory, as it gives the character texture and shadings and keeps them from being [[FlatCharacter two-dimensional.]] It makes an excellent source for TheReveal; e.g., why TheRival resents TheHero so much, how the FakeUltimateHero got his reputation, why TheCaptain suffers from BadDreams. Hopefully, these things are revealed when the information is both plot-relevant and likely to come up naturally.

* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' has a backstory for several people, even for some side-characters like Serena and Ho. The only rather important characters who have no backstory so far are Rak, Yu Hansung, Lero-Ro, Quant, Hatz, and Shibisu.

* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' has a backstory for several people, even for some side-characters like Serena and Ho. The only rather important characters who have no backstory so far are Rak, Yu Han Sung, Lero-Ro, Quant, Hatz, and Shibisu.

* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' has a backstory for several people, even for some side-characters like Serena and Ho. The only rather important characters who have no backstory so far are Rak, Yu Han Sung, Lero-Ro, Quant, Hatsu and Ship Leesoo.

* At its height, the ''Roleplay/GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' had literally megabytes of back story on its website, in a history involving thousands of characters and trailing all the way back to the Big Bang. When the game's website finally closed down, the [[WordOfGod administrator admitted]] that there was more back story that hadn't ever made it onto the website than information that had.

A [[TropesAreNotBad good]] {{retcon}} may go back and explore a character's backstory. A BelatedBackstory occurs when the retcon radically and permanently changes a new character's personality. Some characters are given a {{Mysterious|Past}} or DarkAndTroubledPast as a backstory; these [[SchrodingersGun tend to be whatever the author wants]], often [[{{Retcon}} retroactively]] [[ExpansionPackPast growing]], or [[MultipleChoicePast changing]].

* In ''CKarrus'' characters have spoken of past events and there have been several flashbacks explaining either [[DarkAndTroubledPast Tombstone's past in particular]] or the planet's recent events.

*** "The Conscience of the King" gives some insights into Kirk's childhood, describing a famine and related massacre that he witnessed at the age of thirteen. (It is unknown as yet whether this event has carried through to the [[Film/StarTrek new timeline]].)

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' has a few chapters that go into Negi's backstory, explaining his motivations and where he got his goals. Later on it goes into Asuna's backstory, which happens to be ''massively'' important to the current plot, even more so than Negi's backstory. [[spoiler: Remeber that massive war that Negi's father was the hero of? Turns out Asuna was at the center of it.]]

** Just like WordOfGod for the show, Ember was based on a teenage girl who was stood up for a date and died in a fire she was too exhausted to notice. This is one of the reason's her relationship with Skulker is so rocky: she believes LoveHurts.

* ''Film/TheManWhoSavesTheWorld'' {{infodump}} prologue reveals a backstory bigger than many movies' plots that completely fails to make sense, as apparently mankind has homogenized in the Galaxy Age, and the Earth got blown up once or twice, but that's okay because they've built a force field made out of human brains to protect it now.

* In ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', Chapters 3 and 4 are largely given over to the backstory of Willy Wonka's factory, specifically how it became -- apparently -- completely self-contained (as no workers are seen entering or exiting it) when Mr. Wonka became an in-universe ReclusiveArtist to stop rivals from stealing his recipes. While Mr. Wonka's reputation is also discussed in these chapters, [[InexplicablyAwesome his personal backstory is never revealed]]. In the sequel ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'', Mr. Wonka himself has to deliver a good deal of backstory with regards to how he created a FountainOfYouth pill ''and'' its RapidAging counterpart.
* ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell'' goes in depth about Cadance's backstory.

* ''Series/MadMen'' would be a much different show without the backstory of Dick Whitman
* ''Franchise/KamenRider'' has this in ''Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight''. Eubulon was sent to Ventara by his general, General Xaviax from their homeworld to make an invasion possible so that their homeworld will be repaired or rebuilt. However, the Eubulon became ill along the way in Ventara and then a family of Ventarans came into his aid and made him think otherwise. He created a [[HeroesAreUs group of warriors to protect]] Ventara from his general's plot and thus the war for Ventara came to be. The group defeated Xaviax but then lost their Advent Master Eubulon in the process. They have to take turns once in every 12 years and then Xaviax came back and tricked the hero Adam who was in duty. This was where the plot kicked in and the majority of the Ventaran Kameen Riders were vented into the Advent Void and thus, one remaining Rider kept on fighting for his life, Kamen Rider Wing Knight Len thus starting Ep 1.

* ''Series/VeronicaMars'' had a ''massive'' backstory that explained how Veronica, a formerly girly high school student, became a hard-boiled sardonic detective. Apparently all it takes is: 1) having the Sheriff be your father; 2) have your best friend murdered under mysterious circumstances; 3) have your father disgraced by the rich locals after he fails to close the case; 4) lose face with your peers because you stand by him; 5) go to a party with your peers only to get roofied and raped. The result? A jaded, cynical 17 year-old girl with an appetite for getting the truth--the perfect story telling recipe for awesome.

* In a bit of a Meta-entry, many players come up with elaborate backstories for their characters. Its a {{Stereotype}} of TheRoleplayer.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' has it's own ARG website with the Aperture Science backstory and how [=GLaDOS=] came to be.

* The ''entire'' main plot of ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'' is rooted in the incredibly twisted tragic backstory of Harry's parents, their friends, and the events that led to their death. The other plot threads are a) an IronicEcho of the backstory plot, and b) metaphors for overcoming your personal demons of the past (i.e., another echo of the plot).

