Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / ChildrenAreInnocent

Go To

1%%%
2%%
3%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!
4%%
5%%%
6%%
7%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1632902874040862100
8%% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1602453419034811400
9%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
10%%
11[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lauriesnowhein_gardenofangels.png]]
12[-[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://pixels.com/featured/garden-of-angels-laurie-snow-hein.html Image]] by [[https://www.laurieheinartist.com/ Laurie Snow Hein.]]]]-]
13%%
14->''"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."''
15-->-- '''[[Literature/TheFourGospels Matthew 18:3-4]]''', ''Literature/TheBible'' (NABRE)
16
17The Victorian-era Anglosphere invented modern "childhood". Inspired by the ideals of The Enlightenment and an interpretation of Literature/TheBible's New Testament based on them, they came to the conclusion that the time people spent between being a baby and being useful to society was special and precious — that people this age were innocent and full of wonder and beloved by God, and that they should be loved and protected and cared for by society in general. They came to believe that there was a stark contrast between the [[RousseauWasRight innocent and instinctual goodness]] of children and the cynical evil of adults. After several decades the grassroots belief in and support for "childhood" became so strong that children under certain ages were actually forbidden from doing certain types of work despite the dedicated lobbying of business interests who didn't want to lose their smallest and cheapest workers (e.g. smaller coal-miners mean smaller mineshafts). By 1900 only a fifth or so of British and US children (under 16) were in full-time employment, with the UK [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_and_Young_Persons_Act_1933 restricting child labor]] in 1933 and the USA [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Labor_Standards_Act doing the same]] in 1938.
18
19The age European culture has assigned to the end of "childhood" has grown over the years and an "in between" period was added in TheFifties or so — "teenage-hood" — but the meme remains: a child is a BlankSlate not yet sullied by the [[GrowingUpSucks evils of the world]]. Only upon [[ComingOfAgeStory coming of age]] do they lose this innocence and the protection it confers. A [[DeathOfAChild child's death]] is a true tragedy, an adult's death is sad but just as it is.
20
21The Children Are Innocent trope captures the idea that [[RousseauWasRight children are never naturally evil]]. A consequence is that [[WouldHurtAChild harming one]] is [[MoralEventHorizon the ultimate evil act]], [[RevengeByProxy no matter how provoked]] — unless that is [[ChildSoldiers forcing others to harm them]]. This is an extremely pervasive trope that is at the heart of many other tropes, such as FriendToAllChildren and HarmfulToMinors as well as frequently the root of both PapaWolf and MamaBear. When the BigBad kills nameless hundreds, the heroes will say the villain killed [[MenAreTheExpendableGender women]] and children. The Children Are Innocent trope is old enough that it is difficult to assign it an age; but [[OlderThanFeudalism at the minimum it goes back to the New Testament]].
22
23Expect those who buy into this trope to hold that any villain character UsedToBeASweetKid until [[StartOfDarkness something bad happened to them]], especially if they also believe that RousseauWasRight. Sometimes that "something bad" is as simple as [[TeensAreMonsters puberty]] and thus "worldly experience" which again ties into the New Testament stuff.
24
25Off-stage children almost always fall under this trope; like some legal systems, children are "innocent until proven guilty". Being informed that a character has killed, injured, exploited, etc. children is always a mark of evil without such proof. Indeed, one of the commonest ways to disprove AlwaysChaoticEvil is to bring up their children, as in the GenocideDilemma. For instance, nothing makes a "heroic" human adventurer look more villainous than an EmpathyDollShot in a decimated goblin village.
26
27Where blond hair is found naturally, children are often depicted with it. This trope is considered to drive HairOfGoldHeartOfGold because children (and the young) are more likely to have blond hair than older people, thus blond hair is a sign of innocence.
28
29This is the standard for an InnocentProdigy and often comes into play for AChildShallLeadThem. Innocence is also generally behind ConstantlyCurious, CuriousAsAMonkey, and CheerfulChild.
30
31Frequently children CannotTellALie because they are too innocent to think of suppressing the truth. Children who do start to lie often show this is new to them by being monumentally {{Bad Liar}}s. On the other hand, this very quality can lead to their being TooDumbToFool.
32
33Part and parcel of this is depicting children as the other meaning of innocent: naive, gullible, and too trusting. They can [[InnocentInaccurate misunderstand anything other than the most obvious]]. This can lead to an unawareness that they are doing anything wrong. They can commit offenses unwittingly and face a BewilderingPunishment. Children have to learn empathy, and not to be self-centered, and also often have a poor grasp of consequences of their actions. This can then lead to AmbiguousInnocence.
34
35In contrast, the CreepyChild, the EnfanteTerrible, and CorruptionByAMinor draw much of their force from their ''[[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior knowingness]]''. They understand as much, if not more, than the adults about them, which contradicts not only this trope but the general understanding of children. A SerialKiller can give anyone the chills but the effect is magnified if the killer is a child.
36
37The SpoiledBrat, the MouthyKid, the BrattyHalfPint, and KidsAreCruel [[PlayingWithATrope can be complex examples]]. They may have been born that way, have been this trope and then something happened to them to remove that aspect, or they could have a HiddenHeartOfGold which restores the aspect. In the first case, if the causes of the spoiling are clearly identified, and the children revert to innocence when they are removed, the children may still be innocent.
38
39TeenageWasteland is a similar case; since children now have adult power and responsibility despite still being children, the forced loss of innocence may be a major theme. Ironically, it is ''reinforced'' by a ChildlessDystopia, what with how miserable things generally become without them.
40
41Subtrope for ChildrenAreSpecial. In this case, it is their innocence that makes them special.
42
43AmnesiacsAreInnocent is based on a similar idea. The Amnesiacs has returned to the Blank Slate status of a child because they've lost all the worldly experience that made them lose it.
44
45Invoked, however derisively, by SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids. A more worldly yet still innocent child may reply that SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers.
46
47See also SweetSheep and {{Bambification}} for the animal kingdom's equivalent to this trope.
48----
49!!Examples:
50[[foldercontrol]]
51
52[[folder:Advertising]]
53* Innocent, [[BeautyEqualsGoodness lovely]], wholesome children, threatened by harm or in idyllic happiness, are a popular propaganda image for everyone, as in these posters: [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lindsay_help_daddy.jpg Australian]], [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scarborough,_North_Yorkshire_-_WWI_poster.jpg British]], [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DR_1943_859_Winterhilfswerk.jpg German]], [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Remember_Belgium.jpg American]], [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1938_Naka_yoshi_sangoku.jpg Japanese]].
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
57* In the second season of ''Manga/AiYoriAoshi'', Chika asks the assembled female cast if they "love" Kaoru. They freak because their definition is ''different'' than hers. The episode follows Chika's attempts to get answers from the group individually, including Aoi's explanation of the term ''[[TitleDrop Enishi]]''. At the end, Chika concludes that ''everyone'' [[TrueCompanions loves Kaoru]].
58* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'':
59** Eren Yeager is shown to have [[ExploitedTrope used this to his advantage]] in an incident of TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior. Going on his own to rescue a girl (Mikasa) from a gang of criminals, he lulls the first man into believing he's just a scared, lost child... and then stabs him in the throat with the knife he'd been hiding behind his back. He then proceeds to brutally murder the second crook, revealing our hero was a very disturbed child long before [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive The Call knew where he lived]].
60** Subtly exploited by [[spoiler: the Survey Corps]] during [[spoiler: Eren's trial]]. Several groups wanted Eren dead immediately but Levi suddenly started beating the crap out of him in front of everyone [[spoiler: as part of Erwin's gambit]]. While those groups wanted to kill Eren as [[spoiler: a human titan]], they were visibly horrified seeing Eren getting savaged as [[spoiler: a young human man]].
61* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' has a CrapsackWorld setting so naturally it doesn't follow this trope. Hansel and Gretel are by far, the least innocent characters in the whole show. [[spoiler: Though their DarkAndTroubledPast might be a reason for this, thus restoring the trope.]].
62* ''Manga/CaseClosed'':
63** Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta are three first grade children who latch themselves onto teenager-turned-child Conan Edogawa early in the story. As a result, they've been present for more than a few of the murders that occur whenever Conan is around. Despite this, they are still shown to retain their innocent and cheerful demeanors even as they try, with mixed success, to help Conan crack a case.
64** An anime-only story has a murderer attempt to exploit this trope. After encountering teenager-turned-child Ai Haibara and noticing she's more intelligent than the average seven-year-old, the would-be culprit kidnaps her, pretends to be a fellow kidnap victim alongside Ai, and manipulates their surroundings as a means of establishing an alibi for the planned murder. The culprit's intent is that Ai's intelligence would allow for a sufficiently detailed testimony whose honesty would not be questioned due to her being a child.
65* ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'': Ushio Okazaki is very curious, outgoing, and innocent, getting along with everyone she comes across and playing with them. [[spoiler:It becomes heartbreaking when she contracts the same disease her mother had and [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies right in her father's arms]]]].
66* ''Anime/CodeGeass'':
67** Believe it or not, Mao (the PsychopathicManchild) touches upon this trope. Most of his evil deeds are a direct result of serious MoralMyopia brought about from his lack of normal human experience since childhood. With his mind-reading powers, he first learned about humanity's evil impulses ''much too young,'' and so automatically assumed that the people thinking them were bad and deserved to be killed, a fact that carries over into the actual plot action, where he's seventeen. This is all talked about in the supplementary readings, where CC frequently comments on his misplaced innocence.
68** An inversion occurs during Lelouch's RoaringRampageOfRevenge over [[spoiler:Shirley's death]]. One of the [[RedShirt soldiers participating in the assault of V.V.'s headquarters]] notices a bunch of children and starts to have second thoughts. The children, who are [[spoiler:{{Tykebomb}}s raised and trained by V.V's cult,]] proceed to [[spoiler:calmly use their Geass to make him attack his comrades.]] They're [[spoiler:killed by a teenage boy who's not much older than them.]]
69* The entire ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' franchise is built on this trope.
70** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': In a nutshell, the Chosen Children ([=DigiDestined=]) are children because AdultsAreUseless.
71** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'': Same as above, and ultimately [[spoiler:their innocence, hopes, and dreams are what defeats the BigBad, whose power was built on corruption and despair.]]
72** ''Anime/DigimonTamers'': The Wild Bunch (Monster Makers) based Digimon off of children's ideas, and the Tamers' naïveté to believe that they could do anything is what let them prove it.
73** ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'': Only those pure of heart answered Ophanimon's call, and all of them were children.
74** Tokomon serves this purpose in ''Anime/DigimonXEvolution''.
75* At one point in ''Manga/DragonBall'', Bulma, with Goku in tow, gets hold of her father's capsule by mistake. She's initially wary of using it, knowing her father is a DirtyOldMan, but decides to try it out anyway in case it's something useful. It's not -- the capsule turns out to contain a large number of porno magazines. When Goku takes a look at one of them, he reacts in utter bewilderment.
76-->'''Goku''': This is weird... they're all naked, even though they aren't taking any baths...\
77'''Bulma''': '''''KIDS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO LOOK AT THESE!!!'''''
78* ''Ikigami'': In "The Last Lesson", the entire point is to [[DefiedTrope disprove this trope]]. The National Welfare Act was passed was to deal with underage crime.
79** A schoolteacher loses his job because a kid took pictures of underage children with the teacher's phone, getting him branded as a pervert. Later, when the kid admits to setting up the teacher, the teacher responds with "If you're truly sorry, then you have done no harm."
80** The headmaster of the school where the kid went fired teachers if the children were failing, the logic being that kids will study as hard as they can and if they're failing, it's the teachers' fault.
81* ''Anime/HelloSandybell'':
82** A lot of the main characters are children who aren't prepared for the tragic losses they face, like Sandybell losing her father and Mark losing his mother and becoming homeless. However, both get through thanks to their fellow peers assuring them they'll be there for them no matter what, the kindness of adults around them, and resident BigFriendlyDog Oliver.
83** Invoked in the first episode, where Sandybell enters the Wellington castle without permission and is told to apologize. To her surprise, the Countess isn't angry at Sandybell, and understands when Sandybell explains she only went there to get the kids' ball back. She takes a shine to little Sandybell and decides to let her help out at the garden.
