History Main / WiseBeyondTheirYears

** Azula may be considered too old to count, until you recall she [[MagnificentBastard managed to organize a coup in a hostile city with her words alone]], [[HannibalLecture breaking the]] EvilChancellor in the process, at age ''fourteen''. From what is seen of her during flashbacks, it seems like she's actually been like this since age nine. WordOfGod even stated the reason she chose her "friends" was because they were people she could learn useful skills from.
** Aang himself counts later in the series, being only twelve but having the WIS score of 20. But then again, he is the Avatar. He is chronologically a hundred and twelve years old. He was frozen in time for a hundred years, so mentally he was still twelve at the beginning of the series. He matured a lot throughout the show, however. Same can be said for most of his friends, as they are all young and manage to fight armies on a daily basis, almost. A point is made of this in the episode The Southern Raiders. When Katara sets off [[spoiler: to avenge her mother's death with Prince Zuko]], Aang makes it a point to advise her several times. At the end, Sokka responds with the line: "You know, for a kid, you're pretty wise. Usually it's annoying, but right now I'm just impressed."
** Speaking of which, Katara is probably the best example of this. From a very young age, she has had to act as a mother to her family and her brother, and her actions and reactions throughout the series reflect this very strongly. Though she occasionally has "childish" instances (half the time just to make a point), the series treats her as the group's mother figure and caretaker. Take this dialogue from the very first episode. (Considering Katara's background, that line becomes particularly [[TearJerker poignant and bittersweet]].)

* In ''Franchise/AceAttorney'', Franziska von Karma. She became a legal prosecutor at age ''thirteen'', and went undefeated for FIVE YEARS.

* Played straight and deconstructed, or at least one character points out the bad in this trope, in the fanmade novelization ''Fanfic/BreathOfTheWild''.

** He's also [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation a bit of a sociopath and rather smug.]]

** Both Kanas in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' may be innocent and enthusiastic children by nature, but they're nonetheless contrasted by being shockingly mature for their age. Male Kana outright seeks to prove themselves by finding activities to work for, Kana is perceptive enough to string Dwyer along in his "Slappyface" teachings and realize he's lying, and both Kanas routinely display complex vocabulary and an active grasp on life and death. Make no mistake, they're still kids and act appropriately for their age, but they're so remarkably mature for their ages that it's almost easy to forget they're the youngest members of the army by far.

* Alexis on ''Series/{{Castle}}''. It helps that both her father and her grandmother are much more playful than would be expected of a parent.

* Six-year-old Nanako from ''VideoGame/Persona4'' who takes care of herself, and does all the housework, and is the pride of her elementary school. She stepped into her mother's role after her death, [[spoiler:and both her Social Link and her TV dungeon make it clear that she's never quite gotten over that.]]
** Naoto is an older example, being an AceDetective and called upon (if not respected) by the cops despite being a first-year high school student. [[spoiler:Her Shadow flips between LittleProfessorDialogue and childish crying, manifesting the divide between how she presents herself and how the world really treats her.]]
* Hilde of ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soul Calibur IV]]'' is a German princess who took up the throne at a young age due to her father's onset insanity, caused by the Evil Seed. She had to become an adult very quickly to protect and guide her kingdom. It's very telling that when she is [[TimeSkip aged up to 35]] in ''V'', she has barely changed as a person from her 18-year-old self.

* ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' has multiple cases of this due to various factors. Anise is thirteen but usually acts much older and is firmly in the position of Fon Master Guardian; said Fon Master is ''fourteen'' and yet is [[YoungAndInCharge ruling the world]] due to the power the Order of Lorelei holds, and is an effective ReasonableAuthorityFigure. All replicas they meet fall under this as the majority are ''very'' young [[spoiler: including said Fon Master who is actually ''two'' and TheHero Luke who is a mere seven years old which makes him the ''oldest'' seventh fonon replica in the entire game.]]
* In Season 1 of ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'', Clem was already very resourceful and caring for her age, and by the time Season 2 rolls around, two years have passed and she's become even more-so. She's often a ''lot'' more sensible and level-headed than the adults around her.
** Taken even further in Season 4, wherein AJ is frequently found having complex discussions about morality and survival with Clementine. While this is partially justified by AJ having to grow up fast in a post-apocalyptic world, the game acts like Clementine's knowledge and experience are what make her smarter than AJ, not the fact that AJ is ''a five year old boy'' whose brain is nowhere near as developed as a sixteen year old's. Even if you try to[[spoiler: refuse AJ the right to make life and death decisions in Episode 4, the game forces Clem to retract this once she's no longer under the player's control, admitting this five year old boy knows what he's doing.]]

