Gaiden

Gaiden is a Japanese word with two distinct meanings, depending on the way it is represented in Japanese text or speech. The first meaning, "side story" or "tale", is used to refer to an anecdote or supplementary biography of a person. This use of gaiden is commonly used in popular Japanese fiction to refer to a spin-off (canonical or otherwise) of a previously published work that is not officially considered a sequel nor a prequel. However, some gaiden are retold stories in the perspective of a different character, similar to that of a flashback. The second meaning for Gaiden is a 'message', 'letter', or 'telegram'. At times the two meanings have been mistranslated by English speaking people as meaning one or the other.