84* ''Anime/HonooNoAlpenRose'': Jeudi and Lundi are both children and subjected to extremely brutal experiences surrounding the war, and Jeudi breaks a couple of times. They get through thanks to each other's constant support. [[spoiler: Alfred/Jean-Jacques was also a child who was abused badly hence him being the messed up person he is today - Lundi showing him they're not so different reveals his HiddenHeartOfGold.]] Little Clara is also a child suffering from an illness but stays upbeat no matter what.
85* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureJojolion'', this is invoked by Norisuke IV, who wanted his children to avoid the shame of being associated with a criminal after their mother, Kaato, was imprisoned for murdering a child 15 years ago, by suppressing all knowledge of her and lying to them by saying she either died or left. Joshu and Daiya played it straight by knowing absolutely nothing of her prior to the imprisonment, thanks to them being very young at the time. Unlike Daiya, who responds with amazement when Kaato reappears and reveals herself as her mother, Joshu reacted with hostility and tried attacking her with Nut King Call. Meanwhile, Hato went behind her father's back while still young and discovered the sinister truth for herself, while Jobin still remembered Kaato and had fond memories of her.
86* ''Manga/{{Lady}}'': 5-year-old Lynn Russell. She knows she's hated by most people around her, either for her heritage or because she represents something they dislike (for example, Sarah fears Lynn will get more attention than her, [[spoiler: and Sophie is worried that Lynn will take the bulk of Isabelle's inheritance]]), but still works to get their approval and be their friend. Case in point: she thought that she could make Sarah like her if she gave her a present, and decided to pluck the flowers she saw in the neighbouring forest to impress her. Unfortunately, that same day a rainstorm occurs and poor Lynn is knocked unconscious. Luckily, Edward saves her, brings her back to the Marble Mansion, and Sarah is taken back by what Lynn did for her.
87* ''Anime/LucyMayOfTheSouthernRainbow'': Part of the reason Lucy-May and Kate are always so cheerful is because they're oblivious to how badly thier father Arthur is affected by poverty.
88* In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'', this is one of the stated reasons why Fate's sentence was light despite being an accomplice in the dimensional interference; she was just a child who was following her mother's wish and didn't fully understand the crime that she was committing. Also, Precia's an [[EvilMatriarch evil]] bitch for not only taking [[PowerOfTrust advantage of that trust]], [[AbusiveParents but abusing it]].
89* In ''Anime/MekkoRarekko'' it’s played straight with Buchi, who was innocent as a kid and is still very sweet and innocent as a teenager. Taishou on the other hand, who is Buchi's best and only friend, is a different case. As a kid, Taishou was also very innocent as well just like Buchi. But when he met a group of kids that he wanted to be friends with, [[KidsAreCruel all of the kids bullied him, and not just a little bit]]. Taishou was bullied so much in first grade it can even be considered torture. Because of that experience, he became a bit of a bully himself. He became friends with Buchi in second grade when Buchi was being bullied because Taishou knew what Buchi was going through since he was in his position before.
90* ''Literature/NoGameNoLife'': Izuna Hatsuse isn't exactly "innocent" as she swears constantly in the light novel (she does little swearing in the anime though), but that doesn't mean she's a bad person, As she's only 8 years old and as long as it's not a game (or petting), she barely cares of things the others do and has to ask many questions to understand. In the film, When Tet told her of the Great War and how the Exceeds killed one another for thousands of years, she cannot comprehend why people would want to do that.
91* In ''Manga/PhantomDream'', when a Jaki kills a child for a spell, Tamaki is enraged.
92-->''Such a... small life... crushed.''
93* ''Anime/{{Pollyanna}}'': So much. Pollyanna is an orphan who wants to be loved by her aunt but is constantly rejected, and uses the Glad Game to cope with her feelings of sadness. James is a young boy with big dreams, but is disabled and constrained to a wheelchair. Jimmy never knew his parents and grieves when his OnlyFriend moves away. It's also shown that Polly didn't have the best childhood either.
94* Haru initially believes this in ''Manga/Reborn2004''. During their first meeting with her, Reborn is with Tsuna. Haru asks to be friends with Reborn, then to hug him. After Reborn tells her he is an assassin, she punches Tsuna, telling him that babies are innocent, pristine angels, and he should be ashamed of himself for tainting him. She changes her mind soon enough.
95* ''Anime/TheSecretGarden'':
96** Both Mary Lennox and Colin Craven are ill-tempered snots, but they were failed by all the adults around them and severely neglected during the developmental stages of their childhood. Once they have a JerkassRealization, they strive to be better people.
97** The entire village is racist to Camila and excludes her. Little Mary doesn't, and welcomes her as a friend.
98* ''Manga/ASilentVoice'' subverts this in one of the most cruel ways depicted in a manga. In Volume 1, the only innocent kid is Nishimiya Shouko, the deaf transfer student. Everyone else in the class bullies her, and when this becomes known to the teachers (who, by the way, were in on the bullying in the first place and are only trying to save face), the class turns on Ishida Shouya, the only classmate who actually made any real effort to try and get along with Shouko, even though he was also the one who started bullying her in the first place. Six years later, in Volume 2, we learn that Shouya being ostracized by his classmates in elementary school [[DrivenToSuicide drove him to want to kill himself]]. It was only because he met Shouko again, that he decided to do everything in his power to make amends, even though he didn't believe he deserved to be forgiven by Shouko.
99* Happens in ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2202'' with [[ShellShockedVeteran an old man in a wheelchair]] who lost his legs and his family in the Human-Gamilas War three years ago. Since then, he's moved to Planet 11: a Colony World populated by both Humans ''and'' Gamilans, and during the scene we are first introduced to the old man, [[DidIMentionItsChristmas he is dressed up as Santa Claus and is surrounded by children]]; being in holiday cheer and not having any problems that two of the kids next to him are blue-skinned.
100* In ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'', the children on the Solo Ship are represented as the indifference between the warring sides, genuinely playful and optimistic, and completely oblivious to what's happening around them. Despite Karala Ajiba being an alien, the children accept her and see the good in her, in comparison to their paranoid older counterparts. Interestingly enough, [[spoiler:In the final film, Be Invoked, it's discovered that the children's innocence is the key to controlling the Ide, with Karala's recently revealed pregnancy by human Bes Jordan acting as a sign that peace is possible. However, this being a Tomino anime, Karala is shot, the Ide is ticked off, and ends both races through their intense fighting]]. The themes explored in ''Ideon'' concerning the children are retouched in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''.
101* ''Literature/TorturePrincessFremdTorturchen'': At seventeen, Kaito Sena is a little on the old side for this trope, but is still referred to as a "Sinless Soul" after being murdered by his abusive father and then [[ReincarnateInAnotherWorld summoned into the world where the story takes place]].
102* ''Anime/VoltesV'': Since one of the anime's central themes is ParentalAbandonment, this trope is played straight. Little Kenichi bawled with tears down his face as he begged his father not to go, but he had to do what he must to save them. There's also Prince Heinel's flashback of his childhood, that shows several nobles being cruel to a child over his heritage, and him trying to put up a front despite all their abuse.
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:Art]]
106* The theme of ''Freedom from Fear'' (of ''Art/FourFreedoms''). UsefulNotes/WorldWarII is raging around the family, but the children are implied to be innocent of the horrors as they slumber peacefully.
107[[/folder]]
108
109[[folder:Comic Books]]
110* ''ComicBook/BatmanVampire'': The sight of her master {{Dracula}} about to kill an innocent child is what enabled Tanya to break free of his control and escape.
111* In ''ComicBook/CastleWaiting'', we heard that TheDevil has objections to {{curse}}s on babies.
112* Infuriatingly subverted by a young girl in ''ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier''. [[CaptainEthnic John Henry]] lays dying after taking a beating from the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan. A little girl appears in front of him and he begs her to help him. Her response is "[[KidsAreCruel He's here! He's here! The nigger's over here!]]"
113* In the Creator/DonRosa story ''The Prisoner Of White Agony Creek'', Scrooge is reminiscing about his gold-digging days, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie decide to ask what happened the month he and Goldie spent alone in White Agony Creek. Donald has a massive OhCrap moment before shoving the boys away. While they may be innocent, Donald can probably imagine what happens when two people with BelligerentSexualTension spend a month alone together.
114* In ''ComicBook/Primer2020'', flashbacks show protagonist Ashley Rayburn as this, where she listened to her father to give him while he was in a fight with the police. He then murders the officer, and she greatly regrets what happened.
115* Subverted in a scene when ''ComicStrip/{{Rudi}}'' talks with a mother who believes in this trope, while at the same time the kids play with UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler dolls and throw [[AtomicFBomb atomic]] {{Cluster F Bomb}}s at each other.
116* A recurring element in ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'' is that children are (usually) not [[FantasticRacism prejudiced against mutants]], and often cheer them on even when their parents complain about how freaks should stay out of sight of decent folks. One particular story deserves special mention - a kid was caught in the crossfire between Johnny and a criminal. Johnny was wracked with guilt and chased away from the funeral, so in desperation to make amends, he dug up the corpse and brought it to a necromancer to be revived. This didn't end well.
117* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': Diana is angry and upset about everyone Medusa killed, but she is only upset at ''Athena'' for not interfering to save the one child Medusa murdered, [[spoiler:Martin Garibaldi]].
118[[/folder]]
119
120[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
121* In Creator/TheBrothersGrimm' ''The Children Who Played Butcher'', some kids watched a farmhand slaughter a pig, then cut it up. They decide to play this "game" and slit the throat of the child picked to be the pig, killing him. Before they can cut up the body one of the mothers come across them and drag them before the magistrate. The magistrate, with the help of the local elders, comes up with a way to determine if they are innocent or guilty. Each child is offered an apple and a silver coin. If they took the apple then they are innocent of the ways of the world and didn't intend to kill the other child. However, if they took the coin then they were wise to the ways of the world and intentionally killed the other child and will be hung for murder. It never said which they chose. This is one of their tales that appeared only in the first edition.
122* ''The Emperor's New Clothes'', with the classic case of a kid who is TooDumbToFool.
123[[/folder]]
124
125[[folder:Fan Works]]
126* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonTitansAndOtherCreatures Manda]] is a baby {{Protectorate}} who is adorably innocent and sweet-natured. He'll still try and stand up for others if need be and potentially end up picking a fight with something seriously dangerous.
127* ''Fanfic/AlwaysVisible'': Delia, unlike her namesake from the film, is presented as a headstrong, but still kind and even vulnerable child.
128* So far, ''Fanfic/BornOfHellsKitchen'' has three child characters. Two of them are the epitome of cheerfulness and optimism, and while the third is rather traumatized by repeated ParentalAbandonment, he still manages to be an utter cutie winning his entourage through his sweetness.
129** ''Innocence'' is actually discussed between Matt and Foggy -- Matt equates it with ''ignorance'', insisting his son won't be happy to learn his parents are leading double lives in which they commit violence and bring various villains' attention upon them. Foggy firmly disagrees and claims it's a matter of ''idealism'', believing Matt's son Peter would be awed to learn his parents are superheroes doing their utmost best to protect people. The narration itself leans more towards Foggy's argument.
130* In ''Fanfic/BuckyBarnesGetsHisGrooveBackAndOtherInternationalIncidents'', most people seem to be under the [[SubvertedTrope breathtakingly mistaken]] impression that ComicBook/CaptainAmerica's childhood was pure character-building Dickensian poverty that helped turn him into the moral paragon that he is now. Not only is Steve Rogers, as a man, not even close to a paragon of anything save for maybe stubbornness, he and Bucky spent their childhoods aiding against Prohibition. Steve kept books for multiple speakeasies, and Bucky's family auto shop used to serve bootleggers on the down-low, where he'd help install secret compartments for contraband and learned how to soup up engines a bit. Given that Prohibition wasn't lifted until both were in their late teens, they were both minors when they were breaking the law, and Bucky could have been helping out with bootleggers' cars as young as elementary school-age.
131* In ''Fanfic/ChristianHumberReloaded'' children appear as helpless victims which had a MoralityPet role for the main character.
