History Main / SpoilerOpening

* In ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'', it takes several episodes before the titular military team is formed, and there is much angst on the protagonist's part as she wonders who she will be partnered with...which is all well and good, except for the part where three other girls are prominently depicted in the intro, even fighting alongside her in one scene. (The other characters aren't given half so much screentime.) The DVD cover also spoils this plot point, describing Ruby's teammates in detail and showing them in a suitably badass pose.

** Thankfully, this is less frequent as it was before now, possibly due to the complaints they've recieved. Many events nowadays either put the bonus content after the movie (such as Doctor Who and The Iron Giant), use clips that don't spoil much of the movie (such as TeamHotWheelsOriginOfAwesome, which used clips from the first 20 minutes, which were already available for free on YouTube), use no clips at all (Some examples include the 2015 showings of The Wizard of Oz and Film/{{Grease}}, which had introductions by TCM hosts. For example, the Wizard of Oz screening had a brief explanation of how the film found success when it was shown on TV, since it didn't do well in theaters when it first came out.) or interview the cast (such as One Direction: Where We Are and Dragon Ball Z: Ressurection F).

* The German version of Music/TheWho's ''Tommy'' has an opening narration that states "Tommy can not be dubbed!" in this exact words. The narrator then proceeds to give an overview of the films plot which means he gives away every plot twist until the very last moment of the film as if he was reading the synopsis off of Wikipedia. The narration also plays over the first two minutes of the film where Tommy's parents meet until the start of the war and cancels out any music. Then the movie proceeds with subtitles, making the inclusion of the narrator completely pointless.

** A lot of characters that don't show up until the second or third season are given a lot of prominence.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' somewhat subverted this in their two part special "100th episode". The title of the first part, "Stewie Kills Lois", spoils the plot point near the beginning where Stewie does just that. The conclusion's title, "Lois Kills Stewie", not only spoils Lois's return, but also the apparent resolution of the episode. But when that moment actually came, it was Peter who killed Stewie. Not that it matters anyway, since it was [[AllJustADream all just a simulation]].

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** The leaked theme song for ''World Tour'' also FINALLY settled the issue of [[BaseBreaker Ezekiel's]] participation in the season or not. He's in. For now.

[[InternalSubtrope A variation]] is where [[NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize vaguely famous]] names appear in the credits, so you can guess automatically that they're going to be fairly prominent in the episode before they even show up. In series with recurring characters that are not normally in the credits or a [[TheBusCameBack cameo from someone who left the show]] this can indicate their eventual presence in an episode ruining their unexpected entrance. This variant is often {{Enforced|Trope}} by the certain rules of Actor UsefulNotes/{{Unions|InHollywood}},[[note]]specifically, who can appear where in the credits[[/note]] [[http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/guide/098.html as noted by]] Creator/JMichaelStraczynski. DeadStarWalking can be either a straight-playing or an aversion of this subtrope, depending on how it's presented. Contrast NotNamedInOpeningCredits when the credits omit an actor's name and maintain the surprise.

An overlap with ForegoneConclusion at times happens. See also FirstEpisodeSpoiler, which can often fall prey to this; the only ways to avert those is to have a either a TitleOnlyOpening or a Bait-and-Switch for that first episode.

A series can get around this by shaping their opening credits to merely be foreshadowing, a new or edited differently opening at various points in the series, or have the opening have little to do with the actual plot.

A variation is where [[NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognize vaguely famous]] names appear in the credits, so you can guess automatically that they're going to be fairly prominent in the episode before they even show up. In series with recurring characters that are not normally in the credits or a [[TheBusCameBack cameo from someone who left the show]] this can indicate their eventual presence in an episode ruining their unexpected entrance.
An overlap with ForegoneConclusion at times happens. Contrast with BaitAndSwitchCredits. If you're spoiled for the first season when you look up the opening for the second, that's a LateArrivalSpoiler. May be averted with EvolvingCredits, where credits change with the story instead of revealing everything at once. DeadStarWalking can be either a subtrope of this or an aversion, depending on how it's presented. Contrast NotNamedInOpeningCredits when an actor's name is omitted from the opening credits to maintain a surprise. See also FirstEpisodeSpoiler, which can often fall prey to this. As a WordOfGod once [[http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/guide/098.html explained]], the American Screen Actors Guild has strict rules about where credits can appear, at least partially justifying this trope.

* The theme song for ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaAction'' features Courtney, who came back halfway through to the surprise of the castmates and (maybe) Chris. However, the flipbook itself had no intention of this ever being a spoiler.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' shows in its original intro that Captain America survived getting thrown into an icy sea, negating the attempts its debut episode made to make his fate seem ambiguous. It also shows Hank Pym becoming Giant-Man, an ability he doesn't demonstrate until his second appearance (chronologically speaking) Additionally, episodes set before the founding of the Avengers show eight members in the intro's TeamShot, revealing that Hawkeye won't remain an enemy of the heroes for long. The recaps attached to season two episodes also spoil the returns of certain antagonists by showing their previous appearances.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' shows in its original intro that yes, Captain America survived getting thrown into an icy sea. His debut episode tried to make it seem ambiguous. It also shows Hank Pym becoming Giant-Man, an ability he doesn't demonstrate until his second appearance (chronologically speaking) Additionally, episodes set before the founding of the Avengers show eight members in the intro's TeamShot, revealing that Hawkeye won't remain an enemy of the heroes for long. The recaps attached to season two episodes also spoil the returns of certain antagonists by showing their previous appearances.

* Many Shakespeare plays spoil the ending in the prologue, which was basically their point. The enjoyment of the story wasn't to be surprised by the outcome, but to see how it gets there. For example, ''Theater/RomeoAndJuliet'' states that Romeo and Juliet die. In fact, many plays are referred to as tragedies right on the title pages of printed editions, so you know that things turn out poorly before you've read a word.

* The first season of ''RedVsBlue'' had Tex appearing in the credits... along with ''her'' voice actor. There goes the plot twist that [[SamusIsAGirl Tex Is a Girl]]. Has since fallen into ItWasHisSled territory.

** During the making of featurette for ''Film/DeathNoteTheLastName'', key scenes from the film were shown and it was revealed that the film was a two-parter.
** When ''Film/RamboFirstBlood'' was shown in 2008, Sylvester Stalone showed the alternate ending of the first movie where Rambo died during the making-of documentary. The Rambo sequels were also mentioned in the preshow.

** Thankfully, this is less frequent as it was before now, possibly due to the complaints they've recieved. Many events nowadays either put the bonus content after the movie, use clips that don't spoil much of the movie (such as TeamHotWheelsOriginOfAwesome, which used clips from the first 20 minutes, which were already available for free on YouTube), use no clips at all (Some examples include the 2015 Wizard of Oz showings and Grease, which had introductions by TCM hosts. For example, the Wizard of Oz screening had a brief explanation of how the film found success when it was shown on TV, since it didn't do well in theaters when it first came out.) or interview the cast (such as the One Direction: Where We Are movie).

** Thankfully, this is less frequent as it was before now, possibly due to the complaints they've recieved. Many events nowadays either use clips that don't spoil much of the movie (such as TeamHotWheelsOriginOfAwesome, which used clips from the first 20 minutes, which were already available for free on YouTube), use no clips at all (Some examples include the 2015 Wizard of Oz showings and Grease, which had introductions by TCM hosts. For example, the Wizard of Oz screening had a brief explanation of how the film found success when it was shown on TV, since it didn't do well in theaters when it first came out.) or interview the cast (such as the One Direction: Where We Are movie).

