| 1 | [[quoteright:299:[[Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kid_hero_all_grown_up.jpg]]]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:299:Never change, Aang.]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | What happens to a KidHero after they save the world? Kid Hero All Grown Up is a common play on the Kid Hero trope, [[ReestablishingCharacterMoment showing what happens to our hero many years later]]. This trope can be a permanent change, by having a Kid Hero grow up in the story, or a temporary look into the future. It can also be used as backstory by introducing an adult character and then revealing that they used to be a Kid Hero. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | Some common outcomes are: |
| 7 | |
| 8 | * The character has [[AndTheAdventureContinues continued to have adventures]]. |
| 9 | * The character is now [[BigGood a famous and powerful leader]]. |
| 10 | * The character has [[RetiredBadass returned to an ordinary life]]. |
| 11 | * The character has been sitting on his laurels and has [[JadedWashout become a washed-up loser]]. |
| 12 | * Less commonly, the character has [[FaceHeelTurn turned to the dark side]]. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | This is also common as a BackStory for the hero's mentor or parent. If the villain is revealed to be a former KidHero, they may also fall under UsedToBeASweetKid, FallenHero, or APupilOfMineUntilHeTurnedToEvil. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | See also: FormerChildStar, SchoolYardBullyAllGrownUp, SidekickGraduationsStick, EarlyPersonalitySigns, FutureBadass, and SheIsAllGrownUp. Compare AMinorKidroduction and RetiredBadass. A {{Prequel}} may show the childhood adventures of an adult character in the original, and any movie about the heroes SpinOffspring will feature this. A GenerationalSaga will often feature this. |
| 17 | ---- |
| 18 | !!Examples: |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 23 | * ''Franchise/DragonBall'': At the start of ''Manga/DragonBall'', Goku is only 12 years old, though two {{Time Skip}}s age him up, first to 15, and then to 18. There's another time skip of 5 years between ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', so by the time ''Z'' starts Goku is in his mid-20s and has a 4-year-old son, Gohan... who by the end of ''Z'' is in ''his'' 20s. |
| 24 | * ''Anime/MazingerZ'': [[TheHero Kouji]] is sixteen at the beginning of the story. When he comes back to fight the Mykene army in ''Anime/GreatMazinger'', he's eighteen. When he allies himself with Duke Fleed to fight the Vegans in ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', he's nineteen. By the time of ''Anime/MazingerZInfinity'', Kouji's 28 and a respected scientist. |
| 25 | * ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'': |
| 26 | ** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam'' stars 15 year old Amuro Ray. When he reappears in ''Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam'', it's eight years later and he's 23. When he reappears one last time in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamCharsCounterattack'', he's 29. |
| 27 | ** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'''s protagonist is one 14 year old Judau Ashta (a common starting age for ''Gundam'' protags, apparently). After the end of that series and a nearly fifty-year long time skip, he reappears in ''Manga/MobileSuitCrossboneGundam: Skull Heart'' as the 62-year old Grey Stroke. A third release, the manga ''Anime/MobileSuitVictoryGundam: Outside the Heart'' features Judau/Grey Stroke at an even more advanced age, assisting ''Victory'' protag Uso Evin despite now being almost 80 years old. |
| 28 | ** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE'': The first generation starts with 14-year-old Flit Asuno. In the second generation, he's 39 years old and the Vice Admiral of the Earth Federation while his son, Asemu, is 17 years old. In the third generation, Flit is a 64 year old RetiredBadass who mentors his grandson, Kio, while Asemu [[spoiler:became a SpacePirate]]. |
| 29 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': At the end of the series, Naruto has grown up, married [[spoiler:Hinata]], had two children with her (Boruto and [[spoiler: Himawari]]), and [[spoiler:achieved his dream of becoming Hokage.]] SpinOffspring ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'' stars his eldest child. |
| 30 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'': Both Buggy and Shanks were cabin boys on the Pirate King's ship as kids. Their success afterward was a bit different though. |
| 31 | * ''Manga/SailorMoon'': Usagi Tsukino turns from a childish crybaby in junior high, woefully unprepared for her tenure as a MagicalGirl, into [[spoiler: the elegant, regal, powerful Neo-Queen Serenity of the utopian Crystal Tokyo. Even when she hasn't ascended, Eternal Sailor Moon (high-school age) is ''way'' more grown up than her past self. Her future daughter, Chibiusa, was especially shocked at the disparity between Usagi and Serenity.]] |
| 32 | * The second arc of ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' features grown-up versions of Simon, Nia, Rossiu, and the Black siblings, as well as teenage versions of Gimmy and Darry. [[spoiler:The GrandFinale also shows what becomes of the surviving cast 20 years down the line.]] |
| 33 | * ''Anime/YokaiWatchShadowside'': |
| 34 | ** Nate Adams is ten years old in the first ''Anime/YokaiWatch'' anime and game, but in the [[Anime/YokaiWatchShadowsideTheReturnOfTheOniKing fourth movie]] and in ''Shadowside'' he's 40, married to his childhood crush Katie, and has two kids who are the main characters in ''Shadowside''. He has since lost the ability to use a Yo-kai Watch and see {{youkai}}. He now works as a normal {{salaryman}}. |
| 35 | ** The CuteKitten SeriesMascot Jibanyan has grown into a scraggly looking, deep-voiced adult in the past 30 years. He can now transform into a huge bipedal form that destroys trucks (when as a kitten his RunningGag was that he'd always get hit by them). The second mascot, Komasan, also matured. |
| 36 | * Van Flyheight of ''Anime/ZoidsChaoticCentury'' starts out as a 12-13-ish boy who is rather rash and reckless, and at first only manages to get by as a Zoid pilot thanks to the power of his Organoid Zeke. Come ''Guardian Force'', he's grown more mature and serious, keeping a level head during combat. |
| 37 | * ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''. Nanoha starts being a hero [[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha at age 9]], grows up into a teenage asskicker in the ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs A's]]'' manga, and then to a professional adult asskicker from ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers StrikerS]]'' onward. |
| 38 | * In ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'', Sinbad was introduced as a well-known king and adventurer. He later got his own SpinOff, ''The Adventure of Sinbad'', which chronicles his adventures in his teenage days. |
| 39 | * ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'': |
| 40 | ** Used darkly in the first episode of ''Kai''. It features a now adult Rena in contemporary times. It also reveals that [[spoiler:everyone in the village died over 20 years ago [[SoleSurvivor except for Rena]], who was taken out of town for trying to bomb the school.]] |
| 41 | ** A manga-only arc, ''Yoigoshi-hen'', has a group of teenagers meeting a now-adult Mion. It turns out to [[spoiler:actually be her identical twin Shion, with Mion's spirit controlling her]]. |
| 42 | * ''Anime/PrettyCure'': |
| 43 | ** Ever since ''Anime/GoPrincessPrettyCure'', we tend to see our heroines living normal lives after saving the world. Of note is ''Anime/MahoGirlsPreCure'', where Mirai is devastated at being normal because it meant never seeing her best friend Riko again. [[spoiler:Thankfully, TheMagicComesBack and they reunite.]] |
| 44 | ** The Precure franchise also released a SpinOff miniseries, ''Anime/PowerOfHopePrecureFullBloom'', focusing on the casts of ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCure'', ''Anime/FutariWaPrettyCureSplashStar'', and ''Anime/YesPrettyCure5'' as adults. |
| 45 | * ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': |