132* In the Franchise/MassEffect's ''[[Fanfic/CrucibleMassEffect Crucible]]'''s companion fic, ''Interference'', the adult characters enforce this trope onto their hybrid children which causes more harm than good in the long run. Instead of telling the kids that there're are [[HalfBreedDiscrimination bad people out to use and kill them simply for being Hybrids]] and prepare the children for the worse, the parents shield them from everything with "you will understand when you're older" or [[JustAKid dismiss that they're just kids and won't be able to understand anything]]. This attitude causes misunderstanding from the hybrid children and thus makes them unprepared when the brutal truth catch up to them in the form of [[OrphanageOfFear Mondala]].
133** Alt!Jane and Garrus were big offenders of this trope. [[DarkAndTroubledPast Her loss of innocence from a young age]] caused her to be overprotective to their son Gaius so when they had to explain Alt!Garrus's constantly away for his work of reforming the Hierarchy, instead of exposing the truth to Gaius that "your dad does it because he's fighting against the people who want to hurt or even kill you and your kind", they just went with "I will explain it when you're older". This made Gaius misunderstood that his father hated and wanted nothing to do with him. Had they just gave Gaius the truth, the child would have felt less hurt and be more understanding of the situation.
134** Alt!Victus also did it to Tiberius. He overcompensated for his son lack of motherly affection by shielding the child from every bad thing, even the flaws of others. But by constantly telling the child stories about Tarquin's heroic deeds without revealing anything bad about his deceased older brother, Victus has effectively put Tarquin on a pedestal, made Tib seeing himself as unworthiness and thus damaged his self-esteem beyond repair when he grew up.
135*** Victus being into this trope also cause him to not believe Tib when the kid tried to tell him that he was being bullied at school, it wasn't until Alt!Shepard confirmed it to him that Adrien realized that [[KidsAreCruel he was wrong]].
136* This is a recurring motif in ''Fanfic/{{Daemorphing}}'':
137** Forcibly breeding Hork-Bajir and raising them underground is portrayed as the most depraved thing the Yeerks have ever done, and the Guardians of the Galaxy are determined to put a stop to it.
138** Among the Yeerks in the Aftran Plisam Pool are the recently-born Mielan spawning, and the older Yeerks want to make sure they have a future free from propaganda.
139** [[spoiler:Sky Hive, the living hive who ends up on the Pool Ship, is constantly curious about the world, and Eva wants to protect its innocence.]]
140* In ''Fanfic/FinalToll'', the CheerfulChild Romani has no idea what's going to happen in a few hours and is just happy that she's old enough to drink Chateau Romani. She doesn't realize that everyone is going to die before sunrise.
141* Played With in ''Fanfic/Gensokyo20XX'' in terms of mostly Reimu and Chen and later on the others.
142** In Reimu's case, this is mostly justified and played straight because she is age-regressed, mentally as well as physically, coupled with being mentally conditioned, thus she wouldn't be able to grasp things that those older than her might (Like why swearing is bad). However, later on, when she is a witness to Chen's suicide attempt, it is made note that she never did seem to be able to make sense of it and is likely suffering from mental trauma as a result. By 20XXV, this veers into AmbiguousInnocence territory and PingPongNaivete.
143** Played with even more so in Chen's case in that, naturally, being the mental-equivalent of a human child, has fluctuating maturity, and knows what some words mean but doesn't know what other words mean but is also naive to what infertility is. Also, in 20XXIII, she pretty much knows there is a war going on but doesn't understand why Ran would be against building an inner core or refuge as a part of their preparations. At the same time, later on, in ''Gensokyo 20XXIV'', at two points, she couldn't understand why Ran had changed and, later on, attempted suicide, something children '''''don't''''' do. However, aside from her innocence, she is smarter than what she tends to let on.
144** Kind of in Sakuya's case, as Yukari brought her back as a child, she is more or less this as demonstrated in chapter 53 of Gensokyo 20XXIV when she suggested Ran "drink some herbal tea" and was genuinely remorseful that it seemed to upset her. Whether or not she ''actually'' knew what she was talking is unknown.
145** Definitely played straight with Maribel and Renko. When first introduced, seem to be unaware that the place where they were was once nuked or that their life has changed. If they are aware that their life has changed, then they don't seem to be fazed by it. Also, they have no clue where babies come from and it prompts them to ask.
146** Also played straight in ''Foundling'' (a branch off) with Reimu, who thinks it's normal to live in a forest full of youkai and neither is she fazed by their overall oddness, however, being so young, she hasn't learned otherwise.
147* Invoked in ''Fanfic/GinnyWeasleyDoubleLife''; the talking snake Milikan has grown used to using her HypnoticEyes to get friends, such as with Ginny, but when Ginny introduces Milikan to her infant daughter Lily, Milikan is truly touched to realise that Lily shows no fear of her.
148* One of the biggest focuses in ''Fanfic/AGladDay'' is how all babies and non-brainwashed children are innocent and in need of protection. Ultimately the goal of the good guys is [[spoiler: to save the unborn Trunks, reincarnated Goku, and ten thousand toddler Saiyans whose infant conditioning was sabotaged by Bulma and the resistance]] specifically because of this trope.
149* ''Fanfic/AGrowingAffection'' has Minato cite this as one of the reasons he sealed the Nine-Tails in Naruto; as an innocent baby/child, he would be more resistant to the demon's influence.
150* ''Fanfic/ItsNotTheRaptorDNA'':
151** Rosie, Owen's niece, who is an adorable little girl who does not know of the terrible things Elise did prior to her HeelFaceTurn. The adults also have to tiptoe around why Elise's sister Small One isn't around anymore.
152** Love, a baby ''Apatosaurus'' that wanders into Elise's room at the vet's after her run-in with [[SeaMonster Lilly]]. While Elise is a GentleGiant, she's still a predatory dinosaur that killed several of Love's kind during her rampage, but Love shows no fear with walking up to Elise.
153* ''Webcomic/KillLaKillAU'' plays with this in terms of Ryuuko, Nui, and Mako in that while they may act older than their ages, there are some things they cannot seem to sort out, i.e Ryuuko couldn't so easily cope with Satsuki being severely ill and neither did she know how, opting to run away. This is played straight, however, with OriginalCharacter Shinseiji, who, despite looking like a toddler, is very much an infant, with the lack of knowledge or comprehension to match.
154* Played with in ''Fanfic/LostFound'', with Ryuuko and Nui, who have very little understanding as to why they were being experimented on and can only speculate, along with knowing the consequences. While they do have some understanding of how wrong their treatment was, they could do very little to affect it. In a later chapter, Nui, when telling of her (and Ryuuko's) experiences at the "orphanage", she describes a vivisection before asking what it was, however, she seems to have a clue as to what "euthanasia" was (or, at least, what the idea entailed), as she mentioned, "I got to stay because they were low on kids."
155* ''Fanfic/LostLatte''
156** A dog is dragged away by an employee to be put to sleep, but Latte has no idea why the other dogs are so sad about it since she has no idea why the dog is being dragged away.
157** Elle Chan doesn't understand why the other cures are crying, since she doesn't know they believe Latte fell to her death.
158* ''Fanfic/TheMiraculousWorldOfCalineBustier'': Sabine Chang and Caline Bustier take up the Ladybug and Cat Miraculouses temporarily when the normal bearers are incapacitated. [[MamaBear They nearly beat Mayura to death with their bare hands for threatening their kids]]. Caline admits after that maybe the reason teenagers are chosen for this duty is that they are innocent enough not to jump straight to using their superpowers for brutal murder.
159* In ''Fanfic/NeitherABirdNorAPlaneItsDeku'', Inko Midoriya believes that the alien baby she and her husband Hisashi found to be innocent since he's just a baby. Hisashi is convinced that the baby is somehow an EnfantTerrible. Inko's assumption proves to be true once they start raising the baby as their son Izuku.
160-->'''Inko:''' So what if he's an alien? It's not like all aliens are evil. The Martian Manhunter certainly wasn't evil. Besides, he's just a baby, and babies can't hurt people.\
161'''Hisashi:''' Yeah, but the people they grow up to be can! Besides, how do we even know he's even actually a baby? ''[steps over to Inko and peers at the baby]'' For all we know, he comes from a planet of beings that just look like babies, and they all try to use their overwhelming cuteness to infiltrate societies and destroy them from the inside! ''[baby giggles and squeezes Hisashi's nose]'' That doesn't disprove the theory. ''[removes baby's hand from his nose]''
162* Played with in the ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' fic ''Fanfic/NobodyDies''. The Ree, the Reego, and the Keiworu are all innocent... by which we mean they do not seem to have a good grasp of morality. They tend to think that killing and violence, especially if explosions and/or knives are involved, is '''FUN'''. However, they also have very strict prohibitions against killing humans, because humans, like them, are "people", and harming people is a bad thing according to their parental figures. Kaworu speculates that they may be closer to what humanity was like before the "Fall": uninhibited and unaware of Good and Evil.
163* In ''Fanfic/TheOneToMakeItStay'', even after all of Chat Noir's [[EntitledBastard unsavory actions]] come to light, Ella and Etta are still huge fans of him, even wanting him to team up with Ladybug and Viperion. Alya doesn't have the heart to tell them the truth.
164* ''Fanfic/TheOutside'':
165** Played with in regards to Ryuuko is more naive than the usual child (we don't know exactly how old she is but the story implies that she's about 12), however, this is because Satsuki forbade her from going outside and raised her isolated, so she doesn't really know how the world works or what things are. Special points of this are when she refers to an [=RV=] as a "house car", didn't know what snow was and asked what it was, couldn't understand exactly how someone as nice as Rei could be a wanted fugitive (her reasoning is that "nice people don't go to jail"), or what miscarriages are.
166** This is equally played with with Nui, though, to a lesser extent, as, despite being about six, she's [[WiseBeyondTheirYears knows more than a six-year-old would]] but she, like Ryuuko, doesn't know what a miscarriage is.
167* ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse:''
168** Sceptre (Flicker to his friends, and anyone who isn't his great-grandmother) tells his great-grandmother, Vicereine Puissance, all the things his dad said about her - like how great-grandma's an evil pony who's lived too long, and is a spiteful monster - right to her face, not getting ''why'' it might be a bad idea to tell her all this.
169** From one non-canon story, there's Thesis, who doesn't seem to get how blatantly suspicious (if not definitely villainous) her "big sister" is. [[spoiler:Being only a few days / weeks old has something to do with that.]]
170* The innocence of children comes up twice in ''Fanfic/TheSecondTry'' as an important plot point: [[spoiler: The first time, a random child convinces Asuka and Shinji to try and save the world after being sent back to the past. The second time, Aki manages to keep Rei from performing Instrumentality after they spend the day together.]]
171* ''Fanfic/TheSecretReturnOfAlexMack'': Subverted when Alex's older sister remarks on Colonel O'Neill's looks, in front of eight-year-old Shar.
172--> '''Annie''': Well, I can sure see why Willow’s all hot for the general.\
173'''Shar''': Yeah, because he’s really funny, and he’s really nice to Auntie Willow, and if anybody’s mean to her, I bet he goes all general-y on ‘em!\
174'''Alex''': Yeah, that’s exactly right.\
175'''Shar''': And Auntie Willow thinks Uncle Jack is really good at sex stuff too!
176* In ''Fanfic/ThingsJadeHates'', Jade's six-year-old brother doesn't realize how abusive and dangerous his mother is. He doesn't remember why his mother was arrested and doesn't pick up on the animosity in the house.
177[[/folder]]
178
179[[folder:Films — Animation]]
180* Creator/{{Pixar}} plays with this trope in some films:
181** In ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' it is played straight with Boo.
182** In ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', Darla's innocence make her unable to realize that she terrifies the fishes (who consider her a "fish-killer" [[spoiler:after she accidentally killed a goldfish by constantly shaking the bag]].
183* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', Russell's innocence [[spoiler:made him reveal Kevin's existence in Muntz's airship.]]
184* In the film version of ''Le magasin des suicides'' (''Literature/TheSuicideShop'') [[CheerfulChild Alan]] and his friends watch Alan's sister [[BigBeautifulWoman Marilyn]] get changed and dance around her room naked. Unlike his friends, Alan doesn't see anything sexual about this. He just likes watching his sister dance.