* Deconstructed in ''Fanfic/{{Frenzy}}''. Tails bemoans his lack of innocence at only 8 years old and envies 6-year old Cream for her short-sighted, naive view on the world. He wishes he hadn't grown up so quickly.

* Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg is more sensible than most well-known world leaders, as she tears into them for not doing anything about climate change. They call her a realist for a reason.

* The Fool Fantastic, a member of Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, is one of the smarter members. He reviews the best movies of all time, attempting to figure out what makes them so great. You'd be surprised to learn he's 17 with all the classic films he reviews and references.

* Famous pop singer Music/BillieEilish has always been mature for her age, even before she became famous. She has a nihilistic point of view on life, and is well-spoken and eloquent for her age.

** Sanaki, the 10- to 13-year-old Apostle of Begnion, from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and ''Videogame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' has been an empress since she was five, and still managed to avoid falling victim to the corruption of the Senators, even managing to to fight against them.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight,'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem,'' 16-17 (in the first game and its remake)/19-year-old (the sequel and its remake) [[TheHero Prince Marth]] definitely counts, especially in ''Shadow Dragon''. However, Marth ([[DependingOnTheWriter outside of]] ''Shadow Dragon'', the remake of the first game) is a strange case in that he can make mature decisions and command his armies as well as anyone older than him, but can also be a borderline KiddieKid in how naive and innocent he is.
** For that matter, almost all the [[TheHero lords]] count, most being in their mid to late teens with the exception of ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War's]]'' Sigurd, ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening's]]'' Chrom, and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn's]]'' Miciah (chronologically, anyway) and Ike, aged three years since the last game (with [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Corrin]] having a VagueAge). However, Roy from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'' takes the cake; a political expert, commander of an army after the deceased Hector, and coolheaded GuileHero at the ripe old age of 15, the youngest age for a lord in the series to date.
** Also [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 Leif]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Faris Klaus]]. He starts at the same age that Roy does, and while initially a lot more naive than Roy, he becomes a very effective leader in fighting for the liberation of the people of [[CrapsackWorld Judgral]].
** Lysithea from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' is a genius noble at the academy, who happens to be one of the youngest students.

** While [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake]] may start out as the most "normal" of the Robins, with living non-criminal parents even, his mother's, father's, girlfriend's and best friends' murders along with living in and working as a hero in Gotham and Bludhaven which has exposed him to some of the worst humanity has to offer has sobered up the already incredibly smart young detective and made him learn to be clever and manipulative in new ways.

** Bruce Wayne himself, in several renditions of the mythos, is known to have ''never smiled again'' after the unfortunate death of his parents, shedding his childhood at once to hasten his growth into the deadly crime-fighter we know currently. Lampshaded in the animated retelling of the mythos, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', where, after [[FountainOfYouth temporarily being turned into children by a magical spell]], ComicBook/WonderWoman merrily quips how it was kind of nice to be a kid again. Batman simply shrugs, and shatters her joyful spirit by muttering "I haven't been a kid since I was eight years old.", showcasing how he [[InnocenceLost abandoned all his childhood and innocence]] after his parents' deaths.

** Bruce Wayne himself, in several renditions of the mythos, is known to have ''never smiled again'' after the unfortunate death of his parents, shedding his childhood at once to hasten his growth into the deadly crime-fighter we know currently. Lampshaded in the animated retelling of the mythos, ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', where, after [[FountainOfYouth temporarily being turned into children by a magical spell]], ComicBook/WonderWoman merrily quips how it was kind of nice to be a kid again. Batman simply shrugs, and shatters her joyful spirit by muttering "I haven't been a kid since I was eight years old."