Basic Trope: An adult villain is enemies with a hero half their age or less.
- Straight: Hiro, a ten-year-old, has to deal with Emperor Evulz, who is forty.
- Exaggerated:
- Hiro is barely five years old, but the sixty-year-old Evulz still targets him.
- Hiro is pitted against an army of Elite Mooks, all adults.
- Downplayed: Hiro is ten while Evulz is twenty.
- Justified: Hiro (or his parents) is capable of ending Evulz's reign.
- Inverted: Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: Hiro is older than Evulz.
- Subverted:
- Hiro turns out to be twenty.
- Alternatively, Evulz is fifteen.
- Double Subverted: Their supposed ages turn out to be misunderstandings.
- Parodied: For some reason, Evulz focuses on infants instead of competent adult heroes.
- Zig-Zagged: Hiro and Evulz both oppose characters their own age at first, then younger, then older.
- Averted: Hiro and Evulz are both adults or kids.
- Enforced: Hiro is a Kid Hero, but another antagonist around his age might reduce the stakes of his mission.
- Lampshaded:Hiro: Doesn't he ever get embarrassed about fighting a little kid?
- Invoked: Evulz hears about Hiro and decides that he's enough of a threat for him to pursue.
- Exploited: Hiro manages to make himself look less threatening using his age to catch Evulz off guard.
- Defied:
- Evulz decides that he's not going after Hiro.
- The Big Good ensures that Evulz doesn't learn about Hiro.
- Discussed: Hiro's friends discuss the unusual nature of his conflict with Evulz and speculate on how he manages to hold his own.
- Conversed: Characters who are not directly involved in the story's conflict between the adult villain and young hero discuss the trope or the situation in a more general or unrelated context.
- Deconstructed:
- Hiro is extremely outclassed and either dies or gets severely injured.
- Evulz underestimates Hiro, dismissing him as just another kid. He's proven otherwise when Hiro either kills or severely injures him.
- Reconstructed:
- Hiro manages to survive and undergoes training to get on Evulz's level.
- Evulz learns not to make assumptions about his opponents.
- Implied: The trope is hinted at or suggested without being explicitly shown or stated. There may be subtle clues, references, or indirect indications that imply the existence or occurrence of an adult villain being enemies with a hero half their age or less, but it is not explicitly addressed or depicted.
- Plotted a Good Waste: In this scenario, Hiro or someone on his side tricks or deceives Evulz into wasting their time, resources, or efforts. Hiro may intentionally lead Evulz on wild goose chases or create distractions to keep him occupied while Hiro works towards his own goals.
- Played for Laughs: The trope is used in a comedic manner, generating humor from the contrast between the adult villain and the young hero. It could involve comedic misunderstandings, exaggerated reactions, or slapstick situations.
- Played for Drama: The trope is used as a serious narrative device, highlighting the power dynamics, challenges, and emotional impact of an adult villain targeting a young hero. The story focuses on the intense struggle and the potential consequences that arise from this conflict, evoking strong emotions from the audience.
Why is Evulz going after Hiro? Pick on Someone Your Own Size!