** For a time, Rowling was [[WordOfGod revealing most of these extra details]] on her Flash-format [[https://www.jkrowling.com official website]], often as EasterEggs accessible by poking around and playing with the items on her simulated "desk". And then the [[MeaningfulName aptly-named]] interactive game/{{Expanded Universe}} site [[https://www.pottermore.com Pottermore]] was created as an official tie-in to the series, and Rowling had an even better place to expound on the canon, often at length, ranging from the creation of details on [[ExpandedUniverse non-European wizarding culture]] and "[[AllThereInTheManual wandlore]]", to yes, backstory on characters, like say [[http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Minerva_McGonagall#Biography Professor McGonagall]], who is given everything from named family members to a prior love life and...well, basically an outline of her whole life's story up until the books. Almost none of this is so much as alluded to in the original books, because Harry and his friends have generally little reason to have interest in their teachers' pasts or in some cases even the pasts of their classmates, what with [[WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld all the shenanigans going on all the time]], and the original novels are told almost exclusively from Harry's POV. A lot of this backstory can seem interesting but not particularly plot relevant... though [[https://www.pottermore.com/features/petunia-dursleys-unlikely-hogwarts-ambitions some]] have [[WhatMightHaveBeen surprisingly huge implications]].

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'' establish the StartOfDarkness of Big Boss, the BigBad, showing his fall from a noble BadassNormal, through a quietly grieving TragicHero, into an AntiVillain convinced that UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans. (his Utopia happens to be [[WarForFunAndProfit eternal World War]].) However, pretty much every character in the [[Franchise/MetalGear Metal Gear series]] has a backstory more in-depth and complicated than most real people's - even if they're only on camera for fifteen minutes and are never mentioned again.

A good actor or writer has a strong sense of each character's backstory, as it gives the character texture and shadings and keeps them from being [[FlatCharacter two-dimensional.]] It makes an excellent source for TheReveal, i.e., why TheRival resents TheHero so much, how the FakeUltimateHero got his reputation, why TheCaptain suffers from BadDreams. Hopefully, these things are revealed when the information is both plot-relevant and likely to come up naturally.

A good actor or writer has a strong sense of each character's Backstory, as it gives the character texture and shadings and keeps them from being [[FlatCharacter two-dimensional.]] It makes an excellent source for TheReveal, i.e., why TheRival resents TheHero so much, how the FakeUltimateHero got his reputation, why TheCaptain suffers from BadDreams. Hopefully, these things are revealed when the information is both plot relevant and likely to come up naturally.

In fact, a character's Backstory can be so interesting and important that it's a wonder it's just a ''Back''story instead of a part of a prologue or separate story; indeed, a particularly ''good'' Backstory can form the backbone of a {{Prequel}}.

A [[TropesAreNotBad good]] {{Retcon}} may go back and explore a character's Backstory. A BelatedBackstory occurs when the {{Retcon}} radically and permanently changes a new character's personality. Some characters are given a {{Mysterious|Past}} or DarkAndTroubledPast as a backstory; these [[SchrodingersGun tend to be whatever the author wants]], often [[RetCon retroactively]] [[ExpansionPackPast growing]], or [[MultipleChoicePast changing]].

Backstory (or lack thereof) often serves as FanficFuel; many {{Fanfic}}s exist to explore Backstory (e.g. how [[Franchise/StarTrek Spock]]'s parents got together). Others [[FixFic contradict it]].

Specific Backstories include {{Prequel}}, StartOfDarkness, HappyFlashback, TroubledBackstoryFlashback, BackstoryOfTheDay, WhenItAllBegan, BackstoryHorror, and StandardCopBackstory.

* In Anime/{{Pokemon}}, Jessie, James, and Meowth have the most elaborate (and sometimes sad) backstories.
* ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is interesting in that everyone has elaborate backstories, but only Faye's given any sort of complete explanation or chronology. You learn broad ideas, but never the whole picture: Spike was part of the Red Dragon Mafia, Jet was a police officer, Ein is a data dog (whatever that means) and Ed was in an orphanage after being abandoned by her father. The movie supposedly was intended to be a grand backstory for Spike, but the creators decided against it because it would probably never live up to the hype from the fans.
* ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' has such a long and complex backstory that it takes up twelve volumes of the manga and nearly the whole animated series. The backstory focuses mainly on Guts, but Griffith and Casca have their own pasts and motivations revealed as well. Serpico and Farnese also receive their own backstory episodes in the manga.
* In ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'', most of the important characters have backstories that connect them to the pasts of the other characters, especially in the manga. Chrono's is particularly important in driving the plot forward--so, of course, [[CanNotSpitItOut he avoids telling the other characters about it]] until late in the series.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' has a few chapters that go into Negi's backstory, explaining his motivations and where he got his goals. Later on it goes into Asuna's backstory, which happens to be ''massively'' important to the current plot, even moreso than Negi's backstory. [[spoiler: Remeber that massive war that Negi's father was the hero of? Turns out Asuna was at the center of it.]]
* An entire chapter of ''Manga/DeathNote'' was devoted to Mikami's history, explaining why he embraced Kira so easily.
* Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko, and Botan are about the only ones on ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' who ''don't'' get backstories...
* The [[AudioAdaptation second Sound Stage]] of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'''s first season revolved around Fate's life before the series began.
* ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' have most of its backstories concentrated to the RedHerringShirt Akemi. Although she's been killed off ''very'' early in the series, she was first written as [[spoiler:Ai Haibara's]] dead older sister, and then our former [[TheMole mole]] FBI agent is revealed to be her boyfriend when he's still in TheSyndicate.

* Much of ''PandoraHearts'' is trying to figure out the characters' backstories, in particular, how they all relate to the Tragedy of Sablier.

Many {{Fanfic}}s exist to explore Backstory (e.g. how [[Franchise/StarTrek Spock]]'s parents got together).