Dream Tropes Wiki/In Name Only

This occurs when a derivative work (an adaptation, a remake, or a reimagining) is so different from the work it took its name from that the only thing actually tying it to the original work is the title. Occasionally this will expand to include character names and the setting.

This can happen when the work was originally intended as something completely different, but, being slightly similar to an existing franchise, it is changed to fit in that franchise, or it can be straight-up title hijack.

One of the things that can lead to this is the fact that established properties are much easier to get greenlit than original ideas. In some cases producers purchase franchise rights for the name alone, and slap it on their own original product as a way of getting it pushed through the studio system. Video Game and Cult Classic franchises are especially prone to being used this way by third parties with no other interest in the franchise, as they are often relatively cheap to buy or license for this purpose. In some cases, this is even done for the purposes of hanging onto the trademark.

Many a Cash Cow Franchise has descended to this at least once. It may be considered the Oddball in the Series.

Important: This is not automatically They Changed It, Now It Sucks!. An In Name Only work may well be decent, or even good (if not better), if it's assessed on its own merits rather than being measured by how faithful it is to the original work; in effect, the work in question is a Contested Alternate Continuity or Adaptation.

If the work in question is not an attempted adaptation of another work, but merely sports a misleading name, that's a Nonindicative Name. If the name used to be relevant but less or even not later, it is Artifact Title. If an adaptation continues after the original source material runs out, that's Overtook the Series. If multiple works share the same name but are unrelated, you have Similarly Named Works. If the "in name only" work is in continuity with the original, you have a Dolled-Up Installment.

A good way to tell if an example is really this trope or just a bad adaptation: if one were to change the title to something else, would anyone understand that the work is supposed to be an adaptation? If the answer is "no", then the adaptation is this trope. See also Old Guard Versus New Blood. A Transplanted Character Fic may often feel like this.

Contrast Serial Numbers Filed Off and Spiritual Adaptation, Exactly What It Says on the Tin, Expy.

## Examples

### Film

* The El TV Kadsre film *Atlantis II* from 1984 is nothing to do with the original film *Atlantis* from 1979.

### Video Games

* The cover of the Game Boy version of *Super Mario World* says *Super Mario Land 4*, yet it is nothing to do with the first three *Super Mario Land* games. It is actually a monochrome licensed port of JY Company/Hummer Team's 1995 Famicom bootleg port of the SNES game *Super Mario World*.

### Western Animation

* *The New Adventures of The Sweet Treets* is this to *The Sweet Treets*. Aside from having the same main characters, the premise is completely different, and contains episodes which often have dramatic plots. The characters even look significantly different despite having the same voice actors.