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Basic Trope: Children are used as soldiers.
- Straight: For whatever reason, children are recruited to serve in armed forces.
- Exaggerated: Kindergarteners are trained in combat.
- Downplayed: A couple of soldiers are younger than one would expect.
- Justified:
- The village is razed to the ground and the children who somehow survive band together and fight to seek revenge on the raiders.
- Births are not well documented, enabling children who look old enough to lie about their ages and apply to the army.
- In this culture the age of adulthood is younger
- Inverted: Only the oldest people in this world's society are allowed to fight as they have lived their lives to the full.
- Subverted: Children go to great lengths to try and volunteer but an army captain absolutely refuses them on moral grounds.
- Double Subverted: The children then become guerrilla fighters and assist somehow.
- Parodied:
- Newborn babies are handed guns or given over to the Drill Sergeant Nasty.
- A baby IS the Drill Sergeant Nasty.
- Deconstructed: The ethical implications of this are explored in great detail.
- Reconstructed: The Kid Hero breaks out of his Heroic BSOD and plays a major part in an upcoming battle.
- Zig Zagged: A captain recruits children to fight, then his conscience gets the better of him and he can't stand to force them to fight - looking as though their role in the story will be over, then they rescue him when he's taken prisoner, then he still can't force them to fight, however one is a Teen Genius who devises a strategy to take the enemy stronghold or another is The Hero whose Magic Sword or ability to pilot a Giant Mech is necessary to win the war.
- Averted: All soldiers are adults.
- Enforced: "We need to expand our market demographic. Stick a couple of kids in the show." "But sir, it's a show about bloody war." "Just do it!"
- Lampshaded: "My army corps is a goddamned nursery!"
- Invoked:
- Children are forcibly recruited into the army.
- "I look old enough, so I'll lie about my age and join the army to protect my country!"
- Defied:
- A less notable subversion wherein the children are not allowed to participate in the combat they seek.
- A minion of General Taisen suggests this to him after he accidentally kills the adults of the town he was hoping to brainwash into more soldiers. Taisen reacts with absolute horror and shoots him in the face.
- Discussed: "We seem to be looking after more and more kids these days, huh Alice?"
Eh, you look old enough, and we do need some more warm bodies, so...you're in! Head back to Child Soldiers, soldier!