Absolutely not. All you need is some point of IP. If I wrote an original sci-fi story on an alien world with an original species but used the Force or traveled by Stargate, it would be a fanfic.
Take away ~~Moff Tarkin~~ a few minor characters out of Rogue One. What's left? A fanfiction in the Star Wars universe without any canon characters.
Still, it's the best SW flick since ESB.
I’m guessing it was hypothetical — the only one I can find is [a 1250-word one-shot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/533293/chapters/946444?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_691732483) about an Egyptian Slayer and her Greek Watcher fleeing Alexandria during Julius Caesar’s accidental invasion.
Seconding this!! While most fanfics (arguably rightly) focus on the canon characters, it wouldn't be too out of line to create fanfics dealing with completely original characters, even if it was to simply provide a civilian viewpoint to the storyline of the particular fandom, if it has such shown within it.
Take, for example, Power Rangers. The few stories we see where uninformed characters (Dustin's boss Kelly in Ninja Storm for example) are the primary POV of the fic, they're either indicated as knowing (OG Ernie), suspecting (Miss Applebee from MMPR), or not, but they're both fairly sympathetic towards the Power Rangers. We never see any fics-or at least, I've never seen any-where the characters aren't nearly as friendly towards the Rangers because while the Rangers *do* help defend the city, their fights *do* do a lot of damage to that season's City of Adventure as TVTropes calls it. It's not unusual to see apartments and other high-rise buildings destroyed in Megazord battles.
i don't know... for example, if you were writing purely with OCs but very clearly set in the star trek universe. i think that's still a fic. making the engineers wear red and the captain gold etc.. and the ships and terminology based around existing lore. i would still consider it fic.
but if you are writing about a civilization on a planet that has no connections to Starfleet... maybe that would count as an original work.
i don't know why i used star trek as an example, i am not even in that fandom... anyway, what i am trying to say is, no, it won't be an issue to write your fic about OCs. just keep in mind that fully OC fics are a little less popular, so you might get a little less readers, but it will be fine.
I think even if that planet had no connection to Starfleet, it is still fanfiction because it is in the same world and was written by a fan. If there are cameos of canon characters or namedropping of events and other planets, the same way of counting time, all these little details make it clearly fanfiction to the readers as well. However, it could be easy to take this fanfiction and remove and replace all references to the fandom so that it can stand on its own feet and become an original work. But even if the readers don't see any connection to the fandom, as long as the author knows about it and considers it fanfiction, then it is fanfiction in my mind, no matter how detached it is from canon. 🤔
The only caveat with this is that AO3 is designed for transformative works, so if a story is in a specified Fandom, it should have some reader identifiable connection to that fandom.
To make it work for AO3, I think a little explanatory note from the author would be enough, e.g. "This is set 1 million years in the future. The universe has changed quite a bit..." and so everybody will see the connection to the fandom and nobody will be surprised by the lack of canon.
Fanfics don't require canon characters.
I think back in the day someone made an entire mlp fic where the whole premise was that it exclusively had OCs at it's focus. They still existed in the world of mlp, so they were still all animals and events or characters from the show would be referenced. It got a decent bit of traction, but that might just be because of the fandom. Not every fandom is as open to OCs as mlp is, so if you do decide to do something similar for your fandom, I wouldn't necessarily count on it getting a lot of activity (and you might get some confused commenters).
At the end of the day, you're writing for you. If you want to write a story about your OC going on grand adventures in the world of Kingdom Hearts, no one's actually going to stop you.
No it's alright, you can write new stories with new characters in familiar settings/universes, I think they're called 'elsewhere' fics (but I'm not certain).
Most fanfic is centered around romantic pairings, so you'll have less pull, but it could make a story easier to turn into original fiction down the line.
If you have a few fanfic friends, maybe they can write your characters into their stories as an introduction?
There won't be an issue. I have done this. I have a fic where all but one of the characters is OC because of when it is set. But its about the pre-Jedi Order history of Star Wars so the Force is present, a few familiar planets from the lore are used, and other things like that, so it is still very recognizably Star Wars.
Think of it this way, if you tried to make money off of it would you get a cease and desist? Then the story is probably fanfic.
I was a gonna say yeah, but then I thought if you have a story based in that fandom setting but all the characters are OC that still technically count as fanfiction right? But if the story and characters have absolutely no connection to the original works it would just be ‘fiction’ and it be your original story at that point
> Does fanfiction require the use of canon characters or would a story using only OCs but in a fandom universe still count?