* Films shown as Fathom Events often like to put in making of featurettes before the movie, which often contain clips or information that can blow certain plot details for people seeing the films for the first time. [[This video mentions the following three examples https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX5Jnd36iJw]]:

** Thankfully, this is less frequent as it was before now, possibly due to the complaints they've recieved. Many events nowadays either use clips that don't spoil much of the movie, use no clips at all, or interview the cast.

* Films shown as Fathom Events often like to put in making of featurettes before the movie, which often contain clips or information that can blow certain plot details for people seeing the films for the first time.

** When ''Film/RamboFirstBlood'' in 2008, Sylvester Stalone showed the alternate ending of the first movie where Rambo died during the making-of documentary.

* Fathom Events films often like to put in making of featurettes before the movie, which often contain clips or information that can blow certain plot details for people seeing the films for the first time.

** During their screening of ''Film/RamboFirstBlood'' in 2008, Sylvester Stalone showed the alternate ending of the first movie where Rambo died during the making of documentary.
** The 2009 hi-definition event of ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' spoiled many of the scenes from

[[folder:Fan fiction]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]
* ''Extremely common'' in American TV series produced in the 1970s and early 1980s, particularly crime and action-adventure series. Pre-credit sequences frequently consisted of [[{{Precap}} montages of scenes from the episode]], sometimes including surprisingly major spoilers.
* Creator/GerryAnderson occasionally did something similar to the above with the opening credits of his series, including ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'', ''Series/{{Space1999}}'' and ''Series/SpacePrecinct''. Though these montages tended to consist of TechnologyPorn, action shots and StuffBlowingUp with little or no context, so they didn't actually give away much of the plot.
* ''Series/MissionImpossible''. The old tv series' opening credits has a montage of basically every major plot point for the episode. Of course, the viewer has no idea what any of it means at that point.
** [[Film/MissionImpossible The films]] also do this (though only in the fourth the succession isn't fast enough for viewers to discern the images).
* ''Series/TheWire'' had some AMAZING opening credits sequences (due mostly in part to the various renditions of "Way Down in the Hole" over some really jarring montages) that occasionally would drop scenes that you're looking for the entire season (if you watched it all on DVD). While you can't tell it's Stringer's hand unzipping D'Angelo's baby mama in the credits it did seem a little weird when it finally happened.
* ''Series/{{Space 1999}}'' ruins the quite serviceable level of tension built up in the first episode because the credit sequence declares that [[SpaceDoesNotWorkThatWay the Moon is going to be blown completely out of the Solar System]].
** That said, it's hard not to spoil something that is ''[[FirstEpisodeSpoiler the whole premise of the series]]''.
* ''Series/{{Community}}'' has a spoiler ending in the penultimate episode of the second season, when the Dean of a rival school is listed in the credits. He is disguised as an ice cream mascot and masterminding the entire situation.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' / ''Series/{{Angel}}''
** ''Buffy'' was very egregious with this. Angel's actor Creator/DavidBoreanaz was listed in the first episode of season three, despite being sent to a hell dimension at the end of the previous season. Actors whose appearance on the show should be a twist (Oz when he had left, Buffy's mom after she died, and so on) would almost always be mentioned up front.
** The opening credits of the two-hour ''Buffy'' premiere didn't include Xander's friend Jesse, so it pretty obvious that he wasn't going to survive. Creator/JossWhedon had wanted to include him but they couldn't afford to make two different opening titles so this was nixed but he always claimed he wanted to do it. As a consequence, when Tara was added to the credits near the end of Season 6, that made her departure an easy guess for those who knew about the Jesse thing.
** ''Angel'' averts this with its season two finale. It guest stars Creator/AlysonHannigan as Willow, who shows up at the Angel Investigations office to inform Angel that Buffy has died. Since she only gets one line of dialogue, she was relegated to end-credits status. The same trick was used for Creator/AnthonyStewartHead as Giles in the ''Buffy'' season 6 two-part finale.
** The 3rd season opening of ''Buffy'' shows Faith before she even makes her first appearance. Averted in season 1, it doesn't hint that Angel is a vampire.
** The opening credits for the first episode of ''Angel'' Season 5 feature Creator/JamesMarsters, so you're kind of not surprised when Spike "unexpectedly" comes back from the dead at the end of the episode.
* In the first episode of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' aired, the crew (consisting of everyone in the credits) has already been assembled. However, the unaired pilot shows how three of the crew came to join. On the DVD order, the pilot comes first, but uses the credits created for the season as aired. This renders a huge plot point of the episode - finding out which of three passengers is an enemy spy - completely redundant, as two of them are listed in the opening credits. The credits also clearly show [[GirlInABox River In A Box]], which is intended to be a major twist.
* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' did this big time in Season 7. During the previous season, Paget Brewster's character was written off by apparently killing her and eventually revealing that she was in Europe under witness protection, heavily implying that her character was never coming back. Well, guess whose name and face were prominently featured in the opening of the first episode in Season 7?
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' did this in the fourth season, with its second episode being advertised as one where "[[TonightSomeoneDies a crew member leaves forever]], and you'll never guess which one." Except that the opening credits for the first episode no longer showed "Jennifer Lien as Kes," replacing it with "Jeri Ryan as Seven Of Nine."
** ''Voyager'' also did this in the second season premiere, involving an episode where the dramatic tension and "big reveal" of the episode revolved around the crew of the eponymous ship discovering Amelia Earhart and other humans abducted from the 1930s on an alien planet. Too bad the big reveal was ''really'' revealed in the opening credits by listing the critical "surprise" role.
* The Season 8 opening to ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' spoiled the return of Pearl Forrester (at the end of the first episode) and the "chase across the galaxy" storyline (several episodes in). This is probably because season 8 was really the only season to have a ''plot'', at the insistence of [[ExecutiveMeddling Sci-Fi Channel execs]]. It should also be noted that, when the episode originally aired, it didn't have that opening. It showed Mike and certain Bots returning from the edge of the universe and that was it.
** It should also be noted that anybody who feels upset that the plot of ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' has been spoiled is probably missing the point.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
** The third season showed Starfuries fighting Starfuries, which signified a major change in alliances (and wouldn't happen until half way through the season).
** Another B5 example, this an aversion that didn't stay averted: at the end of the second episode of season 2, a character who hadn't been seen yet that season was revealed to have [[GoodHairEvilHair a whole new look]]. In the original run, the first two episodes' credit sequences showed her as she ''had'' looked previously, and all later episodes showed her as she now looked. Unfortunately, in subsequent runs and the [=DVDs=], the later credit sequence was used for the first two episodes, blowing the surprise completely.
** Yet another spoiling intro is in the fourth season: G'Kar saying that it was the year "we took back what was ours." Maybe it's tradition.
** Also, when Anna Sheridan turned out to be NotQuiteDead, the guest star credits at the beginning listed "Melissa Gilbert as Anna". Leaving off the surname might have worked, as Anna Sheridan had previously been played by a different actress, if Gilbert weren't Bruce Boxleitner's [[RealLifeRelative real-life wife]].
** A more obvious example of this trope is the guest star credit "Julie Caitlin Brown as Na'Toth", when ''she'' turned out to be NotQuiteDead as well. Unfortunately, they couldn't pull the same trick again as Na'Toth had OnlyOneName.
* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' has a "previously on" bit before each show, which allows you to infer exactly what situations will be present during the episode due to what they choose to show you during the opening scrawl. The scenes shown could be from many, many episodes ago, relating to events that have not been referenced since, making it obvious that the story arc would be continued in the following episode.
