History Main / ShortLivedBigImpact

* For that matter, TheWildWest era itself. The average timespan has it lasting from 1848 (when the USA took possession of California from Mexico) to 1890 (when the US Census Bureau officially declared the frontier closed, and also the date of the last major Indian battle at Wounded Knee), a little over forty years. A stricter definition puts the start around 1868 (when the Civil War had ended and the Transcontinental Railroad allowed more people to move into the frontier), barely twenty years. To watch any American media, especially stuff made prior to 1970 (when TheWestern was still a viable genre), one would believe that the era lasted much much longer. Romanticism for this era -- or rather the ''perception'' of it -- is to this day [[AmericansAreCowboys one of the major bedrocks of American culture]].

* Devin Grayson's work with [[ComicBook/GreenArrow Roy Harper]] and his daughter [[ComicBook/TeenTitans Lian]] amounted to a one shot issue, a four issue miniseries, and roughly twenty issues of ''ComicBook/TheTitans''. She nevertheless developed Roy's backstory of growing up with a Navajo foster father in Arizona and fleshed out Lian's personality beyond being a cute child, giving her a huge amount of emotional maturity and depth. While Grayson remains notorious for her handling of Nightwing, her take on the Harpers has long been considered the go-to for most fans. Indigenous fans of Roy have long since clamored for DC to do something to make Roy Native by blood descent ever since Grayson's handling of his upbringing under Raymond Begay and the way he passed those teachings onto Lian. It's widely agreed upon that every writer to take on the characters after Grayson haven't come close to expanding on their development like she did.

* Jean Harlow's SpiritualSuccessor Creator/MarilynMonroe lasted a little longer - dying at thirty-six - but her career was pretty short too. Although she had been working in films since 1947, her big break as a sex symbol didn't come until 1953 and she would be dead less than ten years later. She's a pop culture icon and one of the most famous stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood (even if she technically came in around the end of it).

* King Kong is often considered to be one of the most iconic giant movie monsters of all time, despite the fact that he has only had six solo movies, two of which were remakes of the original film.
* Michael Keaton only played Batman in two movies (prior to 2023's ''The Flash''). Despite this fact, his performance is often considered to be one of the definitive on screen portrayals of Batman.

** The Pirate Republic of Nassau itself only existed for roughly 12 years.

** ''Punch-Out!!'' can also qualify as an out-of-universe example, with only three mainline consoles games; The NES game in 1987, ''Super Punch-Out!!'' on the SNES in 1994, and the 2009 [[RecycledTitle self-titled]] game that came out on the Wii. Yet, the series, particularly the NES game, is among the most iconic in all of gaming. Its protagonist, Little Mac, would not only make his way to the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series, but was a GuestFighter in the [=GameCube=] version of ''Fight Night Round 2'', a game that otherwise has a roster made up of real-life boxers.

* The ''Chrono'' games. Despite only consisting of three installments (''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', ''VisualNovel/RadicalDreamers'', and ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'') and spanning a grand total of four years from 1995 to 1999, ''Chrono Trigger'' is considered to possibly be the best [[EasternRPG JRPG]] on the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} (which is no small feat, considering that it shares a console with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV'', ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'', ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'', ''VideoGame/SecretOfMana'', and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''), as well as one of the greatest of all time. And while ''Chrono Cross'' status as a sequel to ''Chrono Trigger'' has caused some debate, it's still considered to be one of the best [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation PS1]] [=JRPGs=] alongside ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'', and ''VideoGame/SuikodenII''. However, barring rereleases of games in the series, the IP has been inactive since 1999 with no new installments, and this remains unlikely to change given Creator/SquareEnix's focus on ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' and ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''.

* John Cazale only acted in five films during his career before dying of lung cancer in 1978 at age 42. However, his work is some of the most enduring in Hollywood history: Those five films[[note]]''Film/TheConversation'', ''Film/DogDayAfternoon'', ''Film/TheDeerHunter'', and ''Film/TheGodfather'', Parts I and II[[/note]] were all nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and are all seminal classics of the "New Hollywood" era.

* Michael Keaton only played Batman in two movies (prior to the upcoming flash movie). Despite this fact, his performance is often considered to be one of the definitive on screen portrayals of Batman.

