History Main / ChildSoldiers

* Achilles from Greek mythology, like many Ancient Greek warriors, was trained as a soldier from childhood, and started going to war as a youth. By his teens, he was famous enough for his skills that he was sought for during the start of the Trojan War. A lot of Achilles' actions from ''Literature/TheIliad'' are more understandable if you know that he has been at war since before he even became an adult.

* Cuchulain from Irish Mythology achieved many martial feats while still in his youth, when he still went by birth name, Setana.

** Speaking of Nazis, the 12th Waffen SS division "Hitlerjugend" was formed of teens from the Hitler Youth recruited into the SS directly. They were trained viciously, turning these darker boy scout equivalents into hardened soldiers. They were the only units in 1944 to be described as both "voluntary" and "enthusiastic".

* ''LetsPlay/DreamSMP'': In spite of the VagueAge issues with the characters, if we are going by the ages of the content-creators, three of them have participated in warfare of some sort at age 16-17.

* Hunter the Golden Guard from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' is a highly trained soldier raised in a militaristic cult, and serves as TheDragon to Emperor Belos at just 16 years old. Being Belos's nephew, having no other surviving family, and believing that he doesn't have a future outside of the Emperor's Coven due to his [[FictionalDisability lack of magic]], Hunter was drafted into scout training at a very young age, isolated from the outside world, and ConditionedToAcceptHorror (among other things, he fondly recalls being dropped on the top of a mountain with a bunch of other trainees and seeing who would make it to the bottom alive). This, on top of being subjected to parentification, {{gaslighting}} and regular physical and psychological abuse at the hands of [[AbusiveParents Belos]], has left Hunter's emotional and social growth horribly stunted. Underneath the veneer of haughtiness, he's a kind, creative, and deeply anxious boy who just wants to be a normal teenager, but never got the chance to be [[spoiler:until he got trapped in the human realm in Season 3]]. Made even worse after the reveal that [[spoiler:Hunter is actually the latest in a long line of Grimwalkers, {{Expendable Clone}}s created specifically to be the Golden Guard and discarded as soon as they show the slightest signs of disloyalty or disobedience.]]

Child soldiers in fiction can be divided into two types: those who fight and kill humans, and those who don't either because they fight a nonhuman entity (''Anime/StrikeWitches'', ''Anime/StellviaOfTheUniverse'') or avoid lethal means (''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''). The former usually carry a heavy trauma, while the latter tend to avoid it. Even more significant dividing factor tends to be how often and how horribly they and their comrades are depicted as dying themselves.

* Hunter the Golden Guard from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' is a highly trained soldier raised in a militaristic cult, and serves as TheDragon to Emperor Belos at just 16 years old. Being Belos's nephew, having no other surviving family, and believing that he doesn't have a future outside of the Emperor's Coven due to his [[FictionalDisability lack of magic]], Hunter was drafted into scout training at a very young age, isolated from the outside world, and ConditionedToAcceptHorror (among other things, he fondly recalls being dropped on the top of a mountain with a bunch of other trainees and seeing who would make it to the bottom alive). This, on top of being subjected to parentification, {{gaslighting}} and regular physical and psychological abuse at the hands of [[AbusiveParents Belos]], has left Hunter's emotional and social growth horribly stunted. Underneath the veneer of haughtiness, he's a deeply anxious boy who just wants to be a normal teenager, but never got the chance to be [[spoiler:until he got trapped in the human realm in Season 3]]. Made even worse after the reveal that [[spoiler:Hunter is actually the latest in a long line of Grimwalkers, {{Expendable Clone}}s created specifically to be the Golden Guard and discarded as soon as they show the slightest signs of disloyalty or disobedience.]]

** The youngest playable characters in the franchise with confirmed ages are 12-year-old [[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/shvc/bfej/data/chara/index.html Sara]] of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'', a ChildProdigy who happens to be the only one who can wield the Kia staff and undo the Loptous Sect's petrification, and [[https://kantopia.wordpress.com/2016/10/06/fe-por-rolf-character-profile-p-53-translation/ Rolf]] of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', an apprentice archer who really has no business being on the battlefield at that age.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', while the ages of the characters [[VagueAge are never specified]], Jean, Clanne and Framme look no older than their early teens. Hortensia, second princess of Elusia, seems slightly older, but she's one of the younger characters. She was studying at Elusia's academy, along with her friends Rosado and Goldmary when the Fell Dragon awakened and they were called to war.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' has students of the Officers' Academy of Fodlan, some as young as 15, being taken into combat to fight against bandits and other threats as part of their training. Sothis, who's uncomfortable with this, grants Byleth the ability to turn back time in order to protect their students. Dimitri and Felix were around 15 when they suppressed a rebellion in their kingdom two years prior to the start of the game, and neither one is in good mental health afterwards, as Felix has become dour and obsessed with becoming stronger following the death of his brother in the rebellion, while Dimitri is struggling to keep his own sanity [[spoiler:and ultimately fails (unless the player goes on the Blue Moon route, in which case his sanity can be at least partially salvaged).]]

