History Main / FictionalAgeOfMajority

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': A [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Klingon male]] is considered an adult when "he can first hold a blade". Later, it is stated that Klingons must go through the [[RiteOfPassage Rite of Ascension]] before they are 13 years old if they wish to become warriors. Klingons also physically mature faster than humans; Worf became a senior officer on the Federation flagship in his early 20's, for instance.

* ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'': The age of majority in Alagaësia is 16. The main character, Eragon, has his [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday 16th birthday]] in the first book, but lets it pass without comment due to his grim circumstances at the time.

Subtrope of LiminalTime. DangerousSixteenthBirthday is sometimes a consequence of this trope.

* ''Literature/TheInheritanceCycle'': The age of majority in Alagaësia is 16. The main character, Eragon, has his [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday 16th birthday]] in the first book, but lets it pass without comment due to his grim circumstances at the time.

* ''Literature/HiveMind'': Eighteen is the age of majority in Hive England, and presumably the other 106 Hives around the world, but with a twist; eighteen-year-olds aren't considered adults until they've been through Lottery. This is a massive event where all the eighteen-year-olds are tested before being imprinted with the information for their ideal career, thus saving years of training time and making sure people are matched to the right job.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Creator/AAPessimal's series has Ankh-Morpork follow British custom and law, as a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Great Britain (specifically England). The age of majority at which a young person is legally counted fully adult is when they turn eighteen. By default, other named countries which have a "post-colonial" relationship with Ankh-Morpork such as [[UsefulNotes/{{Australia}} Fourecks]], [[UsefulNotes/NewZealand the Foggy Islands]] and [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Rimwards Howondaland]] follow this lead. However, the various provinces and states of [[EagleLand the Semi-Untied States of Aceria]] vary between eighteen and twenty-one. Ankh-Morpork has no minimum age of consent for marriage or for smoking tobacco, but the Guild of Gamblers insists on a minimum age of sixteen and the [[BandOfBrothels Guild of Seamstresses]] will not employ people under eighteen. The Seamstresses are ''strict'' about this.

Age-based thresholds are important both in fictional settings and in the real world when people become something upon hitting their nth birthday. For example, [[ComingOfAge becoming an adult]] is an important step in growing up, and in RealLife and often also in fiction it is defined by a specific age. At the Fictional Age of Majority the character is old enough to be either considered an adult, join the army, bear the crown, [[PubertySuperpower have their superpowers manifest]], drive a car or some other plot-relevant thing. A story where this trope is in play is often set at the character's [[TheHerosBirthday corresponding birthday]]. Often hitting this age leads to a RiteOfPassage.

* ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen'': The age of majority in Nova is 15. 14-year-old Elodie must survive forty weeks before she can be legally crowned queen. She can court people who are old enough to be her father, but she can't marry the 12-year-old Adair for at least two years even if they are betrothed. Her friends Gwenelle and Briony act very much like the teenagers they are but have arguments with their mothers because they are legal adults old enough to make their own decisions.

* ''Webcomic/LovelyPeople'': People get their own social credit accounts when they turn fifteen years old. Before that, they depend on those of their parents.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': In shown in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' universe, with additional information revealed in ''Literature/PocketMonstersTheAnimation'', 10-year-olds can go off on Pokémon adventures, be imprisoned for crimes, and even get married. Of course, the exact level of independence they have is ''debatable'' in the various amine, manga, and video game adaptations.

* ''Literature/WarriorCats'': kits begin the transition to adulthood when they are six months old, the feline equivalent of pre-teens; this is when they become apprentices, training under an older cat, and their names are changed from ___kit to ___paw. They are considered fully adult when they earn their warrior names or become full-fledged medicine cats.

* In ''Franchise/StarTrek'', a Klingon male is considered an adult when "he can first hold a blade". Later, it is stated that Klingons must go through the Rite of Ascension before they are 13 years old if they wish to become warriors. Klingons also physically mature faster than humans; Worf became a senior officer on the Federation flagship in his early 20's, for instance.
* In ''Series/BabylonFive'', Centauri RubberForeheadAliens are said to come of age at sixteen.

* In most entries of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', age eleven is the moment trainers are able to own their own Pokemon and journey around the world without supervision.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendofZelda'':

* ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen'': The age of majority in Nova is 15. 14-year-old Elodie must survive forty weeks before she can be legally crowned queen. She can court people who are old enough to be her father, but she can't marry the 12-year-old Adair for at least two years even if they are betrothed. Her friends Gwenelle and Briony act very much like the teenagers they are but have arguments with their mothers because they are legal adults old enough to make their own decisions.
* In ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'', the age of 14 is when Inklings are considered fully developed and allowed to participate in Turf War battles, since by that point, most have become fully humanoid with the ability to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shift between their human and squid forms at will]]. Octolings develop in a similar manner, with it being implied that many join the military in their teenage years, as most of the ones you fight in the single-player campaigns don't look much older than your character.

