Jump to content

Street Urchin: Difference between revisions

Street Urchin (view source)

Revision as of 12:46, 8 April 2014

337 bytes removed ,  10 years ago
m
Mass update links
VisualWikitext
m (Mass update links)
m (Mass update links)
Line 4:
{{quote|''One Jump, ahead of the bread line<br />
''One Swing, ahead of the sword<br />
''I steal, only what I can't afford - And that's everything!|"One Jump Ahead", [[Disney Animated Canon|Disney's]] ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]''}}
 
A kid, usually an orphan, who has lived on the streets for most of his short life. Survival is a matter of stealing whatever they need, doing odd jobs, and/or stuff you'd probably rather not think about. He may actually have a home or family, but the situation there may be so bad that living on the streets is preferable, or they're out stealing for their family's sake.
Line 18:
 
== [[Anime]] ==
* Duo Maxwell in ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (Anime)|Gundam Wing]]'' is shown to have run in a gang of urchins in the prequel manga, ''Episode Zero.'' He ends up getting set on the path to being a [[Humongous Mecha]] pilot when terrorists hold his friends, and the Nun and Priest caring for them, and offers to steal a mobile suit to get them freed. He actually pulls it off, too, but true to his later persona as a [[Broken Hero]], it doesn't end well.
** The novelization of [[The Movie]] takes it a step further by showing his life before the church: he was the second-in-command of a group of street urchins lead by a young man named Solo. When Solo caught a nasty disease whose vaccine was reserved for the rich, the boy stole some but didn't make it back in time. He never got sick himself, which he attributed to Solo watching over him, and took on the name "Duo" to symbolize that they'd always be a team. Duo becomes the gang's new leader, which is where he is when his chapter of ''Episode Zero'' starts.
* Kotaro Inugami in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' is a [[Half -Human Hybrid|Half-Demon]] who, thanks to his nature, was able to survive by performing work as a mercenary. He ends up becoming a rival to Negi, follows him to Mahora, and ends up getting unofficially adopted by one of his students.
** Also, {{spoiler|Tohsaka}} used to be one as a kid.
* Yahiko Myoujin in ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'', after his [[Ill Girl]] mother's death.
Line 27:
* Neneko in ''[[Yumeria]]'' seems to live on the streets most of the time.
* In the [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]] manga, a young Ryouji Kaji grows up among a gang of war orphans; of course, since this is Evangelion, it all eventually ends in terrible tragedy.
* ''[[Baccano (Light Novel)|Baccano]]!'''s Firo Prochainezo used to be one, being orphaned at age nine (and fatherless before that) and forced to make it on his own in one of New York's seedier neighborhoods. He stumbled into [[The Mafia|the Camorra]] after attempting to pick-pocket one of their higher-ranking executives.
* This is part of [[Mobile Fighter G Gundam (Anime)|Chibodee Crockett]]'s history, before he was scouted by an agent and made it big in boxing.
** Same goes to his [[Four-Girl Ensemble]], whom he specifically took in as he saw his past situation reflected in theirs.
* Garrod Ran from [[After War Gundam X (Anime)|After War Gundam X]]. He tells Tiffa in the second episode that he was at first raised by his widowed father, but then his dad died and found himself completely alone.
* {{spoiler|Meg}} from [[Burst Angel]].
* Brian Hawk from ''[[Hajime no Ippo]]'' has this past. In ''no way'' is this a [[Freudian Excuse]] for his [[Complete Monster]] behaviour, however.
* In ''[[The Secret Agreement (Manga)|The Secret Agreement]]'', Yuuichi, having been orphaned in the war ([[Parental Abandonment|or so he thought]]), grows up on the streets but is able to turn himself into a [[Self -Made Man]]. He's not rich and he's still lower class, but he can comfortably support himself which is pretty good considering how he started off.
* This is part of [[Cute and Psycho|Alois']] backstory in ''[[Black Butler (Manga)|Black Butler]]''.
* Kei in the animated ''[[Iria Zeiram the Animation]]''.
 