| 46 | ** Joseph Joestar is 19 during the events of ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency Battle Tendency]]''. By ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]'' he's 69 and has a daughter and grandson (plus an illegitimate son in Josuke), though still spritely enough to keep pace with his younger companions. By ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'', he's 79 and has allowed old age to take its course, with him barely able to move about without his cane. |
| 47 | ** Jotaro Kujo is a 17 year old high-schooler during ''Stardust Crusaders''. In ''Diamond is Unbreakable'', he's a 28 year old Marine Biologist, his brief cameo in ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]]'' has him at 30, and by ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'', he's in his 40s, had married, divorced, and has a daughter, Jolyne Cujoh, who's the protagonist of that story. |
| 48 | ** Koichi Hirose is 15 in ''Diamond is Unbreakable'', 18 in ''Golden Wind'' and 22 in "[[Manga/ThusSpokeKishibeRohan Rohan at the Louvre]]". |
| 49 | * ''Manga/StraightenUpWelcomeToShikaHighsCompetitiveDanceClub'' has Hirari, Eri and Tsuchiya after the Time Skip. Granted, they are now third years so they're still young, but all three look more mature as to how they started. |
| 50 | * ''(Moto) Takagi-san'' takes place ten years after the main series, ''Manga/TeasingMasterTakagiSan''. The middle school-aged characters are now young adults with a daughter. |
| 51 | * ''Anime/GingaDensetsuWeed'' takes place ten years after the events of ''Manga/GingaNagareboshiGin''. Gin is now an adult dog who has even sired his own cub. |
| 52 | * ''Anime/BasiliskTheOukaNinjaScrolls'': After the Joujinshuu's attack on the kids, there are two timeskips of several years. The second takes us back to the Kouga and Iga kids as young adults practicing their improved techniques on each other again. |
| 53 | * Walter C. Dornez in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'' was a teenager when he fought in WWII against Millenium (though ChildSoldier would better describe him), and in the present he is the BattleButler to Sir Integra. [[spoiler:That is, before it is revealed he was a spy for Millenium]]. |
| 54 | * The ''Anime/DigimonAdventureTri'' movies show the original Digidestined in high school and college (Tai was 10 in the original ''Adventure'', 13 in ''02'', and around 16/17 here). Tai discusses this with Matt in the first film where he's conflicted that while they do still need to save the world, they're not reckless kids not caring about what the public thinks about their giant monster battles anymore. |
| 55 | * ''Anime/DaiconIIIAndIV'': Both shorts have the same protagonist. While she is a little girl in ''III'', ''IV'' is presumably set years later and portrays her as a grown woman (accentuated by her PlayboyBunny costume). |
| 56 | [[/folder]] |
| 57 | |
| 58 | [[folder:Asian Animation]] |
| 59 | * ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': We get to see the goats grown up in ''Ultimate Battle: The Next Generation'' and get a glimpse of what their careers are like; Tibbie is now a news reporter searching for Weslie and Wolffy, [[ObsessedWithFood Paddi]] becomes a professional foodie, Sparky is a firefighter, and Jonie becomes a singer. |
| 60 | [[/folder]] |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 63 | * ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'': ''ComicBook/LifeWithArchieTheMarriedLife'' was created in order to invoke this with the ''Archie Comics'' characters, who [[NotAllowedToGrowUp never age]]. There were three separate universes--the one where Betty married Archie, the one where Veronica married Archie, and a short spinoff where Valerie from ''ComicBook/JosieAndThePussycats'' [[ThirdOptionLoveInterest married Archie]]. The comic [[DarkerAndEdgier dealt with more mature issues]] than the classic comics. It ended with [[spoiler:Archie [[TheHeroDies dying]] after TakingTheBullet for his friend Kevin after a man tried to kill him]]. |
| 64 | * ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'': |
| 65 | ** [[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]] aka ComicBook/{{Robin}} aka ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}, is probably the most prominent example in comic books, having started as Batman's KidSidekick before eventually becoming a successful independent hero. |
| 66 | *** On Earth-Two, the Golden Age Dick Grayson continued to use the Robin name, but adopted a more "grown up" costume (initially a Batman costume without the cowl and with a yellow cape and an R over the bat symbol, then a version of the Robin costume with long sleeves and pants, and a green cowl). |
| 67 | ** [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]], like Dick Grayson, was a boy when he started his partnership with Batman. After being brought BackFromTheDead and [[ComicBook/RedHoodTheLostDays making his way back to Gotham]] as the Red Hood, he's a young man, though a bit less of a hero. |
| 68 | ** [[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]], the [[ComicBook/Robin1993 third Robin]], adopted the ComicBook/RedRobin identity before the reboot after having Robin taken from him. Post reboot he is shown as the last surviving Teen Titan who eventually becomes ComicBook/{{Batman|Beyond}}. |
| 69 | ** Pre-Crisis ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}'' was a full-fledged adult when she first became a crimefighter with no outside input, but Post-Crisis retconned Barbara Gordon into becoming Batman's student during her teenage years and ComicBook/{{Oracle}} as an adult. |
| 70 | ** Several stories, beginning with "Batman in Bethlehem" in ''Batman'' #666 and including the ''Damian, Son of Batman'' miniseries, have shown a possible future where [[Characters/RobinDamianWayne Damian Wayne]] is a trenchcoated Batman who has abandoned ThouShaltNotKill. |
| 71 | * ''ComicBook/TheBooksOfMagic'': Timothy Hunter goes on many magical adventures and is a young teenager for most of the comic's run, but is 18 by the events of ''Hunter: The Age of Magic''. |
| 72 | * ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': [[Characters/TheFlashWallyWest Wally West]] is another iconic example in the comic books, starting as the sidekick of the second Flash, [[Characters/TheFlashBarryAllen Barry Allen]], before growing up and taking the mantle himself. |
| 73 | * ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsBuckyBarnes Bucky Barnes]] is this zig-zagged: He was originally a KidSidekick, then died, then got ret-conned into a 17-year-old highly trained commando, then became a villain, then became TheAtoner. |
| 74 | * ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Johnny Storm began the series as a teen, but is now somewhere in his mid-to-late twenties. |
| 75 | * ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'': Speedy has grown up, gained and kicked a heroin addiction, had a child, became a single father, and changed his name from Speedy to Arsenal to Red Arrow and then back to Arsenal. Like Donna Troy, his daughter was also killed off eventually (before she was retconned completely). |
| 76 | * ''ComicBook/LongAgoAndFarAway'': Jason was the Child Knight who saved the land of Elvenwood in his youth. Now he's a 30-year-old [[FatBastard jackass]] running a comic book store. |
| 77 | * ''ComicBook/{{Nova}}'': Richard Rider is similar to Spider-Man in that he was introduced as a teen hero who eventually grew to adulthood over the years. These days he's a seasoned veteran who acts as something of a mentor to Sam Alexander, the newest Nova. |
| 78 | * ''ComicBook/LaRibambelle'': In the new books, Phil, Grenadine and Dizzy all grew up into teenagers. Archibald, Atchi and Atcha are still small, though they did gain a few inches in height. |
| 79 | * ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsPeterParker Peter Parker]] is one of the most prominent examples in comics. In his case, he was one of the first solo {{Kid Hero}}es, and thus one of the few to retain a starring role in his own series. At the very least, ten years have passed in the main Marvel Universe despite the floating time scale, and Peter's gone from the age of 15 to [[VagueAge being around 29 at the end of Dan Slott's run to, as of Nick Spencer's run, his "mid 20s"]]. |
| 80 | * ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': |