185* ''Anime/MyNeighborTotoro'': Satsuki and Mei. Actually, this is a plot point, as they are the only ones that can see Totoro and his friends.
186* In ''Anime/PonyoOnTheCliffByTheSea'', Ponyo's father wishes she could stay pure and innocent forever. Later, when Ponyo's mother proposes putting Sosuke to the test, he is distressed at how innocent Sosuke is.
187* This is an important plot point from the ''WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheGuardians'' film, where the power from the guardians depends on the belief of the human children in them.
188* ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'': Sid tortures toys for fun. On one hand, it's easy to imagine this kid growing up to torture his fellow humans. On the other hand, he didn't know the toys were alive.
189* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', Ming viewing Mei this way is the source of the conflict between them as Mei is now a teen.
190[[/folder]]
191
192[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
193* Just about every movie made before [[TheFifties the mid-1950s]] invoked this trope. Children were almost always portrayed as innocent and trusting, with nary a shred of cruelty or disrespect. This began to change once Youth Counterculture became a major social issue during the 1950s, with ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'' being first among the stories to abandon this trope.
194* The movie ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence'' is built around this trope and--ironically--its commercial exploitation.
195* Averted with extreme prejudice by ''Literature/TheBadSeed'' adaptations and its [[GenderFlip Gender Flipped]] counterpart ''Film/TheGoodSon''.
196* Parodied in ''Film/BlazingSaddles''. This belief was the undoing of the Waco Kid way back when.
197-->'''The Waco Kid''': ''Well, it got so that every piss-ant prairie punk who thought he could shoot a gun would ride into town to try out the Waco Kid. I must have killed more men than Cecil B. De Mille. It got pretty gritty. I started to hear the word "draw" in my sleep. Then one day, I was just walking down the street when I heard a voice behind me say, "Reach for it, mister!" I spun around... and there I was, face-to-face with a six-year-old kid. Well, I just threw my guns down and walked away. Little bastard shot me in the ass. So I limped to the nearest saloon, crawled inside a whiskey bottle, and I've been there ever since.''
198* In ''Film/CharliesAngels2000'', Dylan Sanders (Creator/DrewBarrymore) is shown rolling naked down a hill behind a house. Two young boys see her. How do they respond? They give her clothes, including a Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin T-shirt.
199* A revolting example in ''Film/{{Cuties}}'' with one of the Cuties finding a ''used'' rubber and blowing on it like a balloon. When she was chastised by the other girls that it's a condom, she remains oblivious until they explain to her that people with AIDS use it, which itself is a precocious example by the girls who have misguided perceptions about sex, including that you could catch AIDS orally.[[labelnote:*]]By the way, you can't, but it's worth noting that you could catch ''another'' STD from it entirely, so their worries aren't entirely unfounded.[[/labelnote]]
200* The orphans in ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' might be a bunch of little kids who love comic books and grossing each other out with slugs, but they're a complex bunch, and by the end, perfectly capable of [[spoiler:killing Jacinto like [[ChekhovsClassroom a pack of hunters taking down a mammoth.]]]]
201* ''Film/TheExorcist'': Linda Blair didn't know about masturbation when she did the movie and thought nothing of the profanity or the scene where she pushes Ellen Burstyn to her crotch. In her mind, it was Regan doing those things, not her.
202* ''Film/HotelRwanda'' has terrified children who simply cannot understand the concept of genocide. One of the most heartbreakingly memorable lines in the film comes when a [[UsefulNotes/TheRedCross Red Cross]] worker recalls being ForcedToWatch as the Hutu militia [[WouldHurtAChild slaughter Tutsi children]], and one of the children says "Please don't let them kill me. I promise I won't be Tutsi any more". She is killed anyway.
203* Stated word-for-word in ''Film/TheHunt2012''. All the movie's [[PaedoHunt problems]] are based on a [[FalseRapeAccusation single lie]] from little Klara. Her words turn out deadly (for the protagonist's dog anyway) and if Klara was an adult, we would see her action as a wicked attempt to manipulate others for her own satisfaction. But at her age, Klara was simply confused and misinterpreted Lucas' rejection. All adults in the movie accept this fact when the truth is revealed. The only person not actually buying into this trope is 16-year-old Marcus, who is in such a rage about Klara's lie that he spits her in the face.
204* Downplayed in ''Film/ToKillADragon''. The children already show signs of being corrupted by the Dragon. However, it is implied that they can have their free will restored, whereas most of the adults are too far gone and will forever remain slaves at heart.
205* Also averted in ''Film/{{Mikey}}'' where the titular VillainAntagonist is an abused orphan who kills entire adoptive families if they don't love him enough.
206* In ''Film/MyLifeAsADog'', 12-year-old Ingemar goes to visit his ill mother in the hospital. Not realizing she is terminally ill, he asks her what she wants for Christmas in a heartbreaking scene.
207* ''Film/TheProfessional'':
208** This trope is used to differentiate the two killers. [[HitmanWithAHeart Léon]] refuses to kill children (or women), while [[NaughtyNarcs Norman Stansfield]] has no problem gunning down a four-year-old child.
209** Mathilda Lando curses a lot, smokes, and has a disturbingly sexual mind for someone as young as she is, but despite all the outward appearance, she is just an innocent kid, especially when compared to Leon (a ProfessionalKiller) and especially Stansfield (an AxCrazy DirtyCop DEA agent).
210* ''Film/TheSapphires'': The only IneptTalentShowContestant who doesn't seem racist is a young boy who claps for the sisters.
211* [[PlayedForHorror Played for dark tension]] in ''Film/{{Skinamarink}}'', which follows a four-year-old boy and his six-year-old sister waking up to find that their father is missing, [[SealedRoomInTheMiddleOfNowhere the windows and doors to the outside of their house have vanished]]. Both of them are [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight remarkably blasé about these discoveries]], but it's all but directly stated that it's because they're simply too young to understand how abnormal and ominous this situation is. It's not until they realize that [[EldritchAbomination something else]] appears to be in the house with them does their mild confusion turn into fear for their lives.
212* ''Film/Spawn1997'': Spawn runs into his human daughter Cyan after secretly observing a lecture given by his former fiancé Wanda. The little girl isn't afraid of the imposing figure and innocently notes his weird (burned and scarred) face before exchanging names.
213* In ''Franchise/StarWars Episode III: Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Anakin Skywalker's [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope falling off of the slippery slope]] was killing younglings when Sors Bandeam, one of them, asked him what they were going to do during his attack on the temple. This trope is also the reason why on Naboo [[AChildShallLeadThem the monarchs are generally elected from amongst pre-teens and teenagers]] for the Naboo people believe that children have an uncorrupted kind of wisdom. Padmé Amidala, one of the most beloved queens Naboo ever had, began her reign at age 14. One of her successors, Apailana, was elected at only 12.
214* ''Film/TheTheatreBizarre'': In "The Accident" a mother and young daughter drive along a mountain road and come upon a fatal collision between a motorcyclist and a deer. Another biker puts the suffering deer out of its misery with his knife. The mother thoughtfully and poetically answers her daughter's questions about the nature of life and death.
215* Being a PaedoHunt[=/=]TooSmartForStrangers PublicServiceAnnouncement, ''Film/TrickyPeople'' plays this straight. Particularly {{anvilicious}} is Carmen's tearful confession to Yello Dyno of "not [being] a little girl anymore".
216* ''Film/WhenTheCatComes'': No children are shown turning violet, yellow or gray as a result of Mourek's power, meaning the children are not liars, thieves, cheaters or otherwise dishonest. Additionally, the children all want to protect Mourek from the adults who want to either kill him or get rid of him.
217* ''Film/TheWildBunch'': Children are shown to be among the most violent characters in the film, and in a Peckinpah film that's impressive. A child smiles as he watches the Mexican Army (which his father is the general of) get massacred by rebels, and later lands the killing shot on Warren Oates, still smiling. In the first 25 minutes, a group of children are shown torturing scorpions (who only LOOK scary) by trapping them and coating them with fire ants, and later setting the cage ON FIRE, and, after the massacre in town, run around pretending to shoot the corpses, yelling "Bang! Bang!" in a way that will make anyone feel chills.
218[[/folder]]
219
220[[folder:Literature]]
221!!By Author:
222* In Creator/JohnCWright's books:
223** ''[[Literature/ChroniclesOfChaos Orphans Of Chaos]]'' it is explicitly invoked, when Mrs. Wren [[GodIsGood asks Vanity and Amelia to pray for her because God will hear the prayers]] of the "young and sweet" better than hers. Later in the same work, Amelia ponders that KidsAreCruel, and while some adults take advantage of their power to do wrong, others don't -- and wouldn't they be more innocent, because their opportunities are greater?
224** In ''Fugitives of Chaos'', Amelia warns Colin that the Ring of Gyges might not work on the innocent, and cites children as possible.
225* In ''Literature/GuildHunter'', it is stated as the reason why to harm a child may well be the ''only'' true taboo [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angelkind]] has left.
226
227!!By Title:
228* In Creator/JamesThurber's ''Literature/The13Clocks'', one of the wicked duke's wickedest deeds was imprisoning children in the tower. [[spoiler:Late in the book, the sounds of children's laughter from the tower and a ball rolling down the steps deeply enrages him.]]
229* In ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', it turns out that Willy Wonka launched the Golden Ticket contest (which was specifically aimed at children) as a way of finding an heir via the Wonka Factory tour. He specifically wants "a good sensible loving child" to become his heir because "A grown-up won't listen to me; he won't learn. He will try to do things his own way and not mine." In the novel, 2005 film, and the 2010 opera adaptations, Charlie is the one nice, perfectly behaved kid of the five ticket finders. The others are {{Spoiled Brat}}s who are only innocent in the trope's negative aspects: self-centered, naive, and prone to foolish behavior because they think they know better. The 1971 film and 2013 stage musical adaptations avert this trope by making Charlie flawed but still good at heart and possessed of a huge sense of innocent wonder (and, in the musical's case, creativity) that the other kids lack.
230* In ''Literature/Coda2013'' Alpha and Omega are very innocent, which is why Anthem works so hard to protect them from the Corp.
231* In ''Literature/ADayOfFallenNight'', Dumai's rival for the throne of Seiiki is her half-sister Suzumai... a sweet little girl who loves having a new big sister and playing with her dollhouse. Dumai is continually pained by engaging in political games and does her best not to do anything that might harm her. [[spoiler:Which makes it hurt all the more when the River-lord binds himself to Taugran the wyrm and ''sacrifices'' Suzumai to him.]]
232* ''Franchise/{{Discworld}}'':
233** In ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'', Vetinari speaks coldly of killing children; those he is addressing counter that they had exterminated pups -- which only makes them look bad. Then we learn they are speaking of [[spoiler:orc]] children which is just as bad.
234** Lampshaded and mocked in ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'', with the comment that the sound of children at play is a wonderful thing to hear, ''provided you're too far away to make out what they're saying''.
235* In ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'', Beatrice says that only children are innocent among humanity and that as soon as they mature they become ravenously evil. She goes so far as to say that a child will learn to speak intelligently at the same time they first hope to see their mother dead and buried.
236* In Creator/BramStoker's ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'', the vampire Lucy preys on children. Although she doesn't kill them, the children's innocent inability to understand that she was harming them -- some even wish to meet her again -- is horrific.
237* Jim Butcher's ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
238** ''Death Masks'', Susan tells Dresden that the Red Court prey on children, which disgusts them both. Ortega offers to turn Dresden into a vampire rather than [[CombatByChampion kill him in a duel]], claiming [[NotSoDifferentRemark they aren't so different.]] Dresden fishes until he establishes that Ortega preys on children and cites it as a difference.
239** In ''Dead Beat'', Wardens can not bring themselves to leave children behind in danger while they deal with the bad guys.
240* In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''Duty Calls'', a KnightTemplar explains to Literature/CiaphasCain, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM, how [[ItsAllAboutMe he needed to do everything]]: even, when abandoning a settlement to alien attack, shooting the inhabitants when they tried to get their children on his ship. Cain, a self-professed DirtyCoward who would abandon anyone to save his own skin, is horrified.
241* ''Literature/EndersGame'' plays with this trope. Valentine and Peter are angel and demon, respectively. Ender is [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Ender]].