** Each episode's title sequence ends with a montage of scenes from the current episode, wilfully courting this trope. WordOfGod is that the montages were introduced in homage to ''Series/{{Space 1999}}'', which did the same.
*** Given the way the montage is edited this often counts as BaitAndSwitchCredits
** BSG has a weird habit of showing clips in the 'Previously on' that never actually happened, either things that were edited out of previous episodes or scenes featuring guest stars where this was their first episode.
*** Except not really once the miniseries and webisodes are taken into account. Anyone who started with Season 1 would be very confused about half the interactions, unless they had seen the miniseries-that-really-isn't-anymore
** BSG specifically avoids this in the Season 3 finale "Crossroads, Part II" - Katee Sackhoff does not appear in the opening credits, but is credited at the end of the episode, after Starbuck returns from the dead.
*** They do the same thing in the season 4.5 premiere with Kate Vernon as Ellen Tigh.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
** The series carefully avoided this several times. The first episode opening is slightly modified, so as to avoid showing you the wormhole (which won't be introduced until half way through the episode). The first episode of the third season actually uses the second season opening, since the third season opening contains the Defiant, which is introduced in that episode.
** In the episode "Heart of Stone", the Female Changeling posed as Major Kira in an attempt to persuade Odo back to the Great Link. In order not to spoil the ending, the actress agreed to be listed in the ending credits, instead of the opening guest star credits.
** Nicely averted by the episode "Duet", in which the actor playing Marritza is listed, as Marritza, immediately after Odo identifies him by name. Actually a DoubleSubversion: for most of the episode, we are led to believe that the character's ''real'' identity is Gul Darhe'el, and if this were true, the credits would be deliberately misleading; however, it's revealed that his ''real'' real identity is Marritza after all.
* ''Series/TheLegendOfWilliamTell'' The opening credits spoil Drogo's appearance - he doesn't show up until the second episode, and even then he doesn't join them until the very end. Also, Seth, one of the group who breaks out of the mine with Will, isn't in the credits at all, so no one's surprised when he [[HeroicSacrifice dies saving Aruna.]] In a more minor example, it also shows Vara laughing and happy with the team, proving that she eventually comes to like them.
* In one episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' we see Kal Penn's name at the end of the credits. when he appears in the background of a later scene [[NarrowedItDownToTheGuyIRecognise you already know that he'll be pretty important.]]
* Same thing happened in an episode of ''Series/CSIMiami'' featuring Ed Furlong.
* The opening used in the ''Series/StargateSG1'' pilot "Children of the Gods" was recycled from the movie and didn't show any scenes from the series itself. Which would be a good idea if they also left Christopher Judge's name out to avoid spoiling Teal'c's defection. That is, for those who recognize Christopher Judge as Teal'c.
** Also a major spoiler in the pilot is the fact that Kawalsky, a member of the SG-1 team who was also a main character in the film, isn't credited as a regular in the series. He winds up possessed by the end of it and the main drama of the following episode is whether the team can save him, but given he's only a guest star it was pretty clear that they would fail. Sure enough, by the end of the second episode he's been killed off.
** In one episode while Daniel was dead and Ascended, Michael Shanks appeared in the beginning credits as a guest star. However, it turned out that he was playing his ''other'' character, the Asgard Thor. Another episode had Thor make a surprise appearance in the end, for this scene, Shanks was put in the ending credits.
*** Similarly, after Daniel Descended at the end of that season, the opening credits for the following season included Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson, but not Corin Nemec as Jonas Quinn. It was not supposed to be revealed until the end of the second or third episode of the season that Jonas would leave SG-1, and events also threw into questions whether or not Daniel would actually stay. Not that the audience really questioned that. StatusQuoIsGod
** Like the above example, the first episode of season nine includes Mitchell, Daniel, Sam, Teal'c and Landry, even though it was (supposed to be) uncertain whether or not Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c would actually come back to SG-1, while Vala was being played as a returning character. The latter was a "special guest star" until about a quarter of the way through the season, and also made opening credits the next year. However, Sam didn't return until several episodes into the ninth season.
** ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' did not have a title sequence for its pilot, which would have revealed the plot. Season Two averted this trope by not having a title sequence at all for the first several episodes in, by which time we had discovered who was MIA and who was joining the cast. Too bad they forgot this for the state of Season Five.
** Also, there's an easy-to-miss one early in the fourth season of Series/StargateAtlantis. The show reverts to using the previous season's opening sequence (or the credits in it, at least), including Dr. Carson Beckett, who died around the end of the third season. His name is only in the opening credits for one episode, though, so you can chalk it up to a mistake... [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife unless you've previously read about]] the "Oh, Michael's got a clone to replace the dead original" thing that's going to happen.
*** In the fourth season, however, there's one that's very difficult to miss. The third season ended with Elizabeth Weir being injured. In the fourth season opener, Torri Higgenson, who plays Weir, was left out of the credits, as was Paul [=MacGillion=] as Beckett, who had died partway through the third season but been left in until the end. Higgenson was replaced by Amanda Tapping as Sam Carter.
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' has done this several times: someone gets shot and is left for dead, yet remains in the credits. Oh, I wonder if they'll survive!
** For example, in Season 6 Desmond's actor, Henry Ian Cusick is in the credits all season, long before his eventual "surprise" appearance. Although considering the fact that the creators pretty much told everyone before the season started that the actor would be returning, this may have been their way of keeping the surprise of WHEN they were returning rather than THAT they were returning.
** Though it should be noted that ''Lost'' subverted this trope more often than playing it straight. An actor still appearing in the credits of this non-linear show doesn't necessarily mean they're still alive:
*** Boone is the first main character to die, yet Ian Somerhalder remains in the credits for three more episodes until the end of the season, appearing as Boone's corpse and in flashbacks.
*** After Shannon is shot, Maggie Grace remains in the credits for two more episodes, appearing as her corpse.
*** When Ana Lucia and Libby get shot, both Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros remain in credits for three more episodes until the end of the season, appearing as corpses, hallucinations and in flashbacks.
*** After Eko is killed, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje remains in credits for one more episode as his corpse.
*** Notably, after Charlie's very prominent and very emotional death Dominic Monaghan stays in credits all the way through the premiere of the next season. He is still dead and only appears as a ghost though.
*** Similarly, while Juliet appear in absolutely no position to survive the end of Season 5 (she manually detonates a freaking ''hydrogen bomb''), Elizabeth Mitchell still appears in the credits of the Season 6 premiere, though as a guest star instead of a regular. Turns out Juliet's wounds were lethal after all and she finally passes away after saying the FinalWords.
*** Following Daniel Faraday's death Jeremy Davies remains in the credits for the remainder of the season, again as his character's corpse.
*** Thanks to non-linear story-telling, viewers saw John Locke's corpse way before the character had the chance to actually meet his demise. Either way, Terry O'Quinn remained in the main cast and was seemingly resurrected... only to slam the viewers with a twist and reveal that he was dead all along, his likeness used by the shape-shifting Man in Black. For almost two season straight, O'Quinn primarily portrayed the MIB, only showing up as Locke in Flashbacks, FlashSideways and as a corpse.
*** Finally, in Season 6 Naveen Andrews, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim and Zuleikha Robinson all remain in the credits until the end of the series even after their characters are killed, keeping them for the "parallel world" FlashSideways storyline.
* ''Series/KamenRiderFaiz'' clearly shows the main good guy cast in the opening... but with AnyoneCanDie in full effect, this doesn't help much.
** ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' averts this trope by masking over the eyes of a number of people would would be suspected to be Kamen Riders, if not for the fact that they don't even ''appear'' in the show.
*** It's [[Series/KamenRiderDragonKnight American counterpart]], however, plays it half way. While it spoils all the riders (save for Eubulon/Alternate), it does not spoil the men [[SmurfettePrinciple and woman]] behind the masks.
** Recent ''Kamen Rider''s love spoiling the movie(if it's currently airing in theatres) in their openings
** ''Series/KamenRiderKuuga'' was especially bad at this. Pretty much everything appeared in the title sequence 4-5 episodes before its debut in the show.
** ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' showed all the members of the Kamen Rider Club in the opening since the first episode. Since it's on this trope's page, you can guess that they weren't part of the club when the first episode started. In fact, it takes 10 episodes for all the members to join. (12 if you don't count Kengo joining until he becomes Gentaro's friend).
** ''Series/KamenRiderGaim'' did it too. The riders and Arms had a DebutQueue in the show, and things spoiled in the title sequence include Baron, Ryugen, Zangetsu and Suika Arms.
* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' sometimes have a habit of putting the SixthRanger in the opening credits before he is recruited. This doesn't make much of a difference, though, since the new Rangers' identities are usually pretty damn obvious anyway (due to [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience colours]] and other reasons).
** The first episode of ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace'' averted this by hiding the identity of the new villain of the season, Astronema, by putting the previous season's villain, Divatox, in her spot in the credits. Divatox did appear in this episode, but only made cameos in subsequent ones. Andros was also absent from the first episode opening credits.
** ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' avoided Spoiler Openings by introducing them later, for example series 3 opening from part THREE of Ninja Quest, Alien Rangers from part TWO and things like that.
** ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' both averted it and played it straight. While the first opening doesn't quite spoil the facts that Ziggy will become a Ranger and [[SamusIsAGirl Dr. K is a teenage girl]] (a very brilliant one, yes, but still a teenage girl), it does spoil Dillon becoming Ranger Black (then again it didn't happen until episode 2). Then, later, it spoils Gem and Gemma being the Gold and Silver Rangers.
** In an odd case, when the opening of ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'' was [[EvolvingCredits Mike,]] it also showed scenes of the Centaurus and Stratoforce Megazords (not seen for another 3 episodes), the Red Capsular Cycle (not seen for another ten episodes), and, most egregiously, Leo's Battlizer, which would not make its debut for approximately ''twenty'' episodes.
** A minor example: ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'': the first episode had the theme song but not the opening credits. Unless you were a (most likely adult) fan who was following the news about it (or the very likely scenario, for Japanese children, watching Go-onger's last few episodes), this preserved the surprise of who would become the non-Red Shinkenger (The theme song was playing after Shinken Red had already henshined).
** When the opening for ''Series/ZyudenSentaiKyoryuger'' was updated, it contained everything missing from the pre-movie version...including Daigo's Super Mode, which debuted in the very episode the new opening premiered. Also, the new villain, Endolf, wasn't in the opening. Come episode 29, he gets PutOnABus.
* The OpeningNarration of season 6 of ''Series/RobotWars'' sometimes ended up with this as it was played over clips from the upcoming episode and essentially gavea away who'd end up fighting who after round one (probably the worst example of a spoiler in this sequence was asking the question "Will Thermador end up in the pit?" over footage of Thirmador driving into the pit!).
* Second-season ''Series/TwentyFour'' episodes featuring the returns of Sherry Palmer and Nina Myers featured the actors' names in the opening credits. By the end of the season, they began leaving out returning actors' credits until the reveal.
** They did, however, spoil a surprise again in the opening credits of the season 5 premiere. At the end of season 4, Tony Almeida and Michelle Dessler left CTU together to settle down and start a new life, yet in the first episode of the new season, Carlos Bernard is listed with the regulars and Reiko Aylesworth is listed as a guest star. By the end of the episode, Michelle is dead.
** In season two, Sherry Palmer left during the 14th episode and was missing from the series for several episodes. She returned in episode 21 in a surprise cliffhanger at the end of the episode. However, her actress was listed in the opening credits, so you knew that Sherry was going to be showing up sometime in the episode.
** "Live Another Day" may contain the most egregious example yet: In the 10th hour, [[spoiler: Cheng Zhi's actor Tzi Ma]] is credited. Guess who turns out to be the BigBad of the whole season in a surprise twist?
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': The episode that Rebel's identity is revealed, cast member Noah Gray-Cabey is listed in the opening credits. Long-time fans would recognize that he played Micah Sanders and would then feel free to have a good guess at who Rebel is judging by the ways he has been helping and communicating with the other characters even before he actually appears in the episode.
* The opening of the first episode of ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' avoids doing this by removing the exposition of the plot provided in every other episode.
** The revised opening for Season 3 did spoil that Aeryn wasn't dead by featuring her prominently in the opening sequence despite theoretically dying the previous season. However, Stark didn't start to appear in the opening until after he had returned.
* The opening credits of the first series of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' include a brief clip of Doyle's death. But it's not really obvious that's happening until you've already seen the episode.
** Angel also subverts this in the episode after Doyle's death by keeping the credits the same. Wesley would not be added to the credits until the following episode.
** ''Series/{{Angel}}'' averts this a little later with the appearance of Julie Benz as Darla in the Season 1 finale. The actress was not credited at the beginning; instead, she's listed as a "Special Guest Star" at the end of the episode. Listing her at the beginning would have tipped off everyone, and it was a great surprise.
** And then in the season 5 opener, the opening credits not only conspicuously lack Cordelia and Connor, but proudly boast James Marsters as Spike, including him in virtually every clip of the opening, even though at that moment he's still officially "dead" from the ''Buffy'' finale, and he doesn't show up until the last minute of the season premiere.
* Averted in the UK version of ''Series/WhoWantsToBeASuperhero'', where for episode one (which shows the auditions for the show) the silhouettes of the chosen thirteen are seen with question marks.
* Averted (sort of) in ''Series/HomeAndAway'' where Noah is still credited despite the fact Sarah Lewis shot him dead in the previous episode. This was to hide the identity of who had been shot and only reveal it in the episode. That and Noah does appear in that episode (though it's his ghost and only Hayley can see/speak to him) and the next one. It isn't until after then the credits are altered.
* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' averted this fantastically. All the publicity material showed Indira Varma's character to be part of the gang, and she is quite a well-known actor, so everybody was very surprised when she died at the end of the first episode.
** Averted for new viewers in a later episode were a alien who implanted himself into the cast's memories, is included in the opening along with the rest of the cast.
* ''Series/{{Spooks}}'' averted the trope in much the same way, by having Rupert Penry-Jones appear in all the publicity for Season 7, including doing extensive interviews, appearing in first place in the titles, in group shots etc. His character was killed off in Episode One, and it was a HELL of a shock.
** And yet despite displaying awareness of this, the ''[[WhatAnIdiot very next season]]'' released a publicity photo of all of the characters at their desks. Or rather [[TheBusCameBack Ruth]], [[ReplacementScrappy Tariq]] but no [[KilledOffForReal Jo]] or [[PutOnABus Malcolm]].
* At the end of Season 3 of ''Series/{{House}}'', all three of his fellows have either been fired or quit. It's rather hard to believe that they are permanently gone, however, when the opening credits for the first episode of Season 4 not only still lists all three actors, but also still ends with an iconic scene of the fellows walking with House. However, the show then turns this trope on its head by continuing to keep the exact same opening for the next two seasons, without adding the new fellows to the opening credits (even after they are permanently hired and are in roles that would merit opening credits in most shows), and despite Chase and Cameron having fairly small roles all through Seasons 4 and 5.