| 81 | ** The original ComicBook/{{Superboy}} is the prequel version of the trope, which tells the adventures of a younger Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}}. This concept was discarded in Post-Crisis continuity, where Creator/JohnByrne's ''ComicBook/TheManOfSteel'' miniseries and Creator/MarkWaid's ''ComicBook/SupermanBirthright'' went with Clark Kent beginning his superhero career as Superman in adulthood, but was later reinstated as canon by Creator/GeoffJohns' ''ComicBook/SupermanSecretOrigin'' after ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', eschewed once more in Creator/GrantMorrison's run on ''ComicBook/ActionComics2011'' and restored to continuity once more by ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock''. |
| 82 | ** Lana Lang, however, is a straight example, as Lana started as a [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] analogue in the ''Superboy'' books before the adult version appeared in the ''Superman'' books. |
| 83 | ** Pre-Crisis Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}} began her hero career when she was fifteen. Through the duration of the Pre-Crisis era she grew up, graduated college, changed jobs several times... by the end of the 70's she was in her late twenties and a seasoned crimefighter and world-savior. |
| 84 | ** Chris Kent is a little kid when he is introduced in ''ComicBook/LastSon''. Several plot-relevant artificial agings later and he's an adult hero who goes by Nightwing in ''ComicBook/NewKrypton''. |
| 85 | ** The ''ComicBook/DCRebirth'' [[Characters/SupermanJonathanSamuelKent Jon Kent]] Superboy goes off to spend some time in space with his grandfather at the age of twelve and, due to time travel shenanigans, returns as a sixteen year old. |
| 86 | * The Elseworld ''ComicBook/SupermanAndBatmanGenerations'' had its premise revolve around the DC superheroes' decades of adventures occurring under a more realistic passage of time, and this included reintroducing elements of canon that had been dropped by the mainstream continuity at the time (in addition to some creative changes exclusive to this continuity). Aside from this continuity following the Pre-Crisis canon's element of Superman starting out in his youth as Superboy before eventually becoming Superman in adulthood, there are also examples in Bruce Wayne (who donned the guise of the Flying Fox to help Superboy fight his kidnappers when he was a boy before briefly becoming the first Robin in his late teens and eventually becoming Batman in adulthood), Dick Grayson (who became the second Robin as Batman's sidekick before becoming the second Batman as an adult), Bruce Wayne, Jr. (who started out as the Robin to Dick Grayson's Batman before becoming the third Batman after Grayson was killed by the Joker) and Supergirl (who joined Bruce Wayne, Jr. and other young heroes in forming the Justice League of America when she was a pre-teen and continued being a heroine after she grew up). |
| 87 | * ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'': ComicBook/{{Cyborg}}, ComicBook/{{Raven}}, [[Characters/TeenTitansStarfire Starfire]], [[Characters/TeenTitansBeastBoy Beast Boy]], Bumblebee, Wonder Girl, Speedy, Aqualad, Flamebird, Terra, and many others have all grown into young adults. Some have taken on new codenames to reflect the fact that they're no longer children, such as Aqualad changing his moniker to Tempest. This is why the title is often changed to simply ''"Titans"''. |
| 88 | * The underground comic ''Wonder Wart-Hog'' had a throwaway gag about Wonder Wart-Hog having a smaller version of his costume he wore when he was a kid, implying he started out as a junior crimefighter (though this is contradictory towards his origin establishing that he didn't become Wonder Wart-Hog until he was an adult, [[NegativeContinuity not that the comic's continuity was consistent in the first place]]). Given the fact that Wonder Wart-Hog is something of a vulgar and unscrupulous SupermanSubstitute, this is likely a nod to how Superman was established to start out as Superboy in his youth in the Pre-Crisis continuity. |
| 89 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': Donna Troy aka ComicBook/WonderGirl has grown up, gotten married, had a child, become a widow ''and'' outlived her child. [[CosmicPlaything And that's just skimming the surface. Gal's had it rough]]. |
| 90 | * ''ComicBook/XMen'': |
| 91 | ** The original five X-Men ([[Characters/MarvelComicsCyclops Cyclops]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsBeast Beast]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsAngel Angel]], and [[Characters/MarvelComicsIceman Iceman]] started as teens in their first appearance. |
| 92 | ** [[Characters/MarvelComicsJubilee Jubilee]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsKittyPryde Kitty Pryde]] were [[Characters/MarvelComicsLogan Wolverine]]'s kid sidekicks at different points in the comic's cycle. Notably, when Kitty grew up and became too old to tag along with Wolvie, Jubilee became his new sidekick. Later on, Jubilee was herself replaced by either Armor or [[Characters/MarvelComicsLauraKinney X-23]], depending on the series. Then after Logan died X-23 assumed his mantle in ''ComicBook/AllNewWolverine''. |
| 93 | *** In ''ComicBook/AllNewWolverine'', Laura gets her own sidekick upon discovering she has a thirteen-year-old clone named Gabby, [[PromotionToParent who she adopts as a "sister"]]. The series' final arc, "Old Woman Laura", shows a possible future where Laura is retired and an adult Gabby [[FutureBadass has assumed the mantle of Wolverine]]. |
| 94 | ** The original ComicBook/NewMutants ([[Characters/MarvelComicsSunspot Sunspot]], Cannonball, Dani Moonstar, Karma, Wolfsbane, and Characters/{{Magik}}) were teens when first introduced, but later aged into young adulthood, with several members later joining the main X-Men or the various spin-off teams like ComicBook/XForce and ComicBook/XFactor. Sunspot and Cannonball notably went on to join the Avengers with Sunspot even ''leading'' [[ComicBook/NewAvengers2015 two]] [[ComicBook/USAvengers incarnations]]. |
| 95 | ** Firestar and Warpath were originally part of the Hellions, a team of teen supervillains assembled by [[Characters/MarvelComicsEmmaFrost Emma Frost]] who effectively acted as the New Mutants' [[PsychoRangers evil counterparts]]. Warpath grew up to join X-Force, while Firestar became a founding member of the ComicBook/NewWarriors and eventually joined ComicBook/TheAvengers alongside her boyfriend Justice. Justice is himself an example of this, as he was originally a teen hero known as Marvel Boy. |
| 96 | ** This also goes for some of the members of ComicBook/GenerationX, a team Jubilee was a part of. Aside from Jubilee herself, the most prominent example is [[Characters/MarvelComicsMonetStCroix Monet St. Croix]], who grew up and joined [[ComicBook/XFactor2006 X-Factor Investigations]] and the X-Men proper. |
| 97 | ** ''ComicBook/BattleOfTheAtom'' features a grown-up version of KidHero [[ComicBook/{{Runaways}} Molly Hayes]]. |
| 98 | * ''ComicBook/YoungJustice'': Old Justice were a protest group of Golden Age kid sidekicks (except Doiby Dickles, who was the GA Green Lantern's adult sidekick) who felt being kid heroes had ruined their lives and wanted to stop Young Justice for their own good. Apart from Doiby, they comprised the Cyclone Kids (Red Tornado), Second Sweep (Hourman), Merry the Gimmick Girl (Star-Spangled Kid), and Dan the Dyna-Mite (TNT). They were partly responsible for the ''Sins of Youth'' CrisisCrossover, but eventually realised their concerns were misplaced. |
| 99 | |
| 100 | [[/folder]] |
| 101 | |
| 102 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 103 | * ''Fanfic/TheChildOfLove'': The epilogue and sequels happen several years after the War. Shinji and Asuka have grown up and got married, and they live mostly peacefully while raising their two children, although they have to pilot war mechas occasionally. |
| 104 | * ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has a case in the sequel, where a [[KnightInSourArmor deeply cynical]] 14-year-old Harry who's ended up ResignedToTheCall, meets his older self (and older by at least a millennium) - or at least, an older counterpart who opts to go by Nathan to avoid confusion, since their timelines diverged before the series began. Refreshingly, for all the prior indications that Harry could take the HeWhoFightsMonsters route and become the next {{ComicBook/Magneto}} (before he pulled HeelFaceTurn) or, worse, [[spoiler: the Dark Phoenix]], Nathan is perfectly sane, extremely powerful, cultured, and rather philosophical in a Dumbledore-ish sort of way - though, like Dumbledore, he also enjoys winding up his younger counterpart. Later on, Harry starts taking on more of Nathan's personality traits, becoming a KnightOfFaith after he TookALevelInIdealism once more. |