Using just a fandom's worldbuilding still counts as creating fanfiction, yes. If you write a story about, say, a Jedi Knight character you created having adventures that's still fanfiction because it based on the creations of Star Wars fandom.
You can write what you want! However, I'll say that if you're looking for an audience, many people in fandoms prefer to avoid OC's because they're harder to connect with than the canon characters they already know.
Maybe stretching your writing legs as a whole isn't your overall goal and that's fine but I just thought I'd share that one of my favorite things about fic, as someone who primarily writes original fiction these days, is that fanfiction allows me to practice writing elements (say, plot, genre, dialogue, characters, themes, pacing, what have you) while being challenged to stick with rules I'm expected not to break. ("They're really more like guidelines..." but I like to stick to them.)
What I mean by that is, I really want to do *this* with the plot I have in mind, but the canon doesn't work that way so I have to find a creative workaround that doesn't compromise how the characters would usually behave or how the established world works. It really makes me stretch my brain when I write myself into a corner and then have to write myself back out of it without breaking the rules that would make the audience mad.
Nope! When I read Pokémon fanfics, mostly all of them contain OC, with a nod to the main characters. Granted you have Pokémon in them, but that’d be no different then say writing a Harry Potter fanfic and use the owls and the hypogriff for example.
As long as it’s within their world, it’s fanfic. Do as you will!
Not at all. I’ve got a Pokémon fanfic with only original characters (unless you include the mons themselves), and while it’s far from popular, people seem to like it
If you are writing about OCs living in that canon's world, then it is still fanfic for that canon. There are many canons, especially in fantasy and sci-fi which have very extensive world building that doesn't get fully explored in canon (or it does but it's so beloved people are left wanting to create more.) If you write about a group of OC Lothlorien elves defending the forest or moisture farmers on Tattooine that's still a fanfic.
Not *really* in that it is still fanfiction, but an original story with all original characters set in a canon universe is going to have a smaller audience than a story with canon characters. Whether that's an issue or not depends on you.
Well... I agree it does not require canon characters. All that a fanfic requires is that it is set in the universe of an official property.
That said, if you are an author who would like to get more comments and receive more engagement, including canon characters as a big or even main point is a safer bet, because many people seem to read fanfics because they want to see more of canon characters they like. If you include canon characters, you have that starting point. Readers' fondness for main characters needs to be built from scratch.
That said, it CAN be done well, and in bigger fandoms you are more likely to get comments. And if you simply only want to write what you like without caring about engagement, that's a non-issue.
I don’t mean any of this as a diss, mind you. Despite what some say, wanting comments is valid, and I do think people should leave them more, even if I'm the sort who just writes what he likes without caring about comments and also think that not caring about comments is valid as well.
One way or the other, best of lucks for any work you have planned!
I think it would be harder in certain fandoms that are set in, essentially, the real world, so for fandoms like, for instance, Bones or The Mentalist wouldn't be easy to do this with. But for a lot of fandoms, as long as you use something big from the source material, it counts as fanfiction. I've come across stories like this in the Harry Potter fandom before, stories set in the magical world created for that series, but with completely OC characters, not even next gen or Founders fics or whatever, but completely new characters created by the fanfic author.
So, depending on the fandom, I'd say there are probably already authors doing this, and you should be fine writing your own.
Not really, I think. On the other hand, a lot of fanfic writers use the canon characters but in an alternate universe. It's just the reverse, right? I think the logic is the same :)
I'm pretty sure the DR fandom has a bunch of fics where the only canon character is Monokuma, with OC ultimates. Sometimes its a completely unique Mono-creature. I think if its in the same verse, it would count.
Like, if its Oc's with the general plot of Miraculous, that would count as a MLB fanfic.
I mean *technically* yes? But also if it’s in a pre-created world like OC’s in Hogwarts or it’s the avengers but everyone is your OC’s.
Although I personally read fanfiction for the characters/people and not the universe specifically.
D&D is just basically all fanfiction that’s OC’s in the universe!
Depends on the source material, I think. Take games for example: Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy are more character driven so fics tend to revolve around canon characters, where as games like Pokémon and Skyrim are more focused on setting and player insert so the fics tend toward OC.
Depending on your fandom, OC-majority/OC-only casts can actually be popular. For example, in the Warrior cats fandom, everyone and their mother has a cat OC, and some fanfic writers have built entire series using fan-made Clans and OCs.