242* Creator/DomingoSantos' story ''The First Day of Eternity'' (published in ''Magazine/{{Analog}}'') has the InnocentAliens befriend the children of the colonists first.
243* In Creator/DanAbnett's ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' novels, the Ghosts on several occasions make special provision for children. In ''Necropolis'', Criid takes two children, total strangers, under her wing when their mother dies, and when Caffran sees that a child and a woman are looting, he brings out what they had intended to steal, and gives them a gun as well. In ''Sabbat Martyr'' Criid opens a deserted building to shelter children and stands down the ObstructiveBureaucrat who objects; later, the Ghosts are particularly protective of the children among the refugees. [[spoiler: This lends particular horror to Caffran's death at the hands of a child in ''The Armor of Contempt''.]] Subverted during the siege of Vervunhive in ''Necropolis''. The narration briefly mentions that the Chaos army is made of all people available, including elders and children.
244* In Creator/JohnCWright's ''[[Literature/TheGoldenOecumene The Golden Transcedence]]'', Ungannis declares that humanity is unspeakable and only was endurable when mortal, because then those guilty of crime would die and the children, temporarily innocent, took their place. Then, she's TheResenter.
245* Played every way but straight in the ''Literature/{{Gone}}'' series by Michael Grant, where every character is a child. On one end of the scale, you've got the evil, malicious kids: a BigBad, an AxCrazy sadist, a manipulative SmugSnake, a DarkActionGirl who can make people see monsters, an [[FightingAShadow avatar for the alien monster]], and a [[FantasticRacism racist]] [[ANaziByAnyOtherName cult leader]]. A little bit lighter gray, you've got a lot of kids who are only looking out for themselves, a [[TechnoWizard techie genius]] who is [[ChronicBackStabbingDisorder forever changing sides]], a greedy teenage businessman, and a hypocritical [[TheFundamentalist Christian fundamentalist]] who will lie when it suits her but won't tolerate it in others. For the lightest gray, our heroes are a few well-meaning kids who crack under pressure. All under 15 years old at the start of the series. It's a world of GreyAndGrayMorality, with no room for innocence.
246* ''Literature/TheHammer2022'': According to Tiny's old companion, Estina, humans could become spirit tamers if they [[OnlyThePureOfHeart were pure of heart]] and possessed enough mana to forge a contract, but she remarks that the only ones pure enough would likely be children. Given his love for inflicting harm on neer-do-wells, Tiny seriously doubts that he's pure enough despite currently being a child via MentalTimeTravel, but soon realizes that he made a contract with Lunar Wolf by accident when he broke the chains on Wolf's soul.
247* ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials''. Children are immune to the Spectres, and can have special affinity to the Alethiometer, and have transforming daemons symbolizing their infinite potential - but one of the main themes of the books is that children have to grow up, and it's not a bad thing. Neither Will nor Lyra takes direct part in the war against the Authority; they don't share Lord Asriel's RageAgainstTheHeavens - they're just trying to survive. [[spoiler:They do end up killing the Authority, but it's not an act of violence; they didn't know who he was, and were trying to help him.]] Then again, one is a murderer, and the other is 'only' a sometimes foul mouth brawler who prides herself in her ability to lie to anyone and approves of the other being a murderer. Most other children are likewise depicted similarly, so 'innocence' is a relative concept.
248* Deliberately exploited by a villain in ''Literature/HiveMind2016''. [[spoiler:Rose is only 10, and uses that to both conceal her murders and attempt to evade responsibility for them.]]
249* In Creator/PiersAnthony's ''Literature/IncarnationsOfImmortality'' books, the souls of infants are pure -- except, in some ''interesting'' theology where they can be tainted down to "in balance" by such things as the circumstances of their conception, or by their deaths owing to genetic disease precipitating their mother's suicide.
250* ''King Matt the First'' by Janusz Korczak is all about this trope. It basically preaches that if kids are given power, there will be no evil.
251* Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/KnightsOfTheFortyIslands'' is a case of PlayingWithATrope. Aliens abduct teenagers ([[spoiler:duplicates, actually]]) and distribute them among the forty islands connected by bridges. They are told that the group that manages to conquer all forty islands gets to go home. The kids are supplied with wooden swords that turn into metal whenever they get aggressive (i.e. fight). Dima quickly learns that this is not a game, and people really die here. Very quickly, the teens realize that it is simply impossible to conquer all forty islands, as each island only has no more than a dozen people. Eventually, the protagonist suggests allying with the nearby islands in order to be able to achieve their goal. While this works at first, it later turns into a disaster, as their former allies turn on them, kill the boys, and {{rape|AsDrama}} the girls. In fact, they find remains of children from UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo era who have tried the same thing with identical results. This novel seems to be about breaking every child stereotype to claim that, under the right circumstances, even a child is capable of anything. The worst thing is, [[spoiler:[[TheCakeIsALie the aliens never planned to release anyone]]]].
252* ''Literature/LeftBehind'' uses this, no doubt due to the conundrum of "what of people who were not raised Christian or were too young to understand what it really means", and similar. The writers being pro-life, they also raptured children in the womb, and there is surprisingly little angst when every child under twelve (the cutoff point) suddenly vanishes.
253* In Creator/DevonMonk's ''Literature/MagicToTheBone'', Allie is surprised by a question of whether she cast a curse, and (truthfully) denies it -- the target's just a little boy.
254* ''Literature/MercyThompson'' plays this straight with Jesse, who tries her best to be plucky and upbeat even while living with a divorced father and in a world where there is tension between humans and supernatural beings.
255* In Teresa Frohock's ''Literature/MiserereAnAutumnTale'', a character warns not to be deceived by a child's innocence -- since she was drawn to a man they know is a traitor, she must be as bad.
256* Simon Spurrier's ''Literature/NightLords'' novel ''Lord of the Night'': Sahaal captures a child who cries for its mother and then, when he's close enough, tries to stab him; even a [[spoiler:Chaos Space Marine]] such as Sahaal reflects that there is no place for innocence in the underhive. Later, when he orders Chianni to kill child hostages, she merely nods, and he is impressed that it does not perturb her.
257* Deconstructed in Creator/JoeHill's ''Literature/NOS4A2'' where the children of Christmasland are innocent forever, which means they never learn or gain experience or develop empathy. As one character states, "Innocent little kids rip the wings off flies because they don't know any better." In other words, perpetual innocence means no CharacterDevelopment, for good or ill.
258* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/OperationChaos'', the narrator and his wife have many run-ins with evil forces. The final one, which shocks them to the core despite all they have seen, is the kidnapping of their baby daughter to Hell.
259* Subverted by ''Literature/PeterPan'', which says "children are innocent" a lot, but always adds "and heartless". According to Barrie, this trope and KidsAreCruel are the ''same thing''; children don't have enough experience to really understand why you ''shouldn't'' be cruel. This is particularly noticable with Peter himself, who thinks the entire world is laid on for his amusement.
260* ''Literature/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': A recurring theme of the series is that children are born wanting to be happy, make friends, and play, but adults abuse their desire to please authority figures to make them tools for their own advancement. Many of the Sword Roses' dealings with other students, including each other at times, revolve at least in part around BreakingTheCycleOfBadParenting: getting the "bad kids" to recognize that their family legacies and generational trauma don't have to define who they are and they can live for themselves instead.
261* In Ben Aaronovitch's ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' (known as ''Midnight Riot'' in the US), getting a warrant for a ghost who murdered his wife and child is complicated by the ghostly magistrate asking whether the woman was a shrew. The quick-thinking narrator tells him that she was a terrible shrew but the baby was innocent, which gets the warrant.
262* In ''Literature/SadakoAndTheThousandPaperCranes'', Sadako at first thinks having leukemia will only make her miss school for a while, but eventually realizes how serious it is. Her friend Kenji [[AvertedTrope averts]] this, as despite the doctors' efforts to give him hope, he's smart enough to read his own blood chart and realizes that he's getting worse.
263* In ''Literature/TheSecretGarden'', Mary and Colin are both {{Spoiled Brat}}s when they first appear. However, the causes are delineated: Mary's mother neglected her, and the servants learned to indulge Mary to keep her from coming to her mother's notice, and Colin's father had neglected him after his mother's DeathByChildbirth. Letting them play together and experience the beauties of the garden and nature causes them to shed the characters and become their true, innocent selves.
264* Played with in Creator/RayBradbury's ''The Small Assassin'', in which a mother becomes convinced that her newborn baby will ''kill'' her. [[spoiler:She's right. And the father too.]] A very similar short story is "Baby Hate" by Elizabeth Fancett, where a father believes his newborn son cannot stand to be around him. We are initially led to believe that he is simply projecting his own psychological issues onto the baby - [[spoiler:until the baby horrifically and gruesomely murders his father.]]
265* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
266** Tommen and Myrcella Baratheon are portrayed in this manner, in great contrast to their [[RoyalBrat older]] [[TheCaligula brother]].
267** Sansa Stark was [[VirginityMakesYouStupid pretty innocent]] at first, mixed with WrongGenreSavvy. She inhabits a truly brutal WorldHalfEmpty, which [[BreakTheCutie showed no sympathy for her]]. [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap She soon learned better]].
268** In the backstory, Visenya Targaryen managed to bloodlessly and singlehandedly conquered the Vale by luring Ronnel Arryn, the infant King of the Vale, to play with her. When his mother, Queen Regent Sharra, found him, he was sitting on Visenya's lap, her dragon Vhagar by their side, asking his mother if he could "ride dragons". [[KnowWhenToFoldEm Sharra immediately surrendered the region to the Targaryens]].
269* ''Literature/SongsOfInnocenceAndOfExperience'': Children are portrayed this way in ''Songs of Innocence'' and they are not portrayed this way in ''Songs of Experience'', in the poems "NURSE'S Song" and "Infant Sorrow".
270* ''Literature/SpinningSilver'':
271** Miryem's view of [[TheFairFolk the Staryk]] shifts radically when she learns that they have children and her servant introduces her daughter. This is the reason [[spoiler:she defies Irina and frees the Staryk King from Chernobog]].
272** Stepon, the youngest viewpoint character, is a small boy who is perceptive to the feelings around him (even though he doesn't understand what is happening or why) and just wants the people he cares about to be safe and not scared. Zigzagged with the other village children, however; several of them bully him and are being raised to be just as antisemetic as their parents.
273* Creator/LewisCarroll's ''Literature/SylvieAndBruno''
274-->''In each such glimpse, the face seemed to grow more childish and more innocent: and, when I had at last thought the veil entirely away, it was, unmistakeably, the sweet face of little Sylvie!''
275* In Creator/PoulAnderson's ''Literature/TimePatrol'' stories:
276** In ''Brave To Be A King'', Manse prevents an infanticide by telling the king that, among other things, that he must not shed the children's innocent blood.
277** In ''Delenda Est'', when they threaten revenge, Deirdre pleads not the children, they had nothing to do with it.
278* In Creator/JRRTolkien's ''[[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Two Towers]]'', Theoden throws off Saruman's charming voice citing the children who died from his attack (plus their [[DueToTheDead mutilation of the dead]]).
279* In Creator/SeananMcGuire's ''Literature/VelveteenVs The Junior Super Patriots'', at one point, going up against the Junior Super Patriots leads to reflections that they are as innocent as those fighting them were, when they were recruited.
280* ''Literature/WarriorCats'':
281** Most kits are portrayed as innocent, energetic young cats who contrast with the hardened, shell-shocked, and weary warriors. Even Tigerstar (basically cat Hitler) was adorable and innocent as a kit. It's only when the kits start training to become warriors that they lose their innocence.
282** Subverted with Brokenstar in ''Yellowfang's Secret'' and Shrewclaw in ''Tallstar's Revenge''. You can see the seeds of Brokenstar's evil right from his kithood, and Shrewkit is a bully who picks on Tallkit and calls him a worm.
283* Played with in Creator/EvaIbbotson's ''Literature/WhichWitch'' -- the very nice and innocent female protagonist meets a little orphan boy, who comes to love her as a kind of adoptive mother, but [[spoiler:turns out to be a very dark wizard, which, coincidentally, is exactly what she needs, so everything turns out alright]].
284* In Creator/PatriciaAMcKillip's ''Wonders of the Invisible World'', Cotton Mather cites this.