** A notable aversion occurs in the season 4 episode when House tries to guess who Wilson's new girlfriend is. In the closing moments of the episode, House secretly follows Wilson to his date and refuses to move until she shows. Surprise surprise, it's a very unlikely recurring character from the beginning of the season (Cutthroat Bitch, played by Anne Dudek). In all other episodes Dudek's name is listed after the opening credits, but that would've been a spoiler in this case so she's listed first in the closing credits.
*** Amber's later appearances as a hallucination (season 5) weren't spoiled; Dudek was only credited at the beginning of the episode in the middle of that story arc, not at the beginning nor for her surprise ''re''-appearance at the very end.
** Averted in Season 5, where Kutner's hallucinatory return would have been spoiled if they'd "bothered" removing Kal Penn's name from the credits when he left early in the season and Kutner died.
* Averted in the second season of ''Series/VeronicaMars'', where Duncan's brief cameo in the season finale, where it's revealed that he ordered the execution of Aaron Echolls, was a surprise largely because he hadn't been removed from the opening credits after he was written out. As if to make up for this, in the third season finale the reveal that Jake Kane is the head of The Castle (Neptune's secret society) is undercut by having Kyle Secor listed as a Special Guest Star at the start of the episode.
* ''Series/RedDwarf'', debatably. Series VII's opening credits feature alternate Kochanski. However, as she was being played by [[TheOtherDarrin a different actress]], she wasn't immediately recognisable.
* The opening monologue in the latter episodes of series 6 of ''Series/{{Shameless}}'' shows the dramatic season-ending Mandy-killing explosion, which somewhat undercuts the suspense of the final episode when Mandy is desperately trying to stop Maureen from lighting a match to blow up her house.
* Another British example from ''Series/{{Misfits}}'' - the opening episode features six teenagers starting their community service on the same day. All of the promotion materials and the opening credits feature five of those teenagers. Guess who gets hacked to pieces with an axe 20 minutes into the first episode! Also potentially with Nathan's 'superpower' - the first few episodes haven't shown his power, and his curiousity over what ability he'll get is a running subplot. Except that the opening credits show animations of everyone's power, including his.
** With regard to Nathan's power, the image in the opening credits actually constitutes an aversion of this trope. The title sequence depicts what looks like a wolf shadowing him, which indicates some form of lycanthropy as his power. However, it turns out that Nathan is ''not'' a werewolf; he is in fact immortal. The wolf-like creature in the opening sequence is likely a reference to his step-father's condition, or perhaps a symbol of death (a black dog, possibly) and the fact that its claw misses him is indicative of his immortality. Admittedly the image is somewhat ambiguous, but it was probably ''intended'' to confuse the audience rather than provide them with blatant spoilers.
* In Season 1 of ''Series/TheAmazingRace'', the opening titles showed actual locations teams would be going to and tasks they would be doing, making it quite easy to work out whether certain teams were going to make it through to the next leg of the race. Seasons 14 and 15 are the only others to show shots from the season during the credits, and they were only ever shots from the current or previous episodes.
* In the "Then" part of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', before the episode, when they recap the events up until that point, they usually focus on important plot points to that specific episode.
* ''Series/{{Beastmaster}}'''s opening credits specifically refer to the main character, Dar, as LastOfHisKind, despite the fact that his girlfriend was from the same tribe. He doesn't become last of his tribe until the first season finale, when said girlfriend gets KilledOffForReal.
* Each episode of ''Series/CupcakeWars'' has a customized opening explaining the day's theme, including a shot of the two finished cupcake displays.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' spoils the introduction of two of their main characters: The opening credits for the very first episode features Sasha Alexander, spoiling the surprise of her joining at the end of the episode (it could count as a Late Arrival Spoiler, but it wasn't when the episode first aired), while the opening credits for the fourth episode of season three show Cote de Pablo, before her character is reintroduced and made a part of the team.
* The season 2 opening of ''Series/PrisonBreak'' changes the opening credits such that it's fairly obvious which characters won't be returning.
* ''Series/{{Andromeda}}'': Things don't reach status quo until after ''two'' episodes, so nearly every major event there is foreseeable (since everything is quite different at the outset). This includes TheHero being thrust into TheFuture (that is, even ''farther'' into it); his ultimately becoming TheCaptain to a group who spend most of those two episodes fighting him; the additional joining-on of an {{Ubermensch}} BountyHunter; and the {{Cloudcuckoolander}} [[UnexplainedRecovery getting better]] after taking an [[InstantDeathBullet InstantDeathLaserBlast]]. The only non-foreseeable major event occurs very near the beginning — a betrayal by a FalseFriend.
* The old series of ''Series/DoctorWho'' tended to have issues with spoiler ''closings'' in serials featuring the Master in disguise - if they credited Anthony Ainley, people would immediately know which character was secretly the Master. As a result, they took to using bizarre pseudonyms like 'Neil Toynay', which apparently caused some trouble and confusion elsewhere in the BBC. They also, in a slight variation, deliberately wrote a scene for Matthew Waterhouse into the serial immediately following ''Earthshock'' so that they'd be able to credit him once more, masking Adric's death.
** There was also the slight SpoilerOpening for [[TheNthDoctor the third Doctor's]] [[DoctorWhoS7E1SpearheadFromSpace first episode]], where they went to great lengths to keep Jon Pertwee's face hidden through most of the episode to make the Doctor's new appearance a surprise... despite the fact that Jon Pertwee's face just so happened to be the very first thing shown in the opening credits of the same episode.
** The same thing happened for the Fourth Doctor in "Robot". He regenerates in the first minute of the episode, but nevertheless the first shot we see of his face is in the opening titles, wearing the outfit that he has a CostumeTestMontage and funny ShowingOffTheNewBody gag before we should get to see it.
** One new series episode had a carefully-obscured monster who never speaks in a recognisable voice, and all the clips featuring it are shot from its point of view to obscure its appearance until the time the Doctor first sees it. It's referred to by the ambiguous name "Metaltron" and there's even a careful RedHerring about its nature early on when the Doctor spots a Cyberman head in a glass cabinet (Cybermen being made out of metal). Unfortunately, the title of the episode, shown in massive text at the opening, is "Dalek", which leads to the viewer sitting around waiting for the Dalek to show up.
*** The classic series was prone to something similar, as it sometimes ruined the cliffhanger at the end of part one. The shock revelations of the featured villains in, for example, ''The Evil of the Daleks'' and ''The Sontaran Experiment'' were't exactly shocks.
* During the ''Series/SchlossEinstein'' title song, short video clips of the major kid characters are played. (The title sequence is the same for all the episodes of a given series.) Sometimes, who is in the title sequence spoils the resolution of a plot line. For instance:
** At the beginning of Season 14, we know that Ronja will return to Schloss Einstein because she appears in the title sequence.
** Max originally isn't supposed to go to Schloss Einstein in Season 11 – he's just there with the rest of his family, who are dropping off his two sisters there before leaving to spend a year in China. He soon convinces his parents to let him stay and become a student there.
** This phenomenon was avoided in the earlier seasons because there were so many major characters who just didn't appear in the title sequence. Nothing but [[GenreSavvy Genre Savviness]] tells us that Joanna doesn't go home after her first few days at Schloss Einstein in Season 6.
* The Season 3 opening ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' shows Myka and lists Joanne Kelley in the credits sequence while listing Aaron Ashmore as a guest star. It pretty much guarantees Myka's not gone permanently, and Steve is not going to last.
** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], as Myka returns as expected, but Steve still sticks around with the main cast until the end of the series, despite logically speaking, his role as Myka's replacement had been made redundant as well as his constant status as a guest star.
* Series/{{Chuck}} season 2 episode 2, mentions that it's going to guest star Matt Bomer, who shows up at the end of the episode as a massive surprise! Unless you paid attention to the opening credits.
