Do you go back and read a first part to re-familiarize yourself with the characters?

I was curious if readers had an opinion on going back to the first part to reorient themselves with the characters to gain a visual for the characters in the latest part.

I will share that I find that I do many times. It makes the story material more exciting for me. I would appreciate if readers would post their thoughts and how they view going back to the beginning of the serial.

I also often do. I tend to read stories one at a time, even if all parts are loaded at once, so this is a good method to help the story flow better.

I always read a serial from the beginning, so if part 5 comes out and I haven't read the previous parts, I go back to part 1 to start there. If part 5 comes out and I have read the previous parts, it depends on a lot of things, e.g. on how well I remember the previous parts, on how interconnected the parts are (some serials are basically a string of individual stories with the same characters, and then continuity doesn't matter that much) etc. In most cases I just take a brief look at the previous part to remind myself of what was happening, but then I must admit I'm not a great serial reader - I usually prefer stand-alone stories.

I often do, even with my own stories. My short-term memory is not what it used to be!

I generally do go back to the beginning for a quick scan of the story to remind myself who everyone is and what their relationship with each other is.

Yes, I often do a quick scan too. Especially with my Favourites...

I try to read stories in one sitting.

When I write stories that follow on from other stories and use the same characters I re-read the previous stories to try not write anything that is at odds or contradicts anything in the previous stories, especially as I can write a sequel years after the one before.

It depends on how invested I am in the story. Sometimes I read stories many, many times. Even stories I almost know by heart. To be honest, most of the time, I just start reading the new story. I guess that's the answer to the actual question.

Then if I particularly like the story, I'll go back and read the previous parts. Sometime the new story makes me wonder if I understood the previous parts. Maybe the new addition changes the context of the series. It may provide new insights. Sometimes it just gives me an excuse to reread an enjoyable story.

There are some I've read several times!