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' has students of the Officers' Academy of Fodlan, some as young as 15, being taken into combat to fight against bandits and other threats as part of their training. Sothis, who's uncomfortable with this, grants Byleth the ability to turn back time in order to protect their students. Dimitri and Felix were around 15 when they suppressed a rebellion in their kingdom two years prior to the start of the game.

[[folder:Mythology And Religion]]

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' has a few child characters, mostly [[StreetUrchin thieves]], mages in training (and a few full-fledged mages), and exiled royalty (often TheHero), or [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Manaketes]] who are Really700YearsOld. Older ones around 16-17 are very common. The youngest [[TheHero lord]] is Roy of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'', who was put in charge of an army initially consisting mainly of members who look barely older than him at age 15; but for units in general it is taken to extremes by Nah of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', who, considering Manakete aging, must be around the physical age of an early elementary schooler at most [[WiseBeyondTheirYears (but still has the maturity of someone much older)]]. The youngest playable characters in the franchise with confirmed ages are 12-year-old [[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/shvc/bfej/data/chara/index.html Sara]] of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776'', a ChildProdigy who happens to be the only one who can wield the Kia staff and undo the Loptous Sect's petrification, and [[https://kantopia.wordpress.com/2016/10/06/fe-por-rolf-character-profile-p-53-translation/ Rolf]] of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', an apprentice archer who really has no business being on the battlefield at that age. There are also the kids in the prologue of ''Echoes: Shadows of Valentia'', who are 8-11, but the villain Slayde starts that fight and the general strategy for that map is to have them hide behind CoolOldGuy Mycen while he takes care of the dirty work.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' games usually play this for drama. The younger members often have some tragic backstory that forces them into war. A few examples: Amelia, Ross, and Franz from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' all have a MissingMom. The latter two suffer from varying degrees of DisappearedDad. Amelia's mom was kidnapped by bandits, [[FridgeHorror whatever that may lead to]] ([[spoiler:though, if you support Amelia with Duessel, we learn that her mom got better]]). Ross's mom got sick and died, and his father, who had left them to join the army, retired to raise his son. Franz's mother got sick and died as well, his father, a knight, died fighting bandits. We also have Colm and Neimi. Neimi was raised by her grandfather, and when he died, Colm was the only other person she had. Naturally, those two are the fastest support in the game, usually able to get to A level by the 8th chapter.

** Huntsmen don't begin their serious training until 17 and don't get licenses until their early 20s. Ruby is the exception. Ozpin specially allows her to enroll at Beacon Academy at age 15, and by age 16 she's already on the road due to [[spoiler:Beacon falling]]. Also, enrollment at the Huntsman Academies is voluntary. Still, people like Hazel accuse Ozpin of using children as expendable weapons [[spoiler:being sent to fight a HopelessWar against an InvincibleVillain]], which is Hazel's motivation for working for Salem [[spoiler:who is said InvincibleVillain]] after his sister Gretchen died on a mission.
** Farmboy Oscar is forced to get involved with the fight against Salem and the Grimm at age 14 [[spoiler:due to ending up as Ozpin's next host after he bites it from Beacon falling]].
** The students at Atlas Academy are known to usually be pressured to join the Kingdom's military once they graduate with most of them joining the Special Operatives Unit. [[spoiler:During volume 8 when Salem breaches the defenses of Atlas and summons an army of Grimm to attack the capital city, the military is deployed to stop them with Atlas Academy students like Team FNKI being drafted into the military as reinforcements. Marrow Amin is disturbed that General James Ironwood would willingly draft children like them into the fight and becomes one of the reasons why he eventually turns against him.]]

[[folder:Mythology And Relgion]]

* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'':
** The {{Magical Girl}}s that fight monsters every night are little more than this, since they have no chance to refuse the powers they get if they have the dream that grants them. Magical girls ''lose'' their powers if they reach age 18 and they are the '''only''' line of defense, as mundane weapons, including the almost conspicuously absent guns, ''do not work on the monsters.'' They ''do'' have the right to refuse to go on patrol (as Zoe is currently doing), but there is a stigma against magical girls who don't pull their own weight, and for some the incentives outweigh the risks. [[spoiler: Including the risk of death, as what happened to Sylvia, Gwen, and Sally.]] Undine acknowledges how messed up it to make teenage girls fight for the city, but says SomeoneHasToDoIt. Tessa [[spoiler:(who lost her powers healing Undine)]] is showing signs of being a ShellShockedVeteran. Heartful Punch suggests that the M.G.S.I. covers up certain pieces of information [[spoiler:such as what happens if a magical girl gets pregnant]] in order to downplay the 'child' part of this trope.
--->'''HP''': Foundationists aren't the only ones who want to pretend we're these perfect warriors. The idea that we're just as flawed as anyone else... I don't think they like that. Because then we don't exist just to fight and die for them.