** Even more egregiously, and once again involving Matthew Bomer, was his being listed as a guest star in the opening of the first season episode "Chuck Versus the Imported Hard Salami." At a time when Bryce Larkin is still believed to be dead, spoiling TheReveal that the container Fulcrum was attempting to smuggle in contained the very much alive Larkin.
*** FridgeBrilliance: At the time, Bryce had already appeared in another episode after his "death," in the pilot albeit ''only in a flashback''. After being credited in this episode as well viewers would likely assume that it would merely be another flashback with him, instead leading to the reveal where he turns out to actually be alive.
* The title sequence for ''Series/MythQuest'' contains expository information about Gorgos, the antagonist, that wouldn't be revealed until the fifth episode. It makes watching those first few episodes somewhat painful.
* In the Season 1 opening of ''Series/{{Oz}}'' is a shot of someone wearing the mask and restraints of a prisoner about to be executed. Though his face is hidden, we can clearly see a "MOM" tattoo on his hand.
* Season one of ''Series/TheOuterLimits'' frequently had previews of the episode before the opening sequence. These previews often gave away important plot points or the appearance of monsters that the actual episode slowly built up revealing.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' opens every episode with an Emmy-winning, CGI-animated sequence showing a map of Westeros, zooming in on certain cities and towns. The cities shown are major settings for the episode to come and change periodically as new locations are introduced in the story arc. Often, however, the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar location in the opening credits - or the disappearance of a familiar one - has served to telegraph major changes in setting occurring in the episode.
* The opening credits in the third season of ''Series/OnceUponATime'' both plays straight and subvert this with two characters. At the middle of the season [[spoiler: Rumplestilskin]] dies in a heroic sacrifice but the actor's name still appears in the credits of later episodes. Thus his come back wasn't a big surprise. Then [[spoiler: Neal/Baefire]] dies, the actor's name still appears in the credits... but the character only appears later in two flashbacks.
* An episode of ''Series/LawAndOrder'' reveals Ned Beatty as a guest star. When he shows up as the trial judge for the case of the week, you already know that his character is going to have significance to the plot beyond sitting on the bench and ruling on a few objections.
* The credits for the second-to-last episode of ''Series/BreakingBad'', Granite State, reveal the return of [[spoiler: Gretchen and Elliot, the latter of whom had not been seen since season one.]]
** Similarly, Felina's credits inform viewers that [[spoiler: Badger and Skinny Pete will be appearing one last time.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]
* The ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' opening, which spoils such events as the Epoch getting its wings. It also shows 1999AD's world erupting and being split apart and Lavos appearing.
* The opening of ''[[VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar Lunar: Silver Star Story]]'' for PlayStation give some spoilers, like Alex turning into a Dragon Master, Nail transformation into a White Dragon and the only party members that will stay with you until the end of the game.
** The opening for the original ''VideoGame/LunarTheSilverStar'' for SegaCD also heavily implies that Ghaleon is the main big bad.
* The opening to ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' is littered with spoilers, most notably Asch looking exactly like Luke, Luke fighting Asch, Luke having cut his hair (which is very symbolic in Japanese media), Luke and Natalia being surrounded by soldiers (from the land which Natalia is princess of) and the appearance of the final dungeon, among other things.
** Not to mention the theme song ''itself'', which pretty much lays out the relationship between Luke and Asch throughout the entire game, right through the epilogue. Well, it's pretty moot if you don't know Japanese, and the English version took out the lyrics...
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' did the same thing, wait, is that assassin in a set of shots containing various party members?
*** Looking at the opening, you also couldn't tell that Regal does a HeelFaceTurn, either.
*** And why is Lloyd reaching for his sword in apparent opposition to Kratos?
*** Basically, every scene depicted in the opening actually happens at some point in the game; but without context to put it in, you can't tell what it's about. (Such as Sheena preparing to activate the Mana Cannon.)
*** The first shot of the opening fades in the image of a blond person in white. It's debateable wether this is [[TheChosenOne Colette]] or [[BigBad Yggdrasill/Mithos]] as they look pretty similar.
**** Pretty sure it's the latter. If only because of the hair.
*** If you just so happen to be watching the Anime of the game, without playing it, don't worry the openning will helpfully inform you of all the major characters. Not that the show itself is very subtle but still...
** It's a series thing. ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'''s PSX opening featured Fujibayashi Suzu prominently - she was a minor character in the [=Super FamiCom=] incarnation of the game, but had been upgraded to a semi-secret playable.
** And in the opening for ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'' why do we see, among other things, Chloe stabbing Senel?
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth'' mostly avoids this, since the opening only shows a) Minor spoilers (Shaorune), or b) Scenes that don't happen in the game (Annie attacking Eugene and Mao blocking it). An exception would be Agarte being listed as one of the good guys, something she doesn't become until 3/4 into the game.
** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' if you're at the very beginning of the game during the childhood prologue, the opening contains some major spoilers of what happens after the prologue.
** Happens again in ''VideoGAme/TalesOfXillia. You get to see Gaius hanging out with the chimeriad... and then the main character (whichever one you pick) fighting Gaius in the rain. It also shows several shots of the characters in a snowy modern city, an end-game location.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' on the DS has an opening cinematic that show off many of the elements that would appear later in the game, such as the airship and the exterior of the final dungeon. By the looks of it, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV IV]] will follow suit. Though, in their defense, the originals had been released, what, seventeen years previously?
** In a similar vein, ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' had an FMV cinematic on the PS PortingDisaster that showed off most of the characters, although it didn't exactly spoil their role in the game. But it did contain some key elements, such as the coin toss between Edgar and Sabin.
*** This example also some what spoils a major plot twist due to what it doesn't show. Emperor Gestahl is the big bad for half the game before being replaced by Kefka yet he does not get a single appearance in the trailer while Kefka appears in every third scene.
** Both the PS port and DS remake of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' spoil Cecil becoming a paladin and adult Rydia, and the PS version also spoils Palom and Porom petrifying themselves.
* ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos''... well, let us put it this way. If you wish to enjoy the actual plot, hit Start the instant the opening begins.
* The opening to ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' spoils a few things if you're paying close attention. Most glaringly, it shows the texts "Remember you are mortal" and "Memento Mori." Granted, it doesn't make sense in context. It's only after you beat the game that you realize it flat out told you the main character would bite it before you ever started playing.
** The opening to ''Persona 3 FES'', however, spoils the death of the main character in a subtle-yet-not-so-subtle way. Mainly by showing scenes from The Answer, where Aigis is the main character.
*** FES has a minor MusicalSpoiler in it's opening as well, [[BilingualBonus if you can speak Japanese]]. The first verse of the theme is sampled from Kimi No Kioku, the ending theme of ''The Journey''. Though it's difficult to interpret the meaning of the song through a single verse, Kimi No Kioku is a song about a person coping with the death of a loved one.
** ''Persona 3 Portable'''s Opening also has the obligatory spoilers. Memento Mori is still there, but the very last shot of the opening is Minato and the Female Protagonist preparing to use their evokers while a field of Dark Hour Coffins rush by in the background. Just before the final shot, each protagonist aligns perfectly with one of the coffins, looking as though they are resting in them. Of course, anyone whose played the original knows that the new girl is doomed to the same fate as Minato, so it's only a spoiler if you've never played it on the [=PS2=].
* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' has two openings, an animated one which shows clips of all the party members, which isn't so spoilery in itself. The second opening is much more spoilertastic, not only showing Teddie's Shadow and Persona, which isn't much of a spoiler for anyone whose played ''Persona 3'', as the Mission Control character always eventually joins the main party. But it also spoils the fact that Naoto is a SweetPollyOliver, by showing her speaking in a clearly feminine voice.