* The Wrestling/AttitudeEra is recognized officially as beginning on the ''Raw'' episode after ''[=WrestleMania=] XIV'' and ending at ''[=WrestleMania=] X-Seven'', and unofficially as beginning at the 1996 ''King Of The Ring'' (more specifically, Wrestling/SteveAustin's "Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!" promo) and ending no later than Survivor Series in 2001. Only a rough three-five year period, and yet it revolutionized how wrestling was seen in the '90s. The product was DarkerAndEdgier and broke into the mainstream for the first time since the heyday of Wrestling/HulkHogan in TheEighties, creating a time when everyone was a wrestling fan or at least knew about it in some way.

* {{Wrestling/Sable}}'s time on the top lasted a lot less than one would think. While she was around as a valet and on-screen character for a couple of years, her big push didn't come until 1998. Her first match was ''[=WrestleMania XIV=]'' and by the next year's event, she was already on her way out of the company. Yet she was popular enough to get WWE to resurrect its women's division, revive the Women's Championship and bring in more women wrestlers to feud with her. She sadly also popularised the idea of hiring a non-wrestler to be a MsFanservice and pushing her at the expense of actual trained wrestlers, which wouldn't fully level off until the 2010s.
* Wrestling/TheShield's initial run lasted two years before Wrestling/SethRollins's betrayal. Yet they were one of the most successful trios of all time, not only as a group, but also individually, and were ''THE'' major product outputted from NXT.
* Not counting his time in OVW, Wrestling/MuhammadHassan's career in WWE lasted from December 14, 2004, to July 24, 2005. Over a decade later, he still has a small but dedicated fanbase and pretty much every [=YouTube=] video that features him has countless comments with variations of the phrase "I want him to come back."
* [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior The Ultimate Warrior's]] original run in the WWF started in late 1987 and ended at Summer Slam 1991. In that short time his amazing physique and his unique style of promos catapulted him through the Intercontinental title and winning the WWF Heavyweight Title. At Wrestling/WrestleMania. Pinning Wrestling/HulkHogan. [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable Clean]].
* Wrestling/LukeHarper 's AEW run lasted just fourteen matches across seven months, from his debut in March to losing the TNT Championship in October, after which he was absent from the company until his death. In that short time he challenged for the World Championship, successfully captured the TNT Championship, and helped elevate The Dark Order into a credible heel faction after they had a rocky start. The influence of his AEW run continued even after his death, as the kindness and respect AEW showed to him and his family made waves in the industry. Notably, Wrestling/CMPunk cited the fact that AEW had been aware of his illness but not one word had leaked to the dirtsheets about it until his passing as the final deciding factor that [[ChangedMyMindKid convinced him]] that he should come out of 7 1/2 years of retirement to join the company that had treated Brodie so well.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'' is a cult classic at best, that lasted only 3 seasons and 46 episodes. However, three of the storyboard artists went on to [[WesternAnimation/AdventureTime create]] [[WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall three]] [[WesternAnimation/RegularShow shows]] that not only brought Cartoon Network out of its AudienceAlienatingEra, but also renewed interest in Western Animation in the 2010's. Also former Flapjack screenwriter and storyboard artist Creator/AlexHirsch, would go on to create ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''.

This trope is about something having left a noticeable impact on its genre, even though the work/artist was cut short. Short works that were great but have not influenced their genre a lot yet (ex: ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'') don't go here.

* The Hub was only around for 5 years before evolving into Creator/DiscoveryFamily, yet during its short lifespan single-handedly revolutionized modern childrechildren'ssion by broadcasting an eclectic mix of modern and classic TV shows and launching the Brony craze with the runaway success of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.

* UsefulNotes/AlCapone was only a UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} crime boss for seven years, and the undisputed boss of organized crime in Chicago for only two. He is still the RealLife inspiration for depictions of TheMafia and other organized crime entities in the United States. To this day, since 1932 after Capone went to prison and since his death in 1947, Chicago's government is still trying to [[NeverLiveItDown overcome the image]] of a ViceCity that Capone and his associates left behind.

* UsefulNotes/AlCapone was only a UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} crime boss for seven years, and the undisputed boss of organized crime in Chicago for only two. He is still the RealLife inspiration for depictions of TheMafia and other organized crime entities in the United States. To this day, more than 80 years after Capone went to prison and almost 70 years after his death, Chicago's government is still trying to [[NeverLiveItDown overcome the image]] of a ViceCity that Capone and his associates left behind.

* The Hub was only around for 5 years before evolving into Creator/DiscoveryFamily, yet during its short lifespan single-handedly revolutionized modern childrens' television by broadcasting an eclectic mix of modern and classic TV shows and launching the Brony craze with the runaway success of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.