285* In ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'' (second book of ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive''), Lift assumes that this is why her spren, Wyndle, came to her. It's actually [[BrokenBird almost the exact opposite]].
286-->'''Lift:''' Why don't they notice you? Is it 'cuz only the pure in heart can see you?\
287'''Wyndle:''' You're not serious.\
288'''Lift:''' Sure. That'd fit into legends and stories and stuff.\
289'''Wyndle:''' Oh, the theory itself isn't ridiculous. Merely the idea that ''you'' consider yourself to be pure in heart.\
290'''Lift:''' I'm pure. I'm a child and stuff. I'm so storming pure I practically belch rainbows.
291[[/folder]]
292
293[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
294* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in ''Series/The100''. While most of the 100 are in their late teens, it's twelve-year-old Charlotte, seemingly the youngest of the group, who's the first to commit murder on the Ground. However, while the 100 are ready to lynch Murphy (who appears to be sixteen or seventeen) when they think he's the murderer, they're suddenly not so willing when they find out it was Charlotte. Murphy thinks this is unfair and demands Charlotte be executed just like he almost was. Much of an episode is spent trying to protect her from Murphy; even friends of the person she killed come to her defence. Charlotte, however, doesn't think she deserves this protection, and ultimately kills herself.
295* At first, ''Series/AmericanGothic1995'' appears to subscribe to this trope: [[MoralEventHorizon Buck is proven to be absolutely evil]] by [[strike:murdering]] [[MercyKill mercy-killing]] Merlyn in the first episode, and most of the first half to three-quarters of the series is devoted to protecting the innocent Caleb from the sheriff's vile influence. Then, as Caleb [[StartOfDarkness gradually falls deeper and deeper under his father's thrall]], starts taking lessons from him, and absorbs some of his powers, he becomes more disturbingly amoral, wicked, and heartless. By the end of the series, it is Buck who must actually save Trinity from ''Caleb''.
296* In an episode of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' in which a young boy is being possessed by an evil demon we eventually learn that [[spoiler:the demon is actually trapped inside the boy's body and the boy in question has no soul and is pure evil, shown by his actions after he is exorcised of the demon, when he burns down his house while his parents and younger sister are still inside, starting in his sister's room to make sure she cannot escape.]]
297* A strongly held belief of Jesse's in ''Series/BreakingBad'', and in the early seasons, a sign that he isn't just a stupid, jerky, gangsta-wannabe type that his first impression gives off. He destroys a joint that he finds in his little brother's possession, and in a later season, [[spoiler:attempts to kill two drug dealers that killed an 11-year boy]]. This trait also [[spoiler:eventually ends his partnership with Walt, when a "co-worker" of theirs murders a boy during one of their operations, and Jesse realizes that only he is really horrified and disgusted by it]].
298* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': The demon from the Season 3 episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E11Gingerbread Gingerbread]]" uses this to get the parents of Sunnydale to kill witches and anyone who protects them, including their own children.
299* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' doesn't believe in this trope.
300** One episode has a twelve-year-old serial killer.
301** Another had a sociopathic young boy who [[spoiler:murdered his younger brother, then stuffed pieces of a model airplane down his throat]].
302** Another had a thirteen-year-old family annihilator.
303** In fact they frequently make the argument that [[DistinctionWithoutADifference all minors are at least somewhat sociopathic so there is no point in calling them that]].
304* ''Series/{{CSI}}: Crime Scene Investigation'':
305-->'''Gil Grissom''': ''Let me tell you something, Humbert. You're twice the age of these kids, and half of them couldn't find their own ass with a map. You prey on innocent children, concocting God-knows-what from God-knows-where, selling Russian Roulette in a bottle and you think we came all the way out here to bust you for possession, you dumb punk? I'm gonna get you for murder. Cool?''
306* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' feels affection for children because of their innocence, since he himself lost his childhood innocence at a very young age. He also is very protective of them, and whatever else happens finds the idea of hurting a child repulsive.
307* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E4Dragonfire Dragonfire]]", the writer Ian Briggs intended the little girl to represent innocence but was dismayed by the choice to put her in a Mini Pops-Esque dress which caused controversy in both fan and media reviews.
308* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Played with. Westeros certainly considers childhood to be special, but it also ends much earlier than the modern norm. Boys become legal adults at 16 and girls at their first menstruation, but Bran is taken to his first execution at 10.
309** The Stark kids all start this way before their respective BreakTheCutie arcs. Rickon Stark, in particular, is this way in one of the creepiest ways possible. He seems completely oblivious to what's happening at first - a fact which Robb painfully informs Catelyn about. He also parrots some of the more offensive Wildling stories that Old Nan told him to Osha, who is a Wildling herself. However, Osha takes it in stride as Rickon clearly likes her.
310** Played straight by Tommen and Myrcella Baratheon in contrast to their brother Joffrey. Tommen comes off as a genuinely sweet kid and is nice to Sansa. Myrcella is also nice to Sansa and seems genuinely excited to see her and Joffrey get married. In the 5th season, [[spoiler: Myrcella is killed by Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes for revenge on the Lannisters and the death of Oberyn]], even though she had very little involvement since she was in Dorne at the time [[spoiler:when Oberyn was killed]]. In the 7th season, Tyrion calls them out on it, saying that she was innocent and didn't deserve it.
311** Despite being squires captured in battle, Willem and Martyn Lannister seem quite innocent in their concern that Robb Stark might actually turn into a wolf and eat them.
312** Deconstructed in-universe by Varys, who determines that it is Ned Stark's concern for this trope that ultimately seals King Robert Baratheon's fate.
313* An important subplot in the fifth season of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' involves a [[spoiler:time traveling]] Sayid [[HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct shooting]] [[spoiler:Ben]] [[HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct as a child]] to stop him from growing up and causing misery for everyone. However, Kate, Sawyer and Juliet choose to save his life, arguing that he shouldn't be punished as a child for things he will do as an adult.
314-->'''Jack:''' That kid is ''Ben''.\
315'''Juliet:''' That's not Ben yet. He's just a kid.
316* Chance of ''Series/NoahsArc'' strongly and explicitly believes this, which is why he keeps taking care of Kenya even after he and her father are separated. He even states a variation on the trope name at one point.
317* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E22AllHellBreaksLoosePartTwo "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part Two" (S02, Ep22)]], Dean explains that he did not want to answer Sam's questions about their parents because he wanted him to be a kid for just a little longer.
318* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S3E32TheGift The Gift]]", Pedro immediately becomes friends with Williams because, as a mistreated orphan with no friends, he can relate to the stranger. Other than the doctor, he is the only person in Madeiro who believes that Williams is no threat to the village.
319* Initially played straight in ConspiracyThriller ''Series/{{Utopia}}'', but as the gang of unwitting protagonists are pushed further and further, eventually [[spoiler: both of the ~12-year-old children involved have committed murder. One in cold blood.]]
320%%* Seasons four and five of ''Series/TheWire''.
321[[/folder]]
322
323[[folder:Music]]
324* Showing that RousseauWasRight, "Who Taught You How To Hate" by Music/{{Disturbed}} contrasts the judgmental, aggressive adults with the innocent, unbiased kids who play together paying no mind to their differences.
325* Music/{{Eminem}}'s work has a complex relationship with this trope. In his world, Slim Shady is only able to be [[CorruptionOfAMinor the corrupter of children]] because [[TeensAreMonsters there are kids out there as stupid and violent as Slim]]. He also acknowledges the importance of his very child-unfriendly music to the kids who will listen to it anyway, viewing them as his primary audience. However, he views these fucked-up kids as being the result of a horrible environment of abuse, poverty, broken homes and ambiently depraved pop culture, taking from his music how to stand up for themselves and protect themselves from a world that is already trying to corrupt them. And then there is his daughter, Hailie - she is the emotional heart of his music and represents innocence, with him admitting he wouldn't let her listen to his music either (he would record special Clean versions for her). He wouldn't allow swearing inside the house and, hilariously, worried about Music/BritneySpears's sexualised image on his little girl. And then puts her to sing on some of his most below-the-belt, depraved songs ever.
326* Both PlayedStraight as well as averted on Music/JohnZorn's ''Music/MusicForChildren''. The dolls in the album artwork all have an UncannyValley creepiness to them, while the liner notes make a stance for the benefits of childish innocence:
327-->Rich ground for love and enthusiasm, innocence is delight in the natural charm of being and the unconscious experience of contradictions which no longer have a tragic character. To attain the virginal joy of innocence, one must not live contradictions consciously, or know tragedy and thoughts of death, because such knowledge is baffling, complex, and requires disjunction. Innocence resists tragedy but welcomes love, because the innocent, never troubled by inner contradictions have generous impulses.
328* Music/MichaelJackson frequently claimed that children could/would right the wrongs in the world through their innocent goodness if only adults would listen to them.
329* "Through the Eyes of a Child" by Music/{{Reamonn}} is about this trope:
330-->''Why did we make it so hard?\
331This life is so complicated until we see it through the eyes of a child''
332* Music/TearsForFears:
333** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ixuMpIFv0M Suffer the Children]]", the band's first single, is centered around this topic, as Roland Orzabal (the main songwriter) elucidates in the liner notes of the 1999 ''Music/TheHurting'' remastered CD.
334--->'''Orzabal''': We were really big on this at the time -- we really thought children were born innocent and good and holy... When you've got kids of your own, you realize how bloody difficult it is. But it's that kind of thing -- saying look at what you're doing with your child.
335** "Swords and Knives":
336--->''A waking world of innocence\
337So grave those first born cries\
338When life begins with needles and pins\
339It ends with swords and knives\
340\
341God save those born to die''
342[[/folder]]
343
344[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
345* OlderThanFeudalism example from [[Literature/TheFourGospels the Gospels]]: UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}'s followers are squabbling over who will be greatest in the coming Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus responded: "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven", so he meant "[[DramaticallyMissingThePoint It's not about being high up and powerful]], but [[HumbleHero humbly accepting truth]]".
346* Other religions similarly use children as symbols of being innocent and receptive, such as Daoism: "If you receive the world, the Dao will never leave you, and you will be like a little child."
347* Some religions go as far as to preach being like something even younger than a child, like the Zen koan: "What did your face look like before your parents were born?".
348* Most mainstream Christian Denominations believe that children are incapable of committing major sins by virtue of their youth. It is also generally believed that all baptized children who die immediately go to Heaven (what happens to unbaptized children is debated). In the Catholic Church, those who have not yet reached maturity are considered to be unable to commit mortal sin on the basis that they lack reason (and by extension lack full knowledge, one of the requirements necessary for a sin to be mortal). Additionally, the Catholic Church holds that any baptized person who dies before attaining reason goes to Heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church concludes that while it can't be said for sure what happens to unbaptized children, there is good reason to believe that God has mercy on them (perhaps even letting them into Heaven) on the basis that Jesus was a FriendToAllChildren. Other denominations that don't practice infant baptism believe instead that all people are born sinful, and accepting salvation is a private, personal decision, of which baptism is merely a symbol. However, those who die without having the faculties to make such an important decision (namely, children and the mentally handicapped) are still believed to get a pass.
349* In Islam, children who have not yet reached maturity are one of the three categories of people for whom "the pen has been lifted" (i.e. Allah does not hold them accountable for wrongdoings). Additionally, it is held that all children who die before maturity go to Heaven, even if non-Muslim children.
350[[/folder]]
351
352[[folder:Radio]]
353* ''Radio/OldHarrysGame'': Children are morally pure and so cannot be sent to Hell. When a baby ''is'' sent to Hell by mistake, a series-long StoryArc concerns Satan's efforts to return it to the living world.
354[[/folder]]
355
356[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
357* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' enters this trope in a roundabout and downplayed way: being evil requires either being made ''of'' evil or combining doing wrong with the ability to understand the concept of "wrong". End result: most children don't become evil until ''at least'' a few months after hitting Intelligence 3, even ones of generally evil races like drow or goblins.
358* The introduction of ''TabletopGame/PrincessTheHopeful'' depicts adults in general as judgmental, unaccomplished, and cowardly. The only admirable ones are those with childlike hearts.