** Naoto being playable could have actually been quite the spoiler if it wasn't thrown right in your face with the opening since, unlike other party members who get involved in the plot right before they join, she's the only one introduced a long time before joining and acts as the closest thing to a rival.
** There's also spoilers in the opening of the UpdatedRerelease Persona 4 Golden, showing both that there is a third victim of the serial killings, as well as showing the final dungeon of the game at the end of it.
* The PSP UpdatedRerelease of the original ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}'' continues this with the imagery of a head and a town springing from it and the end shot shows Maki standing over the town. The presumed AlternateUniverse is just a dream world of hers that's slowly starting to take over.
* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' has a spoiler opening that's rather cleverly masked because it's without any context whatsoever. It depicts Shandra Jerro's ancestor Ammon Jerro (who you're lead to believe was a jolly and kind mage) fighting against the King of Shadows (who you're lead to believe is Ammon Jerro) while using a sword that breaks into numerous silver shards THAT YOU'VE BEEN HUNTING DOWN THE ENTIRE GAME.
* In ''VideoGame/GuardiansCrusade'', the opening credits spoil simultaneously both the HeroicSacrifice and the LoveConfession of the sexy sidekick/romantic interest, which both take place in the FinalBattle against the BigBad
* Most of the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' video games tend to spoil hidden characters during the introduction sequences.
* The ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown II'' intro briefly shows the secret character Kuroko.
** But then again, he's in every match as the referee in the background, so no one is gonna guess that this secret character is actually playable.
* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Radiant Dawn]]'' (the GC and Wii ''Radiance'' games) have an opening cinematic of some of the game's plot. While it technically has minor spoilers (e.g. Ike fights the Black Knight, what a shock), everything happens so fast that one is more likely to be confused than spoiled if they haven't played the respective game.
** A particularly notable case, in the opening for ''Radiant Dawn'', there's a section showing various characters in the game; one of the characters shown is Renning, Elincia's uncle and former leader of the Crimean Army, who was supposedly killed early on in ''Path of Radiance''. While it was a popular theory that this character was the true identity of Bertram of Daein's Four Riders, him being still alive after you 'killed' him was a plot point that only comes up near the end of the game.
** ''Path of Radiance'''s intro also clearly shows Leanne, spoiling her survival and the revelation that Reyson and his bedridden father are not the only remaining herons.
** ''Radiant Dawn'''s opening subverts this regarding Ike and the Greil Mercenaries. They don't appear in the initial opening, but reaching the point in the story where they enter unlocks an extended opening movie featuring new scenes involving them.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'''s intro contains a blink-and-you'll-miss-it spoiler: Near the end of the cinematic, Risen are shown emerging from a SwirlyEnergyThingy from the future. Look closely, and you'll see that among them is ''your future self,'' travelling back in time.
*** The very first actually playable part of ''Awakening'' counts too. It shows your avatar killing Chrom after fighting Validar. The final fight with Validar takes place in one of the last few levels, though you manage to avoid killing Chrom when this happens for real.
* The opening for ''VideoGame/TheThing'' spoils the fact that your boss is TheManBehindTheMan.
* The title screen of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyMysticQuest'' displays five crystals, four of which are depowered. Avoiding spoilers, the existence of a fifth still-functioning crystal doesn't come up until ''very'' late in the story.
* The Opening of ''SpaceChannel5 Part 2'' gives you the pretty obvious hints of Jaguar being Shadow and Purge being the BigBad.
* ''KingdomHearts'' comes to mind here. It has a good opening and song to go with it, but you notice certain things, especially when playing the game over. The entire thing seems to be symbolism. You see odd, somewhat creepy looking, white-haired teen holding out a hand as the brown-haired protagonist hesitates and looks somewhat scared. A wave goes to engulf white-haired teen and brown-haired kid runs out finally, trying to help him. The wave crashes down, washing away brown-haired boy, but the white-haired boy is still standing, smirking. This is pretty much telling you that Riku is going to be "evil" and Sora afraid of that darkness. In fact, the scene in the game is almost exactly like this, but there is actual darkness rather than a wave. It also pretty much says who the three original main characters are and who of your friends on the Island won't be appearing again. ''Kingdom Hearts 2'' shows pretty much the entire plot of the previous two games, hot older Kairi in the costume that doesn't appear for about half the game, an odd connection between Kairi and Namine, and connection with Sora and Roxas, for all those people who didn't play the first one or ''ChainOfMemories'' or are just getting into the series? Well, there you go, everything told for you and you didn't even have to try. Of course, it somewhat manages to avoid this with a good about of symbolism.
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' does this one straight '''''AND''''' [[InvertedTrope inverts]] it. In a typical fashion, the opening is symbolic of the events that transpire (though most of the symbolism will likely go over your head until beating it), but the true spoilers come from the credits. The game is split into three stories, however they can be done in any order. The cast listing reveals Richard Epcar as [[spoiler:Terra-Xehanort]] and [[spoiler:Haley Joel Osment]] as Vanitas. This gets even more ridiculous as the former only appears in Terra's story (not counting the Final Episode), and Vanitas's actor corresponds with his face, which is only revealed in Ven's, so there is no order to play the story in that avoids this. Thankfully the credits are skipable and (apart from the Final Episode's) lacks [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "Simple and Clean."]]
** The opening to ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsCoded'' features brief scenes in the beginning of Aqua, Terra, and Ven as of the ending of ''Birth by Sleep.'' Each scene is only maybe a second long, but at the time ''coded'' came out ''Birth By Sleep'' was only about a year old.
* In ''VideoGame/ThiefDeadlyShadows'' some ''file names'' contain spoilers (for example: gamalls_treachery_engl_none_30.bik). They are displayed on the screen during the game installation.
* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' does this ''magnificently,'' in that anyone who has beaten the game will notice that the opening goes through the entire plot. It shows [[spoiler:Joshua, the two Shikis, Rhyme's fate (and hints at the reason for her and Beat's deaths), Kitaniji's plan for Instrumentality, the reason for (and place of) Neku's death]]. Meanwhile, anyone new to the game will simply think it's cool.
* The attract mode for ''SinAndPunishment'' shows Saki's transformation scene in full.
* In ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'', if you wait long enough on the "Press Start" screen, a different intro will begin to play. Unlike the first, this one consists entirely of actual scenes from the game, many of which are spoilers. Some aren't spoilers unless you know the context, but many spoil huge plot twists that happen fairly late in the game.
* ''Last Battle'' on the Sega Genesis -- a license-less port of ''FistOfTheNorthStar'' -- gives away the entire plot in the introductary scrawl.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' intros tend to give away little things you should know if you watch the commercials or look anywhere on the box. However since Platinum they have been giving away the villains.
** Done cleverly in ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Guardian Signs'': [[TrueFinalBoss Lugia's]] silhouette can be seen looming in the background of the opening cinema, but is quite easy to miss.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' spoils the fact that N is the BigBad. Only he's not.
*** It also spoils that Ghetsis ''made'' N "King" of Team Plasma, and is in fact the [[TheManBehindTheMan true power behind the throne]].
* ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptunia'' spoils us in the opening sequence when a jet comes by while Neptune is being shown. Most of us would said CoolShip already if it weren't for the fact that later on, ''Neptune'' herself transforms into that jet plane for one of her attacks.
* The opening of ''VideoGame/{{Nier}}'' is '''chock full''' of spoilers, revealing, among other things, Weiss's connection with the Shadowlord, Kaine's half-Shade nature, Fyra's death, and the Twins' betrayal. All in a montage set to the final boss theme.
