NFU (shared universe)

The NFU (previously known as the Nicktoons Family Universe) refers to all works aired on the Nicktoons Family channel that were spun-off from Cartoon Madness and produced by NickFamily Studios. This shared universe is unrelated to NickFamily Toons, a branding for all animated series that debuted on Nickelodeon Family between 2017 and 2018. The universe was created in 2016 with Baseball Team 106. The last inductee to premiere on Nicktoons Family was Princess of Halloween Night, in 2019, whereas the last inductee that premiered on the Nicktoons Family channel space to also air new episodes there would be Lucid Fantasy, which is set to air its final season on NFCartoons beginning April 29th, 2022; the last inductee to air new episodes on the Nicktoons Family channel space overall would be Science Squadron, which was moved to NFCartoons for its second and final season. The final inductee of the original continuity would be Princess of Halloween Night II, which would air on AuraNightfall.

With the announcement that Science Squadron, the latest inductee, would air on NFGo!, and the abbreviation of the Nicktoons Family name as "NT Family" (and its subsequent complete rebrand into NFCartoons), the universe was officially renamed the "NFU" in February 2021.

In November 2022, Aura announced that the NFU would receive a rebooted continuity beginning sometime in 2024-25, called the "AuraVerse" (a nod to the Nickelodeon branding license expiring at the end of 2024).

Original continuity

 * Baseball Team 106 (inducted as it follows all the criteria)
 * Cottonsweet (inducted by default due to being spun-off from a work already within the NFU)
 * Instant Adventure: Just Add Water! (inducted as it follows all the criteria despite being a miniseries)
 * Kari the Magic Bunny (inducted as though it was inspired by several magical girl anime series, it does follow all the criteria)
 * Lucid Fantasy (though originally under debate (the series was originally picked up by Aura), the series was inducted as it otherwise follows all the criteria)
 * Magical Hero Dog (inducted by default, despite being a Flare+ series, due to being spun-off from a work already within the NFU)
 * Ms. Squrl (inducted as it follows all the criteria)
 * Princess of Halloween Night (inducted as it follows all the criteria)
 * Princess of Halloween Night II (inducted due to being a sequel series)
 * Science Squadron (inducted by default due to being spun-off from a work already within the NFU)
 * Softball Victory Team (inducted by default due to being spun-off from a work already within the NFU)
 * Time Force (inducted as it follows all the criteria)
 * Time Force: Next Gen (the only live-action series inducted into the NFU due to it being a sequel series to a work already within the NFU)

Reboot continuity
TBA.

Non-canon series

 * Cartoon Madness (spins off series to be inducted into the NFU, but otherwise has no effect on the NFU)
 * CodeScan (references Baseball Team 106 at one point during the Ballgame season, but the series as a whole has no lasting effect on the NFU's canon)
 * Criminal Influences (was going to be in the canon, but was moved to AuraNightfall in the United States before its premiere)
 * MarbleArena (references NFU series a few times, but was made for Flare+/Beta Cartoon and has no lasting effect on the NFU's canon)
 * Sellout Corp (mentions characters from the NFU a few times, but was made for AuraNightfall and has no lasting effect on the NFU's canon)

Anime
The first three series to be inducted into the NFU have received anime adaptations (Baseball Team 106 was adapted into Baseball Team 106: Baseball Forever, Time Force into Time Force Girls!, and Cottonsweet into Cottonsweet, the Magic Warrior) with a fourth anime series, based off of Softball Victory Team, in production.

Initially, all major anime based off the NFU were either animated at Studio Comet or Studio Deen (they have since switched animation to animation studios such as Venga or Shaft). Most are licensed for English distribution by NickFamily Studios (and in the case of Time Force and Cottonsweet adaptations, co-licensed by Nelvana) in North America.

Though they're not required to (Time Force Girls! is aired mostly on AT-X and Aura Japan, alongside Time Force Dozi airing on SurgeAnime Japan as well as the upcoming Lucid Fantasy anime airing elsewhere and Mia's Adventure being an OVA), the majority of NFU-based anime air on TV Tokyo in Japan.

