History Main / ChildrenForcedToKill

* BlackLagoon: the vampire twins started out as this when they were forced to kill other children in paedophilic [[SnuffFilm Snuff Films]]. At some point they [[BreakTheCutie broke]] [[AxCrazy and began to like it]].

* YMMV, but in D Gray Man, the average age for an Exorcist seems to be late teens...Allen's fifteenish when things start, Lenalee's about the same, Lavi's eighteen, and Kanda [[spoiler: has literally been an Exorcist since the day he was born due to certain experiments performed by the Order.]]

* ''BloodDiamond''

* TheTomorrowSeries: Ellie and her friends didn't set out originally to be guerrillas...
* In the [[{{Dragonlance}} Dark Disciple Trilogy]] this is the most terrible facet of the Children of Chemosh. This otherwise NighInvulnerable version of TheUndead created by Chemosh can only be destroyed if a child strikes them. The destruction of the creature is [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel so horrifying]] that it also traumatizes the child and robs them of their youthful innocence forever.

* {{Lost}}: One character got his start in murder by covering for his brother when forced to kill a chicken. Another did the same thing, but with a person.
** Sayid and Mr. Eko, respectively.

[[AC: {{Music}}]]

* IronMaiden's "Sun and Steel" has the following lines:
--> Well, you killed your first man at 13,
--> Killer instinct, Animal supreme,
--> By 16 you had learned to fight
--> The way of the warrior, you took it as your right.
** Whether or not this is an example depends on whether the child was forced to kill the man, but judging from the lyrics, he was probably put in that position.
** The song is about MiyamotoMusashi (and named after a Yukito Mishima essay on Musashi). According to his own account and other sources, Musashi fought and won his first duel at age 13, killing his opponent by ''beating him to death with a staff''. Musashi willfully challenged his opponent and resisted all attempts by his uncle to rescind the challenge, so "forced to kill" doesn't really apply.

* In the [[{{Dragonlance}} Dark Disciple Trilogy]] this is the horrifying secret of the Children of Chemosh. This unique version of TheUndead created by Chemosh can only be destroyed if a child strikes them. The destruction of the creature is [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel so horrifying]] that it also traumatizes the child and robs them of their youthful innocence forever.

* Basically the whole plot of TheHungerGames books.
* The entire premise of Battle Royale is that a group of 64-ish students are taken to an island and forced to kill each other until only one survives. Adding to the "forced" aspect is the fact that they're wearing explosive collars and if no one dies for twenty four hours, the guys in charge will kill everyone...

** Aang, only 12 years old, absolutely hates this. He has nightmares about when his Avatar self went out-of-control, and is horrified at the thought of having to kill Fire-Lord Ozai, as he believes all life is sacred.

Can lead to an even more warped form of BloodSplatteredInnocents. Often the cause of a DarkAndTroubledPast. ChildSoldiers must do this as a matter of course. KidHero stories with a particularly dark tone may also have this as normality for the setting. {{Tyke Bomb}}s can become this if said Tyke bomb is forced to kill before it can [[DefusingTheTykeBomb be defused.]]

* Happens in various ''{{Gundam}}'' franchises where the protagonists are young enough and the universe serious enough. Although combat is generally personified by mechas, the protagonists generally never forget that there is a person behind a war machine that is so easy to objectify, and spend time angsting over it.

----

* Basically the whole plot of the Hunger Games books.

* TheQuickAndTheDead had [[spoiler:The Lady, as a young girl, attempt to shoot a hanging rope in two to save her father, but she missed the rope and hit him [[PrettyLittleHeadshots square in the forehead]] instead.]] Not forced to kill her father, but forced to take an action that took her fathers life.

Note: Children who kill when they don't have to aren't this: thats some form of EnfantTerrible.

[[AC: Examples]]

* Example from, of all places, ''ElGoonishShive''. Well, depending on your definition of 'child', but [[spoiler: Susan and Nanase]] probably weren't much more than 12 when, during a class-trip to France, they wind up being targeted by a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Somewhat Different Vampire]]. He's not technically human, but he LOOKS human - mostly - and while [[spoiler: Nanase]] does most of the fighting, it's [[spoiler: Susan]] who ends up having to kill him - with an axe, even. Unsurprisingly, she was somewhat traumatized, and the recent arc that featured the flashback culminated in an Immortal decrying the irresponsibility of the two french Immortals who originally equipped [[spoiler: Nanase and Susan]] for the battle, while giving them no apparent alternative save dying at the hands of the vampire. Apparently, they could have simply informed the French Government's anti-supernatural-creature-squad instead, but elected to drag two pre-teens into a battle in order to 'recruit them for the fight against evil'. OmniscientMoralityLicense, anyone?

* BlackLagoon: the vampire twins.

* Example from, of all places, ''ElGoonishShive''. Well, depending on your definition of 'child', but Susan and Nanase probably weren't much more than 12 when, during a class-trip to France, they wind up being targeted by a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Somewhat Different Vampire]]. He's not technically human, but he LOOKS human - mostly - and while Nanase does most of the fighting, it's Susan who ends up having to kill him - with an axe, even. Unsurprisingly, she was somewhat traumatized, and the recent arc that featured the flashback culminated in an Immortal decrying the irresponsibility of the two french Immortals who originally equipped Nanase and Susan for the battle, while giving them no apparent alternative save dying at the hands of the vampire. Apparently, they could have simply informed the French Government's anti-supernatural-creature-squad instead, but elected to drag two pre-teens into a battle in order to 'recruit them for the fight against evil'. OmniscientMoralityLicense, anyone?

* {{Lost}}:
** Sayid got his start in murder by covering for his brother when forced to kill a chicken.
** Mr. Eko did the same thing, but with a person.

SeenItAMillionTimes.

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