History Main / GrowingWithTheAudience

* ''Music/ConfessionExecutiveCommittee'' never loses Music/HoneyWorks' overarching theme of "youth" over its run and still likes to make lighthearted high school romances and situations, but the older groups of the cast are shown going from inexperienced and clumsy teenagers to navigating their relationships through college, jobs, and other obstacles while they become adults. The story also stars branching out into adult worries and life outside the main cast, such as married life with the Narumi parents or the bittersweetness of a TeacherStudentRomance and bachelorhood with Saku Akechi.

* ''Music/ConfessionExecutiveCommittee'' never loses Creator/HoneyWorks' overarching theme of "youth" over its run and still likes to make lighthearted high school romances and situations, but the older groups of the cast are shown going from inexperienced and clumsy teenagers to navigating their relationships through college, jobs, and other obstacles while they become adults. The story also stars branching out into adult worries and life outside the main cast, such as married life with the Narumi parents or the bittersweetness of a TeacherStudentRomance and bachelorhood with Saku Akechi.

* The ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series has [[CyclicTrope cycled through this]].

[[folder:Film]]
* Part of the appeal of ''Film/{{Logan}}'', an even more DarkerAndEdgier [[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]] spin-off that's the GrandFinale to Wolverine's film appearances (and as well as the title that's very comparable to Manga/{{Berserk}}, of all things, in terms of tone, storytelling and themes), was that anyone who saw the original film as a child in 2000 would be in their twenties in 2017.
* ''Film/ChristopherRobin'' contrasts with previous Disney's ''Franchise/{{Winnie The Pooh}}'' projects with this trope.

* ''Franchise/ToyStory'' has been growing with its initial audience throughout the entire franchise, most notably in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' where main-character Andy is set to go to college and most of the original Toy Story fans, at the time who are at their College/University years, related to him for that reason. ''Westernanimation/ToyStory4'' (a GrandFinale for Woody's Story Arc) had equally relatable themes for grown-ups, such as Bo Peep's change of life, and Woody's struggles with making Forky accept his nature.
* The prequel to ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', which focuses on Sulley's and Mike's college days, came out when the audience for the original movie were in college.

* The ''Franchise/{{DCAU}}'' fluctuates with this process, with different shows taking a different approach to things. That said, the movies did tend to be more adult than normal, especially ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker''. ''WebAnimation/LoboWebseries'' is the only installment to get a TV-MA rating. Years after the franchise concluded, ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAndHarleyQuinn'' was released that including more overt swearing, sexual situations and ToiletHumor, which came to a more mixed response.

* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] by the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series.

* Attempted in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. The games' stories started out in a typical cartoony video game setting with the protagonist fighting Eggman and his army of robots. Then came ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', a DarkerAndEdgier installment with pointedly more mature themes than any previous game in the series. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' took this even further, dealing with themes such as a corrupt military murdering innocent scientists and weapons of mass destruction. However, when ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' took this to ludicrous extents and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' was slammed for its overly convoluted plot among other things, a growing backlash towards this trend forced Sega to go back and aim for a younger audience again, especially with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and beyond. Eventually, Creator/SonicTeam went for a second attempt at this with ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', though earning a very mixed reaction due to audiences feeling it failed to commit to its promise as a return to a darker story.
* Similarly to Sonic, the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' franchise rose from humble beginnings as a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic series]] about a robot defending the world from the jealous Dr. Wily. Then came the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series, which featured far more intense combat and mechanics on top of a more mature protagonist who just wants the fighting to stop, and as that series made the jump to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, it explored the [[{{DeconReconSwitch}} dark implications while at the same time, solving them on certain cases]] of building an entire line of fully sentient robots. The ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series went even further by exploring the oppression of Reploids and how Zero and Ciel were working towards human-Reploid equality. And while ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' is LighterAndSofter, it still carries much of ''X'' and ''Zero''[='=]s mature themes.

* Nintendo's ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'' (aka ''Mother'' in Japan) trilogy (despite being a WidgetSeries and as well as looking more like a Peanuts comic strip than other JRPG games) had cases of this, especially with the GrandFinale of the entire trilogy, ''VideoGame/Mother3''. While the first two games were rather standard {{Eastern RPG}}s in an UrbanFantasy setting, the final game deals with themes such as the loss of family members and the corrupting nature of capitalism.