* Hunter the Golden Guard from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' is a highly trained soldier, and TheDragon to Emperor Belos, at just 16 years old. Being Belos's nephew, having no other surviving family, and believing that he doesn't have a future outside of Belos due to his [[FictionalDisability lack of magic]], Hunter was drafted into scout training at a very young age and ConditionedToAcceptHorror, as he fondly recalls being dropped on the top of a mountain and seeing who would make it to the bottom alive, among other things. On top of being subjected to [[AbusiveParents Belos's very abusive parenting style]], this upbringing has left Hunter's emotional and social growth horribly stunted, as underneath the veneer of haughtiness, he's a deeply anxious boy who has no idea how to behave like a normal teenager. [[spoiler:Made even worse after the reveal that Hunter is actually the latest in a long line of Grimwalkers, {{Expendable Clone}}s created specifically to be the Golden Guard and discarded as soon as they show the slightest signs of disloyalty or disobedience.]]

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'': As part of [[MilitaryAcademy Thors's]] increased focus on militarization, students from the branch campus are regularly deployed in counter-terrorism operations against subversive elements in TheEmpire.

** Huntsmen don't begin their serious training until 17 and don't get licenses until their early 20s. Ruby is the exception. Ozpin specially allows her to enroll at Beacon Academy at age 15, and by age 16 she's already on the road due to [[spoiler:Beacon falling]]. Also, enrollment at the Huntsman Academies is voluntary. Still, people like Hazel accuse Ozpin of using children as expendable weapons, which is Hazel's motivation for working for Salem after his sister Gretchen died on a mission.
** Farmboy Oscar is forced to get involved with the fight against Salem and the Grimm at age 14.

** Heracles was also trained to fight from childhood. Taken UpToEleven with the fact that he committed his first kill as a ''baby''.

** Jedi Padawans such as Ahsoka Tano could very much be considered this. Ahsoka is only fourteen at the beginning of the series and yet leads troops into battle and gets into the thick of the fighting herself. Their talent with the Force and training from childhood makes even the Padawans very deadly warriors. However, Ahsoka is an outlier as she was a ChildProdigy while the majority of Padawans enter the field in their late teens or early adulthood.

** Jedi Padawans such as Ahsoka Tano could very much be considered this. Ahsoka is only fourteen or fifteen and yet leads troops into battle and gets into the thick of the fighting herself. Their talent with the force and training from childhood makes even the Padawans very deadly warriors.

[[folder:Podcast]]
* ''Podcast/TheDrunkAndTheUgly'': In ''Mrs. Friedas'', the cherub project genetically engineered Nele and his siblings to be super-powered soldiers.

* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' has a major character from the Clan Wars, Shin Yodama, who was planting mines in the earlier war of 3039 at teh tender age of 14.

** Also, Mihiro Ardygun in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsW'', who co-pilots the Valhawk with her older brother (himself 16) at the age of 10. [[spoiler:During the TimeSkip, while her brother was missing, she took over piloting duties full-time.]] Though not a soldier ''officially'', she does fight on behalf of a government organization that does include several soldiers, including the aforementioned child soldiers from ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' and ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic''.

* The story mode in ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon|1}}'' involves the 14-year-old protagonist fighting singlehandedly against the enemy Octarian army. This carries over to the player characters in subsequent games. The Octarians themselves don't seem much older, if at all, including Agent 8 in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2: Octo Expansion''. [[spoiler:Cuttlefish's dossier on Marina in ''Octo Expansion'' suggests a military education is the norm in the Octarian state.]]

They depend on us to defend them, but either we're forcing them to defend us or they're all alone and forced to defend themselves in the face of imminent danger. Sometimes they have a talent to help them get through the war, which unfortunately may be the reason they were drafted to begin with, but often it's just tough luck. While the notion of [[ChildrenAreInnocent innocent childhood]] dates to the early modern era (thank the Victorians and their contemporaries), even the ancients felt fairly queasy about the idea -- and with good reason: warfare [[HarmfulToMinors screws with kids' heads]], and they're rarely good for much else afterwards. Since the use of child soldiers forces the enemy to gun down children in self-defense, it's a very strong contender for [[MoralEventHorizon the most morally reprehensible war crime in existence]]. On a somewhat lighter side, there are also many stories, in fiction and real life, concerning boys ([[SweetPollyOliver and girls]]) who [[KidHero lied about their ages in order to serve their country in its hour of need]] -- but those are only slightly under age, much more mature psychologically.