Youngest Child Wins: Difference between revisions

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Often this carries undertones of underdog vindication, as in any setting in which inheritance occurs by primogeniture the youngest will naturally get the short end of the stick.

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* Misty from ''[[Pokémon (Anime)|Pokémon]]'' doesn't have the model-esque beauty of her older sisters, but she did get all the talent as a trainer. The other three are just content to give badges away.

* ''[[Lyrical Nanoha|Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha]]'' has eldest Kyouya, middle Miyuki, youngest Nanoha. Guess who gets mad magic skillz.

** Inverted by ''[[Triangle Heart 3 Sweet Songs Forever]]'', in which Kyouya is the protagonist. He has more training and fewer reservations about fighting than Miyuki (who only started training after her father's death, and mostly to protect Fiasse) does, and Nanoha is useless in combat, her role here as a cute [[Token Mini Moe]] to cart around in the civilian scenes. When she does get her "mad magic skillz", she's nowhere near as impressive as her [[Alternate Universe]] [[Spin Off]] self. That said, it's not necessarily like her older siblings ''don't'' have the skills they have in [[Triangle Heart 3 Sweet Songs Forever|TH3]]. It's just that it's not ''their'' story.

** Inverted by ''[[Triangle Heart 3 Sweet Songs Forever]]'', in which Kyouya is the protagonist. He has more training and fewer reservations about fighting than Miyuki (who only started training after her father's death, and mostly to protect Fiasse) does, and Nanoha is useless in combat, her role here as a cute [[Token Mini-Moe]] to cart around in the civilian scenes. When she does get her "mad magic skillz", she's nowhere near as impressive as her [[Alternate Universe]] [[Spin-Off]] self. That said, it's not necessarily like her older siblings ''don't'' have the skills they have in [[Triangle Heart 3 Sweet Songs Forever|TH3]]. It's just that it's not ''their'' story.

* There are three Tendo sisters in ''[[Ranma One Half]]''. Guess which one gets to be the main character love interest of the titular martial artist? In the sense that the older two foisted the [[Arranged Marriage]] onto the youngest in milliseconds, at least...

** Also note despite all three of them growing up in a dojo, Akane seems to be the only one who knows martial arts...

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* Mentioned on [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'', where thanks to the [[Theory of Narrative Causality|Law Of Narrative Causality]] it is now ''physically impossible'' for any youngest son embarking on a quest which has already claimed the lives of his two elder brothers to fail.

* Joanne Harris' ''Blue Eyed Boy'' describes a family of three sons, who are forced to wear Black for the eldest, Brown for the middle, and Blue for the youngest. Guess who's mother's favourite... {{spoiler|However the way Harris plays with our assumptions throughout the novel means this trope is actually brilliantly subverted.}}

* [[Ender's Game|Third child Ender]] is described as "the metal in between" his compassionate sister and sociopathic brother, making him the perfect choice for a military commander. Though, considering the [[The Spartan Way|trauma he endures]] [[My God What Have I Done|as a result]], this may not count as "winning."

* [[Ender's Game|Third child Ender]] is described as "the metal in between" his compassionate sister and sociopathic brother, making him the perfect choice for a military commander. Though, considering the [[The Spartan Way|trauma he endures]] [[My God, What Have I Done?|as a result]], this may not count as "winning."

* Used in Cecilia Dart-Thornton's mythological fantasy ''The Crowthistle Chronicles''.

* In the ''[[Star Wars]]'' [[Expanded Universe]], Anakin Solo is often portrayed as the brightest and most talented of the Solo children. It's subverted when, thanks to [[Executive Meddling]], {{spoiler|he dies in the New Jedi Order}}. The ''[[Legacy of the Force]]'' series makes it a [[Double Subversion]]: {{spoiler|the elder brother turns evil, and the sister becomes a warrior and slays him. Anakin continues to be held up as the only good-n'-pure Solo sibling.}}

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* In ''[[Fire Emblem Jugdral|Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'', Prince Jamka is the youngest son of King Batou of Verdane (the first nation to attack the protagonists) and joins Sigurd's army after his two brothers and his father fell under the machinations of the Lopto cult. {{spoiler|In the manga, he becomes the king of Verdane after his father's death.}}

* The [[Updated Rerelease|DS remake]] of ''[[Dragon Quest V (Video Game)|Dragon Quest V]]'' gives [[Yamato Nadeshiko|Nera]] an older sister, [[Rich Bitch|Debora]], whose very existence highlights what a wonderful young woman her younger sibling is. Everyone [[Purity Sue|heaps praise on Nera]], while Debora is acknowledged as beautiful, but a total pain. Notably, their father has completely given up on marrying Debora off, and his [[Engagement Challenge]] draws Nera's admirers from all over.

* [[Dragon Age Origins]] has a potential [[Subverted Trope|Subversion]] of this with [[Well Intentioned Extremist|Prince Bhelen.]] {{spoiler|He coordinates the death of his oldest sibling and causes his other Brother/Sister to get exiled for it, all so Bhelen can become heir to his father's throne. The subversion comes in with the fact that the main character (who ironically could also be the older sibling who got exiled) can decide to prevent him from getting the throne.}}

* [[Dragon Age Origins]] has a potential [[Subverted Trope|Subversion]] of this with [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|Prince Bhelen.]] {{spoiler|He coordinates the death of his oldest sibling and causes his other Brother/Sister to get exiled for it, all so Bhelen can become heir to his father's throne. The subversion comes in with the fact that the main character (who ironically could also be the older sibling who got exiled) can decide to prevent him from getting the throne.}}

** Played straight in the Human Noble Origin, where {{spoiler|the younger son/daughter (the player character) gets left behind guarding the castle while father and older brother set off to war, and eventually ends up saving the world, accumulating riches and honors, and potentially marrying the king or queen as well, while the father dies and the older brother spends the whole story "missing in action"...}}

* In the ''[[Metal Gear]]'' series:

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