History Main / CharacterOverlap

** ''WesternAnimation/Ben102016'' had a CrisisCrossover with several other Creator/CartoonNetwork shows, explained as being other universes (including the aforementioned ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'' in {{cameo}} appearances). Ben teamed up with ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''[='=]s Garnet, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo''[='=]s ComicBook/{{Raven}}, and ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'''s K.O.

* In the first live-action ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' [[Film/TransFormers movie]] directed by Creator/MichaelBay, Travis Van Winkle plays a JerkJock named Trent [=DeMarco=]. The [[Film/FridayThe13th2009 2009 reboot]] of ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'', also produced by Michael Bay, has Travis Van Winkle play a JerkJock named Trent [=DeMarco=]. According to WordOfGod, they're the same character.

* A handful of overlapping characters is all that holds the [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]] multiverse together (the convoluted magic laws aside): CoolOldGuy Zelretch plays a large role in the backstory of ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' and makes a cameo appearance in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. His unique True Magic allows him to travel through the multiverse, and to create devices allowing others to do the same. CoolBigSis Touko Aozaki is a major character in ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'', is mentioned briefly in ''Fate'', and her sister Aoko appears in ''Tsukihime'' and is the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/WitchOnTheHolyNight''.

* ''VideoGame/JetpackJoyride'', ''VideoGame/MonsterDash'', and ''VideoGame/AgeOfZombies'' feature the character VideoGame/BarrySteakfries.

* [[BonusBoss Gabrielle Celeste and the Ethereal Queen]] appear in all the ''VideoGame/StarOcean'' and ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' games (made by Creator/TriAce). In addition, Lenneth and Freya from ''[=VP1=]'' appear in ''VideoGame/StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime''; Puffy appears in every ''Star Ocean'' installment up to ''[[VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope The Last Hope]]''; [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Ruddle/Raddle]] the Traveler appears in all five main ''Star Ocean'' games; Dirna Hamilton and Solon Solute from ''[=SO3=]'' appear in ''[[VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile2Silmeria VP2]]''; and Welch from ''[=SO3=]'' appears in the remakes of ''[=SO1=]'' and ''[=SO2=]'' as well as ''[=SO4=]'' and ''[[VideoGame/StarOceanIntegrityAndFaithlessness SO5]]'' after, plus the mobile RPG ''Anamnesis''.

* Han from ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' films is also the very same Han from ''Film/BetterLuckTomorrow'' [[WordOfGod according to]] Creator/JustinLin.

* The Raildex. Characters in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'', ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', and ''Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator'' cross over frequently since most of the action takes place in Academy City.

* Isaac and Miria, lovable robbers from ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'', make cameos as [[spoiler:members of the Dollars]] in ''LightNovel/{{Durarara}}''. Since they're [[spoiler:immortal]], having them be in Durarara's time period is easy.

* A handful of overlapping characters is all that holds the [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]] multiverse together (the convoluted magic laws aside): CoolOldGuy Zelretch plays a large role in the backstory of ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' and makes a cameo appearance in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. His unique True Magic allows him to travel through the multiverse, and to create devices allowing others to do the same. CoolBigSis Touko Aozaki is a major character in ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'', is mentioned briefly in ''Fate'', and her sister Aoko appears in ''Tsukihime'' and is the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/WitchOnTheHolyNight''.

* A handful of overlapping characters is all that holds the [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]] multiverse together (the convoluted magic laws aside): CoolOldGuy Zelretch plays a large role in the backstory of ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' and makes a cameo appearance in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. His unique True Magic allows him to travel through the multiverse, and to create devices allowing others to do the same. CoolBigSis Touko Aozaki is a major character in ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'', is mentioned briefly in ''Fate'', and her sister Aoko appears in ''Tsukihime'' and is the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/MahouTsukaiNoYoru''.

* In Creator/EoinColfer's ''Literature/TheSupernaturalist'', major character Stefan Bashkir is one of Literature/ArtemisFowl's aliases. Phonetix, a company that has a rivalry with Myishi, had a rivalry with Jon Spiro's Fission Chips in ''The Eternity Code''.

Compare with CompanyCrossReferences, which encompasses other non-character references as well.

** ''WesternAnimation/Ben102016'' had a CrisisCrossover with several other Creator/CartoonNetwork shows, explained as being other universes (including the aforementioned ''WesternAnimation/GeneratorRex'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretSaturdays'' in {{cameo}} appearances). Ben teamed up with ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''[='=]s Garnet, ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'' [='=]s ComicBook/{{Raven}}, and ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'''s K.O.

* Anything by Creator/{{CLAMP}} will have this. ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle'' took this idea and went UpToEleven.

** Interestingly, the ''Monsters, Inc.'' parody is in the third season, which consists of ''[[UpToEleven entirely]]'' crossover episodes!

* ''VideoGame/JetpackJoyride'', ''VideoGame/MonsterDash'', and ''VideoGame/AgeOfZombies'' feature the character Barry Steakfries.

** Nearly every movie in Phase One has an appearance by either Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, or both. The exception is ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', where Tony Stark represents S.H.I.E.L.D. in their place. Both Fury and Coulson also show up in ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'', after both had been absent from the films for several years.