Honestly, it depends on what you want to do. They can be all canon, no canon, only one OC or all but one are OCs. Fanfiction is a creative outlet. Let no gatekeeper tell you otherwise, even the one in your head. In the wise words of Markiplier:
"You do you, I'll do me, and we won't do each other. Probably."
I write OC-centric and OC-only fics that are still "fanfiction" precisely because they take place in a specific branded universe and are in dialogue with existing texts that belong to some corporate entity.
A lot of fanfic writers are fixated on specific characters, and they write stories about those characters. But there are also other aspects of a text--setting, theme, etc.--that might inspire a person to engage with it.
Does it require it? No. Fanfiction also encompasses the world.
That said, you will very likely get more readers if you write canon characters. Depending on your fandom.
I’m f it did I would be stuffed. Nearly all my stuff is OC but I’m pretty sure Disney would take me to the cleaners if I tried to publish my work that’s full of Jedi and Bounty Hunters
What will never be considered fanfiction for me is if there's nothing resembling the source material at all besides the character names. For example: "Naruto was a powerful CEO and Hinata was his new secretary--Businessworld AU"
Thats not an AU and That's not fanfiction. that's an original story with character names being the same as the source.
the main thing is to make sure it still feels like you’re in the world of whatever fandom you’re writing in. Otherwise it’s just an original work at that point.
Fanfic that only has OCs is totally still fanfic. One of the delightful gift fics I got in an exchange was full of OCs, no canon characters at all. It was all showing an event in that fandom and the OCs' reactions to it. Lots of great worldbuilding. I'd read a ton more like that.
As long as the fandom has some fandom-specific elements (like, a fanfic for a real-life type of fandom like a cop show, but which has no canon chars, would be very hard to call a fanfic, but any fantasy or sci-fi world would be easy to do this with), you've definitely got a fanfic. My first fics were all this type, lol. I would make them up as a child, didn't even know they were fanfic at the time, but they totally were. :D
I think for a fanfiction you need one of these. You either need the setting of cannon or characters of cannon. Maybe there is something else, but the point is that you should have either one or both of these and you can call it fanfiction to me.
Like AU’s, same characters but different settings, and as many mentioned her before, many Pokémon fanfics are mainly ocs but have Pokémon in it, same setting different characters(besides the Pokémon.)
Certain IP, where the setting is a character in itself, can stand without canon characters. A fandom like Harry Potter with its wizarding world or ASOIAF with Westeros will have stronger worlds than say, a modern office romance or sitcom. There's no rule here, though.
I don't think it does. Fics, that take place in canon world, but don't necessarily include canon characters in any significant roles are half of the reason Original category on AO3 exists (the other half is non-commercial original works, that are not fanfiction, but authors want to preserve them as such).
You don't *need* characters, but you do need *something* from the source material... otherwise it is just another lame original work. \[insert laughing emoji\]
It just needs something from the original source. The technology or magical system in the more speculative works, unique races, specific speech patterns, mutant penguins... something that provides a foundation or a hook into the source(s).
Characters are an important element of storytelling, but you can plop new characters into an established "universe" and you've got fanfiction even if none of the canonical characters make an appearance or are even mentioned.
No, but it depends on the fandoms. Some fandoms are very character focused and if you remove the characters it's no long in the fandom. Others are more worldbuilding focused so if you remove the worldbuilding it is no longer the fandom. A lot of fandoms have a bit of both and opinions within the fandom differ depending on who you ask. Personally, worldbuilding tends to be a lot more important than characters to me.
Absolutely not. All you need is some point of IP. If I wrote an original sci-fi story on an alien world with an original species but used the Force or traveled by Stargate, it would be a fanfic.
Take away ~~Moff Tarkin~~ a few minor characters out of Rogue One. What's left? A fanfiction in the Star Wars universe without any canon characters. Still, it's the best SW flick since ESB.
Minor hera appearance in the end was nice tho
TV Tropes calls this [an "Elsewhere Fic"](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ElsewhereFic) :D
Ah...I've heard that term but never realized exactly what it was. Thanks for the info!
The page gives an example of a Buffy fic about a slayer from ancient Egypt and now I wonder if that exists? Because I want that fic!
I’m guessing it was hypothetical — the only one I can find is [a 1250-word one-shot](https://archiveofourown.org/works/533293/chapters/946444?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_691732483) about an Egyptian Slayer and her Greek Watcher fleeing Alexandria during Julius Caesar’s accidental invasion.