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** Males in the Southern Water Tribe are taken by their fathers ice dodging at the age of 14 as a RiteOfPassage into manhood, where they have to sail their boat around glaciers. However, if changes are needed to the ritual one can use jagged rocks instead of glaciers, a different adult male can fill in if the person’s father is unavailable, and additional young female tribe members and foreigners as part of the crew. Once completed foreigners will receive Mark of the Trusted for controlling the cutter’s jib, female tribe members receive the Mark of the Brave for securing the cutter’s mainsail, and male tribe members receive the Mark of the Wise for leading the young crew successfully out of danger without the assistance of the adult male.
** The [[GodInHumanForm Avatar]] is only informed of their [[TheChosenOne chosen one]] status at the age 16, after which they begin their training to master the other elements by travelling the world. Aang is considered to have been too young to begin his at 12 but is told anyway because the Air Nomads foresaw the war with the Fire Nation and wanted to prepare him early.
* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'': In the world of Atmos, most people live on the tips of mountains above the clouds called “Terras”, with the land below the clouds being an inhospitable LethalLavaLand called the “Wastelands”, with this necessitating the use of [[CoolAirship airships]]. However, one thing similar to the real world is that certain airships require characters to be a certain age to pilot them, this even being the first problem that they face to accomplishing their goals when they need someone to be at least 18 to pilot an airship carrier when all of them are 14, thankfully the solution appears in the form their newest member Stork.

* ''WebVideo/MiraraesRoyalFamily'': Due to the abnormally long teen life stage in ''VideoGame/TheSims'', royals become young adults at 21.

** Males in the Southern Water Tribe are taken by their fathers ice dodging at the age of 14 as a RiteOfPassage into manhood, where they have to sail their boat around glaciers. In addition, changes can be made to the ritual if necessary and an available option, such as the use of jagged rocks instead of glaciers, a different adult male filling in if the person’s father is unavailable, and the option of having young women and foreigners join the crew as well. Once completed foreigners will receive Mark of the Trusted for controlling the cutter’s jib, female tribe members receive the Mark of the Brave for securing the cutter’s mainsail.

* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'': In the world of Atmos, most people live on the tips of mountains above the clouds called “Terras”, with the land below the clouds being an inhospitable LethalLavaLand called the “Wastelands”, with [[CoolAirship airships]] replacing land vehicles. However, one thing similar to real life is that certain vehicles require a certain age to pilot, one such example is that the titular crew of Aerrow, Finn, Junko, and Finn are all 14, which is fine for piloting their [[CoolAirship own personal airships]] makes them ineligible for piloting a carrier airship, forcing them to find someone who is at least 18 which they find in the form of Stork.

* ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace''

** Males in the Southern Water Tribe are taken by their fathers ice dodging at the age of 14 as a rite of passage into manhood, where they have to sail their boat around glaciers.
** The [[TheChosenOne Avatar]] is only informed of their chosen one status at the age 16, after which they begin their training to master the other elements by travelling the world. Aang is considered to have been too young to begin his at 12 but is told anyway because the Air Nomads foresaw the war with the Fire Nation and wanted to prepare him early.

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* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' ups the age of trainers, and thus your own adulthood, at age 15. A few things can vary from region to region though: the drinking age for alcohol is at the same age in Johto, but in Kanto it is a year later at age 16.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'', it's suggested that 21 is the age of majority in Arendelle; according to Jennifer Lee, Elsa is 21 years old during the main events of the story and although her parents died when she was 18, she isn't formally crowned queen until she "comes of age" three years later.

* Creator/AAPessimal's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' has Ankh-Morpork follow British custom and law, as a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Great Britain (specifically England). The age of majority at which a young person is legally counted fully adult is when they turn eighteen. By default, other named countries which have a "post-colonial" relationship with Ankh-Morpork such as [[UsefulNotes/{{Australia}} Fourecks]], [[UsefulNotes/NewZealand the Foggy Islands]] and [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Rimwards Howondaland]] follow this lead. However, the various provinces and states of [[EagleLand the Semi-Untied States of Aceria]] vary between eighteen and twenty-one. Ankh-Morpork has no minimum age of consent for marriage or for smoking tobacco, but the Guild of Gamblers insists on a minimum age of sixteen and the [[BandOfBrothels Guild of Seamstresses]] will not employ people under eighteen. The Seamstresses are ''strict'' about this.

* The ''Literature/PocketMonstersTheAnimation'' LightNovels from Creator/TakeshiShudo takes it further regarding 10-year olds in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' world, both games and anime. Ten-year-olds who completed elementary school are considered legal adults with all the responsibilities that entails.

* In ''Literature/TheDarkTower'', there's no fixed age of majority for a gunslinger; rather, you're considered of age if you have managed to win a fight against your fighting instructor with any weapon other than a gun. If you win, you become a gunslinger, and if you lose, you are "sent west" into exile. There's no fixed age for when the trials take place, but generally if you don't take the test by the time you turn 25 then it's assumed you never will take the test and will instead become a freeholder. Roland is the youngest to ever have passed the test, at age 14 (his father did so at age 16), while most gunslingers take their tests at around age 18-20.

