| abstract | - He'll fight off hordes of monsters with techniques the likes of which master swordsmen would never equal. He'll wield weapons spoken of only in the oldest of legends. He'll save the world and everyone in it from destruction five times over. And he'll do all of this while not even being old enough to drive. The Kid Hero is, as the name implies, a child. The exact age varies up and down the scale, from 8 to 17, but they're never an adult by whatever the local standards are. The "base age" seems to be 14 or thereabouts, though their numeric age may not be revealed. Your standard Kid Hero has a strong streak of immaturity in them. They might well regard the adventure as a game, albeit one with slightly higher stakes. (Often their starting weapon is explicitly made of wood.) Expect this to be scrubbed out of them in short order, usually when the place they call home gets wiped off the map. Kid Heroes DO have some things going for them, though: their idealism and youth. A villain trying to perform a Hannibal Lecture on a Kid Hero is in for a rude awakening when he gets it thrown back in his face. Kid Heroes, quite simply, have a very clear view of right or wrong. Some may call it naive, but it serves them well, as they are basically impossible to corrupt. They're also at that age where their self-image is intricately intertwined with their friends, so they often kick ass through the Power of Friendship. A Kid Hero will commonly, but not universally, have two primary adversaries; his most dangerous opponent is usually an adult villain who serves as the hero's Arch Nemesis, while his second most dangerous opponent will usually be a younger villain, closer to his own age or slightly older, who serves as the hero's Evil Counterpart. These two are rarely affiliated, but if they do work togther, the adult will almost certainly be the Big Bad with the young villain as an extremely reluctant and rebellious Dragon. Most commonly seen in console and computer role-playing games, as it allows for character growth to feel natural and skips the question of why they aren't properly equipped for the job. Also appears in the vast majority of animated action-adventure, both Western and Eastern. If a television show is specifically focused on this character, then the description will most likely be along the lines of "Saving the world, and doing homework!" If particularly well executed, The Brigadier and others won't look like monsters or weaklings for sending a kid to do their heroics for them. This is Older Than Feudalism; examples include the Biblical hero David, and several Greek and Hindu mythic heroes (e.g., Hercules, who killed two large snakes sent by Hera to kill him in his crib) See also Child Soldiers, a much more realistic (and darker) concept. Compare Kid Samurai. Contrast Enfant Terrible, a common antagonist of such a character. Examples of Kid Hero include:
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