History Main / CompetenceZone

* Mostly followed in the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series (most party members are in the 15-18 age range, except for [[MrExposition Kraden]], who doesn't take part in battles), but averted in a few cases; Piers in ''The Lost Age'' is hinted to [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld be considerably older]] [[OlderThanTheyLook than he looks]] but refuses to give a straight answer about his age, and [[AscendedExtra Eoleo]] in ''[[VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn Dark Dawn]]'' is in his thirties.

* While older people are never shown fighting, the CompetenceZone in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' skewers very young, shown best in regards to the [[ImprobableAge six-year-old]] CheerfulChild and [[SquishyWizard summoner]] Eiko. She is equally as capable as her older comrades in surviving and tackling dangerous situations head on, and garners her PrecociousCrush on the sixteen-year-old Zidane with poetry, cooking, and ''quoting classic literature.'' To top it off, when two members of the group go into a HeroicBSOD, Zidane ''puts Eiko in charge.'' If Eiko was the same age as Garnet, Zidane's actual LoveInterest, it would be highly likely that some serious [[DieForOurShip shipping]] would ensue.

** On the other hand, an OldMaster is definitely ''out'' of the CompetenceZone in the sequel. Zuko is still active, but is no match for the villainous Red Lotus, Katara doesn't fight at all, and while Toph is virtually godlike in her power, she [[DentedIron can't keep it up for more than a single mission]]. Compare this to the first series, where Iroh is on the front lines for the entire series. This might just be degree of "old"; Iroh was in his sixties, but Team Avatar is in their eighties by the time they appear in Korra. In ''Last Airbender'' King Bumi (at a hundred and twelve) had the same problem as Toph; in the right situation he can win a battle by himself, but 90% of that is waiting for the right moment.

** Arguably all the Franchise/{{Digimon}} series is this trope. Except perhaps Anime/DigimonSavers.

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. The main protagonists are teens (early twenties by Season 2), and are clearly shown to be nowhere near as strong and skilled as the adults in the Justice League, suggesting that they're barely not "too young". Despite this, the kids are the ones who deal with the Light's plans, and most of the time the AdultsAreUseless, amidst the machinations of the villains.

* Cheerfully [[AvertedTrope blown to pieces]] by ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''. Where most magical girls lose their powers as they grow up, Nanoha's ability to blow shit up only gets bigger and flashier as she goes from a pre-teen in the original and A's series to an adult in [StrikerS=] and a [[ActionMom mother]] in [=ViVid=], [=ViVid=] Strike, and Force. They actually had to remove "Girl" from the title in ''Force'' since Nanoha is 25 at that point.

* Cheerfully [[AvertedTrope blown to pieces]] by ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''. Where most magical girls lose their powers as they grow up, Nanoha's ability to blow shit up only gets bigger and flashier as she goes from a pre-teen in the first and second series to an adult in the third and a [[ActionMom mother]] in the fourth and fifth. They actually had to remove "Girl" from the title in ''Force'' since Nanoha is 25 at that point.

* To a certain extent, science. Most work, especially experimental or programming, is done by Ph.D. students or postdocs that are in the 20-30 bracket. Older researchers are not incompetent, but they are overwhelmed by the bureaucracy or ignore the new techniques.

** The cameos, while brief, make up for it in spades. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Remember [=WarGreymon=]'s re-appearance?]]

** Averted in 5th edition, where the section on racial traits in the Player's Handbook states that you can play as a character of any age. It suggests that a particularly young or old character might have a lower Strength or Constitution score, but doesn't require this.

* ''Franchise/MetalGear'' is notable in that it has a much older cast than usual in video games or media in general - much of the cast is in its thirties or forties or beyond. The result is that the {{Bishonen}}, in his mid-twenties, falls outside the Competence Zone and becomes ThisLoserIsYou. [[spoiler:Until the fourth installment, where he goes cybernetic badass on us.]]

** Ichigo in particular is singled out for this, with an elder captain noting that he "gained power decades before he was ready to use it", though all of his friends fall into the category of UnskilledButStrong. [[spoiler: It is revealed later on that Ichigo's unusual strength and skill set is a direct result of the machinations of the BigBad at the time, though it turned out to be a happy accident considering the BiggerBad was waiting in the wings.]]

