History Main / PubertySuperPower

* In the ''Literature/{{Siren}}'' trilogy, sirens are just like ordinary girls until they reach childbearing age. Then they gain the ability to breathe water and enchant men, but also need to spend a few hours a day immersed in saltwater, or they dry out and eventually lose the ability to breathe.

See also DangerousSixteenthBirthday and HumanAlienDiscovery. Compare TheCallPutMeOnHold and sometimes FictionalAgeOfMajority. Contrast GrowingUpSucks where a character possesses a power throughout childhood, but ''loses'' it at puberty instead.

* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' claims that half-witches come into their powers on their [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday 16th birthday]], before which Sabrina's aunts had engaged in an elaborate {{Masquerade}} to keep the other world a secret from her -- though this does not jive well with the later implications that witches are generally comically bad at dealing with things in the usual mortal way, and that deliberately avoiding magic is unhealthy for a witch. This is also {{retcon}}ned in ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'', where a 13-year-old Sabrina has full knowledge of the other world. That or the cartoon was just following the path of the original ''ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' comic books, where Sabrina is shown with her powers even as a child (in a few "Little Archie" stories).

* In ''VisualNovel/MagicalDiary'' it appears that magical powers manifest at thirteen. They're then [[BroughtDownToNormal sealed again]] and not released until the young witch or wizard is [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday sixteen, and therefore old enough to be in a dating sim.]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/XMen https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c248cbc237ee3426a0d0638d6e2bdf5f.jpg]]]]

* The alien race that Starfire of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' belongs to is born with powers, but undergoes a metamorphosis during the teen years (with puberty metaphor fully in place) that may grant additional abilities. And it varies per individual. Starfire started with a huge zit before other mutations came in and eventually became a chrysalis. She came out of it with EyeBeams. Compare this to her older sister Blackfire, who turned violet for a couple of days.
* Danny in ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' made light that he was gaining "evil puberty" powers once he received the Ghostly Wail. His powers from the beginning onset also reacted to his growing teenage body (example: his nervous emotions towards a girl triggered an unexpected intangibility and cause his pants to fall down, poor poor Danny).

* Parodied [[RefugeInAudacity to hell and back]] in ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'', where Peanut gaining superpowers is used [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything as a stand-in for puberty]]. He's embarrassed by [[RagingStiffie his solar shield manifesting during a meeting]], is caught shooting off his power bands to pictures of supervillains in the bathroom, and nervously asks [[{{WesternAnimation/Superfriends}} Black Vulcan]] about [[TheirFirstTime his first time facing off against a bad guy]].
* Interestingly enough Creator/HannaBarbera gave us one of the few inversions on this trope. Bamm-Bamm Rubble's whole super-powered as a baby loses his in his teen years on ''WesternAnimation/ThePebblesAndBammBammShow'', only to regain them in adulthood in later movies. Essentially making his puberty superpower being that he ForgotAboutHisPowers.
* [[spoiler:{{Inverted|Trope}}]] in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''. [[spoiler:Sari]] realizing her robot heritage and upgrading herself with the Allspark key actually ''causes'' her to go through puberty. It's never really explained how this works, nor is the disorienting nature of [[spoiler:going from eight to a teenager in an instance]] addressed in any way. Since [[spoiler:Sari]] is a Cybertronian, it was probably just an upgrade to her body; happens all of the time in ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''.
* In the appropriately titled ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' episode "Mewberty", the title character goes through the Mewni equivalent of puberty. This consists of her becoming boy crazy and sprouting acne-like purple heart stickers when exposed to them. Those stickers eventually overtake and cocoon her, transforming her into a six-armed flying butterfly monster with super strength and Spider-Man web powers that kidnaps and imprisons every boy she can find. Then it arbitrarily wears off after a few hours, leaving her with only a pair of small vestigial wings as a reminder. [[spoiler:Later on the powers resurge in a less horrifying fashion.]]
* Zatanna in ''WebAnimation/DCSuperHeroGirls'' awakened her magical powers after getting her first zit.
* {{Subverted|Trope}} with Kipo in ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts''. While she becomes ''aware'' of her VoluntaryShapeshifting abilities on her 13th birthday, it's revealed in the second season and that she's ''always'' had the ability, having used it on at least one occasion as an infant. They just didn't re-manifest until adolescence because her powers are triggered by her fight-or-flight response, and she's spent most of her life until the events of the show living comfortably in an underground bunker.
* Spike gains [[spoiler:a pair of wings]] after going through a shed, which is the dragon equivalent of puberty in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Invincible}}'': The title character, Mark Grayson, doesn't develop his powers until he turns 16. Afterwhich, he begins training with his father, [[SupermanSubstitute Omniman]], to control his powers and start his career as a hero.