| 105 | * ''Fanfic/{{HERZ}}'': Shinji, Asuka and Rei were fourteen-year-old mecha pilots during the Angel War. Twelve years later, they are in their late twenties and they keep being soldiers. |
| 106 | * ''Fanfic/TheBridge'' shows up what happened to Godzilla Junior had we gotten to see him age into an adult since the 1990s. Now in his prime, he's became his world's BigGood, saving it numerous times from more malign kaiju and alien invaders. |
| 107 | * ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'' happens several years after the Angel War. Shinji and Asuka -who were teenagers back then- are now in their early twenties. |
| 108 | * In ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'', Shinji and Asuka were teenagers when they fought for first time in the original timeline; in this story they're in their early twenties (although due to the complexities inherent to time-travel they still look teenagers). |
| 109 | * In the third arc of ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'', ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} meets the grown-up versions of the ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes, eighteen years older than the teenager heroes she used to team up with. |
| 110 | * A ''[[https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=17200126 Pokemon Black and White]]'' comic depicts an adult Dawn challenging Hilbert and his Zekrom with her Giratina. She wants to see what two legendary gods fighting is like. |
| 111 | * ''Fanfic/DontHazeMe'' is a ''Kim Possible'' oneshot where the former teen superhero Kim Possible has trouble adjusting to adult life. Her enemies are becoming increasingly violent and her [[HeWhoFightsMonsters viewpoint is quickly changing]]. Eventually this leads her to [[FaceHeelTurn join up with Shego]] and become an AntiHero. |
| 112 | * Several of the [[Fanfic/TheElementsOfHarmonyAndTheSaviorOfWorlds Hasbroverse]] heroes were children when their adventures began, and their lives have gone on since. |
| 113 | ** The [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends Williams siblings]], heroes, caretakers and founders of Equestria when they were just mere pre-teens, have gone on with their lives after their pony adventures came to an end. Molly became a veterinarian, Danny became a teacher, and Megan became an author, works part-time at her ranch, and started a family. |
| 114 | ** [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers Spike Witwicky]] wasn't old enough to drive when he met the Autobots; now he's Earth's ambassador to Cybertron. Similarly, the wheelchair-bound Chip Chase is now chief scientific advisor to President Abernathy. |
| 115 | ** The kids from ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'' appear a few times in sequels and side stories, none the worse for wear. Most prominently, Albert "Presto" Preston works at the White House as President Abernathy's magical expert, and appears several times in the sequel ''United We Stand''. Eric now runs a company named Aegis Security, Bobby joined the [[SemperFi Marine Corps]] ([[HeIsAllGrownUp and gained about 100 pounds of muscle in the process]]), Diana's a gold medal gymnast, and Hank and Sheila got married. Oh, and they still have their magic weapons. |
| 116 | * ''Fanfic/JoJoNewUniverse'' |
| 117 | ** Alongside Jotaro, ''Diamond is Unbreakable'' would have two more examples with his wife Fluttershy and their fellow Stardust Crusader Kakyoin, with all three in their late twenties. |
| 118 | ** Played with for Jolyne Kujo, Jotaro and Fluttershy's daughter. While not an active hero as a child, Jolyne at 7-years-old already had her Stand during the event of ''Diamond is Unbreakable'' when she joins her parents in coming to Morioh. She even has her own DayInTheLimelight facing off Ken Oyanagi. By the start of ''Stone Ocean'', she's far more familiar with the supernatural compared to her Canon self. |
| 119 | ** Played Straight with Josuke, Pinkie Pie, and the other Part 4 kids in ''Stars are Eternal'', who are adults with their own children while still protecting Morioh. |
| 120 | * In ''Fanfic/LostTalesOfFantasia'', [[WesternAnimation/TheManyAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh Christopher Robin]] has become old enough to fight in a war. |
| 121 | * In the ''Fanfic/LegendOfTheSpiderMan'', Jason was in his later years of high school into his college years. In the sequel ''Fanfic/LegendarySpiderGirl'', he is an adult, married with a teenage daughter. |
| 122 | * ''WebVideo/StoneybrookRevisitedABabySittersClubFanSeries'' is a fan-series based on ''The Baby-Sitters Club''. It's about the adulthoods of Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, and Dawn. |
| 123 | * In ''Fanfic/AnotherRainbowInAnotherSky'', Megan has grown into an adult and only has vague, often subconscious, memories of Dream Valley. Her siblings Molly and Danny also forgot. However, the story ends with Megan reunited with the ponies. |
| 124 | * In ''Fanfic/ImaginarySeas'', the Percy Jackson summoned to the Atlantis Lostbelt is in his early 20s, a few years after the events of ''Heroes of Olympus''. |
| 125 | * The second ''VideoGame/{{PAGUI}}'' is set a decade after the first, with the protagonist, seven-year-old Huo Wang-Lin, returning as a teenager and serving as a mentor to a new exorcist about to enter the underworld. |
| 126 | * Like in ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'', Ken Amada is this in ''Fanfic/AceInTheHolePersona5'', currently a year older than the [[VideoGame/Persona5 Phantom Thieves' Leader Ren]] and in the same year as Makoto and Haru. His age is the reason Minako suggests to Mitsuru to have Ken transfer to Shujin Academy (the site of their debut mission), so he can investigate the Phantom Thieves and find out if they were Persona Users, while avoiding immedient conflict with Shido's conspiracy since Ken wasn't one of Mitsuru's subordinates. |
| 127 | * In ''Fanfic/LegendsCollideAlolasHouseOfChampions'', most of the titular Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Champions are the young {{Player Character}}s grown into young adults. The exceptions are Yuki (the Alola Champion, who's 12) and Nora (the Galar Champion, who's 16). |
| 128 | [[/folder]] |
| 129 | |
| 130 | [[folder:Films -- Animated]] |
| 131 | * In the ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'' sequel ''WesternAnimation/ReturnToNeverLand'', Wendy and her siblings have grown up and lived normal lives, while Peter and the Lost Boys have remained the same age. |
| 132 | * In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'', Buddy tried to be a plucky kid sidekick for Mr. Incredible, although he was rejected by his idol, who claimed he worked better alone. [[StartOfDarkness It didn't]] [[UsedToBeASweetKid turn out well]]. |
| 133 | [[/folder]] |
| 134 | |
| 135 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 136 | * The entire ''Franchise/StarWars'' film series is this to Anakin, who is a child in the first chronological film. The story chronicles his descent to the Dark Side, his reign of terror as the Dark Lord of the Sith, and his ultimate redemption by his son. |
| 137 | ** Although they skate the line of "kid" hero, the Sequel Trilogy has shown this for Luke and Leia Skywalker, who were 19 in the events of the ''Film/ANewHope''. ''Film/TheForceAwakens'' shows that Leia has kept the Rebellion alive in the New Republic's covert ops organization, the Resistance, while ''Film/TheLastJedi'' showed that Luke went to live in hermitude after his nephew Ben Solo destroyed the Jedi Temple. |
| 138 | ** Many, many characters in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' ExpandedUniverse fit this trope, particularly the children of the main cast, such as Ben Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo and Anakin Solo. Their infancy, childhood, and young adulthood are all chronicled throughout the saga. |
| 139 | * In ''Film/{{Hook}}'' Creator/RobinWilliams plays Peter Banning, who unbeknownst to himself is Literature/PeterPan who left Neverland, grew up, and has forgotten all about his time there. |