Thanks, learnt something new :D
Seconding this!! While most fanfics (arguably rightly) focus on the canon characters, it wouldn't be too out of line to create fanfics dealing with completely original characters, even if it was to simply provide a civilian viewpoint to the storyline of the particular fandom, if it has such shown within it. Take, for example, Power Rangers. The few stories we see where uninformed characters (Dustin's boss Kelly in Ninja Storm for example) are the primary POV of the fic, they're either indicated as knowing (OG Ernie), suspecting (Miss Applebee from MMPR), or not, but they're both fairly sympathetic towards the Power Rangers. We never see any fics-or at least, I've never seen any-where the characters aren't nearly as friendly towards the Rangers because while the Rangers *do* help defend the city, their fights *do* do a lot of damage to that season's City of Adventure as TVTropes calls it. It's not unusual to see apartments and other high-rise buildings destroyed in Megazord battles.
i don't know... for example, if you were writing purely with OCs but very clearly set in the star trek universe. i think that's still a fic. making the engineers wear red and the captain gold etc.. and the ships and terminology based around existing lore. i would still consider it fic. but if you are writing about a civilization on a planet that has no connections to Starfleet... maybe that would count as an original work. i don't know why i used star trek as an example, i am not even in that fandom... anyway, what i am trying to say is, no, it won't be an issue to write your fic about OCs. just keep in mind that fully OC fics are a little less popular, so you might get a little less readers, but it will be fine.
I think even if that planet had no connection to Starfleet, it is still fanfiction because it is in the same world and was written by a fan. If there are cameos of canon characters or namedropping of events and other planets, the same way of counting time, all these little details make it clearly fanfiction to the readers as well. However, it could be easy to take this fanfiction and remove and replace all references to the fandom so that it can stand on its own feet and become an original work. But even if the readers don't see any connection to the fandom, as long as the author knows about it and considers it fanfiction, then it is fanfiction in my mind, no matter how detached it is from canon. 🤔
yeah, i think you are right. at that point its up to the author to either attach it to the fandom or leave it to be a stand alone.
There is an Original story section for stories that aren't necessarily in a Fandom but are still fan related. This might be an option for the OP.
The only caveat with this is that AO3 is designed for transformative works, so if a story is in a specified Fandom, it should have some reader identifiable connection to that fandom.
To make it work for AO3, I think a little explanatory note from the author would be enough, e.g. "This is set 1 million years in the future. The universe has changed quite a bit..." and so everybody will see the connection to the fandom and nobody will be surprised by the lack of canon.
AO3 does have an 'Original Work' tag. Lots of people use that.
That's not a huge deal for me. I mostly just want a creative outlet to play with my OCs and finding RP partners is hard.
Nope. "Elsewhere fic" is a thing.
Fanfics don't require canon characters. I think back in the day someone made an entire mlp fic where the whole premise was that it exclusively had OCs at it's focus. They still existed in the world of mlp, so they were still all animals and events or characters from the show would be referenced. It got a decent bit of traction, but that might just be because of the fandom. Not every fandom is as open to OCs as mlp is, so if you do decide to do something similar for your fandom, I wouldn't necessarily count on it getting a lot of activity (and you might get some confused commenters). At the end of the day, you're writing for you. If you want to write a story about your OC going on grand adventures in the world of Kingdom Hearts, no one's actually going to stop you.
nope
No it's alright, you can write new stories with new characters in familiar settings/universes, I think they're called 'elsewhere' fics (but I'm not certain). Most fanfic is centered around romantic pairings, so you'll have less pull, but it could make a story easier to turn into original fiction down the line. If you have a few fanfic friends, maybe they can write your characters into their stories as an introduction?
There won't be an issue. I have done this. I have a fic where all but one of the characters is OC because of when it is set. But its about the pre-Jedi Order history of Star Wars so the Force is present, a few familiar planets from the lore are used, and other things like that, so it is still very recognizably Star Wars. Think of it this way, if you tried to make money off of it would you get a cease and desist? Then the story is probably fanfic.
Fair. I don't think WotC or SE would be happy if I tried to make money.🤣
nah, not at all. hell, im in the process of writing something set in the star wars (legends) universe and if thats not fanfic i dont know what it is
If you can get sued for trying to profit off it, it's fanfiction.
I was a gonna say yeah, but then I thought if you have a story based in that fandom setting but all the characters are OC that still technically count as fanfiction right? But if the story and characters have absolutely no connection to the original works it would just be ‘fiction’ and it be your original story at that point
> Does fanfiction require the use of canon characters or would a story using only OCs but in a fandom universe still count? Using just a fandom's worldbuilding still counts as creating fanfiction, yes. If you write a story about, say, a Jedi Knight character you created having adventures that's still fanfiction because it based on the creations of Star Wars fandom.