359-->''We learned that growing up isn't about suddenly being able to do everything you ever wanted; it's mostly about learning how stupid you were when you were young. (...) Our potential was replaced with reality.''
360[[/folder]]
361
362[[folder:Theatre]]
363* The Arthur Miller play ''Theatre/TheCrucible'' uses this trope as a plot point -- the children would never lie about who the witches of Salem are, right? Not even if one of them is 17 and wants to bone the main character, and [[spoiler:[[EvilPlan concocts the entire crisis]] in order to [[MurderTheHypotenuse take his wife out of the picture]]]]. The reality was even worse: the aforementioned 17-year-old was actually ''eleven'' (although her true motives are unknown).
364[[/folder]]
365
366[[folder:Video Games]]
367* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': Sigrid is a young girl who also happens to be a RealityWarper, she understands the nature of her special ability, but words it as magic, thanks to her caretakers teaching her how to harness and contain it for the most part. When she's at the Flores household, she curiously looks around and watch TV for the material she enjoys.
368* Played with in ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'':
369** The little sisters will original call for the protectors to kill you, but then seem more friendly and innocent once restored to 'normal' however later they will [[spoiler: stab the final boss to death with syringes]] Although genetic engineering and behavioural programming gets most of the blame.
370** In [[VideoGame/BioShock2 the sequel]], we discover how they've been programmed to see [[CrapsackWorld Rapture]] - to them, the whole thing is elegant and beautiful (except for the occasional lapse into reality), with "angels"(read: corpses) lying on the ground waiting for them to gather their ADAM. They completely trust "Daddy" whatever he does to them (although they may be scared of him if you go the evil route, they'll still go with him and gather for him).
371* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
372** During the ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' quest, [[Creator/HPLovecraft Shadow Over Hackdirt]], Jiv Hiriel cites the reason he decided to help you rescue a young Argonian as "she's so innocent."
373** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' has several orphaned children whom the player can [[HappilyAdopted adopt]]. Skyrim is considered one of the darker games in the series and one of the reasons is that [[FantasticRacism racism]] plays a larger role in the game world. However, the orphaned children of Skyrim are perhaps the kindest NPC's in the game because don't care if you're a [[HumansAreSpecial human]], [[OurElvesAreDifferent elf]], or a {{beast|man}}, they're just happy that you've adopted and love them.
374* Nick Valentine mentions this in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' when discussing his past; when he first arrived in the Commonwealth, people regarded him with caution, since synths were an unknown entity back then and people didn't fear them as the boogieman. People didn't really trust him until a young boy named Jim approached him.
375* Surprisingly touched upon in ''VideoGame/Killer7''. When assassin [[spoiler:Jean [=DePaul=]]] brings up MASK de Smith's popularity with children, MASK responds by declaring that children's purity makes them the most objective judges in the world. Turns out they're right.
376* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
377** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': Young Link and Zelda. [[spoiler:Ganondorf exploits this by [[MacguffinDeliveryService waiting until they open the door to the Sacred Realm in their attempts to stop him]].]]
378** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' is complex. While Link and Aryll are still innocent, Tetra defies it with all her might. After all, a pirate captain has no need of such a thing. Then she [[spoiler:turns into innocent Princess Zelda who takes up a bow and helps Link kill Ganondorf rather in an incredibly brutal way. When the fight is over, the King of Hyrule calls the gods themselves out to this trope, referring to Link and Tetra.]] Also, many players have noted that, aside from Link and Aryll, most of the children in the game behave like small adults, especially (aside from Tetra) Medli.
379** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': The children of Ordon Village, particularly Colin. Malo, however, has the cynicism and maturity of an adult, being capable of running a shop in Kakariko Village and planning the purchase of an abusively expensive emporium in Hyrule Castle Town so its products are made available for less wealthy people.
380* ''VideoGame/ManaKhemia2FallOfAlchemy'': Puniyo starts as a straight example but [[CharacterDevelopment grows out of it]]. She takes on [[MrImagination Lily's]] active imagination throughout the game, along with showing hints of being able to become a MagnificentBastard, despite being only five years old.
381* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2: Mask of the Betrayer'': The spirit of a priest is convinced that "the child" can't have committed the crimes he was convicted of. It turns out "The Child" is a brilliant liar who was more than capable of murder by arson and centuries-old due to being trapped in a furnace and so isn't a child anymore anyways. If the requirements are met, joins the party in control of a mish-mash of spirits called One Of Many.
382* While played mostly straight in ''VideoGame/NightmareRealm'' for Emily and most of the children that appear, there is exception for [[spoiler:Jeff and Phillip, who are both BigBad in different ways: the latter is a BrokenBird while the former is implied to be one: Phillip wants to maintain the Dream World (later transformed into Dark City) because he doesn't want to go back to being sick while Jeff wants to be [[IJustWantToBeSpecial talented in something]].]]
383* {{Discussed}} in ''VideoGame/PeretEmHeruForThePrisoners''. According to Professor Tsuchida, the Egyptians believed that children were "tabula rasa", blank slates who were completely free of sin. Ayuto complains that Rin proves otherwise, as the BrattyHalfPint has done nothing but lie and pull pranks for her own amusement. Rin takes offense, and Nei berates Ayuto for calling her out; however, if the player isn't careful, [[spoiler:Rin ends up being the first to get judged by the Pharaoh and killed for her crimes]].
384* ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' features Laura, an innocent, if [[BrattyHalfPint bratty]], child that wanders into Silent Hill, yet the town does not manifest as a dangerous and hellish place to her the way it does to the adults she interacts with. This is due to the town being a PsychologicalTormentZone that projects and manifests the personal horrors of those [[DarkAndTroubledPast with serious sins to confess]] -- Laura has none, and thus just sees Silent Hill as a weirdly empty city, [[IgnoranceIsBliss reacting to James' astonishment of her being totally unharmed with confusion]].
385* One of the few survivors from Cabadath's blood trail in ''[[VideoGame/ChzoMythos Trilby's Notes]]'' is the woodcutter's son. According to the Evil Bible within the game, it is because he is innocent, but the book tends to downplay the bloodshed, to say the least.
386* A set of twins, Mireille and Mischka, can join you in ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume''. They're both 12 years old and take much joy in killing, yet don't see what's wrong with killing other people after they have surrendered. Their reasoning is that since they signed up in the first place, they should be prepared to die. Their dialogue is completely 100% innocent.
387[[/folder]]
388
389[[folder:Visual Novels]]
390* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
391** The Doylist reason Cody Hackins was included as a witness in ''Turnabout Samurai'' is because of this trope; a child's reasons for lying are very different from an adults, so Cody can be a difficult witness without any malice, as he simply doesn't understand what he witnessed. [[spoiler: He initially conceals the fact that he saw Dee kill Jack Hammer, because Hammer was wearing a Steel Samurai costume, and he didn't want to admit that Steel Samurai could lose a fight. He never realized that he saw a murder, thinking that it was just another Steel Samurai performance.]]
392** Pearl Fey is an absolute sweetheart who adores her cousin Maya and is absolutely sure she'll get together with Phoenix, and has no idea [[spoiler: her mother is using her as a pawn to kill Maya so Pearl can take her place as family head. The poor girl is ''devastated'' when she finds out what her mom had manipulated her into doing]].
393** Regina Berry is so innocent [[spoiler:she doesn't even know what the word "death" means]]. ''Ace Attorney'' plays this trope straight and ''yet'' also plays with it.
394* ''VisualNovel/{{Aquarium}}'': Younger Minato not only doesn't know what social status is, she thinks SuccessionCrisis in the Francois family could have been resolved by simply talking it out and doesn't know anything about marriage aside "being together forever".
395* ''VisualNovel/ZeroEscape'':
396** Quark, one of the Nonary Game players in ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'' is one of the nicer people in the game and won't vote Betray when he can (when it occurs in the game [[spoiler: it's when Quark is paired with [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Dio]] and he is quickly forgiven]]). [[spoiler: He's surprisingly optimistic for someone who grew up in the Apocalypse.]]
397** Q [[spoiler:or rather Sean]] in ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'' zig-zags this. He's easily one of the nicest people in the game, [[spoiler:especially compared to his teammates [[AxCrazy Eric]] and [[TheSociopath Mira]]]], but if push comes to shove he can and ''will'' kill someone if that's what it takes.
398[[/folder]]
399
400[[folder:Web Animation]]
401* It is common for the usual antagonists in ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'' to be much nicer as children compared to their adult selves.
402[[/folder]]
403
404[[folder:Web Comics]]
405* ''WebComic/BatmanWayneFamilyAdventures'': While this trope is usually averted with Damian/Robin, in the episode "TMI", he thought that Batman's flirting with Catwoman was just him trying to arrest her (and couldn't understand why the rest of his siblings were [[ParentalSexualitySquick squicked out]] over it).
406* ''Webcomic/{{DDG}}'': The souls of children are implied to go straight to heaven since they lack the ability to make moral judgments.
407* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Akiko doesn't quite have the capacity to grasp the complexities of sexuality, bigotry, and prejudices.
408* ''Webcomic/KaitenMutenmaru'': As little children, [[spoiler:Sick Solitude]] and [[spoiler:Anne Bran]] were the only good people in the town of Throne from the start. [[spoiler:Anne]] was also the only commoner to oppose violence and to value Sick as a person rather than judge him solely based on the decadence and tyranny of his parents.
409* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', after Roy's heartfelt afterlife confession to his dead little brother, the brother's reaction was:
410-->'''Eric Greenhilt''': ''hi roy! wanna play blocks with me?''
411* ''WebComic/{{Precocious}}''
412** Averted. Most of the children in the main cast are each evil in their own special ways. Special mentions go to Autumn ([[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2009/06/27 who uses this trope to her advantage]]; she even wears a schoolgirl outfit in order to heighten people's perception of her innocence) and Dionne (who takes great pleasure in crushing the souls of others due to her lack of one).
413** Perhaps even more telling is its treatment of the children who ''aren't'' evil. Jacob is a sweet, caring young boy who is so kind and selfless that his being selfish or mean for a change has been a punchline unto itself and there was even an arc about it. He's the strip's resident ButtMonkey, who is constantly hurt and never really treated with respect. Max is even ''nicer''. He seems oblivious to the existence of bad or evil in the world. He's considered kind of strange by the rest of the kids, and although respected for his abilities, he's also frequently manipulated by the others or resented for the consequences of his IncorruptiblePurePureness. The [[AnAesop moral of the story?]] Children are evil, and those who aren't will end up used or mistreated by those who are.
414** Jacob's become more and more like his friends as time's gone on. He's still rarely the instigator of the evil schemes, but he's proven more than happy to take part in the planning of the group's immoral activities. The newest member of the class, Ursula Xane is even more of a straight example than Max, having been raised in isolation by parents who have carefully controlled her knowledge of the outside world. She's so innocent that in one ''Copper Road'' strip, she actually believes FOX's claim of being "fair and balanced."
415* Defied with several examples in ''Webcomic/SandraAndWoo''. Cloud gets an erection when seeing Sandra in a bathing suit and, according to Larisa, Sandra gravitates towards feeling needy for Cloud half of her waking hours. Speaking of Larisa, she has [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior pyromaniac tendencies]], jokes about being a "junkie" when she injects insulin (with the [[MistakenForJunkie predictable results]]), accuses a teacher of molesting her just so she could get out of a homework assignment and is generally [[FilleFatale very flirty at an adult level]]. Cloud's mom, Ye Thusa, used to be a Burmese guerrilla {{Child Soldier|s}}.
416* A very cynical version in ''WebComic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'': [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/teaching-2 "Teaching 2"]]:
417-->'''Interviewer''': Congratulations on your retirement. What inspired 40 years of teaching young kids?\
418'''Sweet old lady''': It was nice to get them so early before they inevitably turn to utter shit like the rest of humanity.
419* ''Webcomic/SpringtrapAndDeliah''
420** Deliah is an adorably chipper girl who takes Springtrap's odd existence without question. Downplayed, as she is way more aware of his more dangerous traits, like his possessiveness and his anger issues than she lets on, but deliberately lets them slide to keep him as a friend.
421** Subverted with Harry, who sees through Springtrap's nice facade almost right away and uses very direct blackmail to protect himself form him.
422* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'':
423** Surprisingly, despite being far from innocent in any conventional sense, Sette appears motivated by a childlike faith in herself, her father, the nonsense she'd been raised on, and childish dreams of Frummagen-style glory such as it is. Each grisly reality she confronts leaves her horrified and terrified.
424** Matty is the only major character in the story who has no real prejudices or innate hatred towards anyone. He doesn't seem to have a mean bone in his body.
425[[/folder]]
426
427[[folder:Web Original]]
428* According to [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18404_6-shockingly-evil-things-babies-are-capable-of.html this]] ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' article, [[InvertedTrope babies are inherently evil]].
429* Too damn innocent in ''[[http://akaichounokoe.deviantart.com/art/Landmines-are-not-Toys-329199767 Landmines Are Not Toys]]'', as Toki didn't know landmines were dangerous, something that you were supposed to stay away from, rather, she seemed to like what they do and went to her 'playground' and her fascination is what lost her leg. Then again, this can be justified as she hasn't encountered landmines up until that point, thus she wouldn't have otherwise known they were dangerous, as she hasn't learned to fear them from prior experience, and had, at the time, the overall mindset of a small child.
430* ''Literature/MommySleepsInTheBasement'': Paisley. Good God, poor Paisley. She ends up revealing some incredibly dark stuff to her teacher and classmates in a poem about her family, oblivious to how abnormal this all is. Many of her classmates are oblivious as well, with only Mrs June (and the reader) being fully aware of what's going on.
431* ''Website/NotAlwaysRight'':
432** [[http://notalwaysright.com/blowing-things-out-and-up-of-proportion/23416 "How come you said she planted a bomb? She didn't!"]]
433** [[http://notalwaysright.com/so-good-she-doesnt-need-a-weapon/17573 Secret agent!]]
434** [[https://notalwaysright.com/where-politically-correct-dreams-dont-come-true/ This]] little girl doesn't realize the implications of what she's doing when putting her dolls to sleep; one doll gets put face-down on her pillow, two other dolls are placed on top of each other, the black doll is made to sleep outside, and all of them are stripped naked beforehand. Her aunts find themselves struggling not to laugh.
435* The ''Website/SCPFoundation'' likes to play with this trope. While many of the child SCP items, such as [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-053 SCP-053]], [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-040 SCP-040]] and [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-239 SCP-239]], are dangerous and almost all of them are [[CreepyChild creepy]], almost none of them are out-right [[EnfantTerrible hostile or malevolent]], even the ones who are have been altered or manipulated by an external force, such as [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-993 SCP-993]], [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-204 SCP-204]] or [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-899 SCP-899]].
436* Disclaimer: All of this is in spoilers cause it is a ''major'' plot twist. [[spoiler:Subverted in]] ''WebVideo/ThereWillBeBrawl''. [[spoiler:At first, it had been the main motivation for Luigi to keep fighting: that as long as there was one child laughing in the world, there was hope for it. When he started to lose his focus, he saw Ness and Lucas playing, and that motivated him to go on. Come the final episode though, and he finds out that the murderers are ''[[CreepyChild Ness and Lucas]]''. They are such pure evil that even ''Ganondorf'' wonders how heroes can exist in the face of it.]]
437[[/folder]]
438
439[[folder:Western Animation]]
440* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', flashbacks show that Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee were all nice kids, but ''Azula'' was an EnfantTerrible. [[spoiler:According to her, her own mother saw her as a monster.]] This trope comes up again when Katara finds a painting that she believes to be a Zuko as a baby. Zuko responds that it isn't him in the painting; it's his father, Firelord Ozai, the BigBad. The group find themselves disturbed looking at [[UsedToBeASweetKid this innocent, happy child while knowing the monster he'd one day grow up to be]].
441** In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', Tenzin's children Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo are playful and sweet characters who have a PluckyComicRelief role in the story (Though occasionally they have a couple of BadassAdorable moments).
442* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': Despite how much freedom they allow their kids, Bob and Linda try to avoid them encountering things that may not be appropriate for them.
443** In "Bed And Breakfast", Linda tries to cover that two of their guests are into BDSM from Gene by claiming they're escape artists.
444** "It Snakes A Village". Played straight with Gene and Louise, who questions the sounds of the elderly at the retirement home. Subverted with Tina, who bluntly suggests they stop having loud sex.
445** "Bob Fires The Kids", the trio never catch on to the revelation the blueberries are just a cover for the pot farm they're actually working for.
446** "My Big Fat Greek Bob". Linda doesn't realize until Gretchen starts selling a vibrator that the "Lady Goods" she sells are sex toys. Louise and Gene have no idea what it is but want it for different reasons, causing Linda to order them to their rooms. Tina seems to have an idea what they are but is still sent to her room as well.
447* ''WesternAnimation/CentralPark'': In Season 3 "[[Recap/CentralParkS3E08LunarPalaver Lunar Palaver]]", after Cole's encounter with a racist lady in Central Park, he had no idea she was being racist towards him and didn't understand why the lady would be freaked out by him. And when Cole plans to wear a costume that looks threatening and comes with two fake, realistic-looking swords and he's going to be [=LARPing=] at night, his family are concerned he doesn't see how his costume could cause a problem to him due to his skin color. It's later downplayed when Cole reveals he is aware of racism and a few civil right leaders such as UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr and UsefulNotes/MalcolmX, and once Owen gives him the talk about racism, he completely understands the situation and agrees to change his costume to something less intimidating.
448--> '''Paige:''' ''(After Owen tells her what happened)'' How did he handle it? Was he freaked out?\
449'''Owen:''' [[LampshadeHanging Honestly, I don’t think he had any idea that woman was being racist]].
450* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': All of the KND are rather innocent and naive in that they hang around in a treehouse behaving like typical kids who love soda pop and refuse to eat vegetables. They also dominate against the adult population--who generally fall under the HumansAreBastards and AdultsAreUseless categories--using make-believe weapons, while recruiting teenagers as their personal minions, who typically fall under the HormoneAddledTeenager and TeensAreMonsters categories.
451* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'':
452** Jimmy is a CheerfulChild who loves fairy tales and engaging in [[InTouchWithHisFeminineSide feminine make-believe]], cementing him as the most innocent member of the Cul-de-sac.
453** Jonny is another one who's devoid of malice intent in that he usually observes natural surroundings and talks with his CompanionCube, often because he has NoSocialSkills.
454* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': The Ultra-Humanite is a MisanthropeSupreme, but believes that children have yet to be infected by the shallowness he perceives in adults.
455* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': While the trope is usually heavily averted, it is occasionally played straight:
456** Stumpy is the closest thing to this trope, as he has no idea how babies are made and still believes in things like magic and Santa Claus.
457** Kaeloo has no idea how to even ''tell a lie'' until Mr. Cat gives her lessons on how to lie to people.
458** Even ''Mr. Cat'' has shown signs of this from time to time; one episode had him wear a Nazi costume when playing the bad guy in a game and suggested that he had no idea what his costume actually represented and got the idea from watching a movie.
459* ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'': Orel is so trusting and naive that he takes everything he learns from the adults at face value. Lampshaded at one point.
460-->''Dear Orel, always remember, son, even though you are the perfect candidate for brainwashing in this town, you're also too pure and good-hearted to be corrupted. -Love, Grandpa"
461* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
462** A charitable interpretation of Snips and Snails in "Boast Busters". Determined to prove true the impressive though unlikely claims of [[FakeUltimateHero "The Great and Powerful" Trixie]], the two clearly not-that-bright colts lure a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever giant]] {{bear|sAreBadNews}} into Ponyville, a heavily populated town where [[{{Jerkass}} Trixie]] is temporarily residing during her traveling performance. Snips are Snails are thus STUNNED when [[SmallNameBigEgo Trixie]] proves to be a fraud despite [[OnlySaneMan Spike]] having told them earlier that the unlikely claim is not necessarily true just because Trixie said so. [[TheHero Main Character]] [[NiceGirl Twilight Sparkle]] may believe in this trope, given the rather lenient punishment she gives them after she [[BadassBookworm stops the rampaging bear and saves the town]].
463** This conception is played for laughs at the end of season 1. The girls are changing into their gala dresses and Spike is locked out, banging on the door and unable to understand why they won't let him in. Rarity is utterly repulsed that he wants to come in while they're dressing, ''until Applejack reminds her that they're usually naked and nudity isn't taboo''.
464-->'''Rarity:''' Heavens ''no''! We're getting dressed!\
465'''Applejack:''' Dressed? Uh, beg pardon, [[OurNudityIsDifferent but we don't normally wear clothes.]]
466** In the season 2 finale, Spike has no idea what a bachelor party is.
467** In Season 6 we are introduced to Baby Flurry Heart, the baby filly of Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. She's a CheerfulChild who giggles at everyone she meets. She wasn't even scared when she met the changeling Thorax, even when she saw his true form she giggled at him like everyone else.
468* On ''WesternAnimation/PeterRabbit'', whenever one of the show's predator characters goes after Peter Rabbit's [[BunniesForCuteness cute little sister]] Cottontail, wanting to eat her, she generally doesn't get it and treats it as a fun game. She thinks it's great fun when an owl swoops her up and takes her for a flight and usually the predators have to act very overtly mean for her to get scared, and even then it doesn't last long, assuming she even recognizes it for what it is. When Mr. Tod the fox places her in his cookpot with Shrew, she spends most of her time in it giggling and when he tosses in vegetables for flavoring, she eats some of the carrot slices.
469* Spoken word for word in one ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' short where a bird is teaching his son how to poop on things. He asks the son to pick a target, and when the son chooses a baby's carriage:
470-->'''Father:''' No, son. For he is a child, and children are innocent.
471* All of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' gang are friendly kids who dread adults and academia, and live for the moment once recess time approaches.
472* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'': The titular character is the epithome of this trope in-universe, though not the only one, in her series is extremly unlikely that a child would go into evil by their own volition, even mischievous ones like Lucinda only do it to get attention, or jealous like Amber repent very soon of their bad deeds...
473* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': The show runs on inverting this trope for BlackComedy. Even the good main characters are foul-mouthed and mean to each other. The creators even mention their disbelief in this trope in the commentary. Despite this, there are genuine examples of children being innocent in this series in a realistic way.
474** [[Characters/SouthParkButtersStotch Butters Stotch]] is the closest thing to innocent on the show, being a TokenGoodTeammate and WideEyedIdealist in such a CrapsackWorld.
475** [[Characters/SouthParkStanMarsh Stan Marsh]] and [[Characters/SouthParkKyleBroflovski Kyle Broflovski]], despite their foibles, have at least some shred of innocence in them when a plot calls for it.
476** Played straight in some episodes ''even by [[Characters/SouthParkEricCartman Eric Cartman]]'', like the one where the kids simply cannot fathom that people kill each other for having different-colored skin, or when they use "fag" without implying gay (for obnoxious Harley riders), or when they run around town trying to buy a "nerection" for [[TheLoinsSleepTonight Kyle's dad]] so that Kyle's parents will stop fighting.
477** Played straight in episode '"[[Recap/SouthParkS4E7ChefGoesNanners Chef Goes Nanners]]"'. Stan and Kyle's team just saw the South Park flag as a man being hanged without even thinking about how the hanged man is black and surrounded by a cheering white crowd. Their lack of understanding of racism led them to think that the controversial issue at hand was capital punishment. When Chef, who was protesting changing the flag while believing the boys were being racist, learned this was touched and told the crowd that the boys were so un-racist that they had no idea that the town flag was racist and simply thought the flag represented capital punishment. This allowed both sides of the debate to compromise and make a flag that stays true to history but takes out the racist undertones.
478** Played straight with Blanket Jackson and every child 0-6 years of age except Dougie. This includes Ike (Kyle's brother) and Karen (Kenny's sister).
479* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'': In the FlashbackEpisode “Fathers and Sons,” Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey, who were young children at the time, saw a bone demon, but the adults Master Splinter and the Ancient One did not. This is because the bone demon wore an amulet that made him invisible to the “wise and world weary” but not those pure of heart i.e. children.
480* ''WesternAnimation/WorldOfTomorrow'': Emily-Prime is an ordinary little girl who seems oblivious to her future self's talk of [[CrapsackWorld the strange and terrible world of the future]].
481[[/folder]]

Top