| 140 | * Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'' takes place many years after the original story it is based on. It's also a DarkerAndEdgier take on the original Mythos. |
| 141 | * In ''Film/GalaxyQuest'', Tommy Weber (Daryl Mitchell) played Lt. Laredo on the show, a parody of kid prodigies like ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'''s Wesley Crusher. At the time of the movie, he's 20 years older, and being put in the position of ''being'' that prodigy he played on the series two decades earlier. |
| 142 | * A bizarre kaiju example in ''Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah''. Godzilla dies at the end and his adoptive teenage son, GentleGiant, RaisedByHumans [[spoiler: Junior grows into his final form as the new Godzilla.]] |
| 143 | * ''Film/ChristopherRobin'' is a HumanFocusedAdaptation of Disney's animated ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh''-franchise centered around a now grown up, married Christopher Robin who became a workaholic and has to rekindle with his daughter with the help of his childhood stuff animal friends. |
| 144 | * ''Film/AFairlyOddMovieGrowUpTimmyTurner'' has this as a central plot point: Timmy Turner, the kid protagonist of ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' is 23 at the beginning at the movie - at least physically. In order to keep his fairly godparents Cosmo and Wanda he has to ensure to technically still be a child, so he acts as he ''didn't'' grow up, still living with his parents and attending school. The movie has him learn to accept that he finally has to grow up, what he does at the end of the movie. Thankfully he's still able to keep his godparents in the end. |
| 145 | [[/folder]] |
| 146 | |
| 147 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 148 | * ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': |
| 149 | ** At the end, we learn what happened to the heroes after the first book. It's not very pretty. [[spoiler:Jake is a ShellShockedVeteran, Rachel died just before the war's end, Tobias retreats to the woods to mourn her, Ax becomes a prince but is captured and infested by a mysterious new being, and Marco becomes a materialistic celebrity. Cassie becomes an ambassador, and is possibly the only one to survive the BolivianArmyEnding later.]] |
| 150 | ** A previous book has an alternate universe where the Yeerk invasion succeeded. [[spoiler:Jake became an infested drone, Cassie was also infested but with a Yeerk fighting the empire, Rachel was crippled too badly for morphing to heal her, Marco is controlled by the dictator of Earth Visser Two, Ax is dead, and Tobias has trapped himself in morph as Ax pretending to be Elfangor back from the dead.]] |
| 151 | * ''Literature/TheSagaOfLartenCrepsley'' is a prequel to ''Literature/CirqueDuFreak'' and tells of the childhood adventures of the hero's mentor. |
| 152 | * At the end of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' (specifically in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'') we get to see what happened to the heroes. It's a pretty cute domestic scene, what with them all being HappilyMarried and sending their kids off to school. It was expanded upon in ''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'', especially the tense relationship between Harry and his reformed bully Draco and their children. |
| 153 | * ''Literature/AHeroAtTheEndOfTheWorld'' is set five years after 17-year-old Oliver Abrams defeats the evil tyrant who has terrorized Britain. He's become a national hero since and works for the government. |
| 154 | * ''Literature/TheHungerGames''. Haymitch was a winning tribute of the Hunger Games as a teen but has since become a depressed alcoholic, [[spoiler: but eventually returns to heroism as a leader of the rebellion in the final book.]] |
| 155 | * ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' has two: The children heroes of the first books grow up to be royalty in Narnia, but return to our world and get de-aged. Later in the prequel book ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'' we see Diggory's childhood adventures in Narnia. |
| 156 | * ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'': At the start of ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'', Percy was 12 years old and already standing toe-to-toe with gods. By the time of ''Literature/TheTrialsOfApollo'', Percy is 18 and attending university in New Rome with his girlfriend Annabeth. |
| 157 | * ''Literature/TheEdgeChronicles'' has a very heartbreaking one: The fourth book takes place after a massive timeskip and we find out that [[spoiler: Twig never found his friends and grew old wandering the great forest.]] |
| 158 | * ''Literature/SpeakerForTheDead'' and its sequels tell the story of a grown-up Ender Wiggin from ''Literature/EndersGame''. Similarly, the ''Literature/EndersShadow'' series is a spin-off following Bean and Petra from the same book as they grow up on Earth. |
| 159 | * ''Literature/WarriorCats'' begins with Rusty, a kitten-hero, and his adventures growing up into Firestar. Eventually the sequel series focuses on the first generation's children and grandchildren. |
| 160 | * Edgar Cantero's ''Literature/MeddlingKids2017'' applies this trope to Scooby Expies "The Blyton Summer Detective Club." The Velma/Daphne combo is an alcoholic who can't get into grad school. The tomboy has become a military washout and fugitive from the law. The Shaggy expy has checked himself into the Arkham Country Mental Hospital, and the Fred expy was a child star who OD'd in young adulthood. It turns out [[spoiler: most of this trauma came from repressed memories of encountering real Lovecraftian horrors on their final case together and when it comes time to face them again they're more than capable of shaping up and pulling themselves together]]. |
| 161 | * In ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'' (what, you thought there might be some SuperheroTropes that they ''didn't'' checklist?), the long-serving headmistress (and BigGood) of Whateley Academy is Elizabeth Carson, who is the former Miss Champion, and currently goes by Lady Astarte. She has been a superheroine since she was 14 (in 1943), and because she [[OlderThanTheyLook ages very slowly]], she was seen as a KidSidekick by most people for almost twenty years. |
| 162 | * The Tiffany Aching novel ''Literature/IShallWearMidnight'' has an unexpected appearance by [[spoiler: the Literature/{{Discworld}}'s ''first'' teenage witch character, Eskarina Smith, now a mother and the magical equivalent of a theoretical physicist]]. Tiffany herself goes from nine to eighteen over the course of the books. |
| 163 | [[/folder]] |
| 164 | |
| 165 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 166 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Buffy Summers begins the show at age 16, and has been slaying since she was 15. The show ends when she's in her early twenties, and by the time of the Season 12 [[ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer comics]], she's hit 30. |
| 167 | * This is the premise of ''Series/TheUmbrellaAcademy''. The main characters are adoptive siblings who were part of a crime-fighting SuperFamilyTeam as children, but quit hero work after one of them died, another one of them disappeared, and [[AbusiveParents their father's physical and emotional abuse became too much to handle]]. Now they're estranged, emotionally stunted 29-year-olds [[note]]With the exception of Number Five, who, because of TimeTravel shenanigans, is physically 13 and mentally 58.[[/note]] who have to come together as a team one last time to stop the apocalypse. |
| 168 | * ''Series/CobraKai'' is a DistantSequel to ''Film/TheKarateKid'', where Daniel [=LaRusso=] is now middle-aged and has to deal with things like being a father, running a business and mentoring a new generation of karate students, as Mr. Miyagi once did for him. Problems arise however when his old bully and rival Johnny Lawrence shows up again in his life and re-establishes the ThugDojo Cobra Kai... |
| 169 | [[/folder]] |
| 170 | |
| 171 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 172 | * Mexican wrestling, due to the Mini Estrella Division of promotions such as Wrestling/{{CMLL}} and Wrestling/{{AAA}}, allows anyone under 153 centimeters to compete so long as they work well enough and has many weight classes so that anyone who gets too tall for the minis can usually work with those of similar size and thus transition through various divisions as they grow older. The most famous of these is Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr, who began at age 14. he's wrestled a technico style his entire career and is also spent nearly all of it as what they call a baby{{face}} in the USA, where he was a mainstay of nearly every major promotion of his time: Wrestling/{{WCW}}, Wrestling/{{ECW}} and Wrestling/{{WWE}}. |