As of December 2019, every commissioned major anime based off the NFU have been picked up for North American television by either Nicktoons Family and/or SurgeAnime Extra in the US (with the exception of Nicktoons Family Universe: The Animation, though it may be simulcast alongside the AuraNightfall broadcast), depending on the target demographic, and YTV Family (with some airing as a part of Toonami) in Canada.

The following NFU series have been adapted into anime:
 * Baseball Team 106 (as Baseball Team 106: Baseball Forever, produced by Studio Deen)
 * Cottonsweet (as Cottonsweet, the Magic Warrior (Comet), Cottonsweet vs. the Dark Magic (Shaft), Cottonsweet: Feel the Magic! (Studio Aura), and Cottonsweet: Maho no Usagi (Studio Aura/Silver Link))
 * Instant Adventure: Just Add Water! (as Mia's Adventure, produced by Studio Aura with in-between animation at Comet)
 * Kari the Magic Bunny (as Magical Kari, produced by Studio Aura)
 * Lucid Fantasy (tentatively known as Lucid Fantasy: Side Story, produced by Venga and Studio Acesky)
 * Princess of Halloween Night (as Were-Coyote Side Story, produced by Silver Link and licensed by Sentai Filmworks)
 * Softball Victory Team (as Softball Victory Team Unite!, produced by Venga)
 * Time Force (as Time Force Girls! (Comet and later Studio Aura) and later Time Force Dozi (Venga))

Baseball Team 106, Time Force, and Cottonsweet have also received anime adaptations for the first year of the Anime Time block.

In addition, a crossover anime, titled Nicktoons Family Universe: The Animation, is in development at A-1 Pictures and CloverWorks.

As of October 2018, only Ms. Squrl has yet to be adapted into a standalone anime (though the character will appear in Nicktoons Family Universe: The Animation), due to Cartoon Network UK not yet having given approval for an anime adaptation to be created.

As of 2022, the Lucid Fantasy anime would be the only NFU-based anime still in production, as Nickelodeon Family plans to focus its anime funding more towards original IPs and adaptations of manga/video games.

Manga
See also: Time Force Girls! (manga), Time Force Dozi, Softball Victory Team Unite!

As of August 2018, the only NFU series to have a manga adaptation are Time Force and Softball Victory Team. The first manga adaptation, the Shōjo-based Time Force Girls!, began serialization in March 2018. A Shōnen-based manga adaptation, using original characters and a different story from the original series, is set to be run in Nicktoons Family Magazine worldwide. A seinen manga based off Softball Victory Team Unite! began running in the magazine in October 2018.

Other print
Comic series based off several series that have been inducted into the NFU currently run in Aura Magazine.

Videogames
See also: Time Force: The Original Time Force, Nicktoons Family Universe: Toy Recovery

Two videogames based on the NFU have been released so far. The first was Time Force: The Original Time Force, released for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch systems. The second was Pretty Rhythm: Time Force Edition, released for arcades in Japan as well as 3DS/Switch systems in North America. A third videogame, Nicktoons Family Universe: Toy Recovery, is in development at Aura Games.

In early 2019, Aura Television Productions contracted various developers to develop games based off of the NFU. The first of the games, Time Force: The Final Chapter, based off of the final season of Time Force, would be released in February 2020.

Other merchandise
Main article: NFU (toy line), Pokémon x NFU (toy line)

In September 2018, NickFamily Studios entered a deal with Hasbro to be their semi-exclusive toy distributor for all their original properties, excluding Lucid Fantasy (outside of the line) due to legal issues. The Nicktoons Family Universe toy line consists of anime-style plush toys based on characters from various series within the NFU and was launched in October 2018. Following the official rename of the universe, the merchandise line was also rebranded. In 2023, following a final wave of merchandise, the NFU toyline would be discontinued in favor of an AuraVerse toyline for 2024-25.

A line of Pop! Vinyl toys based off characters from the NFU is currently being distributed by Funko since October 2018.

As of January 2019, Aura is in talks with The Pokémon Company to release Pokémon-themed merchandise based off of NFU characters, most notably Pikachu plushies dressed up as NFU characters. Whether or not Lucid Fantasy characters would be included or not in the deal has yet to be revealed. Following a contract expiration, the line was ended in November 2022.