Contrast FleetingDemographic, where the series/franchise switches to a younger audience as the former audience matures. Also contrast WereStillRelevantDammit, where a series/franchise {{ReTool}}s itself to be more appealing to the current generation, but does so in a clunky or tone-deaf way.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' has been growing with its initial audience throughout the entire franchise, most notably in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' where main-character Andy is set to go to college and most of the original Toy Story fans, at the time who are at their College/University years, related to him for that reason. ''Westernanimation/ToyStory4'' (a GrandFinale for Woody's Story Arc) had equally relatable themes for grown-ups, such as Bo Peep's change of life, and Woody's struggles with making Forky accept his nature.

* Nintendo's ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'' (aka ''Mother'' in Japan) trilogy (despite being a WidgetSeries and as well as looking more like a Peanuts comic strip than other JRPG games) had cases of this, especially with the GrandFinale of the entire trilogy, ''VideoGame/Mother3''. While the first two games were rather standard {{Eastern RPG}}s in an UrbanFantasy setting, the final game deals with themes such as the loss of family members and the corrupting nature of capitalism.

* Attempted in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. The games' stories started out in a typical cartoony video game setting with the protagonist fighting Eggman and his army of robots. Then came ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', a DarkerAndEdgier installment with pointedly more mature themes than any previous game in the series. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' took this even further, dealing with themes such as a corrupt military murdering innocent scientists and weapons of mass destruction. However, when ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' took this to ludicrous extents and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' was slammed for its overly convoluted plot among other things, a growing backlash towards this trend forced Sega to go back and aim for a younger audience again, especially with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and beyond. Eventually, Creator/SonicTeam went for a second attempt at this with ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', though again with a very mixed reaction to everyone else.

* The ''Franchise/{{DCAU}}'' fluctuates with this process, with different shows taking a different approach to things. That said, the movies did tend to be more adult than normal, especially ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker''. Years after the franchise concluded, ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAndHarleyQuinn'' was released that including more overt swearing, sexual situations and ToiletHumor, which came to a more mixed response.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. Whereas its first season was full of one-off comedic adventure stories, by its final season over eight years later, episodes would showcase [[ContinuityLockOut heavy continuity]], regularly tackle mature themes, and be seeped in metaphor and existentialist ideas as main character Finn matured from a child into a young adult while the older supporting cast also began to receive more focus. The [[SequelSeries sequel miniseries]] ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventureTimeDistantLands Distant Lands]]'' and ''Fionna and Cake'' would continue on this track, with the latter (scheduled to premiere 13 years after the start of the franchise) even being announced as being for a young adult audience.

* This was attempted with ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'', with its DarkerAndEdgier sequels ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''. It initially worked really well, with ratings getting to even bigger heights than before. However, by the time the second season of ''Ultimate Alien'' hit, the series had lost plenty of its older audience, even though the series kept getting darker and darker with every episode (the mentioned season 2 of ''Ultimate Alien'' outright deals with adult themes in some of its episodes). This, combined with the [[DiedDuringProduction tragic death]] of its series runner Creator/DwayneMcDuffie, pushed Cartoon Network to take the decision of backtracking with ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', followed by a [[ContinuityReboot reboot of the franchise]].
* When Creator/{{Toonami}}, originally aired during the daytime with programs aimed at kids and pre-teens, was {{uncanceled}}, it received a new placement on the Creator/AdultSwim {{watershed}} hours as its primary audience now being teenagers and full grown adults who are know in High School and College. That being said, much of the content is still anime that was targeted towards kids and pre-teens where they are growing with them in its native Japan.
* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' was pretty mature for a show that aired on Cartoon Network for kids, making a strong PeripheryDemographic for teens and adults until it was cancelled in 2013. Its third season, ''Outsiders'', premiered on DC's Creator/DCUniverse service after being {{Uncancelled}}, and explores more mature themes and storylines[[note]]When it was announced, the staff confirmed that the show won't be a [[BloodierAndGorier big gore fest]] nor have too many {{Precision F Strike}}s or {{Cluster F Bomb}}s either like their [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy comedic]] [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark counterparts]], as it would use mild ones (albeit in a slightly more tamer way) much like the first two seasons[[/note]] as a result of having more creative freedom and that their audiences are over seven years older than when they first started. It does get pretty dark, and there's the occasional nastiness here and there, but it's not too far off-tone from the earlier seasons.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. Its first season was full of one-off comedic adventure stories, whereas several seasons later as its original audience has grown, the characters have aged and developed, there is ongoing continuity in several serious storylines, and the show routinely deals with more mature themes.

* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' was a ComingOfAge story centered around Cory Matthews, and over the course of the series softly modifies the issues and situations that the characters get involved with at the relative age they were supposed to be. The first season had Cory in the "girls are icky" phase, the second season shows him and Topanga getting together, graduates high school in the fifth season, in college in the sixth and married in the seventh. Some of this is tested out with his older brother Eric dealing with things Cory has to handle later on. The rather frankness in how the show dealt with complicated life problems (Cory and Topanga's intimacy is a subject of multiple episodes, Shawns' family life is very troubled) contributes to it's lasting appeal. The SequelSeries ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld'' attempts to replicate the idea, but the change in network to Creator/DisneyChannel and three season run prevented them from having this kind of continuity.

* According to Emman once it became an AscendedFanfic, his ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' works succeeding ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'' would be in this trope. For Goof Troop's SequelSeries (Max's Extremely Goofy College Life) and as well as it's '''TRUE''' GrandFinale as a Video Game (Max and Roxanne: A Goofy Romantic Video Game) in which, would be Disney's very own LighterAndSofter answer to the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise (an example of a franchise where Goof Troop fans are familiar with; many parts of the Gameplay of the game are also based and modelled after from that franchise) to the point that the game will [[EarnYourHappyEnding finally have Max getting a Happy Ending]] [[ThrowTheDogaBone and as well as get married to Roxanne]] with TheBigDamnKiss happening, things going on for Teenagers/Young Adult who are going full throttle for Romantic Relationships such as getting married would happen as they're one of the many essential parts of a typical RomanticComedy film (and heck, even with the EstrogenBrigade who grew up watching many ''Disney Princess'' films and as well as ''Sofia the First'' in their Childhood/Elementary School days alongside either Goof Troop or both Goofy Movies in which, they're now in their High School/College years, would also enjoy the game too like Disney and Square-Enix's KH series, as he described the Game as [[JustForFun/XMeetsY a Disney Princess flick meets Miami Vice, Starsky & Hutch, Knight Rider, Fist of the North Star, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, James Bond, the Streets of San Francisco, the first two Terminator films, the Matrix and the films having Bruce Lee (among with other kinds of works aimed at Men where Women can enjoy too)]], since Max would be [[BadassInANiceSuit dressing up like]] a PrinceCharming for moments where he pit against various opponents while at the same time, getting ready for the Wedding).

** The ''Film/TransformersFilmSeries'' by Creator/MichaelBay included some sophomoric humor but elevated the action and violence to a blockbuster level that had not been seen before.
** ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' found a new mixture of goofy humor and mature storytelling that they could combine with ContinuityPorn, which came in contrast to the previous Anime/UnicronTrilogy that didn't appeal as much to older fans due to the more simplistic plot, InactionScene and StockFootage heavy show. After ''Animated'', ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' and its follow-up ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'' would flex back and forth between which demographic it was aiming towards but still kept an eye towards keeping the MultipleDemographicAppeal.

* ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' was a ComingOfAge story centered around Cory Matthews, and over the course of the series softly modifies the issues and situations that the characters get involved with at the relative age they were supposed to be. The first season had Cory in the "girls are icky" phase, the second season shows him and Topanga getting together, graduates high school in the fifth season, in college in the sixth and married in the seventh. Some of this is tested out with his older brother Eric dealing with things Cory has to handle later on. The rather frankness in how the show dealt with complicated life problems (Cory and Topanga's intimacy is a subject of multiple episodes, Shawns' family life is very troubled) contributes to it's lasting appeal. The SequelSeries ''Series/GirlMeetsWorld'' attempts to replicate the idea, but the change in network to Creator/TheDisneyChannel and three season run prevented them from having this kind of continuity.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' started as [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers a daily syndicated cartoon]] based on a line of toys, TheNineties brought the DarkerAndEdgier ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', and the 2000s-2010s saw the Creator/MichaelBay live-action movies, ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' (a mix of goofy, mature and ContinuityPorn), and the mature TV cartoon ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' and its followup ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise''. It usually ends up being cyclical, being scaled back once it gets too dark and then beginning the climb again.

%%* One word: ''Franchise/{{DCAU}}''. Especially with ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited''.