| 173 | * Parodied at the expense of Wrestling/MattSydal, who debuted at age 17 but was treated as a twelve year old by Gateway Championship Wrestling. He did some growing though, gaining anywhere from 9 to 31 kilgrams (or 20 to 70 pounds) over the course of his career. |
| 174 | * Wrestling/{{Paige}} is of course Brittani Knight all grown up, though Brittani wasn't a "hero" [[EvilForeigner to most audience outside of the UK]], she was wildly popular at home and debuted at age 13. |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 178 | * ''Theatre/TheSolveItSquadReturns'' by the Creator/TinCanBrothers is a DeconstructiveParody of Franchise/ScoobyDoo based on this trope, with a CastOfExpies of the Scooby-Doo gang coming back together 20 years after their KidDetective team broke up after the murder of their TeamPet, hoping to mend their old wounds and pull themselves out of the downward spiral they fell into as adults now that they have a chance to find their talking dog's killer. |
| 179 | [[/folder]] |
| 180 | |
| 181 | |
| 182 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 183 | * The KidHero of ''VideoGame/DigimonWorld'' returns several years later in ''VideoGame/DigimonWorldNextOrder'' under the nickname "Mameo". |
| 184 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 185 | ** This is a major point with Link in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''. Not only does he grow up (albeit in some kind of limbo), but he has the ability to go back to his childhood to do things there that he can't do as an adult. |
| 186 | ** Doubly so in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' where the new protagonist encounters a mysterious specter of a warrior, who turns out to be the same "Link" from ''Ocarina of Time''. |
| 187 | ** The ''Zelda'' example is played even straighter in ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', which is the same Link as the one in the first game, now 16. This was the ''first'' game to portray an adult Link. |
| 188 | ** Done again in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'' with the several year TimeSkip pushing the 17-year-old (technically [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld 117]]) Link and Zelda into their early twenties. Coincidentally this makes the ''second'' game to portray an adult Link |
| 189 | * The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series naturally has these if major time skips are involved: |
| 190 | ** Possibly the best example is Shanan from [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar the fourth game]]. In the first generation, he's just an NPC who stays out of the action due to, well, still being a kid. Come the second, he's now [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething the prince of Isaac]], leader of LaResistance and wielder of a Legendary Weapon that makes him a OneManArmy on the battlefield. |
| 191 | ** Oifey in the same game is the army's young tactician in the first generation, who goes on to become a senior knight and the game's CrutchCharacter in the second. |
| 192 | ** From the Tellius games, Sothe ([[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance first game]], [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn second game]]) and Tormod both qualify... though Tormod [[TheNapoleon didn't grow up as much as he'd hoped]]. |
| 193 | ** Tiki is an odd example. She features in the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight first]] and [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem third]] games, and while she's ReallySevenHundredYearsOld due to being a naturally long-lived manakete, she looks and acts like a young child because she's had to sleep most of her life until then. In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', we meet Tiki 2000 years later, and she physically looks like a mid-20s human, as well as being far more wise and mature. |
| 194 | * ''VideoGame/LapisReLights'' has Angelica, formerly "Ange". 3 years ago, she was part of one of the most powerful, talented, and legendary witch/idol units of Flora Girls' Academy, Ray. Among other achievements, she helped save an entire country from eradication by hordes of magical monsters. In the intervening time, she grew [[CelebrityIsOverrated tired of the life of a celebrity]], lost the innocent youth and cuteness she banked on as her main appeal, and became [[KnightInSourArmor much more cynical and jaded overall]], but when her old friend Chloe calls her back to the Academy she obliges. |
| 195 | * Ken in ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax''. He's not ''that'' much older, but he's certainly not a KidHero anymore. He's actually a {{Deconstruct|edTrope}}ion of this trope, in that he really ''wants'' to be the "living a normal life" type, but going through the kind of adventures he did as a kid pretty much destroyed his chances of ever having a normal childhood. While he does go through with saving the world again when he's called up, in the end he turns in his badge, feeling he needs time to actually live normally before he goes back for it. |
| 196 | * In ''VideoGame/Grandia1'', Justin, Sue, and Feena are young adventurers (although Feena is the eldest and Sue is by far the youngest). The DistantFinale (shown from Sue's perspective) showcases a now-adult, beautiful and ProperLady Sue meeting the married Justin and Feena as they return to Justin's hometown. We never see the couple, but [[BabiesEverAfter we meet their entire LITTER]] of kids that look and act like them. |
| 197 | * All of the main playable characters from the first two games in the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' saga become this by the start of ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'' (although KidHero is pushing it, they were all in the 15-17 range except the ReallySevenHundredYearsOld Piers). About 20 to 30 years have passed since the world was saved and the kid heroes are now adults who have either settled down and had kids of their own or are helping out with the still changing world (though due to the ImmortalityInducer effects of the Golden Sun's formation, they barely look older than their kids: Isaac and Garet have teenaged sons, but if they shaved their beard/mustache [[GenerationXerox they'd look exactly like the same]]). [[spoiler: Felix is the only playable character in the previous adventure who has gone missing and no one knows exactly what became of him.]] |
| 198 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': |
| 199 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' features young adult versions of [[PlayerCharacter Red]] and his former-friend-turned-rival-turned-friend-again Blue from ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue''/''[[VideoGameRemake FireRed and LeafGreen]]'' as post-game {{Superboss}}es; considering how [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver last time]] they were seen ([[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 that showed any change in them at all, that is]]), at about age 14, their friendship being all but implied to be very strained, with Red apparently having lost contact with the rest of civilization, it's a pretty big improvement for both of their situations. It's also shown in both in this game and a brief mention of him in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' that Blue at least has become a sort of part-time assistant in his grandfather Professor Oak's research. |
| 200 | ** To a lesser extent their aforementioned appearances in ''Gold and Silver''/''Crystal''/the remakes, which take place 3 years after the [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue first games and their remakes]]. Blue had become the Viridian City [[MiniBoss gym leader]] in the absence of [[BigBad Giovanni]], after said man went into hiding after the first games, while Red is the [[VisibleSilence quiet]] TrueFinalBoss waiting on top of Mt. Silver, having apparently revoked his champion title to Lance. The change in Blue is especially apparent, having matured from a bratty, cocky {{Jerkass}} who sees his Pokemon in a very childlike manner, to a calmer, much wiser, and even kind of philosophical young gym leader who is actually slightly [[WiseBeyondTheirYears Wise Beyond His Years]]. |
