Weapon, Jr.

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

In real life weapons are similar to music instruments... no, not like that. What we mean is, no matter what someone's Weapon of Choice may be, using it is a finely honed art that they must practise to the point where using another weapon might prove problematic.

In fictionland, however, if someone with an Iconic Item Weapon of Choice is shown as a child, has a child or meets a younger counterpart (a Fan Boy who wants to grow up to be just like them, perhaps) then you can expect them to own a toy or weapon with some perceived similarity to it.

The nature of this "Weapon, Jr." and how functional it is can vary. It might be a literal toy version (wooden swords are popular, as are more high tech toys, like dart guns) or it might be an actual weapon that people wouldn't mind a kid having (Brats with Slingshots, Slings, etc) which might actually be dangerous in Real Life (but not necessarily in fictionland). Whether it's just kids playing at soldiers, or children actually being forced into combat depends on the series.

Some stock examples of Weapon, Jr. include;

  • Bows: Slingshots are the most common one, however slings (which makes no sense at all, since they require considerable skill to use are very damaging and turn up in cultures that lack bows) and crossbows (which makes some sense, since it requires less training than a bow...but they're still martial weapons) are also popular.
  • Guns: This is much more likely to be justified, since gun-like toys are extremely common, including Water Guns and Balloons as well as dart guns and popguns. Not to mention air rifles and BB Guns are only different in their underlying mechanism and power (and indeed are classed as actual weapons in many jurisdictions).
  • Swords (and other blades): Wooden swords are the most common, followed by baseball bats, but a simple stick or any object longer than it is thin will also do. More violent children might instead use a smaller blade until they're older. Bonus points for using a dustbin lid as a shield.
  • Clubs and Hammers: More or less the same deal as swords. Pretty much anything smaller than the grown up weapon really. Maybe a pillow or squeaky hammer if they're really young.
  • Staves and Polearms: A mop or any similarly shaped everyday object. Weapons that resemble tools (like scythes) can also have smaller versions of said tools.
  • Axe: An actual axe, but of the domestic, firewood chopping variety.
  • Instrument of Murder: While it might make sense to see the younger Spoony Bard training with their "weapon" at a young age, Rule of Funny demands that a simpler instrument be used (recorders and harmonicas being popular because of their being thought of as "children's instruments"). Toy versions work as well.
  • Good Old Fisticuffs: This tends to be harder to "kiddyfy", but adorable oversized gloves, handwraps, safety gear or a simple martial arts uniform (especially if they don't wear one or customise it when they're older) can have the same effect.
  • Grenades: Water Guns and Balloons can go here too, as can eggs or fruit, rocks or anything else that can be thrown. A more troublesome child might make use of cans of accelerant or fireworks.
  • Armour: Generally this takes the form of either a costume or Improvised Armour made from scraps. Sometimes they might just wear an outfit which resembles it somewhat. Helmets tend to become a Bucket Helmet.
  • Magic: Expect a future magic user to use a wand (actually magic or not), or own a young stage magician's kit (or see below). Especially if they come to carry a Magic Staff. Mops and umbrellas work for the latter as well.
  • Superpowers: Finally, expect a child who will grow up to become a Superhero (...or perhaps not) and has yet to manifest their powers play with or own some trinket that suggests them, such as a lighter for a pyrokinetic or "grabby thing" for telekinesis.

Specifically designed training weapons can also count if they're in the hands of children.

If this is used in a flashback, expect it to be milked for "Used to Be a Sweet Kid" points if they aren't an Enfant Terrible. If older versions of the protagonists using more advanced "weapons" show up then it's Generation Xerox or Future Badass. A video game might have your character wield them in a Justified Tutorial. In an RPG they might serve as Starter Equipment. May be wielded by a Kid Sidekick. This can be either a Call Forward or Foreshadowing depending on when it's revealed who the child in question grows up to be. If children are actually being given weapons to played with (as toys or not) then it's My Little Panzer (although it still counts as this trope if the owner of it "upgrades" when they're older). Often turns up in A Minor Kidroduction.

Examples of Weapon, Jr. include:

Anime and Manga

  • In Berserk, Guts still uses a full sized sword as he grows up...but as an adult he also scales up his weapon and uses a BFS.
  • In Mahou Sensei Negima, small wands are used for magic training and as emergency magical foci. Chamo even describes them as beginner wands.
  • In One Piece, Yasopp uses a rifle to snipe at his foes. His son Usopp uses a slingshot for the same purpose. Usopp seems to have no intention to graduate beyond a slingshot, however, and by the looks of things, does not need to use anything more advanced.
    • That's because he advances the slingshot itself instead, notably with Skypea's superpowered seashells to the point where he can hit targets a normal rifle can't reach.

Film

Video Games

  • Borderlands's opening cutscene shows a picture of the Player Characters as children; Mordecai has a slingshot, Lilith has a bubble wand, Brick has a glove and Roland... has a map (although he does wear an approximation of the armour he wears as an adult).
  • In Ocarina of Time Link gets the slingshot, and uses it until he can get the bow (which he can only use as an adult). Twilight Princess takes the trope even further, with Link (only an adolescent in this game) showing off his aiming skills with a slingshot, and his sword skills with a wooden sword.
  • In Fallout 3, the tutorial has the player learn to shoot with a BB gun on their 10th birthday.
  • In Kingdom Hearts which featured child versions of several Final Fantasy characters had sword wielding Tidus use a toy sword, and Nunchaku wielding Selphie had a jump rope. Wakka may count too, if you consider some of his spikier Blitzballs in FFX.
    • Birth By Sleep had a teenaged version of Axel, when his name was Lea, wielding a pair of frisbees.
  • At the end of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Raiden meets his son who uses a toy sword to perform the same moves he does.
  • Super Mario: In Super Mario World, Bowser used his Koopa Clown Car [is it car or copter?] in his showdown against Mario. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Bowser Jr. uses his own, miniature version of the Koopa Clown Car in his attempts [did he only use it the one time?] to take out Mario (and Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad).
  • The armour varient of this trope is shown briefly in Legend of Dragoon; The Hero Dart wears a red vest (similar to his red curaise) and his Love Interest Shana wears a white dress which is exactly the same shape as her armour (minus her Mini-Dress of Power). There is also a kid who's a fan of Lavitz in his hometown who wears a Bucket Helmet and carries a hoe (Lavitz wields Blade on a Stick).

Western Animation

  • In an episode of Disney's Hercules series, in which Hercules initially scoffs at being forced to train with a basic training javelin rather than a more heroic weapon. But at the end of the episode, he uses a basic javelin to bring down the big bad guy (having been offered his choice of any weapon by Athena) and turns down the offer of a proper spear from a (actual) Hot Amazon.
  • In the Looney Tunes short The Old Gray Hare, there's a flashback where Baby Elmer has a pop-gun which he fires at Baby Bugs. The episode also begins with an elderly Elmer obtaining a Ray Gun.

Real Life

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