Crossovers
Outside of feature films and Nicktoons Family Universe: The Animation, the following television series have crossed-over with other shows within the NFU:


 * Baseball Team 106: The Disastrous Lucky Baseball features several characters from other series, most notably from Time Force and Cottonsweet.
 * Time Force- The episodes "Weather Chasing" and "The Attack of the Were-Rabbit" are given closure in the Cottonsweet episode airing right after.
 * Cottonsweet- The Time Force episodes "Weather Chasing" and "The Attack of the Were-Rabbit" are given closure in the series. Ashley from Time Force also appears in "Were-Rabbit in the Neighborhood? Awful! Pest Control Training? Divine!". The titular character also appears in the Kari the Magic Bunny episodes "The Magic Experiment" and "Kari the Shrunken Bunny".
 * Kari the Magic Bunny- "The Magic Experiment" and "Kari the Shrunken Bunny" are crossovers with Cottonsweet.
 * Science Squadron- Via the appearance of items, Lucid Fantasy is mentioned a few times throughout the series, although none of the Lucid Fantasy characters appear in the show. The Time Force as they appeared before the events of said series also show up several times throughout Science Squadron.

Trivia

 * Criteria for entering the NFU were written after the premiere of Time Force:
 * If it isn't a spin-off of a work already within the NFU, the work must be spun-off from Cartoon Madness. Spin-offs of a work already within the NFU will be a de facto part of the universe (the requirement was done away with once Cartoon Madness ended).
 * The work must be at least partially produced by Aura Television Studios (which does business as "NickFamily Studios" and "NFStudios"). However, co-productions with other companies can be accepted if it follows the other criteria.
 * The work must've aired premieres on the Nicktoons Family channel in the United States (overseas broadcasts and syndication are not counted in the criteria). If a work picked up by Nicktoons Family was moved to another network before its premiere, the work would have instead been inducted into the NFU as a non-canon series if it followed all the other criteria. An exception will be made if the show is developed as a spin-off to a show already in the universe. Following the channel's 2022 rebrand, this requirement was done away with.
 * The work must be story/plot-driven rather than episodic. However, it is not required for every episode of the show to advance the plot.
 * The work must be an original property/must not be based on an existing franchise. However, sequel series based off of a pre-existing NFU series can be inducted.
 * The work must not have originated on another channel prior to its Nicktoons Family premiere (sneak peeks are exempt from this as they're technically not an "official" premiere). An exception can due to being developed as a spin-off/sequel to a work that was in the NFU. This requirement would be done away with starting with the rebooted continuity due to the emergence of Flare+.
 * The work must be an animated series (though live-action films and shows based on Nicktoons Family's animated series within the universe can be inducted if it's revealed that the story of said film affects the NFU overall).
 * The NFU can only canonically end if all its inducted series are either cancelled or ended. As of 2022, only two animated works in the NFU are still running (Lucid Fantasy and Science Squadron), with the sole live-action show also having connections to the NFU being Time Force: Next Gen (as other live-action material of the NFU for Flare+ were adaptations rather than continuations).
 * A work should be (but is not required to be) picked up by Nicktoons Family in the United States if the creator wants the work to be inducted immediately. If a work was picked up by another network and moved to Nicktoons Family before its premiere, the work must follow all other criteria in order to be inducted.
 * Planned merch is not required to have a show inducted. However, unless the distributor of the series requests otherwise, all NFU series will have merch manufactured by Hasbro (plush toys) and Funko (Pop! Vinyl figures). Part of the criteria was done away with following cutbacks at Aura in 2022; it was reported future series in development might have a tie-in merchandise deal for each new IP.
 * Of the 17 (as of June 2018) original series created for Nicktoons Family in the United States, only three (Baseball Team 106, Time Force, and Cottonsweet) have been inducted into the universe after their premieres.
 * Of the three (as of June 2018) Nicktoons Family Universe series, only one (Baseball Team 106) was not a co-production with another company, as Time Force and Cottonsweet were co-produced with Canada's YTV Family and Nelvana.
 * Every Nicktoons Family original series that premiered in August 2018 (Ms. Squrl, Kari the Magic Bunny, Lucid Fantasy, Softball Victory Team) have been inducted into the NFU, due to following all the criteria in addition to Softball Victory Team being a spin-off of Baseball Team 106.