* ''Series/GenV'': Marie's blood powers manifested with her first period at age twelve.

* Notable film exception: Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'', regarding Dash and especially Jack-Jack (who was modeled after Franklin Richards, in keeping with the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' [[TheFantasticFaux references]] throughout the film). In a DVD extra showing an early opening scene that wasn't used, Violet uses her powers as a baby as well.

* Played straight [[http://eheroes.smackjeeves.com/comics/1888388/a-moving-sight/ here]] in * The ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland'' comic "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/electricwonderland/index.php?issue=19&pageType=index Puberty of the Future]]" reveals that Nettropolis avatars undergo a random and apparently permanent transformation at about the time they enter high school. While most of these transformations consist simply of becoming taller, some of NJ's enemies and friends assume more powerful forms in the story. [[spoiler:NJ doesn't get a superpower, for the record, just whiskers.]]

** However, her younger brother Benjamin turned out to have super-strength and the ability to shoot organic webs as an infant. Luckily, as it turned out, as he was thus able to save his own and his mother's life.

The acquisition of superpowers or abilities at the onset of becoming a teenager, roughly between the ages of 12-16. This is probably to avoid the inherent danger of a child or baby casually using powers in a potentially destructive manner or, if there is one, blowing the {{Masquerade}}. However, more often, it works as a rather transparent metaphor for puberty.

* Notable film exception: Pixar's ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', regarding Dash and especially Jack-Jack (who was modeled after Franklin Richards, in keeping with the ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' [[TheFantasticFaux references]] throughout the film). In a DVD extra showing an early opening scene that wasn't used, Violet uses her powers as a baby as well.

* Yet another notable (and extreme) exception: In Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''Spindle's End'' (an [[AdaptationExpansion expansion]] of the various "Literature/SleepingBeauty" stories) magic permeates everything and the Fairies are actually normal people who just happen to have the inborn ability to control it. Some Fairies come into their power fairly early. A few manifest powers very early, a phenomenon known in the novel as "Baby Magic". As cutesy as that sounds, it's actually very dangerous and unpredictable. A baby Fairy may be able to understand AnimalTalk. Or, he may be able to [[ForcedTransformation transform the nanny into a terrier]] and pull a OneWingedAngel act ''every'' time he has a tantrum...

* Inverted in ''A Coming of Age'' by Creator/TimothyZahn: Children do not develop their telekinetic powers at puberty, but at approximately 5 years of age, however they instead [[GrowingUpSucks lose]] their powers at puberty.

* In the German booklet series ''Maddrax'' there are the {{mutants}}. In their childhood, they are not at all different from ordinary humans, only with the onset of puberty does the mutation begin.

* ''LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'' gained her [[RealityWarper reality-warping]] abilities at age twelve. Itsuki got his PsychicPowers at the same age, though in his case it wasn't a real example since he got his powers ''because'' of Haruhi subconsciously creating espers, and he just happened to be around the same age as her. Alternatively, it's also possible that Haruhi has had the ability to warp reality since birth, but she had never really questioned the way the world works until the age of 12. [[EpilepticTrees Or perhaps that she has remade the world multiple times in the past, but the protagonists of the main series, being denizens of ''this'' world, are unaware of these prior universes]].

* In ''ComicBook/SexCriminals'', middle-school girl Suzie finds out that [[ADateWithRosiePalms having an orgasm]] somehow [[TimeStandsStill freezes time for the entire world and everyone in it except her]].