* In the Literature/{{Emberverse}}, one must be 26 to assume the throne of either the Portland Protective Association or the High Kingdom of Montival. The age limit for the former was established as a provision of the treaty made at the Field of the Cloth of Gold, and it was adopted by the latter when the High Kingdom was established some years later.
* ''Literature/TheGiver'' begins with Jonas going through his [[RiteOfPassage Ceremony of Twelve]], in which twelve-year-old members of his community are given their "Assignments" (i.e. jobs) and become legal adults. TheFilmOfTheBook gives the characters an AgeLift and changes the age of majority to 18.

* In ''Literature/TheInheritanceCycle'', the age of majority in Alagaësia is 16. The main character, Eragon, has his 16th birthday in the first book, but lets it pass without comment due to his grim circumstances at the time.

* In ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', would-be queens receive a red book on their fourteenth birthday which enumerates their political powers and responsibilities.

* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, kits begin the transition to adulthood when they are six months old, the feline equivalent of pre-teens; this is when they become apprentices, training under an older cat, and their names are changed from ___kit to ___paw. They are considered fully adult when they earn their warrior names or become full-fledged medicine cats.

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', the minimum age for enlistment is [[ChildSoldiers 12 years old]]. Training is a 3-year period, so it isn't clear whether one is considered an adult at enlistment or at graduation. (Assuming [[TheSpartanWay they survive]] to graduate, that is.)

* In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', or at least in the ''Literature/PocketMonstersTheAnimation'' universe, 10-year-olds can go off on Pokémon adventures, be imprisoned for crimes, and even get married. The exact level of independence they have in other universes, from the main anime to the various manga adaptations and games, is ''debatable'' and varies wildly.
* In ''Anime/StarTwinklePrettyCure'', Lala's home planet Saman considers people adults and assigns them jobs when they turn 13.

* DependingOnTheWriter, the 15-16 year old heroes of ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperheroes'' are sometimes considered young adults by the United Planets. A plot point in the Reboot Legion was that Winath has a higher age of majority than the norm, meaning that Live Wire and Spark were still legally children when they joined.

* Creator/AAPessimal's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' has Ankh-Morpork follow British custom and law, as a FantasyCounterpartCulture of Great Britain (specifically England). The age of majority at which a young person is legally counted fully adult is when they turn eighteen. By default, other named countries which have a "post-colonial" relationship with Ankh-Morpork such as [[UsefulNotes/{{Australia}} Fourecks]], [[UsefulNotes/NewZealand the Foggy Islands]] and [[UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica Rimwards Howondaland]] follow this lead. However, the various provinces and states of [[EagleLand the Semi-Untied States of Aceria]] vary between eighteen and twenty-one. Ankh-Morpork has no minimum age of consent for marriage or for smoking tobacco, but the Guild of Gamblers insists on a minimum age of sixteen and the [[BandOfBrothels Guild of Seamstresses]] will not employ people under eighteen. The Seamstresses are ''strict'' about this.

* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': At some point of the game, it turns that the reason Lorsulia's attitude has recently become nastier is that she expects to be married off anytime now that she has turned thirteen. Asalia, who's only about a year younger than her, treats this as a less immediate problem for herself, but can still be married off if the player chooses to do so.

** The [[TheChosenOne avatar]] is only informed of their chosen one status at 16 so they may begin training. Aang is considered to have been too young to begin his at 12.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', or at least in the ''Literature/PocketMonstersTheAnimation'' universe, 10-year-olds can go off on Pokémon adventures, be imprisoned for crimes, and even get married. The exact level of independence they have in other universes is ''debatable'' and varies wildly.

* The ''LightNovel/PocketMonstersTheAnimation'' LightNovels from Creator/TakeshiShudo takes it further regarding 10-year olds in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' world, both games and anime. Ten-year-olds who completed elementary school are considered legal adults with all the responsibilities that entails.

* In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', or at least in the ''LightNovel/PocketMonstersTheAnimation'' universe, 10-year-olds can go off on Pokémon adventures, be imprisoned for crimes, and even get married. The exact level of independence they have in other universes is ''debatable'' and varies wildly.

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'':

** Children have their baptism around their seventh birthday. During that ceremony, children enter their local Temple for the first time and are officially made citizens of the city in which they were born. All children officially start their vocational training after their baptism. Getting orphaned or running away from home after one's baptism is also just slightly less painful than before it, as employers are expected to have housing space available for employees and apprentices with no other place to live. Working pre-baptism children are akin to child labor in modern times in that they're technically illegal by Temple rules, tolerated if they're children helping with their parents' business, and paid less than a seven-year-old just getting started. It's also mentioned that children aren't considered human beings by the Temple before their baptism. All of the above is problematic for Myne because she's still as small as a five-year-old long after her seventh birthday has passed, causing people who first meet her or only know her by sight to not realize that she has already been baptized.