Line 41:
** To this day, her street urchin skills come in handy in combat. She hasn't met a lock she couldn't pick. In fact, when wearing a costume that features it, ''her tiara contains a number of lock picks.''
** Jubilee too. After the murder of her parents she spent a few years living on the streets of LA, doing fireworks shows with her abilities, before being picked up by the X-Men.
* ''[[Batman (Comic Book)|Batman]]'': The [[Post -Crisis]] incarnation of Jason Todd (Robin II).
** Another DC comics example is Cindy <s>"Gypsey"</s> ''"Gypsy"'' <s>Renolds</s> ''Reynolds''.
* After his reincarnation by [[The Mighty Thor|Thor]], Loki spent some times as one of these in France, not having his godly memories or powers. He worked as a con artist with another unnamed child until Thor restoed his memories (up to the age he was at, anyway)...
Line 48:
== [[Fanfic]] ==
 
* Dee from [[DJINN: The Way to Home (Fanfic)|DJINN Way to Home]] [[The Runaway|left her foster parents]] after {{spoiler|her foster father tried to molest her}} and lived on the streets for a year before the story begins, getting some help and advice from an experienced older homeless woman and passing herself off as a boy. She's actually [[Bifauxnen]] enough to fool Will when they first meet. Her experiences in the foster system and on the streets has given her the determination and skills to become a good [[Chosen One|Keeper of the Heart]], but also ladens her with several [[Broken Bird|severe]] [[Does Not Like Men|personal]] [[Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right|issues]].
 
== [[Film]] ==
* The Kid in ''[[Dick Tracy]]''.
* Jamal and his brother Salim in ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' grew up like this after the slum they lived in was attacked during a religion riot.
* The Dead End Kids, who starred in many gangster movies from the 1930's and 40's including ''Dead End'' and ''[[Angels Withwith Dirty Faces]]''. They always played the same characters, a gang of orphan kids living in the street and always up to no good.
* Abu in ''[[The Thief of Bagdad (Film)|The Thief of Bagdad]]''.
* The scary ass kids from the movie [[Hostel]].
 
Line 62:
* Most of the characters in ''~Les Misérables~'' had this kind of childhood, but Gavroche in particular embodies the trope.
* Vin from ''[[Mistborn]]'' by Brandon Sanderson was a street urchin who survived in relative physical and psychical health only because of her yet undeveloped but useful awesome magical talent.
* In the ''[[Discworld]]'' novel ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Night Watch|Night Watch]]'', the young Nobby Nobbs is described as a street urchin, on the grounds that he's small, prickly, and smells like fish. As the book was a pastiche of ''Les Miserables'', he served as the stand-in for Gavroche.
* Arya in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' spends some time playing the street urchin, both genuinely and as part of {{spoiler|learning to be a magical assassin}}. In the Dunk and Egg stories, Dunk recalls his earliest memories as an urchin in the slums of King's Landing. The streetfighting skills he learned there have saved him on more than one occasion.
* Bean of the ''[[Ender's Game|Ender]]'' series was one, as revealed in ''Ender's Shadow''. His friend Poke was the cross-dressing kind, though everyone knew she was a girl.
Line 76:
** For that matter so was [[Heralds of Valdemar|Skif]], at least to start out with.
** There was also another young Herald-Trainee in ''Arrows of the Queen'' who gets a mention on one of the ''Mage Winds'' books. He was one used for unsavory purposes.
* Kim in [[Patricia C. Wrede]]'s ''Mairelon the Magician''. A girl disguised as a boy, and for good reason.
* In the ''[[Outlander (Literaturenovel)|Outlander]]'' series, Fergus grew up this way, living in a whorehouse, unsure which of the ladies was his mother, until adopted by Jamie. In places it's a ''very'' dark take on this trope -- for example, the fact that Fergus had also prostituted himself for money.
* Stevie in the Caleb Carr novels ''[[The Alienist]]'' and ''Angel Of Death'' is a street urchin.
* ''[[Lloyd Alexander|The Westmark Trilogy]]'' has the girl Mickle and the sister-and-brother duo Sparrow and Weasel.
Line 88:
 