| 201 | ** ''VideoGame/NewPokemonSnap'' has an adult Todd (the protagonist of the original game) as one of the supporting characters. Just as Professor Oak helped him when he was doing research, he'll give you some tips and hints on how to get better photos. |
| 202 | * ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture'' has the group meet the grown-up version of Layton's young assistant Luke Triton after they stumble into a TimeTravel plot, referred to as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Future Luke.]] [[spoiler: Subverted, when it turns out they never travelled through time, and "Future Luke" is actually a different person named Clive, the game's BigBad]]. |
| 203 | * Two child characters from ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' reappear in ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' all grown up. Squire Arthur Maxson, precocious Brotherhood of Steel initiate, has grown up and is now leading the Brotherhood's conquest of the Commonwealth. RJ [=MacCready=], the bratty, foul-mouthed head of Little Lamplight, meanwhile, has grown up and is now putting his skills to use as a mercenary in the Commonwealth. |
| 204 | * ''Franchise/MegaMan'': |
| 205 | ** ''VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent'' has a part where you fight either Vent or Aile, the protagonists from the first game, who have grown up. Which one you fight depends on who you picked to play as. |
| 206 | ** ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'': The DistantFinale of [[VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork6CybeastGregarAndCybeastFalzar the sixth game]] has Lan becoming a net scientist and HappilyMarried to Mayl, Dex is mayor of ACDC Town, Yai is leading her father's company, and Chaud becomes the Officials' leader. |
| 207 | * ''VideoGame/SpiderManInsomniac'': Like most incarnations of the character, Spider-Man began his superhero career at age fifteen. The game begins [[ExperiencedProtagonist eight years in]], with Peter in his mid-twenties and showing no signs of slowing down. |
| 208 | * It happens to three of the four protagonists of the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'': [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Estelle Bright]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure Lloyd Bannings]], and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel Rean Schwarzer]] all first start their adventures of their respective arcs (Liberl, Crossbell, and Erebonia respectively) in their late teens. When all three finally meet at [[spoiler:Pantagruel, the same ship that the Noble Alliance took Rean into custody in ''Cold Steel II'']] in ''Cold Steel IV'', Estelle and Lloyd are twenty-one years old while Rean's twenty years old and all three are tempered by their experiences. |
| 209 | * Clementine turns 9 years old in ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonOne'', is 11 in [[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonTwo season two]] and is 13 in ''[[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonThree A New Frontier]]''. ''[[VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonFour The Final Season]]'' takes place when Clementine is 16. In Episode 3, Lee even notes in Clementine's dream how much she's grown and how he's proud of what she became. |
| 210 | * An interesting example in ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'', with the GuestFighter [[Literature/TheRing Yoichi Asakawa]]. In the movies, Yoichi was a child who managed to survive Sadako's cursed tape thanks to his mother. In this game, he's now in his adult years studying marine biology. |
| 211 | * In ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'', main character Rex is a 15-year-old scrawny teenager shorter than many of other characters in the game, including his Blade partner and eventual love interest(s) Pyra/Mythra, as well as Shulk, the hero of the [[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1 previous game]] who shows up in the DLC. A photograph shown during the ending of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'' shows that sometime after the events of ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'', Rex went through a massive growth spurt, and the DLC story ''[[VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed Future Redeemed]]'' further shows that he's also bulked up significantly and now has a goatee; notably, he's now taller than Shulk is. |
| 212 | * Out of the six Moon Angels, Vanilla H of ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngel'' undergoes the most notable physical change by the time ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngelII'' rolls around. After the four-year timeskip, she finally hit her growth spurt and now stands about as tall as Milfeulle, Ranpha, and Chitose, and now lets her hair flow freely. She also replaces her old uniform by a long flowing dress that gives her a more mature appearance. |
| 213 | [[/folder]] |
| 214 | |
| 215 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 216 | * [[spoiler:Emi]] in ''Webcomic/{{Metacarpolis}}'' was a MagicalGirlWarrior since she was a kid. But after her team defeated the final villain became celebrities, she decided to move away and live a normal life, hiding her previous identity. |
| 217 | * Although not confirmed, it is implied that [[spoiler: Rick Spender]] in ''Webcomic/{{Paranatural}}'' was a KidHero. He's either the “continues to have adventures” type or the “goes to the dark side” type, since he's kind of AmbiguouslyEvil . |
| 218 | * ''Webcomic/EmergencyExit'' shows in a flashback that Eddie used to be part of a team of {{Kid Hero}}es. That we've never seen any of them since (not to mention [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan what happened to Eddie]]), hints at his DarkAndTroubledPast. |
| 219 | * ''Webcomic/{{XKCD}}''. [[http://xkcd.com/693 In this strip.]] Kid hero goes to another dimension, saves a kingdom, and now has to live with that knowledge for the rest of his life here on boring ol' Earth. |
| 220 | * ''Webcomic/{{IDGet}}''. Early in the comic's run, storylines occasionally focused on fowl superhero Chicken Guy, and his faithful and helpful sidekick Chicken Boy. After a year or so, such storylines were eventually phased out, and Chicken Guy was reduced to an occasional RecurringCharacter as part of the comic's main cast, though certain plots and storylines would put Chicken Guy back into his superhero status, minus Chicken Boy. Years later in 2012, Chicken Guy found himself in a new situation which required his sidekick, who is now known as Chicken Teen, and actually mocks Chicken Guy's old trademarks such as his old battle cry. |
| 221 | * ''Webcomic/StrongFemaleProtagonist'' stars Allison Green, formerly as Mega-Girl one of the most powerful superheroes in the world, now grown-up and going to college. Doesn't exactly fit as the JadedWashout, she still wants to change the world even if she doesn't believe super-heroics are the best way to do so. Nor is it entirely a normal life, since she unmasked and is thus a celebrity and isn't shy about using her powers in her daily life. |
| 222 | * ''Webcomic/MissMelee'' was a teenage heroine who retired to have a family but got back into the game as an [[ActionMom Action Mom]]. |
| 223 | [[/folder]] |
| 224 | |
| 225 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 226 | * ''Franchise/{{Avatar|TheLastAirbender}}'': [[TheChosenOne Aang]] and [[TeamMom Katara]] in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', the former of whom provides the page picture. Most of the heroes from [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender the first series]], in fact, became powerful and successful leaders before they died/retired. Toph Beifong taught metalbending to any who would come to learn it, and shaped the Republic City Police Department as its chief in its nascent days, before resigning and settling down in [[spoiler:the Foggy Swamp]]. Sokka became a Republic City councilor. Zuko's reign as Fire Lord redeemed the Fire Nation in the eyes of the world in the wake of the Hundred Year War his three predecessors prosecuted, before he abdicated the throne in favor of his daughter, Izumi, and moved to Ember Island. The only member of the Gaang not mentioned is Suki, who became a recurring character late into the series and was also Sokka's girlfriend. |
