Map the universe, not one format.
Story Order begins with the underlying stories that make up a universe. Films, novels, comics, audio editions and games are ways to experience those stories—not separate catalogues competing for attention.
One story receives one card, even when it has several editions or adaptations.
Versions appear beneath the title as Watch, Read, Listen, Play or another relevant action.
Chronology is the default view; release order remains one click away.
Canon and continuity appear as factual metadata on the listing.
When two works only share a name, they stay separate. We merge only when they are editions, adaptations or recognisable versions of the same underlying story.
Canon is a label, not the invitation.
Universes contain clean central continuities, adaptations, superseded timelines, licensed experiments and uncertain edges. We keep those stories discoverable and state their official relationship plainly on the card.
Canon Part of the officially supported main continuity.
Non-canon Official or licensed, but outside the main continuity.
Adaptation continuity A retelling that builds its own version of the world.
Alternate continuity An intentional alternate timeline or scenario.
Legacy continuity An earlier or superseded continuity preserved on the map.
Canon unclear Available official evidence does not settle the relationship.
Two orders and one optional filter
Story chronology
The default full-universe view. Time travel, framing stories and parallel continuities are placed where the overall map stays most honest.
Release order
A factual view based on the first publication or release of each underlying story. Later adaptations remain on the same card.
Starter Mode
An optional filter that narrows the complete map to a manageable central path. Turning it off immediately restores every mapped story.
How a story card is built
Title and description. The underlying story, described briefly and without major spoilers.
Ways to explore. A link is labelled as a verified title destination, collection/reference page or search result. A generic search is never presented as a verified product page.
Placement. Story branch, continuity, first release and canon status remain visible without taking over the page.
Our source ladder
- Official franchise sources. Studio announcements, franchise chronology pages and official platform collections.
- The work itself. On-screen dates, direct narrative hand-offs and explicit dialogue, used carefully to avoid spoilers.
- Release records. Official title pages and first-release dates for objective publication order.
- Editorial judgment. Used when canon is ambiguous, branches conflict or a strict fictional date would create false precision.
We link primary sources on each guide and explain uncertain placements instead of presenting estimates as settled canon.
Exact. The work or an authoritative source fixes the position.
Strong. Multiple narrative or official signals agree, without a precise date.
Approximate. The broad era is defensible but the exact position is editorial.
Updates and corrections
Guides show their latest editorial review date. New releases are added after their place can be checked; announced projects stay outside the checklist until release. Material changes are recorded in the update log.
Corrections are welcome through the contact page. A title, proposed change and official supporting source are the most useful details.
Authorship and tools
Guides are published by Story Order Editorial. Research and drafting may use software tools, including AI-assisted organisation, but final ordering, labels and explanatory notes are editorial decisions reviewed before publication.