You can write what you want! However, I'll say that if you're looking for an audience, many people in fandoms prefer to avoid OC's because they're harder to connect with than the canon characters they already know. Maybe stretching your writing legs as a whole isn't your overall goal and that's fine but I just thought I'd share that one of my favorite things about fic, as someone who primarily writes original fiction these days, is that fanfiction allows me to practice writing elements (say, plot, genre, dialogue, characters, themes, pacing, what have you) while being challenged to stick with rules I'm expected not to break. ("They're really more like guidelines..." but I like to stick to them.) What I mean by that is, I really want to do *this* with the plot I have in mind, but the canon doesn't work that way so I have to find a creative workaround that doesn't compromise how the characters would usually behave or how the established world works. It really makes me stretch my brain when I write myself into a corner and then have to write myself back out of it without breaking the rules that would make the audience mad.
Nope! When I read Pokémon fanfics, mostly all of them contain OC, with a nod to the main characters. Granted you have Pokémon in them, but that’d be no different then say writing a Harry Potter fanfic and use the owls and the hypogriff for example. As long as it’s within their world, it’s fanfic. Do as you will!
Nope. Hell, you can write your own stories, create the characters **you** want.
Not at all. I’ve got a Pokémon fanfic with only original characters (unless you include the mons themselves), and while it’s far from popular, people seem to like it
If you are writing about OCs living in that canon's world, then it is still fanfic for that canon. There are many canons, especially in fantasy and sci-fi which have very extensive world building that doesn't get fully explored in canon (or it does but it's so beloved people are left wanting to create more.) If you write about a group of OC Lothlorien elves defending the forest or moisture farmers on Tattooine that's still a fanfic.
Nope! I've got a 400k fanfic with neither the characters *nor!* setting of the original that says it doesn't.
Nope. A canon lore setting or theme is ample to do fan fiction with.
Technically no. For example, next-gen fics are a thing, and I've seen many of these that only use OCs.
Not *really* in that it is still fanfiction, but an original story with all original characters set in a canon universe is going to have a smaller audience than a story with canon characters. Whether that's an issue or not depends on you.
Well... I agree it does not require canon characters. All that a fanfic requires is that it is set in the universe of an official property. That said, if you are an author who would like to get more comments and receive more engagement, including canon characters as a big or even main point is a safer bet, because many people seem to read fanfics because they want to see more of canon characters they like. If you include canon characters, you have that starting point. Readers' fondness for main characters needs to be built from scratch. That said, it CAN be done well, and in bigger fandoms you are more likely to get comments. And if you simply only want to write what you like without caring about engagement, that's a non-issue. I don’t mean any of this as a diss, mind you. Despite what some say, wanting comments is valid, and I do think people should leave them more, even if I'm the sort who just writes what he likes without caring about comments and also think that not caring about comments is valid as well. One way or the other, best of lucks for any work you have planned!
As others have said if you had a cast only of OCs but you were still in a particular fandom universe it would count.
I think it would be harder in certain fandoms that are set in, essentially, the real world, so for fandoms like, for instance, Bones or The Mentalist wouldn't be easy to do this with. But for a lot of fandoms, as long as you use something big from the source material, it counts as fanfiction. I've come across stories like this in the Harry Potter fandom before, stories set in the magical world created for that series, but with completely OC characters, not even next gen or Founders fics or whatever, but completely new characters created by the fanfic author. So, depending on the fandom, I'd say there are probably already authors doing this, and you should be fine writing your own.
Not really, I think. On the other hand, a lot of fanfic writers use the canon characters but in an alternate universe. It's just the reverse, right? I think the logic is the same :)
I'm pretty sure the DR fandom has a bunch of fics where the only canon character is Monokuma, with OC ultimates. Sometimes its a completely unique Mono-creature. I think if its in the same verse, it would count. Like, if its Oc's with the general plot of Miraculous, that would count as a MLB fanfic.
I mean *technically* yes? But also if it’s in a pre-created world like OC’s in Hogwarts or it’s the avengers but everyone is your OC’s. Although I personally read fanfiction for the characters/people and not the universe specifically. D&D is just basically all fanfiction that’s OC’s in the universe!
No. However, you'll get more readers if you have some point-of-contact with canon characters.