** The author of this fanfic series intends for it to be considered a ''Franchise/LoveLive'' equivalent to ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' media such as ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' and ''WebAnimation/PokemonGenerations'', which are aimed more at adult fans of ''Pokémon'' who grew up playing the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova based games who are now adults, and like those [=OVAs=], ''PokéLive!'' can also get quite dark at times and the overall story has a more mature feel to it, including touching upon topics like the death of biological parents, adoption, global-level apocalypses, ClimateChange, war (At least, through the mention of a small-scale nuclear war that happens in a possible future in which [[OriginalCharacter Aleena]] lives.), duty and becoming a hero or heroine for the greater good as well as a sequel saga that shows the various characters involved in specific pairings, such as Hilda and Shizuku, as married couples and who also have children in their adult years too!

[[folder: Multiple Media ]]

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' started as [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers a daily syndicated cartoon]] based on a line of toys, TheNineties brought the DarkerAndEdgier ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', and the 2000s-2010s saw the Creator/MichaelBay live-action movies, ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' (a mix of goofy, mature and ContinuityPorn), and the mature TV cartoon ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' and its followup ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise''. It usually ends up being cyclical, being scaled back once it gets too dark and then beginning the climb again.
* Toys/{{BIONICLE}}, in its original run, went whole-hog with this, especially in the later years. It featured shades of CosmicHorrorStory, named characters dying, and thoughts of nihilism and hopelessness. The series even had the guile to have an ending where [[spoiler:TheBadGuyWins, if only temporarily]]. The intent seemed to be to make stories more mature as the audience inevitably got mature.
* At times compared to many {{Toku}} series, ''Franchise/KamenRider'' has many cases of this.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Comics]]

[[folder: Film]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
%%%
* ''VideoGame/ContraShatteredSoldier'', the ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' sequels, the infamous ''VideoGame/FinalFightStreetwise'' and the entirety of ''Franchise/PrinceOfPersia'' in the last decade.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' has been growing with its initial audience through out the entire franchise, most notably in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' where main-character Andy is set to go to college and most of the original Toy Story fans, at the time who are at their College/University years, related to him for that reason. ''Westernanimation/ToyStory4'' (a GrandFinale for Woody's Story Arc) had equally relatable themes for grown-ups, such as Bo Peep's change of life, and Woody's struggles with making Forky accept his nature.

* This was attempted with ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'', with its DarkerAndEdgier sequels ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien''. It initially worked really well, with ratings getting to even bigger heights than before. However, by the time the second season of ''Ultimate Alien'' hit, the series had lost plenty of its older audience, even though the series kept getting darker and darker with every episode (the mentioned season 2 of ''Ultimate Alien'' outright deals with adult themes in some of its episodes). This, combined with the [[AuthorExistenceFailure tragic death]] of its series runner Creator/DwayneMcduffie, pushed Cartoon Network to take the decision of backtracking with ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'', followed by a [[ContinuityReboot reboot of the franchise]].

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' was pretty mature for a show that aired on Cartoon Network for kids, making a strong PeripheryDemographic for teens and adults until it was cancelled in 2013. Its third season, ''Outsiders'', premiered on DC's Creator/DCUniverse service after being {{Uncancelled}}, and explores more mature themes and storylines[[note]]When it was announced, the staff confirmed that the show won't be a [[BloodierAndGorier big gore fest]] nor have too many [[PrecisionFStrike Precision F-Strikes]] or [[ClusterFBomb Cluster F-Bombs]] either like their [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy comedic]] [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark counterparts]], as it would use mild ones (albeit in a slightly more tamer way) much like the first two seasons[[/note]] as a result of having more creative freedom and that their audiences are over seven years older than when they first started. It does get pretty dark, and there's the occasional nastiness here and there, but it's not too far off-tone from the earlier seasons.

You were a kid in TheEighties or TheNineties and grew up watching your favorite MerchandiseDriven cartoon but lost interest as you grew older. Suddenly it's either TheNineties, the TurnOfTheMillennium or TheNewTens and you are bored, flipping through the channels one day, and what do you see? A DarkerAndEdgier (or UltimateUniverse-ish) revamp of the show you used to watch! It's good! You get sucked right into it! Fast forward to the TurnOfTheMillennium and to a lesser extent, TheNewTens and you hear news that this show is being adapted into a very beefed up, big budget LiveActionAdaptation. You go into the theaters, and what do you notice? All the other moviegoers are in their 20s like yourself and probably grew up watching the show like you did. This isn't a coincidence; whoever created the show made a decision to gradually increase the target audience's age as its fans grew older. This trope is one of the biggest sources of OldGuardVersusNewBlood trouble around. It's absolutely great for the old guard, but the new blood often feels it just isn't the same if they came in late.