* Parodied [[RefugeInAudacity to hell and back]] in ''WesternAnimation/HarveyBirdmanAttorneyAtLaw'', where Peanut gaining superpowers is used [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything as a stand-in for puberty]]. He's embarrassed by [[RagingStiffie his solar shield manifesting during a meeting]], is caught [[ADateWithRosiePalms shooting off his power bands to pictures of supervillains in the bathroom]], and nervously asks [[{{WesternAnimation/Superfriends}} Black Vulcan]] about [[TheirFirstTime his first time facing off against a bad guy]].

* Maria in ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'' doesn't develop her ability to TimeTravel until she hits puberty, much to the relief of [[spoiler:[[KidFromTheFuture her parents]] Dave and Samantha]] who were worried about Maria's present self disappearing as a baby. This doesn't seem to be binding, though, Maria's son Leonardo develops ''his'' powers at a much younger age. Then again, [[spoiler:he ''is'' UsefulNotes/LeonardoDaVinci, it wouldn't be at all surprising that he's a prodigy in ''this'' field too]].

* ''ComicBook/XMen'': As mentioned above, this franchise is very much the {{Trope Maker|s}}. Mutant powers usually manifest at puberty. This happens on ''birthdays'' more often than is statistically warranted (though possibly justified, as moments of intense emotion and/or stress are sometimes said to be a factor in the initial manifestation).

** While [[ComicBook/SpiderMan her father]] got it from a [[ILoveNuclearPower radioactive spider-bite]], May Parker got her powers in the middle of a high school basketball game.

* In ''Franchise/MassEffect'', due to biotics being caused by a fetus undergoing Element Zero exposure whilst ''in-utero'', it's possible for newborn infants to manifest biotic abilities at birth, while others remain latent biotics until secondary exposure later in life. According to WordOfGod, all biotic classes of Commander Shepard are the latter, having undergone secondary exposure and subsequently manifested their biotic potential at 17. After joining the Alliance Military a year later, they were then fitted with L3 implants.

* Yet another notable (and extreme) exception: In Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''Spindle's End'' (an [[AdaptationExpansion expansion]] of the various "Literature/SleepingBeauty" stories) magic permeates everything and the Fairies are actually normal people who just happen to have the inborn ability to control it. Some Fairies come into their power fairly early. A few manifest powers very early, a phenomenon known in the novel as "Baby Magic". As cutesy as that sounds, it's actually very dangerous and unpredictable. A baby Fairy may be able to understand AnimalTalk. Or, he may be able to [[BalefulPolymorph transform the nanny into a terrier]] and pull a OneWingedAngel act ''every'' time he has a tantrum...

* A variation is present in ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}''. Inklings start out as tiny little squids, then over the years [[http://i.imgur.com/VwRXAVn.png gradually grow more humanoid]] until they become fully developed at around 14 -- which is also when they gain the ability to [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shift between human and squid form at will]].

* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' where children's quirks are usually apparent by kindergarten, and not showing one by that time is cause to consult a doctor the way one would if a child had failed to reach a developmental milestone. Played with by the fact that Izuku, who was born without a quirk, is also shorter and more childlike than his classmates, being a late bloomer.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' also makes an exception: Xykon, although being a Sorcerer, has his necromantic powers manifesting while still a young boy.
* Played straight [[http://eheroes.smackjeeves.com/comics/1888388/a-moving-sight/ here]] in ''Webcomic/EverydayHeroes''. Summer also has quite a bit of teenage [[IJustWantToBeNormal angst]] regarding her superpowers, since she has difficulty controlling them and this has led to a few catastrophes.

* The ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland'' comic "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/electricwonderland/index.php?issue=19&pageType=index Puberty of the Future]]" reveals that Nettropolis avatars undergo a random and apparently permanent transformation at about the time they enter high school. While most of these transformations consist simply of becoming taller, some of NJ's enemies and friends assume more powerful forms in the story. [[spoiler:NJ doesn't get a superpower, for the record, just whiskers.]]