** Captain-Commander Yamamoto, who plays the trope dead straight. He's ancient, more experienced than all but one of his subordinates, and holds his position through AsskickingEqualsAuthority. His counterpart [[BiggerBad Yhwach]] is just as old as he is, commands an army of his own, and is a PowerParasite [[spoiler: later upgraded to TheAssimilator)]] on top of that.

* The competence zone is shifted notably upwards in ''Fanfic/GameTheoryFanFic'' from what it was in ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''. While children in this story are no less capable in terms of fighting abilities, they tend to lack the maturity that comes with experience, and consequently make errors in judgement. The adults, on the other hand, get handed far fewer {{Idiot Ball}}s than they did in canon.

** On the other hand, an OldMaster is definitely ''out'' of the CompetenceZone in the sequel. Zuko is still active, but is no match for the villainous Red Lotus, Katara doesn't fight at all, and while Toph is virtually godlike in her power, she [[DentedIron can't keep it up for more than a single mission]]. Compare this to the first series, where Iroh is on the front lines for the entire series.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' is an aversion to this trope, with a cast with a broad spectrum of reasonably realistic ages; Tifa is by far the youngest at 16 and is treated as a bit of a liability, while most of the cast are in their early 20s. Barret, Cid, and Reeve are in their 30s, and Red XIII is in his late 40s.

** Which is almost identical to the setup in ''Jake Long: American Dragon'', only swap the genders (Jake and his little sister, and his grandfather are dragons) and make one of the parents clueless (Jake's mother is aware of their family heritage). Once his dad finds out about everything, he becomes pretty competent, singlehandedly wiping out an army of shadow demons that even the whole dragon council was having trouble with.

!!'''Examples of too young:'''

!!'''Examples of too old:'''

!!'''Zig-Zagged Examples:'''

* In TabletopGame/ChangelingTheDreaming, characters are divided into three age brackets to represent pre-teens (Childlings), teen-to-early-twenties (Wilders), and past twenty five (Grumps). New characters derive three critical stats based on their age: Glamour, or Magic Points, Willpower, and Banality, the game's loss of magic power. Childlings not only have to deal with all the restrictions of being kids, but they have untenable low Willpower scores. However, since magic is fueled by imagination, a Childling has an unbelievable amount of Glamour as a starting character. Grumps are too Banal (which eliminates your character) and have very low Glamour, though at least they have a decent Willpower and won't have to quit the adventure because it's nap time. Wilders - either high school age or early twenties - offer the best trade-off. Their Banality and Glamour scores are better than Grumps and their Willpower scores are better than Childlings, plus the WorldOfDarkness is not the kind of setting for FreeRangeChildren.
* TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons and TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}} adjust the ability scores of characters based on age, with physical scores falling as mental scores rise over time. As a result, characters who value mental scores more than physical scores actually are most competent when they are older, while physical characters are at their best young. There are exceptions such as class abilities and magic which can screw with your apparent age.

* ''TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' has a mystical gift jump a generation. June and her brother are competent, her grandmother is competent, but her parents are clueless.

** On the other hand, an OldMaster is definitely ''out'' of the CompetenceZone in the sequel. Zuko is still active, but is no match for the villainous Red Lotus, Katara doesn't fight at all, and while Toph is virtually godlike in her power, she [[DentedIron can't keep it up for more than a single mission]]. Compare this to the first series, where [[BadassGrandpa Iroh]] is on the front lines for the entire series.

* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' in general uses this trope. The only characters who are capable of dealing with the world-ending crises are a bunch of high-school students in their late teens. ''VideoGame/Persona2: Eternal Punishment'', the ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' [[VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2 duology]], and ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' push the range up to the mid-twenties, and Baofu from ''Persona 2'' is the oldest character with a confirmed age at a positively ancient 32.

** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' zig-zags this. On one hand, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts are a bunch of high school students (and their cat) who are the only group capable of saving Japan from the evil Conspiracy. On the other hand, several of the Confidants who aid the Phantom Thieves in their endeavors are working adults, and [[spoiler:Makoto's adult sister plays a vital role in helping the protagonist escape captivity]].

** Followed confusingly in the climactic battle, where the good guys weaken their numbers by sending the under-17s away. This is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] because, well, adults don't generally like youths putting their lives on the line, and Harry and Co.'s adventures were generally without adult approval.