Just a Kid: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

'''Aang:''' Well, you're just a teenager.|''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''}}

 

* Lampshaded by almost all the villains Gohan fights in one-on-one battle in ''[[Dragonball Z]]''. Goku also suffered from this in the ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' series and in ''GT'', which annoyed him even more, as he was reaching his sixties and was one of the strongest beings in the universe.

** Subverted with gleeful enthusiasm in [[Dragonball Z Abridged]] whenever they can get some footage to support it.

'''Recoome:''' [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner|Recoome agrees.]] }}

* Prevalent in [[Nasuverse]] works. Then again, the one saying it is usually [[Our Vampires Are Different|far]] [[All Myths Are True|beyond]] mere humans.

* ''[[The Neverending Story (film)|The Neverending Story]]''. The Prime Minister (or whoever he's supposed to be) didn't want Atreyu the child, he wanted Atreyu the warrior. Atreyu just shrugs and says he is the only one of his tribe with that name and they can take it or leave it. They take it.

* In ''[[X-Men: First Class|X Men First Class]]'', when [[Magneto]], [[Arch Enemy|of all people]], suggests that he and Xavier train the young mutants to fight Sebastian Shaw and the Hellfire Club.

'''[[Magneto|Erik]]''': No. They ''were'' kids. }}

 

* [[The Hobbit|Thorin Oakenshield]] was equivalent in age to a fourth or fifth grader when he fought at Nanduhirion and earned his nickanme. [[Lord of the Rings|Daín Ironfoot]] was even younger at that battle, where he slew an orc-chieftan. And not just any orc chieftain but ''Public Enemy Number Two<ref>Smaug was Public Enemy Number One at the time.</ref> Azog''!

* Children under fifteen are by default looked down on in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'', but they can definitely prove themselves and gain a following if they're strong enough. Women are treated the same way. Being both of these things, Daenerys likes to twist this trope to her own benefit whenever an advisor or commander voices some opinion that she disagrees with or believes is short-sighted.

 

 

* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'': Buffy, at least during the high school years. It disappears largely after then, because everyone in Sunnydale (and beyond) has apparently heard of Buffy and is no longer surprised at her abilities. The trope was back in full swing during season seven, with the training of Dawn and the Potentials.

** Normally Dawn complains about being called a kid (to be fair, by the end of the show, she's older than Buffy was when she started Slaying), but [[Out of Character|one time she referrers to herself as just a kid]]. Nobody cares because, well:

* ''[[Doogie Howser, M.D.]]'': The premise: medical doctor who is just a kid. Faintly based on a real-life example.

* ''[[Sliders]]'': Quinn Mallory

* ''[[Fire Emblem]]''

** Played for laughs in ''[[Fire Emblem]] 4'':

'''Sylvia''': ''Little... GIRL!? You ever see a little girl with [[Gag Boobs|THESE!?]]'' }}

** Played straight in ''[[Fire Emblem]] 8'' with Ewan, his older sister and mentor still tend to see him as a little boy (the latter less so than the former, however, Saleh is shown to acknowledge and praise Ewan's skills despite the scoldings).

== Web Animation ==

* ''[[Homestar Runner]]'': Parodied in the Strong Bad E-Mail "japanese cartoon".

'''Stinkoman:''' No way! You're just a kid! Maybe when you're '''older'''! }}

** And then flipped around in ''[[Stinkoman 20 X 6]]'', where 1-Up ''himself'' says that he can't rescue Pan Pan alone because he's just a kid. (Maybe when he's older...)

** Ironic for two reasons: 1) He's technically more than a hundred years old and 2) Avatars normally aren't so young. Normal Avatars have their true powers revealed to them as teenagers, not preteens.

** It's simultaneously averted and played straight (by Yue and Aang respectively) in the season one finale (which, coincidentally was aptly named "[[The Siege]] of the North").

'''[[The Chief's Daughter|Yue]]:''' But, [[Because Destiny Says So|you have to!]] You're the [[The Only One|Avatar!]]<br />

'''Aang:''' I'm just one kid. ''(buries his head in his arms)'' }}

** Also referred to in the opening theme. ("...Danny Fenton, he was just fourteen, when...")

* A huge theme of ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' is the fact they ''are'' just kids, yet still manage to do so many bizarre and amazing things; this is the main reason that their mother [[Refuge in Audacity|never believes Candace]] when [[Cassandra Truth|she tries to bust them]].

'''Phineas:''' [[Blunt Yes|Yes]], [[Running Gag|yes I am.]] }}

** Parodied when Candace once asks the boys (renowned for making bizarre inventions) why they couldn't just create some way of fixing their rocket ship without necessitating a space walk. The boys simply stare at her for a moment before Ferb comments, "Candace, we ''are'' just kids."

* This trope is a more or less constant worry for Ma-Ti of ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]''. True, except for Gi they're all "kids", but Ma-Ti has the added disadvantage of just being ''twelve'' (aside of, well, the [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?]] deal).

** Which was [[Played for Laughs]] in [[That Guy With The Glasses|Linking Up with Linkara's]] [[The Stinger|Stinger]], {{spoiler|where [[The Nostalgia Chick]] and [[Marz Gurl]] pretended to have slept with (a presumably aged up) Ma-Ti.}}

* ''[[The Amazing Chan and The Chan Clan]]'': "You're not old enough, Scooter."

* ''[[Max and Ruby]]'': The character Max, despite being about four and not being capable of saying more than a few words at once, shows himself to be quite capable of either outwitting his older sister or helping her to get what she wants.