* According to Emman once it became an AscendedFanfic, his ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' works succeeding ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'' would be in this trope. For Goof Troop's SequelSeries (Max's Extremely Goofy College Life) and as well as it's '''TRUE''' GrandFinale as a Video Game (Max and Roxanne: A Goofy Romantic Video Game) in which, would be Disney's very own LighterAndSofter answer to the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise (an example of a franchise where Goof Troop fans are familiar with; many parts of the Gameplay of the game are also based and modelled after from that franchise) to the point that the game will [[EarnYourHappyEnding finally have Max getting a Happy Ending]] [[ThrowTheDogaBone and as well as get married to Roxanne]] with TheBigDamnKiss happening, things going on for Teenagers/Young Adult who are going full throttle for Romantic Relationships such as getting married would happen as they're one of the many essential parts of a typical RomanticComedy film (and heck, even with the EstrogenBrigade who grew up watching many ''Disney Princess'' films and as well as ''Sofia the First'' in their Childhood/Elementary School days alongside either Goof Troop or both Goofy Movies in which, they're now in their High School/College years, would also enjoy the game too like Disney and Square-Enix's KH series, as he described the Game as [[JustForFun/XMeetsY a Disney Princess flick meets Miami Vice, Starsky & Hutch, Knight Rider, Fist of the North Star, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, James Bond, the Streets of San Francisco, the first two Terminator films, the Matrix and the films having Bruce Lee (among with other kinds of works aimed at Men where Women can enjoy too)]], since Max would be [[BadassInANiceSuit dressing up]] like a PrinceCharming for moments where he pit against various opponents while at the same time, getting ready for the Wedding).

You were a kid in TheEighties or TheNineties and grew up watching your favorite MerchandiseDriven cartoon but lost interest as you grew older. Suddenly it's TheNineties or the TurnOfTheMillennium and you are bored, flipping through the channels one day, and what do you see? A DarkerAndEdgier (or UltimateUniverse-ish) revamp of the show you used to watch! It's good! You get sucked right into it! Fast forward to the TurnOfTheMillennium and to a lesser extent, TheNewTens and you hear news that this show is being adapted into a very beefed up, big budget LiveActionAdaptation. You go into the theaters, and what do you notice? All the other moviegoers are in their 20s like yourself and probably grew up watching the show like you did. This isn't a coincidence; whoever created the show made a decision to gradually increase the target audience's age as its fans grew older. This trope is one of the biggest sources of OldGuardVersusNewBlood trouble around. It's absolutely great for the old guard, but the new blood often feels it just isn't the same if they came in late.

* Attempted in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. The games' stories started out in a typical cartoony video game setting with the protagonist fighting Eggman and his army of robots. Then came ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', a DarkerAndEdgier installment with pointedly more mature themes than any previous game in the series. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' took this even further, dealing with themes such as a corrupt military murdering innocent scientists and weapons of mass destruction. However, when ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' took this to ludicrous extents and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' was slammed for its overly convoluted plot among other things, a growing backlash towards this trend forced Sega to go back and aim for a younger audience again, especially with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and beyond. Eventually, Creator/SonicTeam went for a second attempt at this with ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', though again with a very mixed reaction.
* Similarly to Sonic, the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' franchise rose from humble roots as a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic series]] about a robot defending the world from the jealous Dr. Wily. Then came the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series, which featured far more intense combat and mechanics on top of a more mature protagonist who just wants the fighting to stop, and as that series made the jump to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, it explored the [[{{DeconReconSwitch}} dark implications while at the same time, solving them on certain cases]] of building an entire line of fully sentient robots. The ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series went even further by exploring the oppression of Reploids and how Zero and Ciel were working towards human-Reploid equality. And while ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' is LighterAndSofter, it still carries much of ''X'' and ''Zero''[='=]s mature themes.