** His early death is a discussed trope in the works of Creator/MarcUweKling, who likes to cultivate a persona of BrilliantButLazy and ultimately he ascribes Büchner's productivity to the fact that there were fewer distractions (social media, TV, etc.) back then - immediately afterwards he and [[ItMakesSenseInContext his friend the Cangaroo]] decide to watch another Bud Spencer movie.

* The ''Franchise/EvilDead'' film series is considered one of the big names of horror, despite consisting of only four movies (the original trilogy, made between 1981 and 1993, and [[Film/EvilDead2013 a controversial reboot from 2013]]), compared to other big horror franchises which often go well into the double digits.

[[caption-width-right:260:Died aged 32. Appeared in only five completed films[[note]]''Film/{{Marlowe}}'', ''Film/TheBigBoss'', ''Film/FistOfFury'', ''Film/WayOfTheDragon'', ''Film/EnterTheDragon''[[/note]] as an adult. A whole film ''genre'' wouldn't exist without him.]]

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' only lasted 26 episodes (which is only half of what most other mecha anime would get at the time), but is widely considered one of the greatest and most iconic anime series in existence. Its success after first airing actually saved the anime industry from the verge of bankruptcy (there had been several high profile box office failures beforehand), and it inspired a wave of more ambitious [[AnimeFirst original anime projects]] in the years to come. It's telling that people were treating the SuperRobotGenre like it [[GenreKiller had been deconstructed to death]] and creating [[GenreThrowback nostalgia-laden throwbacks]] to it like ''Anime/GaoGaiGar'' as little as a ''single year'' after ''Evangelion''.

* In a somewhat more twisted way, the UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi installments of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' series are this, only occupying [[VideoGame/HotelMario one]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames three games]] (respectively), each released in 1993-1994 and not being particularly well-remembered as actual games, but still carrying a tremendous legacy as fodder for YouTubePoop videos, with the bizarrely-animated and poorly-written cutscenes for these games becoming online cultural mainstays to this day.

* The ''Franchise/EvilDead'' film series is considered one of the big names of horror, despite consisting of only four movies ([[Film/TheEvilDead1981 the]] [[Film/EvilDead2 original]] [[Film/ArmyOfDarkness trilogy]], made between 1981 and 1993, and [[Film/EvilDead2013 a controversial reboot from 2013]]), compared to other big horror franchises which often go well into the double digits.

* The ''Franchise/EvilDead'' film series is considered one of the big names of horror, despite consisting of only four movies (the original trilogy, made between 1981 and 1993, and a controversial reboot from 2013), compared to other big horror franchises which often go well into the double digits.

->''"It's people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished. It is a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age,[[note]]37 at the time[[/note]] he had been dead for two years."''

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMarvelousMisadventuresOfFlapjack'' is a cult classic at best, that lasted only 3 seasons and 46 episodes. However, two of the storyboard artists went on to [[WesternAnimation/AdventureTime create]] [[WesternAnimation/RegularShow shows]] that not only brought Cartoon Network out of its AudienceAlienatingEra, but also renewed interest in Western Animation in the 2010's.

[[caption-width-right:260:Died aged 32. [[Film/{{Marlowe}} Appeared in]] [[Film/TheBigBoss only]] [[Film/FistOfFury five]] [[Film/WayOfTheDragon completed]] [[Film/EnterTheDragon films]] as an adult. And a whole film ''genre'' wouldn't exist without him.]]

!!Examples:

[[caption-width-right:260:Died aged 32. ppFilm/{{Marlowe}} Appeared in]] [[Film/TheBigBoss only]] [[Film/FistOfFury five]] [[Film/WayOfTheDragon completed]] [[Film/EnterTheDragon films]] as an adult. And a whole film ''genre'' wouldn't exist without him.]]

[[caption-width-right:260:Died aged 32. Appeared in only four completed films as an adult. And a whole film ''genre'' wouldn't exist without him.]]

* In a somewhat more twisted way, the UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi installments of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda'' series are this, only occupying [[VideoGame/HotelMario one]] and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames three games]] (respectively), each released in 1993-1994 and not being particularly well-remembered as actual games, but still carrying a tremendous legacy as fodder for WebAnimation/YouTubePoop videos, with the bizarrely-animated and poorly-written cutscenes for these games becoming online cultural mainstays to this day.

* ''WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld'' lasted 13 episodes before falling victim to NBC's Saturday morning lineup overhaul. Its status in WebAnimation/YouTubePoop form has become legendary.