Even more significant dividing factor tends to be how often and how horribly they and their comrades are depicted as dying themselves. The former usually carry a heavy trauma, while the latter tend to avoid it. Researchers have shown that even if these underage soldiers are not deployed to combat zones, they suffer from a higher risk of attempted suicide or mental issues.Ĭhild soldiers in fiction can be divided into two types: those who fight and kill humans, and those who don't either because they fight a nonhuman entity ( Strike Witches, Stellvia of the Universe) or avoid lethal means ( Lyrical Nanoha). This trope is Truth in Television many armies in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa have underaged troops, and some Western nations begin recruiting soldiers at the age of 16 (these recruits are generally prohibited from being deployed to combat zones, although incidents where they have been deployed there have occurred). On a somewhat lighter side, there are also many stories, in fiction and real life, concerning boys ( and girls) who lied about their ages in order to serve their country in its hour of need - but those are only slightly under age, much more mature psychologically. Since the use of child soldiers forces the enemy to gun down children in self-defense, it's a very strong contender for the most morally reprehensible war crime in existence. While the notion of innocent childhood dates to the early modern era (thank the Victorians and their contemporaries), even the ancients felt fairly queasy about the idea - and with good reason: warfare screws with kids' heads, and they're rarely good for much else afterwards. Sometimes they have a talent to help them get through the war, which unfortunately may be the reason they were drafted to begin with, but often it's just tough luck. They depend on us to defend them, but either we're forcing them to defend us or they're all alone and forced to defend themselves in the face of imminent danger.

Baby ninja fighters