| 227 | * ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' |
| 228 | ** After going through a horrifying BreakTheCutie process towards the very end of his tenure as Robin, Tim Drake quit and took up a normal life. [[spoiler:Unwittingly, by use of a microchip implanted with the Joker's genetic material, he also was turned into a future incarnation of the Joker off and on. This was eventually discovered and removed.]] |
| 229 | ** In one of the [[ComicBook/BatmanBeyond sequel comics]], Tim was later called to (very reluctantly) help coordinate movements of Batman and companions during a mass suicide bombing of Gotham. In the same comic, Dick Grayson was shown to be helping find and stop bombers under his own identity (ie not wearing a mask). |
| 230 | ** Barbara Gordon, who was Batgirl as a teenager, quit the vigilante gig, became a police officer, and followed in her father's footsteps as Gotham's Police Commissioner. |
| 231 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' features many, almost all of whom tend to be the "washed-up loser" variety: |
| 232 | ** Rusty Venture spent his childhood as a ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' parody, being dragged around by his scientist father on various adventures that later get adapted into a successful cartoon series. However, he grows up to be a middling MadScientist stuck in his father's shadow, his fame largely forgotten, and putting his sons through the exact same abuse he had. |
| 233 | ** "Action Johnny," a more blatant ''Jonny Quest'' parody,[[note]]he was literally Jonny Quest until ExecutiveMeddling mandated they change it[[/note]] became a heroin addict to cope with everything his father put him through as a child. |
| 234 | ** Captain Sunshine is actually the second to hold the name, having started out as the first Captain Sunshine's KidSidekick Wonder Boy. Although seemingly successful and well-adjusted, he's a {{Manchild}} who spoils his own sidekicks to give them the childhood he never had. |
| 235 | ** In one episode, Rusty goes to a support group for former child heroes and adventurers, including another former Wonder Boy (who was forced to retire when he turned 18 and developed a binge-eating disorder), the Hale Brothers (a parody of Literature/TheHardyBoys who murdered their father like the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_and_Erik_Menendez Menendez brothers]]), And Ro-Boy (an Anime/AstroBoy expy who was abandoned by his father/creator). |
| 236 | * Monty Uno from ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', as a child, revolted against the oppressive {{Gr|eaterScopeVillain}}andfather who forced him to work in Grandfather's tapioca factories, and became founder of the Seventh Age of the Kids Next Door, thereby setting the stage for the series' story. In the present day, Monty is an adult (and therefore no longer an official Kid Next Door) and the rarely-appearing father of Nigel Uno, though he does get recommissioned into the KND a couple of times. |
| 237 | * A darker, more pessimistic variation comes from ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'', episode "How Long Is Forever?". Starfire pursues a time-traveling villain 20 years into the future, where she finds that, shortly after [[TheHeart she]] disappeared, the other Teen Titans disbanded and went their own separate ways. In this future Cyborg is stuck hooked up to Titans Tower's power supply since his enhancements are failing, Beast Boy is balding, overweight and has a miserable job as a one-man zoo, Raven has locked herself up in a mental asylum, and Robin is the only one who's still a hero, having [[spoiler:taken on a new identity, ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}]]. Near the end of the episode, however, [[spoiler: [[PuttingTheBandBackTogether all the Titans band together again]] to defeat the villain, and Starfire returns back to her time, averting the BadFuture]]. |
| 238 | * Partway into season three of ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'', when Enzo enters a game he can't win, he, [=AndrAIa=], and Frisket change their icons to game sprite mode and ride the game out of Mainframe. The game's accelerated time causes a time skip, bringing them to adulthood. The following episodes focus on them as they search for a way back to Mainframe. Enzo, now going by Matrix, is a muscular badass, and [=AndrAIa=], is now an ActionGirl. |
| 239 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Barnacle Boy, who started as a kid sidekick to superhero Mermaid Man, is now old enough to live in the same retirement home as his mentor. He still goes by Barnacle Boy though. |
| 240 | * Every iteration of the ''Franchise/Ben10'' series has featured at least an adventure with Ben meeting himself as an adult, usually going by "Ben 10,000". Gwen as an adult is usually featured in such stories. |
| 241 | * ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'': The second season takes place after a five-year timeskip, so all of the teen heroes of the first season are now in their early twenties. A new cast of teens has been introduced to be the new Young Justice team, as well. |
| 242 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': |
| 243 | ** ''Star Wars Rebels'' has Ahsoka Tano, the KidHero of the [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars previous series]] as a recurring character. In the roughly fourteen years between the series, she's become a leader in the early rebellion and has matured into a warrior and mentor for the next generation. [[spoiler:Another couple of years pass when she survives the Original Trilogy, though given the circumstances, it is unknown if she aged or [[TimeTravel not]].]] |
| 244 | ** One of the Twi'lek rebel fighters in the episode "Homecoming" is Numa, the child picked up by Waxer and Boil during the Ryloth arc of ''The Clone Wars''. |
| 245 | ** The show's finale takes place nearly a decade after the show's beginning. Sabine, who was sixteen at the beginning of the show, ends the show nearing her mid-twenties. [[spoiler:So does Ezra, but he isn't shown.]] |
| 246 | * ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' is a sequel miniseries to ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', starring a now 16 year-old Steven. ''Future'' has a different take on this trope, showing how the events in Steven's youth have traumatized him both physically and mentally, and how it affects the relationships with the people around him. |
| 247 | * ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooOnZombieIsland'' starts out as a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou''. Mystery Inc are all in their late twenties now, working different jobs and living seperate lives. They reunite to look for 'real monsters' for Daphne's show. |
| 248 | * The ''WesternAnimation/WhatACartoonShow'' short ''[[WesternAnimation/CaptainSturdy Captain Sturdy: Back in Action]]'' and its Creator/AdultSwim follow-up ''Captain Sturdy: The Originals'' both had the titular OldSuperhero work with his grown-up sidekick Ultra Boy. |
| 249 | * ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' reveals that Donald and Della Duck began adventuring with their Uncle Scrooge when they were the same age that the triplets and Webby are at the start of the series. However, Donald had retired from adventuring and is focused on raising his nephews [[spoiler:after Della's disappearance]]. |
| 250 | ** Two more kid heroes from another Disney Afternoon series appear as adults -- Kit Cloudkicker and Molly Cunningham from ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin''. Kit took over the Higher for Hire service (though he's not as good a pilot as Baloo), while Molly decided to live up to her "Danger Woman" nickname and became a stuntswoman. |
| 251 | ** [[spoiler:[[BigBad Bradford Buzzard]]]] turns out to be a darker version of this trope, [[spoiler:beginning as one of the first first Junior Woodchucks brought along by his grandmother, Isabella Finch. However, while Isabella enjoyed her adventures, Bradford came out of them as seeing the world as dangerous and unpredictable, growing up to found F.O.W.L. with the goal of eradicating all mysteries and enforcing order upon the world]]. |
| 252 | [[/folder]] |
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