* The opening to the console version of the first ''VideoGame/{{BlazBlue|Calamity Trigger}}'' game heavily implies that Hazama isn't just another NOL officer. The arcade version of ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueContinuumShift Continuum Shift]]'''s opening all but flat-out states that he's a major villain. Later, the opening to ''Continuum Shift II'' hints at Litchi's FaceHeelTurn, and depicts Noel turning into Mu-12.
** The opening of Chrono Phantasma Extend features Ragna, Noel and Jin team up against Saya's Gigant Take-Mikazuchi, Izayoi nearly becoming nuts, her Heel Face scene where Tsubaki is freed from Saya's spell, returned to his old uniform and stared the Embryo at the sky above the Master Unit Amaterasu.
* If you don't want to be spoiled on some of the mechs and battles in ''VideoGame/VanguardBandits'', you'd better not watch the Openings.
* The ''very first'' cutscene shown on the opening screen of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' is from a key "surprise" moment very late into the game.
** Also, the title screen clearly shows Adult Link riding Epona.
** The UK special edition/pre order box art for ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' has to be the most ridiculous example of this ever, because it features the final boss battle on the front cover. Keep in mind that at the start of the game, you technically don't know Ganon is in it, don't know Tetra is Zelda, don't know the Light Arrows exist and don't know about flooded Hyrule. Here's the artwork in question: [[http://www.zeldacollectorsmuseum.com/2009/05/wind-waker-limited-edition-uk.html The Wind Waker box]]
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' does it too, in an artwork in the instruction manual. Alongside the main characters, you can see Zant and an unknown young woman. Zant is revealed relatively early on, so it's not much of a spoiler, but the young woman ''is'' a spoiler: [[spoiler: That's Midna's true form.]]
* The only movie unlocked before you beat any of the team's stories in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' (which also sometimes plays as soon as you start up the game, before you even see the ''title screen'') has a couple shots of Neo Metal Sonic. You don't see him outside of the Last Story. Granted, [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil the fact that he was in the game was highly advertised, but...]]
* The third part of the ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' [[TonightSomeoneDies "Who Will Die"]] storyline opens with your character being assigned to either bodyguard or kidnap a character. [[http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/File:Who_Will_Die_Part_3.jpg The loading screen for all missions in the arc]] features Statesman, the character's father, grieving over a toe-tagged body. Sure enough, the character is killed in the course of the arc.
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx''. It doesn't get more spoilery than seeing ''a fellow augmented agent and the BigBad discussing their plan''.
* ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' is egregious with this example. You see a HumongousMecha during the opening after the city was blown up. For awhile, you don't seem to see the guy till the intermission where you finally get all your units and supports. It's then revealed that he's the FinalBoss.
* The opening video in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' spoils Chaos's final transformation and the destruction of Station Square, which are events that don't occur until the end of the game. Rather creepy to think that before you even start the game, you know almost every person you meet will die by the end of the game.
* Each time you start a new game in ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'', you are shown a pretty cool opening video for the game displaying many beautiful [=CGs=]. The problem is that a ''lot'' of them are from late in the routes and so implicitly or explicitly spoilery.
* The opening for ''CorpseParty'' spoils among other things [[spoiler:Seiko's death by hanging]].
* In ''VisualNovel/DanganRonpa'''s opening movie, a few brief images of [[spoiler:Leon's execution]] are visible.
** It also shows a brief footage of [[spoiler: Makoto's execution in Chapter Five]].
* In Takeshi's perspective of ''VisualNovel/{{Ever17}}'', it's revealed near the end of each route that there is a [[UnderwaterBase secret facility deeper underwater]], directly under [=LeMU=]. However, the observant will notice something very clearly visible under [=LeMU=] [[http://youtu.be/8BtV0a5M2xk in the very first shot of the opening video]]. It's not clear ''what'' it is, but after reading the story for a while, one can guess it's pretty much unknown to the characters and [[ChekhovsGun will probably become important eventually]].
* In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter Tri'', TheStinger at the end of the trailer shows a gigantic serpentine monster at a lake letting out a low-pitched roar. Said monster is Dire Miralis, the final boss of the game's Online mode.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'': The opening ends on Vanille, alone, standing looking at Cocoon hanging in the sky above Pulse. This spoils the fact that yes, you will eventually get to leave Cocoon and go to Pulse. What it doesn't spoil is the subtle hint behind Vanille being alone in this scene; [[spoiler:she is from Pulse, unlike the others (except Fang)]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2|SonsOfLiberty}}'''s opening briefly spoils the [[ItWasHisSled infamous]] FirstEpisodeSpoiler of the game - [[spoiler:Solid Snake is the DecoyProtagonist and the real Player Character is a rookie named Raiden.]]
** ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 4|GunsOfThePatriots}}'''s title sequence is actually the last scene in the game. [[spoiler: Until Big Boss arrives.]]
** ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'''s opening shows [[spoiler:every main character and the 4 A.I. weapons, including Peace Walker itself]].
* Like the trailers, the opening of ''VideoGame/JoJosBizarreAdventureAllStarBattle'' displays some of the plot twists and battle climaxes from the manga, though [[FreezeFrameBonus too fast]] for a viewer to really understand all the details at first.
* ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarUniverse'', among other things, shows that Renvolt Magashi will be a main villain and driving force later on in the story, as the final shot shows (an injured? winded?) Ethan kneeling before Magashi and then charging in to face him in mortal combat. In all fairness, [[ObviouslyEvil this is by no means a big spoiler]] [[DevilInPlainSight given the heroes' first encounter with Magashi.]]
* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'', after showing Selvaria in combat in Valkyria form several times throughout the intro, it shows a close up of Alicia in Valkyria form, but it's so short and close up that those who haven't played the game might assume it's Selvaria again.
* ''Himalayan Mysteries'', a fan-made ''Franchise/TombRaider'' LevelEditor project, spoils its mid-game twist if you stick around on the title screen long enough; it will shift from Lara warming herself by a fire, to Lara resting in a monastery, and finally, to ''Lara and an alien conversing on his space ship''. The first alien is shown during the fourth level ([[UnusuallyUninterestingSight though it's not given much emphasis]]), and that particular scene doesn't happen until the penultimate level.
* The intro to the Devil May Cry HD Collection spoils key plot points for each game, 3 in particular, as it shows Arkham taking the form of Sparda, Vergil's supposed suicide, and even has Dante's final line of the game.
* ''VideoGame/LufiaAndTheFortressOfDoom'' has a very subtle example during the prologue, which plays a part in TheReveal. [[spoiler:Doesn't that statue of Erim look an awful lot like Lufia?]]
* The ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series likes to play around with this. Each episode begins with a sequence related to the case at hand. While each of these sequences does depict actual events which are revealed as the case progresses, they are often times misleading or only tangentially related to the murder. Only four times throughout the series is the real killer clearly shown in the act in the prologue scene.
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* The fourth season of ''Series/FlandersCompany'' has Clara appearing in the credits along the other employees, [[spoiler: completely spoiling both her return and her HeelFaceTurn]].

* Creator/GerryAnderson occasionally did something similar to the above with the opening credits of his series, including ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'', ''Series/{{Space1999}}'' and ''Series/SpacePrecinct''.

* Averted in ''Theatre/{{Sleuth}}'', which deliberately features an opening cast list which proves to be wildly inaccurate.
* ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'''s opening also serves, but is kinda ambiguous to those without knowledge of the American Army: the old man is wearing a pin of the 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles), and Ryan was the only principal character in the film in that division.

* The 2000s ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'' has a "previously on" bit before each show, which allows you to infer exactly what situations will be present during the episode due to what they choose to show you during the opening scrawl. The scenes shown could be from many, many episodes ago, relating to events that have not been referenced since, making it obvious that the story arc would be continued in the following episode.