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* Chiana in ''[[Farscape (TV)|Farscape]]'' before she joined the crew.
* Ariel the "Street Waif" from ''[[Kung Fu The Legend Continues]]'', and yes, the guy who came up with that term was made fun of.
* Lujan Linares was one (a "cartonerita") on [[Rebelde Way]].
Line 103:
* In the first ''[[Discworld]]'' game there is a stereotypical Street Urchin.
* In ''[[Angband]]'', there's the "Filthy street urchin". Being a [[Roguelike]], you can kill them.
* Marco from ''[[Skies of Arcadia (Video Game)|Skies of Arcadia]].''
* ''[[Final Fantasy XII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy XII]]'': Vaan and Penelo.
* Annah from [[Planescape: Torment]] grew up as the "stealing for her family" variant.
* Commander Shepard from ''[[Mass Effect]]'', if one chooses the [[Multiple Choice Past|Earthborn Pre-Service History.]]
* Shows up in many a [[Fan Fiction]] involving [[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Reno]], but this seems to be [[Word of Dante]] more than anything else; his backstory really isn't mentioned.
* ''[[Hector: Badge of Carnage]]'' episode 2 has Lambert meet one who is living in an abandoned fridge, lost his hand in a shoe shining accident and had it replaced by a hook. After he helps Lambert, Lambert {{spoiler|ends up adopting him.}}
* In ''[[Sampaguita (Visual Novel)|Sampaguita]]'', the 3rd game of the ''[[Yarudora (Visual Novel)|Yarudora]]'' series:
** Main heroine Maria and her adopted older brother Boy were this in their early life in the Philippines. They were doing little jobs such as selling [[wikipedia:Jasminum sambac|sampaguita flowers]] in the street crossroads, doing their best to survive. The game treats the player with a [[Flash Back]] of these moments when Maria tells her past to the protagonist, after [[Quest for Identity|she has recovered her memories]] and fallen in love with him.
** A secondary character, Randy Santiago, also tells he was a Filipino street urchin in his younger days, while talking to the protagonist and giving him info about the Philippines.
Line 119:
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Dream Catcher]]'' has Daemon, though for how long he's been one is a mystery.
* In [[Least I Could Do]], Rayne employs a young orphan boy, appropriately called [[Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"|Urchin]], for various zany, self-serving errands and odd jobs. Eventually we learn that [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold|Rayne also keeps Urchin fed, sheltered and educated]] until he can be adopted. Somewhat of a subversion in that Urchin is no longer on the streets.
* [[Guttersnipe]] is all about this trope.
* [[The Dreamland Chronicles]]: [http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/the-dreamland-chronicles/chapter-05/page-284/ Felicity lightly mentions that she grew up on the streets.]
 
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Tim Drake is portrayed like this in ''[[Batman: theThe Animated Series]]'', an amalgam of his comic origins and those of second Robin Jason Todd. His father was a criminal who ended up on the bad side of Two-Face, and he quickly found himself an orphan, just in time to get far too deep in the middle of one of Batman's cases.
* The title character of Disney's ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' is, more or less, a slightly more grown-up version, and both in the full-length features and the series many young children are shown starving on the streets of Agrabah.
** S'interesting because the original Aladdin depended on his mum for ''everything'' and was a shiftless wastrel living off her right up until he got the genie to rely on instead, and even then had her present his request to marry the princess after spying on her in the bath. Disney rightly decided that would make a terrible movie and wrote her out.
*** The Sorceror even picked him to dupe because he so clearly had no character or will to make anything of himself.
Line 132:
* Julian from ''[[Cybersix]]''
* [[Meaningful Name|Urchin]] from [[The Little Mermaid]]: The Series.
* In ''[[The Legend of Korra (Animation)|The Legend of Korra]]'' [[Promoted to Parent|Mako]] and his little brother [[The Charmer|Bolin]] grew up on the streets, and are explicitly referred to as Street Urchins by Butakha, the pro-bending organizer. They ran numbers "and stuff" for the [[The Triads and Thethe Tongs|Triple Threat Triad]], before being taken in by Toza, who mentored them in [[Fictional Sport|pro-bending]] and arranged to let them live in the arena's attic apartment. There's also young Skoochy, a boy who likes to serve as an informant.
 
{{reflist}}
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/894931"
Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.
More information