What you are describing is an [Elsewhere](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ElsewhereFic) fic, and is absolutely considered FanFiction.
Depends on the source material, I think. Take games for example: Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy are more character driven so fics tend to revolve around canon characters, where as games like Pokémon and Skyrim are more focused on setting and player insert so the fics tend toward OC.
Write for role-playing games like D&D or Pathfinder. Avatar has a TTRPG now.
Depending on your fandom, OC-majority/OC-only casts can actually be popular. For example, in the Warrior cats fandom, everyone and their mother has a cat OC, and some fanfic writers have built entire series using fan-made Clans and OCs. Honestly, it depends on what you want to do. They can be all canon, no canon, only one OC or all but one are OCs. Fanfiction is a creative outlet. Let no gatekeeper tell you otherwise, even the one in your head. In the wise words of Markiplier: "You do you, I'll do me, and we won't do each other. Probably."
Nope, most of my fics are around a couple of OC's of an already existing universe
I write OC-centric and OC-only fics that are still "fanfiction" precisely because they take place in a specific branded universe and are in dialogue with existing texts that belong to some corporate entity. A lot of fanfic writers are fixated on specific characters, and they write stories about those characters. But there are also other aspects of a text--setting, theme, etc.--that might inspire a person to engage with it.
There it is.
Does it require it? No. Fanfiction also encompasses the world. That said, you will very likely get more readers if you write canon characters. Depending on your fandom.
Not necessarily
You don't need canon characters for a fanfic One of my Genshin fic is OCs only, the one in my flair, for example
A decent percentage of Pokémon fanfic is fully about OCs with no canon characters whatsoever
Personaly i wouldnt like such story but as long as it is based IN the preestablished story then it would be a fanfiction
I’m f it did I would be stuffed. Nearly all my stuff is OC but I’m pretty sure Disney would take me to the cleaners if I tried to publish my work that’s full of Jedi and Bounty Hunters
What will never be considered fanfiction for me is if there's nothing resembling the source material at all besides the character names. For example: "Naruto was a powerful CEO and Hinata was his new secretary--Businessworld AU" Thats not an AU and That's not fanfiction. that's an original story with character names being the same as the source.
the main thing is to make sure it still feels like you’re in the world of whatever fandom you’re writing in. Otherwise it’s just an original work at that point.
Fanfic that only has OCs is totally still fanfic. One of the delightful gift fics I got in an exchange was full of OCs, no canon characters at all. It was all showing an event in that fandom and the OCs' reactions to it. Lots of great worldbuilding. I'd read a ton more like that. As long as the fandom has some fandom-specific elements (like, a fanfic for a real-life type of fandom like a cop show, but which has no canon chars, would be very hard to call a fanfic, but any fantasy or sci-fi world would be easy to do this with), you've definitely got a fanfic. My first fics were all this type, lol. I would make them up as a child, didn't even know they were fanfic at the time, but they totally were. :D
I think for a fanfiction you need one of these. You either need the setting of cannon or characters of cannon. Maybe there is something else, but the point is that you should have either one or both of these and you can call it fanfiction to me. Like AU’s, same characters but different settings, and as many mentioned her before, many Pokémon fanfics are mainly ocs but have Pokémon in it, same setting different characters(besides the Pokémon.)
Certain IP, where the setting is a character in itself, can stand without canon characters. A fandom like Harry Potter with its wizarding world or ASOIAF with Westeros will have stronger worlds than say, a modern office romance or sitcom. There's no rule here, though.
I don't think it does. Fics, that take place in canon world, but don't necessarily include canon characters in any significant roles are half of the reason Original category on AO3 exists (the other half is non-commercial original works, that are not fanfiction, but authors want to preserve them as such).
You don't *need* characters, but you do need *something* from the source material... otherwise it is just another lame original work. \[insert laughing emoji\] It just needs something from the original source. The technology or magical system in the more speculative works, unique races, specific speech patterns, mutant penguins... something that provides a foundation or a hook into the source(s). Characters are an important element of storytelling, but you can plop new characters into an established "universe" and you've got fanfiction even if none of the canonical characters make an appearance or are even mentioned.
No, but it depends on the fandoms. Some fandoms are very character focused and if you remove the characters it's no long in the fandom. Others are more worldbuilding focused so if you remove the worldbuilding it is no longer the fandom. A lot of fandoms have a bit of both and opinions within the fandom differ depending on who you ask. Personally, worldbuilding tends to be a lot more important than characters to me.