An easy way to introduce The Protagonist and their relationship with the rest of the cast as early as the Title Sequence is to have them walk around and encounter everyone else in their way. Alternatively, it's the camera doing this after starting with the lead character. It establishes hierarchies in terms of plot importance or groups the characters by location. Depending on how detailed is the background, it can also be used to showcase some elements of the work's setting.
Fairly common in animation, but rare otherwise, probably due to the cost of creating such footage. Might overlap with Automobile Opening, where the character explores the setting while driving a vehicle; with Dancing Theme, if the character dances along the way; or with Credits Running Sequence, if it's running. Compare and contrast Introductory Opening Credits, when the characters' names are displayed, and Theme Tune Roll Call, when the theme tune roll calls the cast.
Examples:
Anime
- Ranma ½
- The second season of the Animated Adaptation had a brief segment after the Anime Theme Song titles introducing the main characters.
- Several of the later OVA episodes began with a song called "Where Do We Go From Here", during which the various cast members were shown around the neighborhood and/or on their way to school.
Live-Action TV
- Degrassi:
- Degrassi: The Next Generation: In seasons one to five and eight to twelve, the camera moves around the school to show the regulars in their natural environments.
- Degrassi: Next Class: It has a shorter version with pictures and videos from the regulars' social media flying by to show them hanging out with their friends.
- Everybody Loves Raymond: The family is introduced while passing by on a conveyor belt for a while.
- King of Kensington: The opening
features shop-owner Larry King walking through the eponymous Toronto market neighborhood, schmoozing and holding court with other residents.
- TV Funhouse: The theme song is animated the same way as the animated segments scattered throughout the show.
Puppet Shows
- 31 Minutos: The title sequence starts with Tulio commuting to work. Once he arrives at the news station, he interacts with some of his co-workers. Other reporters are introduced with them presenting the news. The technicians are shown doing their work and preparing the set.
- Nanalan': The title sequence explains the premise of the show pretty well. Mona gets up, gets cleaned up, eats breakfast, her mother drops her off at Nana's, and Mona then goes out to the backyard to play.
- The Noddy Shop: The show's intro is a tour around the shop, where the camera focuses on the places where we see various characters. In order, we see a view of the shop, then Warloworth popping out of a jack in the box, then the characters by a train set, then Johnny in his aquarium, then Noddy and Planet Pup, then Gertie near the goblins in a dollhouse, then Island Princess, then a close-up of the babies and the group singing together.
- Today's Special: They take us through the store to meet all the major characters.
Pro Wrestling
- WWE Raw: Some of the title sequences have Steve Austing walking through a disused factory on fire in which the supporting cast is fighting each other.
Western Animation
- Adventures from the Book of Virtues: The intro combines Stock Footage of each kid discovering Plato's Peak from the earliest episodes.
- Adventure Time: The intro zooms through different parts of Ooo, passing several characters along the way: Finn, Jake, the princesses, Marceline, and the Ice King.
- The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes: The first season's intro shows the founding Avengers assembling to save New York City from HYDRA forces. The second season's intro, in contrast, uses a mix of original and recycled footage.
- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: During the title sequence, the camera jumps through all of Foster's Home's windows because it's following Mac going upstairs and meeting the main cast. The number of windows increases as someone new tags along until there are too many of them and we get only two windows —the staff peeking from one window and everyone else running in another. It ends when they get to a sad Bloo, Mac's presence cheering him up.
- Transformers: The openings tend to use this, except for the series that animate the Transformers in CGI.
- Twipsy: The intro takes place first in cyberspace, where some viruses are doing a mess. After Twipsy gets rid of them and speeds along the superhighway, the scenery changes to the real world. There, we meet Nick's parents outside his house and then we see Nick fighting over a keyboard with his sister Lissy and his friend Albert. Finally, Lissy's drink spills over the dog.
- Winx Club: Every season's opening introduces the girls, their boyfriends, and the current villains. From the first to the third season, this is done by adding a clipped figurine of the Winx and the Trix after showing some Stock Footage of them doing stuff. The boyfriends and the other villains are shown in recycled shots. From the fourth season onward, the Winx and their boyfriends are on a line and the camera glides over them until it stares up at the sky. The Trix and other villains just get Stock Footage of them laughing or committing evil deeds.
- X-Men: The Animated Series: Each episode of the first four seasons begins with the X-Men demonstrating their powers while their codenames appear onscreen, then fighting various villains.