* According to Emman once it became an AscendedFanfic, his ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' works succeeding ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'' would be in this trope. For Goof Troop's SequelSeries (Max's Extremely Goofy College Life) and as well as it's '''TRUE''' GrandFinale as a Video Game in which, would be Disney's very own LighterAndSofter answer to the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise (an example of a franchise where Goof Troop fans are familiar with) to the point that the game will [[EarnYourHappyEnding finally have Max getting a Happy Ending]] [[ThrowTheDogaBone and as well as get married to Roxanne]], things going on such as getting married would happen as they're one of the many essential parts of a typical RomanticComedy film (and heck, even with the EstrogenBrigade who grew up watching many ''Disney Princess'' films and as well as ''Sofia the First'' in their Childhood/Elementary School days would also enjoy the game too like Disney and Square-Enix's KH series, as he described the Game as [[JustForFun/XMeetsY a Disney Princess flick meets Miami Vice, Starsky & Hutch, Knight Rider, Fist of the North Star, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, James Bond, the Streets of San Francisco, the first two Terminator flicks and the films having Bruce Lee (among with other kinds of works aimed at Men where Women can enjoy too)]], since Max would be dressing up like a PrinceCharming).

* According to Emman once it became an AscendedFanfic, his ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' works succeeding ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'' would be in this trope. For Goof Troop's SequelSeries (Max's Extremely Goofy College Life) and as well as it's '''TRUE''' GrandFinale as a Video Game in which, would be Disney's very own LighterAndSofter answer to the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise (an example of a franchise where Goof Troop fans are familiar with) to the point that the game will [[EarnYourHappyEnding finally have Max getting a Happy Ending]] [[ThrowTheDogaBone and as well as get married to Roxanne]], things going on such as getting married would happen as they're one of the many essential parts of a typical RomanticComedy film (and heck, even with the EstrogeBrigade who grew up watching many ''Disney Princess'' films and as well as ''Sofia the First'' in their Childhood/Elementary School days would also enjoy the game too, as he described the Game as [[JustForFun/XMeetsY a Disney Princess flick meets Miami Vice, Starsky & Hutch, Knight Rider, Fist of the North Star, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, James Bond and the films having Bruce Lee (among with others aimed at Men where Women can enjoy too]], since Max would be dressing up like a PrinceCharming).

* According to Emman once it became an AscendedFanfic, his ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' works succeeding ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'' would be in this trope. For Goof Troop's SequelSeries (Max's Extremely Goofy College Life) and as well as it's '''TRUE''' GrandFinale as a Video Game in which, would be Disney's very own LighterAndSofter answer to the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' franchise (an example of a franchise where Goof Troop fans are familiar with) to the point that the game will [[EarnYourHappyEnding finally have Max getting a Happy Ending]] [[ThrowTheDogaBone and as well as get married to Roxanne]], things going on such as getting married would happen.

* When Creator/{{Toonami}}, originally aired during the daytime with programs aimed at kids and pre-teens, was {{uncanceled}}, it received a new placement on the Creator/AdultSwim {{watershed}} hours as its primary audience now being teenagers and full grown adults. That being said, much of the content is still anime that was targeted towards kids in its native Japan.

You were a kid in TheEighties or TheNinetirs and grew up watching your favorite MerchandiseDriven cartoon but lost interest as you grew older. Suddenly it's TheNineties or the TurnOfTheMillenium and you are bored, flipping through the channels one day, and what do you see? A DarkerAndEdgier (or UltimateUniverse-ish) revamp of the show you used to watch! It's good! You get sucked right into it! Fast forward to the TurnOfTheMillennium and to a lesser extent, TheNewTens and you hear news that this show is being adapted into a big budget LiveActionAdaptation. You go into the theaters, and what do you notice? All the other moviegoers are in their 20s like yourself and probably grew up watching the show like you did. This isn't a coincidence; whoever created the show made a decision to gradually increase the target audience's age as its fans grew older. This trope is one of the biggest sources of OldGuardVersusNewBlood trouble around. It's absolutely great for the old guard, but the new blood often feels it just isn't the same if they came in late.

You were a kid in TheEighties and grew up watching your favorite MerchandiseDriven cartoon but lost interest as you grew older. Suddenly it's TheNineties, and you are bored, flipping through the channels one day, and what do you see? A DarkerAndEdgier (or UltimateUniverse-ish) revamp of the show you used to watch! It's good! You get sucked right into it! Fast forward to the TurnOfTheMillennium and to a lesser extent, TheNewTens and you hear news that this show is being adapted into a big budget LiveActionAdaptation. You go into the theaters, and what do you notice? All the other moviegoers are in their 20s like yourself and probably grew up watching the show like you did. This isn't a coincidence; whoever created the show made a decision to gradually increase the target audience's age as its fans grew older. This trope is one of the biggest sources of OldGuardVersusNewBlood trouble around. It's absolutely great for the old guard, but the new blood often feels it just isn't the same if they came in late.