** In addition to Fury and Coulson, ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'' also has Ronan the Accuser and Korath the Pursuer from ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''.

* Creator/AgathaChristie does this a fair bit. For example, Inspector Japp of the [[Literature/HerculePoirot Poirot]] series appears in the first Literature/TommyAndTuppence book. Poirot's secretary Miss Lemon and friend Ariadne Oliver are both old associates of [[Literature/ParkerPyneInvestigates Mr. Parker Pyne]], and Ariadne Oliver appears in ''The Pale Horse'', which also featured the vicar's wife from the Literature/MissMarple novel ''The Moving Finger''. In ''Three Act Tragedy'', Poirot teams up with [[Literature/TheMysteriousMrQuin Mr. Satterthwaite]]. A mysterious character who is only referred to as Mr. Robinson appears with Poirot in ''Cat Among the Pigeons'', Miss Marple in ''At Bertram's Hotel'', and Tommy and Tuppence in ''Postern of Fate''; he also appears in ''Literature/PassengerToFrankfurt'', which does not feature any of Christie's series detectives.

** Speaking of St. Elsewhere, related to this trope is the "Tommy Westphall Universe", a theory which posits that nearly 90% of all American television exists in a shared universe, [[spoiler:which exists entirely inside the mind of Tommy Westphall, an autistic child character on ''Series/StElsewhere'' who, in the series finale, is revealed to be looking into a snow globe and imagining the events of the television show]]. ''Series/StElsewhere'' crossed over with many different shows, which themselves crossed over with, and spun off, many different shows, which themselves crossed over, etc, creating an interweaving "universe" than encompasses a good majority of American television.

* ''VideoGame/JetpackJoyride'', ''VideoGame/MonsterDash'', and ''Age of Zombies'' feature the character Barry Steakfries.

"Bob [=McGee=], from ''The Bob and Alice Adventures'' movie franchise? What's he doing in this random rom-com?

So you're watching your favorite tv show, nothing seems unusual until a very familiar name is dropped.
"Teddy McGee, from 'Tge Tsxas Never Dies' franchise, what's he doing in my favorite rom com?!

Character overlap is when a character in one series {{crossover}} to another series. Rather casually tying those two shows together, and a technique used to help define a [[TheVerse 'Verse]].

Characters in one series {{crossover}} to another series. A technique used to help define a [[TheVerse 'Verse]].

** Oddly enough, while some actors who have appeared in creator Bill Lawrence's earlier series ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' have also appeared in ''Cougar Town'', Ted is the only character that appears in both shows, and the show ''Scrubs'' [[RecursiveCanon exists in that universe]]. He even noticed how weird it was that some of the characters in ''Cougar Town'' [[CelebrityParadox looked like people he knew.]]

* Creator/KenAkamatsu reused the one-shot character Mei from ''Manga/LoveHina'' in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima''.

* While it's all fanfiction, FanFic/JakeEnglishsMysteriousTheaterOfScientificRomanceFromTheYear3000 has guest stars from Webcomic/DinosaurComics, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', Franchise/TheDCU, Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. There's also an OC inspired by {{Webcomic/Cordless}}, and a Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} OC.

* ''FanFic/RedFireRedPlanet'' and ''FanFic/{{Bait and Switch|STO}}'' overlap some characters with both each other and with the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' {{canon}}.

* ''FanFic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'': This story's Asuka -- who is ComicBook/PowerGirl and later ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} -- has showed up in other stories of the same author. Similarly, original characters -- and versions of the canon ones -- of his other stories have showed up in this, creating a BroadStrokes SharedUniverse.

* A handful of overlapping characters is all that holds the [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type-Moon]] multiverse together (the convoluted magic laws aside): CoolOldGuy Zelretch plays a large role in the backstory of ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' and makes a cameo appearance in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. His unique True Magic allows him to travel through the multiverse, and to create devices allowing others to do the same. CoolBigSis Touko Aozaki is a major character in ''LightNovel/KaraNoKyoukai'', is mentioned briefly in ''Fate'', and her sister Aoko appears in ''Tsukihime'' and is the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/MahouTsukaiNoYoru''.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Creator/DreamWorksAnimation:
** ''Rise of the Guardians'' (2012) is sometimes speculated to have links to the aforementioned Disney film franchise of Frozen. Anna and Elsa's mother, Iduna, may also be Jack's sister.

* Creator/AgathaChristie does this a fair bit. For example, Inspector Japp of the [[Literature/HerculePoirot Poirot]] series appears in the first Literature/TommyAndTuppence book. Poirot's secretary Miss Lemon and friend Ariadne Oliver are both old associates of [[Literature/ParkerPyneInvestigates Mr. Parker Pyne]], and Ariadne Oliver appears in ''The Pale Horse'', which also featured the vicar's wife from the Literature/MissMarple novel ''The Moving Finger''. In ''Three Act Tragedy'', Poirot teams up with [[Literature/TheMysteriousMrQuin Mr. Satterthwaite]]. A mysterious character who is only referred to as Mr. Robinson appears with Poirot in ''Cat Among the Pigeons'', Miss Marple in ''At Bertram's Hotel'', and Tommy and Tuppence in ''Postern of Fate''; he also appears in ''Passenger to Frankfurt'', which does not feature any of Christie's series detectives.