* While ''Franchise/DragonBall'' has always been a children's franchise in Japan, its English localization has grown with the audience (although that doesn't stop the franchise having a broad MultipleDemographicAppeal, however). This is due to Japan and America having [[ValuesDissonance very different ideas about what is and isn't appropriate for children in media]] and Funimation's localization attitude changing drastically a few years after Dragon Ball was launched. Originally, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness Funimation heavily re-versioned the series to reflect western animation of the time]] and follow strict syndication rules. When syndication ended, the show was edited to be more tamer and family-friendly on TV and VHS, but was uncut on DVD. The uncut release (with blood, violence and mild swearing) is now the only version of the series available. ''[[Anime/DragonBallZKai Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters]]'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' now both premiered on Creator/AdultSwim, with no family-friendly version (at least in the United States until Toonami in Asia became defunct) for now.
* While the original ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'' anime was broadcast in a general audience timeslot in Japan (Mondays at 7 p.m.) with the primary target of preteens, ''Inuyasha: The Final Act'' aired in the OtakuOClock timeslot and is aimed at finally giving a manga-based conclusion to those original preteen fans.

* Part of the appeal of ''Film/{{Logan}}'', an even more DarkerAndEdgier [[Film/XMenFilmSeries X-Men]] spin-off that's the GrandFinale to Wolverine's film appearances (and as well as the title that's very comparable to Manga/{{Berserk}} in terms of tone and themes), was that anyone who saw the original film as a child in 2000 would be in their twenties in 2017.

* Nintendo's ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'' (aka ''Mother'' in Japan) trilogy (despite being a WidgetSeries) had cases of this, especially with the GrandFinale of the entire trilogy, ''VideoGame/Mother3''. While the first two games were rather standard {{Eastern RPG}}s in an urban setting, the final game deals with themes such as the loss of family members and the corrupting nature of capitalism.

* Attempted in the ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' series. The games' stories started out in a typical cartoony video game setting with the protagonist fighting Eggman and his army of robots. Then came ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'', a DarkerAndEdgier installment with pointedly more mature themes than any previous game in the series. ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' took this even further, dealing with themes such as a corrupt military murdering innocent scientists and weapons of mass destruction. However, when ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' took this to ludicrous extents and ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' was slammed for its overly convoluted plot among other things, a growing backlash towards this trend forced Sega to go back and aim for a younger audience again, especially with ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' and beyond. Eventually, Creator/SonicTeam went for a second attempt at this with ''VideoGame/SonicForces'', though again to mixed reaction.
* Similarly to Sonic, the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' franchise rose from humble roots as a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic series]] about a robot defending the world from the jealous Dr. Wily. Then came the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series, which featured far more intense combat and mechanics on top of a more mature protagonist who just wants the fighting to stop, and as that series made the jump to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation, it explored the [[{{Deconstruction}} dark implications]] of building an entire line of fully sentient robots. The ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series went even further by exploring the oppression of Reploids and how Zero and Ciel were working towards human-Reploid equality. And while ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' is LighterAndSofter, it still carries much of ''X'' and ''Zero''[='=]s mature themes.

* Creator/WarrenEllis wrote a DarkerAndEdgier treatment of ''Franchise/GIJoe'' called ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeResolute'', which premiered as a WebOriginal series. While hardcore current fans [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks did not really appreciate the changes]], It did receive positive reviews from casual fans who had grown up with the series.

* Creator/JohnKricfalusi tried this with ''WesternAnimation/RenAndStimpyAdultPartyCartoon'', amping up the violence and grossout humor, incorporating blatant sexual themes, and making the HomoeroticSubtext between Ren and Stimpy less ambiguous. It ended up getting panned.

* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' has been growing with its initial audience through out the entire franchise, most notably in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'' where main-character Andy is set to go to college, and most of the original Toy Story fans, at the time, related to him for that reason. ''Westernanimation/ToyStory4'' (a GrandFinale for Woody's Story Arc) had equally relatable themes for grown-ups, such as Bo Peep's change of life, and Woody's struggles with making Forky accept his nature.